VOA News
Afghanistan's central bank governor is warning security forces to be on the lookout for counterfeit money as the country's new currency takes over on Thursday. Anwar-ul-Haq Ahadi says forgeries of the new bills are already in circulation. I have a pretty good idea who's making them...
The new afghani was introduced three months ago to replace the old afghani, which government officials say was illegally overprinted. The overprinting stripped the money of value, causing massive inflation and requiring huge stacks of bills to carry out even minor transactions. The new bills have a value 1,000 times greater than the old, and are currently trading at a value of 46 afghanis to the U.S. dollar. A stable currency would make Afghanistan entirely too much like a normal country. Couldn't have that, nope...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/01/2003 11:22 am ||
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The capacity of my fellow man to piss in the soup just for the sake of being vile will never, ever cease to amaze me...
Posted by: Ryan Waxx ||
01/01/2003 23:27 Comments ||
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Hundreds of thousands of people attended the funeral of Jarallah Omar, the deputy leader of the Yemeni Socialist Party (YSP) assassinated by a suspected Islamic extremist. Mourners denounced terrorism, extremism and violence as the cortege snaked more than two kilometres from Ishaq mosque in central Sanaa to the Martyrs Cemetery. In Yemen? This happened in Yemen? Are you sure?
Among those attending were the leaders of all the political parties including the People's General Congress, the YSP and the Islamist Al-Islah group. Muslim fundamentalist Ali Jarallah, an Al-Islah member, shot Mr Omar during a conference organised by Al-Islah on Saturday. Mr Omar, 60, was hit twice in the chest and died on his way to hospital after giving a speech rejecting "the culture of violence" in the Arabian peninsula republic. In Yemen, I thought they regarded that as adequate reason to kill somebody...
"There is no God but Allah, assassins are the enemies of Allah," chanted the crowd, waving portraits of the victim and banners reading "We are all Jarallah Omar", "No to terrorism, extremism and violence," and "We want a Yemen without violence". And nobody shot up the funeral procession?
This piece is nearly as unusual as the Indonesian Muslims backing away from wanting an Islamic state. Is this the beginning of a trend? I guess it's still way too early to hope â but I find myself doing so, which means we'll have a setback coming up soon...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/01/2003 11:18 am ||
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Keep it up, Yemen, and you'll definitely impress the hell out of us. Are they on the Most Favored Nation list?
Lebanese special forces surrounded a Beirut-based satellite television station Wednesday to prevent it from airing a program containing criticism of Saudi Arabia, sources at the station — New TV — told United Press International. New TV had planned to invite Saudi opposition figures to discuss the Saudi regime, political and economic conditions in Saudi Arabia, and also the use of U.S. military bases in the country in the event of a U.S.-led attack on Iraq. But the station sources told UPI that Information Minister Ghazi Aridi had asked New TV Chairman Tahseen Khayat not to broadcast the program. When Khayat refused, Aridi told him that going ahead would lead to the government shutting down his TV station. Shortly afterwards special forces surrounded the station and several police were seen entering the building. The police later said they had prevented the program being aired. Oh, how very subtle...
Khayat accused the Lebanese government of bowing to pressure from Saudi Arabia, which for the past decade has been providing large financial help to Lebanon to ease the country's serious economic problems. Political sources pointed out that prior to requesting that the program not be aired, Aridi had a meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri, who has close contacts with Saudi King Fahd and other top Saudi officials. Khayat's station supports the Lebanese political opposition and is widely believed to have close contacts with Libya, the political sources said. Abdel Hadi Mahfouz, head of the National Media Council, an officially recognized body, defended the government decision, saying it was "a precautionary measure to avoid harming Lebanon's foreign ties. It is normal to protect Lebanon's relations with friendly and brotherly countries." If they'd gone ahead with the program, they were afraid Prince Al Walid might change his mind about buying the country...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/01/2003 06:53 pm ||
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Korea Herald
South Korean President-elect Roh Moo-hyun voiced skepticism yesterday about the U.S. move to apply a containment policy on North Korea, urging Washington to fully consult with Seoul before making any decisions on how to respond to Pyongyang's nuclear threat. "I'm skeptical about the effectiveness of the reported 'tailored containment' policy of the United States as a means to rein in North Korea," Roh said in a news conference. I'm skeptical about the amount of effort we should put into defending South Korea...
The U.S. media recently reported that the Bush administration is working on a "tailored containment" policy of applying economic and political pressure to force North Korea to scrap its nuclear program. Roh said that the United States should give priority to South Korea's views before making any decisions on Korean issues. "If the United States makes and announces a unilateral decision, and South Korea follows it, it can't be called real cooperation between the two countries," he said. If nukes weren't involved, I'd be all for Bush just telling the SKors that the problem was theirs — let us know when they'd solved it. If North Korea happens to devastate South Korea, it's no skin off our collective fore. Since the country now appears to be populated by ingrates, Rantburg's advice to Bush would be to do whatever's best for us, and to let the South Koreans fend for themselves.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/01/2003 10:37 am ||
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tell the ingrates we're withdrawing from SKor, good luck, but the nukes are a security issue for us to handle in our own interests. ...park an Aegis between Japan and NKor, and a couple Sub-launched cruise missiles would do the trick on the reactor site. I've gotta believe we'll start a blockade on NKor shipments too...this will be dicey, but I see no reason our 37,000 troops should be wasted protecting these whiners
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/01/2003 11:37 Comments ||
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I must agree. We gave the world one kind of example by crushing the taliban, lets give them another by letting the north invade the south unopposed.
We can always give japan nukes and let them deal with korea. If we need an example of "why nuclear war is bad", the other side of the planet is a good place to have it.
#3
Recommended policy:
1. Pull out
2. Tell China they have 1 month to get their little buddy to comply with its treaty obligations
or we will a) bomb all suspected NK nuke targets, b) encourage Japan and Taiwan to nuke up in response, c) interdict any exports from NK until they comply and d) nuke NK if there is any detonation anywhere associated with its program.
3. Follow through.
Of course, there's a good reason why I'm surfing the web in my armchair rather than making national policy.
#4
Flash91 is right: Show the world when we're engaged and when we're not.
We shouldn't, however, hit the reactor. Instead, we should hit the adjacent reprocessing plant: less of a radiological mess, but big enough to complicate recovery efforts and use of the entire site... A couple of tomahawks, however, won't be enough: 20 to 30 for good
#5
The US should announce to the SKorean government we intend to withdraw. Let them beg us PUBLICLY if they want us to stay. Enough of the different public statements to their people and private statements to us.
#6
Some commenters underestimate the economic consequences of what could happen here. SKor is a big part of the world economy and an even bigger part of the East Asia economy. China and Japan do not want to see an invasion. On the other hand, China does not want regime change in NK because it could give the Chinese people ideas. SK isn't even that thrilled about regime change because they don't want 5 million immigrants and don't want to have the kind of burden that W Germany took on when they absorbed E Germany.
#7
Some commenters underestimate the economic consequences of what could happen here.
Absolutely. The world is not populated with so many functioning democracies that we can afford to throw them away when we get annoyed with them.
I can think of no reason the average SKor Joe Kwan deserves what NKor has in store for him. Hell, I wouldn't wish NKor on Charles Manson, for that matter...
The crux of the matter is that SKor sees the U.S. making policy descisions that will affect them, and they will be left with the results. The reverse is also true, however.
And the U.S. is the only party in this conflict that it is 'safe' to blame... as usual.
Posted by: Ryan Waxx ||
01/01/2003 22:17 Comments ||
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Chief UN arms inspector Hans Blix accepted Iraqâs invitation to hold talks in Baghdad ahead of a report he is due to present to the UN Security Council on January 27. A UN spokesman said discussions were underway with the Iraqis on setting a date for Blix and IAEA Director General Mohammed ElBaradei to visit. General Amer al-Saadi, a top advisor to President Saddam Hussein, sent Blix a letter proposing he come to Iraq "between the second and third week of January" to discuss cooperation between the two sides, the official Iraqi News Agency (INA) news agency said. Blix is due to report on the work of the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) in Iraq to the UN Security Council on January 27. The proposed talks would aim at âreviewing cooperation between us during the past period and looking at ways of boosting that cooperation in the coming months to realize our common objective of a speedy implementation of UNMOVIC's mandate," Saadi wrote, according to the Arabic text carried by INA. This one looks like bureaucracy at work: Blix is going to vet the report with the Iraqis before submitting it. Independent little cuss, isn't he?
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/01/2003 11:08 am ||
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Is Blix going to shine their shoes, also?
Posted by: Tom Roberts ||
01/01/2003 19:26 Comments ||
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Spit shine or bootlicking?
Posted by: Nick ||
01/01/2003 20:06 Comments ||
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"...boosting that cooperation in the coming months", hey? So they are not fully cooperating now?
And Blix is a EUro-diplomat by training, experience, and inclination. Let 'em do what they want, as long as they first sign a piece of paper saying they won't. Chamberlain is too long to make into a verb ("chamberlaining") unfortunately.
Posted by: John Anderson ||
01/02/2003 5:55 Comments ||
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I agree that "chamberlaining" wouldn't work too well as a verb, but how about "blixing"?
Majlis on Wednesday approved the outlines of a law that would make all officials accountable for violating the "personal freedoms of individuals". The MPs were discussing changes to an existing law which only referred to officials as being members of Iran's "executive power", which is currently held by reformists loyal to President Mohammad Khatami. That excluded officials in the judiciary, security forces and legislative oversight bodies, all of which are controlled by religious conservatives. Who feel free to exempt themselves from such minor details, since they're the ones who're really in charge...
According to the new law discussed Wednesday, in a debate carried on state radio, "officials and authorities dependent on any regime institution will be banned from governmental posts from one to five years, or jailed from two months to three years, if they violate the personal freedoms of citizens or deprive them of the rights stated in the Islamic Republic constitution." Another pieces of legislation for the Guardians Council to veto. But putting them on record as being against it will be another nail in their coffin.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/01/2003 11:28 am ||
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The squeeze is getting tighter: drop stoning for "adultery", be held accountable for acting against the [secular] conststution... Vetoes will show them up as sadistic crroks, not vetoing will topple their claims to be consistent in applying "law"...
If it goes peacefully, we may yet see an Islanic [not Islamist] democracy. Turkey will not be all alone.
Posted by: John Anderson ||
01/02/2003 5:49 Comments ||
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Showing no willingness to ease tensions over its nuclear weapons program, North Korea vowed Wednesday to build an army-based ``powerful nation'' and defy pressure from the United States. Better get started, before everybody either starves to death or defects...
North Korea said it fears a possible U.S. military attack, but President Bush said he was confident the North's nuclear issue can be resolved through diplomacy. ``This is not a military showdown. This is a diplomatic showdown,'' Bush said Tuesday. "It's just hard to talk to them, because they're incoherent..."
North Korea, in its New Year's Day message, called on its people to unite under ``the banner of the army-based policy'' and build a ``powerful nation'' to counter a possible U.S. invasion. ``The United States is now becoming all the more frantic in its moves to stifle (North Korea), openly clamoring about a preemptive nuclear attack on it,'' said the message, carried on the country's foreign news outlet, Korean Central News Agency. Ummm... No, we're not. But go ahead: work on that "army-based policy." It'll be interesting to see how well it works. If it does.
The English-language message did not mention rising international concern over Pyongyang's decision to reactivate its nuclear facilities at Yongbyon, but stressed the importance of uniting around the country's military. I think NKor is as divided at the government level as Iran is, only not quite so obviously. Dear Leader is nothing more than a figurehead for the factions within the party. It would appear that the faction that's pushing the "army-based policy" is in the ascendant at the moment, but â as we'venoticedbefore â these things can and do change without warning. Unless the army policy faction manages to push them over the edge and into war, they could be back to a "Sunshine Policy" again in a month or two...
In an apparent effort to take advantage of an upsurge in anti-U.S. sentiment in South Korea, the message urged ``all the Koreans in the North and the South and abroad'' to join in confronting the United States. ``It can be said that there exists on the Korean Peninsula at present only confrontation between the Koreans in the North and the South and the United States,'' it said. Which is why we should pull our troops out and let 'em settle their own problems. South Korea's not the undeveloped agricultural half of the peninsula it was the last time the North swarmed it.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/01/2003 12:21 pm ||
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The English-language message did not mention rising international concern over Pyongyang's decision to reactivate its nuclear facilities at Yongbyon...
What's even more interesting is the lack of international squawking over the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.
Is it clear that the ROK armed forces could stop a NKor attack without US assistance? It'd be devestating either way, of course, but whether we can safely pull our forces depends on whether the ROK can stop 'em far north of Pusan.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/01/2003 17:59 Comments ||
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Steve, from all I've been reading, it's SKor all the way....the questions seem to be: 1) How many dead, and 2) What's left of Seoul.
It sounds like NKor would have real logistical problems moving that many bodies south over their (huge number of fallen) comrades.... Would like to hear if this is wrong though
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/01/2003 18:58 Comments ||
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#5
Its Skor all the way unless the North uses nukes, you mean. Though I suspect that the north wants them for the threat value... to prevent U.S. involvment in their invasion.
Posted by: Ryan Waxx ||
01/01/2003 23:26 Comments ||
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NKor can't have that many, so Ryan's right: They use 'em, there's nothing preventing the US from suddenly jumping in.
#7
Unless things have changed dramatically since the last time I had anything to do with them, the SKors should be fully able to defend South Korea. They've got it all over the North with regard to equipment, training, morale. The Americans represent a magic feather - plus a well-trained extra division.
I think what they're worried about is seeing everything they've built in the past 50 years devastated again. The more you have to lose, the more reluctant you become to lose it.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/02/2003 8:04 Comments ||
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WASHINGTON The U.S. on Tuesday ordered an infantry division from Georgia to prepare to ship to the Persian Gulf, Fox News has learned.
The troops, from the 3rd Infantry Division (Mechanized), received prepare-to-deploy orders earlier this week, Army officials said. A defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, confirmed they were going to the Persian Gulf region as a part of the U.S. military's buildup of forces there. The 3rd is the heavy division assigned to Central Command. They're a big pain in the butt to get to the region, but they have the ability to hit really, really hard once they get there.
It is the largest single ground force sent to the region since the Bush administration indicated its willingness to go to war against the regime of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein more than a year ago.
The division's 2nd Brigade -- several thousand soldiers based at Fort Stewart, Ga. -- is already in Kuwait on a regular troop rotation, officials said.
The division's 1st and 3rd Brigades, from Fort Stewart and Fort Benning, Ga., respectively, and its aviation brigade, from Hunter Army Airfield near Savannah, Ga., will begin moving to the region in the coming weeks. Officials declined to provide their precise destination. All told, between 15,000 and 17,000 soldiers from the division will go to the region, officials said. "region" means Kuwait
Posted by: Patrick Phillips ||
01/01/2003 01:32 pm ||
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Fred, in '91 it was a chore to get them mob'd but I think most of their gear and mechanics are Q-M'd in Bahrain, Q8 and Qatar now. Easier transition to max rediness that way.
Posted by: Jack ||
01/02/2003 9:26 Comments ||
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Source: Rooting Out Evil, via Jihad Unspun
In the new year, Rooting Out Evil will be sending a team of halfwits volunteer weapons inspectors into that greatest of rogue nations, the United States of America.
Rooting Out Evil is a method of posturing campaign of resistance to US unilateralism and domination of global affairs. The whining campaign is aimed at defaming reframing the perception of the USâs role in world politics by turning President Bushâs rhetoric and tactics against him. They oppose the development, storage, and use of weapons of mass destruction (chemical, biological, or nuclear) by any state.
The group have selected the US as their first priority based on criteria provided by the Bush administration. According to those criteria, the most dangerous states are those run by leaders who:
1) have massive stockpiles of chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons;
2) ignore due process at the United Nations;
3) refuse to sign and honour international treaties; and
4) win elections against Democrats have come to power through illegitimate means.
The current US administration fulfills all these criteria. And so, again following Bushâs guidelines, Rooting Out Evil is demanding that his administration allow immediate and unfettered access to school children international weapons inspectors to search out their caches of chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons.
If they refuse to comply, we will assemble as many additional boneheads volunteer weapons inspectors as possible at a major border crossing between the US and Canada and try to get arrested on television attempt to cross into the US on a mission of peace and will be greeted on the US side by Americans who are also holier than thou favour true global cooperation, an end to weapons of mass destruction, and a regime change in the US at the next election.
For more information, or to take part, contact us at info@rootingoutevil.org. Hmmm... Furriners, meddling in our internal affairs and violating our national sovreignty. We should declare jihad against them and kill them, like they do in the countries they admire.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/01/2003 10:37 am ||
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I'm Canadian. Looks like our lax security has moved to our mental hospitals. I wish them all the best luck though. Gitmo isn't too far away from here so I guess visitation wouldn't be a problem.
#3
Oh, jeez. Wouldn't this embarass us SO much.
Let them come. "Yeah this is what we got. Anyone wants to fuck with us and we'll use it."
Happy New Year.
#4
And what would they say when they see that we've had all this crap for decades, and not used it?
Oh that's right... they wouldn't say anything about THAT.
The point is, that some of the nonproliferation treaties violate our constitution.... if our own GOVERNMENT can't drop in announced, sure as hell some U.N. 'crat can't either.
Some might say 'Well then Iraq can refuse under the same idea.' Wrong. They'd have to establish that their own government may not make searches and seizures without a warrant... That'll happen around the time we are populating Mars.
Posted by: Ryan Waxx ||
01/01/2003 22:24 Comments ||
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#5
Of the four criteria shown, the US only fits the first. The other three are blather.
But then, if they want to inspect a nuclear reactor site, let them do it from within the containment center. Five minutes should do.
Posted by: John Anderson ||
01/02/2003 6:03 Comments ||
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#6
Actually, they should try sactions first, right?
Also, they should cite the Section VII Security Council resolutions we are materially breaching.
If they can't the f*ck read, then they're too stupid to find their back pockets with both hands, much less find any WMD.
#7
Cannucks should talk. I don't know who is more dangerous - Dubya or the annual 72 year old Quebecois driving his 92 Olds down to Ft. Myers at 48 mph on I-95 with his lights on, his wife knitting sweaters and his hand on a Molson.
Posted by: Jack ||
01/02/2003 9:31 Comments ||
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Source: Daily News (Pakistan)
Indian security forces have killed eight Mujahideen in separate gunbattles while suspected militants beheaded an alleged army informer in Indian-administered Kashmir. In one incident the army spotted two crazed killers Mujahideen in the Surankote area of the border district of Poonch. A police spokesman said both the Mujahideen were killed and later identified as belonging to the Lashkar-e-Taiba group.
In another incident, the army iced killed a Pakistani snuffy Mujahideen while crossing the border into Indian Kashmir in the Chachaya Bandi area of Poonch.
Police said Indian troops waxed killed four more Islamic heroes Mujahideen on Sunday in two separate encounters in Jammu and Udhampur districts. Four AK assault-rifles and two hand-grenades were recovered from the scene.
Indian troops also banged shot dead a foreign gunny Mujahideen in the northern Baramulla district on Sunday.
An alleged security force informer, identified as Nissar Ahmed, was abducted and later beheaded by suspected militants near Bijbehara township in the southern Anantnag district on Monday.
In Srinagar the Border Security Force (BSF) snagged arrested three psychos Mujahideen, including two "commanders" overnight. A rocket launcher, two rockets, a Chinese pistol, five grenades, one radio and other arms and ammunition were recovered from them.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/01/2003 10:45 am ||
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"In another incident, the army killed a Pakistani Mujahideen while crossing the border into Indian Kashmir in the Chachaya Bandi area of Poonch."
Screwing the Poonch?
Sorry, I did try to resist, I am weak.
Posted by: John Anderson ||
01/02/2003 6:15 Comments ||
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Source: Agencies, Jihad Unspun
Six powerful missiles were dug out under the bridge of Lower Bari Doab canal, averting an attack that could have raised half the city to rubble. A passer-by saw the tip of a missile concealed under sand in the LBD canal under a bridge on the Okara-Faisalabad road on Sunday evening. He immediately informed the police rescue -15 squad. Civil Defence Officer Rana Imdad Ali Javed and bomb disposal officer Rao Abu Bakar reached the site, ordering the canal -bed to be dug up. The deadly missiles were recovered and defused. "Goddammit, Mahmoud! Why'dja leave 'em there? Oh, well. Can't do anything about it. Call Arabia and tell them to buy us some more."
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/01/2003 10:53 am ||
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Six powerful missiles that could have raised half the city to rubble?
Either they're nukes (unlikely) or it's a very small city.
Love the bit about the tip of a missile concealed under sand. Bit like burying dad at the beach. Aren't you supposed to put missiles in concrete silos though?
Posted by: Tony ||
01/02/2003 7:05 Comments ||
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#2
Talk about your Iron Chef, missles in your Okra
Police in Pakistan's North-west Frontier Province have burnt thousands of items considered to be pornographic as part of a drive against obscenity. A public bonfire was organised in Peshawar's Jinnah Park to destroy the material which included Indian and English films, posters, "sex tonics", or aphrodisiacs and medicines. "Oooh! It's a book burning! What good, clean, Islamic fun!"
Police officials said cassettes and other material were voluntarily handed over to them by video sellers. The provincial police chief, Saeed Ahmed Khan, said the video sellers have been given a 15 January deadline to hand in all such material. Those failing to meet the deadline have been warned of strict action. "Gimme them tapes or somebody'll burn your shop down!"
"Here, take 'em, you bastard!"
"Thanks for your voluntary cooperation!"
The province saw a dramatic takeover in October elections by the far-right Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), an alliance of Islamic lunatics parties. The MMA campaigned on promises to enforce Islamic Sharia law and efforts for the withdrawal of US forces in Pakistan in the campaign against international terrorism. Since coming to power, the province's Chief Minister, Akram Khan Durrani, has launched a drive against obscenity. And very loosely defined "obscenity," at that...
The crackdown includes a campaign against gambling, pornographic and unlicensed cinemas, and reinforcement of an existing ban on alcohol. "Stop that unseemly frivolty and mirth! Mahmoud! Hit him!"
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/01/2003 11:40 am ||
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For an Islamic stronghold, they sure do seem to have an awful lot of demand for porn. Oh, what would the Prophet think!!
Oh, I forgot: the women's faces and forearms are shown. Disgraceful! Shameless hussies! Incitement to rape!
Of course, only Islamists would beat and rape any woman who dares show a shapely nose. Nice of them to admit they cannot behave in a civilised manner, like any other people.
A top self-styled area commander of banned pro-Pakistani Lashker-e-Taiba on Wednesday surrendered before security forces in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir. After holding negotiations with security forces through his relatives, LeT commander, Mustaq Ahmed on Wednesday laid down arms before security forces in order to join the national mainstream. Mustaq, who was active in Pak-sponsored militancy for last five years, was the most wanted militant in the Poonch-Rajouri belt. He had let loose reign of terror in the entire belt by resorting to attacks on civilians and security forces during the period, the sources said. The ultra surrendered along with one rifle, 120 rounds, two grenades, four magazines and a radio set, the sources added. "I'm too old for this stuff. I think I'll retire, settle down, until my old 'comrades' kidnap me and cut my head off..."
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/01/2003 11:55 am ||
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Yasser Arafat's government presented a proposed 2003 budget Tuesday, pledging to stamp out corruption and improve record keeping as urged by the United States and other foreign donors. The $1.3 billion budget forecasts a deficit of $747 million, but Palestinian Finance Minister Salam Fayyad told parliament he expected foreign donations and revenue from unspecified overseas investments to cover the shortfall. Fayyad predicted that the Palestinian gross domestic product would drop seven percent in 2003.
It was Fayyad's first budget since he took office in June in a Cabinet reshuffle forced on Arafat after complaints about his inefficient and corrupt administration. Foreign donors, led by Arab states and the European Union, gave the Palestinian Authority about $500 million in 2001, according to official PA figures, but some outside estimates put the total at more than $1 billion.
Israel charges that some of the money is funneled to terror groups, and Palestinian officials themselves have admitted that corruption, nepotism and mismanagement are widespread. In his speech Tuesday, Fayyad said he was ending the use of suitcases full of cash in government transactions, particularly in the payment of wages to Palestinian security forces, and for the first time he was integrating the up-to-now separate and shadowy defense budget into the overall public accounts. They're gonna have to learn new methods to skim their cash, but it'll be good for them. Keeps 'em sharp, y'know?
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/01/2003 11:00 am ||
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"They're gonna have to learn new methods to skim their cash" ...
They can come to Chicago, where the city Democrats figured all this out decades ago. They've even learned to offer up an occasional sacrifice to the Republican U.S. Attorney. Daley's boys can show them all the modern methods.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/01/2003 18:07 Comments ||
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Jan. 2, 2003
Report: Terrorist infiltration into Moshav Maor (UPDATE)
By THE JERUSALEM POST INTERNET STAFF
Initial reports indicate that there has been a terrorist infiltration into Moshav Maor early Thursday morning, Israel Radio reported.
According to the report a lone terrorist entered one of the houses on the moshav located east of Hadera. The house is now surrounded by security personnel. Crap!
The radio said that a senior Border Policeman who lives on the moshav had heard the shots and raised the alarm, it also said that one of the occupants of the house managed to escape. Only one? How many are left?
Large numbers of Police, army and rescue workers were on the way to the moshav.
There were no details on casualties. Oh
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/01/2003 05:55 pm ||
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The government will deploy another battalion of soldiers to Central Sulawesi in order to help maintain peace in conflict-ravaged province. Central Sulawesi military Chief Col. Suwahyuhadji, said on Wednesday the government decided to send additional soldiers to speed up recovery process of peace and security in Poso. The battalion (of about 800 soldiers), Suswahyudi said, would began its duties in Poso early in 2003. The number of sectarian clashes in Poso has declined in recent months following the signing of a government-sponsored peace more than a year ago by leaders of Muslim-Christian factions. With Laskar Jihad disbanded the violence should continue to subside, until a successor organization decides to reignite it. The test will come then — if the military slaps them down as soon as they raise their beturbanned little heads, the area will stay stable.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/01/2003 10:37 am ||
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Police were fired upon by unknown gunmen Wednesday as they tried to investigate the earlier wounding of two women including the wife of a local human rights campaigner. It was unclear whether any of the officers had been wounded. Army Brig. Gen. Nurdin Zaenal told El Shinta radio that military officers were accompanying police.He blamed separatist rebels for the shooting. Sounds like a bad action movie. Shooting up the coppers investigating the crime scene isn't really good technique in real life, even though it's done all the time in the moompitchers. There should be a car chase soon, and the guy with the pretty hair will get the girl in the end.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/01/2003 10:37 am ||
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Jakarta Post
Indonesian Muslim leaders and scholars on Monday joined Nahdlatul Ulama (NU)'s latest call for an end to the campaigns for the enforcement of sharia, or Islamic law, in the world's largest Muslim country. "There is no need to press ahead with the struggle for sharia. We should take the substance of Islamic values and implement them in Indonesia, not the symbols," Ahmad Syafii Maarif, who chairs the nation's second largest Muslim organization, Muhammadiyah, told The Jakarta Post. "Don't help out political interests by politicizing religion." Could it be? Could it be that the Indon Muslims realize they're being Soddy-suckered? That they want to be more than horse-holders for Arabians?
Syafii told Muslims to shed Islamic symbols and formalities in an effort to make a success of their struggle for the nation's prosperity. If Muslims emphasize formalities like sharia and an Islamic state in their common struggle, they will collide with adherents of other faiths and thus end in failure, the Muhammadiyah leader said. "What we should seriously fight for is the enforcement of justice and the creation of a clean government under whatever form of the state we have... An Islamic state or sharia does not guarantee (justice and a clean government). It fully depends on the commitment of the people themselves." Breathtaking.
Azyumardi Azra, rector of Jakarta's Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University, concurred with Hasyim and Syafii, saying Islamic social and political groups should set aside their struggle for sharia and concentrate on efforts to improve the nation's welfare. "Hard-line groups should think rationally and realistically. Stop struggling only for short-term interests. The national interests as a whole must be put forward," he told the Post. "We should all together focus our energy and attention to building the nation through education, law enforcement, upholding the law and eradicating corruption." If these are the guys who manage to take control of Islam in Indonesia, this could be the turning point in the international War on Terror. It could also be the occasion for internal strife within Indonesia â look for someone like Bashir to declare the rest of his countrymen apostates and declare jihad against them. They probably won't do that publicly, but Laskar Jihad type groups will likely start bumping people off. Until that happens, though, this is a thumb in the Arabian eye.
FOLLOWUP: Seems the Bad Guys take this seriously, too. From the comments on TalibanOnLine...
These puppets arenât our leaders, nor are they our roles models, rather they are a bunch of stooges and from them we seek Allahs protection and help. Brother and Sisters in Islam, donât feel sad and depressed after reading the state of the Islamic land of Indonesia, rather let this encourage you to work harder to fight and struggle against these stooges and ultimately achieve our goal, that is the establishment of the shariah in every land, until the adhaan is heard in New York, at the place where the twin towers collapsed.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/01/2003 12:01 pm ||
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#1
It could also be the occasion for internal strife within Indonesia...
I think the followup answers that question.
First Yemen, which was one of their playgrounds, and now Indonesia, the largest Muslim country in the world, start sounding sane? The boys can't stand for that...
#2
Indonesia is Islamic, not Islamist. Our Wahhabi "friends" never got much of a foothold there, they already had schools and mosques before the oil money started rolling in and out of Saudi Arabia.
Posted by: John Anderson ||
01/02/2003 6:29 Comments ||
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Thai Muslims want to use Sharia (Islamic) law to deal with family issues and to settle cases concerned with property inheritance. "From there, we can move into bullying and abusing our Buddhist neighbors..."
According to the year 2000 official statistics, Thailand's Muslim population is now 6 million out of a total population of 60 million. The majority of the country's Muslims are in the southern part of the country, such as Satun, Jala and Patani. Den Tohmeena, a Pattani senator, said the law was like a tool to secure peace and order in the country's Muslim society. It would also help strengthen the family institution and boost their unity. He said the philosophy and principles of the country's civil law did not correspond with those of the Muslim family. "If the country still adopted such laws for Muslim society, it would cause the breakup of their families and disunite their society. So there should be a sharia court to settle the problems," he said. "And cut people's heads off. Don't forget that part."
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/01/2003 12:05 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.
