A Marine received 14 months in a military brig for using a military credit card for an unauthorized six-figure shopping spree that included a car, a motorcycle and breast enhancement surgery. [Hey, Iâm all for self improvement, hehe] Staff Sgt. Sherry Pierre worked for Marine Forces Reserve Headquarters Command in New Orleans when she made $129,709 in improper purchases in 2000 and 2001, military officials said. Pierre pleaded guilty to stealing from the government in a court-martial proceeding held in New Orleans in June, Capt. Jeff Pool, a spokesman for the Reserve, confirmed Sunday.
Hereâs one for all you Canada bashers:
Three transmission lines in Ohio apparently started a chain reaction that caused the widespread blackout across parts of the Northeast, Midwest and southern Canada, according to utility officials. After all the blame Canadaâs gotten for the Blackout of 2003, I must come to the conclusion, that Ohio is in fact, a Canadian province. And after listening to some American Radio stations recently, this story may yet, one day, be filed under âHomefrontâ.
Posted by: Raphael ||
08/17/2003 7:22:52 AM ||
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#1
What was the US gonna do were it Canada'a fault?
Come over for dinner and a movie? Catch a Bluejays game?
The only thing about Canada we don't like is Chretien and he is gone in six months.
#2
It's a conspiracy. Those of us who are sick of the tendency of the media and the far left to "blame the US first" have created a coalition to "blame Canada first," and this is only the opening salvo, my friend.
MWA-HUH-HUH-HUH-HUH-HUH!
Our reasoning is that, even if it isn't Canada's fault, it should be, so it's a win-win situation for us.
Mustafa Zahir, the grandson of former Afghan monarch, Muhammad Zahir Shah would replace Afghan Foreign Minister Dr. Abdullah. According to details, a correspondent of Radio Tehran was quoted as saying that a major reshuffle is being made in the Afghan government. According to an Afghan source, the correspondent said, a serious debate is continuing on changes in provincial and centre political set up. The source said that the United States has been contemplating the sacking of provincial officials having links with Islamic parties but could not take such a step due to the people's support to such personalities.
It'd be nothing but a benefit to all parties concerned if they did.
The report says that along with the firing of the Afghan Foreign Minister, Governor Heart Muhammad Ismail Khan, Governor Nangarhar Haji Din Muhammad and Governor Kabul Mulla Taj Muhammad would be removed from their posts.
Zahir Shah's grandkid — and I'd guess eventual heir, if it were ever to come to pass — being appointed FM is significant. Ismail's gotten politely disapproving press lately, and Fahim's not been setting the world on fire. It could be — though I could be thinking wishfully — that the Northern Alliance guys have been given their chance and all they produced was more puddles of blood. The Pashtuns were given their chance, and proved unable to coexist with anyone, to include each other. Now maybe it'll be the turn of the royalists and the ex-pats. If they don't work out... I dunno. Maybe it's not a country, but an incurable disease. Or break it into its component 'stans and deal with the ones that turn out to be coherent.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/17/2003 16:01 ||
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The powerful governor of a southern Afghan province relinquished power Saturday as part of moves by President Hamid Karzai to assert more control in the far-flung provinces and rein in regional warlords. Gul Agha Sherzai handed power to Yusuf Pashtun in a quiet ceremony at the sprawling governor's residence. Sherzai will become a federal minister of urban affairs.
And so endeth that era...
"Afghanistan is a democratic country," Sherzai said at the ceremony, held in Kandahar — the spiritual headquarters of the former Taliban regime. "President Hamid Karzai has authority to change or dismiss anyone in Afghanistan." Sherzai's peaceful surrender of power contrasts to his arrival in Kandahar in December 2001. Then, Sherzai surged into Kandahar with his private army and took control of government offices despite a promise by Karzai to give the job of governor to another commander.
Gul Agha was also the instrument by which the Talibs got their start in Afghanistan — he did a remarkable job of combining ineffectuality with corruption. He seems to have learned a few lessons since reassuming his seat in Kandahar...
Karzai took the job of military commander of western Afghanistan away from another powerful warlord, Ismail Khan, who also is governor of western Herat. The human rights group Human Rights Watch has accused him of a repressive rule and attacks on intellectuals, dissidents and women. Gen. Baz Mohammed Ahmadi was appointed as the new corps commander for Herat, state television reported. Baz was previously commander Rushkhar military barracks in southern Kabul.
That's a move that probably won't make much difference. Ismail has his own army. He was talking about integrating it into the national army, but his troops will probably retain their loyalty to him personally — and most of his commanders certainly will.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/17/2003 00:00 ||
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#1
where's Hek lately? Haven't heard his name in a week or two...
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/17/2003 0:02 Comments ||
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#2
Frank-----Hek is on annual leave, but he will be back....heh heh.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
08/17/2003 13:27 Comments ||
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#3
I forgot - August they go to the French Med beaches
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/17/2003 20:14 Comments ||
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Three people were killed by a fellow tribesman in southern Yemen following a row over a plot of land, witnesses said on Monday. A tribesman on Sunday shot the three victims, killing one on the spot, in Abyan province, 470 kilometers south of Sanaa. Bloody clashes between tribes, or between security forces and armed groups, are common in Yemen, a country with a tribal structure where the number of firearms held by civilians is officially estimated at more than 60 million, an average of more than three per inhabitant. Three people were also killed and four others injured Friday in a clash between armed men from the Beni Ali tribe in Mahwit province, 100 kilometers north of Sanaa, according to tribal sources in the region.
I'd tear my hair (if I had any left) and scream "Where do they get these people?" but somebody would probably respond, "Pakistan."
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/17/2003 16:15 ||
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Signs of a new confrontation between the ruling party the "General People's Congress" and the dissident "Islah Party" (Reform Party) in Yemen are building up, based on the attempts to control the mosques, after some decisions the Ministry of Religious Endowments and Guidance took since the constitution of the new government in May, to cut down the number of preachers related to the Islah, and stop the attempt to gradually control the Friday sermons and the religious activities with factional aspect of the Islah, such as summer camps, schools to study the Koran and religious seminars.
That's a pretty run-on sentence. But it sounds like the Yemenis intend to actually crack down on the recruiting mill...
It is worth noting that a number of mosques' preachers belonging to the Islah party won the membership of the Parliament in the last elections, some, notably in Sanaa, on the behalf of high ranked leaders in the ruling party. The government is aiming to cut the wings of the Islah and restrain his political and factional power in the mosques and the charity associations, after it succeeded in dismantling the (religious) scientific institutions two years ago. The Assistant Secretary General of the People's Congress, Mohamad Hussein Al Aydruss accused the Islah Party of trying to dominate the mosques, after the closing of the scientific institutions, asking the opposition to reject to religious extremism and provocation and fanaticism some mosques, which parties are working on dominating, are calling upon. He assured in his statements transmitted by the Internet site of the Congress that the ruling party "is reaching out to all the political forces to fight this phenomenon."
In that case, expect more shoot-em-ups and more mad bombers, and expect pious condemnations by the Islah heirarchy.
Al Aydruss considered that "the attempt to disturb the security and peace of Yemen comes through the fanatic thoughts and the religious extremism which infiltrates in the minds of some members and then into the terrorist groups." He assured that "this is one reason of the emergence of violence, extremism and terrorism in Yemen for the executor of terrorist acts in the country is part of an international web."
Well, by golly! They get it!
The Islah Party expects the Ministry Of Endowments to take important decisions concerning the ouster of many preachers suspected to being members of it.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/17/2003 16:09 ||
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Dr. Khaled M. Batarfi
Some of my friends accused me of living in âanother worldâ because I have not been following the events of the Superstar show now showing on the Lebanese-Saudi-owned satellite channel Future TV. This show takes the form of a competition to choose the best amateur singer in the Arab world by tallying votes cast by phone, e-mail and mobile text messages.
Crowds went wild in Lebanon because the Lebanese candidate was voted out as a result of organized calling campaigns by public and private Syrian and Jordanian authorities.
I imagined a Martian spying on the Arab world and speculated on what he would write about us:
âAfter examining domestic and international records of economic and societal conditions in the Arab world, I found out that unemployment rates reach over 40 percent, even in countries rich in natural resources. The gap between rich and poor is getting wider, with 10 percent of the population owning 80 percent of resources. The Arab world is not only poor by international poverty standards, but it is also extremely poor in its scientific and cultural productivity.
âFor the last 500 years, it has not produced any significant scientific contribution to human civilization. Since the fall of Andalusia, the southern part of Spain, it is living on the remnants of other civilizations, depending on other nations for just about everything â from the needle to the rocket. People in the Arab world eat what they donât cultivate, dress in what they donât make and reside in what they donât build. This absolute dependence encouraged others to occupy and exploit their countries and kept them in the dark ages.
âDespite all these serious failings, one gets a different impression when one follows their media. Arabs are busy following sports and entertainment news. They spend on such activities more than they do on universities and academic institutions. People demonstrate not to demand social justice, human and political rights or revolt against state oppression and failures, but rather to chant slogans in support of the candidacy of a singer. This is happening in an Arab country, Lebanon, whose capital and southern borders are periodically subject to military strikes from a historical enemy, Israel.
âWhat is more baffling is that governments and elites share this interest to the extent that they allocate free international telephone lines, organize campaigns and encourage citizens, rich and poor, privileged and oppressed, working and unemployed, to call and vote for their national hero or heroine âto preserve the honor and good name of their countryâ.
âI might be growing old and stupid and therefore I have to retire from this job, or that the Arabs really deserve what they (sic) befallen them and their place in historyâs junk yard.â Some are starting to get it: frightening demographics, a distraction culture, technological bankruptcy... One step at a time. He got himself published, which is no mean feat - especially given his message.
Posted by: .com ||
08/17/2003 9:01:05 AM ||
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#1
Befor we start throwing stones the NFL is getting ready to open the regular season and a new spate of "reality" shows will be hitting the tube. To some degree we in the west are as quilty of this as the Arab World is. Notice I said to some degree. Sports and other entertainment as a means to take ones mind off of the stresses of daily life and allow one the pleasure of not having to think about anything beyond the "game" or "show" is fine as long as we don't let it become the center of our lives. And as an aside I wonder how many people are calling in from Iraq. Where the phones don't work, the powers always out, and theres no water.
Posted by: Someone who did NOT vote for William Proxmire ||
08/17/2003 9:18 Comments ||
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#2
The difernce is that the West has not been sleeping for something like 10 centuries.
#3
The difference is the West invented TV, distributed electric power, radio, the cathode ray tube, the antenna, the battery, the concept of the experiment...
#4
He got himself published, but I wonder if anyone in the Middle East will pay attention. If so, it will probably be to throw him in prison for criticizing the local "democratically elected" government. I wish I wasn't so pessimistic about the future of the Muslim Middle East, but I'm not sure I see much reason for optimism.
#5
Most importantly, we developed the idea of letting people live their lives as they want, even if it means making a game the center of their lives. If you don't harm anyone else, no one should be allowed to tell you to stop.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
08/17/2003 12:21 Comments ||
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#6
This is happening in an Arab country, Lebanon, whose capital and southern borders are periodically subject to military strikes from a historical enemy, Israel.
Actually, that should read: "This is happening in an Arab country, Lebanon, whose capital and southern borders are under the political and military control of a historical enemy, Syria". It's truly amazing how oblivious to reality even the so-called moderate Muslims are. I suspect some of that has to do with the fact that the Syrian occupation of Lebanon is keeping the Christians down.
Without Syria, Christians would rule Lebanon. Because of Syrian occupation, Lebanese Christians are quietly migrating to the West, where their talents are better appreciated. The dirty little secret of the Middle East is that every Arab country supports the Syrian occupation of Lebanon because it helps keep Lebanon from becoming the only Christian-ruled Arab country.
#7
The author admits a few things but only goes about 40% of the way toward admiting the problem. He leaves off the demographic disasters, he ignores the Islamist threat, he pretends that the West kept them in the dark ages. Even so, if he had written in Arabic and published in Mecca this would probably be the last published work for a long time.
#8
This guy sounds exactly like Noam Chomsky (and I've read a lot of Chomsky in my time).Personally,I'd rather see the Arab World distracted by silly pop music than mad mullahs or left-wing ideologues like Dr. Batarfi.
Posted by: El Id ||
08/17/2003 17:31 Comments ||
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Martians, huh? Good. Maybe they can figure out what's up with these lunatics. Hope they find a way to get us the answers if they do.
Two Britons held at Guantanamo Bay have admitted supporting al-Qa'ida in a plea bargain deal to secure a short sentence, their lawyers have revealed. Moazzam Begg and Feroz Abbasi, named by President George Bush last month as two of six detainees facing trial, are believed to have agreed to plead guilty under duress after prolonged interrogation and segregation at Camp Delta, Cuba. Clive Stafford Smith, their British-born lawyer in the United States, told The Independent on Sunday the six men were selected to face a military tribunal only because they would admit to supporting terrorism and Osama bin Laden. The Pentagon wanted its first trials to be quick and successful, he said. "They have to agree to plead in order to get this far," Mr Stafford Smith added. "The US wants to have a few guilty pleas, so they're not going to designate people for trial until they've agreed to plead guilty â so you can take it as read that Begg and Abbasi have pleaded guilty."
Kinda hard to plead otherwise when they were nabbed in Afghanistan with their turbans on and their guns in their hands...
Louise Christian, the London-based solicitor acting for Mr Abbasi, who is from Croydon, south London, and was captured in Afghanistan in January 2002, confirmed she had been told her client had agreed a deal. "That's what I'm hearing as well," she said. Reports in the US suggested both men were being "rewarded" with a quick trial because they had revealed more details about al-Qa'ida and the Taliban, after months of refusing to co-operate.
Nobody gives a crap about their worthless carcasses, except for their Moms. The information's the important thing.
Their parents have reacted with dismay to these disclosures, which follow reports in Australia that David Hicks, an Australian convert to Islam among those "designated" by Mr Bush for trial last month, had also agreed a plea bargain.
Silling your guts is so much less final than counting muzzle blasts...
Azmat Begg, whose son Moazzam was arrested by the CIA in Islamabad, Pakistan, in February 2002, said he believed his son had been repeatedly tortured to secure a confession. Suggestions that his son really was a terrorist, he said, were "absolute rubbish" and based on interrogations without any lawyer present. He added: "We've written dozens of times and received no reply. If he's alive and able to, why hasn't he replied?"
Can't find a pencil? How's Pop know it's "absolute rubbish" if he hasn't communicated with Junior? Mental telepathy?
Ms Christian said that Zumrati Juma, Mr Abbasi's mother, was "distressed" by the development. After reports that he has suffered a nervous breakdown and attempted suicide, Ms Juma is now anxiously waiting to see a US psychiatric report on her son given to the Foreign Office three weeks ago. Ms Christian said ministers would not release it until "embarrassing" details about his capture and interrogation were deleted from it.
Pees himself, does he? Sometimes that happens...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/17/2003 00:00 ||
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#1
This article is from the Brit Independant, the Pravda of the UK. I realize I just insulted Pravda, but what can I do? There is nothing worse than a newspaper which supports barbarism and communism as core values.
And think of our domestic liberals: This must be tearing them apart. Military lawyers striking deal with terrorism and not killing its supporters? What will liberals have to jerk off about in 2004?
As for torture, I bet we do find evidence of it. Female interrogators, and guards. Just their presence is enough to be considered torture for these folks. How awful it must be for them to see the horrors of war with the US (any female not in a burlap bag). Maybe they will think twice before they go to war with the US next time.
I got five bucks that sez the BBC will regurgitate this story in their 'World Service' leftist propaganda and will report the charges of torture. Anyone wants some of that?
#2
There is nothing worse than a newspaper which supports barbarism and communism as core values.
Ah, so they're like the New York Times, then.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
08/17/2003 12:23 Comments ||
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Ah, so they're like the New York Times, then.
The New York Times has to dress up its editorializing because it has to cater to its middle-of-the-road readers. The Independent is just a Party newspaper.
Former Solomon Islands rebel commander, Andrew Hese, says warlord Harold Keke's followers have buried six Anglican missionaries and 10 other men in two separate graves. Mr Hese says the missionaries were killed because they were spying for the Government.
Y'know, I think I've come to the conclusion Harold's a spy, too. Andrew, bump him off!
He said 10 men from the island of Malaita, who travelled to Keke's stronghold last year on a secret mission to arrest the warlord, had also been killed and buried in a mass grave. The Solomon Islands Government has denied sending men to arrest Keke or that the missionaries were spies. Acting police commissioner Ben McDevitt says the Australian-led intervention force will investigate the claims once it has rounded up illegal firearms and restored peace to the islands.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/17/2003 00:00 ||
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The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal has asked President Gen Pervez Musharraf to run the government according to the Constitution or be ready to face a resistance movement. The demand was contained in a declaration issued by MMA's deputy secretary-general Liaquat Baloch here on Saturday.
Gonna do the Armed Struggle⢠thing, are they? Guess we saw that coming â though I'm surprised they're not going to keep it covert, like it has been...
Terming the prevailing political situation dangerous, the MMA leader said the government had failed to settle the constitutional crisis through dialogue. He held the government responsible for the deadlock in the government-opposition talks, saying that such an stalemate in the political process was a dangerous development. Mr Baloch asked the government to table the proposed constitutional amendment in parliament for its approval. According to him, depriving parliament of its powers and turning it into a rubber-stamp was like playing with the independence and security of the country.
Pretty standard Islamist tactics, isn't it? Pick a fight, blame the other side, then start the festivities to gain your "legitimate rights."
He said the MMA would give one more chance to the government to resolve the issue through talks. The Rawalpindi declaration asked Gen Musharraf not to approve international treaties without the approval of parliament. It was the government's responsibility to create an environment conducive for a peaceful session of parliament, the declaration added. The MMA leader opposed the proposed plan to send troops to Iraq and recognition of Israel and demanded an immediate end to the FBI activities in the country. Liaquat Baloch also opposed any move on the part of the government to hand over the deep-sea port in Balochistan to any foreign country or turning it into a money-making enterprise for the army personnel. The rights of the people of Balochistan should not be ignored, he demanded. The declaration also spoke about the exploitation of the poor, human rights violations and the prevailing social problems in the country. "The life of the poor has been deteriorating day by day. There is a rising unemployment, regular price hikes, poor law and order situation and other such issues which have increased the problems of the common man manifold," the MMA leader said.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/17/2003 16:39 ||
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EFL Itâs a shame, and they need to investigate what happened, but if I was driving a tank in the land of the RPG and saw someone step out into the open with this on his shoulder, I think Iâd be inclined to ask questions later, too.
U.S. troops shot dead an award-winning Reuters cameraman while he was filming on Sunday near a U.S.-run prison on the outskirts of Baghdad.
Eyewitnesses said soldiers on an American tank shot at Mazen Dana, 43, as he filmed outside Abu Ghraib prison in western Baghdad which had earlier come under a mortar attack.
Danaâs last pictures show a U.S. tank driving toward him outside the prison walls. Several shots ring out from the tank, and Danaâs camera falls to the ground.
The U.S. military acknowledged on Sunday that its troops had "engaged" a Reuters cameraman, saying they had thought his camera was a rocket propelled grenade launcher.
"Army soldiers engaged an individual they thought was aiming an RPG at them. It turned out to be a Reuters cameraman," Navy Captain Frank Thorp, a spokesman for the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told Reuters in Washington.
Journalists had gone to the prison after the U.S. military said a mortar bomb attack there a day before had killed six Iraqis and wounded 59 others.
Recounting the moments before the shooting, Reuters soundman Nael al-Shyoukhi, who was working with Dana, said he had asked a U.S. soldier near the prison if they could speak to an officer and was told they could not.
"They saw us and they knew about our identities and our mission," Shyoukhi said. The incident happened in the afternoon in daylight.
The soldier agreed to their request to film an overview of the prison from a bridge nearby.
"After we filmed we went into the car and prepared to go when a convoy led by a tank arrived and Mazen stepped out of the car to film. I followed him and Mazen walked three to four meters (yards). We were noted and seen clearly," Shyoukhi said. So it appears that the tank was a late arrival to the scene, and didnât know about the earlier agreement.
"A soldier on the tank shot at us. I lay on the ground. I heard Mazen and I saw him scream and touching his chest.
"I cried at the soldier, telling him you killed a journalist. They shouted at me and asked me to step back and I said âI will step back, but please help, please help and stop the bleedâ.
"They tried to help him but Mazen bled heavily. Mazen took a last breath and died before my eyes." Following the investigation, both the newsies and army ought to ban these full-size cameras in favor of a Handi-Cam or equivalent.
#2
I lost all respect for cameramen and journos after I saw how they did their work in the Balkan conflicts. A cameraman creeping up to a wounded civilian screaming in pain, took a picture of the person's face in agony, and crept back to take cover from the same gunman who shot the civilian. Vultures. But I bet he won several awards for that shot, and his bravery. No sympathy here, sorry.
#4
A shame the guy is dead, but I agree that these vulture "journalists" are all but asking for it. Anyone with an ounce of sense runs away from the sound of gunfire, not toward it. Hopefully this will be a wake-up call to others who should know better.
#5
It's bitterly amusing how in a site dependant so much on reporting during wartime, wartime reporters get so little respect as to be called "vultures".
"Anyone with an ounce of sense runs away from the sound of gunfire, not toward it."
Unless you are a policeman, or a soldier, or a wartime reporter. In which case it's your job to run towards the sound of gunfire.
#7
I watched a show before the war about a class the military had for journalist. They spent special time showing journalist how hard it was to distinguish between a RPG and a Camera. In fact they would set up the Journalist and have people move around with Camera's and RPG's and had the journalist attempt to guess quickly which was which. All the journalist came away from the drill understanding the trouble. People need to use some common sense and understand the situation. How many soldiers have died in the last month from RPG attacks? In fact one of the methods is to jump from a car and fire off a quick shot. Please!
Posted by: Patrick ||
08/17/2003 23:21 Comments ||
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#8
It's bitterly amusing how in a site dependant so much on reporting during wartime, wartime reporters get so little respect as to be called "vultures".
We really don't use much material from Reuters, and the stuff we use isn't generally provided by the likes of Palestinian reporters (or Greek ones, for that matter).
#9
It's bitterly amusing how in a site dependant so much on reporting during wartime, wartime reporters get so little respect as to be called "vultures".
Unfortunately for us, there are many more vultures where he came from. Although I'm a Reuters shareholder, I am happy to see its reporters get wasted. Maybe this will convince Reuters to ditch a money-losing division that is simultaneously working against American interests.
#10
Stupid is as stupid does.Come on,Aris.The dumb-ass pointed an object that could have easliy been a RPG at a tank.If I'm a soldier with about 2 secounds to make a decision,guess who is going to die?
Public relations/media is an essential element of modern Western warfare.
Without the effective managing of public opinion, western governments would be strangulated by protest movements at home.
Part of managing public opinion is informing the public. managing public opinion in a literate, intelligent community does NOT mean keeping the public in the dark and feeding them propaganda.
It means getting the media out into the field to report on the facts of the situation (though not so as to endanger lives in the field or strategy) so the public can remain informed and keep up the level of common sense.
So what some or even most reporters are biased? That is part of the cost of a free media.
They know there are dangers in going to the war zone, yet they still go: some freelance and without the aid of networks/training.
You may call them fools. I call them brave. Without them, many stories would go untold. And for some, the stories of loved ones is all they have left.
Moreover, many go with no guarantee they will even make a living wage out of it. If a freelancer goes and gets no story, they don't get paid. If a freelancer goes and gets injured/killed, they don't have network insurance to cover them.
There is an interesting book out right now by Irris Murrok (?Spelling) called Our Woman In Afghanistan. She toured freelance, by herself, around afghan after/during the war, like a crazy person and got some interesting pics and a story to tell. I respect people who get out there and do these things.
#12
Raptor> "If I'm a soldier with about 2 secounds to make a decision,guess who is going to die? "
And what does *that* have to do with the reporter's morality and lack thereof? "Vulture" you bastards called the dead man about whose life you know nothing about. His main crime was making a nameless US soldier look momentarily bad by being *killed* by one. CONGRATS, you assholes! Everyone sees where your priorities lie. Why don't you take it one step further and say that they *should* be shot on sight, not by accident but on purpose.
A person doing his job in dangerous conditions. Even Raphael describing how reporters sometimes crawl *out* of cover so that they take the dangerous shots.
At the same time these reporters are accused for cowardice for crawling *back* to cover, (e.g. Raphael's comments) and accused for stupidity for not running away from trouble in the first place (e.g. Scooter's comments). No contradiction here, no siree.
Well, I'm glad your Christian charity, Zhang Fei, and rest of you people, allows you to be happy for the death of innocents. My agnostic liberal charity doesn't let me be.
#13
Well, I'm glad your Christian charity, Zhang Fei, and rest of you people, allows you to be happy for the death of innocents.
Reuters reporters aren't innocents. 'Nuff said.
My agnostic liberal charity doesn't let me be.
That's right - in liberal eyes, dead American civilians or soldiers killed in peacetime are fine whereas dead foreigners are a problem, but only if they are anti-American.
#14
zhang, that is unusually harsh for you! would you prefer no wartime journalists? Public relations/media is an essential element of modern Western warfare. Without the effective managing of public opinion, western governments would be strangulated by protest movements at home.
Reuters is a propaganda news organization for the enemy. Goebbels's Propaganda Ministry was certainly a legitimate military target during WWII. Reuters has gotten off easy because of our squeamish sensibilities. The enemy certainly has no problem targeting that minuscule number of Reuters reporters who are pro-American. The fact is that the only reporters who are able to travel at will in Iraq are those who write anti-American propaganda.
The only reason we have to get involved in an information war is because of "news" wire agencies like Reuters, which provide their slanted views of the war to newspapers worldwide. Without anti-American reporters present, there would be no protest movement. When was the last time you saw a mass protest in the West against Chinese treatment of various religious groups in China? Were any mass protests conducted here ever directed against Saddam's atrocities? The fact is that what the news agencies don't lie about can't be protested.
Violence continued across the country as a mortar attack killed six Iraqis at their prison Sunday and new sabotage cut off water for the entire capital. U.S. soldiers killed a Reuters cameraman filming at the scene of the prison attack, the news service said. It was in the latest in a series of controversial shootings by U.S. troops. In the north, a second blaze ravaged a major oil pipeline two days after it was bombed by saboteurs. Loss of the pipeline, which carried exports to Turkey, was costing Iraq $7 million a day, officials said.
The bombing of a water main in a crowded area of northern Baghdad caused an eruption of water that flooded nearby streets. The BBC network estimated that hundreds of thousands of residents lost water service for about 12 hours in this city already short on electricity. The new attacks highlighted the persistent threat from insurgents and the vulnerability of the efforts to foster a sense of stability in post-war Iraq.
The most deadly and puzzling attack came about 11 p.m. Saturday night, when two mortar rounds landed in the prisoners' quarters of the U.S.-guarded Abu Ghraib prison complex. Three prisoners died immediately and three others died in hospitals. About 59 were injured, including nine seriously. U.S. officials allowed reporters to visit a military hospital an hour's drive outside Baghdad. "We went outside at the sound of the first mortar and were standing there when the second fell near us," said prisoner Musab Al-Khafarji, 28, who said he was arrested almost a month ago when U.S. raided his home in the northern city of Mosul looking for weapons. He said prisoners ran toward a perimeter fence seeking to escape the center of the prisoners' area where the mortars were falling. He collapsed from his abdominal and chest wounds. "All the prisoners were yelling, 'God is Great,' " he said of the chaos in the prison yard.
Sometimes I think a better translation of "Allahu Akbar" would be "Holy Shit!"
After American officials announced the prison attack, Reuters cameraman Mazen Dana was shot as he was filming near the prison. According to Reuters, witnesses said he was shot by U.S. troops on a tank nearby. U.S. troops tried unsuccessfully to resuscitate the cameraman. A Pentagon spokesman told Reuters that U.S. troops "engaged an individual" near the prison who was later identified as a reporter.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/17/2003 20:08 ||
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Arab's definition of The Perfect Target: It doesn't shoot back.
A former US diplomat who resigned over the Iraq war described US President George W. Bush as a "very weak" man led by the hand into battle by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Saith the very, very weak former diplomat
Brady Kiesling, who was guidancemarriage political counsellor at the US embassy in Athens at the time of his resignation in February, said in an open letter published by Greek daily To Vima that Rumsfeld exploited the war to increase his own power. And thatâs why Rumsfield is emperor of the world today...
Kiesling — whose warning that US aims in Iraq were "incompatible with American values" struck a chord with the predominantly anti-war Greeks — described Bush as "a politician who badly wants to appear strong but in reality is very weak." He said Rumsfeld led Bush by the hand into war, marginalized the secret services who had doubts about the war, and emerged as the top politician in Washington. "Easy to convince, (Bush) blindly believed in Rumsfeldâs assurances that the occupation of Iraq would pay for itself," Kiesling said. "The longer we remain in Iraq, the more the resistance to the American presence is going to be a source of legitimacy for the extremists," he said. He called for an expanded role for the United Nations and the European Union in the reconstruction of Iraq. He also called for the name of Iraq to be changed to "Kieslingland"...
Kiesling said he regretted that US intelligence services had not spoken out about untruths concerning Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, which he added had humiliated the United States and damaged its closest ally, Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain. Didnât you just have to know that a guy named "Brady Kiesling" would have be a State Department drone, and not a Marine colonel? Talk about type-casting... it sounds like one of the yuppie creeps who hung out with Penelope in "Trading Places"..
#1
Here we go, low-ranking "former diplomat" who obviously hopes the mission will fail. And, who also obviously feels that it was better that 10,000 Iraqis were murdered every year, that's 200 a week, than to do anything about it. Quite the humanitarian. Quite the patriot.
Posted by: R. McLeod ||
08/17/2003 19:01 Comments ||
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Our biggest problem is a State Department run by and for spineless poltroons like Kiesling.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
08/17/2003 19:09 Comments ||
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Hey Brady, I thought Cheney was Bush's puppet master. Quilsling Kiesling is looking pretty foolish for leaving his post. He also looks pretty foolish pretending to know the insider situation at the top levels in Washington. He is was a Political Counsellor in Athens fer cryin' out loud.
Newspaper readers in Athens must be pretty eager to gobble up this nonsense about Bush, Rumsfeld and Iraq but even they must be asking themselves a question or two about this guy. Aris?
Posted by: Tokyo Taro ||
08/17/2003 19:15 Comments ||
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Our biggest problem is a State Department run by and for spineless poltroons like Kiesling.
If only they were just spineless - actually, they've gone over to the enemy.
A Danish soldier and two Iraqis were killed in southern Iraq in a gun battle between troops and a group of looters stealing power cables. Major Ian Poole said a routine Danish patrol west of Basra on Saturday evening had tried to arrest eight people he said had been looting copper cables. Shots were fired and in the ensuing gun battle one soldier and two of the Iraqis were killed. The six other Iraqis were detained. Big mistake for them. You really donât want to be interrogated by a Dane, from what Iâve read.
A Danish spokesman, quoting Danes from the patrol who had been questioned by a Danish investigator, said Lance Corporal Preben Pedersen, 34, might have been killed accidentally by one of his comrades. "Soldiers involved in the shooting said that it could have been an accidental shot," Kim Gruenberger, press officer at Denmarkâs Army Operational Command, told Reuters. The Danish death was the first fatality of a coalition soldier from a country other than the United States or Britain since the start of the U.S.-led war that toppled Saddam Hussein. Denmark supported the U.S.-led war — a decision that split both politicians and the people — and provided a submarine and a ship and now has 420 Danish troops stationed in southern Iraq, part of a multinational force in the area. The Danish forces include a light infantry unit, medical staff and a mine clearance unit. British soldiers are responsible for policing Basra and surrounding towns. Defense Minister Svend Aage Jensby told Danish television Pedersenâs death would not prompt Denmark to bring its troops home, recalling no troops were brought home after three Danish soldiers died in Afghanistan in March last year. Urging the United Nations to take a more central role in Iraq from now on, he said he expected the need for military presence in Iraq to remain. "For a long time ahead there will be the need for considerable military engagement in the country," he said. And a big, heartfelt thank you to the Danes for helping us in both Iraq and Afghanistan. True friends.
Rampant looting of copper cables in southern Iraq is one of the causes of a power crisis in the region that sparked violent protests in Basra last weekend. Someone needs to explain to these fools that theyâre only hurting themselves by looting power cables. If that doesnât work a shoot-on-sight order might be needed.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/17/2003 6:03:43 PM ||
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need to get some power in those cables...kinda slows the theft rate.
Posted by: john ||
08/17/2003 22:40 Comments ||
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By Hrvoje Hranjski, Associated Press, 8/17/2003 11:24
TIKRIT, Iraq (AP) U.S. troops shut down a major bomb factory near Saddam Husseinâs hometown of Tikrit on Sunday and arrested two people in connection with bombing activities here, a U.S. Army commander said. Only 2 - sounds like only the guys guarding the stash.
In a raid on a village north of Tikrit, troops from the 4th Infantry Division seized C-4 plastic explosives, plastic caps, detonation switches and fragmentation shrapnel used in bombs, said Lt. Col. Steve Russell, commander of the 4th Infantryâs 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment. Ah, LtC Steve, again - his folks are sure bizzy in the Triangle!
"We definitely shut down a major operational and bombing site,ââ Russell told The Associated Press. ââThere are still individuals we are looking for." Iâll bet...
Also seized in Sundayâs raid was a 60mm mortar, seven rounds of ammunition, three grenades and four AK-47 rifles, he said. No shots were fired, there was no resistance from those detained and there were no U.S. casualties, he said.
"Soldiers are still at the scene searching the area," he said. Fast, clean, and a good haul. Intel must be getting better.
Saddam loyalists and remnants of the former regime have been using homemade bombs, often detonated remotely, against U.S. patrols and convoys. On Aug. 5, three 4th Infantry soldiers were killed in one such attack. Troops have been discovering improvised explosive devices almost every day, increasingly with the help of the local population, military officials said. Local help is what has been missing. If the Iraqis start taking an active hand in their own peace and security, things will change fast.
Russell said the troops in Sundayâs raid acted on a tip from residents, calling the cooperation "a very good sign." Absolutely.
He said the weapons and ammunition were hidden in trash pits on a field next to a residential complex, and the explosive was seized in houses. Detainee body cavity searches to follow...
The exact location of the raid and identities of those detained were not immediately identified. Excellent news. LtC Steve and his crew are doing a great job - and toughing it out for the Iraqiâs sake, not their own. The localsâ changing attitude is most welcome news.
Gunmen shot and killed a doctor and a shopkeeper in separate attacks Saturday on minority Shiite Muslims in the southern city of Karachi, and the deaths sparked rowdy protests by hundreds of youths, police said. Assailants on a motorcycle killed the physician, Ibn-e-Hasan, 45, as he and his wife were driving to his clinic in Karachi's Malir neighborhood, police official Ghulam Hamid said. His wife was unhurt. No one claimed responsibility for the killing and the assailants escaped, Hamid said. The motive behind Hasan's killing was not immediately clear.
I think the Lashkar e-Jhangvi thugs bump of Shiite doctors for fun...
Hours later in the same neighborhood, two men on a motorcycle gunned down another Shiite, Syed Wajhi Haider, police official Wajahat Hussain said. Haider was sitting in his small general store at the time, he said. The majority of Pakistanis are Sunni Muslims, and most of them live in peace with Shiites. But militant extremist groups from both sects have emerged in recent years and routinely carry out attacks. Most of the victims have been Shiite.
That's because Islam is a tolerant religion, as long as you have enough troop strength to protect yourself...
After the doctor's death, hundreds of Shiites, mostly youths, took to the streets in the poor Malir neighborhood, chanting anti-government slogans and demanding that the killers be arrested. Some of the demonstrators blocked a highway and a railway track, disrupting traffic. They also damaged several cars by pelting them with stones, and they burned old tires. Police said they were trying to restore order by negotiating with Shiite leaders. "We do not want to use force because they are already in pain," a police official, Altaf Leghari, told The Associated Press.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/17/2003 00:00 ||
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I was watching the BBC on this and apparently the shias were attacking the local KFC restaurant and chanting anti-American slogans.Even the BBC reporter was perplexed by their behaviour.I guess it makes (Islamic) sense to them,but it sure as hell won't keep them alive.
Posted by: El Id ||
08/17/2003 17:36 Comments ||
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Prime Minister John Howard says Australian security agencies are getting full cooperation from the United States over alleged terrorist mastermind Hambali. United States President George W Bush has pledged to share information from the US-led interrogation with Indonesia. Mr Howard has described Hambali as the main link between Al Qaeda and JI and credited his capture to the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). In telephone conversations with Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri, Mr Bush exulted over what he called a victory in the war on terrorism, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said. Washington has announced Hambali, the suspected mastermind of the Bali bombings, is in US custody at a secret location. Hambali, a known ally of Osama bin Laden, is wanted in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines - nations which all greeted news of his arrest with relief and elation. Indonesian officials said they wanted US officials to grant them access to question Hambali over his role in blasts in seven Indonesian cities, in an effort to prevent further terrorist attacks.
"Certainly! Certainly! Did you bring your own giggle juice, or would you like to use some of ours?"
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/17/2003 00:00 ||
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Way to go CIA! I was waiting to hear who had done the legwork. I know the Thais cooperated 100% - they are starting to feel the pain in their Southern province - bordering Malaysia.
I've seen the APEC banners and trade-show stuff even up here in Chiang Mai - they have a city park area set up with booths and such and they had a little soiree` for the APEC Reps here a few days ago and set off about 10 minutes of fireworks - a pretty good show! I'll bet the gig in Bangkok will be big - and the security amazing, at least in numbers.
Anyone else think there will still be a serious attempt to knock off Bush, despite Hambali being taken out? I certainly do. He's such a "fat" target to the jihadis, and not outside of the US and in their back yard very often. In fact, a last-minute jury-rigged attempt might be more dangerous as it negates some of our best advantages, such as time-consuming analysis and data gathering - old fashioned legwork and number crunching. Maybe not very relevant or effective against a makeshift attack. I think it's something to worry about.
#2
yep, the USA are really going great guns at the moment!
International co-operation is what it's all about! Pardon me, Indonesia for my comment further down. Malaysia can suck on my hairy balls (though I have none) because everyone else in Asia is co-operating!!!
Yep, .com, I reckon they will try a backup plan for Bush in Thailand. The infrastructure has taken a serious hit but some of the pawns might take it upon themselves to bignote and try to complete the mission. It only takes one to give it a serious try.
Of course, they won't get him (i surely hope) but this RPG thing gives me the willies. They may try to fire things at airlines if htey can get any in up from the south or through burma or something
#3
I have nothing to back this up with, but Bush at this APEC thing feels like we are trolling for fire. I hope that we have all bases covered for this one.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
08/17/2003 13:56 Comments ||
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There are 2.6 million Muslims in Thailand, mostly next to the border with Malaysia. There is unfortunately, plenty of room for Muslims bent on disruption to hide. Note also that Thai Muslims are more or less ethnically indistinguishable from Thais, meaning that local Muslim terrorists will be difficult to spot. The Thai government is finally cracking down, only because even a failed assassination attempt on Bush will be a real black eye. A successful attempt will really piss off the US public (not to mention the government) at Thailand. Foreign investment will sink below even the currently dismal levels triggered by the Thai leader's autarkic economic policies.
#5
The extent of our information sharing with Malaysia:
"We've determined that Hambali is a member of homo sapiens, if only by birth, and have yet to determin its gender. We suspect it's a neuter of some sort, because no one has been able to detect any genitalia."
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
08/17/2003 22:17 Comments ||
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--I have nothing to back this up with, but Bush at this APEC thing feels like we are trolling for fire. I hope that we have all bases covered for this one.--
As you know AP, The Constitution already covers it.
Think that would be the kick in the stomach America needs to get serious about this?
Hmmm, Condi said she doesn't want to run for office, but what if she were appointed VP?
Hambali, alleged mastermind of al-Qaida's campaign of bombings in Southeast Asia, was plotting new terror attacks when he was captured this week, possibly against a Bangkok summit President Bush is due to attend, Thailand's prime minister said Saturday. Hambali planned to make Thailand a base for terror operations, but his arrest — and those of three of his associates since June — has uprooted his Jemaah Islamiyah terror network from the country, the Thai leader said.
It's possible, assuming they hadn't taken root yet. And Thailand doesn't have a large Muslim minority, certainly not above the far south...
Thailand's porous jungle and river frontiers and lax security at border posts make it a tempting place for Jemaah militants to hide. But its cells have been more prominent in other nations of the region — Malaysia and Indonesia.
Because most Thais are Buddhists, the turbans tend to stand out. They also have a penchant for doing un-Islamic things like laughing, dancing, pinching pretty girls, and generally having fun.
But a top U.S. official said it would be a "foolish assumption" to believe the threat of terrorist attack at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in October ended with Hambali's arrest. "We have a top planner, we do not have all the members of al-Qaida in our possession, or Jemaah Islamiyah in this case," U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage said during an interview broadcast Sunday on Australian television. "I think a better assumption is that these fellows are out to do us ill and we ought to take every precaution against this." APEC, set for Oct. 20-21 in the Thai capital, is expected to attract at least 20 world leaders, including Bush.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/17/2003 00:00 ||
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And Thailand doesn't have a large Muslim minority, certainly not above the far south...
2.6 million Thai Muslims is large enough. More importantly, they look exactly like the locals, so they blend. Given Thailand's reputation as the Wild East, I think the security people for the summit have their work cut out for them.
Indonesia officials say Muslim militant leader Hambali, Asia's most wanted fugitive who was captured in Thailand this week, should be tried in Indonesia. ''Based on our anti-terrorism Law, we have jurisdiction over the cases allegedly committed by Hambali,'' Justice and Human Rights Minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra said.
Ummm... The Thais caught him. They'd likely have first crack. After that, you'd prob'ly have to draw straws. But since they gave him to us, you'll just have to wait awhile. Like until the WOT's over...
Hambali, also known as Riduan Isamuddin, and his wife were arrested on Monday by Thai police in central Thailand's Ayutthaya Province.
Oh, did they nab the little woman, too? I thought he was with a hooker...
Thai military sources said that Hambali had been extradited to Indonesia, but Mr Yusril said the Thai Government has not officially informed Indonesia about the arrest of Hambali. Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said the Government will seek international cooperation over Hambali's case. ''As we are searching for the best solution over the differences of opinion on jurisdiction, this momentum cannot be lost,'' Mr Yudhoyono said.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/17/2003 00:00 ||
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#1
i hope the thais are not made to suffer for their efforts by the turbans. They truly are a lovely people who know how to have fun.
#2
oh yea, i forgot to mention: jakarta can suck on my hairy balls! yeah we are co-operating with the WOT but you just can't forget that the Kopassus are essentially a bunch of thugs.
#4
Indonesia seems 99% interested in what has happened in Indonesia - and only 1% in the global WoT. Hambali may, indeed, get his trial in Indo, but first he gets wrung dry by the real partner countries in the WoT - and that doesn't include Malaysia, IMHO.
Gitmo (Ooooohhh! Gitmo!â¢) should be his home until the partners agree he's given it all up. It is beyond normal reach and manned to the hilt with pros - ought to do the job with any of these loonies and withstand their friend's efforts to get them out.
Back to Indo and who prosecutes him, they do give the death penalty to killers, but Amrozi's a small fish. The real JI leader, Bashir, is only looking at 15 yrs - will prolly only serve 5 or less - you know he has no shame and will play the health card again. I don't trust them to be tough on the big fish. Also, I have little doubt that there would be attempts to bribe people and arrange an escape - or a breakout, if they had Hambali. Won't happen in Gitmo (Ooooohhh! Gitmo!â¢) but not unlikely in Jakarta.
He's a ping-pong ball full of intel, not vaccuum, the next bounce will have to wait until he's drained. If he's unlucky, he'll survive it.
Indonesia officials say Muslim militant leader Hambali ... should be tried in Indonesia.
Why? So they can make excuses and let him go, or help him escape?
After the barking moonbat statement made by their Prime Minister, I wouldn't trust Indonesia to try Ham-Ball's little toe.
He's ours now. :p
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
08/17/2003 10:37 Comments ||
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After he's been wrung dry in Gitmo (Ooooohhh! Gitmo!) he should be given to the Aussies if they want him -- he can stand trial for multiple counts of murder in Sydney.
(Ooooohhh! Gitmo!â¢) is a registered trademark of .com.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/17/2003 14:26 Comments ||
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Barbara; I think you are thinking of the Prime Minister of Malaysia
Posted by: Paul Moloney ||
08/17/2003 21:36 Comments ||
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oh no Steve, i appreciate the sentiment, but DON"T give him to us!!!
If he was tried for multiple murder in sydney, he'd just get a 20 year sentence in a lovely jail with three meals a day, a TV and access to university courses and the media. He could write a book or two.
Our jails are like hotels, our judiciary a bunch of left-wing activists and our public full of sympathising equivocating loons (oh no the death penalty is too harsh for Amrozi, howard should protest it! - literally in the letters page, SMH): don't give him to us!!!
The United States has seized assets and closed Washington offices of the Iranian opposition group, the People's Mojahedin, and its political wing, the National Council of Resistance of Iran. Late Friday, US Treasury agents closed the group's offices at Washington's National Press Club building and notified vendors in the United States and abroad that the People's Mojahedin was considered a foreign terrorist organization by the US government. The decision to target the group came after US Secretary of State Colin L. Powell determined that the People's Mojahedin is the same as the Mojahedin-i-Khalq, which has been listed as a foreign terrorist organization since 1997. The People's Mojahedin is an English translation of its Persian acronym Mojahedin-i-Khalq, Mr Powell declared.
It took a senior official of the gummint to figure that? Somebody tell him to read Rantburg...
The US representatives of the group have accused the Bush administration of giving in to demands of the Iranian government. In negotiations in May between US and Iranian officials, the Iranian side proposed a swap of the Mojahedin-i-Khalq fighters for the transfer of Al Qaeda operatives in Tehran's custody. The Treasury Department also took steps to freeze the organization's bank accounts while Justice Department officials delivered a cease-and-desist order to individuals associated with the group. Treasury Department spokesman Taylor Griffin told reporters that nearly $100,000 in financial assets belonging to the People's Mojahedin was found in the United States and was frozen.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/17/2003 16:45 ||
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Libyan Foreign Minister Abdel Raman Shalgham accused France on Friday of blackmail after Paris threatened to block an agreement on lifting UN sanctions unless more money was paid to the families of victims of the bombing of a French airliner in 1989. "France is using pressure and blackmail and we do not accept this," said Shalgham, adding that his government had made its position clear to French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin.
Oh, Gawd! Does anybody have a tissue?
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/17/2003 16:21 ||
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I can understand what appears to be Grand Plan of France in creating a new superpower.It would be led by France,powered by German industry,fueled by North Sea oil,manned by cheap immigrant labor,financed by as wide a taxpayer base as possible(hence rapid expansion of EU),and given muscle by Russian military.
But,I have to call into question either competency of France's American analysts or judgement of French leadership.Why on earth did France continue to actively oppose US once Bush sent half of American military to Gulf?France had to know Bush woudn't let forces sit there forever;either Saddam left or it was war.So why did France keep vetoing at UN?She could have abstained while making fierce anti-US rants in press.Did France expect Bush to commit political suicide and back down?Did France seriously think a veto at UN would cause US to abandon any military-use policy if US thought its national security interests were at risk?What was France thinking-or was she?
Posted by: Stephen ||
08/17/2003 17:25 Comments ||
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What was France thinking
Like this story shows, it's aaall business to them. In Iraq they stood to lose as they inevitably would have to share or give way to the US & friends. Hence their opposition to the war. Don't be tricked into thinking it was for some moral, "we're against wars (even though throughout the 19th century all we did was start them)" reason.
#3
Stephen: there are times I wonder if it was all a set-up, that France did it all at our request so that Saddam remained off balance to the last minute.
Mind you there are very few times I wonder that.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/18/2003 0:00 Comments ||
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The 14 European tourists taken hostage in Algeria six months ago have been released, according to officials in Mali. The freed hostages were brought to the Malian capital Bamako for medical examinations. The Malian government reportedly paid a ranson to the captors. German reimburse check economic aid in the mail.
The tourists, comprising nine Germans, four Swiss and a Dutch person were freed shortly after German Deputy Foreign Minister Juergen Chrobog flew back to Mali to help negotiate their release. A total of 32 tourists were kidnapped between February and March in the Algerian Sahara. One of the tourists died in July. Seventeen others were released last May. I think a lot of people will ask themselves what tourists did in that region anyway. Actually if you are a desert fan Southern Algeria has some of the most beautiful parts of the Sahara (mountains, giant dunes, ancient rock art, great 4WD territory) and unlike the North it was considered to be safe. The Tuareg arenât known to be Islamic fanatics. Well, next time you are going anywhere "safe" in Islamic countries read Rantburg first.
Mali has confirmed the release, the German government has not commented officially yet.
Posted by: True German Ally ||
08/17/2003 3:22:23 PM ||
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Is there anywhere you won't find German tourists? I guess Robert Pelton's The World's Most Dangerous Places hasn't been translated into German yet (a great toilet read, BTW). Or maybe danger is the attraction :)
AUSTRALIAN Prime Minister John Howard yesterday branded President Robert Mugabe an "unelected despot", and said Zimbabwe should not be re-admitted to the Commonwealth. Zimbabwe was kicked out of all decision-making councils of the group that comprises Britain and mainly its former colonies after Mugabeâs regime was accused of intimidation and vote-rigging in the March 2002 presidential elections. Speaking on the sidelines of a Pacific leadersâ meeting in Auckland, New Zealand, Howard said unless Zimbabwe moves back towards democratic rule, it "should definitely remain suspended".
Good for John...
"Thereâs no sign that Zimbabweâs position is altering," he added. "Zimbabwe as a nation continues to suffer the ruin of a country that has been in the hands of an unelected despot."
On the other hand, he's certainly transformed the country...
Howard also said Mugabe should be barred from the next Commonwealth meeting, scheduled for December in Nigeriaâs capital Abuja. "I donât think it would be helpful for the Commonwealth if Mr Mugabe were to come to Abuja," he said.
And the opposition view:
However, South African President Thabo Mbekiâs spokesman Bheki Khumalo told the Daily News yesterday that Zimbabweâs re-admission into the Commonwealth would be decided by consensus at a summit of the group in Abuja in December this year. Khumalo said by phone from Pretoria: "One country cannot determine the fate of Zimbabwe. The issue of Zimbabweâs re-admission will be determined by consensus at the Commonwealth summit in Nigeria."
"Those of us who have nothing against bloody-handed dictators will probably allow them back in. Saying anything against them sets a bad precedent, y'know?"
Signalling widening rifts within the three-member special committee comprising South Africa, Nigeria and Australia that suspended Zimbabwe from the Commonwealth last year, Khumalo criticised Howard saying the Australian leaderâs stance would not help resolve the Zimbabwe issue.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/17/2003 15:08 ||
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Yup, can't have the elected head of a real democracy calling a jack booted thug a jack booted thug. Might hurt the thugs feelings and besides you might get the press or the left mad at you. These are privileges that they reserve for themselves
Posted by: Someone who did NOT vote for William Proxmire ||
08/17/2003 15:16 Comments ||
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Why, it would be McCarthyism to criticize Bob, it would. Not only would it hurt their feeling but it might cause International ANSWER to rally on their behalf.
Oh, right, those idjits are doing that anyway.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/17/2003 18:06 Comments ||
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oh but Bob hit back with a goodie:
Howard is a Racist!!!!
when you want to be macarthyist what better way than to shout that, especially if you're Bob...
Liberian rebels hijacked an Oxfam four-wheel-drive vehicle at gunpoint on Saturday in an area of Monrovia that is supposed to be under the control of Nigerian peacekeeping troops, Rosemary Kadura, Oxfamâs country programme manager said. The assault occurred in broad daylight on the main avenue leading from central Monrovia to the port, just a few hundred metres from a Nigerian checkpoint at the port gates, she told IRIN. Vehicles of the United Nations and non-governmental relief agencies use this stretch of highway constantly and assault helicopters from a US task force offshore frequently patrol overhead. Kadura said seven fighters of the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) rebel movement, riding in a white pick-up truck, blocked the path of the Oxfam vehicle. They then threatened the Oxfam driver and his passenger with automatic rifles and dragged them out of the vehicle. They then drove off the Oxfam Toyota Landcruiser into a slum at high speed, knocking down and seriously injuring a pedestrian on the way.
Those bastards don't need peacekeepers. They need trainers...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/17/2003 15:00 ||
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The UN's World Food Programme (WFP) is taking evasive action to clear 100 mt of its food aid from eastern Ugandaâs war-torn Katakwi district, after an ambush on Thursday by the rebel Lords Resistance Army (LRA) on three trucks carrying WFP food. At least two truck drivers were killed in the attacks, according to WFP sources. The third driver and other people in the trucks are still unaccounted for, but they are thought to have fled into the bush. A further two trucks managed to escape, heading back to Soroti, about 25km away, army sources said. The food was destined for Ugandaâs northeastern Moroto district, in Karamoja, where a severe four year drought has ravaged the districtâs Karamojong population. âRight now our priority is to protect the food and get it back on track to the people who urgently need it,â WFP coordinator for Karamoja Purnima Kashyad told IRIN. âAs it is, it is a security risk â our biggest concern is that they [the LRA] could come back and steal the food. But we have the Ugandan army guarding it for us for now,â she said.
Oh, that's a comforting thought...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/17/2003 14:57 ||
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Liberian President Moses Blah returned home from the Ghanaian capital, Accra, late Saturday after the signing of Liberia's comprehensive peace agreement was postponed due to "serious disagreements" over power-sharing roles in the proposed two-year transitional government. The West African regional body, ECOWAS, who has been facilitating the two-month old peace talks, announced that it would not be able to clinch a final peace settlement on Saturday as was earlier stated. "Today's signing ceremony is out of the question," a source from ECOWAS, [Economic Community of West African States] told IRIN in the Ghanaian capital. "Both the Liberians United For Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) and the Movement For Democracy in Liberia (MODEL) rebel groups have asked for more time to review the draft agreement," he said. "Perhaps, we might sign on Monday," the source added.
"Yeah. We'll get around to it. Foist we gotta have our mout'piece look it over..."
The rebels were still insisting on getting the top posts, including the Vice Presidency and Speaker. "A section of LURD rebels reiterated this demand on Friday despite their leader, Sekou Damate Konneh, having softened the group's stand on this subject," a diplomatic source told IRIN. "This group got the backing of MODEL rebels," the source said, noting however that "this had brought back everything to square one." Heads of ECOWAS countries maintained that none of the warring parties should take the top positions such as the Vice Presidency and Speaker in the interim government.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/17/2003 14:54 ||
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First Article: On North Korean Freighter, a Hidden Missile Factory
By Joby Warrick
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, August 14, 2003
NEW DELHI -- Tae Min Hun, the dour captain of the North Korean freighter Kuwolsan, glared icily from the bridge as tempers around him soared in the midday heat. On June 30, 1999, as customs agents in Indiaâs northwestern port city of Kandla waited impatiently to board the vessel, Tae received urgent instructions from Pyongyang: At all cost, let no one open the cargo boxes.
The Indians tried to look anyway, and a melee erupted. Tae and his crew rained blows on inspectors and barricaded the doors with their bodies, according to witness accounts and video footage of the encounter. A few agents who managed to slip into the cargo bay were horrified to find North Koreans sealing the hatches, trapping them inside.
When the shipâs doors were finally reopened at gunpoint, the reason for the extreme secrecy became clear. Hidden inside wooden crates marked "water refinement equipment" was an assembly line for ballistic missiles: tips of nose cones, sheet metal for rocket frames, machine tools, guidance systems and, in smaller crates, ream upon ream of engineersâ drawings labeled "Scud B" and "Scud C." The intended recipient of the cargo, according to U.S. intelligence officials, was Libya.
"In the past we had seen missiles or engine parts, but here was an entire assembly line for missiles offered for sale," said an Indian government official familiar with the discovery. "This was a complete technology transfer." More...
Second Article: N. Korea Shops Stealthily for Nuclear Arms Gear Front Companies Step Up Efforts in European Market
By Joby Warrick
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, August 15, 2003
MUNICH -- The French cargo ship Ville de Virgo was already running a day late when it steamed into Hamburg harbor on April 3, its stadium-size deck stacked 50 feet high with cargo containers bound for Asia.
At the dock, harried German customs agents skimmed quickly through a fat manifest that included the usual Asia-bound staples -- fertilizer, bulk chemicals, cheeses. A last-minute addition, 214 ultra-strong aluminum pipes purchased by Chinaâs Shenyang Aircraft Corp., was one of the final items cleared before the 40,000-ton ship fired its engines again and headed to Asia.
But within hours after the ship departed, the story of the manifest began to unravel. German intelligence officials discovered that the aluminum was destined not for China but for North Korea. The intended use of the pipes, they concluded, was not aircraft production, but the making of nuclear weapons.
On April 12, in a dramatic but little-noticed intervention, French and German authorities tracked the ship to the eastern Mediterranean and seized the pipes. German police arrested the owner of a small export company and uncovered a broader scheme to acquire as many as 2,000 such pipes. That much aluminum in North Korean hands, investigators concluded, could have yielded as many as 3,500 gas centrifuges for enriching uranium.
"The intentions were clearly nuclear," said a Western diplomat familiar with the investigation. "The result could have been several bombsâ worth of weapons-grade uranium in a year." More...
Very informative - and I hate to say startling, since weâve come to expect the worst from the NorKs, but it is for their sheer audacity.
Posted by: .com ||
08/17/2003 11:41:09 AM ||
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Aluminum tubes? Gee, now where have I heard about aluminum tubes? (scratches head) Nope, can't think of it, unless you mean those tubes the Iraqis were using for "rocket bodies". Maybe the NK were going to make some rockets. You could ask them.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/17/2003 20:22 Comments ||
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EFL I know this is commentary, but the info is fascinating - and clarifies both OBLâs rise (or fall) and the House of Saud situation. It also corrects a bad guess of mine as to how many Royals there are. Worth the read if the House of Saud seems a muddle.
By Arnaud de Borchgrave
To get a clear fix on the degree of Saudi involvement with transnational terrorism one has to understand that Osama bin Laden, the worldâs most wanted terrorist, became a hero in the kingdom 20 years ago. In his mid-20s, he was raising money and recruits to join the mujahideen in their guerrilla war against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan.
The scion of one of the countryâs most successful nonroyal business families, Osama had easy access to people of great wealth. His late father, Mohammed, had exclusive rights as the contractor for all royal palaces and buildings. In those days, the U.S. and Saudi Arabia were splitting the $1 billion-a-year tab of the anti-Soviet war. Bin Laden was also collecting donations from the hard-line anti-communist royals who dipped into their numbered accounts abroad. This helped bankroll the transfer of thousands of volunteers from all over the Arab world â and the Muslim world beyond.
When the last Soviet unit left Afghanistan Feb. 15, 1989, Osama came home to much adulation. It was, after all, the beginning of the end of the Soviet empire â and bin Laden, as his countrymen read the embroidered saga, had starred in the denouement.
While bin Laden, hardened by his experiences with the "Afghan Arabs" in Afghanistan, did not approve of the extravagant excesses of the House of Saud, he held his fire. That is, until Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait Aug. 2, 1990.
Talk of U.S. intervention to drive the Iraqis out prompted bin Laden to ask for an appointment with an old friend who was a key Saudi official â Prince Turki al Faisal, the man who had been head of intelligence for 25 years and oversaw the Afghan war effort.
As Prince Turki, now the Saudi ambassador in London, recalled the encounter to this reporter, bin Laden said there was no need to call in the U.S. cavalry because his own Afghan Arabs could do the job, just as the mujahideen had defeated the mighty Soviet Union. Prince Turki thought the idea was so preposterous he laughed and told bin Laden there was no way lightly armed guerrillas could defeat the Iraqi army.
That turned out to be an expensive chuckle. Because bin Laden there and then decided the House of Saud was capitulating to the U.S. and that Washington would now use the pretext of Kuwait to occupy the Gulf and control its oil resources. More...
The fact that these "fears" didnât materialize is, of course, lost in the rush to jihad by OBLâs believers. Yesterday, quite late, a very interesting story was posted regards the Saudi Clericsâ recent conversion to the Royal POV. Itâs a load of shit, of course, and contradicts everything theyâve been saying since 9/11. That the Royals put the pressure on high, is apparent. The veracity of the Clerics is not. Check it out, too.
Posted by: .com ||
08/17/2003 8:39:05 AM ||
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A hero? Ossama kept himself faaaaaaar away of the closest Russian soldier. Apparently a national tradition since except for a few irregulars in 1948 the Saudis have never dared to go fight Israel.
Another point: from my readings Afghans had a poor opinion of the Arab Jihadis and weren't keen on sending them to the front. Their most noticeable contribution were atrocities toward the prisonners (both Russian and Afghans).
Geez! Will the whining and begging to get us in this quagmire shithole never stop?
With so few Nigerian peacekeepers in Monrovia that residents are forming their own patrols, the head of the West African force appealed to the United States today to send another 120 to 150 Marines ashore. Just a few more, then a few more, then...
Nigerian Brig. Gen. Festus Okonkwo said he asked the U.S. commander in the region, Maj. Gen. Thomas Turner, to essentially double the current Marine deployment in Monrovia to shore up the badly overstretched West African contingent. "Everybodyâs complaining STFU then ," Okonkwo said, as he awaited the arrival of U.N. cargo jets transporting 176 more Nigerian peacekeepers to Liberia today, bringing to 1,000 the number of West African peacekeepers here. "We are trying, but we donât have our full contingent." Okonkwo said he asked for Marines to boost the peacekeeping presence on Bushrod Island, a sprawling section of north Monrovia that the rebels vacated Monday. Only 30 Nigerian soldiers are stationed on the island, and residents have complained of gunfire and marauding government militias after sunset. "I want white rich people on the road," Okonkwo said.
Okonkwo commands the peacekeeping force deployed earlier this month by the Economic Community of West African States, at the request of the U.N. Security Council. After president Charles Taylor stepped down under international pressure and exile into exile in Nigeria Monday, President Bush sent the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit to provide support for the West African force, but their mission remains unclear. U.S. Harrier jump jets and AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopters added a dramatic punch to what appeared to be a joint deployment on Bushrod Island, which rebels had held for three weeks. But the U.S. presence here remains light and tentative. The United States dispatched 4,350 Marines and sailors to the region aboard three ships. On Wednesday about 60 Marines who arrived by helicopter at Monroviaâs seaport flew back to the USS Iwo Jima before dark. They returned the following day to finish erecting a fence near the main dock but have not been back since.
About 150 Marines remain at Monroviaâs international airport, about 40 miles outside the capital. A spokesman said the Marine quick reaction force has orders only to stand by in an abandoned building. The Nigerian continent was scheduled to double in size by Friday. But delays continue to plague the deployment, despite a $10 million U.S. contract to Pacific Architects and Engineers, a U.S. firm, to hasten the arrival of the West African force. U.N. officials, who expect to take over the stabilization force in two or three months, estimated that 5,000 troops are needed to secure Monrovia, and that the entire country will require a force of 15,000 peacekeepers.
Diplomats, meanwhile, awaited word on negotiations taking place in Accra, Ghana, between rebel leaders and Liberiaâs new president, Moses Blah, over the structure of a transitional government. Under terms of an agreement being hammered out in Ghana, the government Taylor left behind would be replaced in October by a transitional government. Officials had hoped to announce final agreement on the pact today, but Blah returned to Liberia empty-handed late today after bickering between the two rebel groups, Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy, or LURD, and the Movement for Democracy in Liberia, or MODEL. "Iâm trying to be an optimist," said one source monitoring the talks, noting that LURD has made good on its vow to leave Bushrod.
Residents on the island said government militias remain their main problem. The undisciplined young men armed and left behind by Taylor are notorious across Liberia for stealing and raping. "They bust your door in on you and try pulling you out," said Thomas Mufaya, 25. The street in front of him was marked at regular intervals by the remains of tires set afire last night by residents seeking light and security. "Vigilante action," said Milcolm Ledlum, standing on a main road flanked by an abandoned police station and the headquarters of the Liberian Electricity Corp.. "Things are a little bit shaggy right now, thatâs why the Americans donât want to come," said Frank Warah, who lives in New Cru Town neighborhood, where shots were heard again last night. "The Americans are a little bit afraid." Afraid? Cautious? Intelligent? Not willing to be suckered into this 3rd world commode where everyoneâs wearing brasseires and tube tops and AK47s? If thatâs your definition of afraid, so be it ....see ya!
I disagree. We're afraid to go in, and with good reason. The predictable you can handle. Even in the Middle East, where the enemy's vicious and bloodthirsty, things are at least predictable. We have the measure of the Paleos' collective insanity, for instance. The Liberians — or at least the segment of the population that makes up Chuckland — are crazy, too, but in an entirely different manner from the Arabs or the Paks, who are tiresomely predictable. We can't predict what the Liberians, as exemplified by Benjamin Yeaton and the other remaining Chuck followers, will do next because they don't know themselves. All we know is that it'll involve treachery and dead people. If you can't predict, you can't make plans, and if you can't plan you can't solve problems. Who wants to get into a — dare I say it? — quagmire, where there's no solution in sight because there's none to be found?
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/17/2003 12:23:48 AM ||
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#1
What part of "no" is beyond their understanding? This has quagmire and fool's errand written all over it. No, no, no. Never. At every bend in every river in Africa there is a tribal disaster either in progress - or just waiting to happen.
They are pretty spiffy when it comes to dreaming up acronyms, however. Maybe they should all come to work for ad agencies on Madison Ave. Just giving credit where due...
they get themselves into severe messes, blame it on the western countries, demand to be helped: then hate you for interfering.
now bush just promised hundreds of billions for AIDS relief for Africa, shouldn't they at least TRY to solve some of their own problems?
Take some goddam responsibility!
either that or we should all just walk away, take the westernised peoples with us and come back in 50 years when Africa is people-free, having been made extinct by corruption, nepotism and the spread of ignorance and primitive beliefs causing wars, famines and easily-preventable diseases.
#4
Anon1 - Good points. I think the AIDs assistance was tens of billions, which brings to mind a good quote from a rather wisened old US Senator (50's-60's) named Everett Dirksen, "A billion here, a billion there, pretty soon you're talking about real money." Not bad. He also said, "I am a man of fixed and unbending principles, the first of which is to be flexible at all times." Funny dude with a Shakespearean actor's voice that even Sir Lawrence Olivier couldn't match.
Back OT, from a getting anything started POV, you nailed it: corruption is the key. It makes everything the West does almost a non-starter. The NGOs are savvy enough to tread lightly where there are no reliable forces to protect them. I don't know to what degree, but they certainly play the game and make payoffs - which merely prolongs the problem preventing any Western Govt with the req'd staying power from trying to gain a foothold to start solving problems. And some "Western" countries, such as Phrawnce, are still colonialists at heart - and act as such - smearing the honest efforts of the rest in the eyes of the Africans. And then there's the UN. It takes $100 to get $1 worth of effect, it seems. I know that's exaggerated, but there is a large BS factor. Sigh. I dunno, mate.
#6
We need to make a deal with the whole of the African continent:
1) Take responsibility for your own problems.
2) If you want western/US investment, see 1)
3) If you want troops sent to stop your latest civil war, see 1)
4) If you want AIDs aid, see 1)
5) The best our lefitsts elite will come up with in Africa will be WE ARE THE WORLD II: Saving Zimbabwe from famine. Don't like it? See 1)
6) Afraid what sharia will do to your fragile societies? See 1)
7) Think white folks are to blame for your being drunk on communist philosophies? See 1)
8) As far as I am concerned, the ONLY reason Marines should be landing in Liberia is to kick some Liberan ass, not stand upright for targeting purposes. As in everything else, see 1)
Libya's Foreign Ministry says the 1988 Lockerbie bombing was a tragedy but was not caused by the Libyan Government.
"Nope. Nope. Wudn't us."
Yesterday, Libya accepted responsibility for what it calls "the actions of its officials" in the bombing of the Pan Am jumbo jet over Lockerbie in Scotland, which killed 270 people. That clears the way for compensation to families of the victims and the lifting of United Nations sanctions imposed on Libya after the bombing. But Libya's Foreign Minister, Abdul Al Rahman Shalgam, says it is not true the Libyan Government was behind the attack. He says the Government wants to cooperate with the US to find out the truth. "It's a tragedy," he said. "No-one cannot express his sympathy with such families. We want to go together to discover the reality of that story, who was behind that tragedy. We will discover him because it's [for] the benefit of Libyans and the families of the victims."
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/17/2003 00:08 ||
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the most disgusting thing about this saga was the libyans were finally about to pay reparations to the families of the victims when FRANCE started blocking proceedings!
Don't ask for any help from MY country when dealing with your heat wave!
#5
I think the world has to finally see France for what it actually is. Pathetic. France in the last ten years has really gone off the deep end.
Between their opposition of bombing Serbia, their reluctance to go into Kosovo, their active anti-US activities pre-during-post war Iraq, their attempt to dominate the EU politically and this latest fiasco, the only thing that is truly unbelievable is that they're too blind/stupid to see it. It's like they've developed Alzheimers (sp) or something. (No offense intended to those that do suffer from this disease. I should never compare someone (even my enemies) to the French. Going even "too low" has a limits.
Posted by: Paul ||
08/17/2003 11:51 Comments ||
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IMHO,France blocked Lockerbie deal:1/10 greed,1/10 remind world France important,1/10 top French leadership hatred/contempt for Bush Administration,2/10 retaliation for US actions against France(Paris Air No-Show,no tourists,etc.),and 5/10 hard elbow to England's ribs to let England know if Eng. wants to be part of Europe she has to deal with France.
Posted by: Stephen ||
08/17/2003 16:26 Comments ||
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Former Ugandan president Idi Amin, one of Africa's bloodiest despots who was blamed for killing tens of thousands of his people, has been buried at a small funeral in Saudi Arabia.
Far from home, unloved, unlamented... That sounds about right.
Amin was buried in Jeddah where he had lived for much of the time since being ousted from power in 1979, one of his sons said. He was in his late 70s. Amin, a Muslim, was buried just hours after his death on Saturday local time. "He is buried - the family decided and we have buried him in Jeddah," Ali Amin said by telephone from his home in Jinja, some 80 kilometres east of Uganda's capital Kampala. "The funeral was modest and the attendance was small, mostly family members," a Saudi media source said, declining to be identified.
"Nobody came to say goodbye. They just came to make sure he was really dead."
A senior source at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Jeddah said Amin had died from complications due to multiple organ failure. He had been critically ill for weeks.
Give our regards to Himmler, Idi. Kinda hot there in Paradise, ain't it?
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/17/2003 00:05 ||
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That any self respecting daisy would go any where near this turd is beyond me. What was the name of that British appologist that used to lick his boots back in the day. Who ever was the president of Tanzania(?) when they kicked his fat ass out of power desevrved the Noble Peace Prize one hell of a lot more than Yasser.
Posted by: Someone who did NOT vote for William Proxmire ||
08/17/2003 8:55 Comments ||
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I know hell's pretty crowded but I think they can find some room to stuff his fat ass in there.
#5
So Id's departure frees up a couple of cots in Jeddah. What kinda humanoid scum is going to knock on the Saudi Royal's door next, asking for 3 hots and a cot?
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
08/17/2003 13:34 Comments ||
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#6
I'm waiting for the first report that Amin is still valiantly holding on in his fight to remain dead.
Posted by: Phil Fraering ||
08/17/2003 15:52 Comments ||
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Israel TV Channel 1 reported Friday night that following last week's Hizbullah shelling in the north the Air Force dispatched fighter jets to Syria which buzzed the palace of Syrian President Bashir Assad in a warning to rein in Hizbullah. The warplanes reportedly swooped in low over Assad's summer palace in the port city of Latikia where Assad was at the time. Assad reportedly saw and heard the jets, the TV reported. The aircraft later buzzed Beirut, but the message was apparently received and Hizbullah kept their anti-aircraft cannons in the north quiet.
"Yo! Bashir! You awake down there?"
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/17/2003 00:00 ||
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I LIKE THAT! lol
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/17/2003 0:17 Comments ||
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#2
Little paper bombs would have completed the effect.
#4
LOL. So where was the Syrian AF? The good doctor may want to go back to practicing what he was trained to do... There's definitely a cure for what ails SyrLeb, should they fail to take heed.
#7
.com given the Syrian Air Farces performance against the IAF the last time they had a little set to they probably prefer to sit in their quarters and keep the Migs/Mirages nicely polished in the revetments. Just take the out for the May Day Parade or what ever they do in Syria. Too bad they couldn'toff buzzed the Beckka and Damascus too. I like the H2O ballons,but dye the water a nice IAF blue with a dye that does not wash out and bleeds right through any paint you try to put over it
Posted by: Someone who did NOT vote for William Proxmire ||
08/17/2003 9:06 Comments ||
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#8
I'm sure you're right! The blue dye idea would've been great, too - next time I think it will be a little stronger message than buzzing...
One thing I discovered about the Arabs is that the last war they fought is as far as their imaginations go. If the Israeli forces of today decided to, they could prolly roll all the way to Damascus with about the same facility as the coalition did enroute to Baghdad. Their adversary isn't interested in any sort of stand-up fight - back-shooting is their style - so holding the ground and maintaining lines of supply and communications would be the problem. Anyone taking bets on when, during the WoT, Israel will finally be unleashed and allowed to make its own foreign policy and act in self-defense when threats are perceived - like every other nation on the planet?
#12
Good FrontPageMag article here on Israel and Syria:
http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=9399
He makes a good case for action against this irritant. Israel probably has the same problem as the US, however, insufficent boots to cover all of their needs. Interesting read, nonetheless, though I would've expected Iran's funding role to be more central.
#13
The Arabs do not like to fight the last war and whatever DID NOT work will not be used again. They MAY have an Air Force now but since it lasted less than an hour against the IAF last time, they are not part of any present military doctrine. Despots do not like Air Forces because they can turn on and eliminate them very quickly. Suffice to say that the IAF will ALWAYS have air supremacy over the middle east. I like the idea of the Blue Dye, it would piss them off for decades to come. I bet that the current Syrian Air Marshall is getting a 'Retirement' party.
#14
The IAF has a kill ratio of 29 (twenty nine) to one
in air to air combat. If we eliminate 'Peace in Galilea' where the Syrian Mig 21s were hopelessly ouclassed by IAF's F16s and F15s we find that when flying planes roughly equal or inferior to the Arab ones the IAF still has a healthy 26 (twenty six) to one in air to air combat.
#15
"In June 1982 Isreali Air Force fighters (including F-15 Eagles and F-16 Fighting Falcons) engaged Syrian MiG-23 Floggers and MiG-21 Fishbeds over the Bekaa Valley. Assisted by an E-2C Hawkeye airborne early warning aircraft, the Israelis completely outfought the Syrians and claimed 22 victories in one combat and 25 in a second. ... According to one senior Isreali officer, the Syrian losses were due to inept tactics rather than any shortcomings in the MiG-23's design." -- Anthony Robinson, Soviet Air Power, Bison Books 1985
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.
