EFL
President Bush flew in under the cover of darkness to dine with U.S. forces at a Baghdad International Airport (search) mess hall. It was the first trip ever by an American president to Iraq -- a mission tense with concern about his safety.
With the president out of sight, L. Paul Bremer (search), the chief U.S. civilian administrator, told the soldiers it was time to read the presidentâs Thanksgiving proclamation and that it was a task for the most senior official present.
"Is there anybody back there more senior than us?" he asked. That was the cue for Bush, who promptly stepped forward from behind a curtain, setting off pandemonium among the troops.
"I was just looking for a warm meal somewhere," Bush joked to some 600 soldiers from the 1st Armored Division and the 82nd Airborne Division, who were stunned by the appearance and applauded wildly while giving Bush a standing ovation.
"Thanks for inviting me. I canât think of finer folks to have Thanksgiving dinner with than you all."
Another article at NYT - http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/27/international/27WIRE-BUSH.html?hp
I think I can safely speak for all of us Rantburgers this Thanksgiving Day when I say thank you to Fred for maintaining this site and giving us all the liberty to play with your bandwidth.
Have a good holiday with plenty of turkey, football, and adult beverages.
Posted by: Mike ||
11/27/2003 7:29:56 AM ||
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Thank you Fred! Could actually be good games on today too! GB -Detroit and Dallas - Miami
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/27/2003 9:06 Comments ||
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Thanks to Fred for this site, thanks to the posters for their insightful and entertaining contributions, and thanks to American and allied personnel around the world putting it on the line for civilization.
#4
Excellent post, Mike! Thank you, Fred, for letting us routinely abuse your bandwidth and giving us a forum far more newsworthy and interesting than any "real" news site! And God bless our troops and our allies' troops who are giving their all to preserve our freedom and our society.
Posted by: Dar ||
11/27/2003 9:33 Comments ||
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Posted by: Matt ||
11/27/2003 11:29 Comments ||
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#7
**wheeze**
Thanks, guys. I'm flattered. I'm getting off easy today. I made the cranberry sauce, and we're going to Olde Virginny to eat it with friends, including one on R&R from 4th ID.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/27/2003 11:48 Comments ||
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The Turkey's in the oven, the dressing is ready to put into the oven; the giblet gravey is simmering; and I am taking a break reading one of the best weblogs on the planet. I want everyone to know that I stop by this blog at least once a day and am thrilled and educated by the comments. You guys are really great. Fred -- Thanks for the forum and the effort you put in.
#10
Fred, God bless and keep you safe, sane, and happy, so we can continue to benefit from one of the best sources of news and information on what the United States faces in this War on Terrorism. Thanks to you and your site, we know far more about the area, what's going on there, and the successes our troops are having - things the "news media" tend to forget about! There will be something in the Tip Jar soon!
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
11/27/2003 13:01 Comments ||
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And here I am, good olde #13 on the post (I think). Fred, your site is much appreicated. I have grown much reading and posting. And I have made quite a few friends across the country and the world corresponding with other posting Rantburgers. We have much to be thankful for, and you and Rantburg are in the top 10. Have a great thanksgiving.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
11/27/2003 13:30 Comments ||
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God bless and keep all us safe and free. Thank you Rantburg, thank you, blogosphere, thank you United States armed forces and every person who holds a beacon of light in his heart.
#18
Fred, thanks for the site, the bandwidth, the good humor and the good reading.
Thanks to all the regulars for the hilarious punchlines and comraderie.
Thanks to Fred's friend in the 4ID, and to all our men and women in the service, for protecting our families. Stay safe and hoo-ah!
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/27/2003 21:03 Comments ||
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Fred, thanks for this site and all that you do. Likewise to the other Ranturgers. It is great stuff. Not a positive impact on my work productivity, but damn I'm well informed. God bless our fighting men and women, our President and the people of Iraq and Afghanistan who want to live in peace and freedom.
Posted by: Remote Man ||
11/27/2003 23:06 Comments ||
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A pack of mayonnaise was thrown at the head of the all-Russian energy monopoly Anatoly Chubais on Wednesday, but the mastermind of the Russian market reforms managed to avoid the projectile.
Oh, thank goodness! The horror!
The incident took place at a Moscow press conference titled 'RAO UES â an open company' during Chubaisâs speech. A girl threw a pack of mayonnaise at the official crying out ''This is a political act organized by the National-Bolshevik Party!''
"This is the closest we can come to a political act because we're... ummm... dumb."
The mayonnaise missed Chubais and hit some water glasses on the conference table. The head of RAO UES jumped up crying ''thank you, girl, you nearly hit me in the eye!'' and then Chubaisâs guards took the attacker out.
"You coulda put somebody's eye out with that thing! Do you know how many people lose eyes to mayonnaise every year, young lady?"
Some time ago, National Bolsheviks threw mayonnaise at the chairman of the Central Electoral Commission Aleksander Veshnyakov.
I guess it's a Bolshevik thing. We wouldn't understand...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
11/27/2003 00:46 ||
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I can't beleive that these idiots don't wear eye protection. Insurance companies in the former soviet union are a little slow in paying claims. Do you guys remember an old Brit rocker John Mayonaise, or was that Maynard.
#2
" Could you throw some sliced bread up here too? I forgot to pack a lunch. "
Posted by: Charles ||
11/27/2003 2:41 Comments ||
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How will that Bolshvik girl get out of this jam? She vegemight get creamed by the security guards. But that would make her the toast of lefty protesters and maybe even the Amnesty International crowd. But if they defend her, they should bear in mind what's at steak since it was the girl who initiated the smear campaign. But for the authorities, her case will not be a piece of cake either. In any event, we need to take this story with a grain of salt.
Posted by: Tokyo Taro ||
11/27/2003 2:44 Comments ||
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Forgive me. It's not John Mayonaise, or Maynard. It was Mayhall.
#5
Things are getting better in Russia. Not too many years ago she would have hung on to the mayonnaise while she stood in line to buy some bread to smear it on.
The three women wake to the sound of a burglar rummaging downstairs. They summon the police, don their veils and flee into the street to wait, but when the officer arrives, he refuses to investigate because there is no male present. "I swear by God, I would love to serve you," the officer avows, retreating to his patrol car. "But we cannot enter if your male guardian is not here."
It was just one episode of what might be the most popular television series in Saudi Arabia, but it touched off both sustained outrage and peals of laughter across the kingdom. The episode raised the hackles of religious conservatives for mocking the Islamic tenets and cultural traditions that they believe Saudi Arabia must maintain at all costs. More liberal Saudis relished the subtle ridicule of the way such tenets jar with modern life. "This show is a window that people can see us through, and we can show the world how we live," said Fowziyah Abukhalid, a sociologist at King Saud University. "Some of these issues used to be taboo, so to have someone talk about them and criticize them is very important." That might be considered the view of the educated intelligentsia. The religious take an entirely different stance: "In the name of God, I prohibit acting in or watching such a series," reads one of the fatwas issued by theologians against the show.
Its creators, Nasser al-Qasabi and Abdullah al-Sadham, who got to know each other when studying to become agricultural engineers, have grown accustomed to setting off controversy in the 11 years they have been producing the show, "Tash Ma Tash." The name comes from a childrenâs game and translates roughly as "You either get it or you donât." The two create just 20 episodes a year, all broadcast in prime time during the holy fasting month of Ramadan. But even the creators were taken aback by the uproar over the episode titled "Without a Mahram," or male guardian, which was the second to be shown this year.
The 30-minute episode was the subject of group discussions in schools and mosques. About 40 theologians organized a protest march against the Ministry of Information, demanding that the most prominent fatwa banning the show, issued by the governmentâs own council of religious scholars, be carried out.
These people don't have any real sense of shame, do they?
A few years ago it would have been unthinkable for anyone to challenge such an edict. This year, discussions in Internet chat rooms, which serve as a vivid barometer of public opinion in Saudi Arabia, raged back and forth between those damning the show and its avid fans. "If you read some of this stuff, you might get the impression that we made a sex film inside the Kaaba," said al-Qasabi, referring to the sacred shrine at Mecca. "It is only light social criticism, but the reaction makes it seem as if it was against God himself."
Aside from the entanglement with the police, the women in the episode run into all kinds of problems when the husband of one of them is sent to work in France for six months. They cannot enter a video store to rent "Cinderella" for a young daughter. When the bank card of one is eaten by an ATM, she cannot seek help in the bank because it is a branch for men. Ultimately, the women resort to borrowing the elementary school son of a neighbor or hauling along a deaf old grandfather just so they can eat in a restaurant. "We suffer from this male guardian requirement just as much as the women," said Muhammad al-Wan, a Saudi short story writer, when asked if he liked the episode.
The showâs writers find much to mock in Saudi Arabia. Episodes this season have poked fun at people who act in servile ways around princes and then turn around and play the prince themselves at home, at the harsh way Saudis treat imported laborers, and at the way guests on Arab satellite television shows scream at one other.
Posted by: TS ||
11/27/2003 10:29:40 AM ||
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Oh man, fatwa-city -- these guys are sooo dead.
#4
Anonymous - a perfect characterization, in fact! The mutawas would be able to take most Lawyer jokes and just insert Infidel to create a whole new Arab School of The Approved Humors. They could prolly even come up with a little seal or something with which to stamp such jokes. They like stamps and stickers a lot. I'm still scrubbing the ink off...
Forgive me for an aside, but there are so many Steves in Rantburg that we have the Army of Steve. A dangerous bunch, I must say. Needless to say, there is also the Horde of Anonymous... are you the same Anonymous who is posting below on the Dubya in Iraq thread and claiming troops are dying for oil, etc.? If so, tsk, tsk.
Regardless, please, show some cajones. Pick a nym. Live and die by your words. Such is honorable behavior in blogs. Anonymous isn't. All contributors are welcome in Rantburg - trolling, the most common Anonymous behavior, isn't. If not a troll, call yourself something (not Steve, puhleeeze!) and jump in!
Oh, yasss... Cert'nly, cert'nly... Prince Sultan, second deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, yesterday said the Shariah was needed to stamp out terrorism. âHow can we fight terrorism and corruption without the support of the true Islamic Shariah,â he asked.
Good idea. Cut those suckers' heads off...
Prince Sultan made the statement while inaugurating a mosque and offices of the Islamic Affairs Ministry here. âIslam is a moderate religion and not an extremist religion,â the prince said.
May I have a tissue, please?
Islamic Affairs Minister Saleh Al-Asheikh said Muslims must adopt a moderate position in confronting challenges.
Earlier, Prince Sultan watched a military parade at King Abdul Aziz Military City and commended the armed forcesâ leading role in safeguarding the Kingdomâs security.
"I love a parade..."
âYou are in the forefront of protecting security in cooperation with the National Guard and the security forces. Everybody can see the tremendous service you render the country,â Prince Sultan said while attending an Eid ceremony organized by the military city.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
11/27/2003 01:43 ||
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Fred, they be cutt'n heads off wholesale. It's just that it don't register. Maybe the chopper guy needs to have HIS head...
#2
There's that myth of moderate Islam again. I wonder if the Prince actual believes what he's saying? They might actually be that ignorant I suppose.
Posted by: Charles ||
11/27/2003 2:52 Comments ||
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Reference the link: "Kill ... and enslave...". That Al Buraik fellow would be in a heap of trouble in LA county. On second thought, maybe not since he's not a computer vendor.
Yemen reportedly has started a training program for state-hired Muslim clerics, or imams, to eliminate militant language in their sermons. So far, 200 imams have registered to begin the course. Yemeni officials said the course by the Islamic Affairs Ministry will seek to revise sermons given Fridays to crowds in mosques. The sermons will eliminate references to jihad, or holy war, against the West or Israel.
I think that would be a good idea...
In addition, officials said, imams will voice opposition to Muslim suicide bombing attacks. They said mosques have often been used by al-Qaida and related groups to recruit suicide bombers and those for other missions.
Even better. But of course...
The course has angered the opposition, which accused the government of seeking to control the mosques.
Not that they have an ulterior motive or anything. Pure altruism...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
11/27/2003 00:33 ||
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A little bit more detail on al-Ahdal, who he is, and how he was caught.
Yemen hopes to glean crucial data about al-Qaida operations after catching a senior suspect linked to the 2000 bombing of the warship USS Cole.
I'm starting to wonder precisely how many thousands of people were linked to the Cole bombing. It seems like everybody the Yemenis catch had something to do with it...
Mohammad Hamdi al-Ahdal, also known as Abu Asem al-Makki, was Yemenâs most-wanted man for two years until he was arrested at a house on Tuesday in the capital, Sanaa, along with four other suspected, though junior, members. Cannon fodder or middle management?
Yemeni officials believe the suspect was the leading distributor of al-Qaida funds and his arrest could expose networks outside Yemen. I expect that most of the cash is coming in through the northern border, somehow ...
"We will probably get important information about his ties with other elements because he played a leading role and was the main link in distributing funds [to al-Qaida members]," he said.
Probably, if you use the truncheons judiciously.
Yemenâs official Saba news agency said Ahdal was one of the "most prominent leaders of the al-Qaida network" in Yemen. "We received information around three weeks ago that Ahdal was in Sanaa and we started tracing him until we slowly surrounded him by planting intelligence agents in neighbouring houses," another Yemeni government official said.
That was slick...
A US counter-terrorism official called the arrest significant, saying that Ahdal had many contacts in al-Qaida. The official added that Ahdal had significant combat experience in Afghanistan in the 1980s and in Bosnia in the 1990s, and played a key role in moving al-Qaida money around. Yummy, sounds like a major player.
Diplomats said the Islamist militant had been protected by powerful tribal leaders in Yemenâs rugged mountain regions. Gee, that meme sounds suspiciously familiar ...
Yemenâs former No 1 suspect, Ali Qaed Senyan al-Harthi, was killed by a missile fired from an unmanned CIA drone last year. Harthi and his aide, Ahdal, were key suspects in the Cole bombing in Aden harbour which killed 17 sailors. I thought al-Ahdal was the supremo and al-Harthi the lackey. If thatâs not the case, then since Harthi has been replaced by al-Kandahari, that would make al-Ahdal the second highest-ranking al-Qaeda suspect in Yemen. Why canât these guys just have rank titles and save us all a lot of trouble?
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
11/27/2003 12:23:44 AM ||
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Dan, I'm in awe. How the hell do you stay on top of this shit. It's all Al this and Duri that.
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/27/2003 9:20 Comments ||
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Combat experience in Afghanistan? What the Afghans say about the Arab Jihadis is that they spent theit time being photographed on backgrounds of Afghan mountains and occasionally torturing some hapless Soviet prisoner.
And what westerners say about the Afghans is that they were far too proud to let Arabs fight the Soviets in their place.
Taliban are a different thing since Mullah Omar seems to have looked at Arabians talking classic arabic as something like divine beings.
British police hunting for international criminals have detained two men, one of whom is believed to have connections with al-Qaida. Officers arrested a 24-year-old man in the western town of Gloucester and said they had evacuated the surrounding area in case they found explosives. "It could be pretty big ⊠if we find what we suspect (sic) we are looking for", one investigator said.
It's that raw intel thing. You don't know if it's valid until you go look...
A police spokeswoman said the man had been arrested on "suspicion of involvement in the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism". Home Secretary David Blunkett said: "It is believed by the security and special branch services that this man has connections with the network of al-Qaida groups.
Notice that Blunkett has shifted his terminolgy...
"We would not have taken these steps if we didn't believe that this individual posed a very real threat to the life and liberty of our country," he told local television. Police said Thursday's operation was the culmination of months of investigation, but investigators declined to comment what police suspected the man was planning.
He prob'ly wasn't planning on opening a day care center...
Officers were also searching two addresses in the northern town of Blackburn in connection with the arrest of the 24-year-old - believed to be a British-born Muslim.
They're stuck with him — can't even deport him to Khilafastan...
A 39-year-old man was also arrested by police on Thursday in the northern city of Manchester, Scotland Yard said. However the source said this arrest was unconnected to the operation in Gloucester.
Same song, different verse...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
11/27/2003 11:38 ||
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They're stuck with him â can't even deport him to Khilafastan.
There's always the prison at St. Helena, or working on the prison farm at Ascension Island. Muslims would just love that, I'm sure. Of course, it's a long swim through shark-infested waters to the nearest mosque. May have to videotape some sermons to be played on the island's one television.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
11/27/2003 13:17 Comments ||
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A man suspected of having connections with al-Qaeda has been arrested in Gloucester under the Terrorism Act. Homes in the Barton Street area of the city were evacuated on Thursday after the 24-year-old man was arrested. Home Secretary David Blunkett told the BBC: "We wouldnât have taken these steps if we didnât believe this individual posed a very real threat to the life and liberty of this country." The Gloucester arrestâs quite possibly preempting a planned al Qaeda attack on neighbouring Cheltenhamâs UK communications intelligence headquarters, GCHQ.
In a separate investigation, a 39-year-old man was arrested in Manchester under the Terrorism Act. A Metropolitan Police spokesman said two addresses in Blackburn, Lancashire, were also being searched. Scotland Yard said officers were carrying out a search for explosives at three properties in Gloucester and Blackburn. Detective chief constable of Gloucester police, Martin Baker, said the army was involved in the search. He told a press conference on Thursday that the safety of the public and staff involved was "paramount".
Mr Blunkett said of the Gloucester raid: "It is the belief of the security and Special Branch services that this person has connections with the network of al-Qaeda groups. That is why he has been arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000. "Obviously the forensic evidence will be crucial here and I donât want to in any way damage the future trial." A Whitehall security official said chemical, biological and radiological substances were not thought to be involved.
The Gloucester man - whom police said was "British and of Asian origin" - has been taken to a police station in neighbouring Wiltshire for questioning. Officers evacuated 119 homes and moved people from the area around his home because of fears explosives may be involved. A Gloucestershire Police spokeswoman said: "The man was arrested under section 41 of the Terrorism Act, on suspicion of involvement in the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terror. Searches are ongoing and the immediate area has been evacuated, as there may be explosives on the premises." Hopewell Street, Barton Street and St James Street in the centre of the city have been closed, and people living in the area have been moved to the cityâs new leisure centre. Local resident Stephen Baker, who lives in Barton Street, said: "The police have told us that itâs a bomb scare somewhere near the St James Street and Upton Street area. "We can leave the house, but no one is being allowed close to those two streets."
Posted by: Bulldog ||
11/27/2003 11:08:46 AM ||
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Beat me to it, didja? Let me get up to get a bite of lunch, and as soon's my back's turned... Grumble. Grumble..
Posted by: Fred ||
11/27/2003 11:43 Comments ||
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Explosive material has been found at the house of an al-Qaida suspect who was arrested by police on Thursday morning in a major anti-terrorism raid. [A] Scotland Yard spokesman would not comment on reports that a suicide attack on a football ground had been foiled. A "relatively small amount" of explosives was found, which was removed and examined, he added.
A bomb-belt's worth of explosive's not going to be much good against GCHQ. More likely a football crowd, shopping centre, bus...
The suspect, who is a Briton of Asian descent, has been transferred from Gloucester to a police station in London where he will be questioned by detectives. He can be held for up to seven days in custody under the Terrorism Act.
Pakistani, Indian or Bangladeshi usually, "Asian" in the UK in this context is usually applied to Indian subcontinentals. "Paki" is a very offensive term in the UK, btw.
#7
Fool! Taunting the Army of Steve⢠will cause us to bring a fat-wa upon you. At least 6,000 calories for this day alone! You shall become shiny and plump, and the Thai bar-girls shall no longer glance in your direction! Your money shall no longer buy the best beer! The burqas in your dreams shall all be XXL sized! Do not taunt the Army of Steveâ¢!
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/27/2003 21:18 Comments ||
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Prime Minister John Howard has warned that readmitting Zimbabwe to the Commonwealth would set a dangerous precedent for other errant states. Zimbabwe was suspended from the Commonwealth in March 2002. The issue will be considered by the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Nigeria next month and some African countries have been lobbying for Zimbabwe to be readmitted. Mr Howard has reiterated Australiaâs strong opposition to the countryâs readmission, arguing that conditions under the Mugabe Government have continued to worsen. "Readmitting Zimbabwe without concrete progress towards meeting the Commonwealthâs benchmarks will not only undermine the organisationâs credibility, it is also plainly unfair to those countries that have taken the necessary steps to live up to commonwealth values," he said. Mr Howard will attend the meeting in Nigeria and he says the issue will be a significant test of the Commonwealthâs relevance and credibility.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
11/27/2003 12:36:45 AM ||
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Readmit them after Mugabe is swinging from a tree.
Posted by: Charles ||
11/27/2003 2:57 Comments ||
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I doubt that the farms couldbe restored. They're probably trashed by now and who would want to come back? Zim is in deep shit for a long time. Thanks Bob.
#3
those farmers are busy growing FOOD in adjacent countries...the racist bastards (/sarcasm)....why would they want to come back to the Zim shithole?
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/27/2003 9:39 Comments ||
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My point was whether they decided to return to farm in Zimbabwe or not, they could at least get compensated for the seizures, as a minimum requirement.
A top cleric in Australia has urged fellow Muslims to love the country or leave it amid rising tensions between Muslims and non-Muslims.
If not, one of these days they'll be helped out the door...
Sheikh Taj Din al-Hilali, the spiritual leader of Australia's 280,000 Muslims, made the comments during a sermon to mark the end of Ramadan at a mosque in the Sydney suburb of Lakemba. "Australia is our compassionate mother, and I say to every person living in Australia, from the person in the highest office down to the ordinary man in the street: love this country or leave it, shape up or ship out," he told around 30,000 Muslims gathered at the mosque on Tuesday.
Anyone recall any clerics making similar remarks in the U.S. of A.?
Al-Hilali also condemned the spate of attacks worldwide during Ramadan. Tension has been rising in Sydney between Muslims and non-Muslims over a crime wave which police blame on young Middle Eastern men, particularly Lebanese youths. Several murders and revenge killings have been blamed on inter-clan rivalries among the Lebanese community, forcing police to set up a special unit to look into the crimes. Al-Hilali's sermon followed similar comments by New South Wales Premier Bob Carr last month in which he warned gang leaders to obey the laws of the country or leave it. Carr, who was at al-Hilali's side at Lakemba on Tuesday, said mutual respect was the key to avoiding a clash of civilisations and that a strong multicultural Australia needed to respect different cultures. "We want a dialogue with civilisations, we don't want a clash of civilisations, we want the people of the world respecting one another," he said. The Lakemba mosque has been a focal point of police investigations into the actions of Frenchman Willie Brigitte, who was arrested in Sydney and deported last month under suspicion of plotting attacks.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
11/27/2003 00:11 ||
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Seems like this guy is swimming against the tide. But I hope his mesage is more mainstream than not.
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Please, protect the clerics who urged fellow Muslims to "love the country or leave it" and help them as much you can for a simple reason -they learned that peace is good for every one - including Islam. The islamic terrorists have done most harm to the spread of islam. The west can reason with these clerics not with the terrorists. Unfortunately, the islamic terrorists will kill them.
Sk
Posted by: SK ||
11/27/2003 1:46 Comments ||
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WHen I see anything from this "Mad Mufti", the word dissimulation usually springs to mind. If anyone is interested in his background, go here http://www.ci-ce-ct.com/Feature%20articles/20-11-2001.asp
Note especially his 1988 ten page political speech to a of group young Muslims at Sydney University entitled, âThe Disposition of Jews in the light of the Qumranâ which is about as rabied as you can get, and which is linked towards the end of the page.
That said, he can be a useful tool, in the fight againt Islamists, by hurling his statements at them.
#5
The impact of the bombings (sic) in Rhyad and Istanbul has started to focus the islamic mind that terror and islamic fanaticism plays no favorites. While one can wax estoeric on the death of Jews in Haifa and infidels in Bahgdad, the threat of cars blowing up in Brisbane or Boston can re-focus the mind to grim reality.
Posted by: john ||
11/27/2003 9:34 Comments ||
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Imans can do a 180 degree turn anytime they want. If this Sheik wants to really do good he will assign his own staff to prosecute the gang rapists that are part of his congregation.
Slightly EFL; an update on the stifled un-PC report.
Researchers who found that young Muslims were to blame for many attacks on Jews were told several times by the European Union to change their conclusions, they said yesterday. The charge helped fuel a furious row between the two sides as they traded accusations of bias, incompetence, and lying. The Anti-Semitism Research Institute of Berlinâs Technical University was asked last year by the EUâs anti-racism body to examine the increase in attacks against Jews across Europe. But the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia has now refused to publish it, claiming that it was too badly written and based on poor embarrassing information. The reportâs authors responded yesterday by saying their findings had been shelved because criticism of Muslims did not fit in with the centreâs agenda. They had found that young Muslims, particularly immigrants from the Middle East and North Africa, were responsible for much of the rise in anti-Semitism. The far-Right and some Left-wing anti-globalisation activists were also partly to blame, they said. As well as physical assaults, they had considered verbal abuse, newsletters, survey findings, newspaper articles and other information, mostly from the centreâs databases.
Prof Werner Bergmann said the centre repeatedly asked for the draft report to be changed to soften its conclusions about young Muslims. Alterations were also sought when it linked anti-Semitism to both anti-Zionism and criticism of Israeli politics. His co-researcher, Dr Juliane Wetzel, said: "The EUMC didnât want to publish the report because itâs not politically correct. The results give the EUMC problems because it wants to protect exactly these groups." But Bob Purkiss, the centreâs chairman, insisted that the work was of poor quality - so much so that the centre might try to recover the £4,900 paid for it. "They pointed out the g****** b******* obvious! Thatâs not what we wanted at all. Of course we want our money back!"
"We are studying the contractual arrangements that we had with the Berlin institute to see whether they have fulfilled their contractual obligations and, if not, will be taking the appropriate action with regard to the contract," he said. Mr Purkiss added that the work was never intended for publication, but was supposed to be the basis for a larger study that the centre will conduct next year, with a view to publishing a report then. "We guessed we might want to bury this stuff, ages ago. Really, we did."
"The EUMC remains 100 per cent committed to its ongoing research on anti-Semitism and all forms of racism and intolerance." "We just donât necessarily want to talk about what we find."
His comments provoked fury in Berlin. Prof Bergmann said: "We were asked to write a report. "It was totally clear that it was for publication. We would not write it for someone else to rewrite and include in something else." He and his staff had had to gather data themselves because of gaps in the centreâs information, but both sides had agreed there was enough on which to base the report. A letter from the centre to the research institute in January, headed "Chairâs comments on the Anti-Semitism Report", reads: "The EUMC must be seen as bringing groups of people together, not as acting divisively." Under the heading, "Divisive statements" it remarks: "The authors assert a direct connection between anti-Semitism and âArab/North African Muslimsâ, âthe Muslim populationâ, âthe Arab-Muslim populationâ, âyoung Muslimsâ in Europe. Dâuh...
"The authors assert a direct connections [sic] between anti-Semitism and âimmigrantsâ." It then says: "All these generalising statements are made despite acknowledgement on the last page that âthe fight against racism, xenophobia and discrimination remains a common struggleâ. "That Muslims are also targets of racism and religious discrimination is acknowledged only as an aside. "We ask the Anti-Semitism Research Institute to conduct a study on anti-Semitism, and they donât fill the pages with references to anti-Muslim sentiment? They didnât mention anti-Welsh sentiment either? Nor anti-broccoli sentiment? What the hell were they doing with those clipboards?"
"Mention of Muslim people should only be made if it were directly relevant to specific manifestations of anti-Semitism. Any generalisation should be strictly avoided." Prof Bergmann said: "I am also in favour of crimes being dealt with independently of a personâs religion, but this was important to our analysis. "Of course these incidents involved for example French citizens, but the fact that they were also immigrants and Muslim was relevant to our study." Absolutely relevant, but rocking the ship of fools boat. Sit down and shuddup! No more contracts for you, ingrates!
#1
Every time I read one of these stories on the EU,I get this mental image of couple hundred million European Gomer Pyles going "Suprise,suprise,suprise!"(Apologies to Bullgog,TGA,et al.)
Posted by: Stephen ||
11/27/2003 20:51 Comments ||
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#2
Eeewwww. Muslims. With Russian mayo. Mmmmm. - Homer
Oh, and so now we have a Stephen! Are you part of the Army of Steves, too? Wow, this IS getting skeery! ;-)
Since you spell yours with "ph" instead of "v", you must be a General. Please tell your underlings to back off, or I shall taunt them, uh, em, a third, yeah that's it, a third time!
#3
.com,
I am way too disorganised to be part of an army.
Since I never learned how to climb over the back of a hard-working subordinate,I'm not qualified to be a General.While I have had jobs where I had authority but no responsibility,I never learned the proper way to kiss a$$,so I am not an admiral either.I vote straight Republican,but wish the national leaders of the party remembered the Republican Party was created to fight slavery.I think the Republicans should attack corporate welfare as well as the nanny state.I wish the Rebublican Party would fight the nanny state and left elitism not from the Religious Right's ground,but on the basis of human dignity and individual freedom.My heart wishes R.E.Lee had won,but my head is glad he didn't.Once or twice a week,my dark side breaks out and I wish every lawyer and Islamic religious leader would drop dead.I don't know whether to be worried Europe is so weak and disorganized or glad that it is.
I do know I enjoy reading the posts and replies from everyone at Rantburg.THanks for your time.
Stephen
Posted by: Stephen ||
11/27/2003 22:44 Comments ||
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#4
Stephen
I suppose it is not news for you but Lee was for Union and against slavery. He fought for the Confederacy because when Virginia sided with her Lee found impossible to fight against his land and his child.
Norway is still planning to expel Mullah Krekar, the founder of the radical Muslim group Ansar al-Islam, to Iraq, the government said Tuesday, a day after refusing to extradite him to Jordan.
Good we can deport him from Iraq to Jordan...
Norway's justice ministry said Monday it had rejected Amman's request because there was insufficient evidence to prove allegations that Krekar smuggled heroin to fund terrorist activities. But Erna Solberg, the minister of local government and regional development who is also in charge of immigration issues, told Norwegian television TV2 on Tuesday that "the questions raised in this case (the extradition request) have never been part of the expulsion dossier."
"It's a paperwork thing. Came back in triplicate, and we need quadruplicate. And there was no stamp..."
Solberg stressed that Jordan's extradition request was handled by the justice ministry and had nothing to do with her own ministry's decision in February to expel Krekar on the grounds that he represented "a threat to national security". In an interview with AFP last week, Solberg said Krekar would be expelled to Iraq "as soon as conditions in that country permit". However, Krekar's lawyer said that following the rejection of Jordan's extradition request, and the fact that Norwegian police have previously dropped an investigation into allegations of terrorism, there "was no longer any basis for expulsion".
The potato was too hot for the Norwegian cops? I thought they were better than that. Or was it the pols? I know they're not...
US officials contend Ansar al-Islam has loose links to al-Qaeda.
I have loose links to Mom, too...
The group's stronghold in northern Iraq — a cluster of some 16 villages — was devastated by US air strikes in early April during the US invasion of Iraq. But US commanders have said Ansar al-Islam has made a strong comeback, infiltrating Iraq from Iran and setting up operations in the Baghdad area.
We're gonna have to talk to the Black Hats about that...
The group is suspected of being behind in a series of unsolved car bombings and suicide attacks in the Iraqi capital that have targeted the Jordanian embassy, the United Nations headquarters, a hotel used by Iraqi and US security forces and the Turkish mission. In an interview with AFP a month ago, Krekar said that it was very doubtful whether al-Qaeda had the means to carry out such attacks.
"In fact, it's doubtful they even exist. Just a figment of the infidel imagination, y'know?"
Krekar, who has enjoyed refugee status in Norway since 1991, says he has not led Ansar al-Islam since May 2002.
Since about the time he was jugged. And Zarqawi took over effective control.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
11/27/2003 10:57 ||
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Yeah. Booming Latvia. That'll send a message, by golly...
Police in Latvia have detained 10 Pakistani citizens, fearing they might have been preparing a terrorist attack targetting the visiting Israeli basketball team.
Ahhh... That's it. They weren't gonna boom Latvia, they were gonna boom some Jews...
"Bearing in mind the likelihood of a terror attack and illegal immigration, the Security Police informed the state border guard and the 10 Pakistanis were detained on Nov 21," Kristine Apse-Krumina, an aide to the chief of the Security Police said. She said authorities became suspicious after the 10 entered the Baltic state to participate in an international martial arts tournament, and only one took part. "We are carrying out tough controls on citizens from countries with a possible risk of terrorism," Apse-Krumina said.
That'd be Pakland...
"Ten citizens of Pakistan entered in Latvia on Nov 18 and said that they had arrived to participate in an international martial arts tournament of taekwondo last weekend. But only one of them took part in it," she said. She said scrutiny of the Pakistanis' airline tickets showed they were planning to leave Latvia aboard the same plane as the Israeli basketball players from a Tel Aviv club, due to play against Riga club Skonto on Wednesday.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
11/27/2003 01:35 ||
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#1
Well, the US has a beautiful (and inexpensive) Caribbean island holiday destination to which the Munich-rerun gang is enthusiastically invited - for (meticulous) testicular electrotherapy "debriefing".
Nice job Latvia - let's see more countries apply the same level of scrutiny.
It's not WoT, but it's stoopid...
The NTV channel has broken their contract with the LDPR party on participation in live televised debates within the framework of the Freedom of Speech programme, the channelâs press service reported on Wednesday. ''The decision was made by the channelâs directors in connection with the violation of the contract terms by LDPRâs chairman Vladimir Zhirinovsky who took part in the Freedom of Speech programme aired on November 21,'' the press service said.
"If you elect me, speech will no longer be free, but we'll keep it cheap."
In accordance with the contract, the participants of the televised debates must not allow any statements damaging the honour and dignity of the other candidates, political parties and factions as well as third parties. According to eyewitnesses, in the November 21 Zhirinovsky insulted the other participants and after it attempted to start a fistfight. The channelâs directors promised to return the LDPR the money paid for their participation in the televised debates.
"Here's your money back. Now get the hell out. Take 'Knuckles' with you."
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
11/27/2003 00:51 ||
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Three more suspects have been arrested in connection with the twin bombing attacks on British targets in Istanbul last week in which more than 30 people were killed and hundreds wounded. It was not immediately known what charges would be brought against the suspects detained on Wednesday, said defence lawyer Selahattin Karahan. The state security court freed 15 others who were being held in the probe. On Tuesday, nine people were charged with belonging to or aiding and abetting an illegal organisation in the investigation into the bombings at the British consulate and the Istanbul offices of London-based banking giant HSBC. Eight people have also been charged with involvement in the bombings of two Istanbul synagogues five days earlier. Officials said several more were in police custody.
It's those moustachios and truncheons. They'll pull in more, I'll betcha. Wonder if they'll be as thorough as Morocco seems to have been?
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
11/27/2003 00:11 ||
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via Winds of Change
"Canadian judges soon will be enforcing Islamic law, or Sharia, in disputes between Muslims, possibly paving the way to one day administering criminal sentences, such as stoning women caught in adultery. Muslims are required to submit to Sharia in Muslim societies but are excused in nations where they live as a minority under a non-Muslim government. Canada, however, is preparing for its 1 million-strong Muslim minority to be under the authority of a Sharia system enforced by the Canadian court system, according to the Canadian Law Times. Muslim delegates at a conference in Etobicoke, Ont., in October elected a 30-member council to establish the Islamic Institute of Civil Justice. The institute is classified in Islamic law as a Darul-Qada, or judicial tribunal. Its bylaws are scheduled to be drafted and approved by Dec. 31. Cases will be decided by a Muslim arbitrator, but the local secular Canadian court will be the enforcer." Donât know whether to laugh or cry! Luckily, 10th Mountain in only an hour drive to Ottawa
I'll go with uncontrolled weeping. Canada used to be a nice country. The next step's to enforce sharia in disputes between Muslims and anybody else, 'cuz we couldn't expect the Master Religion™ to adhere to any but its own laws.
Posted by: john ||
11/27/2003 10:09:11 AM ||
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#1
I'm starting to wonder just how long Canada can stay together. If she breaks apart I only hope it is a peaceful process
#2
Yeah, that's pretty crazy, allowing people to have the freedom to live with the (to us) unfair and strange rules that they have lived by for hundreds of years rather than them being forced to abide by our (to them) unfair and strange rules.
Neither one yet allows smoking dope, so as far as I'm concerned, well, that just sucks.
#4
Great weeping Jesus!! WTF is wrong with these people anyway, are they just plain STUPID???
Has Canada reached the point where its tolerance has become a terminal condition? Muslims don't want Sharia just for themselves; they want it for everybody. And unless they're deterred, they won't stop until they get it.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
11/27/2003 12:10 Comments ||
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#5
Hey John,
Watch is not Winds of Change. No biggie, but we are two distinct entities.
Keep up the good work!
#6
This is bullshit folks and I can't believe you guys are falling for it. You can't have your own country within a country!!!! Canada does have a constitution and bill of rights, you know. That's why a Canadian secular court judge will be there to enforce the Canadian laws, assuming this Sharia thing gets off the ground in the first place, and assuming this story is true. The Muslim community can do what it wants, but every Canadian citizen is protected by Canadian law. I'd like to see how they move around that.
BTW, I live in Etobicoke (which is a part of Toronto) and I haven't heard anything about this conference. Must've been held at a back of a Becker's somewhere.
Posted by: Rafael ||
11/27/2003 12:29 Comments ||
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#7
Searching Google and Yahoo, there is no 'Canadian Law Times'...so I figure this is totally bogus. Canadians may be this and that, but we would NEVER have anything to do with sharia...
Posted by: steve d. ||
11/27/2003 12:35 Comments ||
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#8
Sorry Marten. The Headline is my bad, I hope the link is correct.
Posted by: john ||
11/27/2003 13:30 Comments ||
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#9
Steve d. - The common people, no. Unfortunately, you have some clowns in your government that ARE this stupid, just as we do. I'd pay VERY close attention to anything the Canadian government of Jacques creep-inCretien did.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
11/27/2003 13:34 Comments ||
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#10
maybe this is a plan to get the US to take over Canada. Tell the muslims they can have Sharia and before the first burqa is on the streets of TO we see the 101st helicopter jumping in. ;)
Great way of getting rid of the Canadian debt.
Posted by: capt joe ||
11/27/2003 14:47 Comments ||
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#11
That's why a Canadian secular court judge will be there
I can't believe I even said this. This is so off the wall, nobody will consider this seriously.
Posted by: Rafael ||
11/27/2003 15:19 Comments ||
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#12
Next They will change the country's
name to "Al Canaida" :)
Posted by: The Dodo ||
11/27/2003 15:21 Comments ||
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#13
http://www.lawtimesnews.com/Main5.html This is the link to the Law Times Article, which is the source for the WND story.
#14
Found the link on WorldNet Daily - in their lead article. ALso found something like 83 links to Canadian Law Times, and a photo from the WND article, showing people during the discussion. I still think this is the stupidest thing any legitimate elected government could possibly do. Either all your citizens are equal under the law, or you're not really a citizen, or you're not a sovereign nation. I KNOW there's nothing in English common law to cover this! Someone in Ottawa has been hitting the sauce too often.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
11/27/2003 16:20 Comments ||
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#15
Found the link on WorldNet Daily - in their lead article. ALso found something like 83 links to Canadian Law Times, and a photo from the WND article, showing people during the discussion. I still think this is the stupidest thing any legitimate elected government could possibly do. Either all your citizens are equal under the law, or you're not really a citizen, or you're not a sovereign nation. I KNOW there's nothing in English common law to cover this! Someone in Ottawa has been hitting the sauce too often.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
11/27/2003 16:20 Comments ||
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#16
I like this quote from #13's link:
"We are required by our own law to follow the laws of the country and to follow our own laws. We have a double obligation. You don't have to be the wisest man to see there will be conflicts. . . ."
A two court system. Wonderful. I feel sorry for the Muslims who left their old country to escape the claws of Sharia, only to have it reach out grab them once again. At least they will have an alternative, but then again, can you be Muslim and at the same reject Sharia?
Posted by: Rafael ||
11/27/2003 16:52 Comments ||
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#17
[rant]
Assuming that this is bona fide and anyone, even a total-tard Gov't like Chretien's, is looney enough to create a Muslim Sharia Law bubble inside the Canadian Law...
Who will be able to argue against the flip-flop, a "Canadian" Law bubble within the Al Canada Sharia Law at some later point? Y'know... when they breed & immigrate the Canucks into the deep background. Of course, when that comes, they'll declare the old law un-Islamic - and pop that bubble - without a backward glance.
It's not like any jackoff with a plane ticket can't zoom to Canada and snarf up a passport on a whim. I knew 5 PakiWackis myself in SaoodiLand who had already done it - and they were giving pointers to others who didn't have a Canuck Passport in their collection, yet.
Phreakin' breakfast cereal promotion, "Come to Canada and get one of our new improved Passports -- now available in a wide range of styles & colors! Trade with your friends! Collect the whole set!"
"Hey Mahmoud, I'll trade you a Toronto Potemkin Univ transcript and a Quebecois Pate College degree for that nifty Purple (only word that rhymes with Maple Surple, y'know) Diplomatic issue!"
Mebbe they should contact the goddamned Cracker Jack Co. and have their passports put inside the large box, alongside the Handy-Dandy Halliburton Secret Decoder Ring, as a prize. Nahhh, on second thought, that might devalue the Cracker Jacks.
I only knew one, ONE, no-shit Canadian "citizen" in Saudi Arabia working for Aramco who was a native Canadian. The guy had maple syrup in his veins. All the rest? Laban -- that's yogurt for all you infidels.
Sheesh. Will the cowardly gutless rampant asinine moronic twit-brained dipshit stupidity of bending over to put a lip-lock on every Muslim ass in sight never cease? Since when did you guys acquire this fetish, anyway? Is all this snugglin up cuz you're cold? Sheesh - we'll send you blankets, already! Electric, battery-powered, phreakin' moon-blankets - whatever ya want! No charge - we'll even cover the shipping for crying out loud!
Heavy Sigh.
Pentagon Planners: Time to dust off the "Operation Boomin' Bacon!", "Real Northern Lights!" and "Let's see what's under all that phreakin' snow!" sets.
F**king Duh, Canada. Grab a clue.
[/rant]
So, how's that Friendship Fence coming along? Is it DONE yet?
#18
There have been numerous comments on this topic at Little Green Footballs so I suggest you check there rather than duplicating what has already been said. Essentially this article is bullshit and has not been reported anywhere in Canada by any news organization
Posted by: John B ||
11/27/2003 19:20 Comments ||
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#19
John B - That is excellent news!!!
So, how's that Friendship Fence coming along? Is it DONE yet?
#20
Think about the Islamist strategy. It is unlikely for Canada to implement the Sharia laws which the fucking Islamist brains know it. Unfortunately, just a discussion about it in the Canadian court system is good enough to draw American anger towards Canada. The friendly US-Canada relationship is the target.
Sk
Posted by: SK ||
11/28/2003 18:04 Comments ||
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Comes as a surprise, huh? I know. Floored me, too...
A grenade exploded at a crowded market in the summer capital of Indian-held Kashmir, killing one shopkeeper, while security forces shot dead 10 suspected militants in gunbattles Thursday elsewhere in the Himalayan region.
"Mukkerjee... Those turbans..."
"The ones with the automatic weapons and explosives, sir?"
"Yes. Those. I suspect they were militants!"
The violence came a day after a cease-fire between Indian and Pakistani soldiers went into effect along their border. India had said, however, that despite the accord it would continue to hunt down suspected militants crossing into Indian Kashmir from Pakistani territory.
Unless they're shot in front cannons, of course...
Suspected hard boyz militants hurled a grenade at a security checkpoint at Lal Chowk, Srinagarâs commercial hub, but it missed its target and hit a shop, killing its owner and wounding nine passers-by, senior police officer Javed Ahmed said.
"Mahmoud, you missed the cops and blew up the shop owner!"
"Sorry, boss."
"You always miss the cops and blow up somebody else!"
"Cheeze, boss! I only got the one eye!"
"Well, put your patch over the one that's missing!"
The condition of two of the wounded was serious, he said. No one claimed responsibility for the attack, which police blamed on separatist rebels fighting for Kashmirâs independence, or merger, with Pakistan.
And, Mukkerjee?"
"Yes, sir?"
"Those militants... I suspect they may have been separatist rebels, working for Kashmir's independence or merger with Pakistan."
"Brilliant, sir. Brilliant."
Earlier Thursday, four suspected snuffies rebels were killed in a pre-dawn gunbattle in Nowgam, a frontier village 60 miles north of Srinagar. In a nearby town, Hundwara, a police officer was also shot to death by unidentified gunnies gunmen, Ahmed said. Separately, four militants were killed after a gunfight broke out when a joint patrol of police and Indian army spotted a group of guerrillas in a remote mountainous area of Udhampur district, said a police officer. Also, paramilitary soldiers from the Border Security Force shot dead two suspected krazed killers militants near the Ghat area of Doda district, about 100 miles northeast of Jammu. One soldier was also wounded.
Just another day in the charnel house...
The gunfights came a day after a cease-fire between the armies of India and Pakistan both of which claim the Himalayan Kashmir region in its entirety went into effect. The 700-mile Line of Control, which divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan, remained calm, however.
Posted by: TS ||
11/27/2003 10:19:54 AM ||
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#1
"Cheeze, boss! I only got the one eye!"
"Well, put your patch over the one that's missing!"
This induced a prolonged giggle-fit at my end. LOL!
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/27/2003 21:30 Comments ||
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#2
"Well, put your patch over the one that's missing!"
Excerpt from "The Wit and Wisdom (and pithy sayings) of Mullah Omar"
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/27/2003 22:29 Comments ||
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An Indian court sentenced 12 people to life imprisonment on Tuesday for the massacre of Muslims in Gujarat last year. The 12 have been charged with the murder of 14 villagers hiding in a field in the village of Ghodasar during a wave of killings. Judge C.K. Rana of the Nadiad district court also sentenced three people to two years in prison for the Ghodasar killings. In June, a court acquitted 20 Hindus, charged with killing 12 people in a bakery, for lack of evidence. Gujarat's Hindu nationalist-ruled government, faced with withering criticism from the country's highest court, has said it will seek a fresh trial for the 20 acquitted men.
The turban and automatic weapons set has been harping on the carnage of the Gujarat riots since they started. This won't shut them up. But the sentences aren't slaps on the wrist.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
11/27/2003 01:37 ||
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Anybody else see this one coming?
India and Pakistan began a ceasefire yesterday along their frontier in the disputed Kashmir region, as the main rebel group fighting Indian rule warned that its guerillas would not be bound by the "cosmetic" truce. The new move to calm ties between the long-time foes, launched as Muslims on both sides celebrated their most important festival, Eid Al Fitr, appeared to be at least initially successful with both sides saying the ceasefire was holding. But analysts cautioned against reading too much into the agreement, noting that fighting usually slows during winter, while one of the main Islamic groups fighting in Kashmir said it would continue attacks in the Indian part of the territory.
I wonder which one that could be?
In Muzaffarabad, the main city of Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, a spokesman for the rebel Hizbul Mujahideen said his forces would continue fighting Indian rule on the other side of the de-facto border, regardless of the ceasefire between the rival armies. "The ceasefire is by the two armies and not by the Mujahideen," said the rebel spokesman, Salim Hashmi.
Ooooh! Dangit! I expected Hafiz Saeed to be the first one out of the box...
"The situation inside the (Indian-) occupied territory is tense and there the struggle will continue with full force," he said.
"And we're gonna make it tenser!"
The world has welcomed news of the formal ceasefire between the two nuclear-armed nations whose forces have shelled and shot at each other for years across the de-facto border, known as the Line of Control. And officials on both sides of the dispute confirmed it was holding. "We havenât fired a single bullet, nor has there been any report that India has fired," said a Pakistani officer commanding the Chakothi sector, south of Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistani Kashmir. In Srinagar, thousands of residents swarmed mosques to offer prayers and many said it was the most peaceful Eid they had seen in years. Analysts say the ceasefire will help improve the atmosphere ahead of an expected visit to Islamabad by Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee for a regional summit in early January. Indiaâs Defence Minister George Fernandes expressed hope the ceasefire would help the countries resolve their differences. "There is reason to believe that this could take us to a point where we can find some solutions which have plagued us for some time," he told state-run Doordarshan television. But Fernandes said security forces would continue cracking down on militants in Indian Kashmir. "As far as terrorist activities of the militants are concerned, there isnât a ceasefire," he said.
At least the feeling's mutual...
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
11/27/2003 12:32:57 AM ||
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#1
Dangit! I expected Hafiz Saeed to be the first one out of the box...
I was rather hoping Hafiz Saeed would be the first one in the box.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/27/2003 1:25 Comments ||
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#2
Steve, I was thinking more along the lines of a black garbage bag, rather than a box.
Posted by: Charles ||
11/27/2003 3:02 Comments ||
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#3
3 I'd hope for a gallon-size ziploc, myself.
Note to self: Encourage the US Government to speed up the delivery of trash compactors to Pakistan.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
11/27/2003 16:24 Comments ||
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The governmentâs recent ban on three more Islamist outfits, including Hizb ut-Tahrir, seems to have vindicated analysts who were warning against their approach for sometime now, the most interesting case being that of HuT which advocates khilafa (Caliphate) as the only acceptable system for the Muslim states. Sources say Islamabad was receiving multiple reports from intelligence agencies on the activities of HuT. Although officials concede the group remained non-violent, most estimates declared it dangerous for being aggressive and for creating an atmosphere in which other extremist groups could operate with impunity. The reports mentioned the HuT with particular reference because of the vocal statements issued by its otherwise non-violent leadership.
The leadership remains "non-violent," but members are funnelled into jihadi organizations. See Hafiz Saeed's comments on the desirability of khilafah, below...
The other two outfits, Jamiat-ul-Ansar and Jamaat-ul-Furqan, were reincarnated versions of the already banned outfits. Furqan had been formed by the breakaway group of Jaish-e-Mohammad spearheaded by 12 of its commanders. Jaish leader Masood Azhar had expelled 12 commanders, prominent among them Abdullah Shah Mazhar and Abdul Jabbar. The second banned group is Jamiat-ul-Ansar. The JuA was the reincarnated version of the biggest Deobandi militant group, Harkat-ul Mujahideen (HM). The HM had been declared a Foreign Terrorist Organisation by the US State Department in 1998 and was subsequently banned by Pakistan in November 2001. The JuA also comprised a breakaway faction of another jihadi group Harkat-ul Jihad-e-Islami (HJI). Earlier reports suggested that there was some pressure initially on HM to merge with Jamiat-ul Mujahideen, yet another jihadi group. Split, merge, split, merge
The plan could not be succeed because of resistance within HM. The dissent led to a group breaking away from HM and calling itself Harkat-ul Mujahideen Al Aalmi (HMA). HMA is the group responsible for the suicide bombings in Karachi and also two abortive attempts on the life of General Pervez Musharraf. Almost half of its activists and its top leader are presently under arrest. It also has âsome hidden working relationshipâ with the banned Deobandi-sectarian terrorist organisation, Lashkar-e Jhangvi. The HM, instead of merging with JM, decided to reincarnate itself as JuA. It suffered shocks when it was banned in November 2001 and then some of its activists and leaders broke away to form the HMA. Later, it reorganised itself under a new name. The organisation had links, like other groups, with Taliban remnants and Al Qaeda activists. The new organisation came into existence after six-month long negotiations between HM and the breakaway faction of HJI. The leaders of HJI who joined the JuA were Maulana Abdul Samad Sial (patron), Commander Ilyas Kashmiri (commander-in-chief), Doctor Badar Niazi and others. The HM had also approached the Jaish leadership for forming a common group but Masood Azhar shot down the proposal. I believe there might be an ethnic component here, with Masood Azhar and his followers being mostly Punjabis, while the Harkat being mostly Pashtuns.
The Hizbul Tahrir cannot strictly be bracketed with these militant groups. It has been working in Pakistan for years but has remained low key unlike its counterparts in Central Asia and Russia where the party has been portrayed as a deadly terrorist organisation. However, its activists have shown a tendency to be aggressive in presenting their viewpoint. Hizbul Tahrir â or âFreedom Partyâ â has its roots in the Middle East of the 1950s. Its original members were mainly Palestinians from Jordan and Syria, the movement quickly found followers in Egypt and North Africa as well. It first appeared in Central Asia in the early 1990s. Experts say its penetration of the region is unclear, and its organisation â based on networks comprising three-person âcellsâ with only limited contact among one other â make it difficult to estimate its size.
Secret societies aren't comfortable things to have around, even in democratic states. In dictatorships and oligarchies they're anathema...
HuT claims to have upwards of 100,000 members in the area. In Pakistan, HuT appeared on first Ramazan three years ago. Its leadership blasted the government during the US campaign in Afghanistan when on September 24 Naveed Butt issued a statement expressing fear that by allowing the US to use Pakistani bases against Afghanistan, the Pakistan army would be divided. In October, HuT became more open and staged demonstrations in Punjab to protest against the US bombing of Afghanistan. Before that they criticised General Pervez Musharraf for his India visit and rejected any solution of Kashmir by negotiating with the Indians.
That's 'cuz the Indians are ucky infidels. They'll be banned under the caliphate, of course...
The HuT leadership continued to hold press conferences at various cities in which they criticised Pakistanâs decision to join the international coalition against terrorism before they adopted for an intriguing silence till July this year when three of its office-bearers, Naveed Butt, Taimur Khalid and Mohammad Saleem were arrested in Lahore outside a hotel where they had gone to address a press conference. The three men were distributing pamphlets before speaking at the press conference when they were approached by six plainclothesmen who arrested them. These leaders were released in early November when Butt reached Karachi to announce the struggle towards the Khilafat movement in Pakistan. After the latest ban, the HuT leadership, like those of the reincarnated groups, has gone into hiding. Most of the Pakistani Hezb members are actually British Muslims who have gone back to their parentâs homeland.
Posted by: Paul Moloney ||
11/27/2003 12:02:44 AM ||
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âMullaiyatâ in Pakistan
Daily Jang magazine conducted a survey on mullaiyat (clergy power) in Pakistan. Readers variously said that the clergy power was encouraged by America but now America was protesting. That democracy was overturned by the army and the clergy was not considered worthy by the people who did not vote for them. That people were opting for the clergy power because the politicians had betrayed them and the West was hunting down the Muslims. That the clergy power was the real power and democracy was a Western import that will not work.
Another Tablighi gathering in Sheikhupura
According to Nawa-e-Waqt a mammoth congregation on the pattern of Raiwind was organised by Tablighi Jamaat during which the food was plentiful and hundreds of thousands of votaries including foreign guests cried profusely when listening to the speakers reminding them of their sins and neglect of obligations under Islam.
Hafiz Saeed declares war
Quoted by Nawa-e-Waqt, leader of banned Lashkar-e-Tayba and head of the new Jamaat Dawa said at a mammoth gathering at his Markaz Yarmuk at Pattoki (18 Oct) that the generals of Pakistan should not abandon jihad if they wanted to confront the conspiracies against Islam and Pakistan. He said if the mujahideen went on fighting they would be given khilafat and government. He said it was wrong and against the teachings of the Quran to exchange cultural and trade delegations between Pakistan and India. He said it was his duty to get the jugular of Pakistan (Kashmir) freed from the claw of India. He said he would not allow the Ayodhiya temple to the built on Babri mosque in India. Hameed Gul said the enemy would be fought not with technology but with passion for war. Hafiz Saeed said that military uniform could be torn apart and the chair of domination could be broken.
Sipah Sahaba warns Qazi
According to Khabrain, Muhammad Ahmad Ludhianvi of defunct Sipah Sahaba told audiences in Hasalpur that the government had failed to catch the accused in the murder of the party chief Azam Tariq and it should remember that the party will go on agitating as long as the killers were not caught. He said Qazi Hussain Ahmad of Jamaat Islami should not become an SHO and remain within limits. He said why had not the government put the Shia leader Sajid Naqvi in the dock for the murder of Azam Tariq? (Naqvi has since been arrested.)
Posted by: Paul Moloney ||
11/27/2003 12:02:06 AM ||
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#1
This is totally freaky. These people are thinking like 1200 BC. Like Mnn had a brain fart.
#1
Update: Now they are saying that the President had a Thanksgiving dinner with Troops, Bremer, CPA, and (possibly) GC Members (those who aren't traveling the globe, I guess), today.
CNN reports that he spent a few hours there and is now already back in the US.
A few reporters, sworn to secrecy, accompanied him on the trip - so there will be a formal report out soon. Who cares??!!
#2
I'm with RM - great move! Troops in theater will love it and it diminishes the "quagmire!" stories for the holidays...oh, and "Hillary!" who?
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/27/2003 12:48 Comments ||
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#3
This is fantastic, and absolutely appropriate. I have been thinking about this very thing in the last week -- that it would be good if Bush and his nat. sec. cabinet spent every major holiday with the troops overseas. Let's have more of this, from Bush and other senior officials.
"We did not charge hundreds of miles into the heart of Iraq, pay a bitter cost of casualties, defeat a ruthless dictator and liberate 25 million people only to retreat before a band of thugs and assassins," the president said, prompting a standing ovation and cheers.
#8
WaPo and others all issuing same text, it appears, so it's a pool report.
Funny thing to me is watching CNN bringing in everyone they have on staff looking for something negative to say about it - really digging. No joy. All seem to agree this will be seen positively by all except the LLL. Barely a mention of how the Troops might feel about it, of course.
BBC was, on first report, truly stunned - and impressed. The guy's eyes and voice betrayed him. They are still talking about the DHL plane and how remarkable the risk was and how much Bush must've felt he needed to come. I'm sure that will be fixed when the Editorial Staff gets their hands on it and figure out how to spin it. Probably say it was a "desperate" move...
They'll ALSO probably say it demonstrates Bush is a cowboy. They will CONTINUE to think that's a slur. Heh, heh.
Posted by: Matt ||
11/27/2003 13:22 Comments ||
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#10
GW, like us all, has his foibles and his strengths. There is alot more that we would like him and the Republicans to do for the betterment of this nation, but bottom line:
Our President has that sense of total commitment where it counts, and he appreciates the efforts and sacrifices that our armed forces make for the safety of the nation. I am sure that the troops over there appreciated the great gesture that our President made to them in Baghdad.
I am thoroughly proud of this country and our President. We have much to be thankful for this day.
And BTW, happy thanksgiving, everyone! It is about 0F this morning in the mountains north of Anchorage, Alaska, but it is an absolutely beautiful day.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
11/27/2003 13:26 Comments ||
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#11
So much for Hillary getting the headlines for visiting troops in Afghanistan. :)
Posted by: Charles ||
11/27/2003 13:51 Comments ||
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#12
Eleanor Clift is on FoxNews right now...
Well, if you'd had the sound on, you'd have heard something like this:
Fox News Guy: So, Eleanor, do you think the Democrats will dismiss this as a cheap PR stunt?
Clift: Oh, no, I haven't heard anything like that.
FNG: Betcha five bucks they will.
Clift: Betcha five bucks there's an RNC cameraman on the plane.
FNG: You're on.
That's easy money for FNG; "PR stunt" was the first thing my boyfriend said when I told him about it.
FNG said he "tingled" when the Prez stepped out onto the stage. Too much information, dude.
#15
I can't believe i was such an idiot to have ever hated this guy back in 2000. He's absolutely won my confidence and respect. This is just so damn cool.
Posted by: joe ||
11/27/2003 15:16 Comments ||
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#16
"I can't believe i was such an idiot to have ever hated this guy back in 2000"
This was the risk the Dems have running with their overblown "Bush is stupid/evil" propaganda: that people would eventually see for themselves that he is neither- and react with distaste at the BS that they were being fed.
Bush is a decent man, a good leader, and a statesman of rather more vision than we've had in quite awhile. I have my issues with George W. Bush; but his performance in directing the WoT is definitely NOT one of them.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
11/27/2003 15:40 Comments ||
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#17
This was a "bet the farm" move. In addition to risking his own life, President Bush was taking the risk of some Saddamite getting off a golden BB that would have handed a tremendous propaganda coup to our enemies The message to the troops was: I know you're not gonna let that happen. The message to our enemies was: Is that all you got?
Posted by: Matt ||
11/27/2003 15:53 Comments ||
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#18
After I heard about this trip, I couldn't stop laughing about how livid Hillary must be for her trip to be out of the top news! And just seeing the difference in how her and GW were received by the troops was great! Those guys in Iraq know a great leader and showed they appreciate him. Some of those troops in Afghanistan with Hillary looked like they would have rather be somewhere else. It'll be interesting to see how the broadcast stations play this tonight. I'm sure it'll be something along the line of "too dangerous a PR stunt!"
Posted by: AF Lady ||
11/27/2003 16:58 Comments ||
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#19
This is a strong move by Bush. However, he is not a great leader. You can't deny the growing anti US sentiment all over the world. The best and brightest are over there dying for oil. I love this contry. I am happy and proud to see Bush standing behind his decisions but you can't deny the fact he invaded a soverign nation based on false evidence. Is this the behaviour of a great leader? Yes Iraq was a threat that needed to be removed but he should have waited for UN support. Glad to see that his advisors had the sense to kick his ass into gear and visit the mess he's made.
When I heard of Hillary goinf to Afghanistan for thanksgiving I couldn't but think that in French a particualrly stupid woman is called "une dinde" ie a she-turkey.
#21
Anonymous - How, uh, touching, sniff, sniff. You sound like you're well informed and so Diane Sawyerish in how much you so deeply... pfeh.
You and your ilk of misinformed disinformed willfully ignorant dupes don't deserve it, but here's something for you to ponder as deeply as you presume to feel:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/war/wmdquotes.asp
And that's just one of many summaries rounding up all the little bits, doing all the work for you cuz you're a lazy sucker, that make you and yours total tools of NaziMedia Moonbats for not paying attention -- or digging for yourselves.
Now get informed and / or get stuffed. It's Thanksgiving, after all.
#22
"NaziMedia Moonbats"...right. All the quotes you so abtly supplied at the behest of my ignorance cleary indicate that force would be necessary had Saddam posed a tangable nuclear threat. Unless you can prove otherwise I believe that claim has now proven to be false. Had Bush listened to the UN weapons inspectors and studied their exhaustive efforts he would have been able to draw that conclusion for himself. Who's being duped? Not me.
#23
I spent 26 years looking at hotspots all over the world, from Vietnam to China, to Russia, to the Afghan war, to the Iran/Iraq war to the Falklands to Panama to... well, you get the point. Wherever there was something that affected the United States and put American lives at risk, I and my fellow mushrooms kept track of it.
I 'saw' Iraq's chemical warfare, both in the production stages and in two instances, when it was used. I was one of many that kept track of the research, testing, production, and in some instances, deployment and use, of chemical, biological and conventional weapons. We also watched the Iraqi nuclear weapons program. Seeing that hole in the roof of the containment building of the Osirak I nuclear "research" facility made me feel just a tad bit safer.
Bush knew what he was doing. His opposition, both here and elsewhere, also know there were plenty of reasons for the United States to take Hussein out of the picture. This president isn't quite as "open" and forthcoming with hastily-declassified material as the previous administration, so you don't see the truth splattered all over everywhere. There are still plenty of things we are finding that vindicate our President and his "rush" to end Saddam's rule. Just because it's not waved in everyone's face doesn't mean it doesn't exist.
I've been disappointed in Bush's domestic programs, the lack of fiscal restraint, and the poor support for his Judicial nominees. His handling of foreign policy, however, and his courage in defending this country from a truly WORLDWIDE threat put him in rare company - well worth being considered one of the top ten presidents we've ever had.
I have a signature statement on my email that goes "If you can, lead. If you cannot, or will not lead be careful whom you follow, for you will be judged by their words and deeds." I would much rather be judged by the words and deeds of George Bush than any of the Democratic political beasts, with the possible exception of Zell Miller.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
11/27/2003 19:00 Comments ||
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#24
If anyone has doubts about us going into Iraq just take a look at the pictures of the mass graves. For me, that was enough of a reason.
Posted by: AF Lady ||
11/27/2003 19:26 Comments ||
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#25
Anonymous - Okay so you're brighter than the entire US Congress - and most of the Donk Prez Candidate field. You can decide if that's saying a lot or a little.
All intelligence is fallible - and this intel was true at one time. Saddam's actions were illogical, based upon what we now know. Regardless, Dubya acted on the best intel he had - intel accepted as fact across the board - and if he had been given good intel, and stopped a nuke program, you would probably still feel the same as you do now, I think - given your choice of words from your #25 post.
But you are brighter. Perhaps infallible. Certainly unforgiving of error. Apparently unapologetic for opposing lives saved. It's your principles, right? Good for you. You're too bright and principled and righteous for me - I bow to your omniscience. In fact, from your post, you're so bright I'll bet you have to wear shades to check yourself out in the mirror.
Where shall I start (and finish)?
Is it that you're so attached to multilateralism and imagined legalities (as if the UN is actually the repository of legitimacy & morality) that you wish Saddam & Sons were still running Iraq?
Is it that you're so attached to the UN (as if its mechanics haven't been sabotaged by gutless self-serving cretins using it in a craven attempt to save themselves from history's wastebin) that you actually believe Blix, Elbarradai & Co are good at what they do? Uh, what about Iran? And I do believe that NorK managed it's little coup right under their noses, no?
Are you so attached to your willful ignorance that you believe someone else has done a better job of handling the global threats posed by the WoT - say, uh, Prez Clinton? A sterling record, yes, indeed. Or Chirac? Or Shroeder? Or Annan? Just what value does a UNSC resolution have? Is it enforcable without the teeth of the US? Have you forgotten the timeline? It wasn't until the US military buildup in the Gulf had reached very substantial levels that Saddam even allowed the UN Inspectors back in. Fact.
The fact is, Anonymous, Geo43 will probably be the person who saves your ass... whether you are American, or not. If left to your (apparently) favored institutions, your future would be diminishing in value even as we speak blog, as Fred astutely pointed out earlier today.
You can attach to anything you like, believe what you like, and say what you like, but it is clear to me that you either have your NaziMedia bag of tripe handy and have gone "over the horizon to LLLLand" -- or you're just too lazy to go find out for yourself... with the exception of visiting Rantburg, of course.
With certainty, I am finished with you - I've already raised my child - so you'll have to go bother someone else. There are many things I want to read, today. So run along. Enjoy your visit.
#28
to #22 Anon, who wrote: Yes Iraq was a threat that needed to be removed but he should have waited for UN support.
A rhetorical question: what if that support was never going to be given regardless of the compromises GWB might make? What then to do about Saddam?
I await your answer.
[crickets chirping]
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/27/2003 21:44 Comments ||
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#29
For the fools who keep insisting we need "U.N. support" in Iraq I have two words: Rwanda and Srebrenica. The thousands of dead from those atrocities bear mute witness to the ineptitude of the U.N.
#31
They'll ALSO probably say it demonstrates Bush is a cowboy.
Hmmm, maybe George has decided it's time to play "Cowboys and Imams". You KNOW who's going to come up on the short end of THAT stick!
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
11/27/2003 23:26 Comments ||
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#32
#32
don't forget Cambodia (2 M dead) Another UN fiasco.
Posted by: capt joe ||
11/28/2003 0:12 Comments ||
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#33
Republicans what a bunch of ego driven, no brained wankers.
Follow-up and EFL
The Italian mission in Baghdad was hit and damaged by a rocket or mortar strike late Wednesday, but there were no injuries, a Foreign Ministry official said in Rome. State-run RAI television said only a few people were in the building at the time of the blast, which targeted the second floor. The head of the mission, Gianludovico de Martino di Montegiordano, wasnât inside at the time, RAI reported.
Now, 'atsa name!
A U.S. military spokesman confirmed that a rocket-propelled grenade attack against the Italian mission took place at around 11 p.m. local time. ``We have no reports of casualties,ââ said military spokesman Sgt. Danny Martin. An Italian Foreign Ministry official, speaking in Rome on condition of anonymity, said the offices that were targeted were empty at the time of the blast, which occurred at about 11:30 p.m. local time. ``We can rule out that any people were injured,ââ the official said. Thank goodness.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/27/2003 1:34:16 AM ||
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A security guard was killed after two assailants opened fire at the new Jordanian embassy in Baghdad early on Thursday morning. This is the second strike against the Jordanian Embassy. Twenty people were killed by a car bomb last August at their former location was hit by a car bomb in August.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
11/27/2003 01:20 ||
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Mosul lawyers have gone on a general strike to protest the Coalition's arrest of Ballawi Yaseen, a senior representative of the Lawyers Union, on charges of bribery and corruption.
"I mean, we're lawyers, after all..."
The rest comes just a month after a slew of judges were fired on similar charges, causing dramatic disruptions in Mosul's judiciary. Lawyers marched to the governorate building to protest the humiliation of Iraq's legal institutions.
Being an infidel and all, I'd have thought the humiliation of Iraq's legal institutions lay with the bribery and corruption, not with rooting them out. Silly me.
When they arrived to governorate building in the center of town, Raad Barhawi, a member of the local town council worked to calm tempers mentioning, highlighting the authority of the Coalition and warning of the possibility of having agitators slip through and turn the demonstration violent, injuring the reputation of the Iraqi judiciary. But Mr. Barhawi encourages lawyers to carry on their strike until Ballawi is released. The strike is expected to delay court proceedings and cause further disruptions.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
11/27/2003 01:19 ||
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#1
Hell, he's a lawyer - hang him! They're immune to punishment, inured to flattery, and totally insane in believing they're the highest form of life on the planet (when the exact opposite is true). Best way to deal with them is to let them - and their associates - know that they can end up wearing a rope necktie just like anybody else, especially if even HALF the charges are true.
The creation of a truly just legal society requires that all citizens be treated equal - that includes lawyers and judges. If they do the crime, they do the time - only it should be harsher for those responsible for promoting the rule of law that violate it.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
11/27/2003 14:22 Comments ||
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Three separatist rebels including a senior leader have surrendered to the army in the Indonesian province of Aceh, the military said on Thursday. Troops also shot dead three guerrillas and captured five, said provincial military spokesman Ahmad Yani Basuki. He said Ibrahim Syafei, the Free Aceh Movement's 'governor' for the western district of Meulaboh, gave himself up in Meulaboh on Wednesday and is being well treated.
"Mahmoud, he's an important man. Use the good truncheon."
Basuki said the surrender was arranged after Syafei contacted the authorities through public figures in his home village of Blang Balee. Two other guerrillas surrendered at Leupung in Aceh Besar district on Wednesday. Basuki said troops shot dead three rebels in separate locations in Aceh Besar on Wednesday while soldiers captured five rebels in Aceh Besar and North Aceh the same day. Suspected rebels shot dead a civilian at Mane in Pidie district.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
11/27/2003 10:48 ||
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A bombing and shooting heightened tensions in Indonesiaâs religiously-divided Poso district during the Eid al-Fitr Islamic holiday but no one was hurt.
"Happy Eid! Eat hot lead, infidels!"
Hundreds of police reinforcements were last week sent to the district in Central Sulawesi — the scene of bloody Muslim-Christian battles earlier this decade — after recent attacks on Christians. A bomb exploded in a field in the Gebang Rejo residential area of Poso town on Tuesday but there were no casualties or damage, said an officer on duty at Poso district police. Another device found nearby was defused by a police bomb squad. A volley of shots was fired Tuesday in the townâs Lawanga district but no one was hurt. Several panicking villagers took shelter at a local television relay station until police arrived. Poso police chief Abdi Darma, quoted by the Jakarta Post, said the attacks were only meant to spread fear among people. "The situation has now returned to normal and I expect people not to be provoked by the two incidents," Darma said.
The situation's returned to normal now that the fear's been spreak?
Up to 1,000 people were killed in Muslim-Christian battles which broke out in the Poso district in 2000. The government brokered a peace deal in December 2001 but sporadic bloodshed continues. Earlier this month unidentified turbans gunmen killed an elderly church official and his driver in the district. An angry mob of 300 Muslims also beat to death a 23 year-old Christian man. They were protesting at the fatal shooting by police of a suspect in attacks last month which killed 10 Christians in the province. The al Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah terror group was behind the attacks last month, according to a top security official.
Posted by: TS ||
11/27/2003 10:08:35 AM ||
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Jews Need Not Apply to Fight Terror
By Paul Sperry
FrontPageMagazine.com | November 26, 2003
A few weeks after Islamic terrorists toppled the World Trade Center, two FBI agents from the New York field office paid a visit to a Sephardic Jewish community center in Brooklyn. Their mission: recruit Arabic linguists to help interpret interviews and intercepts of Osama bin Ladenâs network.
Sephardic Jews have lived in Arab countries and know the language, not to mention the culture and history of the region. And being close to Israel, the main target of Islamic terrorism, they were gung-ho to help the feds fight the war on terrorism here.
It was a good move, or so most involved thought at the time -- and long overdue.
Federal investigators had missed clues to both the 2001 and 1993 World Trade Center attacks not because they didnât have them, but because they didnât know what they had until it was too late. They were buried in a backlog of untranslated wiretaps and documents in Arabic.
A chronic shortage of Arabic-speaking translators had resulted in an accumulation of thousands of hours of untranslated audiotapes and written material stored in FBI lockers.
The FBIâs New York field office, at least, knew such delays were no longer acceptable after the 9-11 attack. The bureauâs translators were the key to preventing another homeland strike, but they had to convert Arabic chatter to English faster. That meant hiring a lot more translators as quickly as possible.
So in October 2001, while rescue workers were still pulling remains from Ground Zero, two agents from the FBIâs offices located nearby reached out to local Arabic-speaking Jews to do just that. Agents Carol Motyka and Marsha Parrish met with an official at the Sephardic Bikur Holim, a Jewish social-services agency in Brooklyn.
At the meeting, Yola Haber, who heads the agencyâs employment division, says she agreed to help recruit Arabic-speaking Jews for the bureau. Most of them applied on-line for the translator jobs. All told, she says she referred some 90 applicants, possibly more, to the FBI. They included retired linguists who had experience working for Israeli radio in Arabic and for the Israeli army.
Remarkably, not one of them was hired.
"We sent them a lot of people, and nobody made it to the finish line," complained Sephardic Bikur Holim director Doug Balin. "Not one person was found eligible for these jobs, which is outrageous."
Instead, the FBI hired dozens of Arab-American Muslims as translators.
The double standard doesnât sit well with Jewish leaders, who note that Muslim translators hired by the Pentagon to assist in al-Qaida interrogations are under investigation for espionage. And there have been reports of loyalty issues involving Muslim translators at the FBI.
Prominent Jewish members of Congress are demanding answers.
House Democratic Whip Anthony Weiner of New York has asked FBI Director Robert Mueller to explain, on a case-by-case basis, the reasons for rejecting the Jewish applicants.
"In an attempt to understand why it is that none of the applicants brought to the bureau by Sephardic Bikur Holim were approved for employment, and to ensure that no bias or discrimination exists within the bureau, I request that you provide us with an explanation," Weiner said in a Nov. 13 letter to Mueller, co-signed by Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J. Weiner is also a House Judiciary Committee member.
At the same time, Jewish leaders in New York have sent House Government Reform Committee investigators a long list of Sephardic Jews who speak fluent Arabic in an effort to compel the FBI to reconsider Jews for the desperately needed translator jobs.
One leader said that the chief of the FBIâs language section, Margaret Gullota, recently reached out to leaders in the Sephardic community and privately assured them she would reconsider Jewish applicants. A spokeswoman for Gullota did not return phone calls. Gullota has told congressional leaders that the FBI has done a good job of recruiting Arabic-speaking translators after 9-11.
On the record, the FBI explains that the qualification process is rigorous, involving a battery of language proficiency tests, a polygraph exam and a 10-year scope background investigation -- all handled through headquarters in Washington. The Jewish applicants from New York just didnât make the cut, officials say.
Off the record, however, the bureau says there were loyalty concerns. Many of the applicants are dual citizens, and were rejected after failing to renounce their Israeli citizenship. The Jonathan Pollard spy case has heightened security fears. Translators require Top Secret clearance.
But Caroline Glick, deputy managing editor of the Jerusalem Post, is mystified.
"There is no reason to worry about the so-called dual loyalties of Sephardic American Jews," she argued in a recent article, "These loyalties are not in conflict. They are identical."
Others familiar with the FBIâs foreign language program say the reason the FBI snubbed the Jewish
applicants has more to do with politics than security. They say headquarters didnât want to offend Muslim translators, who would have to work alongside Jews.
"Thereâs already tension between the Hebrew and Arabic desks," an FBI source said. "If they hired Arab Jews to translate Arabic, there would be bloodshed. Arabs would never accept it."
Glick notes that Mueller has pandered to Muslim groups, even ones that support Hamas and other
terrorist groups. Heâs also mandated Muslim-sensitivity training for agents.
"In people such as the Sephardic Arabic speakers whose applications were apparently rejected by the FBI, the U.S. has a valuable store of capital for its war on terror," Glick said. "Better it be used than squandered for the sake of pandering to radical Arab groups."
Shelomo Alfassa, vice president of the Foundation for the Advancement of Sephardic Studies and Culture in New York, agrees.
"Imagine if during the war against Hitler, Franklin D. Roosevelt felt that having Jews fight the Nazis might upset the everyday German?" he said.
Mr. Sperry, formerly of Investorâs Business Daily, is Washington bureau chief for WorldNetDaily.com.
Posted by: Jim M. ||
11/27/2003 10:57:07 PM ||
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#1
"If they hired Arab Jews to translate Arabic, there would be bloodshed. Arabs would never accept it."
Who gives a rat's ass? The translations are being made for purposes of gathering intelligence, not to create documents for Arabs to read.
#2
One of the reservations I have about Mr. Bush is his apparently limited tolerance for nonsense like this. Once it became clear that Mueller (1) had no intention of cleaning out the deadwood at FBI Headquarters (ESPECIALLY the asshats who derailed the early investigations of Zacarias Moussaoui in Minneapolis), and (2) was obsessive about currying favor with the Arab/Muslim 5th Column groups, GWB should have quickly and publicly fired him. Not "asked for his resignation" or "regretfully accepted his resignation" - but fired his ass, then told Rudy Giuliani, "Sorry, Rudy, your vacation's over. Git yerself a baseball bat and a horsewhip an' take over at the FBI. I want asses kicked, and I want 'em kicked now!"
Posted by: Jeff ||
11/28/2003 4:07 Comments ||
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A militant who was an aide to international terrorist Abu al-Valid has been detained in Chechnya, the interior ministry of the Chechen Republic told RIA Novosti on Thursday.
According to the information provided by the interior ministry, the staff members of the Russian interior ministry and the district department of the interior conducted a special operation in the Shali district center yesterday. As a result, a certain Khatuyev, an active member of an illegal armed formation and one of Abu al-Validâs aides, was detained. My guess would be that this special operation was probably the raid on Serzhen-Yurt that I noted a couple of days ago. Serzhen-Yurt was Khattabâs old HQ and Abu Walid is Khattabâs successor, so it makes sense that one of his aides would be sent to oversea any operations in the area.
Apart from that, yesterday in the village of Borzoi of the same district, another two militants - Tamayev and Gorbulatov were detained. According to operative information, they were to gather information about the movement of federal forces and supply food to bandit formations.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
11/27/2003 1:29:49 PM ||
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Seven Russian soldiers and policemen were killed in rebel attacks in Chechnya over the past day, an official in the Kremlin-backed Chechen administration said on Wednesday.
The Chechen official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said five servicemen died when Russian military outposts came under fire and another died in a clash near the town of Vedeno, in which two rebels also were killed. A Chechen militia member was killed in a shootout with rebels in Shali, he said.
Three Chechen districts were hit with Russian air strikes and one of the districts also took Russian artillery barrages, the official said.
Russiaâs soldiers vastly outnumber the rebels and have heavier weaponry, but they have been unable to uproot rebels from the capital Grozny or from the mountainous southern third of the republic. The rebels attack soldiers near-daily in hit-and-run assaults and kill others with land mines or remote-controlled explosives.
Russian forces returned to Chechnya in 1999 in the second attempt in a decade to crush separatist rebels. Federal forces had withdrawn from the mostly Muslim region in southern Russia after a 1994-96 war that killed tens of thousands of soldiers, rebels and civilians and ended with the separatists in control.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
11/27/2003 1:26:30 PM ||
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This just points out that there is a right way and a wrong way. Critics of US methods in Iraq should take notice and the shut up.
Wooden dhows sail into Mombasaâs centuries old port every day, unloading everything from smuggled baby formula to illegal weapons -- all under the eyes of police and customs officers bribed not to notice, Kenyan and U.S. officials told The Associated Press.
Nearly all the contraband comes from neighboring Somalia, a lawless country where al-Qaida operatives procured missiles and explosives that were smuggled by sea into Mombasa and used in twin attacks on Israeli targets a year ago Friday, according to a recent U.N. report.
In the year since, little has been done to staunch smuggling in eastern Africa, making it easy for terrorists to slip weapons through Kenyaâs corrupt ports and largely unpatrolled coves that dot its Indian Ocean coast, said a U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
A deeply rooted culture of smuggling is a problem throughout eastern Africa. Al-Qaida has twice struck Kenya and there are indications the Islamic terror network is plotting a third attack; Kenyan police uncovered a plot to destroy the new U.S. Embassy this past June.
That makes smuggling along the predominantly Muslim coast of the East African country -- where al-Qaida is also known to be recruiting -- a serious concern in the war against terrorism.
There are senior Kenyan officials working to clean up the ports, but they are fighting a well entrenched bureaucracy -- a battle that could take years to win, said the U.S. official, speaking from Washington.
"We cannot say there is no longer corruption at the ports," said Mombasaâs district commissioner, John Egesa. "We know there are weapons coming in, we find them each day in the hands of criminals."
He insisted Kenyaâs new government, elected last year on promises to stamp out corruption, is cracking down at the cityâs old port and its modern container facility, though he refused to elaborate.
But a police officer who works at the ports and spoke on the condition of anonymity, said no action has been taken and smuggling flourishes.
According to the officer, a 10-year veteran, boat owners pay shipping agents in Mombasa to make sure goods are cleared through the port without paying taxes or import duties, which can run as high as 50 percent.
The shipping agents -- the officer named a number of them -- then pay off police and customs officers to look the other way.
Most of the smuggled goods are harmless -- clothes, electronics and spices -- and require only small bribes. But for illegal weapons -- usually guns, but occasionally explosives -- more money is paid to higher-ranking officials, the officer said.
Similar arrangements are in place at smaller ports to the north, like Malindi and Lamu, the officer said.
In August 2002, the officer, who is paid $80 a month, said he and other officers were bribed $13 each to let a dhow unload weapons at Mombasaâs old port. A senior police official arranged the payments, the officer said.
The officer said he could not see the weapons, which were concealed in boxes and covered with blankets.
That same month, the United Nations said in a recent report, al-Qaida smuggled into Kenya shoulder-fired missiles that were used in a failed attempt to shoot down an Israeli airliner taking off from Mombasaâs airport in November 2002.
The missiles, purchased in Somalia, "were smuggled into Kenya by sea," the report said. "The launchers had been painted blue and white, presumably to camouflage their real purpose and to minimize risk of discovery during onward transport to Mombasa."
Around the same time the missiles were fired, suicide bombers detonated a car bomb outside the Paradise Hotel north of Mombasa, killing 15 people, including three Israeli tourists and at least two bombers.
"Some of the components of the bomb, including the detonator, may have been obtained from Somalia," the U.N. report said.
Itâs not clear if the weapons came through Mombasaâs old port or one of the coves outside the city, said one of the U.N. investigators, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The coves are rarely, if ever, patrolled by the police or the Kenyan navy, said the police officer.
One of those coves is down a sandy road outside the village of Shariani, about 12 miles north of Mombasa.
On a recent afternoon, two dhows were on the horizon.
"Theyâre going back to Somalia. They came last night," said Ahmed Rashid, a fisherman who moors his boat in the cove.
Those dhows were loaded with powdered milk from Europe and cheap Somali sugar, he said, but sometimes the dhows "bring weapons."
Throughout eastern Africa, security needs to improve at ports -- both land and sea -- said U.S. Marine Brig. Gen. Mastin Robeson, the commander of an American-led anti-terrorism task forced based in nearby Djibouti.
"Customs is an awful lot of what needs to happen here -- just good, old simple customs work in airports and ports," Robeson said in a recent interview with AP, noting one of the task force missionsâ is to help regional governments improve security at ports.
"But now you are talking about a whole new organization that requires money, that requires structure, none of this stuff is quick to get at -- itâs hard," he said. "Itâs training, itâs mentality."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
11/27/2003 1:24:51 PM ||
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From Cleveland Plain Dealer web site - EFL
â
Henrietta Township, Lorain County, OH - A couple helped raise $1,500 to buy the militaryâs best bulletproof vest to send their soldier son in Iraq because the government has not been able to get the vests to all troops.
....
Nearly one-quarter of the 130,000 American troops in Iraq had not been issued the newest body armor as of last month. Delays in funding, production and shipping mean the last of the needed 30,000 sets of body armor wonât be delivered to Iraq until December - more than eight months after the war began.
... [the] parents got the idea to buy the armor after hearing news reports on several soldiers who credited Interceptor vests with saving their lives.
The vests, which weigh 16 pounds, were introduced in 1999 and include removable ceramic plates in the front and back that can stop assault bullets such as the 7.62 mm rounds fired by Kalishnikov rifles common in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Friends and family members in and around Lorain Countyâs Henrietta Township pitched in to raise the money.
â I found this on the back pages of the local paper and wondered why it wasnât front page news.
Taiwan's parliament has passed a clause in its controversial referendum bill which allows plebiscites to be held on the island's sovereignty in the event of an attack by China. The move, dubbed a "defensive referendum" clause, was passed by 108 votes to 82 on Thursday. Rattling sabres across the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday, Beijing had said it would "make a strong response" if Taipei passes a referendum law without restrictions, although it stopped short of firing new threats, a week after a Chinese general spoke of possible war. Despite the warnings from China, MPs went further, voting 114 to 96 to approve a controversial clause in the referendum bill proposed by the opposition Kuomintang and the People First Party which would allow the constitution to be changed. The parliament was still debating other controversial clauses in the bill which would allow referenda to be held on even more contentious issues such as changing the country's name and flag.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
11/27/2003 11:54 ||
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Security is being revamped at the U.S. base where three former military employees have been charged with offenses ranging from espionage to adultery, a U.S. general told The Associated Press Wednesday.
That'd probably be a good idea. Of course, we expected it to be vamped in the first place...
Fresh allegations surfaced Tuesday against one of Guantanamoâs former Muslim chaplains, who was charged with disobeying military regulations, adultery and using a government computer to store pornography. Imaging his pleasures with his 72 virgins a little early, was he?
``Weâve put a number of measures in place, and we do that every day because we have so many computer networks,ââ Maj. Gen. Geoffrey D. Miller told The Associated Press on Wednesday, saying firewalls had been installed in computer systems. He refused to detail other new security measures. "I will say no more!"
Miller spoke as many of the 660 detainees Wednesday marked their second of many Muslim feast of Eid-al-Fitr in captivity. None of those held on suspicion of links to the fallen Taliban regime of Afghanistan or al-Qaida terror network have been charged. But Miller said interrogators are still gathering important intelligence information, and base personnel are working with foreign governments, such as the Saudis, to obtain it. ``During October we acquired seven times as much high-value intelligence as we did in January 2003 from virtually the same detainees,ââ Miller said.
It's just stale by now...
Miller previously said three juveniles between the ages of 13 and 15 being held in separate quarters would be transferred off the island soon. But on Wednesday he said their release was being held up at higher levels. Miller also acknowledged on Wednesday there were other younger people, ages 16 and 17, mixed in with the adult prison population. He declined to say how many. "Itâs for me to know and for you not to find out!"
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/27/2003 1:31:53 AM ||
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You know, it's been some time that these asshats have been doing the jerk. Some of them must be at a split end.
Supreme Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei on Wednesday dismissed as a "shameful lie" the US pro-democracy slogans and said public opinion in Iraq or any other part of the world of Islam favors those who brand the US as enemy of Islam. "They (Americans) are in fact against democracy because they know that reference to public votes in Iraq or anywhere else in the world of Islam today will prove that Muslim nations would elect those who whole-heartedly consider Americans as enemies of Islam," said Ayatollah Khamenei in his Eid-al-Fitr prayers sermons to multitudes of worshipers here at Imam Khomeini Mosalla prayers ground. And the beat goes on
Posted by: Lucky ||
11/27/2003 12:48:04 AM ||
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Head of the autonomous republic of AdzhariaAslan Abashidze believes the incumbent authorities in Georgia are illegal and refuses to forecast their further actions.
Adzharia's one of two autonomous regions in Georgia, the other being Abkhazia, no relation...
"This was a coup d'etat. And it is clear that there cannot be legitimacy," Abashidze told journalists after his meeting with Russian prime minister Mikhail Kasyanov. "It is impossible to forecast the actions of people who have overthrown the authorities," the Adzharian leader stressed.
"You just never know what they're gonna do next. They could even throw out strongmen in autonomous regions..."
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
11/27/2003 00:39 ||
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South Ossetia was the first region of Georgia to break away following independence, I think. In any case, as of August 1993 it had de facto autonomy from Georgia -- with accompanying total dependence on Russia, via North Ossetia, whence came its (spotty) electricity and most other commerce.
I visited South Ossetia in 1993 for work. Beatiful setting, with the Caucasus rising up to the north. Tskhinvali, the capital, was just a short drive from Gori (Stalin's home town, where I was also able to visit his birthplace and museum), through a fairly sleepy "no man's land."
Entering Adjaria, on the other hand, involved going through a rather serious checkpoint, with fortifications and lots of muscle apparent. But this may have been due to the already unfolding violence in Abkhazia that peaked just two months later in a fairly robust civil war.
#3
Now, now, let's not rush to judgement, gentlemen. I, for one, am waiting for De Villepin (Whom they still insist is a man) the UN. What do the World Arbiters of Legitimacy, Morality, and International Ineptitude have to say?
#4
Lucky, thank you for the kind words. And let's extend those to Paul as well, in the same spirit: where else but Rantburg would someone quickly point out that Abkhazia and Adjaria aren't the only autonomous regions in Georgia! (of course Adjaria didn't come by its autonomy through rebellion, and Russia's not really pulling the strings there)
If anyone's reading today, Happy Thanksgiving to all, and keep the needy and the American and allied armed forces out doing the hard work in your thoughts .....
#5
Field length should be 255, unless I changed it when screwing with something else. I'll check and fix the comment...
My mistake. It was 128. I've reset it to 255.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/27/2003 10:10 Comments ||
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Rangurger? Someone started nipping a little early....or is it late there? Happy TG too, Abu!
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/27/2003 13:22 Comments ||
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Heh - way way late!!! You'll note I tried again - and the tag got hammered again. What shows in the Review page is NOT what shows when the post takes place. I assumed a truncated field. Mebbe not. I surrender and will not post any other such experimental stuff without consulting Fred first. I could test on some old archived day, but that might get me banned, too! Sigh...
So how the hell are ya, Frank? I wasn't ignoring you the other day, exactly, I was just sorta focused ya might say!
The main opposition party in Zimbabwe has ruled out a "Georgia-style" removal of President Robert Mugabeâs government.
"They'd just roll right over us, kill us all..."
Officials of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), currently in South Africa, said they were committed to constitutional, democratic change.
"We're, like, not into being on the wrong side of live ammunition..."
The party has repeatedly organised protests designed to drive Mr Mugabe from power.
Bob has repeatedly had it beaten up.
Its leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, faces two counts of treason. The MDC has challenged the results of the 2002 elections, in which Mr Mugabeâs party, Zanu-PF, was declared winners in court.
That was the "treason."
For the first time, South Africaâs ruling African National Congress has invited Zimbabweâs main opposition group to brief MPs on developments in Harare.
Do the ANC guys have a suspicion the MDC might ultimately end up dumping Bob? Or are they just covering all the bases?
"Is it an option to overthrow the state Georgia-style? It is certainly not an option for us. We are absolutely committed to the constitutional and democratic path," MDC spokesman Paul Themba Nyathi told South Africaâs parliamentâs foreign affairs committee. He was referring to mass protests that forced the former Soviet republicâs president, Eduardo Shevardnadze, to resign over the weekend.
In that case, when Bob kicks it, you're going to end up with Bob, Junior.
Mr Nyathi said Zimbabwe needed solidarity from its neighbours and called for pressure on Mr Mugabe to move negotiations on the countryâs future forward.
You know what they say about the amount of help God extends to those who don't help themselves...
A former military officer has confessed how he rigged last yearâs presidential elections in favour of Mr Mugabe. Herbert Ndlovu, who was until August this year a lieutenant in the national army, gave the first sworn account of vote-rigging. He described how, along with a colleague and four clerks, they were ordered to fill in possibly thousands of ballot papers on behalf of members of the armed forces, all in favour of President Mugabe.
Did they think of that themselves, or did they have advisors from Chicago?
"There was a list of names of those people who were to have their ballot papers filled, then Iâll put an âxâ next to President Robert Mugabe and the clerk on my right will use the other form to fill in the details of that particular person, imitate the signatures of those people," said Mr Ndlovu, who is now on the run from authorities. The former officer and another lieutenant, Promise Tshuma, left the army and revealed their story after the torture they endured when they were accused of being opposition sympathisers. Mr Ndlovu said were electrocuted and beaten for two weeks before eventually being cleared of any wrongdoing. The two said morale in the army was low, with many senior officers being given farms to maintain their loyalty.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
11/27/2003 12:35:21 AM ||
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Mugabe could take a page from Shevardnadze (via David Warren),
An elegant practitioner of the art of surrender, Mr. Shevardnadze knew when he was beaten, and is now available for media interviews, as opposed to dead.
Posted by: john ||
11/27/2003 8:50 Comments ||
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I don't think there's anything Bob could do to keep from becoming cold bones - he's made too many enemies, killed too many people, and caused too much pain. My only worry is that he'll get in that condition without the degree of suffering he deserves. Slow-roasting over an open fire would be too fast a demise for this mugwump.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
11/27/2003 13:08 Comments ||
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Don't equate this guy with your politics and laugh, guys and girls. Your "Tricky Dicky" and Crosby, Stills, Nash nYoung have long gone. How long till al-quaeda subverts the kaffirs to fighting for Them?
Tens of thousands of people were in the streets, shouting for President Eduard Shevardnadze to resign. His generals were waiting for an order. But Shevardnadze decided not to call in the military, certain that any effort to quell the protests would end in a bloodbath. "The eyes of these people showed they were not afraid of anything," the 75-year-old ex-president said Wednesday, three days after stepping down. "The only way out was my resignation."
He didn't want to go out like Ceaucescu...
Despite the swell of opposition that preceded his ouster, Shevardnadze speculated that forces other than the protesters were involved. He noted that U.S. ambassador to Georgia, Richard Miles, was posted in Yugoslavia before the overthrow of Slobodan Milosevic, and suggested the ambassador might have encouraged Georgia's opposition. "In relation to the ambassador, I have serious ... suspicions that this situation that happened in Tbilisi — it's an exact repetition of the events in Yugoslavia," Shevardnadze said. "Someone had a plan.
"Do you think this tinfoil hat goes with my complexion? Or do I need a darker shade?"
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
11/27/2003 00:29 ||
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So where do we send Miles next? So many choices...
Posted by: Pete Stanley ||
11/27/2003 1:21 Comments ||
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Waiter! A bottle of your best for Mr. Miles!
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/27/2003 1:23 Comments ||
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At least Shevy had enough humanity left to actually step away. Power is intoxicating, I know, as I once ruled an Island kingdom far far away. The people loved me but there were some who wanted me gone, outsiders, and enemies of the people. I tried to crack down but everywhere there was friction, a sense of forboding. The smiles were gone!
Note: those trained in serbia learned to but the marchers in a position that would require the army to hack their way through the crowd in order to assist (Tactic developed by Open Society). They may not have followed those orders even if given.
red
Posted by: Red ||
11/27/2003 10:46 Comments ||
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Soros, man of the people! *eye roll* Great link, Red - Thx!
And he's awso twying vewy vewy hahd to puwl stwings in the Donk primawy and, pwolly, the US genewal ewection, too. I don't wike this cwetin vewy much... Gwwwwwww!
Extremist Muslim militants seeking to topple the Algerian regime have killed six civilians in the past two days, security sources said. A single gunman Tuesday killed three civilians, including a 17-year-old girl in the province of Shalaf in western Algeria, the sources said. They said unknown gunmen attacked an isolated farm in the province of Sidi Belabbas, 450 kilometers west of Algiers, killing three members of a family before fleeing Monday. Could be either GIA or GSPC, though the GIAâs not said to be doing so hot these days so Iâm inclined to suspect the latter, especially given the nifty new bases theyâve decided to help al-Qaeda out with.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
11/27/2003 12:26:32 AM ||
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A 17 year girl, Dust. Bet she had more shit than ten of the bad guys.
President Hugo Chavez warned Wednesday he will force TV stations to close if he determines that they're promoting violence during a petition for a vote on his rule. "If an act of violence occurs, a coup attempt, or subversion ... and a television station is involved in it, be assured that it will be taken off the air," said Chavez during a speech at the presidential palace. Chavez has recently accused dissident soldiers and radical opposition groups of plotting to spur violence during a Nov.28-Dec. 1 signature drive for a presidential recall. Chavez claimed that Venezuela's private television stations were refusing to broadcast paid government advertising. Marcel Granier, general director of RCTV television, and Victor Ferreres, director of Venevision, told reporters that none of Venezuela's private TV stations had been asked to air pro-government ads.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
11/27/2003 00:26 ||
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Honestly, I think it was just a practice run. Now Chavez is ready to shut all the stations down or even take them over.
" It's the Chavez Show! Tonight, we'll show you how to drive an oil-based economy into the ground with socialism! And later, our special presentation on how it's everyone but our Presidents fault that our lifes are miserable. But first our word from our sponsor, the Republic of Cuba!"
Posted by: Charles ||
11/27/2003 2:50 Comments ||
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Damn Charles, that commercial is already playing on the CBC! (Hokey Nite in Canuckistan)
Posted by: john ||
11/27/2003 9:50 Comments ||
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Just an Ugly American thought here, but if he does that, would that mean the end of 'Guerra de los Sexos'? I loved that show...
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.
