Mike at Cold Fury slaps a SF Comical muttwitt, who just hates those mean ol' military airplanes and all they stand for. And a right fine job he does of it, too.
Of course everyone knows these planes are weapons of war, but few of us perhaps truly imagine the powerlessness of those under attack, imagine the victims of these huge and glistening and sun-kissed and biggerfasterdeadlierthanyours fighters, these insanely destructive jets, the sheer unbridled terror, what is must be like for the people, the civilians, the families and neighborhoods and babies in strollers, every day, for months on end.
Maybe the Blue Angels could serve as just such a reminder. After all, a little profound and heartfelt, unclouded American empathy could be just what this nation needs.
Well, I have to agree that there has been a failure of imagination when it comes to the destructive capability of these and other weapons in the American arsenal. But the failure wasn't America's. The people who most needed Morford's snide little reminder of American military might were and are the people who declared religious war against us, and who also fired the first shots.
Wipe your hand, Mike, and scrub the walls when you're done. Nice job!
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
10/19/2002 02:55 pm ||
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Here in San Diego - driving home to Santee at rush hour Friday - on the SR15 - had a wing formation sweep up over our cars as a practice/Ad for the annual Air Show at Miramar.....smelled like...victory.... If SF pussies don't want the military, we'll take 'em proudly. Most of my neigbors are Miramar Marines and we love em
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/19/2002 18:29 Comments ||
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FoxNews says there's been another, possibly related, shooting near Richmond tonight, of a 37-year-old man in a restaurant parking lot. The location is about 70 miles south of Washington, outside the range of the plane that was deployed to support chasing the shooter. Major roads are blocked, including I-95 and US 301, which runs parallel.
The shot was reported to come from a woodline behind the restaurant. No definitive word on whether it's associated with the Beltway Killer, but the technique's the same.
The victim is alive and was taken to a hospital in Richmond, where he's in surgery now. There was one shot, to the abdomen. The victim was conscious when he arrived at the hospital.
The police statement says they have no description of the shooter, but Rita Cosby says there's an APB out for a leased white Chevy van with a Maryland tag, and that there's a license number associated with it.
Virginia police implemented a tactical plan they already had in place as soon as they got the 911 call.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
10/19/2002 10:47 pm ||
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Thought that would happen. The killer listens to the media. The media says he never attacks on weekends. Sigh.
If I were the police, I'd point out that he never attacks the same place twice, and then do some stakeouts...
Posted by: Kathy K ||
10/20/2002 3:01 Comments ||
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Source: Jihad Unspun
700 American soldiers have surrounded their previous ally Commander Muâallam Janâs area since last Friday, conducting a house to house search. According to details, five helicopters are also supporting their forces on the ground, which are constantly flying in the area. Commander Muâallam Jan was responsible for the military camp âCompineâ established for the Afghan forces by Americans and was given a $200 monthly wage. Recently however he has left the camp, rebelling against the Americans. Guess they wouldn't let him have his way on something...
Prior to this seizure, American commandos also raided the area. According to the recent news received by Dharb-e-Momin, American forces claim to have seized a large amount of ammunition which includes large numbers of rocket launchers, machine guns, missiles and explosives. All the seized weapons are being transported to Khost by vehicles. Moreover, Khost Radio has claimed that Commander Mullaam Jan has left the country. Y'mean he's rebelling against the Merkins from Soddy Arabia, or Iraq, or Monaco or Luxembourg? Prob'ly not Monaco on $200 a month...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
10/19/2002 11:01 am ||
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Two people were killed and 40 others injured after grenades were hurled at a wedding party outside Afghanistan's capital. It was not known who carried out the attack Friday night at Morgh Beran village in Paghman district, 18 miles northwest of Kabul, or what prompted it. No arrests were made. State TV said two grenades were tossed over a wall and into the compound where the wedding was taking place. The dead included a singer performing at the ceremony. Boy, he must have been really bad...
The former Islamic fundamentalist Taliban regime banned music and other forms of entertainment including television. This month in eastern Afghanistan, Islamic extremists secretly circulated pamphlets warning owners of music cassette stores and small movie theaters would be punished if they remained open. "Stop that unseemly frivolity and mirth this instant!"
Such is life among people who consider it a greater sin to laugh and have a good time than it is to kill people for doing it.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
10/19/2002 12:24 pm ||
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Source: Kyodo News
Rebel Afghan warlord Basha Khan Zadran has lost the Nadir Shah Kot stronghold 30 kilometers from the capital of Paktia Province in eastern Afghanistan to troops loyal to the government in Kabul, Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) reported Friday. It quoted Zadran as saying the retreat was "strategic" and decided because of over-flights by U.S. aircraft. That jihad stuff ain't as easy as it looks, is it, Bacha?
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
10/19/2002 01:00 pm ||
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The United States appears to have convinced Russia and China to withdraw their opposition to a military strike on Iraq. Both nations are preparing to back a new United Nations resolution that would enable the US to lead an attack on Saddam Hussein if he interfered with the work of weapons inspectors. We expected that would come â but it was harder than we expected...
The shift is significant, but the US is still short of the consensus it needs - France remains opposed and can kill the resolution with a single vote. Several nations took advantage of an open debate in the UN Security Council yesterday to support the French position. Where would we be without La Belle France?... Oh. We're already there.
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan told reporters after the debate he believed most nations supported France, not the US. But diplomatic sources told The Age the US had worked hard to overcome Russia's concerns, and could do the same with France's objections. Russia feared it would suffer financial loss if it backed the US, since it is Iraq's leading trading partner. Mr Saddam last month offered to sign a $US40 billion ($A72.9 billion) economic agreement with Russia, but the US appears to have convinced President Vladimir Putin that Iraq would never pay: it already owes Russia more than $US8 billion for weapons it bought during the Iraq-Iran war. The US has also told Russia it can expect some of the work rebuilding Iraq's oilfields, if President Saddam is deposed. And they can have Georgia, if they're dumb enough to want it...
China is likely to follow Russia's lead when the vote is taken, leaving France as the only permanent member of the Security Council still opposed to the threat of a military strike.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
10/19/2002 11:19 am ||
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Source: The Times (UK)
An Al-Qaida suspect awaiting trial in Belgium has told US investigators that he saw members of Osama bin Laden's network training snipers for attacks on American soil. Nizar Trabelsi, who is accused of plotting to blow up the American Embassy in Paris, told US agents that a three-man sniper team was trained to shoot at targets from between 50 metres and 250 metres. It was planned, he said, to use snipers to kill US senators on a golf course. That's interesting. Amost appropriate, in a bloodthirsty kind of way...
Trabelsi was questioned by agents in Belgium in the past few days, ABC News reported, as the search for the Washington sniper enters its third week. Investigators hunting the man, who has killed nine people and critically wounded two in the Washington area since October 2, believe that he is likely to be a local resident. That's probably the top likelihood...
There is, however, increasing speculation that the killings may be the work of terrorists. Tom Ridge, the Director of Homeland Security, said on Tuesday that the possibility that part of al-Qaeda, or someone sympathetic to the group, was behind the killings could not be discounted. FBI agents have travelled to the US Navy base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to talk to alleged al-Qaeda and Taleban prisoners there about planned sniper attacks against Americans. I'd expect to get precisely zippo out of that trip, but I guess they have to try, just in case...
Before the attacks began suspects at Guantanamo Bay had told investigators that they received sniper training. US Marine sniper manuals were found at al-Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan. The theory has gained plausibility because of the lack of progress in the investigation and the failure of any member of the public to produce information. After 11 attacks, police had believed that a behavioural pattern would have alerted a family member, friend or neighbour to the gunman's identity. The lack of any reports has increased speculation that the culprit has few personal relationships. Probably the jihadis are hoping it's one of their teams, regardless of the Tarot card â a red herring? Somebody else's tarot card? The timing, coinciding with the rest of the Bad Guy counteroffensive, raises the likelihood of a turban being involved.
Someone pointed out on one of the news channels this morning that there hasn't been an attack since Monday night, after which the toll stood at 9 dead out of 11 attacks â and that there wouldn't be any more, since the Magick Numbers had been reached. My personal opinion is that the shooter had the spit scared out of him when he was in the traffic that the coppers had stopped in the wake of the Home Depot attack, and that he only got away because Citizen Dowdy had the heat looking for a cream-colored Astro van and the shooter was driving a bright red Chevelle.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
10/19/2002 12:17 pm ||
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Re Turbans: Eastern Orthodox clerics also wore turbans, in the early Eastern Empire period.
#2
The Sihks sort of sit in the middle, They are hated by both the Hindus and the Muslims, which is kind of a drag if you hail from the subcontinent. Here in Northern California, many of the farms and orchards up here are owned an operated by Sihks. They are some of the finest people I've ever met, and extremely proud to be American citizens. They are fiercely loyal. Im happy as hell to have them as our allies, and I would not want to have them as an enemy.
Posted by: Frank Martin ||
10/19/2002 20:27 Comments ||
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No, no one wants the Sikhs as an enemy; Indira Gandhi learned that to her horror one afternoon in her backyard after she ordered the storming of the Sikh Grand Temple...
Posted by: Brian ||
10/20/2002 0:56 Comments ||
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Sorry to go a little off-topic, but I want to point out that "turban" doesn NOT equal Muslim. True, some Muslims wear turbans, but the most habitual turban-wearers are Sikhs. And Sikhs are bitter enemies of Muslims. (I think. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong!)
#5
I just write "turban" because I've written "crazed Islamist killers, rolling their eyes and screaming 'death to infidels'" too daggone many times in the past year. The Pak fundos always wear their turbans, the ayatollahs wear a different model turban, the Indonesian fundos wear yet another model. So, my apologies to the Sikhs and to other real people who prefer to wrap their heads - consider it shorthand.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/19/2002 12:55 Comments ||
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Don't you think the D.C. sniper, while probably not a member of an organized terrorist group, is quite likely to be a politically-motivated individual "volunteer," like the Egyptian immigrant limo driver who shot up the El Al counter at L.A.X. on July 4? ... 4:00 A.M.
Depends... Depends... If the rental truck's a really-truly clue, that Teenage Angst Killer theory's a goner; you've got to be at least 25 years old to rent a truck. That leaves either the Camo Pants Killer or a Terrorist Wannabe â or something entirely different and I dunno what. Sure hope the truck pans out, because I'm at a loss.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
10/19/2002 10:42 am ||
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those sensors take the intensity of the sound - computer calculate the triangulation based on known locations of sensors....if you don't have a known grid/web of sensor locations it doesn't do squat
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/19/2002 19:12 Comments ||
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I tend to agree with Mickey. It's probably a couple of volunteer Islamic terrorist wannabes. And I think it've very likely to be a sniper/spotter team, not a lone gunman.
An explosion in the apple-growing town of Sopore, 50 kilometers north of Srinagar killed one and injured 15, including seven Border Security Force (BSF) members. Indian security forces, meanwhile, shot dead four Muslim crazed killers independence fighters in southern Rajouri district near the Line of Control. Saturday's encounter is the third near the LoC since India and Pakistan announced on Thursday they would be reducing their troop deployments along their shared borders. The BSF spokesman could not immediately say what caused the blast, but attributed the incident to an attack by snuffies Islamic fighters demanding their own way resisting Indian rule in the disputed region. Looks like things are going back to normal after the elections. With India pulling troops back, and Pakland pulling troops back, things would get boring and the Armed Struggle⢠might lose steam. Best to commit some atrocities and get the troops back, and that way the fundos have an "occupation army" to point to...
The dead man was identified as Riyaz Ahmed, a constable on his way to his home town of Bandipora from Srinagar to spend the weekend with his family. "Seven of our men are critically injured, and one of the vehicles they were traveling in is also damaged," the spokesman said. The explosion also damaged some shops and sparked a minor fire. At least four injured civilians were being taken to Srinagar's main hospital. But they don't count for anything. Probably didn't even have turbans...
The area has been sealed by the BSF, while counter-insurgency police launched a manhunt for those who carried out the attack. The BSF spokesman said gun-shots were also heard in the area. This is the first major attack by suspected fighters in the Muslim-dominated Kashmir valley since results of state assembly elections were declared on October 10. Probably with the elections over, the National Congress tossed, and the corpses all cooled, the gunnies didn't know what to do next. I can see them now, sitting around the campfire, saying things like "What're we gonna do now, Ahmed?" Then finally, a grizzled old veteran, his hands red with the blood of hundreds, stirs the fire with a stick, spits and stands up: "I say we kill somebody!" he sez. And they do.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
10/19/2002 10:42 am ||
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Warning! If you have a heart condition, don't read! Since the source for this is the Baluchistan Post this entire account must be taken with a hefty grain of salt, which is bad for you...
After missile attacks on the US camp in the Urgun area of Afghanistan, US bombers retaliated to target Pakistani tribal areas of Damasar and Lowar Mandi in North Waziristan Agency. Hmmm... You mean the ground surveillance radars picked up the launch sites and they happened to be in Pakland? Ain't that interesting?
Reliable sources told The News that on Wednesday night, unknown assailants targeted the US air base of Urgun with five missiles, which caused huge losses to US troops present in the camp. According to tribal and official sources, after the missile attacks on the US camp at 2 am, two US helicopters arrived the area and taken the injured and alleged slain troops to some unknown place. However, it was not confirmed that how many troops were died and injured in the missile attack. Yep. The hated Merkins are dropping like flies...
Later, US fighter planes B-52 [sic] were seen while heavily bombarding the area bordering Damasar situated at distance of 45 kilometres from Miran Shah, headquarters, North Waziristan Agency. The area, occupied by paramilitary troops, known as Tuchi Scouts while for the first time in the half century old history of the country, Pakistan's regular army has also been deployed there recently after the Bush administration asked its ally to do so. That paragraph doesn't make any sense to me, either...
Instead of targeting their desired areas in Afghanistan, the US B-52 planes targeted Pakistan's Damasar and Lowara Mandi areas with five missiles. According to official sources in Miran Shah, these attacks on Pakistan's tribal areas, have sent a wave of shock among the already charged tribesmen against US and its allies engaged in their so called war against terrorism in Afghanistan. Whether they happened or not...
Major Izhar Ahmad Bajwa of Pakistan Army has collected devices, which were dropped by the US fighter planes in night. Bajwa was reported to have visited the affected area and met people. However, no loss of life was reported due to these missile attacks as four missile were said to have fell on the area at the distance of 100 meters of Tuchi Scouts camp while the remaining two were fell about 800 meters of the camp. Shucks. No corpses. I'm so disappointed...
Despite several attempts by this scribe, none of the officials of political administration North Waziristan Agency were available for their official version. They probably haven't heard the story yet...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
10/19/2002 10:55 am ||
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Police briefly detained about 200 Muslim demonstrators Saturday after they gathered to demand the arrest of thieves who stole a pair of shoes believed to have belonged to Islam's prophet, Mohammed. Horrors! Not the Prophet's shoes!
The sacred shoes were stolen in July from a 400-year-old mosque in the central city of Lahore, but no arrests have been made. "Calling all cars! Calling all cars! Be on the lookout for a pair of 1400-year-old curly-toed shoes! That is all!"
Around 1,000 supporters of the Front for the Dignity of the Prophet gathered at the shrine of a saint in Lahore to begin a march to the governor's residence. But police broke up the crowd and briefly detained 200 of the protesters. A brief standoff followed until the police promised to release the protesters and allow them to review the police investigation into the stolen shoes. I remember visiting the Cathedral of Aachen, which is one of the most beautiful buildings in Europe. There I beheld the armbone of St. Somebody-or-Other, and St. Joseph's trousers are tucked away for special occasions. In the Sainte Chapelle cathedral in Paris, it is rumored that among the sacred relics is the Lord's diaper. The difference is that we had a Rennaissance and in Lahore they didn't.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
10/19/2002 12:18 pm ||
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Don't forget that the foreskin of Jesus is - was?- also kept in several places in Europe!
#2
One of Humberto Eco's books mentions the sacred relic of John the Baptist's skull kept by one church, which was outdone by another church, which had the skull of the man when he was only 12!
Police on Saturday arrested Abu Bakar Bashir, as the government toughened its stance on extremists in the wake of the Bali bombing. Bashir was arrested in a hospital in Solo city after he failed to travel to Jakarta to answer a police summons for questioning as a suspect in a bombing spree. That "I can't make it, I'm sick" wheeze is pretty old...
Hours earlier, the Cabinet approved a tough emergency decree which authorises death by firing squad for some terrorist offences and detention without trial. Ummm... That idea'd make me sick, too. Especially if I was a prime candidate to count muzzle blasts...
Director of criminal investigations, Brigadier-General Aryanto Sutadi, said by phone from the Central Java city: 'As of now, he is formally arrested but he will remain in hospital until he is healthy enough. After that, we will detain him. He is now under police control.' My guess is that his illness will now become chronic, though not terminal. The longer he stays in the hospital, lovingly attended by a bevy of properly Islamic nurses, the better the chances of his followers and fellow travellersgetting the fix in...
Abu Bakar's non-appearance was the first test of President Megawati Sukarnoputri's resolve in cracking down on terror suspects since the Oct 12 bombing. A police spokesman, Brigadier-General Edward Aritonang, said Abu Bakar is not a suspect in that blast. 'For the moment, he has been arrested for his involvement in the Omar Al-Faruq case,' he said, adding that police had 24 hours to either charge him with a crime or take other measures. Police said they summoned Aub Bakar after Omar, an alleged Al-Qaeda operative detained by American authorities, had implicated the cleric in bomb plots during questioning by Indonesian investigators. This was after Singapore and Malaysia had done the same, as a result of their own investigations...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
10/19/2002 10:42 am ||
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Defense Minister Matori Abdul Djalil said Abu Bakar Bashir, was linked to al-Qaida and that his right-hand man, known as Hambali, was behind many of the country's terrorist bombings. Matori stopped short of accusing Bashir of organizing the Bali attack, but said that it was logical to believe that Hambali, whose real name is Riduan Isamuddin, helped orchestrate them and that Bashir knew about it. The two men are accused of being leaders of Jemaah Islamiyah, al-Qaida's biggest ally in Southeast Asia. Hambali's kind of the Tom Hagen to Abu's Don Corleone...
Hambali is one of the region's most-wanted figures. He is accused of arranging a meeting of two of the Sept. 11 hijackers with other al-Qaida figures in Malaysia in January 2000 and was behind an alleged plot to blow up the U.S. Embassy and other Western targets in Singapore. "Al-Qaida and its internal network is behind this Bali bomb blast," Matori told a news conference in Bali, a week after bombs tore through a nightclub district and killed at least 183 people and injured more than 300, mostly foreign tourists. "A lot of information and the progress of our intelligence work confirm that Hambali is Abu Bakar Bashir's vice chairman," Matori said. "Hambali is a terrorist from Indonesia. He's always been mentioned by those who did bombings in the past as their commander." That way Hambali can take the heat and Abu can continue being a holy man. Once Abu's in charge, with a jewelled turban, it can be discovered that it was all infidel lies and Hambali can be Grand Vizier...
"It is illogical if Abu Bakar Bashir says that he doesn't know about the bombings in Indonesia," Matori said. This is Indonesia we're talking about. Where does logic come in?
Bashir, 64, hospitalized since Friday with breathing problems, is under police guard at the main hospital in his hometown of Solo in the western part of Indonesia's main island of Java. Saturday afternoon, authorities sent police doctors to Solo to determine if Bashir is healthy enough to travel to Jakarta. "The police don't believe he is sick," said National Police spokesman Gen. Saleh Saaf. "He might be pretending." But... But... He has a note from his Mom! I'm so surprised!
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
10/19/2002 11:31 am ||
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President Macapagal-Arroyo yesterday announced the arrest of a key leader of the Abu Sayyaf bandits who was involved in the series of bombings in Metro Manila last Dec. 30, 2000. Philippine National Police Intelligence Group Director Jaime Caringal identified the suspect as Mark Bolkerin Gumbahale, 21. Only 21 years old and already he's cutting people's heads off. What a precocious lad...
He was arrested in Maharlika Village in Taguig last Oct. 17. Caringal said Gumbahale admitted during interrogation that he was involved in the Dec. 30 bombings that left some 18 people killed and more than 60 others injured two years ago. When he was 19...
The intelligence official said Gumbahale admitted his involvement in the bomb explosions in Dusit Hotel and at the Petron Gas station in Makati City; at a bus in Cubao, Quezon City; and the LRT station in Blumentritt in Sta. Cruz, Manila. "Ow! Don't hit me there anymore! I dunnit!"
He was arrested by virtue of warrant of arrest issued by Judge Ernesto Gutierrez of the Sulu Regional Trial Court Branch 4 for two counts of kidnapping and serious illegal detention. Caringal said Gumbahale is an active member of the Abu Sayyaf and was one of the close henchmen of slain ASG spokesman Aldam Tilao. He was also known to be a firearm specialist and has a reward of P5 million for his capture. Somebody's buying the beer tonight...
He was charged for kidnapping and serious illegal detention, together with Ghalib Andang alias Commander Robot and other ASG leaders and members for the abduction of 21 tourists, including two Filipinos, in an island resort in Sipadan, Malaysia. He was also allegedly involved in the abduction of students in Lamitan and teachers in Malamawi, Basilan in 1999. He was also among those who ambushed and beheaded seven soldiers and two Army officers in Cumalang, Basilan. Police said Gumbahaleâs group was also responsible for beheading two civilian hostages who failed to pay ransom to the Abu Sayyaf. That's the way you can tell if they're Islamists...
Thanks to Steve, who appears to be working weekends...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
10/19/2002 12:45 pm ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
