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2 guilty in Detroit terrorism trial
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Afghanistan
Afghan troops kill four suspected Taliban fighters
Government troops killed four suspected Taliban fighters and captured five others in a gunbattle in a remote mountain area of southern Afghanistan, an official said Tuesday.
Government troops have been busy.
The fighting occurred on Monday in Arghasan, a district of Kandahar province that is 130 kilometers (80 miles) northeast of Kandahar city, the provincial capital, said Fayaz Khan, Arghasan's chief administrator.
The dead included Mullah Abdullah, who was leading a band of about 50 Taliban fighters hiding in the Thang mountains, Khan said in a satellite telephone interview. The five captured Taliban rebels identified Abdullah as their commander.
"Yup, that was him. He used to have both, oh, there it is."
The Afghan government troops also found an unspecified number of AK-47 rifles and rockets following the shooting. Arghasan borders Pakistan, and Khan said the Taliban fighters had slipped into the area from across the border.
Of course
Fugitives of the al-Qaida terror network and remnants of the Taliban government militia that was driven from power by a U.S.-led coalition in late 2001 are believed to be hiding in areas along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Mostly in Pakistan, except during elk season. Of course, it's always elk season somewhere.
About 150 Afghan troops were carrying out a search operation in Arghasan. "We are still in the mountain area, and we are trying to find other Taliban,'' Khan said.
Good man, keep it up.
Posted by: Steve || 06/03/2003 02:50 pm || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Funny how after they get paid, they find these guys?
Posted by: Cyber Sarge (VRWC California Chapter) || 06/03/2003 14:58 Comments || Top||


Two Taliban commanders held
ISLAMABAD: Two important Taliban commanders were held in the Afghan border town, Spin boldak, the Voice of America (VOA) reported on Monday. Afghan border security forces in Spinboldak have confirmed the reports of arresting two important Taliban commanders. A top official in Spinboldak, Syed Fazal Din Agha, told the VOA that the border security forces signalled a car to stop but the driver tried to escape. “Therefore, in retaliation, the security forces hit one of the car tyres and arrested the driver and his two passengers.
Who just happened to be important mullahs, coming in from Pakland...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt || 06/03/2003 02:06 pm || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Afghan soldiers’ wages paid - customs revenues collected.
The Afghan Government says it has finally paid about 100,000 Afghan soldiers their full salaries after it managed to collect customs dues from a key province.
Thats far more than number trained by US and France for National army - must include militias in central govt pay as well. Shows Karzai as much stronger militarily than was previously thought.
Ismail Khan, the powerful governor of the western province of Herat,
the most powerful warlord
transferred $20m (£12.3m) in taxes to the central government last week.
must have been painful to give that up
It was the largest single transfer of funds to Afghanistan's state coffers in 18 months, raising hopes that a tense stand-off between the federal government and local leaders over tax revenues may be coming to an end. The payment is seen as a major victory for President Hamid Karzai who had threatened to resign over the matter.
amazingly it worked - now the goal is to make this snowball, use the newly paid troops to extract more concessions and establish firmer central govt control, gaining more revenue, etc.
"I'd like to inform you that this morning all the salaries and wages of 100,000 officers and men belonging to the Ministry of Defence have been paid," Finance Minister Ashraf Ghani told journalists in Kabul. "The flow of revenue will continue because that's the will of the people of Afghanistan and the decision of the government." Mr Ghani said the provincial leaders had no option but to pay their dues.
not unless they were willing to fight a civil war, with the chance that the US would come in against them - apparently they werent.
"This is non-negotiable and it is not subject to discussion. Governors are not autonomous agents," the Reuters news agency quoted him as saying.
Well i think they will still try to play games, but this is still a win for Karzai
Afghanistan's US-backed interim government, led by President Hamid Karzai, has struggled to establish its authority over the country's powerful local governors since being installed in June last year. The transfer of revenues to Kabul has been a major sticking point, with many local chiefs handing over only a fraction of the taxes raised on their territory. The Afghan finance ministry reckons that it received only $80m of the country's total $500m tax take last year. Earlier this year, Mr Karzai threatened to resign if provincial governors did not agree to pay taxes to the central government. Herat, situated on a key trading route between Afghanistan and neighbouring Iran, is one of the country's wealthiest regions, collecting up to $800,000 a day in customs duties.
That was one of the keys to Khan's power, but he still has a lot of local support, IIUC
Mr Karzai's government will be hoping that other regional leaders follow suit, helping it finance the gigantic reconstruction effort needed to restore the country's infrastructure after 23 years of war. Other powerful regional governors include General Adbul Rashid Dostum, who controls a swathe of territory bordering Uzbekistan in the north, and Gul Agha Sherzai, who is in charge of Kandahar province on the Pakistani border.
Khan was the strongest though, and Karzai can hardly let the others get away with keeping the revenue if Khan couldnt keep it.
Posted by: liberalhawk || 06/03/2003 12:10 pm || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Hope those that are calling Iraq a "quagmire" are made aware of this development. It takes a while for things to get moving, but they do eventually move after a sufficient application of force and persistence.
Posted by: Dar || 06/03/2003 12:25 Comments || Top||

#2  Khan most likely decided it was better to turn most of the money over to Karzai (bet he still "wets his beak") than to chance loosing it all.
Posted by: Steve || 06/03/2003 13:00 Comments || Top||

#3  afghanistan is not a quagmire, but it sure doesnt seem that the admin is paying it any great attention - i mean its pretty desperate that it finally had to come to this - I think with a greater commitment of money and attention, we might have gotten things a good bit further along by now, which would have helped our global strategy. I dont attribute this to Iraq - the neglect began before that.

and i still think we'd be better off paying more attention there.
Posted by: liberalhawk || 06/03/2003 15:21 Comments || Top||

#4  "Aid to Kosovo per capita is still 25 times higher than aid to Afghanistan"

Fareed Zakharia, MSNBC
Posted by: liberalhawk || 06/03/2003 15:39 Comments || Top||

#5  Yeah, but the cost of living is higher in Kosovo too, LH. MUCH higher.

It took what, 16 months for Karzai to pull together a large, trained army and produce the muscle to make the warlords back down? Excellent job.

It'll be somewhere around the 18-24 months for similar good news to come out of Iraq. We're simply in a transition period right now...it'll be rough, but it'll work. Most Iraqis WANT it to work.
Posted by: R. McLeod || 06/04/2003 4:40 Comments || Top||


Clash Between Rival Commanders Kills Three
Forces of two regional Afghan army commanders, both loyal to President Hamid Karzai, clashed in southern Afghanistan, leaving three soldiers dead and wounding two others. The fighting between the soldiers of commanders Abdul Raziq and Gud Fahida erupted Monday near a U.S. base at Spin Boldak, district chief Fazaluddin Agha told The Associated Press. One of the Afghan soldier's killed, Sakhi Dad, was also a part-time translator for the U.S. army. Agha said the fighting had stopped. He had no details on what caused the clash.
"Beats me."
Around Spin Boldak, you'd think they could think of somebody else to shoot than each other...
Posted by: Steve || 06/03/2003 08:12 am || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  When name calling gets out of hand...
Posted by: Chuck || 06/03/2003 8:29 Comments || Top||

#2  "Beats Me"
"Hokay"
Posted by: Frank G || 06/03/2003 9:36 Comments || Top||


Arabia
Agricultural Terrorism
From MEMRI, on the subject of Saudi Media Trends: In the Wake of the Riyadh Bombings. Several interesting articles, but this one's the best — whoever imagined an Arab with a senzayuma?
The editor of the London-based Saudi daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, Abd Al-Rahman Al-Rashed, responded to the issue with sarcasm. Al-Rashed, known as one of the leading liberals in the Saudi press, wrote, in an article titled "Upon Your Request," that when he finished writing his commentary on the bombings, the phone rang and one of his friends asked him to please refrain from blaming Saudi religious institutions for the attacks. "To please him, I tried, and though the task was arduous, I succeeded. With long and focused thought, I exposed the roots, the weapons, and the true perpetrators of Monday's tragedy."
"My most important discovery is that they have no connection whatsoever with fundamentalists. I can swear that they are agriculture students or Ministry of Agriculture personnel. The Ministry of Agriculture is to blame for what happened, because it is the one who dug wells for them, supplied water for them, and planted seeds for them. As it is said, 'He who sows, reaps'..."

"I also discovered that the Saudis who went to Kashmir, Afghanistan, and Chechnya arrived there by chance; they were tourists who had lost their way... Likewise, it isn't true that these Saudi tourists returned determined to carry out acts of evil... For the sake of the public interest, they decided to convey the technology and knowledge they had acquired in the mountains of Tora and the caves of Bora to apartment buildings [in Saudi Arabia]."

"It isn't true that the Saudi media and institutions prepared the ground and the mentality for them. What is said about our young people is not almost entirely lies, it is all lies. The charity organizations sent the money only for their tourism and entertainment and that of their Arab and Muslim friends, and not for funding terrorism abroad."

"Regarding their lives in Saudi Arabia, it is not true that they are worry-free. Life is very difficult. The situation has gotten so bad that their communiqués no longer need to be approved by the Information Ministry, unlike others, who want to publish communiqués on science, medicine, or even poetry, and who wait weeks, even months for approval..."

"Don't believe those who say that they show school pupils, including elementary [school pupils], pictures of Palestinian and Iraqi casualties, and incite them against the infidel Westerners. Similarly, it is not true that the schools for girls have become centers of guidance in political matters. The aim of the reenactment of the funerals by Islamist women educators is not to frighten the girls; they are drama lessons included in the curricula."

"Similarly, it is not true that the hospitals are full of communiqués prohibiting shaking hands with the infidels. Another lie is that Saudi television is full of religious programming. Our young people are busy with more important things. Hundreds of thousands of them are busy calling Muslims to join Islam in the land of Islam..."

"In conclusion, you must not connect what I said with any bombings heard in your city; it is only fireworks and American propaganda."
Posted by: Fred Pruitt || 06/03/2003 01:17 pm || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Yes, it's satire. But how many ROP yokels over there will swallow it hook, line, and sinker as total truth?
Posted by: tu3031 || 06/03/2003 15:59 Comments || Top||


Riyadh death toll rises
The toll from the May 12 bombings was updated Monday after an American citizen who was seriously wounded in the attacks died in the Saudi capital.
Just another dead infidel...
The interior ministry announced late Sunday the arrest last week of 15 terror suspects in the holy city of Madina and the seizure of supplies of arms, ammunition and chemical substances. Those arrested include 10 Saudi men, two Moroccan men, two Moroccan women and a Syrian woman. They also include three hardline clerics, Ali Khudair al-Khudair, Ahmed al-Khaldi and Nasser al-Fahd, who have issued fatwas, or religious edicts, inciting terror attacks against Westerners and openly supporting the Riyadh bombings. The three clerics are believed to be the main ideologists for the Saudi Mujahedin, or Islamic fighters [Al Muwahidoun], a small but violent group highly sympathetic to bin Laden.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt || 06/03/2003 12:52 pm || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


American shooting victim dies
A US civilian shot by a gunman last month at a Saudi naval base has died in a hospital, a US Embassy spokesman said Monday. The spokesman, Michael Macey, said the man died recently at a hospital in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province. No further details were provided, including the man's identity, pending notification of next of kin. The embassy has said previously that the American was a contractor for the Saudi Royal Naval forces. He was injured in a May 1 attack at the King Abdul Aziz Naval base in Jubail. The shooting, carried out by a man dressed in a Saudi navy uniform, came on the same day the State Department advised Americans to avoid travel to Saudi Arabia because of increased terrorism concerns. US officials at the time of the attack said the assailant had not been found. Saudi officials had said they were searching for the gunman, but gave no details.
The shooting was only mentioned in passing, and I haven't seen any other details on it...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt || 06/03/2003 12:09 pm || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Bin Laden’s letter found on deader
A hand-written letter, believed to have been sent by Osama bin Laden, was found on a terror suspect killed by Saudi security forces late on Saturday, a newspaper has reported. The bloodstained letter was found on the body of Yousuf Saleh Fahd Al-Ayeeri, killed in a shootout with police in the northern province of Hail. It was signed by bin Laden and dated six months ago, Al-Watan newspaper said.
Faxed copy, or an original?
It was addressed to a person whose name was covered in blood and could not be identified, the report added.
FBI document examiners can uncover the name if they get a chance. Also be nice to see if there are any prints left on it.
The blood must have really been caked on thick — on both sides of the paper. I'm not buying that story real cheap...
Bin Laden sent the recipient his congratulations on Eid Al-Fitr, the Muslim feast that follows the fasting month of Ramadan, which fell last November, and noted the "achievements of the cells" run by the unidentified person. Two Saudi security men were also killed and at least two others wounded in the shootout with Ayeeri and a second gunman, who was later arrested. Ayeeri was one of 19 men Saudi authorities have been hunting since they uncovered a secret cell belonging to the al-Qaeda terror network. According to Al-Watan, Ayeeri had a belt with explosives wrapped around his body.
Didn't get a chance to use it.
Posted by: Steve || 06/03/2003 08:51 am || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  That letter has 'plant' written all over it.

"Covered in blood" - Another Islamic TraditionTM.
Posted by: Raj || 06/03/2003 10:30 Comments || Top||

#2  Letters, tapes. Pictures, yahoos! We want physical proof he's not worm food. None of this "Weekend at Bernie's " shit either.
Posted by: tu3031 || 06/03/2003 10:38 Comments || Top||

#3  Rather than a planted letter, my initial read is that the blood covered name is that of one of the many Saudi royal family members who supports Al Qaeda.

Given Saudi's shitty history of cooperation with the FBI, I doubt we'll be getting a look.
Posted by: mjh || 06/03/2003 13:02 Comments || Top||

#4  mjh - That's why I was thinking 'plant', in order for one member of the royalty to screw another.

Backstabbing is an old Arab tradition, isn't it?
Posted by: Raj || 06/03/2003 15:26 Comments || Top||


Britain
Blair turns heat back on Short
Tony Blair yesterday made the final public breach with Clare Short when he branded his erstwhile cabinet colleague a liar for claiming that he made a "secret agreement" with George Bush as long ago as last September to wage war on Iraq. As opposition politicians and dissident Labour MPs piled the pressure on the government, the prime minister discarded his usual references to "Clare" to say that allegations by "that dumb-ass broad Clare Short" were "completely and totally untrue." Speaking at a sweaty press conference in Evian, Mr Blair snapped that "charges should have evidence and there is none" before he denounced "so-called anonymous sources" who have briefed against the government. Sweeping aside calls for a public inquiry, Mr Blair showed his anger at the drip-feed of allegations that he deceived ministers over Iraq's banned weapons by appealing to critics to "just have a little patience" until a full inspection and report have been completed.

Insisting that he stands "100% behind the evidence, based on intelligence, that we presented to people," Mr Blair rejected repeated claims that intelligence data was manipulated. "The idea that we doctored intelligence reports in order to invent some notion about a 45-minute capability of delivering WMD, the idea that we doctored such intelligence is completely and totally false," he said. It was all cleared through Whitehall's joint intelligence committee (JIC). Then came the stroke which severed his personal ties with Ms Short, an ally over aid and Africa since 1997. "The idea, as apparently Clare Short is saying, that I made some secret agreement with George Bush back last September that we would invade Iraq in any event at a particular time is also completely and totally untrue."
Clare, you're not getting invited to Crawford, either.
Mr Blair is sticking his neck out on what inspection teams eventually find - or do not find - in Iraq. Aides appear to be confident that he will be vindicated among most voters, those whose minds are not fixed against him and the war.
Unlike the back benches, especially Clare and Robin.
The prime minister's tough language came as his political opponents joined forces with Labour dissidents to exploit his difficulties over the failure to uncover banned weapons. Menzies Campbell, the Liberal Democrat deputy leader, said: "In the history of Labour party fighting this is going to be as bitter as some of the left-right splits that ultimately produced the SDP. It used to be that Labour ministers kept their venom for their memoirs. It now seems that some can't wait that long." The Tories indicated that they may be prepared to abandon their bipartisan approach to Iraq by calling on the prime minister to publish the evidence to prove his claim that Saddam Hussein had banned weapons. Michael Ancram, the shadow foreign secretary, stopped short of calling for a full inquiry. But he said: "The prime minister says that he has the answers in information not yet made public. He should now come forward with those answers: firstly, to dampen down suspicions and, secondly, to show the people why he did what he did. If he fails to do so, then he might not be able to avoid an inquiry, but to call for one at this stage is premature."
"Attention, attention: the honeymoon will be over in five minutes. Repeat, the honeymoon will be over in five minutes. That is all."
But Paul Goodman, the Tory MP for Wycombe, a member of the team which prepares Iain Duncan Smith for his weekly Commons clash with the prime minister, echoed Robin Cook's call for a full independent inquiry. "The simple fact now is that the government's reputation for spin has come back to haunt it," he said in a letter to No 10. One dissident Labour member, Malcolm Savidge, the MP for Aberdeen North, told Radio 4's The World at One the row was potentially more serious than the Watergate scandal which forced Richard Nixon out of the White House in 1974.
Sad that these jokers can't tell the difference between Tony and Tricky Dick.
Posted by: Steve White || 06/03/2003 12:07 am || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  so the tories are abandoning their principled support for Blair on Iraq to make political capital. Would the US GOP have done so differently??? Colorado Con, you listening?
Posted by: liberalhawk || 06/03/2003 7:33 Comments || Top||

#2  Since you ask - do you hear GOP members saying that the Yugoslav situation was a pack of lies? No. Do you hear them contending Clinton was ineffectual and solely trying to deflect attention from his scandals re: Bin Laden and Sudan? Yes, and I think history will bear the notion out
Posted by: Frank G || 06/03/2003 8:55 Comments || Top||

#3  Given the Tories are not demanding an enquiry (which is usually an opposition's reaction to any perceived government failing) but simply accepting it's all but inevitable given the situation, I wouldn't regard this comment as anything more than the mininum expected of a British parliamentary opposition. It's as though Her Majesty's Oppostition were on work to rule. Look to the Labour backbenches and the Lib Dems for Blair's real enemies on the Iraq issue.
Posted by: Bulldog || 06/03/2003 9:19 Comments || Top||

#4  And when dubya came into office did he attack Bin laden in afghanistan - No. There was no consensus in the US before 9-11 for an effective assault on the Taliban. And no, it wasnt to deflect attention from the scandals - it was something that he needed to try, though it did turn out to be ineffectual.

And of course Kosovo is not analogous, since there was real genocide occuring there, and graves have since been found in Serbia.

So what do you think accounts for the differences between the US GOP and the party of conservatives beloved Margaret Thatcher??? Other than the presence of Tony Blair???
Posted by: liberalhawk || 06/03/2003 9:24 Comments || Top||

#5  If the Guardian's report is correct and not unduly unbiased (i.e., does the majority of the Tories stand for support of the P.M. or is there a fringe minority that the Guardian tapped into), then I am truly disappointed with the Tories. Such is not a profile in courage and would be a cynical abandonment of their own policy positions for political gain.

I would hope that the GOP, if they were in an analgous situation, would side with the President and their own policy positions. (e.g., the welfare reform law, NAFTA).
Posted by: ColoradoConservative || 06/03/2003 9:48 Comments || Top||

#6  It's the opposition's job to hold the government to account and act as the main accuser of the party/ies in power. If they didn't demand an inquiry in a situation like this, they wouldn't be doing their job. The great majority of Tories supported Blair over Iraq (a significatly higher proportion than Labour MPs), but the fact is the Government's main argument in favour of war is legitimately open to question. Like it or not, the WMD issue needs to be resolved, or Blair, and whoever sided with him over Iraq, will seem to have, knowingly or unwittingly, deceived the public over the threat posed to the UK by Saddam's regime. Therefore, if WMDs, or satisfactory explanations as to what happened to them, do not come to light in the near future, an inquiry will be necessary. It's unlikely this will happen, but it's naive to think that calling for one is simply a political trick, after all, the Tories, for supporting the war, would look at best gullible for being so supportive.

Blair's spinning is an issue the Tories can capitalise on greatly, however. And I, for one, won't countenance supporting Blair at a ballot box because of his support for further European integration European - a far bigger issue for this country.
Posted by: Bulldog || 06/03/2003 10:06 Comments || Top||

#7  ...Not that I'd vote Labour before a lobotomy, anyway, but I think my views on Europe reflect those of a growing number of Britons. Blair has to be stopped from dragging Britain into the black hole of EUrostatedom.
Posted by: Bulldog || 06/03/2003 10:25 Comments || Top||

#8  bulldog - perhaps you are right it is the job of an opposition to oppose. as you may have noted, some Americans who post here dont seem to realize that, and consider the Dems virtually traitors whenever they oppose anything Bush does in foreign policy - not only genuine idiotarians, but even such stalwarts as Joe Leiberman have been criticized for positions no more "traitorous" than taken by the tories.
Posted by: liberalhawk || 06/03/2003 10:29 Comments || Top||

#9  and its certainly possible for you to be supportive of Blair on Iraq and the WOT, and still vote against him because of the Euro, etc.
Just as I can strongly support Bush on Iraq and the WOT, while intending to vote against him because of his domestic policies.
Posted by: liberalhawk || 06/03/2003 10:31 Comments || Top||

#10  The difference being that you would vote against Bush for lesser of two major issues facing the U.S., and Bulldog would vote against Blair for the greater of two important issues facing Btitain. Now, from where I'm sitting, it looks like your decision is influenced by politics, not genuine concern.
Posted by: Mike N. || 06/03/2003 11:28 Comments || Top||

#11  First I'll only vote dem in 2004 if they nominate a candidate i can live with on foreign affairs - and second sorry if i think domestic affairs are still an important issue facing the US. What i have a problem with is people who have scream "politics!!!" if Lieberman comes up with a reasonable criticism of, say, the progress of nation-building in Afghanistan, but can look the other way at the actions of the tories. Yes an opposition is supposed to oppose, theyre supposed to try to get elected, and theyre supposed to present genuine policy alternatives. Those are all connected in a democracy.
Posted by: liberalhawk || 06/03/2003 12:07 Comments || Top||

#12  First, All you said was that you intended to vote against Bush, you included no stipulations. Second, I never said that domestic policy was not important. Also, I beleive that if you go back and re-read the post I replied to, you'll see why I was screaming "politics". Third, Not to knock Lieberman, but I've yet to hear him give any reasonable criticism of the Afghan nation-building project. Fourth, that could be becuase I haven't paid much attention to him since he flip-flopped on the issues when he ran with Gore.
And finally, That's why I'm afraid that your love for Lieberman seems a little out of place.
Stalwart my ass! Only if the polls support it, or he'll get the face time.
Next thing you know, he'll be asking which party will give him more time to speak on the Clinton impeachment. Oh, wait a minute....
Posted by: Mike N. || 06/03/2003 13:01 Comments || Top||

#13  pols including Dubya have positions that "evolve" - i dont hold Joes softening on affirmative action against him - he had no choice. He didnt flip on culture - yeah he fundraised in hollywood, so what. And he didnt flip on Social - he was never commited to privatization - just interested in the concept.

And all this is on domestic policy - he has been stalwart on foreign policy - more so than Dubya.

Posted by: liberalhawk || 06/03/2003 15:17 Comments || Top||

#14  Claire Claire Claire...

Put away the ganja and pay attention:

Didnt; you get severence pay? Are ya tryig to sweeten an unpaid severence?
Posted by: badanov || 06/03/2003 20:13 Comments || Top||


Down Under
Attempted hijacker had been dumped by sweetie
The man accused of stabbing two flight attendants during a mid-air hijack attempt in Australia last week had just been jilted by his lover, newspaper reports said Monday. David Mark Robinson, 40, had also recently learned that his 66-year-old father was dying of cancer in England, The Australian newspaper reported.
Yep. I remember many years ago, when my Dad passed away, the plane I hijacked... ummm... didn't happen.
Robinson has been charged with trying to hijack a Qantas flight carrying 53 people from Melbourne to Launceston on the island state of Tasmania on Thursday. The Australian quoted friends and neighbors of Robinson in Melbourne as saying he had recently been dumped by a girlfriend who lives in Launceston and had frequently visited her. "He said it had ended and I think that really hit him hard. He seemed very distracted by it," a neighbor who asked not to be named told the Sydney Daily Telegraph.
Maybe she thought he was, like, wierd?
"Honey, I'm gonna go out in the back yard and sharpen some stakes."
"Ummm... David Mark? I think we should talk..."
Friends also said Robinson had just learned of his father's cancer during a trip back to his native England at Easter. Police have said Robinson explained the reasons for his action to them, but they have not made his motives public other than to say the hijack attempt was not related to terrorism.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt || 06/03/2003 12:26 pm || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Kiwi builds own cruise missile
EFL
Bruce Simpson has stated on his website that he intends to construct "cruise missiles", which are taking shape in his shed near Auckland. Security experts say the ease with which Mr Simpson has obtained parts and built a working jet-engine is a warning that such weapons could be built by the wrong people. They are divided over whether the missile plans he has posted online encourage terrorism or simply raise awareness that the technology is widely available. Mr Simpson, a 49-year-old internet developer, stated on the website www.interestingprojects.com on April 29 that he would build a cruise missile. He has already test-fired several noisy jet engines, as neighbours up to 1km away have testified.
"Duck, Harriet! Bruce is working on his hobby again!"
Mr Simpson said that the missiles would not be used for terrorism, but to test home-built jet engines. He said he was fascinated by pulse-jets, which are best known for powering the German V1 flying bomb in World War 2. He has dedicated four years to developing an improved version, called the X-Jet, which he hopes to license. Mr Simpson posted details of the X-Jet online, and has given step-by-step instructions on building a cruise missile. He was able to buy online the electronic parts needed to guide the missile once fired and import them and was alarmed at the ease with which he was able to pursue his project. "All this stuff is off the shelf," he said. "It came in under the radar. It rang no alarm bells." Among the imported items are a radio control transmitter and flight pack, global positioning gear, antennas, software, video camera and a flight control system. Mr Simpson ordered them from overseas websites, they were delivered within two weeks, and passed through customs with ease. Mr Simpson bought parts for the missile's body and wings -- such as stainless steel, polystyrene sheets and fibreglass -- locally. Mr Simpson has been heavily involved with the Internet since the mid-1990s, running news websites such as aardvark.co.nz and 7am.com. His missile site is entitled "A DIY Cruise Missile -- watch me build one for under $5000". He said the site had received 250,000 hits in two weeks, including many that appeared to be from United States military and security institutions.
I'm only surprised no one has built one before. Hundreds if not thousands of homebuilt aircraft are constructed every year. GPS autopilots are now available off the shelf, and small jet engines as well. Someone was bound to put them together sooner or later.
Posted by: Steve || 06/03/2003 07:56 am || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Too bad in the end of the day, this guy will be better armed than the government of New Zealand.
Posted by: BigFire || 06/03/2003 9:14 Comments || Top||

#2  Maybe we could reduce the DOD budget by buying direct from this guy?
Posted by: ColoradoConservative || 06/03/2003 9:49 Comments || Top||

#3  There are easier ways to deliver a payload of explosives. A rental truck for example can take a lot more explosives than the cruise missile he's building. A large remote controlled plane (or little blimp) could probably be constructed far quicker if you needed range for your attack. Nobody has built one because its not worth the effort, for a terrorist, that is.

It would be nice if his X-Jet works and is cheaper than standard jet engines.
Posted by: Yank || 06/03/2003 12:57 Comments || Top||

#4  Well, the original pulse engine was just a long firing chamber with one-way louvres on the air intake. Ran on gasoline, as I recall. Wonder what he did to make his X-jet?
Posted by: mojo || 06/03/2003 14:49 Comments || Top||

#5  Is this Homer's long lost brother? You know, the rich one?
Posted by: tu3031 || 06/03/2003 15:54 Comments || Top||

#6  This is another one of those technological trends that is going to blow up on us like a wide body jet hitting a skyscraper. Processing power is so cheap, so widespread, and so easy to configure. With cheap sensors and cheap servos (and I do mean cheap) one could turn a BM-21 rocket into a precision guided munition. The right firmware running on the processor can overcome inconsistencies in the fuel density, winds, poor aerodynamic design, etc. Or how about a RPG round with a $15 heatseeker that can find the exhaust of an M-1 (the most vulnerable point) 90% of the time? The guy who first noticed this trend was a Polish science fiction writer named Stansilaw Lem. He called it unintelligence, IIRC (I can't find a citation on the web). He realized that the point wasn't to make a few expensive intelligent weapons, but to make lots of cheap weapons about as intelligent as a fly or ant, both of which are highly effective as performing simple tasks. We've crossed that threshold with JDAM. Expect more of this.
Posted by: 11A5S || 06/03/2003 16:19 Comments || Top||


Europe
Trabelsi just a ball of emotions
Nizar Trabelsi, the former Tunisian footballer on trial in Belgium for allegedly planning international terrorist acts in Europe linked to al-Qaeda, was described Monday as capable of the best and the worst. Belgian magistrate Christian De Valkeneer told a Brussels court that Trabelsi "could become extremely dangerous if he was manipulated" and that he was "very emotional, reacted according to gut feeling and was capable of the best as well as the worst."
Translated, that means he has no control over himself, with the possible exception of his bladder, and is a true follower...
Trabelsi is one of 23 alleged Islamic militants accused of planning anti-US attacks in Europe in the wake of the September, 2001 attacks on the United States, and of complicity in the assassination of charismatic Afghan commander Ahmad Shah Masood.
Massood was a man who could control himself, who was a true leader. That's why they killed him...
He was arrested on Sept 13, 2001, two days after the attacks in New York and Washington, in an apartment in the Belgian capital. He was in possession of a list of chemicals which could be used to make a powerful explosive. In an television interview in November, Trabelsi pledged "filial love" for Osama Bin Laden, and said he had planned to target a Belgian military base where US nuclear missiles are kept.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt || 06/03/2003 12:30 pm || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Blast targets bus carrying Turkish prosecutors
A bomb detonated Tuesday on a highway in an Istanbul suburb, wounding at least five people, including a State Security Court prosecutor and two policemen, private NTV television said. The remote-controlled bomb was set off just as a bus carrying several prosecutors to a court house passed by, police said, according to AP. The blast smashed the windows of two police cars escorting the bus and two other vehicles. The injured were hospitalized mostly with glass cuts from the smashed car windows, NTV said. The prosecutors were attached to the State Security Courts which have been involved in a crackdown on outlawed radical leftist, Kurdish and Islamic groups.
Could have been any of the above groups. Fred, which section should Turkish reports go?
Europe, even though they're actually Asia, mostly...
Posted by: Steve || 06/03/2003 08:38 am || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


NATO OKs Plans to Help Poland in Iraq
NATO allies approved plans Monday to give logistical and intelligence support to a Polish-led force that will help U.S. soldiers police central Iraq, diplomatic sources said. The NATO support for the multinational force of 7,000 to be assembled by Poland would be the alliance's first involvement in postwar Iraq.
Is this a back door for the French?
The U.S.-led war caused deep divisions within the alliance, especially with France, Germany and Belgium which opposed the U.S.-led war and caused the deepest rift in the alliance in years. All three countries, however, reportedly backed the postwar commitment for Iraq. The force will be deploy in central Iraq by August, the sources said. NATO will provide communications, transport, intelligence and other logistical help to the peacekeeping group.
All of them support functions, with the occasional exception of intel. They should't get in the way...
The decision by the 19 allied governments to help equip the force came on the eve of a foreign ministers' meeting in Madrid on the alliance's anti-terrorism role. Poland is considering sending between 1,500 and 2,200 troops, or two battalions and a command structure, but it needs troops from other nations to complete the force. Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma asked parliament Monday to approve sending up to 1,700 troops, a Ukrainian official said.
But no planes, okay Leonid?
NATO is also to take charge of the international peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan in August. ``NATO is now squarely on the front lines in the global war on terror,'' Nicholas Burns, the U.S. ambassador to NATO said last week in Brussels. ``The U.S. enthusiastically endorses this new NATO emphasis on confronting ... terrorism and weapons of mass destruction.''
Meaning they're actually going to use some of those troops, rather than stand around and compare hats. That'll be a nice change. Only the Americans, Brits and Frenchies have actually fired shots in anger in recent years, with the exception of a few peacekeepers, so it will be good for the rest of Europe to get some live experience...
NATO's regular spring meeting follows trans-Atlantic bridge building at summits in Russia and France and a weekend appeal from President Bush for the alliance to unite against terrorism. Bush's continuing foreign tour, however, will keep Secretary of State Colin Powell away from the NATO meeting as he accompanies the president's peace mission to the Middle East. Undersecretary of State Marc Grossman will represent the United States at the NATO meeting, which will also include talks with ministers from Russia, Ukraine and other former Soviet and non-NATO European nations. NATO ministers will review preparations for the alliance mission in Kabul which starts Aug. 11, diplomats said.
Posted by: Steve White || 06/03/2003 12:14 am || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  not sure they'll get much live fire experience - most of the residual violence has been in the Sunni Arab areas north and west of Baghdad, which will remain in the hands of the 4th ID, the 1st AD, and, for the time being, the 3rd ID. The Poles and other Nato troops will be in the Shiite zone, which is politically hot, but not particularly violent thus far.

However by taking control of turf, they should relieve US troops. Not sure who will come out first, 3rd or Marines. 3rd has been over there for a long time, longer than Marines, but Pentagon cant be happy having Marines in occupation role, traditionally reserved to Army.

Note also the French are sending some Spec forces to Afghanistan.
Posted by: liberalhawk || 06/03/2003 10:39 Comments || Top||


Fifth Column
Dixie Chickens cancel concerts
EFL
For the near future, though, country radio programmers can be assured that Maines won't be spouting off: She's under doctor's orders to remain mum.

The Chicks canceled a date in Cleveland on Sunday because Maines came down with bad pipes. It was the first time the band has canceled a performance due to illness, according to a statement on their Website.
My guess is that her pipes are just fine, it is her ticket sales that are ailing.

According to the online apology to fans: "Natalie was told by doctors that she shouldn't perform. She has been nursing a cold and fighting allergies for the past week or so and that, along with our crazy road schedule, has caused her to lose her voice," read the statement.

The show has been rescheduled for June 11.

Germs were also behind the band's decision to postpone an upcoming date in Toronto due to the city's SARS virus. On Monday the Chicks announced the June 12 show would be pushed back to August 6.
Ohh...how convenient. It will be interesting to see if they can muster up enough ticket sales to let the show go on or if they have to come up with excuses to cancel much of the tour.
Posted by: Becky || 06/03/2003 05:01 pm || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  To the Dixie Chicks only: yes, SARS is rampant in Toronto, thousands dying every day, please stay away!
BTW, this wouldn't have anything to do with the F.U.T.K. thing would it?
Posted by: RW || 06/03/2003 17:33 Comments || Top||

#2  She's LOST HER VOICE?? Isn't this what Robbins, Sarandon, Moore, et al said WOULD HAPPEN?? If the Chicksie Dicks can't perform, then the terrorists have won
Posted by: Frank G || 06/03/2003 18:34 Comments || Top||

#3  Is this McCarthyism, the blacklist, suppression of dissent, or the cold wind? Could somebody ask Sean Penn? Or his kid?
Posted by: tu3031 || 06/03/2003 21:08 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
Hindus allow girls to protect their faith
KANPUR, India - At her summer camp, 10-year-old Stuti Gupta is learning to use guns, leap through rings of fire and fight with knives and wooden truncheons - skills India's most powerful Hindu nationalist group tells her she needs to protect her faith. The women's wing of the World Hindu Council is holding training camps in several parts of India, where girls learn martial arts and are "ordained" with metal tridents, the symbol of Shiva, the Hindu god of destruction. But in a modern nation built on principles of tolerance and equality, such camps don't just deepen Hindus' faith. They create cauldrons of hostility and inject hatred against Muslims and Christian minorities, critics say.
No! Really? Who'da thunkit?
"Such trends are inconsistent with prosperity, development and modernization. They are completely antithetical to the modern project of nation building," said Mushirul Hasan, a Muslim who is a professor of modern Indian history.
There are enough Islamists doing that stuff instead of holding down jobs...
"If the government wants to create a modern state, it must call the bluff of the Hindu fundamentalists and show the danger they pose to the country."
But the WHC doesn't want a modern state any more than the mujaheddin across the border do...
Stuti, a fourth-grader, traveled 170 miles from her native Banda to attend the camp in the northern industrial city of Kanpur. Both cities are in Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state. "This training will prepare me to fight the odds in the society confidently. They are killing Hindus everywhere to reduce us to a minority and this would help me to face that challenge," the girl said.
Same argument the Islamists use. With the Islamists waving guns and rolling their eyes, it's understandable, I suppose. But if the Islamists can be prevented from cutting her head off, she'd do a lot better to study math...
The World Hindu Council's main target is Muslims, who make up more than 12 percent of the country's 1.02 billion people. Some 84 percent of India's citizens are Hindus, and the Hindu nationalists often warn of what they say are the growing militant ambitions of Muslims.
Posted by: Bruce || 06/03/2003 07:05 pm || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Qazi has a heart bobble
Amir Jamaat-e-Islami and Vice President Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, Qazi Hussain Ahmed was rushed to hospital on Monday after he suffered heart stroke. "Qazi Sahib has been admitted in Doctors Hospital after he felt some trouble in his heart," according to JI Central Secretary Information Amirul Azeem. His condition was reported out of danger", he added .
Damn.
Qazi was about to leave for Karachi on the night between Sunday and Monday when he felt pain in his heart. He was rushed to Doctors Hospital and was admitted in Intensive Care Unit. He is likely to be discharged after some tests.
Posted by: RG || 06/03/2003 03:17 pm || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Wot, kufr medicine? I thought that all was in the hands of Allah, inshallah?
Posted by: 11A5S || 06/03/2003 16:53 Comments || Top||

#2  Here, Qazi, have some pork skins... they're delicious, and good for you
Posted by: Frank G || 06/03/2003 18:36 Comments || Top||

#3  BOO!!!!
Posted by: tu3031 || 06/03/2003 20:55 Comments || Top||


Japanese guy found strangled in Lahore
LAHORE: The body of a Japanese middle-aged man, Osamu Mari Kawa, was found behind the Rangers Headquarters, a few hundred yards away from the Allama Iqbal International Airport on Monday.
"Osamu"?
Superintendent of Police (SP) Cantt Dr Usman said an anonymous caller tipped off the police who reached the spot and found the body with its hand and legs tied with a piece of rope. They also found another length of rope which the police said might have been used to strangle Osamu as there were rope marks around his neck. The SP said there were torture marks on the body as well but said it was premature to speculate on the motive as the Japanese national’s luggage was found with his body.
Somebody didn't like the cut of his turban...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt || 06/03/2003 02:11 pm || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Liver disease maybe?
Posted by: tu3031 || 06/03/2003 15:52 Comments || Top||

#2  Osamu is a common Japanese first name. Perhaps he just got jumped. Most people in the world think that Japanese are all rich so they make perfect mugging or kidnap targets, plus they're more docile that Americans. Furthermore, they're infidels.
Posted by: Tokyo Taro || 06/03/2003 20:21 Comments || Top||


Sami sez Binny and Mullah Omar alive and well
LAHORE: “Osama Bin Laden and Mulla Omar are alive and safe, and operating in Afghanistan against American forces,” MMA Naib Ameer Maulana Samiul Haq told Daily Times on Monday. “They are sending out messages and therefore must be in touch with some people,” Mr Haq said in an interview, but added he did not know their exact whereabouts.
They're not out in the guest house?
Mr Haq, who is also chief of the JUI (Sami), claimed that US forces in Afghanistan were facing tough resistance from Taliban under the command of Mulla Omar. He rejected American claims that they had arrested several high-profile Taliban leaders. Instead, he said: “Praise be to Allah, the Mujahideen have killed many of their soldiers.”
"Yep. They're stackin' 'em up like cordwood..."
The JUI-S chief and hundreds from his seminary, the Darul Uloom Akora Khatak, actively participated in the Afghan war. Mulla Omar is a former student of the seminary. Mr Haq said the NWFP government’s Islamisation policies were steps in the right direction, even as the federal government was ‘conspiring’ against them. “If they try to demolish our government, we will hit back in the Centre.”
Sounds like the threat of civil war. War's always the preferable course, isn't it?
Posted by: Fred Pruitt || 06/03/2003 02:04 pm || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Snappy turban there, Sam! Careful it's not too unislamic. We all know what happens then, and it ain't good.
Posted by: tu3031 || 06/03/2003 16:09 Comments || Top||

#2  "operating in Afghanistan against American forces"
That means they're probably hiding in Sami's house.
Posted by: RW || 06/03/2003 17:45 Comments || Top||


Death sentence of sectarian militant upheld
MULTAN: A court on Monday upheld the death sentence on a prominent Islamic militant arrested last week after years on the run. Abdul Hayee, alias Asadullah and head of a splinter group of the banned Lashkar-e-Jhangvi group, was sentenced in absentia to death in 1998 for killing six Shi’ite Muslims in a sectarian attack on a mosque a year earlier. He was arrested in Muzaffargarh, about 25 km (15 miles) west of Multan, after years on the run. On Monday he was brought before a court in Dera Ghazi Khan, where the judge issued his conviction warrants, meaning the death sentence would stand, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Awais Malik said. The militants can appeal against the conviction and sentence to a higher court. Police say the militants trained thousands of fighters in Afghanistan during the Taliban’s rule until late 2001.
It'll help his looks. His neck's way too short — by about three feet.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt || 06/03/2003 02:04 pm || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Khawajas sprung
Pakistan's government was ordered by a second judicial body Monday to release a doctor and his brother held for almost six months on accusations of harbouring top al-Qaeda figures. The Supreme Court directed the government to make "every effort" to release doctor Ahmed Javed Khawaja and his brother Naveed "in compliance with the orders" of a federal judicial review board, which ruled Saturday that a government detention order could not be extended. The Khawaja brothers have been in custody since a dramatic midnight raid on their home in Pakistan's second largest city Lahore in December. The interior ministry accused them of sheltering at least four al-Qaeda business and financial directors from north Africa and ordered their detention under the 1952 Pakistan Security Act.
Seems that's not an indictable offense in Pakland...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt || 06/03/2003 12:36 pm || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Kashmir’s dirty little secret
EFL

Thirteen years of violent conflict has resulted in much bloodshed and suffering for the people of Kashmir. But a not-so-well-known aspect about life in Kashmir over the past decade is that for some Kashmiris the militancy and the consequent turmoil have brought rich rewards. In fact, several have become quite prosperous. While some might have done well in spite of the conflict, many have amassed fortunes because of it.

This is Kashmir's dirty little secret - that several people have made millions on a very bloody conflict. Not surprisingly, few are willing to share their rags-to-riches story.

This is not to diminish in any way the impoverishment of many Kashmiris over the past 13 years. Besides, some of those who have become rich have done so through the old-fashioned route, ie hard work. But many have made their money from the militancy. Economic power did flow from the barrel of the gun.

Take Altaf, for instance. A mechanic who turned millionaire almost overnight thanks to the separatist movement. There are hundreds like Altaf in the Kashmir Valley today; young men who picked up the gun in the name of "azadi" (freedom) or jihad but used it to threaten, to extort and build their personal fortunes.

"Altaf didn't have money for his sister's dowry," sneers a neighbor, "and look at him now. Three years as a militant and he has bought two cars and owns three large houses in Srinagar alone. Where did he get that money? I've never seen him work." Everyone in his neighborhood in downtown Srinagar knows of his involvement in the militancy. They speak in hushed tones about his lifestyle. It is three years since he left the Hizbul Mujahideen. He still has guns in his house and uses it to extract money from rich businessmen, the neighbor says.
...
.
...
Another lucrative profession in the Valley is to be a "moderate separatist". Some of these receive funds from both the Indians and the Pakistanis. They step up or tone down their secessionist rhetoric depending on which side is more generous. They lead flamboyant lifestyles - especially when they jet across to Delhi or Dubai.

Being a part of the Hurriyat Conference, an umbrella organization of separatist groups, is a bigger money-spinner, it seems. Pakistan channels vast sums of money through the Hurriyat to the various militant groups, some of which is said to have been siphoned off by Hurriyat leaders. Several Hurriyat leaders are paid by Pakistani agencies to keep the separatist pot boiling. Funds that are meant for the widows of slain militants have been diverted to private accounts. The pro-Pakistan hardliners in the Hurriyat have amassed fortunes and their lifestyles are beyond what their declared income would support.
....
...
..
.
Posted by: rg117 || 06/03/2003 12:10 pm || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Iraq
Mass grave containing remains of 200 Kurdish children found in Iraq
Via Orrin Judd...
A mass grave containing the remains of 200 Kurdish children has been discovered in the northern Iraqi province of Kirkuk. The Kurdish newspaper Taakhi said the communal grave was found close to Debs, in Kirkuk, on May 30. The paper said the remains of the child victims were the repression of the Kurdish uprising in 1991. It said dolls were even found buried with the children. Dozens of mass graves have been uncovered all over Iraq since Saddam Hussein's ouster by invading US-led forces on April 9.
Words simply fail me.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt || 06/03/2003 08:55 pm || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  yitgadal, v'yitkadash ....
Posted by: liberalhawk || 06/04/2003 8:15 Comments || Top||


Uday was hiding in Baghdad 11 days ago
Saddam Hussein's elder son Uday was in hiding in Baghdad 11 days ago and had considered giving himself up to U.S. forces, a former body double said on Tuesday. Latif Yahia said he obtained his information in a satellite telephone call with a mutual friend in Baghdad 10 days ago. The friend said that Uday and two bodyguards had stayed at his house in Baghdad for the two prior nights. Yahia, who is in Ireland awaiting a visa to rejoin his family in England, told Reuters he did not know where Uday was now.
"He wants to surrender but keeps changing his mind. He sits in his wheelchair crying, he can't go outside because he knows he'll be killed," said Yahia, who acted as a body double for Uday for more than four years before fleeing Iraq in 1991.
Torn into little pieces and buried alive
"He doesn't want to surrender because he's not sure what will happen to him. One day he says he wants to surrender but the next day he changes his mind," he said. "Uday spent two nights at (the friend's) house. My friend told me that he was in bits -- he needs medicine for his injuries but he has none," added Yahia. Uday was left partially paralysed after a failed attempt to kill him in 1996. Iraqi doctors who had treated Saddam's family said recently that Uday ended up with a slight limp.
Sounds like he's had a few additional injuries since then, if he's in a wheel chair. Hope they are real painful.
Uday has been accused of brutal human rights abuses including torture and rape. Nothing has been heard of him or other family members since U.S.-led forces overthrew the former Iraqi regime in April.
Haven't even found body parts, which is interesting.
Uday is number three on the U.S. "most wanted" list. He was commander of Iraq's feared paramilitary unit known as the Saddam Fedayeen, and was also chairman of the Iraqi Olympic Committee.
He's scheduled for a rope dance
Yahia has written extensively of his time with Uday. His autobiography, "The Devil's Double" is due out on Thursday.
Why, what an interesting coincidence!
Yahia said the friend was his former neighbour and that the two went to school with Uday. Uday asked the friend to act as a go-between with the U.S. military to negotiate his surrender, according to Yahia. "This man was afraid to do that. He said if I go to the U.S. they will arrest me because they will think I am part of Uday's group," he said.
Sounds like he is
Yahia said Uday was unlikely to take his own life and would eventually surrender. "He's not strong enough to kill himself -- I know what he's like through years of living with him."
Agreed, Uday got his kicks by raping and killing with Daddy to protect him. Without that, he's just another coward.
Yahia, who underwent intensive plastic surgery to act as Uday's lookalike, said he felt no sympathy for his former boss.
"He made my life hell. He forced me to leave my country and destroyed my personality. I want him brought to justice."
Why didn't you tell somebody where he was when you had the chance?
Posted by: Steve || 06/03/2003 02:27 pm || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Run a PCR match on this guy before you let him into england.
Posted by: mojo || 06/03/2003 15:08 Comments || Top||

#2  His autobiography, "The Devil's Double" is due out on Thursday.

The little liar just made this up. This is all a big publicity stunt. Yeah...it's like ...my friends who know where Uday is...I just talked to them...and guess what...they gave me this really great tidbit that even the American CIA doesn't know about....just a couple of days before my book comes out...yeah....that's it...I gotta personal line to Uday....and oh yeah...buy my book.
Posted by: Becky || 06/03/2003 16:44 Comments || Top||

#3  Becky's right on. Next thing you know this assclown will be on the Today Show promoting his book. What convenient timing.
Posted by: Dar || 06/03/2003 18:49 Comments || Top||


The Fijis are coming!
Troops from the small south Pacific nation of Fiji are to be stationed in Iraq as part of a post war stabilization force.
Hurrah! Can the Samoans be far behind?
They will be deployed in the Polish administered sector of Iraq alongside soldiers from Bulgaria, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Ukraine and Poland itself. Agreement on the Fiji deployment was reached at talks in Warsaw between Fiji's army commander, Commodore Frank Bainimarama and representatives from the United States, Britain and Poland. Commodore Bainimarama is now having talks with the United States Central Command over funds to cover the estimated US$30 million it will take to send the Fiji troops to Iraq. Fiji has been lobbying strongly for opportunities for its soldiers following the end of 24 years of peacekeeping duties in Southern Lebanon in December last year.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt || 06/03/2003 11:33 am || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  OK, they've got a trained and experienced military unit that they don't want to come home. Given the recent coups and counter coups, that figures. It would become the power broker in the islands.
Posted by: Chuck || 06/03/2003 14:41 Comments || Top||


Once and for All, Salam Pax Exists
On Slate, Peter Maass reveals his initial cluelessness about his Iraqi interpreter:
The day after I returned to New York, reunited with my cable modem, I checked out a friend's blog that linked to an Austrian interview with Salam Pax. I clicked to it. Salam Pax mentioned an NGO he had worked for, CIVIC, and this caught my attention. I knew the woman who was in charge of CIVIC; she stayed at my Baghdad hotel, the Hamra. Salam Pax mentioned that he had done some work for foreign journalists. We traveled in the same circles, apparently. He also mentioned that he had studied in Vienna. This really caught my attention, because I knew an Iraqi who had worked for CIVIC, hung out with foreign journalists, and studied in Vienna. I clicked over to his blog.

His latest post mentioned an afternoon he spent at the Hamra Hotel pool, reading a borrowed copy of The New Yorker. I laughed out loud. He then mentioned an escapade in which he helped deliver 24 pizzas to American soldiers. I howled. Salam Pax, the most famous and most mysterious blogger in the world, was my interpreter. The New Yorker he had been reading—mine. Poolside at the Hamra—with me. The 24 pizzas—we had taken them to a unit of 82nd Airborne soldiers I was writing about.
Love Salam or hate him, check out the rest of the article for a glimpse of what the guy is really like.
Posted by: growler || 06/03/2003 09:34 am || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


U.S. calls off congress on Iraq’s future
EFL
The United States yesterday abandoned plans to call a huge national congress of exiles and opposition leaders to form a new government for Iraq and instead opted for a small council of Iraqis to be appointed by U.S. occupation authorities. The smaller group, consisting of two to three dozen Iraqi advisers, could be in place within three weeks, a senior official of the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) told reporters last night on the condition of anonymity.
No doubt Iranian-backed mullahs won't be invited. Wotta shame.
The council would be charged with drafting a constitution and other tasks leading to a turnover of authority by the United States and its coalition partners to a democratically elected government. The CPA official declined to give reasons behind the shift, but it appeared to be designed to dilute influence of some exiled political groups that had supplied intelligence to the United States and had exerted influence over U.S. planning for the war. The 25-to-40-member council will be "the voice and face of Iraq in its interaction with the CPA," the official said. "We are asking Iraqis ... for recommendations. I hope it will be a broad-based process" reflecting Iraq's geographic regions and demographics, the official said. However, he said, "these are guidelines, not quotas."
"Yes, you, the mullah in the back? Stay there, you're not coming up front."
He said that the coalition, which has assumed responsibility as the occupying power, would remain in control of Iraq's affairs until a permanent government is elected. He could not say when a sovereign Iraqi government would be in place, but yesterday's shift in plans marked an effort to speed the process. "The CPA is going to be in charge until there is a sovereign representative, democratic Iraqi government chosen," the official said. "The council would put forward information from various ministries." The council would replace a loose grouping of seven Iraqi exile and Kurdish groups — including the London-based Iraqi National Congress, a large umbrella group, and two Kurdish parties — and also supersede the gathering of several hundred prominent Iraqis that had been tentatively planned for mid-July.
Sounds like there won't be a loya jirga in Baghdad.
CPA officials, in response to questions, refused to say whether the seven organizations would be represented in the new council. These groups have been working with the CPA and its predecessor, the Pentagon's Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance (ORHA), and their representatives have long assumed they would have a prominent voice in the shaping of the new government. The group of seven, already impatient with Washington's deliberate pace in turning over power, has been organizing a convention of 300 or more Iraqi technocrats, religious and tribal leaders, in an attempt to reclaim some of the political process. That gathering may still go on.
Have at it. We'll be keeping an eye on you.
As for the council, it will be working with other Iraqis — both indigenous and returned exiles — to draft a constitution that will be voted on by citizens in a referendum. Coalition officials stressed last night that the Iraqis would write and ratify it in an "Iraqi-throughout process." The CPA is effectively the occupational government here, gradually replacing ORHA. Its senior ranks are dominated by Americans from the State and Defense departments, as well as retired ambassadors and government officials from earlier U.S. administrations. Officials from other nations in the coalition are also participating.
Mullahs, Baathists and assorted disgrunted hacks, however, will not.
Posted by: Steve White || 06/03/2003 12:33 am || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Blix report fuels doubts on weapons of mass destruction
EFL
US and British leaders were on Monday scrambling to explain why they had so far failed to find evidence of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction as United Nations weapons inspectors reported that Baghdad was handing over fresh information just hours before the US-led air strikes that began the war. Colin Powell, US secretary of state, said "it wasn't a figment of anyone's imagination" that Iraq possessed WMD. "There was no doubt in my mind as I went through the intelligence that the evidence was overwhelming," Mr Powell said in Rome, before heading to the Middle East. The Senate Intelligence Committee is likely to hold a public hearing this month to examine the administration's use of intelligence. And leading members of Mr Blair's Labour party are calling on the prime minister to explain himself to parliament. The new report by Hans Blix, chief UN weapons inspector, revealed that Baghdad supplied information on its illicit weapons programmes up to the eve of military hostilities. But, even at the end, Iraq failed to alleviate fundamental suspicions that it had something to hide.
Said another way, Blix succeeded in showing us that Saddam would never comply.
Unmovic, the UN inspection commission, has continued to analyse data in spite of its sidelining from the weapons hunt. In its latest quarterly report, it said Iraq proffered information on unmanned aircraft and its claimed destruction of anthrax as late as 19 March, hours before the first air strikes. But while "inspections, declarations and documents submitted by Iraq contributed to a better understanding of past weapons programmes, the long list of proscribed items unaccounted for was (not) shortened", the report says.
Despite this, Blix will continue to second-guess from the sidelines.
The report says new data on the Al-Hakam dump site, where Iraq claimed to have disposed of anthrax, indicated traces of biological material "consistent with Iraqi declarations". But the analysis did not "provide a quantification of the anthrax dumped in 1991 with the necessary degree of certainty" and "does not resolve the question regarding the total quantity of anthrax produced and destroyed by Iraq".
Saddam was still hiding something, and Blixie can't bring himself to admit it.
Posted by: Steve White || 06/03/2003 12:29 am || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Hans Blix is like a wood tick. He burrows into the body politic and lives parasitically. And there is just no getting rid of him.
Posted by: ColoradoConservative || 06/03/2003 10:43 Comments || Top||

#2  I thought I read back in December that Blix had an employment contract that ended June 1, 2003. His comments may just be part of his exit interview.
Next we could see him hired as a talking head by one of the networks... Maybe the E! network.
Posted by: Capsu78 || 06/03/2003 11:08 Comments || Top||


Terror Networks
CIA says al Qaeda ready to use nukes
says Bill Gertz at the Washington Times. EFL.
Al Qaeda terrorists and related groups are set to use chemical, biological and nuclear weapons in deadly strikes, according to a new CIA report. "Al Qaeda's goal is the use of [chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear weapons] to cause mass casualties," the CIA stated in an internal report produced last month. "However, most attacks by the group — and especially by associated extremists — probably will be small-scale, incorporating relatively crude delivery means and easily produced or obtained chemicals, toxins or radiological substances," the report said.
Since they've had trouble mounting big attacks lately.
Islamist extremists linked to al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden "have a wide variety of potential agents and delivery means to choose from for chemical, biological and radiological or nuclear (CBRN) attacks," said the four-page report titled "Terrorist CBRN: Materials and Effects." The unclassified report was produced by the CIA's intelligence directorate, and a copy of it was obtained by The Washington Times. The report identifies several deadly toxins and chemicals that al Qaeda could use to conduct the attacks, including nerve gases, germ and toxin weapons anthrax and ricin, and radiological dispersal devices, also known as "dirty bombs." In the latest report, the CIA said terrorist success would depend on planners' technical expertise. However, one likely goal of any attempted attack would be "panic and disruption," the agency stated.

Several groups of al Qaeda tried to conduct "poison plot" attacks in Europe using chemicals and toxins in assassinations and small-scale attacks, the CIA said. "These agents could cause hundreds of casualties and widespread panic if used in multiple, simultaneous attacks," the report said. Also, al Qaeda is developing bombs with radioactive material from industrial or medical facilities, and an al Qaeda document obtained in Afghanistan revealed that the group had sketched out a crude device capable of causing a nuclear blast, the report said. "Osama bin Laden's operatives may try to launch conventional attacks against the nuclear industrial infrastructure of the United States in a bid to cause contamination, disruption and terror," the report stated. Al Qaeda's plans for chemical arms were revealed in a document obtained in summer 2002 that "indicates the group has crude procedures for making mustard agent, sarin and VX," the report said.
All of which are pretty much low tech.

A homemade nuclear bomb would be one of two types: either an implosion device that uses conventional explosives to create a nuclear blast, or a "gun-assembled" device. Making a nuclear bomb would require that terrorists first obtain fissile material such as enriched uranium or plutonium as fuel for creating a nuclear blast. "Use of a [radiological dispersal device] by terrorists could result in health, environmental and economic effects as well as political and social effects," the report said. "It will cause fear, injury, and possibly lead to levels of contamination requiring costly and time-consuming cleanup efforts." Among the materials that are available to terrorists for this type of bomb are cesium-137, strontium-90 and cobalt-60 — materials used in hospitals, universities, factories, construction companies and laboratories. The CIA report contains photographs of a training video obtained in Afghanistan from an al Qaeda training camp showing chemical agents being tested on dogs.
Yet another good reason why cleaning them out of Afghanistan was a good idea.
Posted by: Steve White || 06/03/2003 12:48 am || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Making a nuclear bomb would require that terrorists first obtain fissile material such as enriched uranium or plutonium as fuel for creating a nuclear blast.

Putin and company have probably sold Iran enough material to make several weapons. Or maybe they are getting their toys from the Nkors. It has been my long held belief that should al Qaeda go nuclear, the terrorist states that put them in that position will probably be reduced to glowing slag by the end of the day.
Posted by: Douglas De Bono || 06/03/2003 6:36 Comments || Top||

#2  I've said it before. Why would any terrorist use WMD, whose creation, transport and handling are dangerous to the terrorist before they reach their target when they can just fly a plane into a building? Low tech, inexpensive weapons are the hallmark of al Qaeda. WMD are far more likely to be used in a state sponsored act, or by cult type terrorists, if at all.

The dog video was shown on American television teo years ago. CIA is rehashing old info.
Posted by: Chuck || 06/03/2003 7:01 Comments || Top||

#3  This may have added a few new details, but that Al Q would have "used them if they had them" was something we already knew.
Posted by: Ptah || 06/03/2003 7:42 Comments || Top||

#4  The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, most of them imaginary.
Posted by: ----------<<<<- || 06/03/2003 9:11 Comments || Top||

#5  chuck - because presumably its a lot harder to fly a plane into a building these days. Leaving aside govt and airline security steps, its widely noted that passengers are not likely to tolerate a hijacking, when they can expect it will end in death for all aboard.
Posted by: liberalhawk || 06/03/2003 9:28 Comments || Top||

#6  liberalhawk - I didn't say a passenger plane. And, it could be an LP gas tanker, or a gasoline tanker, or a tanker of methyl ethyl bad-stuff. In twenty minutes, tops, I could improvise a serious incident with what is all around me in the city. And if I planned as well as al Qaeda usually does, it could be a big incident.

The tools of terrorism are all around us, and cannot be totally defensed. To assume that they would choose an expensive, risky, high tech option is being foolish. The CIA merely wants to justify itself, rather than produce information of any actual benefit.
Posted by: Chuck || 06/03/2003 10:41 Comments || Top||

#7  Regarding Chuck's last comment. During our wildfire season last year, we had several of this huge lumbering transport planes in the state loading up with fire-retardant slurry at regional airports. I always thought how very vulnerable it would be for terrorists to overpower one of these planes at the lightly-guarded regional airports and fly maybe 10 minutes into downtown Denver.
Posted by: ColoradoConservative || 06/03/2003 10:47 Comments || Top||

#8  Of course a plane loaded with fire retardent just doesn't have the explosive power of one filled with jet fuel. The kinetic energy of the impact would provide the only damage, since everything else would be covered in iron oxide laced water.
Posted by: VRWC Colorado Chapter (Vast Right Wing Conspiracy) || 06/03/2003 10:54 Comments || Top||

#9  Chuck wrote: WMD are far more likely to be used in a state sponsored act, or by cult type terrorists,...

Al Qaeda aren't cult-type terrorists? You mean all of this stuff about the US being a Great Satan and reestablishing the Caliphate aren't true. Boy, am I relieved.
Posted by: 11A5S || 06/03/2003 10:58 Comments || Top||

#10  Re: VRWC's posting. I fully realize that the fire-retardant slurry would not create a conflagration, ironically it would have a mitigating effect on any fire caused. The point is that these planes are located at regional airports close to major city centers in many cases and the effect would simply be the horror of the plane-building impact.
Posted by: ColoradoConservative || 06/03/2003 11:02 Comments || Top||

#11  Re: ColoradoConservative's posting. The more dangerous threat would be a Gulfstream G5 business jet traveling at 500 mph. A jet of that size traveling at that speed would probably go right through one building, and hit any ajoining building. Denver has two business airports with Gulfstreams within minutes of downtown. We hope they have adequate security to deal with any threat.
Posted by: VRWC Colorado Chapter (Vast Right Wing Conspiracy) || 06/03/2003 11:07 Comments || Top||

#12  gasoline tanker - you mean a truck - i thought above you were talking about planes. IIUC gasoline and chemicals are not normally transported by plane. Not to say that the issue of lightly guarded small planes isnt an issue.

I would think Al qaeeda would explore all these options - the attacks more likely to succeed as well as difficult ones that could create more damage. thats why we have to defend against them all, as well as take the war to them.
Posted by: liberalhawk || 06/03/2003 11:20 Comments || Top||

#13  If you had the time you could certainly replace the fire retardant with something nasty. Either explosive or deadly, to dump out. Sort of like the corp duster stories that circled around right after Sept 11. People might not even be alarmed if there was a fire and they'd seen that type of plane fly over all the time.
Posted by: Yank || 06/03/2003 13:16 Comments || Top||

#14  Doesn't have to be one of the fire-retardant planes. Lots of others are lightly or un-guarded. Think of a UPS or Fedex plane - both have their own fleets - filled with overnight mail being delivered to the Capitol. Wonder whatever happened to that rattletrap 727 that was repo'd from Angola...?
Posted by: Fred || 06/03/2003 13:50 Comments || Top||


Foriegn Elites Cause of Global Anti-Americanism
My note: I'm not nearly as good as you guys in posting and commenting on something, but I think this is an excellent editorial that should be posted here. Maybe Fred can dissect and comment on it because I surely couldn't do as good a job as him.
By Vladimir Shlapentokh and Joshua Woods
Much of the debate over anti-Americanism abroad boils down to a single question: Who's responsible for it — them or us? The Pew Global Attitudes Project's recent gargantuan survey, which stretched its tentacles across 44 countries and included some 38,000 people, found that America's rating has slipped, but ''a reserve of goodwill toward the country still remains.'' That seems a windfall for America's image abroad compared to the decisively negative views we discovered in our own yearlong study of foreign elite opinion. While the Pew project focused on the masses, our study measured the reaction of foreign elites — that is, people who shape the foreign and domestic policies in their countries — to the events of 9/11, as reflected in the international press. We analyzed more than 4,000 articles from the 10 largest newspapers in China, Colombia, Egypt, Germany, India and Russia, most of them published Sept. 12-15, 2001. While many of these articles were written by pundits who are paid to be provocative, we also separated and measured the opinions of political, business, cultural and religious leaders. Our major finding: Elites in much of the world hate the USA. Even the so-called outpouring of sympathy for America following 9/11 never really materialized among most foreign elites.
No surprises to regular Rantburg readers. I hope they didn't overpay these guys for their study...
In India, for instance, a columnist called America ''a bully,'' while a religious leader said the USA was ''a hypocrite who bombs the people it feeds.'' In Egypt, a politician proclaimed that ''America's racist foreign policies are the main cause of Sept. 11.'' Although Egypt receives more financial aid from the USA than any other country in our project, the Egyptian elites in our study labeled the USA ''a terrorist'' 16 times more often than they called it ''generous or charitable.'' This hostility has a tremendously negative effect on the struggle against international terrorism. It creates an adversarial climate in which terrorists can find support among ordinary people; foreign intelligence agencies are less willing to share information with their U.S. counterparts, and U.S. military operations are impeded. It also generates political capital for the opposition in countries where the leader cooperates with America.
Anti-Americanism is the stock in trade of the elites of most countries in the world, to include many of our own "elites." Read the New Yorker and Atlantic Monthly regularly, with occasional doses of The Nation if you don't believe that. But the question is why?
The disparity between mass and elite views sheds light on the cause of anti-Americanism.
And here they're actually on to something...
When the masses abroad think of the United States, they may consider its military's brute force or the improprieties of its leaders — but they also see Hollywood, high technology and a chance for a better life.
When non-communist Americans think of the inhabitants of other countries, they don't think of The Masses™. They don't even think of The People™. They think of people, lower case, each with his/her/its own goals and personality. Some of us may occasionally have difficulty telling the differences between Chinese ("Hu Jintao?"..."I dunno. Who?") or Africans, but that's a different matter. Most of the educational systems of the world have bought into some form of socialist, communist, or fascist ideology — socialism being the bridge between the two extremes. And those are the terms socialism (2nd International variety) thinks in. Our tradition is different, so even while the internationalist influence is growing in our educational system we still don't see people as masses, or as Workers and Peasants™. No one in the U.S. thinks of himself in those terms (except for committed commies, of course. I saw one on TV once, shortly after the fall of the Soviet Union. He wore a cloth cap and worked in a book store and described himself as a Worker.)
The USA received high scores in the Pew study for culture, particularly science and technology. More importantly, immigration to the USA is the dream of the masses — but not the elites. Foreign elites already have their place in society. They see only America's power, authority and confidence — for the simple reason that America's power exceeds their own.
Are we doing Maslow's Heirarchy of Needs here? The elites have their material needs satisfied, The Masses™ haven't. The elites think in zero-sum terms — another product of the socialist influence on their educations — and can't see themselves remaining all that elite if everybody else has individual liberty. Being just as aware of their own intellectual and moral shortcomings as anyone else, they have the sneaking feeling that within a certain number of Masses™ there will statistically be found a percentage of people who have more on the ball than they do. U.S. history shows a progression of power from group to group, from pale Episcopalians through hairy-knuckled Methodists to Mediterranean Catholics and East European Jews, and now with swarthy South Asians and even swarthier Africans knocking on the door, with hats full of drive and ability. Bad news for the landed gentry back home. If they can leave the Olde Countrie and make it, sometimes spectacularly, what'll happen if their cousins start to compete with the Maharanis and Muftis and Patrons?
Power is the prism through which elites overseas view America. The ''superpower status'' of the USA is the leading characteristic in foreign elites' descriptions of America. The country's power is indeed the main cause of anti-Americanism in the world.
And it's a power based in the natural evolution of society — groups competing, intermarrying, getting rich and sometimes being ruthless. Takes longer for the bloodlines to thin that way...
As for ''American culture,'' the term hardly exists in the lexicon of foreign elites. When we ranked the images used among elites abroad for the USA, ''rich culture or strong educational institutions'' ranked 37th; ''technologically advanced'' was 14th. Even ''brave, courageous or bold'' ranked 31st. These and many other positive U.S. images were eclipsed by ''tries to impose its will on other countries'' (second place), ''cares only for its narrow interest'' (fifth), ''warlike'' (sixth), ''hypocritical'' (eighth), ''arrogant'' (10th) and ''terrorist'' (13th). ''In many ways, we are viewed as the rich guy living on the hill,'' said former secretary of State Madeleine Albright, chairwoman of the Pew global survey.
American culture is big enough to absorb Euroculture, to suck in African masks and Indian saris, and still to remain American. It's also merciless and unselfconscious enough to mock them — see Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd, riffing on the Barber of Seville. Kind of scary, if you're afraid your neighbor is going to wear an orange turban instead of a green one, and you're willing to kill him for doing it. What might Bugs and Elmer do to the Prophet? (See a certain Popeye and Olive Oyl epic — "Salami, salami, baloney!")
Albright is almost right. America is the rich guy on the hill, loved by many in other countries but despised by the elites who control those countries' institutions. Given that, anti-Americanism will likely persist as long as the U.S. storehouse of military and economic power holds.
Vladimir Shlapentokh is a professor at Michigan State University; Joshua Woods is a graduate student in the MSU sociology department.
Posted by: SL || 06/03/2003 03:14 pm || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  "Elites in much of the world hate the USA."

And so? Elites in the USA hate the USA too.
Posted by: JP || 06/03/2003 15:52 Comments || Top||

#2  The fact that the elites hate us proves we are on the right path.
Posted by: Rex Mundi || 06/03/2003 16:07 Comments || Top||

#3  The question is, what to do about it. Do we go the politically correct way, blame ourselves for their hatred of us, and try to make things right? Or do we give them our collective middle finger salute?
I honestly doubt that the reason they hate the US is because we are oppressing their culture and causing pain to their fellow countrymen in their view. It is more simple than that. When they look around, all they see is American culture and see it as something to yearn for. They also perceive American culture as superior to their own. They may not admit it, but they do.
In other words, they hate the US because they view Americans as being better than them. And better than their own countries and countrymen.
That's a petty reason, and for that I suggest we go with option number 2.
Posted by: RW || 06/03/2003 16:59 Comments || Top||

#4  Nice flashback Fred - I remember the Bugs and Elmer "Barber", particularly the scalp massage and barber chair lol
Posted by: Frank G || 06/03/2003 18:32 Comments || Top||

#5  Outstanding analysis, Fred. I only have one minor quibble. Socialism did not cause zero-sum thinking. Rather it provides already zero-sum cultures with a justification for continuing the zero-sum game that has been going on for millennia in some cases. I am always reminded of the old (probably apocryphal) tale of the Peace Corps volunteer. Near the end of his tour of duty, he finds that he cannot make sense of the poverty and squalor that surround him. Confused and wanting to somehow understand the reality that that turned out to be so very different from his youthful preconceptions, he turns to a native that somehow seems wiser than all the rest. "Mahmoud," he asks, "I don't understand. The people here are as smart as Americans, and work as hard as Americans. You have plenty of land and a goodly amount of natural resources. Yet your people are stuck in squalor and poverty and ignorance and don't really seem to want to climb out of it." Mahmoud replies, "I'll explain it to you. Let's say that in America, your neighbor gets a goat. You will work hard all year and at the end you will have two goats. Here in Elbonia, if your neighbor gets a goat, you go home and prays that the goat dies." This understanding is important because eliminating socialism (of the second, third or fouth international variety) doesn't eliminate the problem. The "problem" is embedded in vocabularies and underlying cultural assumptions. I wonder if any of the game theory folks have ever created a "meta game" in which a zero-sum and non-zero-sum game clash at their boundary. I don't have the math or programming skills, but my guess is that this is an incredibly unstable combination. One must destroy the other.
Posted by: 11A5S || 06/03/2003 20:15 Comments || Top||

#6  Thanks. You're right about the zero-sum thinking predating socialism. Socialism had Europeans roots. It's the land-based history that gave rise to it. When wealth is based on land ownership, it is a zero-sum game. If you get five more acres, it's because your neighbor gave it up, because they're not making any more land. America at its founding didn't have that problem, since there was lots of land for the taking.

There was something else involved in the divergence, though, and I haven't quite put my finger on it yet. Otherwise, everywhere from Mexico to Tierra del Fuego would have the same attitudes we do — but zero-sum is still the rule in Latin America...
Posted by: Fred || 06/03/2003 20:50 Comments || Top||

#7  Fred: It's the old theory of settlement versus exploitation colonies. The US, Canada and Australia are settlement colonies and are pretty good places to live. Most of Latin America and the Philipines were under the encomienda ( ultra exploitative) system and are therefore pretty crappy places to live. The exception is Costa Rica which was a settlement colony. I think Costa Rica is what Latin America could have looked like if the Spaniards hadn't been such rapacious bastards -- low growth but not especially violent. One could argue that California would be similar if the Franciscans had been allowed to continue their experiment. Overall, I think that the settlement/exploitation colony thing accounts for about 40% of the zero-sum mentality in Latin America. Much of the rest is correlated to the cultural revolution that occurred in England starting just before the Magna Carta: common law, political power devolved to commoners, the State more or less keeping its nose out of private enterprise. So generally, former English colonies tend to be pretty nice places, while Spanish, French, Belgian, Portuguese colonies tend to be shitholes.
Posted by: 11A5S || 06/03/2003 22:40 Comments || Top||


Home Front
G-8 Riots Will Be in U.S. Next Year
The Group of Eight summit will be somewhere in the United States next year, but where is anybody's guess. The final communique issued by G-8 leaders typically states the date and location of the next summit. But this time, it only said that the leaders welcomed President Bush's offer to host the next summit in 2004. The Bush administration said logistical details were being addressed and the date and site had not been finalized. Given that economic gatherings in recent years have attracted thousands of protesters and often result in extensive property damage, the list of cities bidding for the meeting may be a short one.
OK, Rantburg readers, which U.S. city would be the ideal location for this event?
Posted by: Steve || 06/03/2003 02:05 pm || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  I hope it's Boston, and I hope the thugs goons Teamsters are working a detail somewhere. I'll join for a day or two.
Posted by: Raj || 06/03/2003 14:24 Comments || Top||

#2  I vote for Battle Mountain, Nevada. They have a large billboard outside of town that says "Voted the Armpit of America, by the Washington Post". For maximum effect, schedule it for August.
Posted by: Anonymous || 06/03/2003 14:24 Comments || Top||

#3  They need to contract the Oakland PD. They know how to handle protesters (rubber bullets and wooden dows). Maybe we can pay them per person hit?
Posted by: Cyber Sarge (VRWC California Chapter) || 06/03/2003 14:30 Comments || Top||

#4  I vote for Boston too, in July, same dates as the Democratic National Convention!
Posted by: Capsu78 || 06/03/2003 14:32 Comments || Top||

#5  Seattle is definitely the place for it. After the IMF riots, the Mardi Gras riots, and now the Law Enforcement Intelligence seminar riots this weekend, they've got protesting, riots, and destruction of private property down to a fine art. It's like freakin' Mecca for nutcases...
Posted by: Dar || 06/03/2003 14:33 Comments || Top||

#6  San Francisco or Berkley leap to mind.

On the other hand, Guantanamo Bay is in the United States.
Posted by: Chuck || 06/03/2003 14:33 Comments || Top||

#7  I suppose it would be a waste of time if I wrote to W. and suggested that it be somewhere very near my home in Vadnais Heights, MN. (It's a suburb of St. Paul)(Which itself is kinda like a suburb of Minneapolis.)
I know a lot of people that would be willing to help out with security, and if you held it in January, most of the protesters would stay in their hotel rooms.
Posted by: Mike N. || 06/03/2003 14:44 Comments || Top||

#8  I suggest Zap, No. Dakota, sometime in mid-winter. True, it is a one-dog town, your basic wide spot in the road, with no "guest facilities" to speak of but there is a military base nearby...
Posted by: mojo || 06/03/2003 14:57 Comments || Top||

#9  Having it in Hollywood would be amusing. Rodeo Drive has plenty of shops to loot, they'd get their media coverage, and the liberal stars won't have to commute to the protests.
Posted by: Steve || 06/03/2003 15:26 Comments || Top||

#10  I'm surprised nobody suggested Texas. Isn't it still legal to shoot trespassers there?
Posted by: Anonymous || 06/03/2003 15:46 Comments || Top||

#11  That's right, somebody will be in Boston. The Dimbo 2004 convention in July. Try not to be too dazzled by Mayor Menino and don't miss his speech. I hope there will be subtitles.
One good thing? He'll probably be bussing all the bums down to the Cape. The Dems really feel for the homeless but, god forbid, they gotta deal with them face to face.
Posted by: tu3031 || 06/03/2003 15:48 Comments || Top||

#12  How about Vidor Texas? It's just down the road from Jasper...
Posted by: JP || 06/03/2003 15:56 Comments || Top||

#13  Point Barrow, Alaska
Posted by: PBMcL || 06/03/2003 18:08 Comments || Top||

#14  I'd say Phoenix, sometime in August. It'd be funny to watch them melt. But St. Paul in January would be cute, too.
Posted by: Fred || 06/03/2003 18:57 Comments || Top||

#15  Chicago. Local police haven't forgotten how to stage a riot against protesters.
Posted by: Steve White || 06/03/2003 19:02 Comments || Top||

#16  Mackinac Island Michigan. Scenic and securable. Both the Ds and Rs have meetings there every year. The protesters will have to swim.
Posted by: rammer || 06/03/2003 20:15 Comments || Top||

#17  North Ward of Newark, NJ. The residents there don't get to bust heads of rich white boys as much as they would like too.
Posted by: jdhays || 06/03/2003 20:22 Comments || Top||

#18  Gotta be Beverly Hills. Right on Rodeo. Give the anarchists something serious to trash. Piss off the real money.
Posted by: R. McLeod || 06/04/2003 4:37 Comments || Top||


2 guilty in Detroit terrorism trial
In a test of the U.S. government's domestic war on terrorism, a jury on Tuesday found two Arab immigrants guilty of conspiring to support Islamic extremists plotting attacks in the United States and the Middle East. One co-defendant was acquitted of all charges, and the jury returned mixed verdicts on a fourth. Abdel-Ilah Elmardoudi, 37, and Karim Koubriti, 24, were found guilty of two counts — conspiracy to provide material support or resources to terrorists and conspiracy to engage in fraud and misuse of visas, permits and other documents. Koubriti was acquitted of two other fraud counts. Ahmed Hannan, 34, was acquitted of conspiracy to support terrorism, but was found guilty of conspiracy to engage in fraud and misuse of visas, permits and other documents. He was acquitted of two other fraud counts. Farouk Ali-Haimoud, 22, was acquitted of all charges.

Elmardoudi and Koubriti face up to 15 years in prison when they are sentenced. The jury reached its verdict on its seventh day of deliberations. The case, which began with a raid on a Detroit apartment just six days after the Sept. 11 attacks, was seen as a test of the government's ability to prosecute alleged terrorist "sleeper" cells. Prosecutors said the four men — Elmardoudi, Hannan, Ali-Haimoud and Koubriti — were working as part of a shadowy unidentified terrorist group. They said a videotape and sketches found in the raid showed potential targets were cased including Las Vegas and Disneyland, and military installations in Turkey and Jordan. Defense attorneys said their clients were victims of overzealous federal agents who relied on the lies of an admitted con man to build a flimsy case that didn't add up to terrorism. The men were all legal immigrants. Ali-Haimoud is Algerian and the others are from Morocco. Prosecutors alleged their plot was hatched before they arrived in the United States in the late 1990s and 2000.
It's amazing, how many of these cases are brought by overzealous federal agents relying on the lies of con men and carnie touts and hookers to build flimsy cases against innocent Arabs...
Posted by: Steve || 06/03/2003 01:23 pm || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Middle East
Muslims Lament Israel’s Existence
PARIS If the American threat of preemptive military action against Iraq inflamed the Muslim world over the winter, the war itself fanned the flames, with a sharp new rise in hostility toward the United States, the latest Pew survey has found.

Animosity is so high that solid majorities in five populations surveyed expressed confidence in Osama bin Laden to "do the right thing" in world affairs.
By that I don't think they mean decompose naturally
And, at a time when the Israeli government has accepted the right of Palestinians to statehood, most Muslim populations surveyed believe by wide margins that the needs of Palestinians cannot be met so long as the state of Israel exists.
Sounds bad - maybe they need some more rubbing of their self-esteem and manhood in the dirt
The poll, conducted by the Pew Global Attitudes Project, surveyed more than 15,000 people in May. Muslim populations included were Indonesia, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Palestinian Authority and Turkey.
Not Saudi?
The survey shows that negative attitudes among Muslims toward the United States have soared anew since the war, both in the Middle East and beyond.

Anti-Americanism peaked in Jordan, where 99 percent of the people now have a somewhat or very unfavorable opinion of the United States, up from 75 percent last summer, the survey found. Hostility was also extremely high in the Palestinian Authority (98 percent).

More than eight out of 10 in Turkey and Pakistan questioned since the war have a negative view of the United States, as do seven out of 10 in Lebanon and two-thirds in Morocco. The most extreme shift was seen in Indonesia, where 61 percent had a favorable opinion last summer but now only 15 percent do.

Steven Simon, an analyst of Muslim affairs with the Rand Corporation, said the about-face in Indonesia could be explained by "a rising sense of Islamic identity of a kind that is new" for that country.

Part of this new self-perception, he said, is tied to the return of people who went through the Islamic fundamentalist camps in Afghanistan and became radicalized there. "The way they see the United States as having acted in the last couple of years confirms views like, 'The United States is evil, the United States wants to devour the Muslim world.'"

As for the spike in hostility in Jordan, he said, the war in Iraq was "colossally unpopular" there and heightened the resentment of the country's largely Palestinian population, who already saw U.S. policies in the Middle East as "helping to perpetuate a situation that is grossly unfair to Palestinians."

Even in Nigeria, traditionally a friend of the United States, favorable opinion sank to 61 percent after the war from 77 percent last summer.

Several Muslim populations also express strong dislike of Americans as people. Nine out of 10 Palestinians, eight out of 10 Jordanians and 60 percent of Turks say they feel somewhat or very unfavorable toward Americans. The rise is sharpest in Jordan, where fewer than half had a negative view last summer.

Still, among Muslims with an unfavorable view of the United States, most put the onus on President George W. Bush - who has included two Muslim countries in his "axis of evil" and has focused his war on terror on the Islamic world - rather than America in general.

Distrust today blazes so brightly that majorities in seven of eight Muslim populations surveyed - Turkey, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Lebanon, Jordan and Kuwait - expressed fears that the United States could become a military threat to their country.

In Morocco, 79 percent said they felt Islam was under serious threat today, and people in other countries largely agreed, in many cases far more strongly than last summer. In Pakistan, for example, 64 percent now say Islam is seriously threatened, up from 28 percent in summer 2002. The threat is perceived most sharply in Jordan, by 97 percent, up from 81 percent last summer.

Perhaps as a consequence, bin Laden was one of the three "leaders" most trusted by the nine Muslim populations surveyed, outranking even the UN secretary-general, Kofi Annan. The Qaeda leader's confidence rating was matched only by Yasser Arafat, leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization, and Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia.

As for the crisis in the Middle East, in a wave of sentiment that bodes ill for the future of the U.S.-sponsored "road map" to peace, Muslims lined up strongly behind the opinion that "the rights and needs of the Palestinian people cannot be taken care of as long as the state of Israel exists."

The conviction that no way can be found for Israel and the Palestinians to coexist is strongest in Morocco (90 percent), followed by Jordan (85 percent), the Palestinian Authority (80 percent), Kuwait (72 percent), Lebanon (65 percent), Indonesia (58 percent) and Pakistan (57 percent).

Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who chairs the Pew project, called these results "very disheartening, and very dangerous, frankly."

"I hope that this is temporary and that, if there are some improvements in the situation because of the peace process, it will change," she said. "There is no way Israel is going to disappear. We will just have to find some way to mitigate those feelings."

Even beyond the Muslim world, the United States is seen as favoring Israel over the Palestinians unfairly. Those sharing this attitude range from 99 percent in Jordan to a surprising 47 percent in Israel itself. Only in the United States does a plurality say that U.S. policies in the Middle East are fair.

Overall, Muslim populations see U.S. policies as destabilizing the Middle East, as do pluralities in many other countries surveyed. Nearly 50 percent take this view in France and Spain, as do 63 percent in Morocco, 74 percent in Indonesia, and 91 percent in Jordan.

Regarding the U.S.-led war, disappointment was widespread among Muslims that Iraq put up so little resistance. More than 70 percent shared this view in Turkey, Indonesia, Pakistan, Lebanon, Jordan, Morocco and the Palestinian Authority. The notable exception was Kuwait, which was invaded by Iraq in 1990 and where 61 percent said they were happy Iraq did not put up much of a fight.

Despite the animosity toward America, the survey found "a considerable appetite in the Muslim world for political freedoms," the Pew report says.

In eight of the nine Muslim populations surveyed, at least 50 percent believe Western-style democracy can work in their countries. The exception is Indonesia, where 53 percent see democracy as a Western way of doing things that would not work in their country. International Herald Tribune
Sorry to say, but if this continues we'll have a new slogan:
Islam - the religion of sullen losers™
Posted by: Frank G || 06/03/2003 01:04 pm || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Yes, these countries have much to fear. As currently practiced, Islam is little more than theocratic dictatorship that seeks to perpetuate itself through coercion and violence - with the US and Israel as their prime targets. And, now that we are no longer simply sitting back and taking it (The Clinton Doctrine), they are expressing fear, distrust and animostiy. Waaaaaaaaah. The choice is theirs - they can stop with Islamofascist BS or wait their turn to play catch the MOAB.
Posted by: Rex Mundi || 06/03/2003 13:46 Comments || Top||

#2  "We hate you more today than yesterday,
But not half as much as tomorrow..."
Posted by: Capsu78 || 06/03/2003 14:37 Comments || Top||

#3  Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who chairs the Pew project, called these results "very disheartening, and very dangerous, frankly.I hope that this is temporary and that, if there are some improvements in the situation because of the peace process, it will change," she said. There is no way Israel is going to disappear. We will just have to find some way to mitigate those feelings."

Attitudes like that are what got us to the current situation in the first place, and the amazing Albright is one of the poster children for it. I know a way to "mitigate those feelings". Crush them like bugs and we won't have to worry about their feelings. Let THEM worry about pissing US off!
Posted by: tu3031 || 06/03/2003 16:37 Comments || Top||

#4  Does anyone know anything about the Pew Research Center? Politics, history, axes to grind? I've looked at their website and I get the impression that they are strongly linked to the Democrats since most of their research seems like it is designed to measure reaction the current themes I see being bandied about by Democratic operatives. They appear to have been around since 1990 in one form or another, yet I never heard of them until they started doing these opinion polls in the Muslim world. Finally, since when does an "objective" polling organization have a section labelled "commentary" on their website. Call me paranoid but I have big problems with any poll that comes up with 99% numbers on a question. You wouldn't get that kind of response to the question, "Does the sun rise in the east?"
Posted by: 11A5S || 06/03/2003 16:45 Comments || Top||

#5  11A5S

PEW GIVES A LOT TO NPR.... THAT HELP?
Posted by: TPF || 06/03/2003 20:49 Comments || Top||

#6  Thanks, TPF. I think that answers it.
Posted by: 11A5S || 06/03/2003 22:18 Comments || Top||


Arabs stick with Yasser
SHARM EL-SHEIKH — Arab leaders will stand by Yasser Arafat as the “legitimate” Palestinian leader despite his absence at a summit here with US President George W. Bush, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher said here yesterday. “Arafat is the elected legitimate leader of the Palestinian people and Abu Mazen is the prime minister,” Maher told reporters as Arab foreign ministers prepared for today’s summit in this Red Sea resort. In addition to meeting the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain, Bush will meet here for the first time with Mahmud Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, who the United States and Israel now support as their main Palestinian interlocutor. The United States and Israel have sidelined veteran leader Arafat, whom they blame for the breakdown of the peace process and the violence that erupted in September 2000.
His involvement in terrorism was bad enough, but his lapse into senility made it impossible...
But Maher, when asked by a reporter about Arafat’s role, scoffed at “all this nonsense of grooming Abu Mazen as a rival to Mr. Arafat,” saying it distracted from more important issues.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt || 06/03/2003 01:05 pm || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  We REALLY need to rethink the $2 billion we support these a**holes with
Posted by: Frank G || 06/03/2003 13:11 Comments || Top||

#2  "Arabs stick with Yassar"
That's should work well for them.
Posted by: Mike N. || 06/03/2003 13:16 Comments || Top||

#3  As a requirement for receipt of the next aid check, the paleos (and the rest of Arabia) should have to watch that episode of Seinfeld where George decides to do the opposite of his instincts -- and for once things begin to work out right for him.
Posted by: Hrmf || 06/03/2003 14:40 Comments || Top||

#4  i see the israelis opened up borders, released prisoners as goodwill gestures, and sharon even allowed as how as many as 17 West Bank settlements could be dismantled if negotiations so indicated. did i miss the concessions/gestures made by the Arabs, the Palestinians? why is this always a one way street?
Posted by: m rainey || 06/03/2003 15:58 Comments || Top||

#5  Yasser's the status quo. Hereditary presidencies and such will always go with the status quo.
Posted by: Fred || 06/03/2003 16:24 Comments || Top||

#6  Keep backing those winners, fools. It's worked out really great so far.
Posted by: tu3031 || 06/03/2003 21:02 Comments || Top||

#7  Oh but it HAS worked out well for the arab leaders.

They don't want to see peace with Israel, they want the Palestinians to be a running sore they can beat America and Israel with. The only Israel they want is a historical aberration razed to the ground and renamed "Palestine".

Peace is the last thing they want, so Arafat is the man for them!
Posted by: Anon1 || 06/04/2003 1:50 Comments || Top||


International
Chirac reopens Iraq wounds
Panic over, the French want us to cotinue loving to hate 'em...
French President Jacques Chirac has made clear he still believes the US-led military action against Iraq was illegitimate, despite backing reconstruction efforts in the wake of a bitter diplomatic spat. At a news conference at the end of the G8 summit France was hosting, Mr Chirac said that any military action not supported by the United Nations Security Council was illegal. He also called for international rules to be respected in a spirit of dialogue and multi-lateralism. His comments followed publication of a final summit declaration in which the leading industrialised nations said their aim was a "fully sovereign, stable and democratic Iraq".
Has Chirac been at the Summit Tipple again? Pied dans la Bouche, I think it's called, vintage 2003.

The G8 - Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the UK and US - said they "share the conviction that the time has now come to build peace and to reconstruct Iraq". The three-day summit provided the first opportunity for some of the leaders - notably the US and French presidents - to meet since sharp differences developed over military action in Iraq. BBC diplomatic correspondent Barnaby Mason says that politically, the summit turned into a damage limitation exercise after the divisions over the Iraq war, which was also strongly opposed by Germany and Russia. President George W Bush was not present for the summit's final session on Tuesday, having left the previous day on the Middle Eastern leg of his foreign tour.

"We consider that all military action not endorsed by the international community, through, in particular, the Security Council, was both illegitimate and illegal, is illegitimate and illegal. And we have not changed our view on that", Mr Chirac told reporters in Evian. He said he had told President Bush as much when the two men met on Monday - their first face-to-face talks since the US-led invasion of Iraq. Both said the talks had been held in a positive and constructive atmosphere, but although they appeared relaxed, observers said the atmosphere behind the scenes remained prickly. At the end of the summit, our correspondent says, the transatlantic disagreement about Washington's right to take pre-emptive forceful action against alleged threats is still there for everyone to see.

Mr Chirac also blamed the Americans for disappointed hopes that the summit could help narrow the gap between rich and poor. They were happy, he said, to see an end to subsidies on European farm produce, but not so happy to end subsidies for their own crops.
Can't let an occasion like this pass without the obligatory "America to blame for Global Woes" observation.

The summit has been marred by violence in nearby Swiss towns, with thousands of protesters clashing with riot police for a third night in Geneva. Police used tear gas, rubber pellets and water cannon to disperse the demonstrators, who staged a sit-in after refusing to be searched by police. And at the weekend, masked rioters destroyed and looted shops in Geneva before police cleared the streets.

The final summit declaration expressed determination to support the latest US efforts to bring peace to the Middle East, and said delegates had discussed the "desirability" of a comprehensive settlement including Syria and Lebanon. It also voiced concern over reports of mounting violence against opposition activists in Zimbabwe, and called on the government of Robert Mugabe to respect the right to peaceful demonstration.
Where would we be without platitudes?

And in a separate statement issued on Monday, the G8 called global terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction "the pre-eminent threat to international security". The world community had to use weapons inspections, export controls "and, if necessary, other measures" to tackle the threat of these weapons, it said.
A green light to what some would call "hardball", I believe. Who was supposed to tell the weasels about this?!

"We strongly urge North Korea to visibly, verifiably and irreversibly dismantle any nuclear weapons programmes," said the statement. It added that Iran's nuclear programme could also lead to weapons production.
Posted by: Bulldog || 06/03/2003 10:07 am || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Meanwhile, out of the other sidde of his mouth:

CHIRAC TRIES TO ELBOW IN ON MIDEAST

June 3, 2003 -- EVIAN, France - The European Union is considering drawing up a new Middle East "road map" for peace between Israel and its hostile neighbors Syria and Lebanon, French President Jacques Chirac said yesterday.

Chirac told journalists that EU foreign-policy chief Javier Solana thought such a move could complement the road map for Israel and the Palestinians set out by the "quartet" of the United States, United Nations, European Union and Russia.

"I believe that Mr. Solana, for Europe, has thought about working out a road map for Syria and Lebanon," Chirac said at the Group of Eight summit in Evian.

"The quartet's road map hardly mentions this problem," he said. "If there is a war between Israel and the Palestinians, there is also a war between Israel and Syria and Lebanon."

Chirac stressed at a news conference that Solana was still considering the idea, which was not a French initiative but one to be proposed by the European Union.
Posted by: growler || 06/03/2003 10:31 Comments || Top||

#2  Update: Chirac's in a flutter over the forceful language re. NKor & Iran (from Ananova)

"G8 countries disagree over possible military action

The Group of Eight industrial nations has put North Korea and Iran on notice that they will not stand by and let them acquire nuclear weapons. However, there were differences over whether the G8 Summit declaration endorsed the possible use of force.

The US alleges Iran is developing a clandestine nuclear weapons program, and has called on Russia to halt cooperation on the construction of the Bushehr nuclear power plant. US officials believe technology from that project could help Iran develop nuclear weapons. Iranian state radio has blamed the US for the G8 summit's warning. Iran denies it is developing nuclear weapons.

A senior US official said the United States reads the G8 leaders' declaration as implicitly authorising the use of force against countries that violate international nonproliferation norms. But the G8 leaders insist the summit declaration does not endorse the use of military force, should Iran fail to meet its commitments on the transparency of its nuclear program.

French President Jacques Chirac said: "This interpretation seems to be extraordinarily daring. There never was any talk of using force against anyone. "We wish to have with Iran the necessary dialogue so they accept the international constraints of the IAEA which allows the containing the dangerous development of military nuclear technology."

Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien answered no when asked whether the declaration would allow military action should Iran be shown to be pursuing nuclear weapons.

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said that all participants at the summit had ruled out the use of force. And Italy's premier, Silvio Berlusconi, said President Bush told him speculation about a US attack against Iran because of its suspected nuclear programs doesn't have any foundation."


Sounds like "..if necessary, other measures" to some sounds like "..if necessary, other ineffectual measures." What does "other measures" imply, in this context, if not ultimately, the use of force?!
Posted by: Bulldog || 06/03/2003 10:57 Comments || Top||

#3  Probably a memo. If that doesn't work, a letter, by Gawd! And if all else fails, they'll hold a meeting.
Posted by: Fred || 06/03/2003 12:08 Comments || Top||

#4  How much longer is this dweeb (Chiraq) going to remain in office? Can he be re-elected? Anyone know?
Posted by: RW || 06/03/2003 17:03 Comments || Top||


Home Front
Terry McAuliffe Continues to Lead Dems To Political Suicide
The chairman of the Hispanic caucus of the Democratic National Committee said yesterday that there is a "disconnect" in the party regarding the minority vote and accused it of scrapping a $1.5 million plan to attract Hispanics. Alvaro Cifuentes, who also chastised the DNC leadership for failure to hire Hispanics, announced a three-day summit for party Hispanics in September that will be "completely funded on our own, separate from the DNC."

"There is obviously a problem in the party with Hispanic and Latino issues," Mr. Cifuentes said. "We've been trying for the past two years to address them." The DNC did not return calls for comment. The $1.5 million "Hispanic Project" was to be a vast, annual effort that included a get-out-the-vote campaign, recruitment of Hispanic candidates and establishment of satellite offices in key states. The summit is a result of indifference from the party's leadership, Mr. Cifuentes said. It is to be held in Albuquerque, N.M. "We aren't waiting around for anybody to put an agenda together anymore," he said. The dilemma is "an interesting problem," said Steven Ybarra, a caucus member who leads the Pacific region for the DNC.
Code phrase for "I'm mad as hell".
"Terry McAuliffe made a pledge to make sure that the voters who were critical were turned out and that we would have the proper resources to make that happen in 2004," Mr. Ybarra said, in reference to the DNC chairman. "And none of that happened."
If I were (shudder) a Democrat, I would demand McAuliffe's head on a platter. He is being decisively outmaneuvered but he is also causing many problems. Witness the snafu last week in firing several aides - all of whom were black. See below. Donna Brazile was quite unhappy.
"It will make the job in 2004 all the tougher," Mr. Ybarra added. The "job" entails overtaking Republican gains in luring the Hispanic vote, which has become a Republican Party mandate. Republicans were further encouraged by a May 2002 poll sponsored by the Democratic Party that found allegiance waning among Hispanics. The rancor from the DNC's Hispanic caucus follows the revelation last week that the national committee planned to terminate 10 black employees as part of a financial retooling to take on the Republican money machine in the 2004 elections. Mr. McAuliffe called the firing plans a mistake and a misunderstanding and said the employees would not be laid off. The Democratic Party has long held most of the minority vote in national elections. In 2000, Al Gore received 66 percent of the Hispanic vote and 92 percent of the black vote.
Stalin used to get 92% of the vote. It's shameful...
The recent developments have prompted DNC members from the Hispanic as well as the black caucuses to request a meeting with Mr. McAuliffe. "We all understand the new finance-reform laws require some changes to be made," said Ramona E. Martinez, a Denver city council member who is vice chairman of the Hispanic caucus. "But those changes are being made so internally that we don't find out until after they are made."
Being from Denver I know of Martinez. Very powerful politically although she lost a primary election to Pat Schroeder's successor - Deanna DeGette. The point is that she is a total partisan. If she's coming out publicly, there is definitely something amiss with McAuliffe and the DNC.
She also said the Hispanic Project was no longer being considered by top party officials. "I think we're going to have to sit down with Terry and let him know that this is not a good message that is being sent out by the party," she said. "What Hispanics want to be is part of the solution, not the problem." Mr. Cifuentes sent a memo to the 40 caucus members last week after public reports of the planned layoffs of the black employees. In it, he noted that seven Hispanics had left the DNC after the midterm elections. The DNC has reported that 10 percent of its employees are Hispanic and 30 percent are black.
And isn't the population of the nation something like 20% Hispanic and growing? Wow, using the tactics of the Democrats, this is clearly racially motivated.
Several sources, including some staffers, yesterday denied the figures, saying there are four Hispanics among the 100 DNC employees.
That's, ummm... Lemme take my shoes off, here... (carry the 12... square root of nine... times the cosine...) four percent.
I would expect the blogosphere to jump on this today and for the rest of the week. Let's hope, because we know the "mainstream media" will avoid the story like Hillary avoids NY firefighters.
Posted by: ColoradoConservative || 06/03/2003 10:00 am || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  there is a lot of Dem infighting between the hispanic and black caucuses. They've played the race/vitimization and zero-sum cards so often that any gains by one group is seen to be at the expense of the other. Most clearly seen when multi-racial checkboxes were used in the census - they screamed bloody murder because it would diminish the clout of each racial categories' "leaders". Good luck Dems, you'll need it
Posted by: Frank G || 06/03/2003 10:52 Comments || Top||

#2  Quite fitting that the Dems are feeling the steel of the double-edged race sword.
Posted by: MusicMan || 06/03/2003 11:33 Comments || Top||

#3  Why do the Hispanics vote for the Dems? They are against everything they stand for: Familia, Religión, and honest work. After the Estrada debacle I would not count on the Hispanic vote if I were a Dem.
Posted by: Cyber Sarge (VRWC California Chapter) || 06/03/2003 11:52 Comments || Top||

#4  As a Democrat(Big Grin) --I'll agree about wanting someone's head on a platter--let's start with Gore, Daschle, Gephardt first--the poorest, sorry ass excuses for party leaders in history then worry about McAuliffe. And talk about a "disconnect" with minority voters!? The disconnect is with the entire Democratic base--they have NO agenda and have given Bush everything he wants without a whimper. I'm starting to feel like Bill Mohr--might as well vote for the REAL Republican instead of the faux one!!
Posted by: Not Mike Moore || 06/03/2003 11:55 Comments || Top||

#5  Who's Bill Mohr?
Posted by: MusicMan || 06/03/2003 12:08 Comments || Top||

#6  Bill Mahr? the guy from Politically Incorrect
Posted by: Not Mike Moore || 06/03/2003 12:40 Comments || Top||

#7  So the DNC cancelled the 1.5 mil get-out-the-vote campaign, personally I think that was wise. Hispanics are more naturally aligned with the Republican party. Since GW has a track record of including them in the process as equal partners, rather than as lackeys, chances are they will vote accordingly.

The DNC would be much wiser to spend that 1.5 million on getting out the vote from the graveyards, purchasing cigarettes for the indigent or bussing convicted felons to the polls. Who else but the dead or brain dead would vote for these fools?
Posted by: Becky || 06/03/2003 13:26 Comments || Top||


East/Subsaharan Africa
Zimbabwe Protesters Face Tear Gas
HARARE -- Police fired tear gas at protesters west of the capital Tuesday, as an opposition strike against the increasingly repressive rule of President Robert Mugabe entered its second day.
Gonna be a Looonngg week in ZimBobWe
Opposition officials have vowed to press ahead with a planned week of national protest despite a harsh crackdown by police and troops who have arrested dozens of protesters. Authorities were swift and brutal in trying to disperse crowds on Monday. On Tuesday, police used tear gas against people gathered in the streets in the western Harare township of Warren Park, the opposition Movement for Democratic Change said in a statement. There were no reports of injuries. In Harare, banks and most businesses were closed and traffic was light. Riot police were stationed throughout the city. In other reports of unrest cited in the opposition statement, ruling party militants had attempted to evict opposition activists from their homes in the central town of Kwekwe. The opposition Movement for Democratic Change said the actions brought the country's economy to a standstill and organizers pledged a week of similar actions they say will mark the most significant challenge to Mugabe's 23 years in office.

Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai said violence against protesters by police and the military would not deter the party's leaders and supporters. "There is no doubt that Zimbabweans have overwhelmingly heeded our calls despite the security agents' repressive methods," Tsvangirai told the independent Daily News. "By the end of this week Zimbabweans will have driven a message home to Mugabe that they are fed up with the state of affairs in this country," he said.
He already knows, I just hope he and Grace end up doing the Mussolini tango from a streetlight
Zimbabwe is facing its worst political and economic crisis since independence in 1980. Foreign aid, investment and loans have dried up amid political violence, state-orchestrated human rights abuses, the seizure of thousands of white-owned farms and disputed presidential elections last year. International food aid has averted mass starvation, but Zimbabwe still faces annual 269 percent inflation and acute shortages of currency, gasoline, medicines and other essential imports. Opposition leaders were rounded up in police raids Monday under Draconian security laws allowing the government to ban any gathering. One demonstrator was shot in the leg, and scores of others were forced to lie on sidewalks or the ground while police or soldiers beat them with rubber batons. At least 154 people, most of them opposition activists or officials, were arrested across the country Monday, police spokesman Wayne Bvudzijena said in a statement.

Tsvangirai was arrested at his home in Harare early Monday but he was later released. His party lodged an appeal before the nation's Supreme Court against charges that he had defied a court order to call off strikes and demonstrations called Monday through Friday. State attorney Joseph Musakwa said he asked the Harare High Court on Tuesday to tighten bail conditions of Tsvangirai and high ranking officials Welshman Ncube and Renson Gasela by forbidding them from making "inflammatory statements" and inciting people to take part in demonstrations the government has declared illegal. Tsvangirai's defense lawyer George Bizos objected to the state's request, and described it as "an inadmissible way to gag" the opposition leaders. Tsvangirai has been on trial for treason. He and two senior opposition officials are accused of plotting to assassinate Mugabe, a charge they vehemently deny, saying the government has tried to frame them.

British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw condemned the Zimbabwean government's actions and called for Mugabe to resume negotiations with the opposition. "The arrests today of MDC's Morgan Tsvangirai, other MDC MPs (members of parliament) and activists are further evidence that the government of Zimbabwe is not willing to extend to its people their basic right of peaceful protest," he said
Where's the consciences of Africa: Desmond Tutu and Thabo Mbeke and Mandela? Only against white gov'ts?
Posted by: Frank G || 06/03/2003 09:40 am || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  There was a protest in SA teh other day calling on Mbeki to sanction Mugabe, which would probably bring Mugabe down, given how much of Zimbabwe's trade goes through SA. But Mugabe is an old ally of the ANC, IIUC, and the ANC leaders are not going to join Britain and others in opposition to Mugabe, If and when the opposition takes over in Zimbabwe, that should make for interesting relations between Zim and SA.
Posted by: liberalhawk || 06/03/2003 10:33 Comments || Top||


Home Front
Candidate Draws Support From Peace Activists, New Age Gurus
Are all our Dimbo friends this far gone? I know Dennis is.
Dennis Kucinich, a champion for down-to-earth issues such as blue-collar jobs and the beleaguered steel industry, is showing his spiritual side as he courts supporters in his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination. Peace activists, New Age gurus and people who practice alternative religions are among Kucinich's donors - many of them attracted to the Ohio congressman's stand on less-than-mainstream issues, such as a call for a Cabinet-level Department of Peace and his support for medical marijuana.
Medical marijuana? Like,dude. Why not just add it to the school lunch program.
"I have a holistic view of the world," Kucinich explains. "I see the world as interconnected and interdependent and that leaves no room for war."
Got a feeling Dennis has some experience with "medical" marijuana. Save some for us, willya Dennis. Don't bogart it all?
Kucinich's legislation to create a Department of Peace and ban the use of weapons in space hasn't won widespread support in Congress, where a majority in the House and Senate supported President Bush's decision to wage war against Iraq. But those proposals are a cornerstone of his campaign, often mentioned in his speeches on the need to transform society and make nonviolence an organizing principle.
Dennis Kucinich: Skipper of Spaceship Earth.
"We need a message of peace. It's not about backing down. It's not about rhetoric. It's about a way of life," said Chris Griscom, a spiritual adviser who's been a close friend and supporter of Kucinich for nearly 24 years.
Has his psychic weighed in? His "seer"? His clairvoyant?
Kucinich took his message to Santa Cruz, Calif., this week, headlining a rally called "Imagine America" with lifestyle guru Marianne Williamson and healthy living author John Robbins, a political donor who, like Kucinich, is a strict vegetarian. Robbins also is national co-chair of Kucinich's campaign.
Kucinich-Sharpton 2004
Williamson, a close friend and political donor of Kucinich's, founded the Global Renaissance Alliance, which teaches peace activists and others how to lobby their local congressmen to support Kucinich's Department of Peace bill.
The Global Renaissance Alliance? I'll bet they sit around, smoke a lotta dope, solve the worlds problems, and tell each other how noble and good they are.
Other supporters include Carol Rosin, a peace activist who founded the Institute for Cooperation in Space. Rosin hosted Kucinich at a home in Malibu, Calif., last year where he talked about his vision for a world without weapons in space and especially without war.
The Institute for Cooperation in Space? I'll bet they sit around, smoke a lotta dope, solve space's problems, and tell each other how noble and good they are.
At a peace conference in Dubrovnik, Croatia, last year, Kucinich was more specific about his beliefs. He spoke about how the Eagle Nebula, a star-forming region that is 7,000 light years from Earth, reminds him of the relationship between stardust and the human spirit.
Medical marijuana, my ass! Sounds like Dennis will next push medical hallucinogens. Sounds like he's already started the experimentation process for the FDA.
"The energy of the stars becomes us. We become the energy of the stars. Stardust and spirit unite and we begin: One with the universe," Kucinich said.
Wow! Look at all the pretty colors! Wow! Look what my hand is doing!
Several of his speeches, such as "Spirit and Stardust," "A Prayer for America" and "The Soul of the Worker," have been posted on dozens of Web sites created by his supporters. Rosin sells videotapes of Kucinich's Malibu speech on her Web site for $40. The money benefits Rosin's space institute, which in turn supports Kucinich's peace-related efforts.
Expect to see it soon on Comedy Central.
Kucinich said Rosin is one of many campaign backers, a reflection of the fact that the popularity of his candidacy isn't limited to mainstream politics.
Freaks are people too. Man.
"My campaign appeals to labor, to machinists, to auto workers, and it appeals to feminists. It appeals to the dreamers and to those who have a vision of a new America, and it appeals to those who believe in the real potential of this country," Kucinich said. Kucinich, a Roman Catholic, also is close friends with actress Shirley MacLaine, who is the godmother of his daughter. It was MacLaine who first introduced Kucinich to Griscom, whom MacLaine wrote about in her best-selling book, "Dancing in the Light."
This explains a lot. Was Dennis a Roman Centurion abducted by aliens in a previous life?
Griscom founded The Light Institute and Nizhoni School For Global Consciousness, both located in Galisteo, N.M., to teach people how to connect with their inner self, partially by helping them to remember their past lives. Kucinich donated $3,000 in speaking fees earned last year to Griscom's school, campaign finance reports showed.
Oh! Stop It!! You're Killing Me!!! A hippie scam artist! Who'da thunk it!
"He's a visionary and a statesman, and I am a visionary, so we've always gotten along," Griscom said.
I'll bet you see visions. Good Peyote in that New Mexico desert?
Kucinich, who is one of nine candidates competing for the Democratic nomination, has said he will decide in June whether or not to remain in the race.
Please! Stay in! Who else could give us stuff like this? It's pure platinum.
"The response that I get keeps getting more and more powerful," Kucinich said during an interview this week. "The fact that I write about and talk about themes that have a spiritual connection is, I think, an important part of that," he said. "People want someone who understands and has a higher concept of where our country is going."
This guy is a United States Congressman. How proud his district must be.
Posted by: tu3031 || 06/03/2003 07:50 am || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  We have a department of Peace. Sec'ty Rumsfeld runs it well, when they let him
Posted by: Frank G || 06/03/2003 8:56 Comments || Top||

#2  kucinich is marginal. Kerry may hope he draws off leftie support from Dean, just as Gephardt, Edwards and Leiberman hope Dean draws off support from Kerry.
Posted by: liberalhawk || 06/03/2003 9:18 Comments || Top||

#3  Perhaps surprising (to some), I attend a "New Age" church. I can report confidently that Kucinich doesn't have ALL the "new age" vote tied up.
Posted by: ColoradoConservative || 06/03/2003 9:40 Comments || Top||

#4  Oh please please please, let Kucinich or Dean be the top of the Demo ticket!

The huge loss this ticket would end up with will make the McGovern and Dukakis losses look like they were down to the wire, by comparison.
Posted by: Anonymous || 06/03/2003 10:27 Comments || Top||

#5  The DemocRATS' only hope - Picard / Riker 2004!
Posted by: Raj || 06/03/2003 10:43 Comments || Top||

#6  He's starting to sound like Jerry Brown.
Posted by: duane || 06/03/2003 11:58 Comments || Top||

#7  Raj, Picard is a Frenchman played by an Englishman. Either way he's not eligable under US election laws.
Posted by: Yank || 06/03/2003 13:06 Comments || Top||

#8  Now that the Cuyahoga River won't burn anymore, ol' Dennis is advocating something else to smoke.
Posted by: G-Man in Chicago || 06/03/2003 13:36 Comments || Top||

#9  Kucinich is marginal only because most Dems are pragmatic, and put winning the election above ideology. Actually, he represents the views of the new Dem. core fairly well; in affluent Democratic-voting suburbs (say, Marin County, CA), his views are absolutely mainstream. As a lifelong Democrat -- until this year -- I hope he is nominated, and then gets some 20% of the vote. The liberal Dems. need to realize how out-moded their ideology has become -- they need some political shock and awe. Maybe then they could restore their party. But until that happens, they have lost voters like me.
Posted by: closet neo-con || 06/03/2003 13:54 Comments || Top||

#10  NO sorry, i doubt theres any poll that shows kucinich's views mainstream of self-identified dems or registered dems. You can define core any way you want - i doubt your statement applies particularly well to donors, campaign volunteers,etc. And Marin County is hardly representative of most affluent Dem areas. The dems were shocked and awed years ago.

Posted by: liberalhawk || 06/03/2003 14:53 Comments || Top||

#11  I think Kucinich will bow out of the race. After Monmdale got slaughtered, I don't see the Dems putting up a candidate this easy to defeat. Again.
Posted by: Mike N. || 06/03/2003 15:05 Comments || Top||

#12  Yank - I know, but I was running with the goof on those 'Picard - Riker '96' bumper stickers I saw years ago.
Posted by: Raj || 06/03/2003 15:29 Comments || Top||

#13  He spoke about how the Eagle Nebula, a star-forming region that is 7,000 light years from Earth, reminds him of the relationship between stardust and the human spirit.

Spokesmen for the Eagle Nebula hastened to distance it from Kucinich's remarks. "The nebula is just a nebula," said Ann Astronomer, a close confidant of the gas cloud. "It's very involved in its work in the creation of stars, and has no wish to get involved in the politics of any one planet, especially one so distant."

Privately, many observers said the nebula, known as M16 to its friends, was amused that hokey speeches along the lines of "we are all stardust" could gain political traction. "This observation is good for provoking a quick frisson of wonder," reported one scientist, who wished to remain anonymous, "but it's hardly a basis for policy. The Gzh'nathortn!ns were gibbering about this 1.5 million years ago. Didn't do them any good."
Posted by: Angie Schultz || 06/03/2003 20:11 Comments || Top||

#14  "a star-forming region that is 7,000 light years from Earth, reminds him of the relationship between stardust and the human spirit."

Wow!Like totally cosmic,man.
Posted by: Raptor || 06/04/2003 9:17 Comments || Top||


North Africa
Morocco Arrests Suicide Attack Suspect
Moroccan police arrested a French citizen wanted in connection with the May suicide attacks in Casablanca that killed 31 bystanders, security officials said. Robert Richard Antoine Pierre was arrested in the northern city of Tangiers, where he had been living with his Moroccan wife, the officials said. Pierre, 28, is the first foreigner implicated in the series of five nearly simultaneous suicide attacks on May 16 that targeted Jewish and Spanish sites in Morocco's economic capital, as well as a major hotel. Moroccan authorities have said they are certain that an international terror network was behind the attacks, which came four days after bombings at foreign housing compounds in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, that killed 35 people, including nine attackers. Pierre, also known as ``Lhaj'' and as ``Abou Abderrahmane,'' was described as ``armed and dangerous'' in wanted posters issued by authorities.
You knew he had to have an islamic name, didn't you?
The circumstances of his arrest were not immediately made public.
Somebody talked
Posted by: Steve || 06/03/2003 08:32 am || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  "A French citizen". Where is the outrage from Le Monde? I am afraid this is a preview for France of their own future. What happens when you coddle terrorists? Terrorism.
Posted by: ColoradoConservative || 06/03/2003 10:42 Comments || Top||

#2  Update: Moroccan authorities Tuesday arrested a French citizen suspected of being one of the main coordinators and financiers of the May 16 Casablanca bombings. Pierre has traveled to Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia and France. Authorities learned of his alleged involvement in the Casablanca bombings from some of the 16 people arrested and charged in the attacks.
Posted by: Steve || 06/03/2003 11:15 Comments || Top||

#3  More details: Police had begun searching for the French man after several other suspects pointed to him, claiming he gave orders in the bombings, officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Pierre converted to Islam and had been living in Tangiers since 1996. Authorities believe he traveled frequently and made several trips to Afghanistan, officials said. Public 2M television said he often went to France, Germany, Belgium and Spain to buy cars that he sold in Morocco. Officials contend Pierre was in contact with Abdelwaheb Rafiki, also known as Abou Hafs, a Moroccan Islamic cleric known for his fiery sermons and anti-Western views.
Posted by: Steve || 06/03/2003 11:29 Comments || Top||


Iran
US soldiers held and grilled by Iran
Four United States soldiers and five civilians on boats were detained and interrogated by Iranians for several hours on Sunday, according to US Central Command. They were sailing up the Shatt al-Arab waterway when they were taken by force, a spokesman for Central Command said on Monday. The soldiers and three of the civilians, including an oil contractor, were escorted back to their boats and released on Monday, the spokesman added. The nationalities of the civilians are unclear.

They were en route to the Mini al-Bakr platform to conduct a survey when the Iranians took the crew and blindfolded them, the spokesman said. They were then taken to a building where they were interrogated on Sunday night. On Monday the Iranians took the group back to their boats and released all of them except the two drivers, Central Command said. A Chinook helicopter located the group near the waterway, and US Navy soldiers drove the boats to Kuwait. Initial medical examinations indicate there were no injuries or signs of physical abuse. The group may have moved into Iranian territorial waters by mistake, the spokesman said. The Mini al-Bakr platform is close to Iran's international water. A border dispute between Iraq and Iran over the Shatt al-Arab was one of reasons that sparked the eight-year war between the two countries in 1980.
Posted by: Bulldog || 06/03/2003 04:27 am || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  This semlls like a test to me. I don't think it would be wise to let this go unchallenged.
Posted by: Douglas De Bono || 06/03/2003 6:31 Comments || Top||

#2  Push a little along the disputed border and see what Washington does. Classic move by the mullahs. We did very little when they occupied several islands in the eastern Gulf years ago, and some abandoned oil platforms. One main reason the Gulf States formed their own little army. They could see Iran hop scotching across the Gulf.
Posted by: Chuck || 06/03/2003 7:04 Comments || Top||

#3  Don't we have a couple of boat loads of leftover Iraqi underwater mines? Be a shame if a few of those got loose in Iranian waters.
Posted by: Steve || 06/03/2003 7:42 Comments || Top||

#4  "US Navy soldiers drove the boats to Kuwait."

Does "US Navy soldiers" = "US Marines"?
Posted by: Tibor || 06/03/2003 9:36 Comments || Top||

#5  Perhaps a misplaced missile or two need to be sent easterly from Iraq. A lesson must be delivered on this
Posted by: Frank G || 06/03/2003 9:49 Comments || Top||

#6  Definitely. Time to do some leaning. "Oh, sorry, was that your patrol boat our cruiser ran over? So anyway, here's your crew back...."
Posted by: mojo || 06/03/2003 15:06 Comments || Top||

#7  If I was an Iran Air pilot, I wouldn't deviate a whole lot from my flight plan. Never know what you could be mistaken for.
Posted by: tu3031 || 06/03/2003 16:21 Comments || Top||



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Two weeks of WOT
Tue 2003-06-03
  2 guilty in Detroit terrorism trial
Mon 2003-06-02
  352 slaughtered near Bunia
Sun 2003-06-01
  Suspect kills two Saudi policemen
Sat 2003-05-31
  Sully in jug in Iran?
Fri 2003-05-30
  Car Bomb Blast Kills Two People in Spain
Thu 2003-05-29
  Guy named Greg, passengers, thump would-be hijacker
Wed 2003-05-28
  Alleged Casablanca Mastermind Caught, Dies
Tue 2003-05-27
  PI snags bomb Big
Mon 2003-05-26
  Trucker nabbed in U.S. Al-Qaeda Bust
Sun 2003-05-25
  Morocco arrests 3 over Casablanca blasts
Sat 2003-05-24
  14 Russian troops killed in Chechen attacks
Fri 2003-05-23
  Pygmies want UN tribunal to address cannibalism
Thu 2003-05-22
  NYC Cabbie Sought to Buy Explosives
Wed 2003-05-21
  Saudi Suspects Accused of Plotting Hijack
Tue 2003-05-20
  Turkish toilet bomb kills one

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