Congrats to eBay
An artist in Yukon who created pictures of playing cards mocking the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush has been told he canât sell them on EBay â and received death threats for even trying. Dawson City artist John Steins had his listings removed from the U.S.-based Internet auction site late last month, ostensibly for violating its "Faces, Names and Signatures" policy. He has created a parody of the White Houseâs deck of cards featuring its most-wanted Iraqis. Steins is undeterred by either EBay or the hate mail he has received. "I think an artist has to use their talent to make a statement that they really believe in, though it might be really unpopular," he said. Steins has registered his own Web site â www.thebushadministration.com ... If you have nothing better to do, go to this guyâs website and read his descriptions of the cards, although itâs nothing we havenât heard before...
#3
I read four of the descriptions of the cards and do not find them to be the kind of hate speech that should be pulled. He did call Bush a war criminal. I do not agree with the artist, but so what, let him post his wares, B.F.D.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
08/06/2003 22:54 Comments ||
Top||
#4
Well Canada is walking on eggshells--must be some timber deal--but didn't the last Candian who called GWB "Shrub" have to resign?
Posted by: Not Mike Moore ||
08/06/2003 22:59 Comments ||
Top||
#5
I agree with AP. Much as I disagree with the asshat, it's his First Amendment right.
However, eBay is not a public institution but a private enterprise, so it may be their right to deny the listing as well.
Posted by: Dar ||
08/06/2003 22:59 Comments ||
Top||
#6
NMM: And if you disagree with the Right Wing agenda---we'll kill ya!
Pretending to have received death threats is a standard ploy by the loony left to garner attention. I have yet to hear of a lefty public figure getting assassinated in spite of the use of really inflammatory language. Has anyone taken a shot at Mike Moore yet? Just how difficult would it be for a motivated individual to take him out? This guy Stein is just grandstanding for the cameras - to him, claiming to have received death threats is a sign that he's important. Where before he was just another nobody, this claim has provided oodles of free publicity.
#7
Once again, sarcasm is wasted on you Zhang--I do believe he's gotten some vituperitive E-mails akin to what I've seen here ( Gay, Commie, Islamonut,Anarchist, etc) serious death threats? Probably not
Posted by: Not Mike Moore ||
08/06/2003 23:21 Comments ||
Top||
#8
The last lefty to actually die from his wounds was Robert Kennedy who was gunned down by a "Jordanian" (actually a Palestinian) for his defense of Israel in the 1967 war. Lefties got the message and won't dare question Paleos now.
George Wallace was a Democrat who supported racial preferences but he didn't die in 1972.
#9
Oh, and by the way, I'd let the knucklehead sell his crap but eBay certainly doesn't need to carry it if they choose not to--his descendents will be real proud (not) of his pro-Iraqi slavery stance.
Arnold Schwarzennegger has announced that he's running for Calgov, so I guess I should learn how to spell his name. This should be funny. I think Arianna Huffington announced today, too, so it should even sound funny. Drudge, on FoxNews, sez he's already gotten a call from someone who sez he has dirty pictures of Arnold that the little woman doesn't know about. Susan Estrich asked if the caller was Larry Flynt...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/06/2003 21:03 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
one n. If you listened to his speech he's got the populist thing going. He's got it in the bag - he wants the best for the state and DOESN'T NEED THE MONEY. Arianna's a brentwood dilletante, and Franken friend...GONG! I just hope Sacramento get's the message
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/06/2003 21:10 Comments ||
Top||
#2
They said on Fox that Arianna's hubby might run, too...
Posted by: Fred ||
08/06/2003 21:26 Comments ||
Top||
#3
This is great news but the local gossip is that Davis will bow out and let Bustamante take over as Gov. That way the Dems can still control things. His words 'I am going to Sacramento to clean house' has them running scared. Too bad I would have voted for him.
#4
Hmm one actor with a chimp, another actor an incoherent Nazi robot--sounds like a typical California Republican governor
Posted by: Not Mike Moore ||
08/06/2003 22:27 Comments ||
Top||
#5
Both of whom beat Gray Davis by a long, long, shot, NMM. Gray managed to run the state into the ground even though tax revenues went up 25% in his tenure. How'd he do it? By increasing spending by 40%.
Even a chimp could figure that out.
Add to it Davis' attack-dog style politics and wet-fish personality, and you have a politican only a liberal could love.
The GOP could still screw this up, and probably will. But if you want to tie yourself to Gray Davis, NMM, you just go right ahead.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/06/2003 22:38 Comments ||
Top||
#6
No fan of the appropriatley named Gray Davis either--all that money didn't go for welfare Cadillacs--the citizens of California got a lot of roads to support, etc that they don't want to pay for--ya can't have it both ways--gov't services without taxes ain't gonna happen
Posted by: Not Mike Moore ||
08/06/2003 22:53 Comments ||
Top||
#7
I got nothing against actors (unless they're named "Alec Baldwin") after my experience with Ronald Reagan. Go, Arnie!
Posted by: Dar ||
08/06/2003 23:02 Comments ||
Top||
#8
NMM: ya can't have it both ways--gov't services without taxes ain't gonna happen
Absolutely right. Californians dug themselves into this mess - and they're digging themselves out, by forcing a reduction of the services through the choice of a new governor. The roads they can afford - the Swedish-style family leave policies they can't.
#9
Exactly Zhang--and David didn't rule by edict during this orgy of satisfying everyone's want for MORE highways etc did he?
Posted by: Not Mike Moore ||
08/06/2003 23:24 Comments ||
Top||
#10
NMM: David didn't rule by edict during this orgy of satisfying everyone's want for MORE highways etc did he?
Like I said, California voters decided they wanted to be Sweden on the Pacific. Now that they've discovered the impact of Swedish-style economic policies on jobs and taxes, they want out. Unlike the Swedes, Left Coast voters can force political change by doing a recall.
#11
OK then for once we agree--I just remember living in NJ--they raised taxes--threw out the Domocrats and promised a repeal of the coubling of the income tax--Christine Todd (LIAR) Whitman dropped taxes 15%--guess what--someone has to pay for roads, schools, etc. Local property taxes jumped--the money has to come from somewhere--the state shifted it to the localities--and the result was a wash
Posted by: Not Mike Moore ||
08/06/2003 23:34 Comments ||
Top||
#12
We do need the roads, and the energy, and this "orgy of satisfying everyone's want" left me and most other Kalifornians in the cold. Dude.
The orgy has intensified in this final paroxysm of granting every wish to every interest group, to garner another vote or two for Mr. Walking Dead, el Dudo.
Didja see the cross-dressing sanction he signed over the weekend? Didja catch the walk-up, no questions-aksed driver's license "initiative? How 'bout the blanket union endorsements, "we'll remember and we'll gitcha" threat?
These are the QueerNation/IllegalImmigrant/UnionMobster equivalents of the Emron/Haliburton/BigOil conspiracy, except these are real, and now.
Looking for those howls of outrage soon.
McClintock seemed to be the pol with the most going, but I want to hear Arnold's pitch. Perhaps NMM would like Ms. Huffington, who says nothing but it's deep? Her crystals are all resonating & stuff.
Never mind, it's not about revenue. After all, we're only chasing the bad businesses out of the state. The good ones who play ball will be rewarded by the Revolutionary Committee in due time. There will only be some slight discomfort for the duration of the emergency.
Posted by: Mark IV ||
08/06/2003 23:49 Comments ||
Top||
#13
Local property taxes jumped--the money has to come from somewhere--the state shifted it to the localities--and the result was a wash
It might have been a wash for you and it might actually have been portrayed as a wash in the media. It certainly wasn't a wash for most of my friends in Jersey. As usual, the New York Times, which covers Jersey, put out its collection of half-truths to further its liberal agenda. The facts on the ground are that taxes were lowered under Whitman, but the Gray Lady managed to fudge these facts and elect another Democratic governor, who's just raised them again.
#14
Unlike the Swedes, Left Coast voters can force political change by doing a recall.
Sounds like China.
I'm sorry. I meant Germany.
But of course, Arnold's no Nazi. He's just another smarmy foreign actor prostituting in Hollywood, set to tell us how to be better Americans.
...they're digging themselves out, by forcing a reduction of the services through the choice of a new governor
Ha Ha HO aurrrrr oh man. Hey, just what the h*** can a rookie guvner do, anyway? Hope he has a good agent . . .
#15
ZHANG-- the GOP (Great old Prevaricators) ran on a platform of TOTAL repeal--and THEY never did! Just shuffled the tax burden to the localities
Posted by: Not Mike Moore ||
08/06/2003 23:57 Comments ||
Top||
#16
Anonymous: But of course, Arnold's no Nazi. He's just another smarmy foreign actor prostituting in Hollywood, set to tell us how to be better Americans.
A xenophobic left-wing troll? Where was he when we were defending Gitmo?
#17
The "incoherent Nazi robot" smear must have been in the weekend DP talking points bulletin... it's all over the op-ed pieces. Yarharhar! And the actor jokes are pretty good. Never heard any of those before.
Can't wait to see what you do with "Schwarzenegger". Look it up.
Now "Bustamante", is he a mafiosi, or a bandido, to the sensitive left?
Posted by: Mark IV ||
08/07/2003 0:03 Comments ||
Top||
#18
MARK IV --damn I swear it was original--and don't cast aspersions with a defunct Lincoln marque! LOL
Anyway he's married to Maria Shriver so I'm sure he'll be kept in check!
Posted by: Not Mike Moore ||
08/07/2003 0:08 Comments ||
Top||
#19
And Nazi Germany and Communist China (clearly your meaning, unless your reference is to Hohenzollerns or Chius, and thus beyond my feeble comprehension) are examples of popular recalls by the people, under established laws, of elected officials???
Huh? I thought the anarcho-syndicalist commune was SUPPOSED to recall the corrupt, if that was the will of the people?
Posted by: Mark IV ||
08/07/2003 0:13 Comments ||
Top||
#20
Dude, if it helps... it's not a Lincoln marque, it's an old internet gaming handle that relates to a certain armored fighting vehicle.
You wouldn't understand, and neither would Arnold. His father might.
It was 65 years ago. It was the prototypical Xtreme performance off-road vehicle. Not the glamorous one, but the one that did the actual work. My way of emphasizing creative use of the resources at hand, in a different context.
Perhaps I am incoherent Nazi robot.
Scanning........
Nope.
Posted by: Mark IV ||
08/07/2003 0:25 Comments ||
Top||
#21
Where does Arnnie stand on illegal immigration?
Anybody Know?
Found this yesterday and wanted to share it, as it makes posting articles on Rantburg pretty slick. Itâs called "CopyPaste", and it gives you a multiple-entry clipboard capability (like in OfficeXP, only applicable to ALL your apps). The download is free, and I believe itâs honorware (shareware which, if you keep it, youâre morally obligated to pay for).
Works like this:
Highlight something and click CTRL+C like usual, only before you let up on the CTRL key click a number key, e.g. "1". Do the same with another, different entry.
Then, to paste, click CTRL+V and the number (while holding down CTRL).
No more opening Notepad or a separate instance of the browser to post a new article, as you can keep both the article and its URL in memory.
Posted by: Dar ||
08/06/2003 11:17:38 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Dar even neater is clipmate. this has a freeware as well as an even more functional paid for program. you merely hit CTRL C and it puts your item in a inbox. you can then append items, file them in any number of files you designate. works on text and pictures. WWW.thornsoft.com Kevin
Posted by: kevin H ||
08/06/2003 15:17 Comments ||
Top||
The Taliban has expanded its list of targets to include moderate Muslim clerics in southern Afghanistan, killing three of them in the past six weeks. The latest killing was, by most accounts, a classic Taliban operation: two men on a motorcycle, one armed with a Kalashnikov rifle, gunned down Mullah Maulavi Jenab outside his mosque and sped away. Since it was overthrown in early 2002, the Taliban had focused its resistance on U.S. forces and the government of Hamid Karzai. But on June 30, it signalled its intention to take on moderate Muslim clerics by setting off a bomb inside a Kandahar mosque, wounding 27 people.
The head of the Kandahar council of clerics, Maulvi Abdul Fayaz, was leading prayers at the time. He survived. The Kandahar council had openly challenged the Taliban, issuing an edict denouncing the organization and its claims to religious legitimacy. The edict, issued this year, accused the Taliban of misinterpreting the Qurâan, and misusing the concept of Jihad, or holy war, as an excuse for killing people. The council is also a vocal supporter of the new government. Couldâve told you that without an edict...
Posted by: Raphael ||
08/06/2003 12:54:12 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
gotta protect these guys. Afghan national army seems to making strides in Gardez. Paktia, etc - does Kandahar province overstretch them? Do we have enough forces in Afghan? Especially MP's?
#2
gotta protect these guys. Afghan national army seems to making strides in Gardez. Paktia, etc - does Kandahar province overstretch them?
$1 billion a year was all it took to help them wear out the Soviets. All we need to do is to keep the money flowing, taking care to ensure that it goes into the right hands.
#4
If one listens carefully, the sound of the Muslim world condemning this act against fellow Muslims can be heard...........................................................................................on second thought, maybe not.
#5
The way they are shooting clergy over there you would think they were Democrats or members of the ACLU (oops same thing)or something.
you don't suppose any of these drive by guys are from East LA do you? My gardener, the one with all of the tatooes and gangbanger friends, quit last month, I wonder if he went over there to do some teaching.....nay he's Catholic...wait, maybe he IS over there...nay, the Catholics only shoot Protestants.
#9
SOG475 Nice Catholic bashing--remember--it is the original Christian Church and you prods are heretics
Posted by: Not Mike Moore ||
08/06/2003 22:31 Comments ||
Top||
#10
NMM,I live in Arizona.I know a lot of Catholics and they ain't happy with the Vatican.
An Arizona Bishop(accused of child molesting) is hidding out in the Vatican.When the Maricopa D.A.sent a letter to the Vatican asking for this Bishop's return to face these charges the letter was returned un-opened.
Is this another example of the Vatican protecting Pedophile Priests?
Sounds like it to me.
#11
NMM,I live in Arizona.I know a lot of Catholics and they ain't happy with the Vatican.
An Arizona Bishop(accused of child molesting) is hidding out in the Vatican.When the Maricopa D.A.sent a letter to the Vatican asking for this Bishop's return to face these charges the letter was returned un-opened.
Is this another example of the Vatican protecting Pedophile Priests?
Sounds like it to me.
#12
NMM,I live in Arizona.I know a lot of Catholics and they ain't happy with the Vatican.
An Arizona Bishop(accused of child molesting) is hidding out in the Vatican.When the Maricopa D.A.sent a letter to the Vatican asking for this Bishop's return to face these charges the letter was returned un-opened.
Is this another example of the Vatican protecting Pedophile Priests?
Sounds like it to me.
A few more details coming out:
Meantime, the Saudi ministry of the interior disclosed yesterday that two of the wanted persons who were killed in confrontations with the Saudi security forces in past weeks were from Chad and other four were of Saudi nationals and the name of one of them " Ahmad Bin Nasser Abdullah al-Dakhil " was mentioned on the list of wanted persons linked to al-Qaida organization issued by the ministry before Riyadhâs explosions in May. The statement said that al-Dakhil was among the "most dangerous" wanted man. Now deceased, or so the Saudis say.
Three persons whose identity was disclosed yesterday were killed in clashes between the police and wanted persons on July 28 in a farm in Ghada town in al-Qaseim area to the northern east of Saudi Arabia. The statement said that the killed persons took part in clashes with the police in Mecca in June. The ministry disclosed the identity of the Saudi man, Ibrahim Bin Abdullah Khalaf al-Harbi, who was arrested in the same breaking in operation. However, the list announced by the ministry includes the name of 19 persons. They are 17 Saudis, one Yemeni and one Canadian of Iraqi origin. One of those Canadians again. Gotta watch them.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/06/2003 11:11:45 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Damn those Canucks!
You know where they get it from, don't you? It's those Esquimeaux, corrupting the youth of the Great White North with all those mukluks and stuff...
Posted by: Fred ||
08/06/2003 17:29 Comments ||
Top||
#2
You're right. Got to pay more attention to those Esquimeaux "of Iraqi origin". 'course, everyone knows there is no link between Iraq and al-Qaida. So it must be those extremist Esquimeaux mullahs that are causing all the trouble.
Posted by: john ||
08/06/2003 21:12 Comments ||
Top||
#3
Is there a trend here? Another Canadjun bites it in a dust up over there in the arm pit of the world.
Should state put those guys on the axis of evil or state sponsored terrorism list Eh?
This one's a little late. The raid took place July 30th...
Early this morning British police and Specialist officers, upon the orders of the Blair regime, raided the houses of Sheikh Omar Bakri Muhammad (Amir of Al-Muhajiroun) and Mr Anjem Choudary (The UK leader) and the movements offices in North London. Barging into the homes of Sheikh Omar and Anjem Choudary, the police ensured that they remain in isolated rooms so that their houses could be searched for articles related to Terrorism under the Terrorism Act 2000 without being witnessed. After the arrest and detention of Abu Qatadah and Sheikh Faisal and the threatened deportation of Sheikh Abu Hamza, these raids endorse the Blair regimes hatred and animosity towards Islam and Muslims.
Or perhaps toward terrorists...
Following 200,000 men, women and children being bombed and now either murdered or missing in Afghanistan and the recent massacre of innocent civilians in Iraq, these latest raids underline the Blair regimes insistence on targeting the Muslim community and trying to ensure that all voices of dissent are silenced.
Well, damn them! Trying to protect their citizenry from beturbanned, explosives-obsessed religious fanatics! What's the world coming to?
Al-Muhajiroun are known world-wide for their ideological and political struggle against man made law and their struggle to establish the Khilafah (i.e. The Islamic State). They are known not to involve themselves in military activities or recruiting people for operations despite the hype from sections of the media and Jewish MP's. Yet despite this the Blair regime has still seen fit to raid the houses and offices of its leadership. Only time will tell whether the institutional racism for which the British Police are infamous will again raise its ugly head in the planting of incriminating evidence, as was witnessed in the raid of Finsbury park Mosque.
"Yes! Yes! They planted that evidence!"
The habit of non-Muslims of violating the sanctity of Muslims when they have authority over them, of raiding their homes, of fabricating evidence against them, of treating them as guilty before any investigation, is not a new phenomenon. Indeed Allah (SWT) tells us this in the Qur'an i.e. that the Kuffar will not leave any sanctity un-violated when they have authority over Muslims.
"So Muslims must sieze authority over them! It's a matter of self-protection!"
Similar to the atrocities committed during the Spanish Inquisition, today the UK and US are orchestrating their own inquisition against Muslims. As George Bush said '...You are either with us...' (i.e. in murdering innocent people and arresting Muslims indiscriminately) '...or with the Terrorists...' (read here all Muslims who speak up for their brethren around the world, who have the fortitude to support the freedom fighters in Chechnya, Palestine, Kashmir and Iraq and who call for the Shari'ah).
That's pretty much it in a nutshell. I'll go with Bush, myself...
For the moment Muslims in the UK have a covenant of Security which prevents them from attacking the lives and wealth of anyone here, however Muslims are also obliged to defend their life, honour and wealth when it is attacked and violated. With the worst housing, the highest unemployment, the largest number of race murders in Europe, a whole range of draconian laws tailored to intimidate the Muslim community, the Blair regime is today sitting on a box of dynamite and have only themselves to blame if after attacking the Islamic Movements and the Islamic scholars, it all blows up in their face!
Sounds like incitement to violence to me...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/06/2003 00:15 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Perhaps it would be a good idea to do what these idiotarians claim is being done, only with a little housecleaning thrown in - like the perps being led on foot to a London dock, put on a leaking rowboat, and towed back to where they came from - by a submarine.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/06/2003 10:32 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Looks like someone at Jihad Unspun interned at KCNA. Look at his head spin!
Looks like someone at Jihad Unspun interned at KCNA
How can you tell for sure? I was trying to come up with Islamic versions of KCNA speak, but I'm stuck on some...I mean, you can replace "Dear Leader" with "The Prophet (pbuh)", and "sea of fire" can be used by either, but what would be the Islamic equivalent of Juche and Songun?
#5
Well, let's see. We got "Shari'ah", "covenant of security" ( must be like the "cone of silence"), they mention the Kuffar.
Let's just say that they share in the Brotherhood of Universal Victimhood except when they're slaughtering people by the bushel. Then they share the Brotherhood of the Self Righteous.
I've always wanted North Korea to become an Islamic Republic. That would make the Dark Ages look like Disneyworld.
#6
Y'know, if yer trying to convince people that you are not a bunch of whacked-out terrorist a**holes, you might want to avoid making statements like "the Blair regime is today sitting on a box of dynamite and have only themselves to blame if after attacking the Islamic Movements and the Islamic scholars, it all blows up in their face!"
#7
And just where does this drivel come from? Not France, Rantburg's favorite demon but from England--the true hotbed of Islamic terrorism in the largest Islamic colony EU
Posted by: Not Mike Moore ||
08/06/2003 22:42 Comments ||
Top||
#8
Well, what do you know. NMM might not be wrong.
But France still sucks.
#9
I like France--I know no one else does--but the Brixton? mosques and all the Pakis running around London are much more dangerous than the angry waiters from Tunisia in French cafes
Posted by: Not Mike Moore ||
08/06/2003 23:41 Comments ||
Top||
#10
So head on over. From what I hear, they could use the business.
#11
Not in the mood for travel since the GOP cut back on screeners and Sky Marshalls tu3031--spending my vacation like I have the last couple years in the beautiful USA--OBX North Carolina--the gem of the East Coast! But sure wealthy people like you GOP'ers will be going to England, Italy and Spain
Posted by: Not Mike Moore ||
08/07/2003 0:12 Comments ||
Top||
Becoming a British citizen used to be simply a matter of filling in forms and waiting for your application to be processed. However, last yearâs Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act, pushed through by the Home Secretary, is to change all of this. It is reported that proposals published last week by Ministers would obliged immigrants to pledge there loyalty to the UK in a more formal way.
If you want to be a citizen, that kind of implies loyalty, doesn't it?
The new legislation makes a requirement that applicants for citizenship must have "sufficient knowledge of life in the UK". Applicants will be expected to pass a "Britishness test" on practical aspects of life in the UK and its institutions. The current 110,000 people who attain British citizenship every year do so without demonstrating any knowledge of values of the UK, and are not even required to speak English. Those who seek naturalisation as a British citizen will be guided through the ceremony by a registrar. This will involve an American style âpledge of allegianceâ to the Queen, and also a pledge to uphold the UK's rights, freedoms and democratic values.
Something, again, normally expected of citizens...
There has for some time been a sense by the British establishment that people entering the UK for the purposes of settlement do not integrate here very well. There is the notion that people should carry the values of this society in addition to receiving a passport. An immigration minister has said: "Becoming a British citizen should not be about obtaining a bit of paper and a passportâŠâ British society values the freedom to choose whether you are straight or gay, believe in a creator or be an atheist and be able to live and make laws however you want. The effects of these values can be seen around us today, in the constant altering of laws to accommodate changing values, and the constant redefinition of religion to accommodate those values. Muslims in particular have been the subject of various criticisms by Ministers and are likely to be the primary motivation for such new schemes and legislation. Muslims in the UK have held onto the Islamic values distinct from the Western ones leading us to be viewed as isolationist and detached from the society. It is fast becoming unacceptable for a western society to have elements that are in direct contradiction to it; hence the push to integrate the Muslims grows ever more forceful.
If you can't accept the concept of individual liberty then it'd be a good idea to stay where you're more comfortable. If you're a citizen, you have the freedom to try and change things, but not the right to impose your values on your neighbors. That's a concept Muslims have trouble with...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/06/2003 00:15 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
The Britishness Test sounds like a great skit for Monty Python or the like.
I think they should make the buggers watch two episodes of Benny Hill. If they don't laugh, out you go!
#2
So, if this includes an oath of allegiance to the Queen does that mean that people which would like to see the monarchy abolished would no longer be allowed to become British citizens? Or "subjects" as I think they're called over there?
#3
The UK was a democracy long before the Greeks relearned the meaning of the word. :-) And just a few years after that they forgot it anew and handled power to an unelected body sitting into the barbarian (ancient Greek definition) of Brussels.
#4
Aris, I think that's correct. If you don't like having the royals, you probably don't want to be a Brit, and you should submit your application to Iceland, where they don't have one, or Greece, where they used to have one. Why would you want to be a citizen of someplace you don't like?
Posted by: Fred ||
08/06/2003 10:15 Comments ||
Top||
#6
The US citizenship process includes a portion where the new citizen denies loyalty to other countries. Of course any muslim who wants could pull a Clinton and say that the 'Umma' isn't an actual country. Or they could just lie.
#7
Fred> Well I definitely don't want to be a Brit personally, but I'd think that abolishing the monarchy should be considered an acceptable rather than a traitorous position for a Brit to have. And I'd expect that there are a lot of people in Britain who may love the place, would want to be citizens, and yet still be willing to argue and vote against the monarchy.
JFM> If we're back to the insulting countries thing, then I am not entirely sure the Britain is a democracy nowadays either, since that unelected House of Lords still wields power, a fact much more annoying than the power that the *elected* barbarians of Brussels have.
JFM, to quote the Greek poet Kavafis, what would you do without barbarians to blame?
#8
Aris: The abolition of the Monarchy is debated, but most people don't feel strongly enough that it should be abolished.
The role of the monarchy in British politics is mostly symbllic, and while the Brits are the Queens subjects, they are also British Citizens who can stand on a box at Speakers corner, or anywhere and make a case for the abolition of the Monarchy.
In short, there is Freedom of speech in the Britain.
Posted by: S ||
08/06/2003 14:08 Comments ||
Top||
#9
They're going to say tits, winkle, and vibraphone to them to see if they blush.
#11
I have to agree with Aris on one point: poor Albion isn't much of a democracy any more. Freedom of speach is highly curtailed by "hate speach" laws, trail-by-jury is largely abolished, legal rights to private property are under attack, and the basic human right to self defence has been all but destroyed. Weep O Britain for thy are great no more....
#12
Here, SM, stick your head in this paper bag for a while... that'll cure those hiccups!
Posted by: Old Grouch ||
08/06/2003 20:17 Comments ||
Top||
#13
I fixed the hiccups.
Aris: After you're in the club you're entitled to an opinion. If you're trying to get in the club and you don't like the rules, maybe you should join a different club.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/06/2003 21:56 Comments ||
Top||
#14
Aris - this happened once before. When John Kennedy was about to take office, many in America feared that he'd hold his loyalty to the Roman Catholic Church over the oath of office. In order to calm these fears, Kennedy stated quite bluntly that his loyalties were to God, the USA, and THEN the Pope, in that precise order.
THAT is what we need to be asking of Islam. That they be loyal to God, then to their country (be it the land of their birth, or where they've emmegrated to) and THEN to the rather garbled "laws" that the Koran and it's side books set forth.
And that when there is a conflict between the secular and the religious, they MUST accept the primacy of secular law over religious.
Goverenments run by priests have been, are now, and always WILL be a terrible idea. Priests fear that which is new, because new means change, and change means they'll lose power.
Ed Becerra
Posted by: Ed Becerra ||
08/06/2003 22:27 Comments ||
Top||
#15
If only the Right Wing Christian nutz like Ashcroft would be held to the same standard--secular trumps religion--we'd have a better USA
Posted by: Not Mike Moore ||
08/06/2003 22:46 Comments ||
Top||
EFL and News - breaching the "quagmire"?
U.S. forces said Wednesday they arrested 19 suspected members of the anti-U.S. resistance and killed another, and found a huge stockpile of weapons in a series of raids in northern Iraq. But the big prize Elvis Saddam Hussein remained elusive.
Iraqâs postwar recovery continued: In Baghdad, the U.S.-installed Governing Council asked for U.S. help in creating desperately needed jobs, while to the south in Diwaniyah, Spanish soldiers began setting up a base for troops from Spain and four Latin American countries to replace U.S. forces heading home.
For the fifth straight day, no U.S. military personnel were reported killed in attacks. Military combat deaths had been coming almost daily, with 52 U.S. soldiers killed in combat since May 1, when U.S. President George W. Bush declared major combat over.
The U.S. military announced the arrest of a man it said was organizing guerrilla attacks against American soldiers. The man, nabbed Sunday by Iraqi police officers, was the brother of a Saddam bodyguard captured by U.S. forces on July 29, said Lt. Col. Steve Russell of the 4th Infantry Division. Russell did not identify the man, but said he was the brother of Adnan Abdullah Abid al-Musslit, who was believed to have detailed knowledge of Saddamâs hiding places.
Eighteen other suspected guerrillas were arrested in seven overnight raids across north-central Iraq, Maj. Josslyn Aberle said.
She also said soldiers uncovered a large weapons cache 40 kilometers (25 miles) northeast of Tikrit, Saddamâs hometown, on Sunday. It included two 7-meter-long (20-foot) missiles, 3,000 mortar rounds, 250 anti-tank rockets and almost 2,000 artillery rounds. She said an Iraqi informant led soldiers to the cache.
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/06/2003 3:53:23 PM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Iraqi flatfoots make the arrest. This is very good news. This will not go unnoticed by the locals or the turbanned spittle boyz in the mosques.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
08/06/2003 16:43 Comments ||
Top||
#2
So I'm watching ABC's "World News Tonight" and this great story is used as a backdrop to show a US soldier attempting to break down a door by kicking it before an Iraqi woman steps forward to unlock it with a key.
The implicit message in Elizabeth Vargas' voice over was that, despite the day's success, the US is incompetent, overly aggressive, yadda, yadda...
God, the lefty media in this country is beyond any reasonable person's worst nightmare.
#3
As for the marxist, leftists and anarchist liberals in the media, the continuing trend plummetting of network news and CNN's ratings are an indication that their twisting and distorting slanting of the news is NOT playing in Peoria.
EFL
The Polish public is less than supportive about sending their soldiers into Iraq. But as Poland readies for its largest peacekeeping mission ever, soldiers say they are looking forward to showcasing their military prowess while offering Iraqis a helping hand. "We have some idea about what life will be there - certainly dangerous - but we are trained for that," says Pvt. Jacek Herbot, 23. "It will be difficult for us to understand each other, hard to adjust to Arab customs. I hope they will not treat us as enemies."
Most won't, some will...
The Polish-led force of 9,000 will include soldiers from 22 nations and be responsible for enforcing security in south-central Iraq. A command staff of about 250 already is in Iraq, and 2,000 Polish troops left Tuesday for the Middle East. Officially they start their tour of duty on Sept. 1. "Our tasks are standard: patrolling, convoying, searches of vehicles and buildings," said Maj. Zenon Szczybylo, who will command a mechanized battalion of 420 Poles, 100 Latvians and 45 Lithuanians. "But when we are shot at, we have to respond with fire." For the soldiers, the mission - Polandâs largest military operation since World War II - will allow them to show how much the Polish military has modernized since it was little more than an oversized, Soviet satellite force 13 years ago. The former Soviet bloc nation, which joined NATO in 1999, has struggled to raise its military to Western standards under a tight budget constraints. But most observers say the troops are ready for the task. For the Iraq mission, commanders have chosen the best divisions and are outfitting them with the latest equipment - including new lightweight uniforms, TRG22 sniper rifles from Finland and U.S.-made Humvees. As opposed to those nations sending troops to a U.N. mission.
"They are very ambitious and they will do everything to do a good job," said Lt. Col. Uwe Semprich, a spokesman at NATOâs Multinational Corps Northeast, which groups Polish, Danish and German troops in the Baltic port of Szczecin. "They know that there is always something that you can learn to do better." Most of Polish troops heading for Iraq this week come from the elite Szczecin 12th Mechanized Division, the Polish armyâs most modern and best equipped, chosen for the mission after receiving top marks in NATO exercises. The division - which is contributing two battalions and a command staff to work at the sector headquarters in Hillah 40 miles south of Baghdad - earlier sent troops to peacekeeping operations in the Middle East and the Balkans. Excellent!
Troops have been training since May, perfecting their peacekeeping and shooting skills. They also are taking lessons from the field, adjusting their training based on reports from Iraq. American advisers warned, for instance, that Iraqis often attack vehicles at the end of the column at night, prompting the Poles to prepare more night watch equipment. The training has also included classes with experts from the Polish Center for Eastern Studies on Iraqi life, language and customs, with an emphasis on solving conflicts and negotiate. "There was a lot of stress on body language and behavior to avoid misunderstandings," said Maj. Dariusz Faszcza, a Szczecin Division spokesman. "What could be taken for a quarreling group in Poland, can be a joyful company in Iraq." "We donât have a lot of automatic weapons at our weddings."
Along with their peacekeeping roles, Col. Waldemar Czarnecki said their aim will be building good relations with local leaders and rebuilding the countryâs infrastructure - including roads, hospitals and bridges destroyed during the war. "If we follow the rules then I donât think it will cause negative reactions," Czarnecki said. "But you cannot rule out terrorist acts." Good attitude, welcome aboard.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/06/2003 12:18:10 PM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Keep in mind that military service in Poland is compulsory. They probably picked out troops from the "career" side of the military to make up the division, in addition to offering higher pay of course.
A close inspection of photos from inside the Mosul villa where Qusay and Uday were shot dead by American troops last month reveals beer bottles and a candy wrapper with what looks suspiciously like Hebrew lettering. Ironically, Saddam Husseinâs sons and grandson may have spent their last hours consuming the products of the hated Zionist state. In another odd twist, the troops of the US 101st airborne division may have cracked open beer of the same Macabbee brand while laying Saddamâs heirs to siege. Geez, I canât even get a Macabee here in the Great White North!
DEBKAfileâs Middle East sources reveal a thriving, unacknowledged, semi-secret Middle East trade route that has sprung up between Israel and Iraq in response to rising demand. More and more goods are getting through despite difficult and often hazardous conditions.
Edited for brevity. Occupation not run well, some say
They were trained for fighting -- not rebuilding a society upended by years of dictatorship and war. But the Marines of 225 Fox Company returned Saturday after more than four months in Iraq, confident Americaâs war was just. And, they were happy for the comforts of home -- family above all, but also showers, toilets, home-cooked meals and the relative cool of a Hudson Valley summer. ââThe government should have had thousands and thousands of MPs waiting and ready to go in immediately afterwards. They planned meticulously how to take over the country, but I donât think they planned very well how to run it once it was taken,ââ said Lance Cpl. Derek McGee, 26. With all due respect, there are people of rank higher than lance corporal privy to more information making those decisions.
ââWeâre an infantry unit and they kind of used us as an occupying force,ââ said Sgt. Chris Masterson, 25, a Wappingers Falls resident who left his pursuit of a business degree at Dutchess Community College to serve. ââI know we went in there and we hit hard, we hit fast and we did a whole lot of good. Where it went bad was way up above us -- the political side of it, establishing the government,ââ he said. ââIt kind of came to a screeching halt.ââ
Too bad you can't run a political and diplomatic offensive the same way the Marines run an invasion...
ââThank youâsââ the company heard proved to them the war President Bush sold as a quest to destroy weapons of mass destruction was good because it ousted a cruel and ruthless dictator. No bias on the reporterâs part there, eh?
Masterson recalled getting thanks even from an Iraqi who believed his wife and child had been killed by an American shelling -- so-called ââcollateral damageââ in the march to Baghdad. He also heard it from a man who said his daughter had been raped and murdered by men loyal to Saddam Hussein. Those with experience as civilian peace officers trained a new Iraqi police force, said Sgt. Joseph Martino, a LaGrange resident and Yonkers fireman. ââThey took them by the hand and built them from the ground up, and I tell you the policemen there were very grateful for what the Marines did. Everyone was,ââ Martino said. The article isnât nearly as doom ânâ gloom as the headline, is it? Any idea what the political feelings of the reporter or editors might be?
Posted by: Dar ||
08/06/2003 11:36:53 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Pro-democracy in the U.S. Military? But despotic dictators are OK for the Iraqis
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/06/2003 12:21 Comments ||
Top||
#2
If you didn't get the read from the article, this paper has it's left turn signal on. I remember when I was a E-3 (same as LCpl): the world was very simple and I know NOTHING about the big picture. Come to think of it I don't remember many staff meeting where I was asked to give my input about how an operations was going (or not going). Cpl. McGee has a good point, but I doubt the military has 'thousands and thousands of MPs' they can deploy to Iraq. But I don't think the good Cpl thougt (or knows much) much about force structure when he made his statement.
#3
You have to remember reporters are not responsible for the headlines of their articles. Editors are responsible for the headlines.
Posted by: Cal Ulmann ||
08/06/2003 13:58 Comments ||
Top||
#4
If this journalist had an idea just how much complaining yer basic Marine does even under the best of circumstances, he would have realized that this isn't news. Marines love to complain.
#5
I think most of the MP's and SP's are already bizzy as hell scraping LCpls off the pavement - in Sammy Dago and Oceanside and a few hundred other places where troopers congregate and get shit-faced - and trucking them back to barracks and such. If you don't puke on 'em or try to argue with 'em, most won't hit you with those fucking ebonite sticks (which you will definitely feel - come morning) - they'll just rifle your pockets for some spare scratch and babysit your dumb ass home.
#6
Cal--That's true--thanks for the reminder. Admittedly, the reporter is including both good and bad views here, and God knows what the editor may have done to the original text. This may be untouched or totally gutted and reworded for all I know. But, yes, the editors were the ones that wrote the "Quagmire!"-like headline.
Posted by: Dar ||
08/06/2003 14:48 Comments ||
Top||
#7
Oh my heavens! Grunts who complain! Why, never in the history of military conflict has that ever happened before! Run for the hills! it must be the end-times!
Posted by: Frank Martin ||
08/06/2003 18:24 Comments ||
Top||
#8
hey! Frank Martin! where ya been?
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/06/2003 20:04 Comments ||
Top||
#9
So, WE SUPPORT THE TROOPS! unless they disagree with FAUX FOX News which has distorted declaimed that the entire Iraqi war is a resounding success! If they disagree they are crybaby grunts
Posted by: Not Mike Moore ||
08/06/2003 23:16 Comments ||
Top||
#10
I dont care if they disagree with policy(smoke em if you got em, I say!), I just dont think its news that "front line doggies" complain. I also dont think it means anything. I only think its news if troops DONT complain, that would be something I've never seen or heard of. What a freak of nature that would be!
Of course, I dont have an agenda to carry around like someone here appears to have. It must be a bitch to walk around all day with that chip on your shoulder there, bubba.
(FG - Ive been everywhere there aint dialup and broadband is just a far off dream, but its good to be back in the land of T1 and air conditioning and the neighborhood titty bar.)
Posted by: Frank Martin ||
08/06/2003 23:55 Comments ||
Top||
#11
I dont care if they disagree with policy(smoke em if you got em, I say!), I just dont think its news that "front line doggies" complain. I also dont think it means anything. I only think its news if troops DONT complain, that would be something I've never seen or heard of. What a freak of nature that would be!
Of course, I dont have an agenda to carry around like someone here appears to have. It must be a bitch to walk around all day with that chip on your shoulder there, bubba.
(FG - Ive been everywhere there aint dialup and broadband is just a far off dream, but its good to be back in the land of T1 and air conditioning and the neighborhood titty bar.)
Posted by: Frank Martin ||
08/06/2003 23:56 Comments ||
Top||
#12
I dont care if they disagree with policy(smoke em if you got em, I say!), I just dont think its news that "front line doggies" complain. I also dont think it means anything. I only think its news if troops DONT complain, that would be something I've never seen or heard of. What a freak of nature that would be!
Of course, I dont have an agenda to carry around like someone here appears to have. It must be a bitch to walk around all day with that chip on your shoulder there, bubba.
(FG - Ive been everywhere there aint anything but dialup and broadband is just a far off dream, but its good to be back in the land of T1 speeds, air conditioning and the neighborhood titty bar.)
Posted by: Frank Martin ||
08/06/2003 23:57 Comments ||
Top||
EFL
U.S. troops in Saddam Husseinâs home town said they gunned down a guerrilla fighter on Wednesday and detained another suspect from a ring that may be helping protect fugitives from Saddamâs inner circle. Lieutenant Colonel Steve Russell, commander of the 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment which is spearheading the hunt for anti-U.S. resistance in the city, told reporters his patrol fired on a man who seemed to be preparing to fire a rocket- propelled grenade (RPG) in the early hours of the morning. "Our soldiers saw a man armed with an RPG...He was sneaking through an alleyway," he said, holding up a black, Iraqi-made grenade launcher of a type commonly used. "He actually had the RPG loaded...My guys, they just opened up." "Nobody will see me in this alley. Iâll just sneak....Ouch!"
It was not clear if he was killed as, by the time reinforcements arrived to check the area, there was no sign of him. Iraqi guerrillas generally remove their dead and wounded to avoid U.S. forces identifying them. "The soldiers saw him fall," Russell said. "There is no doubt that we hit him and pre-empted their attack." "We will engage and kill anyone armed with an RPG," he said. U.S. and U.S.-backed Iraqi forces do not use them. Smart move that, the bad guys just love their RPGs.
He said his battalion had killed eight or nine fighters in the past three weeks or so, wounded four and captured a dozen. Of those involved in attacking U.S. forces many were the sons of families closely tied to Saddamâs clique. Russell said that suggested to him that the resistance had trouble recruiting.
"I think theyâre eating the seed corn," he said. Thatâs a good sign.
His forces were also continuing to round up more senior organizers of guerrilla attacks who may also be involved in shielding high-level members of the old regime. On Tuesday, he said, Iraqi police mounted a raid and seized a brother of Adnan Abdullah Abid al-Musslit, a close personal bodyguard of Saddamâs family who was himself arrested around Tikrit a week ago. They were still hunting other brothers. So far, the new Iraqi police seem to be doing a good job.
Russell said his troops would soon begin training an initial 35 Iraqis as a civil defense force to supplement the city police and relieve police and U.S. soldiers of guard duties around key infrastructure sites. Thatâs good, get our guys off guard duties where they make too good a target.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/06/2003 9:46:42 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
LTC Russell's name has been in the press quite a bit. Talk about a tough task, working the Triangle. But he seems to be accessible and frank to the press. Wonder what a typical day for him entails. Keep it up, LTC.
Posted by: Michael ||
08/06/2003 10:58 Comments ||
Top||
#2
So far, the new Iraqi police seem to be doing a good job.
Every society has some decent folk that believe in law and order and want to raise their families in a safe environment. I hope this desire for security and safety takes root with more Iraqis and spreads like wildfire.
Posted by: Dar ||
08/06/2003 11:24 Comments ||
Top||
The former New York police chief who has been put in charge of rebuilding Iraqâs police force says he is making good progress in controlling crime. Bernard Kerik - who was appointed to run the interior ministry four months ago - said police had recently broken up four gangs involved in kidnapping Iraqi civilians for ransom. The failure to curb crime since the fall of Saddam Husseinâs regime has been one of the strongest criticisms made against the US-led coalition in Iraq. Brushing aside criticism that crime is still out of control in Iraq, Mr Kerik listed areas in which the newly-reformed police force was making headway. In particular, he highlighted kidnapping for ransom, a practice used by the Saddam regime which has continued after its downfall. Mr Kerik, the former New York police commissioner credited with cutting crime in that city, described one case in which the Iraqi police, without the support of US forces, smashed an armed kidnapping gang. He said four hostages, including an eight-year-old boy, were released, and eight suspects detained. He showed graphic photographs of torture inflicted on some of the hostages by the gang leader, whom he described as a close associate of Saddam Husseinâs inner circle. Sammyâs inner circle was a street gang, raised to the 10th power.
In other areas, Mr Kerik insisted the fight against crime was succeeding. "The markets and shops are now bustling, there are people out after hours where four weeks ago, no-one was there," he said. "Weâre up over 5,000 police officers back on duty, actively working in the streets, and Iâd say for the most part, itâs getting much, much better." "Bad boys, bad boys, what ya gonna do, what ya gonna do when they come for you?"
Posted by: Steve ||
08/06/2003 8:49:32 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Kerik is looking like a major hero of this war - a tough NYC police commish, taking his skills to rebuild Iraq. We need more Kerik's.
#2
Over at Samizdata (if I remember correctly),they had an e-mail from a British soldier in Basra.He said the problem was that the British troops try to play nice with the criminals.When Saddam retook Basra in 1991,he ordered all looters shot on sight.In contrast,when the Brits arrest criminals,in most cases they just hold them for a few days and then let them go.This has not proven much of a deterrent.I hope things have changed since then.
Posted by: El Id ||
08/06/2003 10:05 Comments ||
Top||
#3
Amen, LH. This guy is a terrific throwback to another era (sadly rare, today) and would've been a star in MacArthur's Japan Admin right up there with Demming, et al. Kerik has weathered the BBC reporters and other fools who are dedicated to editorial agendas instead of reality, and just quietly done his job - one of the most thankless tasks imaginable for the least thankful people imaginable. Pure "can do" and no hyperbole or posturing. We will never have enough like him.
#4
We talked about Kerik last week. Seems like the guy to do the job. Let's just hope he stays safe.
Posted by: Michael ||
08/06/2003 10:59 Comments ||
Top||
#5
Yup, we did, Michael. And Kerik's still there doing it this week, too. And yet another reporter, this time a tool of the BBC, gets to see the real thing, a real man going about his job unimpressed with the Roland Hedley routine, and goes away thinking Kerik's got stones - and tries to write a fair piece. And I hope they send him another one each week (no more - he does have a job, after all) for re-education by example. Maybe Kerik can get through to some of these boneheads, where others have failed, that the quagmire is the biases of the Lost-in-the-60s dynosaurs running their outfit's editorial staff meetings.
#7
TGA - no need. Theres already a Baghdad governing council composed of IRAQI's, and there will soon be an Iraqi mayor, if there isnt one already.
Now some German troops, that would be something of value. How about supporting the UK and US on a reasonable UNSC resolution, huh? Now that would go a LONG way toward restoring the US-German relationship.
#8
LH- The German government hasn't changed its idea about the war. There is no point in "restoring a relationship" by doing what you didn't want to do in the first place (and straining relations by that).
Peacekeeping troops may be a different issue but German law prohibits German military participation in such mission unless under U.N. command and mandate. It's that mandate that the U.S. doesn't want (and I don't think UN soldiers could replace the U.S. troops anyway). So it's a Catch 22.
I see a bigger German role in Afghanistan (maybe) but not in Iraq. I see more German non miltary help in Iraq though.
How about letting Siemens engineers fix the electricity problems (from what I read the Iraqis want them dearly but the U.S. has refused German technical help up to now although that might have changed as I speak).
#9
well of course we're talking about peacekeepers, the invasion is over, its too late to help with the invasion. Surely the German govt is supportive of the restoration of peace and order in iraq, the end to crime, looting, violence by Baathist fighters, etc.
IIUC the Germans in ISAF are under NATO command, not UN command. So it would only be a question of UN mandate, not UN command.
And you speak as if a UN mandate is some kind of deus ex machina, that Germany has no influence over. If Germany were to come out in favor of an additional (IE beyond UNSC 1483) more explicity mandate authorizing UN members to participate in peacekeeping in Iraq, in cooperation with Coalition forces, as requested by the Iraqi Governing Council, that would go along way towards moving the UNSC to approve of such a resolution. Now its quite possible that in such circumstances France might still exercise its veto, and Germany would be unable to send troops. However I think the goodwill for Germany would accrue anyway. Now it MIGHT strain Germany's relationship with France. But then i think it would behoove Germany under those circumstances to consider the value of a relationship with a country intent on preventing the keeping of peace in Iraq, as desired by the Iraqi people.
The US does NOT oppose a UN mandate - as long as such mandate does NOT interfere with the political process Paul Bremer is guiding in Iraq. Now you and i are not diplomats and may speak freely. We know that this is a matter of discussion at the UNSC. We know what the US position is - i have stated it (based on a statement by wolfowitz - dont have the quote handy) similarly we France has said they will not send THEIR troops unless the UN has FULL control of Iraq - though they have not said if that is their requirement for a UN mandate to send other troops. You and I know that Germany weighing in on this debate would significantly impact the negotiations. You and I know that wieghing in on this debate would be more valuable to the US than sending another couple of thousand troops to afghanistan. And you and i know this isnt about the invasion of iraq - thats OVER. It IS about whether Germany wants to help the US build a new and better middle east. If it does not, then we have a major problem with Germany. Its nice that you're helping in afghanistan (where, BTW, the coalition is trying to prevent the return to power of al qaeeda, a group that has murdered German citizens and conducted criminal activities on German soil, so its merely German self interest to do so) . So is Uzbekistan.
Secretary General of the Arab Economic Unity Council, Ahmad Jweili has stressed that the US-British war on Iraq affected negatively on the whole Arab economy particularly on Arab and foreign investments in the region, Arab workers movement and agreements relevant to the free trade among the Arab states. He clarified that the council put a plan for returning the Arab capitals from abroad amounting to a trillion dollars and employing them in investment projects in the Arab region. investment projects... you mean like jihad?
He called on the Arab states to work on preventing the US works of stealing the Iraqi assets stressing the necessity of the Arab companies participation in rebuilding Iraq. Oh thatâs so precious...
Posted by: Raphael ||
08/06/2003 12:38:14 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Well, gee, the war sure has been good for the Israeli brewing industry. Maybe if the Arabs produced something other than oil they could export something people would actually buy.
What am I saying? The monarchs will continue to export oil and buy luxury items and weapons, while the poverty-stricken serfs will continue to be encouraged to blame all their problems on the Jooos.
Posted by: Dar ||
08/06/2003 8:32 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Right, Raphael. The whole article is precious with its improper/imprecise language (Does "worker movements" refer to unions or workers going from one country to another in order to work? "returning the Arab capitals"? Yeah, just where did Riyadh and Tunis go?) plus the fantasy ideology threaded throughout.
Posted by: Michael ||
08/06/2003 13:11 Comments ||
Top||
#3
'Arab' and 'economy' are mutually exclusive terms. Kinda like 'Rosie O'Donnell' and 'hot babe.'
I never thought there could be a bigger circle jerk than the UN but the 'Arab Economic Unity Council' sounds like it has the potential to be #1!
Posted by: Ned ||
08/06/2003 14:24 Comments ||
Top||
#4
Jweili's right: it's been a long time since I've bought any Arab washing machines, coffeepots, garden spades, fanbelts, button-down shirts, sushi kits, lightbulbs, pencils, alarm clocks, coffee mugs, plate glass, microprocessors, vodka, chocolate, associate degrees in gun repair, luggage, cappucino makers, or heavy industrial equipment. And man, I useta buy tons of that Arab shit.
Posted by: (lowercase) matt ||
08/06/2003 15:49 Comments ||
Top||
#5
Jweili's comments actually have a bin Ladenite tinge to them. If the Arab countries pulled the trillions of petrodollars out of kafr's banks, what would they do with it? What meaning would all that wealth have in countries without the rule of law, no compound interest, and no competent middle class or technical class to increase its value? It would swiftly be stolen or become worthless: palatial estates surrounded by poverty and mere scraps of paper with numbers on them, crumbling to dust.
#6
Myself, I'm going to be curious how the whole Iraqi oil wealth distribution process is going to affect Iraq's economy down the line. After all, if everybody in the country is getting "free" money, then wouldn't inflation rise to compensate for it? Wages will be low; internal inflation will rise; there'll be a large trade deficit because Iraqis will import trade goods...
I'm not an economist, but it just seems to me that if everybody has money, prices will rise to soak up that extra pocket change everybody has.
Posted by: Dar ||
08/06/2003 17:44 Comments ||
Top||
#7
I'd like to know what they're using for money in Iraq... and who's in control of the money supply. If I remember my economics correctly (which I probably don't) the rate of growth of the money supply and the demand for money affect inflation. So you're right Dar, if Iraq is flooded with money, you can expect inflation. However I don't think every Iraqi is going to become suddenly rich with money any time soon.
An American civilian was killed today when the mail truck he was driving was blown up by a homemade explosive north of the town of Tikrit. The employee, working for KBR, a subsidiary of Halliburton, was driving in an area still regarded as a war zone by military officials and near the hometown of Saddam Hussein. The civilian, who was not identified, was taken to a nearby military hospital, where he died. Military officials here said the truck had been struck by an "improvised explosive device," military parlance for the homemade bombs that have been used in attacks against American forces. Often, the bombs have been detonated by remote control. The employee appears to be the first civilian worker engaged in the rebuilding effort to be killed in Iraq since President Bush declared an end to combat operations on May 1. Other foreign civilians have died here, including foreign journalists and an employee of the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/06/2003 00:15 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#4
stevey's trolling - don't feed his overweight ass
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/06/2003 10:46 Comments ||
Top||
#5
Wasn't there a post yesterday on the use of civilian contractors to do what used to be the military's job? KBR was prominently mentioned. There seemed to be a question as to whether this is the way to go since civilians can always go home if not happy with job. Well, maybe this incident will start a few to start thinking of getting out. This policy may save costs, but what about the mission? I hope Rummy and co. have thought this out.
Posted by: Michael ||
08/06/2003 13:04 Comments ||
Top||
#6
You better--I read an article on the Battle of the Bulge--the cooks and everyone had to get their guns--how will that work with all this Republican "privatization" of the military sub-functions? If I'm working in the kitchen for Halliburton and the Jihadis are coming--hmm--and I'm not trained for combat and making $7 an hour--what would I do?
Posted by: Not Mike Moore ||
08/06/2003 23:51 Comments ||
Top||
INDONESIAN police confirmed late yesterday the Jakarta Marriott Hotel bomb was made from the same chemicals as terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah used to make the October 12 Bali bomb and an earlier bomb which exploded outside the Jakarta residence of the Philippines Ambassador. Jakarta chief detective Erwin Mapasseng confirmed police had found the engine and chassis numbers of the red Toyota car bomb and had located its owner. However, the owner sold the car about two weeks ago to a man he described as about 160cm tall with a strong muscular body who spoke a dialect not common in Jakarta. He is now working with authorities to compile a three-dimensional model of the buyer. This guy would be a coordinator or the bomb builder.
General Mapasseng said a body found in the Toyota car did not fit the description of the man who bought the car two weeks earlier. It is understood that the manâs head was found on the third floor of the Marriott and that his facial features were recognisable. Low level cannon fodder.
Australian Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty said he was confident the car registration details would lead to an early breakthrough in the case. It was vehicle details from the crime scene which led investigators to Amrozi and broke open the Bali investigation. "Just like the chassis number from Bali, we are hoping the discovery of car parts, including the rego plate, will provide the opportunity for an early breakthrough," Mr Keelty said. No doubt the buyer used a phoney name, but the drawing should help. Bet he left town as soon as it went off.
He said he and Indonesian police chief Daâi Bachtiar, who made a statement soon after the blast, had agreed on the need to replicate the successful Bali investigation. A team of 24 Australian police experts plus two civilian specialists are working with Indonesian police, and Australian investigators have already made several breakthroughs in the case. They say the bomb was made from 25kg of potassium chlorate â the material used in the Bali bomb. The crater at the JW Marriott Hotel is about the same size as the Bali blast crater despite the bomb being only a quarter of its size. The chemicals used in the Jakarta hotel bombing included high and low explosive â calcium chlorate and aluminium powder, TNT, RDX and petrol. General Mapasseng said these were similar to the chemicals used in the Bali car bomb and also a bomb outside the ambassadorâs home in which the Ambassador was injured and another person killed. Bomberâs trademark, once they find something that works they stick to it. Thatâll help trace him.
The evidence provides a vital link between those attacks, committed by JI, and the latest attack. Amrozi, who is expected to be sentenced to death today has admitted that he was involved in the ambassador bomb. General Mapasseng also said it was not known whether the Marriott bomb could have been one of the bombs police had been searching for since the arrest of several JI figures in Jakarta last month. At the same time police also uncovered a large JI chemical factory in Semarang, East Java, where hoards of calcium chlorate were located. Now itâs up to good old fashioned police work.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/06/2003 10:46:08 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Update: The bomb, which ripped through a hotel in Jakarta, was detonated by a mobile phone, police said. "This modus operandi is similar to the Bali bombing and the bombing at the house of the Philippines ambassador," said national detective chief Erwin Mappaseng.
Like I said, bomber's trademark. Bet the guy driving the van didn't know it was going to go off with him in it. Removes one witness who could talk.
At a press conference, Mappaseng also released a sketch of the last known buyer of the Kijang van which exploded outside the Marriott. He was described as aged about 30 and originating from Lampung in South Sumatra.
He's the guy to find.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/06/2003 10:52 Comments ||
Top||
#2
The head of Indonesia's police force, General Da'i Bachtiar, admitted that his officers had recently lost their capacity to track suspected members of Jemaah Islamiah, believed responsible for the Marriott attack. "In the past we could detect their position, their movements, through the [communication] devices they used. Now they don't use them any more so we don't know which target they have chosen. That's what happened."
Either changed cell phones, or stopped using them. They're learning as well.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/06/2003 10:58 Comments ||
Top||
FOUR terror suspects who escaped a police dragnet in Central Java last month could be behind yesterdayâs attack in Jakarta. Terrorism experts said yesterday that nine Jemaah Islamiah members who were arrested in the security operation in early July revealed that they had sent eight bombs to Jakarta before their arrest. Four cell members, however, managed to avoid being caught. Two of the men have been named as Junaedi, alias Juned, and Para Wijayanto. The identities of the others have not been disclosed. Though the link has still to be established, terrorism experts believe security alerts should have been raised to the highest levels in Jakarta, in view of the missing men and bombs. Within days of the arrests in Semarang in early July, Indonesian newspaper Suara Merdeka quoted police spokesman Prasetyo as telling reporters that the suspects âhad confessed to investigators that they sent eight bombs to Jakartaâ. Based on this information, National Police Chief Dai Bachtiar called on Jakarta residents to be extra alert in mid-July. The Jakarta Post reported that a joint investigation by Indonesian police and the Australian Federal Police had shown that the group was in the advanced stages of executing bombing plans. Central Java provincial police chief Didi Widayadi told reporters that 23 of the 26 bombs assembled were ready to be detonated at chosen targets in Central Java, Yogyakarta and Jakarta.
Posted by: Paul Moloney ||
08/06/2003 12:59:29 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under:
The Indonesian Government is preparing to announce new anti-terrorist measures as police continue to sift through the rubble at the site of yesterday's hotel blast in Jakarta. Investigators have already established the explosion that killed at least 16 people and hurt almost 150 was the work of a suicide car-bomber. Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is expected to announce today a tough new Government security policy aimed at overcoming and preventing terrorism. He has asked Indonesians to be prepared to accept the sort of restrictions that could raise the concerns of human rights campaigners. He says preventing the deaths of more victims is worth more than the price of human rights.
"Horse is gone. Time to lock the barn door."
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/06/2003 00:20 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
"It can't happen to us. We're Muslim."
It guess it only took ten additional bodies and an embarassing bombing attack to wake them up, but I have the awful feeling, it may take a far higher body count before they actaully start to get it.
Muslim extremists just want a high death toll. They want people dead and they don't want to negotiate on any agenda unless the negotiations can make the death tolls higher.
#2
They woke up after the Bali bombing. They were almost back asleep...
Posted by: Fred ||
08/06/2003 9:57 Comments ||
Top||
#3
Does this mean they're going to quit killing Christians and concentrate on the real problems? Probably not, this is Indonesia after all.
Posted by: Douglas De Bono ||
08/06/2003 11:24 Comments ||
Top||
#4
Y'know, this foolishness by the Izzoids of shitting in their own backyards is going to have to result in a reduction in attacks on the West. Only so much C4 and Semtex and detcord and bomb-makers available at any given time, after all.
We've got Milliwati here getting semi-serious (methinks badanov is right - not enough corpses, quite yet) and Perv over in Pakiland talking serious 'bout extremism - generating extremist responses, I'm sure. Soon, a huge pool of asshat Izzoids will be staring at their own navels and biting the hands that have fed them and nurtured their twisted world-view. Cool. Knock yerselves out boyz.
Indonesian police will issue a sketch of the owner of a car used in a huge bomb attack on the Marriott Hotel in Jakarta, but did not say that the individual was a suspect in the blast. Erwin Mappaseng, head of the criminal investigation department, said a description of physical features of the owner had been supplied by the person who sold the car. "Police have obtained physical features from the (previous) owner of the car and we will issue a sketch based on that," Mappaseng told reporters.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/06/2003 00:18 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
Australia today pledged to help Indonesia in any way it wanted to track down those responsible for the Jakarta bombing, which killed up to 16 people and injured around 150. Prime Minister John Howard said yesterday's blast at Jakarta's JW Marriott Hotel was overwhelmingly a terrorist attack on the Indonesian state and the Indonesian people. Mr Howard said he was today trying to arrange to speak to Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri to offer Australia's sympathy. "I will be expressing the great sympathy of the Australian government for what has happened. It would appear that the overwhelming majority of people who have been killed and injured are Indonesians. Although it took place outside a hotel which is frequented by westerners and seen as something of a western symbol, the victims were the men and women of Indonesia. We Australians should understand this is very much an attack on Indonesia."
It's an attack on civilization, John. A western hotel in modern Jakarta came under attack from beturbanned 7th century wannabes...
Mr Howard said Australia had offered the assistance of the Australian Federal Police, with eight crime scene investigators on their way to Jakarta. "We will be willing to help in any way the Indonesians want to track down the people responsible and bring them to justice," he said. Earlier, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said the death toll had reached 16, most of them Indonesians. At least one Australian was among the many injured in yesterday's attack on the Marriott Hotel. Latest estimates have put the number of injured at around 150.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/06/2003 00:15 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
we've been co-operating greatly with the Indos to get rid of JI.
JI hate us and supposedly have sleeper cells still in Australia. Wouldn't be surprised if they did.
Bali Bombing killed 20 people from my area (eastern suburbs of Sydney), so today we are all hanging on the news of the impending Judgement on Amrozi. So far, no news.
I am concerned now with his death-sentence imminent that the retaliators are going to at least attempt something on Aussie soil.
Sunday is the City-to-Surf: standing room only at Bondi, hundreds of thousands gathered at the same place. I don't want to speak it into existance but it is a security nightmare.
Indonesian terror network Jemaah Islamiah has claimed responsibility for the suspected suicide bombing in Jakarta. The al-Qaeda-linked JI group, also blamed for last October's Bali bomb attack, has been widely suspected of bombing Jakarta's luxury JW Marriott Hotel yesterday. That suspicion appeared confirmed today by remarks published by Singapore's Straits Times newspaper. "This is a message for ... all our enemies that, if they execute any of our Muslim brothers, we will continue this campaign of terror in Indonesia and the region," the paper quoted an unnamed Jemaah Islamiah operative as saying.
Amrozi's sentencing is Thursday...
The bombing came ahead of tomorrow's sentencing of Bali bombing accused Amrozi bin Nurhasyim, who faces the death penalty for his role in the attack which killed 202 people, including 88 Australians. The governor of Jakarta, Sutiyoso, said it was "very likely" carried out by a suicide bomber. The national police chief, Dai Bachtiar, refused to speculate on the cause, but confirmed the vehicle was moving at the time of the explosion. The attack happened shortly after the alleged leader of Jemaah Islamiah took the stand for the first time yesterday at his treason trial over a series of bombings in 2000. Abu Bakar Bashir denies any link to terrorism.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/06/2003 00:15 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
"...if they execute any of our Muslim brothers, we will continue this campaign of terror in Indonesia and the region..."
Well yeah, but they were going to do that anyway, weren't they? Talk about a non-statement statement.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/06/2003 0:18 Comments ||
Top||
#2
JI just signed it's own death warrant. Watch the Indos get medieval on their asses.
#3
would be nice if they had an impromptu news conference in which they denounced the threats and on national TV, put a bullet in Abu Bakar Bashir's turban
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/06/2003 10:56 Comments ||
Top||
#4
"Amrozi's sentencing is Thursday..."
It's already Thursday over there. Sentencing will be later today/tonight. They expect the hearing to last about 4 hours. Standby.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/06/2003 11:34 Comments ||
Top||
#5
Amrozi bin Nurhasyim is to appear in a special district court at 9 a.m. (9 p.m. EDT Wednesday), but the verdict isn't expected until several hours later. Prosecutors have asked for a death sentence if he's convicted; in that case, Amrozi could face a firing squad.
He'll be counting muzzle blasts, soon I hope.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/06/2003 13:45 Comments ||
Top||
Two scientific brains behind the October 12 bombings in Bali, Azahari Husin and Dulmatin, are still at large â and are likely to be prime suspects for yesterday's blast in Jakarta. The pair put together the 1.1-tonne bomb that destroyed Bali's Sari Club. More than 50 members of the Jemaah Islamiah terrorist network have been captured since the Bali blasts, massively disrupting the group's ability to function. But with the two bomb masters still in hiding â and concerns that large quantities of chemicals have not been found â Indonesian police have repeatedly warned that JI still poses a threat. Indeed, several of the alleged Bali bombers, including Amrozi, Imam Samudra and Mukhlas, have trumpeted in recent interviews that more attacks were being planned. In the past two months police have seized large caches of weapons and chemicals. Last night Indonesian officials would not be drawn on whether they believed the bomb was an intimidatory strike, linked to the sentencing tomorrow of Amrozi.
"Well, we can't really say for sure. Somebody might shoot us..."
Initial reports suggested a suicide bomber might have triggered the blasts and was possibly sitting in a vehicle near the entrance of the J.W. Marriott Hotel. In the Bali explosion, a teenage JI recruit, Arnasan, parked the L-300 Mitsubishi bomb van outside the Sari Club, and a suicide bomber entered Paddy's Irish Pub. Dr Azahari, a Malaysian-trained university lecturer, is a key member of the JI network, who allegedly attended the first meeting to plan the Bali attacks in February last year, helping to select the target. He is believed to have issued precise instructions on how the bomb was to be made, and also developed the tactic of sending a suicide bomber into Paddy's. With Dulmatin, another experienced bomb-maker and a veteran of guerilla warfare in Afghanistan, he visited Bali several times. Police narrowly missed catching Dulmatin in a raid on June 12, when Idris, a JI logistics expert, was caught in Sumatra. Dulmatin was not recognised as he was sporting a new hairstyle, police sources said. Although other suspects played roles in making the bombs and installing them in the van, Ali Imron, one of the few JI prisoners to have fully co-operated with police, has claimed Dr Azahari and Dulmatin were the key figures.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/06/2003 00:15 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
The Republicans sent a "care package" containing diapers, baby rattles, child leashes and pacifiers to the 11 Democrats staying at the Marriott Hotel in Albuquerque. The Republican Party says they are only responding, albeit tongue-in cheek, to the pleas of the Democrats. The Dallas Morning News reported the Senators were short on various sundries, including underwear, as the week wore on. The Senators are closing in on day five of their stand-off with their Republican colleagues. Texas GOP Chairwoman Susan Weddington says the diapers represent what the Republicans say is the Democratsâ childish behavior. The Republicans go on to say the baby rattles give them something to hold as they shake their fists, the leashes keep them close to the national Democratic Party leaders who ordered the walk-out, and the pacifiers should help curb their whining. "We hope that these behavior-appropriate items make the Democrats a little more comfortable while they are AWOL from their elected duties, " says Wellington. "The Democrats may be enjoying their out-of-state vacation now, but when they get back to Texas the people are going to send these rebellious Senators straight to their rooms". I didnât think this needed any comments from me, itâs funny enough (but sad at the same time). I wonder how this is playing out in Texas? Are these people heroes or cry babies? I know what I would vote for.
#1
Surprisingly, reaction is pretty cut down political lines. Republicans think they're (at best) babies or (at worst) criminals. Dem's (at least in public) think they're "heros". Kind of reminds me of another Dem scandal a couple of years ago in DC. Just goes to show...
#2
At best they're only postponing the ineveitable tho'
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/06/2003 19:25 Comments ||
Top||
#3
Being from TX, I'm hoping that Dewhurst and the other Republicans just show up unannounced in Albequerque one of these days. Walk in, gavel the meeting to order, announce passage on a voice vote, and leave.
#4
Yeah every ten years the districts get gerrymandered redrawn now that DeLay is in charge--let's change that--HAH
Posted by: Not Mike Moore ||
08/06/2003 22:48 Comments ||
Top||
#5
NMM--Where does it say that it *has* to be every 10 years? Did the precedent of Presidents serving two terms stop that liberal asshat FDR from going for three and four terms? Your pet Dummycrats should have passed that rule when they had the chance. Too damn bad they had to learned the hard way, but not to worry: the Republicans will hammer that home when they pick up an unchallenged majority in the next election.
Posted by: Dar ||
08/06/2003 23:09 Comments ||
Top||
#6
MY understanding is that re-districting is based on the census (evry 10 years) --if you know something I don't then I stand corrected when you produce evidence to the contrary--OK?
Posted by: Not Mike Moore ||
08/06/2003 23:27 Comments ||
Top||
#7
My point is precedence does not rule over law, OK? The Dems had 150+ years of majority power to enact that, and they didn't. Oops! Their bad.
Posted by: Dar ||
08/07/2003 8:29 Comments ||
Top||
From Geostrategy-Direct, requires subscription...
The Bush administration has decided to ease the pressure on Syria. Damascus might be a leading safe haven for terrorists, a weapons of mass destruction producer, a source of terrorists and weapons for the Sunni insurgency in Iraq — but the White House has decided that whatâs now required is a carrot for President Bashar Assad. CIA and State Department analysts have concluded that Assad is not really a bad guy, after all. Hmm..no mention of DOD here.
Heâs just weak and does not really run the show in Damascus. Instead, the aides of Assadâs late father have emerged to control much of the policy in Syria, particularly relating to such strategic issues as terrorism and Iraq. So, the State Department has convinced President Bush to lay off Assad and even offer him some carrots. Here are two such incentives:
1. U.S. military training. The administration is trying to convince Congress that despite Syria being included on its list of terrorist sponsors, Damascus should be eligible for U.S. military aid. No other country on the terror list is eligible for this. I hope State knows something we donât. This concerns me.
2. U.S. investments. State and CIA analysts argue that Syria should be seen as another China. In other words, invest in the economy and watch how Damascus will become more democratic. The result has been major incentives for U.S. companies to invest in Syriaâs energy sector, the only one open to foreign companies.
China is selling missles and hardware, too, esp to Iran. I donât feel good about the analogy that CIA presents. However, if we are in the energy sector, that would give our operatives cover to poke around Syria. I had a friend in the drilling mud business that did that for DIA.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
08/06/2003 4:22:50 PM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Assad is just a puppet for the Generals and Senior Baath party bureaucrats left over from Dad's regime. If you look closely you can see their hands up his ass. That's why he squints so much even though he was an eye Dr.
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/06/2003 19:36 Comments ||
Top||
#2
uh Fred? might wanna look at the " 'cint" vbscript error line 42 that did this?
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/06/2003 19:37 Comments ||
Top||
#3
I checked the code and fiddled it a bit, but can't figure why it doesn't work. If anybody gets it again, please forward a screen shot to me.
I hate bugs.... (Grumble)
Posted by: Fred ||
08/06/2003 22:51 Comments ||
Top||
Edited for brevity.
A Marine charged with cutting the lines of parachutes that were to be used in a training jump pleaded guilty Wednesday to assault and reckless endangerment. Lance Cpl. Antoine Boykins, 21, of Baltimore pleaded guilty to nine counts of reckless endangerment, four counts of aggravated assault and one count of destruction of government property. The judge, Col. Alvin Keller, told Boykins that he could face 31 years in prison, forfeiture of pay, reduction of rank and dishonorable discharge. The hearing was continuing Wednesday morning.
Three Marines were injured Sept. 21, 2002, when their parachutes failed to open when they jumped from about 1,250 feet. Their reserve chutes deployed safely. Other jumps for that dayâs exercise were canceled, and investigators later found that 13 of the 22 parachutes had been sabotaged. At a hearing in March, a military prosecutor said Boykins and [other defendant] Ramirez cut parachute suspensionlines because they had been disciplined and were angry with their platoon commander. Wah, f*****g wah! Selfish weasels...
Posted by: Dar ||
08/06/2003 2:55:52 PM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Send 'em up with one of their sabotaged 'chutes. Laugh that one off, assholes...
#2
These guys need a firing squad. This is not reckless endangerment, this is attemped murder.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
08/06/2003 15:06 Comments ||
Top||
#3
WTF??? Oh man, did they ever get off light. I agree with both you guys - let 'em choose:
jump from 5,000 using one of theirs with NO reserve
or
a firing squad where ALL have live rounds.
Save us the cost of incarcerating them. Amazing sentence.
#7
I agree with Sgt.DT, a firing squad is what they need. You can even asks those people who had the faulty chutes if they want to be on the line. if it had been my chute and I knew the riggers, there would be no need for a trial. I bet that next time a rigger gets in trouble they are put on weed and seed detail for a while to cool off.
Liberian President Charles Taylor will Thursday formally announce his intention to resign and is expected to take asylum in Nigeria, Mohammed Ibn Chambas, head of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), said Wednesday. Everyone is saying Chucky intends to resign, except Chucky.
"There will be a joint session of the (Liberian) Senate and the House of Representatives tomorrow," Chambas said at a news conference. "The ceremony is for Mr Taylor to inform them of his intention to resign. I will expect Mr Taylor to take the offer to come to Nigeria," he added, referring to an offer of asylum made by the Nigerian government. Anyone want to put money on it?
Posted by: Steve ||
08/06/2003 1:54:11 PM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Yes, and Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead.
#6
I can see Chuckles resignation news conferences as having a life of its own and being a cottage industry. I can see reporters setting up a pool for the date Chuckles actually does resign.
#7
He's got more retirements than Barbra Streisand...
Posted by: Fred ||
08/06/2003 17:38 Comments ||
Top||
#8
Chuck just doesn't have a good "feel" for this 'retirement' thing. Somebody needs to give the poor boy a hand - with a grenade in it.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/06/2003 19:07 Comments ||
Top||
#9
At least Clinton had the ships in view of Port au Prince before the VooDoo priests and assorted natives scared them off
Posted by: Not Mike Moore ||
08/06/2003 22:33 Comments ||
Top||
#10
NMM -- want to take bets on how this turns out?
Funny how you seem to be so hot to get US troops involved in a foeign country -- thought that was against your =cough= moral principles.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/06/2003 22:39 Comments ||
Top||
#11
WRONG Steve--I think we should stay out of it--what the hell is in it for us? Not one American soldier needs to die--even in a traffic accident for them
Posted by: Not Mike Moore ||
08/06/2003 23:01 Comments ||
Top||
In the first six months of 2003, acts of piracy on the high seas increased 37 percent over the same period last year. Deaths from pirate attacks were up as well, with sixteen crewmen killed in the first six months of the year, compared to six last year. Indonesia is the scene of most of the new pirate activity, with 43 ships boarded, four hijacked and seventeen others able to evade the attackers there. But most shipping companies are doing nothing about this situation, except to warn their ships of the danger.
The problem is that, given the number of ships moving through Indonesian waters (over a thousand a day), the incidence of piracy is too low to justify any more energetic, or expensive, measures. Shipping companies are treating the increasing pirate activity as another risk of being at sea. If maritime insurance companies threatened to raise their rates (which they havenât), something would be done. Given the current number of pirate attacks each year (about 400), and the number of large merchant ships in the world (over 20,000), and the fact that most of the attacks are robberies of the crew, or portable ships equipment, the piracy situation will make good headlines, but not much else. The headlines put more pressure on the nations involved to set up anti-piracy patrols, mainly because the pirates also go after local ships (there are over a million fishing ships world wide) and pleasure craft if they canât snag a large ship to rob. Well, if I were one of the family members of those 16 killed, Iâd have a different opinion. Wait a minute--I do have a different opinion anyway! At the least, give the crews sufficient arms to defend themselves!
Posted by: Dar ||
08/06/2003 11:11:58 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Sounds like a bean counter is making policy. Certainly on non-oil tanker type ships, they should have lots of guns to discourage Sinbad and his pals.
Posted by: Douglas De Bono ||
08/06/2003 11:17 Comments ||
Top||
#2
If piracy is not nipped in the bud, every nutcase, criminal, and jihadi will come out of the woodwork and prey on shipping. This will drive up insurance rates so high that economies will be affected. Being proactive is the right thing to do.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
08/06/2003 12:43 Comments ||
Top||
#3
Hmmm... Pirates, eh? Sounds like a job for a few frigates and some Marines. Any Anapolis grads with the following names available?
Preble, Decatur, O'Bannon, Lawrence, Hull, Porter, Stewart or Bainbridge?
#4
William Langeweische has a long and interesting article in The Atlantic this month (not online yet)on international Piracy. The short version is that there is a lot to worry about and very, very little that can be done about it.
#5
From what I understand, the military is moving to replace the M-2 machine gun. Sounds like an excellent weapon to protect yourself from a typical pirate
#6
Increase in the last six months? Hmmmm, gee I guess the US Navy had other priorities elsewhere in the world. First level response - organize convoys for US flagged and 'coaliton of the willing' shippage through the trouble waters. All others can stay along the edge of the convoy like a bunch of camp followers, but don't send us a SOS because we're already guarding the flock.
Posted by: Don ||
08/06/2003 16:14 Comments ||
Top||
EFL
As an edgy calm enveloped Liberiaâs battered capital, a new storm brewed over President Charles Taylorâs pledge to leave the country. Atta boy, Chuck. I knew you had it in you.
"The latest information we have is that Mr. Taylor appears at the present time unwilling to take up our offer of asylum," Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjoâs spokesperson Felix Stanley Macebuh told a news conference in Abuja. "As a matter of fact, the problem is that Mr. Taylor is simply saying that he will be willing only to leave Liberia if the international court drops the war crimes charges against him," he added. As a matter of fact, no.
The court in Sierra Leone has repeatedly said it will not drop charges against Taylor, accused of a key role in a decade long war in Sierra Leone marked by savage atrocities against civilians. Taylor, who has reneged on previous promises to step down, had assured Nigerian officials he would leave Liberia soon after he cedes power, which he promised to do next Monday. And you believed him?
Rebels have long feared that Taylor, a wily survivor, would try to get out of his commitments to leave. LURD have said they would be prepared to relinquish their hold on Monroviaâs port so relief aid can flow, but would only withdraw from the city itself once Taylor has left. "If he refuses to abide by the international request to leave Liberia, I will attack him, we will move on him," warned Maj.-Gen. Seyea Sheriff at his rebel headquarters near the port. Lock and load, Sheriff.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/06/2003 9:20:53 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
You know, I've about had it with this guy abusing the good name "Chuck". I've half a mind to go over there and wack the little bast*rd myself, just to restore the good name of Chucks everywhere.
#2
what about Schumer? Can you make a quick layover for that publicity-seeking idiot? lol
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/06/2003 10:06 Comments ||
Top||
#3
I have a curse for people like this: "May your right thumb be crushed by the center of a 20,000 ton hammer". Both Chucks listed above qualify. The Chuck that posted the first comment does NOT. Get 'em, Chuck!
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/06/2003 10:23 Comments ||
Top||
#4
Could some one just shoot him?
I also know a good taxidermist in Llano, Texas that could make a nice display of him.
North Korea and Iran are holding talks over a plan to export Pyongyangâs Taepodong-2 long-range ballistic missiles to Tehran and to jointly develop nuclear warheads, a Japanese daily said Wednesday. Holding hands and leaping into the abyss.
The two countries have been negotiating the deal for about a year and are probably going to reach an agreement in mid-October, the Sankei newspaper reported, quoting defense sources familiar with North Korean issues. According to the plan, North Korea will export Taepodong missile components to be assembled in Iran and will send missile experts to pass on technical knowledge. At least the missile experts will get a good meal.
A North Korean arms export company known as the Changgwang Sinyong Corporation is handling the deal with Iranian military and aerospace industry officials, the newspaper added. Plan on sending those missles by ship? Hope they make it, well no, I donât really.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/06/2003 9:10:01 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
How, uh, umm, convenient - yeah, that's the ticket: utterly convenient! They've been swapping bodily fluids under the table for some time - and now, voila! They come stumbling out of the closet. These charter members of the Axis of Remaining Morons are both completely clueless and make building the case for a 2-Fer regime change idiot-proof. (insert drum roll here) I give you, Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Leader & The Black Hats! This will be a one-time-only performance - don't miss it!
#3
No chance that the technology stolen or maybe sold under the table to the Chinese ended up in these missiles. No - none at all.
Posted by: Douglas De Bono ||
08/06/2003 11:19 Comments ||
Top||
#4
When is GW going to do something about these guys. Next year post election will be too late.
Posted by: Bill ||
08/06/2003 12:13 Comments ||
Top||
#5
Bill---I'm sure that GW is gathering intel, making plans, and dedicating assets to the job. There are other avenues to be explored other than booming them. If these avenues are dead ends, then the military option is all that we have left. The stakes in this situation are just too high to ignore (except for Bubba), so we will see it resolved one way or another. The Israelis are in this too. They have more to lose sooner than us as they are Numbah One on Iran's Nuke Target List.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
08/06/2003 12:39 Comments ||
Top||
#6
The only problem I can see is with taking these clowns down, is the lack of available military.
Which makes it a really last resort.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
08/06/2003 15:20 Comments ||
Top||
#7
Maybe Bush can put enough pressure on NKor they decide to send the material by rocket... oops!
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/06/2003 19:30 Comments ||
Top||
#8
Hmm, at the risk of sounding simplistic and hyped up on Christianity, that sounds almost, what? Oh yeah, kind of axis-like.
seriously, Iran we can probably deal with by supporting regime opposition.
North Korea? Forcing a collapse is probably the best bet. Honestly, a full scale invasion is our only military option. Even if we knock out all of PDRK's nukes, facilities, and missiles in an air and missile strike campaign, what do we do if the North starts shelling Seoul? How long before political pressure on the democratically elected ROK government forces them to launch frontal assaults to force the artillery out of range? And will a hasty attack break the ROK army?
Any military option short of full scale invasion could spiral to full war anyway but give PDRK the advantage until we can scrape up the forces for the war.
#9
This is the problem that I think was more important than Saddam Insane! I actually agree with *com and the Rantbourgeois Rantburgers wholeheartedly, esp if they have a weapon that can reach LA or San Diego--which btw is just a matter of time.
Posted by: Not Mike Moore ||
08/06/2003 23:11 Comments ||
Top||
#10
As I read earlier, piracy seems to be an increasing problem on the worlds oceans. It would be a shame if the North Korean and Iranian Merchant Marine suddenly came down with an epidemic of "piracy" and their ships that transport missle components seem to... errrrrrr..."disappear". Damn pirates! Yar!!!
#11
Had a simaler idea mysef TU,but I would not keep it secret I would let them and the world know who siezed the ships and missile components.Destroy the missiles and put the ships up for auction,just like what is done with the siezed property of crimanals.
JERUSALEM (AP) - A leading U.S. congressman on Tuesday accused Yasser Arafat of hampering peace efforts and told the new Palestinian prime minister he must take responsibility and strike a deal with Israel. House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer of Maryland, who is leading 29 House Democrats in a weeklong tour of Israel to discuss the Mideast peace process, made his comments after separate meetings with Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Hoyer told Sharon that Israel is "the worldâs most courageous democracy," adding, "We are together in the struggle against terrorism." Obviously Charlie Rangel hasnât gotten to this guy.
The congressman said few of the Israeli leaders he talked to expressed confidence that Abbas, who was appointed by Arafat in April under U.S. pressure, had the power to act without Arafatâs approval. Pssst, Steny, they were spitballing you.
"Nobody believes that Arafat is pursuing peace positively at this point," Hoyer said. "And thatâs the problem." The congressional delegation later met Abbas at the Erez crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip. Hoyer said he told Abbas at their meeting that Arafat had hampered peace efforts, and "the world was now looking for (Abbas) to be a partner for peace." He said he told Abbas he must dismantle Palestinian terror groups, a step Abbas has refused to take, fearing a civil war. "But Congressman, that would be difficult to do because they would kill me."
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/06/2003 1:07:57 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
the Israel/PLO situation is one area that the Dems have made credible efforts at peace (and without selling out the Jews...except for Carter). Comments such as Hoyers are to be welcomed. Calling a spade a spade will get much more progress than trying to pretend the Paleos will ever accept a peace with a Jewish state.
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/06/2003 9:48 Comments ||
Top||
#2
However, everybody (Dems, Reps and Israelis) are letting Abbas get away with saying that the prisoner release was in the road map. Since the prisoner release wasn't in the road map, this statement actually constitutes incitement to violence (although with a fuse attached).
#3
"Nobody believes that Arafat is pursuing peace positively at this point," Hoyer said. "And thatâs the problem."
What the hell is he talking about, have you ever heard of the State Department down the street at Foggy Bottom?
Posted by: Douglas De Bono ||
08/06/2003 11:22 Comments ||
Top||
#4
mhw - 'zactly so. Arafat's death will do more for Paleo advancement in civilization than any other move they could make outside civil war. But I'd settle for that as well...
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/06/2003 11:24 Comments ||
Top||
#5
Wonder why 29 House Democrats had to go all the way to Israel to announce the obvious? Next they will head on over to Saudi Arabia and say that they produce a bunch of oil. On the way back they will have a brief stopover in Paris and delcare they speak a funny french-sounding language. This is the Junket season, god help us!
Secretary-General Kofi Annan urged the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday to recognize the Iraqâs new Governing Council as a step toward the formation of a true government. Annan also said the Security Council should establish a U.N. mission in Iraq and he chided the members for failing to say anything about the 25-member Governing Council after three of its members addressed a Security Council meeting on July 22. And if they donât get with it, Kofi will strongly chide them next time.
Spain circulated a draft statement after that meeting welcoming the Governing Council as an important first step toward the formation of an internationally recognized government in Iraq. But it was not adopted because of differing views among the 15 council nations. More than four months after the bitterly divided Security Council refused to back the war in Iraq, the U.S.-led occupation and the U.N.âs postwar role remain sensitive issues. Despite this, Iraq was still one of the key items on the agenda of Annanâs monthly lunch with the council. "We do need a decision to set up the (U.N.) mission. I think it is also important that they say something about the Iraqi Governing Council," Annan told The Associated Press. The secretary-general noted that the three Iraqis came to the United Nations to address the Security Council, which did not respond. "It doesnât send a very good message," Annan said. It sent the message that M. deVillepin wanted sent.
The U.S.-appointed Governing Council is representative of the key constituencies in Iraq - Shiites, Sunnis, and Kurds - and was meant to be a transition to a more permanent government. The United States had pressed for a strong Security Council statement that would have welcomed establishment of the Governing Council. But indicative of the opposition was Mondayâs Arab League announcement that its members will not recognize the U.S.-appointed body, and will wait instead until post-Saddam Hussein Iraq is led by a new strongman an elected government.
Like they had under Sammy...
Russia has circulated a draft of a resolution that would establish a U.N. mission in Iraq. But council diplomats said the United States isnât convinced thereâs a need yet for a U.N. mission, because Iraq already has the U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority and the Governing Council. They donât like what weâve done so far? Theyâre going to like the next year even less.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/06/2003 1:00:34 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Secretary-General Kofi Annan urged the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday to recognize the Iraqâs new Governing Council as a step toward the formation of a true government.
True as in loyal to the UN?
But indicative of the opposition was Mondayâs Arab League announcement that its members will not recognize the U.S.-appointed body, and will wait instead until post-Saddam Hussein Iraq is led by a new strongman an elected government.
Was this writer on crack? Arab governments down to the lowliest sniveling bureau are all unelected. So, if these Arab mobocracies see a democratically elected Iraq, they'll what? Sign off on it? How likely is Mubarak, or the Ayatollahs to endorsed a US-led democratization in Iraq?
What kind of writing is this that fails to point out that Arab governments are amoungst the worse violators of human rights, and in fact hate the idea of letting Ahkmed as well as his wife vote, while pointing out the Arab League is looking down their noses at the US's efforts for a decent government for Iraq?
#2
again note that Kofi is opposing the De Villepin line. Opposing it with words only, but thats all Kofi has - this does NOT make France look good, and should have an impact on the debate.
Pfeh. Kofi and his predecessors made themselves irrelevant through their lack of stewardship and ethics. Blame the UNSC, if you like, but it doesn't matter in the end, which has come. This dog don't hunt. Never did, actually. A dream unfulfilled.
#4
I sincerely hope that France keeps up this stupid behavior, perhaps for another year, possibly two. At that time, its economy will be so bad, a slight sneeze from ANYWHERE will crash it, and there will be a NEW Republic - hopefully, a better one.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/06/2003 10:43 Comments ||
Top||
#5
I think we should shoot him too. OR could someone find him culpable for the mass murders in Rwanda and the Sudan.
He seems to have problems dealing with atrocities committed by African petty dictators and thugs. He definitely doesn't want to admit that sort of thing happens. His problem is that he can't find some way to blame them on the US.
As for the governing council. His nattering is just petty. He seems adverse to recognizing that force sometimes works better than exchanging diplomatic papers and dinner at San Souce.
The UN SG is not empowered to challenge the standing of a govt because its a dictatorship. The charter gives no such option. The charter follows international law, based on the treaty of westphalia in that regard. Now we are trying to stretch things now, since the treaty of westphalia is arguably obsolete in an age of transnational terror - arguably globalization is making the notion of sovereignty obsolete (but then that makes me sound like some kind of transnational progressive, doesnt it?)
The UN is an organization of states, not of people. Would we really want an organization of people - what would that mean for our own soveriegnty as a state?
Within that is the value of the UN limited - sure, we discussed that earlier. What i was discussing was NOT the overall value of the UN, but the particular actions of Kofi Annan in this instance. Like it or not the UN IS a forum where things of import to international politics happen, and it would be nice to be able to discuss them without each time addressing the legitimacy of the whole organization. Kinda the way it gets tiring when some lefty cant talk about the Bush admin without talking about Florida in 2000 (NOTE well - this does NOT mean i agreee with the GOP on Florida 2000 - just that its absurd to bring it into every converstation)
SOG - I think youre missing the point - Kofi is pressing the UNSC to SUPPORT the council. WRT Rwanda - I seem to recall that Kofi did NOT obstruct intervention in Rwanda - it was France that did that, though to our discredit we (the US) was not eager to intervene.
Why did we go into Mozambique when Rwanda was a much needier place for intervention? I think with the current administration, acquesence to French objections will no longer be a consideration for taking the moral high ground on humanitarian issues.
What is it with these French @#$!'s anyway? I guess they seem to like atrocities....or at least haven't found one in a zillion years that strikes a nerve. Perhaps they don't have a conscience. That was what I like about french women when I lived over there...they would do anything and show no remorse for it and don't be surprised if they won't make a committment...sorry I digress, but the Frogs are absolutely without any kind of moral compass or concern/conscience.
Of course with Dominique, never trust anyone that sounds like Pepi LaPew.
#10
LH - You have some good points, as always. In your particular objection - I'll lay off the fact that the UN is D.E.A.D. a bit. I insist that Kofi, et al, stop catering to the implacable. His choice of words, "as a step toward the formation of a true government" is just diplo-coverage for those who denied the Governing Council recognition. They deserve no coverage as badanov ably pointed out - their position is one of pure hypocrisy.
Here's where you and I really differ, I think: It is my absolute belief that the UN isn't sacrosanct. If it works and it serves a purpose more profound that allowing any tin-pot twinkie who currently holds enough power to send a delegation, well and good - maybe it's worth the idiocy to get the benefit. If not, and I posit that it no longer holds water to claim it does, then the US should reassess participation and probably explore the avenue of an alternative. Just as the UN and the League were inventions of man, so can some more enlightened alternative be invented - incorporating lessons learned in these first 2 failures.
The Crux of the Biscuit:
The UN is just an idea - it does not embody goodness or morality or legitimacy or even good intentions - if the membership does not imbue it with those qualities by their deeds within its framework or under its auspicies. Period. Full stop.
It is my concerted opinions that the idea has been hijacked and twisted and made into a mockery of its charter - which was seriously flawed since it fails to disallow membership to anything claiming to be a nation-state, as you point out in your first 2 sentences. Other than my beautiful Isle of Langerhans, that is - we're still oppressed and denied access to the UN Cafeteria and secretarial staff, both of which I am told are quite satisfying.
The Peace of Westphalia might have been the model, as indicated here:
http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Westphalia
for modern diplomacy - and may even have been a keystone concept in the development of the UN Charter. Fine. That does not negate the argument that the Charter has been suborned by self-serving interests into something that is actually repulsive to many Americans - and others not blinded by PC-think and the myth that it IS the magic int'l repository of morality and legitimacy - such as is claimed in almost every Beeb story in which it's mentioned. They believe repetition makes it true, even though it's a truly stupid claim - and demonstrably false.
Your chunk regards the UN being an org of states, not people, comes from Pluto - I have no idea what you're on about and only find the thinnest connection to my comment.
In the interest of peace, which I value and am, therefore, willing to fight for, and did when asked, I will shut up about the D.E.A.D. UN until it is the actual thread topic. I still want access to the cafeteria and secretaries, however, my Isles of Langerhans are the match of anyone else's.
EFL, and donât forget to hit the embedded links.
Liberian rebels darted across contested bridges to shake hands Tuesday with government fighters — many as young as 10 and barely bigger than their AK-47s — as a steadily building West African deployment brought an edgy day of calm to Liberiaâs gutted, looted capital. International aid agencies sped aid shipments to Monrovia, bloodied by two months of rebel sieges that have killed more than 1,000 civilians and cut the capital off from food, clean water and all but the barest medical care. Pallets with tons of relief aid piled up at Liberiaâs main airport as white U.N. helicopters shuttled in Nigerian troops of a promised 3,250-member West African deployment.
Chuck won't let this last, unless he can be president...
It will be days before the peace troops move from the airport into the capital, but their mere presence in the country was enough to still AK-47s in the war-divided city.
Out of ammunition, are we?
``My brother, what are we fighting for?ââ declared rebel commander Gen. Acapulco as he embraced government Col. George P. Rollins on Monroviaâs New Bridge.
"I dunno. Why'd we stop?"
``Damned if I know I have no problem with you, my brother,ââ said Acapulco, shaking the officerâs hand. ``We are only against one person. That is Charles Taylor.ââ
"Hey! Them's fightin' words!"
``Oh yeah, right, him Only foreign intervention made this possible,ââ Rollins responded. ``Maybe our commanders would be ordering us to kill each other — but we are Liberians.ââ
"We shouldn't kill Liberians!"
"Yeah! Let's go kill somebody else!"
"I'll get my gun!"
As they spoke, 15-year-old rebel fighter Rosalyn Tappeh, in jeans and bikini top, shared a cigarette with 17-year-old government fighter Sah Aruna. ``She is my sister,ââ Aruna said. ``Maybe I will marry her one day.ââ Down, boy! Wonder if heâs a jihadi or something.
Hrowf! Hrowf!
At one point, three lower-ranking rebels darted across the bridge, shaking hands with their government rivals before running back. The scene at the nearby Old Bridge was like a school party — one redolent with marijuana and bristling with arms. Detroit Central High, class of 2008!
Government troops of 10- and 12-years-old, barely bigger than their assault rifles, waved, posed and strutted for rebel fighters on the other side, doing the same. As late as Monday, none would have dared approach the bridges. ``Our brothers on the other side are clearly tired of fighting. Just like our men here,ââ said Prince Hilton, a 27-year-old computer technician watching from the government side.
"Yes! It's time to get on with the looting!"
U.S. Ambassador John Blaney was among those traveling to the rebel side in a convoy with West African force officials. In a building with tarps hung across shattered windows, they appealed to rebels to open the port for humanitarian access. Rebel chief of staff Maj. Gen. Abdulla Seyeah Sheriff told reporters that would happen only when Taylor resigned and left Liberia. Later, Taylorâs military chief of staff, Gen. Benjamin Yeaten, warned that if rebels fail to withdraw from the port it could ``tempt meââ to break the cease-fire. It could tempt the Marines to break your command post wide open.
Dressed bizarrely even by the standards of Liberian combat, rebels spoke of a life after fighting. ``I want peace,ââ 17-year-old rebel Prince Kollie said, his shaved head painted in fluorescent orange and green spray paint. Pointing to a reporterâs notebook, he added: ``I want to go to school, and use a pen and paper.ââ
"I've never used a pen and paper to kill anybody..."
Talking of what it would take to get Taylor to resign, some rebels nodded at their guns. ``I donât trust Taylor will step down, because he is a criminal,ââ said rebel Lt. Gen. Philip Kamara. In Washington, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said it was unclear whether Taylor would go, saying: ``I donât know what heâll ultimately do ...Whether he will or not, time will tell. And Iâve heard of nothing that suggests that the charges against him are likely to be dropped.ââ
Ummm... My guess is that he'll go when he has no other options than that or decomposition. And he'd better take Benjamin Yeaton with him...
In South Africa, President Thabo Mbeki said Taylor had promised in a phone call not to linger after giving up power Monday. Taylor ``will leave as soon as possible after that, either the same day or the day after, to Nigeria,ââ Mbeki said. However, Nigerian presidential aide Stanley Macebuh said there were signs of reluctance. ``It appears Mr. Taylor is unwilling to take the Nigeria offerââ of exile, Macebuh told reporters. He seems to be nursing fresh ambitions to remain in power.ââ Finish the job, LURD, now please.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/06/2003 12:50:50 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Dont think the links are working in the article
#6
Er, what went wrong with the links? Just so I don't make the same mistake in the future. They seemed to work for me when I posted.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/06/2003 17:44 Comments ||
Top||
#7
Please note this headline from Fox, via lucianne.com:
Eight Marines Arrive in Liberia
That is, of course, all we'll really need.
Reminds me of the old Texas Ranger story, where a man questions the Captain of the Rangers as to why he only sent one Ranger to deal with a riot. Replied the Captain, "well, there was only one riot."
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/06/2003 17:45 Comments ||
Top||
#8
Probably worked on your machine. The link was enclosed in non-standard single quotes. I think it has to do with ASCII-ANSI differences. Double quotes seem to work consistently.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/06/2003 21:54 Comments ||
Top||
#9
Thanks. On my machine (a Mac) your link assist line at the bottom has single quotes, not double. I'll use doubles in the future, but you might want to change the line.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/06/2003 22:41 Comments ||
Top||
A source close to the Egyptian ministry of al-Awqaf ( Islamic Trusts) said yesterday that the ministry wants to decide the subject of Fridayâs prayers sermon on a weekly bases to as to avoid "destructive" speeches. The source which asked to be unanimous said that the "Ministry is studying a proposal to unify the subject of Fridayâs sermon," noting that this will be through notifying the Imams of the subject in Fridayâs sermon in 71,800 mosques affiliate to the ministry. A source close to the file considered that "this aims at avoiding extremist speeches and sermons or those provoking revolution against the regime." I donât know what any of this means either...
Posted by: Raphael ||
08/06/2003 12:44:19 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
They want to all talk from the same sales sheet at the Masjid.
Posted by: Brian ||
08/06/2003 3:16 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Y'know, there are some good job opportunities for people who actually speak English (American or that other flavor) to make a pass over these "I can shout, don't hear you!" stories on (especially) Arab websites. They are all totally fucked up as information sources.
Example above: "unanimous" should've been anonymous - a rather glaring error in a story only 3 sentences long.
You guys with the Philosophy degrees, we're still looking for something relevant for ya - don't give up hope! And, leave the whipped cream off my Latte Venti, mmm'kay?
Ten people have been killed in an attack by a local militia force on the village of Nyanda near the troubled north-eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) town of Bunia. "We found bodies of 10 people who had been executed by gunshots," an officer from the European Union force deployed there told AFP on condition of anonymity. The town of Nyanda is located some 20 kilometres north of Bunia and outside the protection zone the French-led "Artemis" force has set up in the town and around its airport.
"Nope. Nope. Couldn't do nuttin'. Sorry."
Village residents said the attack was carried out by a militia from the majority Lendu ethnic group. Inter-ethnic massacres between the minority Hema community and the majority Lendu in the DRC's troubled north-eastern Ituri region have claimed the lives of 50,000 people since 1999 and displaced half-a-million others. The violence led to the deployment of the Artemis force in the former flashpoint town of Bunia in June. Intermittent violence has continued in the town despite the 1,850-strong force mounting patrols and checkpoints around the town day and night. A meeting of community leaders attended by three government ministers was broken up on Friday local time by local militia sympathisers. The United Nations (UN) mission to the DRC, known by its French acronym MONUC, is preparing to take over from Artemis in September, replacing the EU force in Bunia with a 3,800-strong contingent of mainly Bangladeshi troops.
That should make things even better...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/06/2003 00:35 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[9 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
i saw a report on CNN that the French had stopped the massacre?
A poll has found that a majority of respondents would vote President Hugo Chavez out office, giving hope to those calling for a referendum on his rule. Not that Hugo will ever give them the chance.
The survey asked voters how they would vote in a referendum on Chavez rule, and 65 percent said they would vote for him to quit while 32 percent said he should stay in office, according to results released Tuesday by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research and Public Opinion Strategies. The door-to-door poll, which was conducted by the two U.S. firms on behalf of Radio Caracas Television, questioned 1,000 adults nationwide between July 14-20. It had a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points. As opposed to the average poll in Havana which has a margin of error of 0.0 percentage points.
The results come less than two weeks after a local poll found more than two-thirds of those surveyed would oust the embattled president. Both polls raised the hopes of opposition leaders trying to organize a recall referendum.
I'd guess that both polls make the referendum that much less likely...
Venezuelaâs Constitution allows citizens to petition for a referendum halfway into a presidentâs six-year-term. In the case of Chavez, that would be Aug. 19. Opposition groups agreed Tuesday to unite their efforts to request the referendum on Chavezâs rule and establish a mechanism to choose a single candidate for a future election. The presidentâs opponents want to hold the referendum later this year. "Hi, weâre from the Hugo for Life Commission. Would you like to sign this petition to recall our dear Presidente, in which case weâll beat you senseless and steal your hubcaps, or would you like to see our dear Presidente elected for life, in which case hereâs a hundred dollars?"
"Since you put it that way ..."
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/06/2003 12:27:29 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
Looks like CSI:Pyongyang is on the case.Theyâll get to the bottom of it.
A spokesman for the Korea Asia-Pacific Peace Committee released a statement on august 4 as regards the sudden death of Jong Mong Hon, chairman of Hyundai Asan of south Korea. Recalling that Jong Mong Hon left inerasable marks in the history of the reunification movement of the Korean nation through non-governmental cooperation in various fields including tour of Mt. Kumgang as a pioneer of the inter-Korean cooperation, the statement said that his death, in fact, can not be regarded as a suicide. It was murder committed by the sword called "special inspection" illegally engineered by the Grand National Party of south Korea displeased with the development of the inter-Korean relations, the statement noted, and continued: We bitterly denounce the GNP in the name of the whole Korean nation for such political murder. They sound pissed. How bad did this hit them in the pocketbook?
The murder of the man who started the tour of Mt. Kumgang, a symbol of the inter-Korean cooperation, put the cooperation projects between the north and the south including the tour of Mt. Kumgang at an unpredictable peril. Oh, no! Not the tour of Mt. Kumgang!
What the hell is Mt. Kumgang?
The GNP is chiefly to blame for his death as it has challenged the development of inter-Korean relations with the "special inspection" and it should, therefore, apologize to the nation for its irrevocable consequences. Again, how much are they out now that this guyâs gone?
Jong Mong Hon, who worked so hard to show Mt. Kumgang, the famous mountain of the nation, to the south Korean brothers and sisters is no longer with them to our sorrow. This compels us to suspend the tour of Mt. Kumgang for a certain period including the mourning period with profound grief over his death, we think. I canât think of a more fitting tribute. The Norks really go all out donât they? Will Kimmie send an extra big flower basket?
There may be painful sacrifices and difficulties on the road of national reconciliation and unity, cooperation and reunification. Nothing, however, can stop our dynamic advance to achieve the reunification of the country and the prosperity common to the nation by the concerted efforts of the nation under the uplifted banner of the June 15 North-South Joint Declaration. This is relevant to this story...how?
Posted by: tu3031 ||
08/06/2003 12:23:23 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
"Oh darling, I'm SO disappointed the tour was cancelled, I was so looking forward to climbing Mount Kumgang and touring the grass canneries!"
"Tut-tut, Matilda, be a good sport, nothing to do be done about it."
"But dearest, whatever are we to do?"
"Well, there's always the beaches of Monrovia."
"Oh, Henry, do you really mean it? Monrovia! How special!"
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/06/2003 0:31 Comments ||
Top||
#2
There may be painful sacrifices and difficulties on the road of national reconciliation and unity, cooperation and reunification.
Translation: Some South Koreans may have trouble adjusting at first to the idea of replacing their economy with Juche. And a few stubborn nutcases may resist submitting to the enlightened rule of our Great Leader. But we'll iron out our differences and one bright day all of Korea will be united and portraits of Kim's great visage will look out over a unified people in all corners of the peninsula.
Posted by: Tokyo Taro ||
08/06/2003 4:08 Comments ||
Top||
#3
from Asia Times 2001:Hyundai hopes for better days at Mount Kumgang
SEOUL - Hyundai Asan Co said it expects to hold talks with North Korea early next month to try and devise a way to keep float the tourism project at Mount Kumgang.
The Hyundai Group subsidiary has proposed talks with the Asia-Pacific Peace Committee, Asan's North Korean partner in the project, in a bid to bring fresh life to the project which is faltering due to lack of tourists and financial troubles. Hyundai said the North Korean committee is hammering out ways to activate the project.
At the proposed talks, the two sides are expected to touch on the opening of a cross-border overland route and Pyongyang's designating the mountain area a "special tourist zone" as first agreed upon back in June.
Hyundai Group Chairman Chung Mong-hun will reportedly attend the talks.
Kim Yoon-kyu, Hyundai Asan president, raised speculation that the two sides will reach an agreement on the details of the special tourist zone, adding approval for the construction of an overland route is unlikely. The special tourist zone designation should pave the way for drawing foreign capital to the mountain resort, Kim added. He also said the project should not be folded even though his company faces financial difficulties because it is a pan-Korean national concern.
The two sides were to meet at the scenic east coast resort on Sunday, the third anniversary of the inter-Korean project, but the North notified Hyundai it would not attend because of the failed inter-Korean ministerial talks held from November 9-14.
The Mount Kunmgang tours are widely regarded as a symbol of President Kim Dae-Jung's "Sunshine" policy toward the North.
The ministerial talks were to renew inter-Korean cooperation including the tours but broke down over disagreements concerning the South's heightened security posture. The North sees the South's security measures as directed against it, while the South insists they are needed to protect its nationals and foreign residents from terrorist attacks linked to the ongoing US-led campaign in Afghanistan.
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/06/2003 10:41 Comments ||
Top||
#4
Any agency have any oblique airphotos of Mt. Kumgang so we can examine them and see if it would be worth the trip to go there?
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
08/06/2003 14:33 Comments ||
Top||
#5
In this context, is it really appropriate to say that Jong Mong Hon left inerasable marks?
President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah on Tuesday blamed embattled Liberian leader Charles Taylor for enabling a decade-long terror campaign in Sierra Leone by rebels infamous for hacking off the limbs of civilians. "And he tried to pot me as well!"
Kabbah said Taylor, now besieged by rebels in Liberia seeking his ouster, played a key role in the deployment of Sierra Leoneâs Revolutionary United Front rebels, who waged a brutal 1991-2001 war for control of this countryâs diamond fields and government. Taylor ``is known to have sponsored and organized the initial invasion into Sierra Leone by arming and directing the invaders and his support for them remained active throughout the civil war,ââ Kabbah said. "And heâs a loonie besides!"
He spoke at the final public hearing of the newly peaceful West African nationâs truth and reconciliation commission. The truth commission heard testimony from about 450 people — victims and perpetrators — since early April, in a bid for a national catharsis after Sierra Leoneâs war, distinguished by its viciousness. Sierra Leoneâs U.N.-backed war-crimes court announced its indictment of Taylor on war crimes charges on June 4, accusing him of supporting the rebels and bearing the greatest responsibility for human rights violations during the countryâs conflict. The rebels — led by Foday Sankoh, who died last week — killed tens of thousands and used machetes to amputate hands, feet, lips and ears from thousands of others, including infants, in an attempt to subdue the people. After military intervention by foreign forces broke the rebels, Sierra Leone declared the war over in early 2002 and soon held peaceful elections. Not that the countries who helped make this happen, like the UK, ever got proper credit.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/06/2003 12:21:18 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Oh Darn. I thought he had LITERALLY ripped chuckie.
#2
Something about a man named Ahmed proclaiming human rights violations against someone named Charles just bothers me--given the track record of all the Ahmeds in the world
Posted by: Not Mike Moore ||
08/06/2003 22:37 Comments ||
Top||
President Bush has authorized a small contingent of U.S. troops to enter Liberia to provide logistical support for West African peacekeeping forces in the war-ravaged country. Bush approved the contingent of six-10 U.S. troops Tuesday morning, at his ranch. The troops could enter Liberia as early as Wednesday, and the team could grow to as large as 20 in coming days. A defense official in Washington confirmed the deployment, but said he did not know when the contingent would enter Liberia. The authorization was made on the recommendation of Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, the senior administration official said. The peacekeepers are already bringing a measure of calm to the country. African nations and the United Nations have urged the United States to participate in the force, citing its historic ties with the nation founded by freed slaves in the mid-19th century. Bush has said that Liberian President Charles Taylor must leave Liberia. One of his conditions for leaving is U.S. participation in a peacekeeping force. If 6 to 20 of our guys will help "persuade" Chuckles to bail out, fine with me. Perhaps these guys could snatch Chuck and dump him in the Atlantic escort Chuck to the UN tribunal?
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/06/2003 12:15:57 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
"Honest, he just kept falling out of the helo..."
Federal authorities expect to file terrorism charges soon against a detained Pakistani man with ties to the shipping industry and links to a senior al Qaeda leader. Uzair Paracha, 23, has been secretly detained as a material witness since his arrest March 31 in the offices of a New York clothing import firm owned by his father. Authorities believe the Paracha family business may have been used as cover for attempts to smuggle al Qaeda operatives or weapons into the United States. Paracha's father, who owns a Pakistani textile company that routinely shipped large containers of clothing and other goods into Newark, was last seen as he tried to board an airplane in Karachi a month ago. He was arrested by Pakistani police and has been held incommunicado ever since. Paracha's attorney, Anthony Ricco of New York, said he anticipates a "multi-count indictment" against his client that will include charges that he tried to help al Qaeda operatives enter the United States. Ricco said Paracha denies the allegations.
"But he's innocent, of course..."
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/06/2003 00:15 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
