#1
I'll put the sort feature on it tomorrow, if I can. But it's a kludge behind the scenes, and if it slows page loading down I'm tearing it out...
(And redoing it.)
Posted by: Fred ||
03/07/2004 18:03 Comments ||
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#2
Just checked it on Thursday's page (73 rants. 397 comments). Not bad. But I wonder how it works with more than 165 people online at a time?
Posted by: Fred ||
03/07/2004 18:06 Comments ||
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#3
Fred this is very cool - and I hope you'll keep it - until you find something with which you're happier, anyway. Ah, the never-ending search for s/w perfection... It's a disease! My father (and my mother, as well) was a programmer and warned me against it as an occupation. His words: "It will drive you crazy! You can't tell the difference between heaven and hell!" He was right, of course!
BTW, this will expose the goofs like NMM who seem to like coming in well after the daily rollover and post some sort of screech - that 99.9% won't see except by accident in an archival search.
Hmmm... Fred, could that practice be considered a form of intellectual necrophilia? Just wondering, heh... 8^)
#4
Fred---Just remember that last 1% to perfection will take an infinite amount of time, though I can empathize with your zeal for the holy grail. LOL! Neat feature, though. Next is a surprise meter reading on each article posted.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
03/07/2004 18:29 Comments ||
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#7
I think it's one of the maxims that make up Murphy's Law, along with "Everything takes longer and costs more than the original estimate."
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
03/07/2004 19:11 Comments ||
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#8
Fred, Thanks. Some of the elderly would appreciate having it in the old font size.
Posted by: Mr. Davis ||
03/07/2004 19:26 Comments ||
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#9
How's that?
Posted by: Fred ||
03/07/2004 21:12 Comments ||
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#10
Fred given this is a geek thread, can you post a URL that explains why RB gives lots of strange URLs after I post something, e.g. http://www.rantburg.com/Default.asp?ID=27586&D=3/7/2004&C=
I am constantly deleting this stuff to get the regular .com URL.
TIA, phil
Posted by: Phil B ||
03/07/2004 21:25 Comments ||
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#11
The ID is the identifier of the post. That's the way it's pulled from the database. D is the date of the post. The C doesn't mean anything anymore. At one point, I was using it to display pages by category, but I dropped that when I found the bug that caused me to to it in the first place.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/07/2004 22:07 Comments ||
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#12
Fred, great new feature, especially if there's a hot breaking story (like the nabbing of Saddam or Ozzy) and also in the case "dotcom" mentions when the trolls put up last-minute screeches!
You rock, my friend!
We have come to expect virtual perfection in all ways from RB!
#13
Lol! Phil_B - don't believe him! Typical spook thing... give 'em partial truth and they'll swallow the rest. Ha! The "C" parm is a secret non-displaying ASCII code which tracks... well, let's just say that this info is passed along to a 3-letter agency. Can you say Conspiracy? Hmmm?
Next on the wish list: a user preference where we can say (for example) "make all the comments visible even if there are 200 rants and 1000 comments 'cause I got a sweet broadband connection". Or something like that. You hit rantburg.com, it sees your cookie, and all 1000 comments come at ya.
I really like this blog, and the code sure seems to beat Movable Type all to hell.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/07/2004 23:23 Comments ||
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#15
Fred - I've got quick idea that doesn't require much, but would make a difference in readability of the top article list. Put the items in this order, instead:
Link, # comments (fmtted to 2 digits or blanks), time of last comment (hh:mm fmt of 5 blanks), last the title text.
It would be easier to scan / cleaner appearance.
Just an idea that would be relatively painless - I think!
Last night I had two dreams. In one, I dreamt that Rantburg had become a daily printed newsletter with advertisers. In the other, I dreamt that I almost bought an 11 year old slice of watermelon (it was vacuum wrapped and I hadnât noticed the date until the checkout clerk pointed it out). I doubt the dreams were related.
Posted by: mhw ||
03/07/2004 8:41:48 AM ||
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#1
The vacuum-wrapped watermelon represents a long suppressed, now desiccated sexual desire for the Watermelon Queen of 1993.
Resolution of this conflict will require further psychoanalysis, which will be costly. Therefore your subconscious continually ponders revenue-generating schemes, such as advertisements in a paper version of Rantburg.
#2
Not bad Sigmund. You could make money doing that.
I too have dreamed of rantburg going paper - but not while I'm asleep. How can I get any sleep when I spend so much time reading intriguing blogs like rantburg?? I dream of a nice montly summary, with little flow charts and glossy photos of the bad boys caught sitting on the toilet as Spec Ops bursts in - the best of rantburg - that I can page through with a cup of coffee in the garden....if I had a garden - which I don't - because I spend too much time online.
#3
Sigmund's wrong as usual. The watermelon is the embodiment of post desciated post Soviet socialist thought. It's wrapped environmentalist left over from 1993.
Posted by: Carl J. ||
03/07/2004 9:40 Comments ||
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#4
nice link Dr. Freud
Adadra's name and hair style were both a little weird but she did look like a beauty.
#5
I diagnose too much time spent reading Arab jihadi websites. I know for a fact they are encoding traditional arab wisdom in the text that you have been subconciously assimilating.
In your case I think it is the traditional arab proverb 'A women for duty, a boy for pleasure, but a melon for ecstasy".
Be thankful that these messages didn't involve donkeys or camels, traditional arab subjects of affection.
#6
Rather than paper... I hear a group of Minnesota bloggers have set up their own radio show. I wonder how one would establish a "Radio Free Rantburg."
Posted by: Phil Fraering ||
03/07/2004 12:02 Comments ||
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#7
How about starting with sponsorship adds on NPR? "This program has been made possible by Rantburg.com, which wants you to know that everything you have just heard is left-wing, fifth-columnist horse puckey."
Posted by: Matt ||
03/07/2004 12:23 Comments ||
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#8
suddenly I have a hankering for a cool piece of watermelon queen too
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/07/2004 13:17 Comments ||
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#9
Fred's already got the ads (see the space to the right). I hope they pay well enough that he doesn't have to knock over any more banks.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/07/2004 13:54 Comments ||
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#10
"A women for duty, a boy for pleasure, but a melon for ecstasy"
I think we have a new Rantburg slogan.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
03/07/2004 15:02 Comments ||
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#11
I believe this dream clearly indicates deep-seated anxiety stemming from a repressed desire to address long-standing ambivalence regards the burning question: watermelon seeds - spit or swallow?
Or one could rephrase it thusly:
Watermelon seeds - Why do they hate us?
#12
Good thing I wasn't sipping coffee at the time I read Siggie's post. I'm actually drinking beer right now, but fortunately didn't have a mouthful going. That carbonation in the nostrils is a bitch.
I wonder if the webmaster of the Watermelon Queen website checks their log files. If so, they will see a surge of activity on Miss Benson's page and be thinking "WTF".
How much would it take for us to buy a Rantburg sponsorship on NPR?
#13
For the station in Chicago it's $1 a day, and you get a free mention on the air. "This portion of WBEZ brought to you by Rantburg.com, which advises you to read their website if you want to know the truth, unlike what we broadcast here at ... HEY, WAIT A MINUTE".
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/07/2004 23:25 Comments ||
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British photojournalist Tom Hurndall, killed by Israeli troops, is among 43 nominations short-list for this yearâs Muslim news awards for excellence. Hurndall, who was shot in the head as he tried to rescue a Palestinian girl from Israeli gunfire at Rafah refugee camp in Gaza last April, is nominated for the Anne Marie Schimmel
( Translation of the award-name: Anne Marie Fungus Award)
award for excellence in being a willing tool for championing a Muslim cause. Orthodox Jewish group, Neturei Karta, which is opposed to the state of Israel based on a critique of Judaic teachings, is among three other nominations short-listed for the same prizes. The short-list for a total of 15 coveted accolades, acknowledging the achievements of the Muslim community and contributions to British society, was decided by a distinguished panel of independent judges. Muslim news editor Ahmed Versi said the awards demonstrate that both Muslims and non-Muslims can achieve the highest standards when working together, even when different communities do not always agree. The results of all the winners will be announced at the 4th annual Muslim news awards for excellence at a gala dinner in London on March 31 that brings together political and religious leaders, journalists, academics, community activists and sports representatives.
Posted by: Evert Visser ||
03/07/2004 6:54:56 AM ||
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#1
Muslim news awards for excellence. yeah i thought it was bloody excellrnt too when this moron got shot in the head,almost as excellent and amusing as the Rachel Corrie incident. :)
#2
The results of all the winners will be announced at the 4th annual Muslim news awards for excellence torpidity at a gala dinner fund raiser in London on March 31 that brings together political left wing loons and religious leaders out of work Imams , journalists Liberal newsmedia types , academics are there any?, community activists wannabe martyrs and sports representatives camel racing fanatics .
#3
Hmmm. I wonder exactly what the criteria are... Perhaps it's a question of how Muslims define "excellence" - a concept with which one might conclude they'd be less than familiar...
Blowing whistles and chanting, hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans marched through Caracas on Saturday to protest the rejection of a petition aimed at recalling President Hugo Chavez. Protesters streamed toward a central avenue from several gathering points in the capital, many dressed from head to toe in the national colors of red, yellow and blue. Officials said at least 500,000 people took part. The march was peaceful, in contrast with last week's demonstrations. At least eight people were killed and hundreds arrested in five days of rioting set off by the National Elections Council's decision. One protester's sign read: "I'm not armed. Don't shoot! I'm Venezuelan."
"We're prepared to take to the streets a thousand times until we're allowed the recall referendum," said opposition leader Henry Ramos Allup. "Nobody is going to rob us of our right to oust Hugo Chavez peacefully." Opposition leaders have appealed to the Organization of American States and the U.S.-based Carter Center for support, saying the stability of the world's fifth-biggest oil exporter is at stake. Street violence abated last week after the OAS and Carter Center promised to help ensure that citizens would have a chance to prove they signed. Negotiations over the process continued Saturday.
Great, Jimmuah's involved. They're doomed.
Chavez insists election officials have reason to suspect the petition is fraudulent. In a two-hour speech to foreign ambassadors Friday, the president displayed copies of petition forms bearing the names of foreigners, minors and people long deceased. But he promised to respect the council's final decision on whether to hold the referendum - and to abide by the outcome of any eventual vote. He accused the United States of spreading lies about his government and urged foreign governments to condemn U.S. intrusion in Venezuelan affairs.
"Make them quit lying about me!"
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/07/2004 00:32 ||
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#1
Chavez must be taking inspiration from the (D)'s here in the US of A. "How to hang on to power when you've been booted", by Mr. & Mrs President Clinton was never published, but it must be written somewhere, because Terry McAuliffe is using it for a manual of operations for the (D)'s.
Chavez also lives well in the past, thinking his cozying up to Fidel will stand him in good stead with the OAS.
What a loser. Somebody just shoot the communist and save Venezuela the trouble.
#2
Like all the world's tyrants right now, Chavez is clinging to power and desperately hoping for a Kerry victory. He knows that if Kerry wins, Chavez will have free reign to do whatever he wants, so long as he keeps saying it's "for the people".
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
03/07/2004 8:56 Comments ||
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#3
Let's see: Dictator violating election laws, killing and teargassing peaceful opposition rallies, cozying up to Fidel, extreme anti-American policies and public rhetoric - this has got Carter's fingerprints all over it. The opposition's screwed
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/07/2004 14:08 Comments ||
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#4
Sheesh! So many things hinging upon the US General Election! If I didn't know better I'd say it was almost important that we make damned sure Dubya gets another four years...
#6
Opposition leaders have appealed to the Organization of American States and the U.S.-based Carter Center for support...
"Yes, I know Senor Carter promised you he'd ensure a signature verification process. But he's meeting with Yassir Arafat, and after that comes Kim Il Jong, Fidel Castro, Jean B. Aristide, some elk in northern Alaska....
If Jim Refinger knows one thing it's this: Ousted Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide is safe. There was no kidnapping, as some sources reported. There was no injury. And for Refinger there was no mystery. Refinger was there. The former Jacksonville police sniper and retired Marine was part of a private security team hired to protect Aristide's inner circle. "We left with him (but) I won't talk about where we went," Refinger said Friday from his home in Jacksonville where he just returned. "We escorted him safely out.
"I can say no ... oh, heck, I'll spill the beans."
"Everything was done with the full knowledge and cooperation of the president. There was no forcing the president to go anywhere. We protected our principal without a shot fired and he is safe." Refinger works for Steele Foundation, a security firm based in San Francisco. The company has protection details all over the world and does industrial security and risk analysis, Refinger said. Aristide had a presidential protection unit, and a team from Steele mirrored the unit in an inner circle. Refinger's job was running the outer circle that kept the inner circle safe. "We were protecting the protectors, and we worked closely with the Haitian counter-ambush team," he said. Although the country was considered unstable, Refinger said it really wasn't a combat area. "The threat of rebels didn't really happen until the first of the year," he said. "Most of the time we were protecting (Aristide) from people who loved him too much."
"They'd get all worked up and then crush the baby ducks. Brutal, I tell ya."
Thousands of people would show up at public events threatening to crush the president with sick children in the belief that somehow the former Catholic priest would cure them. A lot of people also hated Aristide, seemingly to Refinger because the president came from the poor, lower class. "It never really came to Port-au-Prince," Refinger said. "We saw some demonstrations and started hearing about it in Gonaives and Cap Haitien. The police got pretty overwhelmed, especially in the small towns, but Port-au-Prince is probably 80 percent pro-Aristide." Refinger speculated that Aristide may have decided to leave to avoid further bloodshed, but questioned whether it was possible to avoid that in Haiti. The matter is under investigation, said Refinger, who added that he may be called to testify and, therefore, could not go into details about Aristide's departure. "We got out slick and fast, before they even knew what was happening," Refinger said. "It wasn't until after it was all said and done that we heard a report about kidnapping, but we knew that wasn't the case."
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/07/2004 00:13 ||
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#1
this guy's an ex-cop and a u.s marine [ret.]--what the fuck does he know about haitian politics--should secret servicemen analyze policy in the u.s. because they protect the president or should they just shut the fuck up and practice their gun skills--this guy's opinion means zilch with hair pomade on top
Posted by: SON OF TOLUI ||
03/07/2004 4:34 Comments ||
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#2
Tolui: STFU. Your opinion means less than his. Protecting Aristide mean he needs to know why people are after him, where he intends to go, and what his policies are. All of that dictates how you protect him. Not too mention that since Refinger escorted him away, he would know if Aristide was held at gunpoint or threatened.
Posted by: Charles ||
03/07/2004 11:18 Comments ||
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#3
bite me charles--i didn't say the dude didn't know about the specifics of the takedown--just that his opinion as a policy analyst is as worthy as your postman--assuming you get mail in the mental ward you reside in--momsa
Posted by: SON OF TOLUI ||
03/07/2004 21:07 Comments ||
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#4
Actually, Mister Refringer would have had pretty good information regarding local Haitian politics. At the very least, there would have been liaison with the U.S. embassy (contractors of this sort don't go in without having some sort of approval from the U.S. gov't, not to mention connections).
More likely, his employer would have done its homework. Steele aren't amateurs in this respect.
AUSTRALIAâS Muslim body may discuss stripping Grand Mufti Sheik Taj el-Din Al-Hilaly of his title at its next Congress meeting over comments he allegedly made about terrorism. The mufti has come under fire for comments he allegedly made during a sermon in Lebanon in which he made reference to the Arab martyrs and the September 11 attacks in New York as "Godâs work against oppressors". The chief executive officer of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, Amjad Mehboob, said today the matter may come up at their next meeting on April 17. "The matter could come up for discussion...," he said. "It would be up to the members of our community to decide that." Mr Mehboob said he would also be speaking to the mufti during the week. But he said it was most likely the mufti had been misinterpreted.
Yasss... That must be it.
"When you go and speak on a subject at length youâre likely to be given an impression in words that you used which can be misconstrued," Mr Mehboob said. He said the mufti had also given contrary views in the past to those recently attributed to him on Arab martyrs and the September 11 attacks. A spokesman for the mufti has said his views in the sermon have been misinterpreted.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
03/07/2004 12:24:12 AM ||
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#1
Why is it that the first thing said that when them crazy Imams get confronted by their own words is "Its been misinterpreted" or "its out of context". Exactly how are we supposed to interpret it eh? Do we have those magic descramblers in our cereal boxes do it for us?
#8
When you lose 63 to nothing, the Double A teams don't want you, either. This guy should be re-assigned to the tent mosque in Bam.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
03/07/2004 12:34 Comments ||
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#9
Feh! 8 comments and nobody mentioned Mr Mehboob's name? What are we all getting past sophomoric snarky comments here?
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/07/2004 14:13 Comments ||
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#10
Shipman----Double A Mosque! That's a keeper. LOL!
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
03/07/2004 14:55 Comments ||
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#11
Only it's spelled moskkk - can't remember whom we should credit, but I think some form of derision (heh!) recognition is due. Infinitely more appropriate!!!
Greeceâs opposition conservatives scored a convincing win in general elections, ending more than 10 years of Socialist Party rule as Greeks voted for change amid widespread discontent over low incomes, poor public services and corruption scandals. "It is a new start for all Greeks," said Costas Karamanlis, leader of the conservative New Democracy party, said in his first televised speech as prime minister-elect. With half of the vote counted, New Democracy had won 46.7 percent compared with 40.44 percent for the Pan-Hellenic Socialist Party (PASOK) which has ruled Greece since 1993.
So what does this mean to the EU Aris? No offense intended but I havenât studied anything about Greece since Alexander.
#3
It doesn't mean anything much to the EU. ND was the party that original had us enter the EU - PASOK was the party that under the leadership of its original founder was anti-EU, anti-American and anti-West in general, until it had a nearly complete makeover during the 90s (during the rule of the PM Simitis) at which point it went atleast as EU-friendly and America-friendly as you are likely to find in the forefront of the Greek political scene.
Its current leader, George Papandreou went even further in the direction of "modernization" and is considered an "Atlanticist" by many - thus a tool of the Americans for his enemies on the left -- or the far right-wing, many of them housed in ND still.
And badanov, you having an allergic reaction over the word "Socialist" doesn't actually mean you have a clue about political realities in Europe, and definitely not in Greece. The economical right-wing (Stefanos Manos, Andrianopoulos) cooperated with PASOK in these elections because they saw it more open to their laissez-faire suggestions, while several old-fashioned socialists emigrated to New Democracy, because according to them PASOK is no longer left-wing/socialist enough for their tastes.
Both parties have similiar attitudes about EU, however, so nothing is gonna change on that front.
If anything's gonna change that concerns this forum is that the IMO amoral populist Karamanlis is more likely to give in to the anti-American hysteria that occasionally grips Greece, than the more responsible Papandreou.
#4
And badanov, you having an allergic reaction over the word "Socialist"
I am kinda funny that way. I see the word socialist I can easily assume socialist means socialism. Sooo, when a Socialist groups wants the votes of conservaties it should not use the word socilist if they are free market folks.
Which is funny, since I fail to see how free market folks would even remotely want to be identified with their ideological opposites.
And Aris, republicans do cooperate with democrats and so far the democrats have not used the word socialist. Does this mean they do not represent the left wing. They do. The same way socialists would represent greece's leftwing.
You can try to convince me otherwise, but when I see a story of Eurostan politics, I must assume socialist means leftwinger.
#5
"I see the word socialist I can easily assume socialist means socialism."
And when I see the word "liberals" I assume it to actually mean liberals, but in the economic front you Americans use it to mean socialdemocrats instead of supporters of laissez-faire liberalism.
On the social front you use it as befits it on the other hand, to describe the supporters of personal liberty. Not so on the financial front.
"Which is funny, since I fail to see how free market folks would even remotely want to be identified with their ideological opposites."
Because politics isn't just economy, it's also foreign affairs, and protection of minorities, and education and defending freedom of expression and religion, in which case the right-wings liberals have lots and lots in common with the left-wing liberals (socialdemocrats), but pretty much nothing in common with the right-wing CONSERVATIVES.
The true ideological opposites of the aforementioned progressive right-wing liberals isn't the progressive socialdemocrats, but the truly conservative Communist Party instead.
Do you understand the difference between a right-wing liberal and a right-wing conservative?
"The same way socialists would represent greece's leftwing."
There's authoritarian left-wing, and then again there's liberal left-wing. The same way there's authoritarian right-wing and there's liberal right-wing.
There's conservatives and there's progressives.
There's liberals and there's statists.
If you think that politics can be summed up in two words "left" and "right", then you are sorely mistaken.
"And Aris, republicans do cooperate with democrats and so far the democrats have not used the word socialist."
That's because America is bizarre. The Brits used the word "Liberal" (or "Labour") when they meant the word "Socialist" instead, and Americans just followed suit. To understand the insanity of that think how on the economic front a "libertarian" American is the exact opposite of a "liberal" American.
In the European sense however the meanings are closely related, on both social and economic fronts, not opposites.
"You can try to convince me otherwise, but when I see a story of Eurostan politics, I must assume socialist means leftwinger."
Something as specific as "socialist" or "social-democratic" and you want to have it 'mean' the extremely vague "leftwinger" instead?
I'm NOT trying to convince you that "socialist" doesn't mean left-wing. What I'm trying to convince you is that politics are lots more varied than your two-party system and your simpleminded (moronic) division into liberals/concervatives can encompass. New Democracy is a conservative party that drove away the vast majority of its laissez-faire liberals (and this made them *more* conservative, not less so). PASOK is a social-democratic party that's willing to discuss a coalition with aforementioned laissez-faire liberals.
In the Kafkaesque world of tax law, sometimes a second wrong can produce a right. At least thatâs the hope since the European Union decided to impose sanctions on the U.S. for giving tax preferences to exporters after the World Trade Organization repeatedly ruled this out of bounds. Now Congress has a chance to reform tax laws to make U.S. companies more competitive.
The tax breaks, now known as the extraterritorial income exclusion, were designed to offset the perverse effects of U.S. high tax rates and system of world-wide taxation--the first wrong. This system handicaps U.S. firms competing against foreign counterparts whose governments tax only their home income.
Then came the second wrong. Even though the Europeans themselves rebate value-added taxes on their exports, they decried the U.S. tax breaks as unfair and won their case at the WTO. That decision was disturbing on several levels, not least because it is part and parcel of a wider European effort to stifle tax competition. Nevertheless, the cloud may have a silver lining. The EU sanctions, announced Monday, may help light a fire under U.S. politicians to finally fix a tax code riddled with distortions.
The ideal way to deal with this would be a reduction in U.S. corporate tax rates, now some of the highest in the world, and a switch to a territorial or border-adjustable system like most other countries have. Unfortunately, itâs too much to expect Congress to make such a giant leap all at once, especially when a large budget deficit makes it difficult to forgo revenue in the name of longer-term gains.
Several bills now under consideration inspire only tepid enthusiasm, but at least they are progress. A Senate Finance Committee bill is less than thrilling, because Chairman Charles Grassley is infused with the spirit of bipartisanship, meaning that the Democratsâ tendency to use the tax code to pick winners and losers has even freer rein. As a result, two of the more ardent tax-cutters on the committee, Senators Jon Kyl and Don Nickles, have broken ranks and proposed a simpler plan that would cut the corporate tax rate. Their demarche may have little chance of passing, but it remains an important marker for the future.
The most interesting proposal in the Senate Finance Committeeâs bill is a temporary tax break that would give U.S. companies a chance to repatriate at a lower rate their foreign-earned income on which the 35% U.S. corporate tax rate has been deferred. J.P. Morgan estimates this pool of trapped funds at $300 billion, meaning that the government would reap a one-time revenue boost.
Democratic presidential candidates have been complaining of late about "loopholes" that allow companies to escape tax by moving their headquarters abroad. But the Kerry campaign in particular has been short on specifics. Perhaps thatâs because it is more accurate to say that Washington imposes tax penalties on companies that incorporate in the U.S. Thatâs why multinationals move out of the U.S. and foreign companies buy U.S. firms.
In other words, the law of unintended consequences is at work. A system that was initially designed to discourage firms from moving operations abroad ended up hurting domestic investment. The reality is that even if U.S. multinationals do move some operations overseas, they are still more likely to buy American and invest in the U.S. than foreign firms. Though this lesson should have been learned by now, some may try to demagogue real tax reform as a sop to multinationals shipping jobs out of the U.S.
Instead of adding yet more layers of complexity to the tax code and creating more distortions in the name of reducing distortions, Congress now has a chance to take some baby steps toward a simpler regime. Europeâs WTO-approved sanctions, while hard to justify on the merits, may be an important catalyst toward that goal.
#1
I'm not sure why you posted this Badanov but its an interesting subject. While the USA leads the world in many areas, its taxation system is not one of them. In order to effectively compete in the global market you must have a valued added type tax system such that your imports and exports are treated the same as domestically produced goods and services (both yours and your customers). The rest of the world has figured this out. And while they are unpopular when introduced, people quickly accept because they are easy to understand and administer (assuming you don't have lots of exemtions). They are also very efficient as they are difficult to cheat on.
Posted by: Phil B ||
03/07/2004 21:40 Comments ||
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French Muslim leaders were up in arms yesterday over two apparent arson attacks on mosques in eastern France on Friday, attacking the political establishment for failing to attend a silent protest demonstration here and blaming the fires on the recent debate over Franceâs new law banning the wearing of the hijab. One fire totally devastated an 80-square meter prayer room in nearby Seynod, while the other seriously damaged the heating system at the mosque in a suburb of Annecy. Addressing some 300 protesters in Annecy, Kamel Kabtane, president of the regional RhÃŽne-Alpes council of the Conseil Français du Culte Musulman (CFCM), criticized the absence of concern by Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, who recently, during the state visit to France of Israeli president Moshe Katsav had identified himself with a campaign by the French authorities to declare war against anti-Semitism in France. âWe are in a pre-electoral period and many politicians did not dare come, fearing perhaps a backlash from voters,â he added. These âcriminal actionsâ were partly the result of an Islamophobic mood settling over France, said Kabtane. as well as stemming from the debate over secularism in the country.
Mosques should not be burned, no more than synagogues should be burned or churches bombed. If the attacks took place Friday, and they haven't found the perps yet by late Saturday, that likely means the French cops, who're quite competent, are probably still sifting through evidence. Expecting results instantly is nothing short of childish. And if you don't think the pols like you, don't vote for them.
He blamed the veil debate for stirring it up. It had brought about âan anti-Muslim reactionâ. It was the end result of âall these speeches weâve been hearing ever since May of last year â a reference to the date when Sarkozyâs plan to set up the CFCM, Franceâs first representative body for the countryâs five million Muslims, came into effect.
It could also have something to do with all those bombs and guns and poisons and false documents that seem to keep associating themselves with the Muslim community in la Belle France...
President Jacques Chiracmade all the proper noises condemned the torching of the mosques, assuring the Muslim community of his sympathy and support. A statement said the president had been deeply disturbed by the news of the attacks in Seynod and Annecy. âWithout prejudging the inquiry that is in progress, he strongly condemns these hateful acts,â a statement said.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/07/2004 00:03 ||
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Holocaust comes natural to EUropeons. For 50 years under the guidance of the USA, Western EUropeons' passion for mass murder was controlled. No more. The EUropeons are back to being EUropeons. This time, what with the shortage of Jews, the EUropeons will likely turn on Muslims for purposes of exercising their inbred genocidal racism, zenophobic bloodletting, lust for pogroms, fetishes for mass torturings and gang rapings and mindless rampagings, mass murder and other assorted brutalities.
#6
attacking the political establishment for failing to attend a silent protest demonstration here
This complaint brings back vivid memories of the Moslems' attendance at protest demonstrations against synagogues in France.
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
03/07/2004 10:52 Comments ||
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#7
hmmm a fire seriously damaged the heating system at the mosque in a suburb of Annecy?
Sure it's "apparent" arson?
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/07/2004 14:20 Comments ||
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I have a feeling that more and more arson, terrorism, and extortion will rear its ugly head in France in the near future. The French police and anti terror units will have their hands full while the govt tries to exert moral authority that it lost long ago. We better watch our six here, too. That can start happening to us.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
03/07/2004 15:01 Comments ||
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#9
Garrison, what you are doing is called "projecting": You are copying word by word, expression by expression, the bigoted rhetoric of the very genocides you are supposedly despising, even filled with master race ideology (it's only the superior race of American that restrained the baser insticts of those undeveloped tribes of Europe, they'll be back to killing each other without our tight control) and contemptuous namecalling towards entire nations (nigger, kike, spook, EUropeon).
Given how Europeans are so "naturally" bent to murder, genocide and racism, it's funny how Americans only abolished slavery long after Europe already had.
And as always there's not a single person in Rantburg willing to bash Garrison's anti-European bigotry. Since the holocaust is mentioned dime a dozen times here, I think I'll start mentioning American slavery as counterbalance. No reason I can see that we should stop at 60 years back and not go back 140 years.
I am so not surprised.
French President Jacques Chirac on Friday backed Egyptian counterpart Hosni Mubarak in his opposition to a US initiative for political and economic reform in the Middle East, saying the plan amounted to âinterferenceâ.
"Non, non! Let them continue to suppurate!"
The two held talks after Mubarak arrived in Paris earlier Friday as part of a three-nation tour designed to warn key European partners of the dangers of the âGreater Middle Eastâ initiative. The US plan aims to encourage democratic and economic reform in the Arab world and other Muslim countries in a bid to deprive international extremists of the reservoir of frustration and poverty they thrive on for support. Egypt and Saudi Arabia have criticized the initiative, fearing Washington wants to impose its own cultural models on the region. âWe support modernization which comes as a result of consultations, cooperation between states,â Chirac told a news conference. âOn the other hand, we think that nothing can be imposed. In other words, modernization yes, interference no.â
"They have their own ways of doing things, involving the ax, the whip, occasional mass graves, the pursuit of weaponry of all types, and hereditary regimes. Who are we to interfere with that?"
Mubarak arrived from Italy, where Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi also agreed that no solution could be imposed on the region from outside. âThe countries concerned must be directly involved in the evolution of any initiative,â concerning the âGreater Middle Eastâ,â Berlusconi said after meeting Mubarak late Thursday. Berlusconiâs statement marks a change in the Italian position compared to its earlier pronouncements. The Egyptian leader is due to continue his campaign against the US plan by visiting British Prime Minister Tony Blair in London on Monday.
Chirac and Mubarak agreed that any plan to âmodernizeâ the Middle East should follow a relaunching of the peace process between Israelis and Palestinians and stability in Iraq. âWe think - and it is also the feeling of President Mubarak, that we are on the same track, that all development, all modernization in this region depends on a resolution of the problem of finding peace between the Palestinian and Israeli people,â said Chirac. âAll the same we think it is urgent to find a solution to the problem of Iraq that allows the re-establishment of peace and stability in maintaining unity in Iraq,â he said, adding that âthese are the âprerequisites.â
Posted by: Fred ||
03/07/2004 00:03 ||
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Here's an idea: In the same way that professional sports franchises up and leave one city for another, let's take the French and relocate them to Israel and the Israelis can move lock, stock, and barrel to Europe. Let the Frenchies rub up against the Palestinians for a couple of generations while the Israelis convert Notre Dame into a synagogue. They may not be crazy about having the Germans next door but the Germans are less inclined to go all 'splodey-dope.
#2
It really is a toss-up as to which government is more corrupt, Mubarak's or Chirac's. It is also a toss-up as to which nation is more intellectually corrupt, Egypt or France.
#3
any plan to âmodernizeâ the Middle East should follow a relaunching of the peace process between Israelis and Palestinians
Any plan for my husband to get any more sex will follow a relaunching of the peace process between Israelis and Palestinians.
#4
"Mrs Chirac" A.K.A Dominique de Villepine(Spelling?), your husband needs to be covered in cash while sitting in a bath tube, watching news about US soldiers dying and "Quagmire" in order to have an orgasm. I very much doubt he needs mor sex right now.
Posted by: Charles ||
03/07/2004 11:12 Comments ||
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"involved in the evolution of any initiative"
In the same way a pig is involved in cooking bacon.
#6
Itâs clear that in the past 50 years no one has killed more innocent people than the US war machine with its constant mass graves, only itâs through weapons of annihilation so no parts can go for burial. Letâs work together and hope you can appreciate your own faults and end your ignorant nationalistic and oppressive medaling ways because it only leads to real suffering and the disgusting notion of your bravery. Plus the French English and Italians must read history well and honor there past and realize what they truly represent.
Hat tip: Viking Pundit. Caption for Kerryâs Yale college yearbook photo, 1966: JOHN FORBES KERRY. Born December 11, 1943, in Denver , Colorado, son of Richard John Kerry, â37, and Rosemary Forbes Kerry. Prepared at St. Paulâs School , Concord, N.H. Entered Yale, September , 1962. Political Science Major; won Parker Dickson Buck - Schuyler B Jackson Prize (oratory) , 1964 , Henry ames Teneyck Prize (oratory), 1965, and Thatcher Memorial Debating Contest, 1964 and 1965. Member: Jonathan Edwards (College Advisory Board, 1962-65 ; soccer, 1962) ; Fence Club; Haunt Club; Pundits; Skull and Bones; Political Union, 1962-66, president, 1964 - 65 ; Liberal Party , 1962 - 66, chairman , 1963 - 64 ; Yale Debating Association, 1962 - 66 ; Yale Young Democrats , 1962 - 63 ; treasurer , 1962 - 63 ; Conn. Intercollegiate State Legislature , 1962 - 65, treasurer , 1963 - 64 ; Yale Young Republicans , 1965 - 66 ; Freshman hockey ( numerals ) ; J. V. hockey , 1963 - 66 ; J. V. lacrosse , 1966 ; Varsity soccer , 1963 - 65 (major " Y ", 1965 ). Roommates : H. H. Bundy III , D. P. Barbiero. Future study : law. Address: Indian Hill Road, Groton, Mass. Read more at link about the "No Kerry Club" created in response to his debacle as chair of the Liberal Party as well.
Posted by: Dar ||
03/07/2004 4:18:58 PM ||
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This will come as a shock to you all, but Maureen Dowd is now officially a woman in love (with Kerry, that is.) An excerpt from her journalistic, uh, romantic gesture is (from today's NYT):
" It's not often that you get a presidential candidate to recite poetry to you, especially in a year when W. and J.F.K. are going macho a macho.
But there was Mr. Kerry flying from Boston to New Orleans on Friday, sipping tea for his hoarse throat and reeling off T. S. Eliot's "Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock."
"There are so many great lines in it," he said. " `Do I dare to eat a peach?' `Should I wear my trousers rolled?' `Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets/The muttering retreats/Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels/And sawdust restaurants with oyster-shells."
Then he started on "Gunga Din" and " `talk o' gin and beer.' "
When I gave George W. Bush a culture quiz in 2000, he gamely struggled to come up with one answer in each category, calling baseball his favorite "cultural experience.""
Gag me with a spoon, dahling.
Posted by: Matt ||
03/07/2004 16:46 Comments ||
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Is this guy like "The Return of Martin Guerre"? ("Sommersby" for you Jodie Foster fans?)
A soccer playing, hockey playing wealthy guy goes off to 'Nam, conducts himself heroically but THEN the man who returns is not the same guy but an imposter who is a weasely, back stabbing, paranoid, anti-American dictator lover!
What happened to the real John Kerry? Do the Dems have him drugged and in solitary while the imposter shacks up with the money bags behind International ANSWER?
#3
Is this guy like "The Return of Martin Guerre"? ("Sommersby" for you Jodie Foster fans?)
A soccer playing, hockey playing wealthy guy goes off to 'Nam, conducts himself heroically but THEN the man who returns is not the same guy but an imposter who is a weasely, back stabbing, paranoid, anti-American dictator lover!
What happened to the real John Kerry? Do the Dems have him drugged and in solitary while the imposter shacks up with the money bags behind International ANSWER?
#5
JDB - Ha! No second chances, bro! Don't even think about letting your cursor stray near that button until yer ready! Once clicked, you're hosed - the data is all packeted up and flying throught the routers to RB!
Skeery is a trip. I listened to a LOT of his blather on Fox during the day, today, and was amazed by his gall and cheek and simplistic, yet nuanced (heh), views. A true hair-splitter. He is obviously one of those remarkably naive people who has become so accustomed to himself that he assumes no one else can smell him, either...
#6
you know, theres a name for guys who were in country for 4 months, get 4 medals, bronze and silver stars, purple hearts, and yet, manage not to limp or flinch much when the screen door slams.
and its not "hero".
Posted by: Frank Martin ||
03/07/2004 22:54 Comments ||
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New York â Senator John Kerry tells TIME that he "almost certainly" will send a team to Iraq "within the next few weeks or months" to help him formulate his Iraq policy positions. "I may ask some Democratic colleagues and experts to go to Iraq and make this assessment so I have a strong basis on which to proceed," he tells TIME's Perry Bacon, Lisa Beyer and Karen Tumulty on his campaign plane from Washington, DC to Florida last week. He mentions Senate colleague Joseph Biden, chief campaign foreign policy adviser Rand Beers and longtime Kerry Senate aide Nancy Stetson. But, says White House communications director Dan Bartlett, Kerry's "mission to finally understand what is happening in Iraq reveals once again that (his) attacks are based on politics, not facts."
Say John, do you remember anything about the Constitution and 'separation of powers' from civics class? No? Didn't think so.
Whatever approach he embraces will have a better chance of success, Kerry argues, because he knows how to play well with himself others, TIME's Nancy Gibbs reports. When asked by TIME about President Bush's hate of the word 'nuance' and his opinion of the word, Kerry says, "Some of these issues are very complicated and deserve more than a simplistic this or that," says Kerry. As he speaks, Kerry heats up, grows loud, almost angry. His message shifts: Don't for a moment think all that worldliness means he has no convictions. Or that he is weak or a waffler or a political opportunist, TIME reports.
He is weak, waffling and an opportunist, and I've been thinking that for more than a moment.
"I donât think war is nuanced at all. I think how you take a nation to war is the most fundamental decision a President makes," Kerry says, "and there's nothing nuanced at all about keeping your promises. There is nothing nuanced about exhausting remedies that give you legitimacy and consent to go to war. And I refuse ever to accept the notion that anything I've suggested with respect to Iraq was nuanced. It was clear. It was precise. It was, in fact, prescient. It was ahead of the curve about what the difficulties were. And that is precisely what a President is supposed to be. I think I was right, 100% correct, about how you should have done Iraq."
"We should have gone but not gone, we should have done what was right but only if our friends agreed, we should rebuild Iraq but not fund the rebuilding." Yep, clear to me.
Kerry says he learned from Vietnam and did I tell you I served in Vietnam?, where he served as a swift boat commander YESSSSSH! I did tell you, that you go to war only if all other options fail and that you had better make certain you are prepared to do what it takes to secure peace afterward. Whatever his criticisms of Bush's war, Kerry says he is committed to finishing the mission. "My exit strategy is success," he says, "a viable, stable Iraq that can contribute to the stability and peace in the Middle East."
But your plans to implement that strategy will fail, John.
Among the first things Kerry would do as President, says Sandy Berger, who was a National Security Adviser under Bill Clinton and has consulted with Kerry on the subject, would be to tell the American people to "put aside your misgivings or whatever you thought about this in the beginning. We cannot fail now."
So he's only two years behind GWB in strategy. D'oh.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/07/2004 14:17 ||
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god that Kerrys a fucking prick, hope he gets rectal cancer
#2
So the fuckhead (pardon my French) is admitting that his statements in regards to Iraq have been based on ignorance?
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
03/07/2004 14:21 Comments ||
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wellll, he has a habit of picking up paychecks when not showing up for work (votes). That needs to be raised as an issue:
"As President, would you show up for work every day? Or take a partial paycut for the periods you're busy somewhere else?"
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/07/2004 14:26 Comments ||
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#4
Looks a though the whole Dimmycrat party is infected with the I Have a Scream Syndrome.
#5
Watch this space. Kerry will try to build an case that he basically agrees with Bush's desired outcome but is more competent than Bush to achieve it because he is a combat veteran and nuanced thinker.
The media will give him a free pass in making this case. Because Kerry has no real responsibility, he can sit back and demagouge ever bit of bad news that comes along. He's leading in the polls already and may be able to monday morning quarterback his way to convincing the electorate he can handle national security.
If he wins, the UN and regional powers will be more than happy to 'cooperate' in 'cleaning up this mess' and the end result will be that we give up the strategic gains we've made since 9/11 as these gains are based on our demonstrated willingness to stay and fight rather than our mere presence on the ground. Kerry simply does not have the will to do what is necessary for strategic victory. Bush does. The mullahs, dictators, terrorists and weasels of the world understand this.
If Kerry is elected, life will probably seem good for a few years of false peace punctuated by law enforcement and intelligence successes against the terrorists. Then, inevitably, something big will happen and Kerry, or his successor, will find themselves flipping through a book of launch codes with no alternatives.
Don't mean to be morose, but a lot is at stake in this election. It's a single issue one for most of us who read Rantburg, but we need to be aware that we are relatively unique in the electorate.
#6
I can empathize with the poor Dhimmycrats. I, too, am occasionally racked with ambivalence: pull out -or- complete the emission.
The difference is that they seem to have developed quite a taste for the run away response, leaving themselves open to criticism for the messes they leave behind. I, for one, am becoming rather tired of fetching a towel.
[Content Warning]
#7
JAB, I suspect the election ,as close as the media claims it may be will boil down to two definitive styles:
1) Real world tried and true solutions to problems, but more importantly, better hope for a better future. Strong Defense, lowered taxes, lowered regulations, snd, God willing reduced federal government.
2) Railing against the extremeist rightwing and jerking off about how much better a socialist will handle the nation's current business: Higher taxes, deprecated defenses, and stifling regulatory environment including a socialist federal agenda, for everyone.
#8
JAB has hit the nail on the head. The reason we (and it is 'we' - as in Western Civilisation) are in Iraq and trying to make the place work is because *we know* what the alternative is. This war will end with the Islamic world reforming, or it will end with the Islamic world disappearing. If the mullahs had half an ounce of intelligence they would dump all their nuke technology in an instant. They don't. They are besotted with the idea of a truly Islamic bomb (not the faux-Islam of Pakistan this, but the real McCoy - Tehran style), but have not thought the thing through.
For instance, I don't doubt that there is a Pentagon plan for the nuking of the UK. I don't like it, but it's the way the world has been kept safe for the last 60 years. It works. Because we know that the retaliation would be unimaginable - we wouldn't launch missiles at the US, and nor would we do anything to have the finger pointed at us if there were a detonation in the US. Now, think about some of the planning that must have taken place in the Pentagon after 9/11. The scenario of the UK disappearing in a puff of smoke is, I believe, highly remote. I put forward the notion that there must exist a plan which calls for the destruction of the Islamic world, and that this plan is anything but a remote scenario given the Pakistani and Iranian bombs.
The Mullahs (and by implication the Islamic world) do not think in terms of deterrence. They would love to bloody the nose of the US, and in doing so bring a terrible retribution on themselves.
Sorry, this has drifted off Kerry a bit, but my point is that this coming election has little to do with budget deficits, nor with gay marriages nor medicare benefits. It is fundamentally about whether the wheels are put in motion for the destruction of the Islamic world, with a Kerry presidency and 'business as usual at the UN, and ten more years of sanctions on Iran', or whether the Islamic has a chance at reforming with Bush being re-elected.
What an irony it would be if GWB, a born-again christian, was hailed as the saviour of a renewed Islam.
Posted by: Tony (UK) ||
03/07/2004 19:05 Comments ||
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Kerry argues, because he knows how to play well with others
Yeah, just ask the south Vietmanese. I can even introduce you to one -- her family was driven out of Vietnam when Kerry's friends the North Vietmanese took over.
Don't for a moment think all that worldliness means he has no convictions. Or that he is weak or a waffler or a political opportunist, TIME reports.
I dont have to think it. I know it --- his record is screaming it! Kerry has been short stroking himself to get elected president since before Vietnam. In fact that is the sole reason he went is so he can tell everyone about it during his campaigns. Scary....
#10
Kerry knows how to play well with others - no argument there. Problem is we want someone who will work well with others for that job.
Posted by: B ||
03/07/2004 20:33 Comments ||
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#11
The fact that Kerry would use Rand Beers on his foreign policy team indicates a willingness to employ mediocrities, and, as some have called him, a perjurer. See http://www.narconews.com/beersperjury1.html
Had he been sitting in the Oval Office last weekend as rebel forces were threatening to enter Port-au-Prince, Senator John Kerry says, he would have sent an international force to protect Haitiâs widely disliked elected leader, Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
Keep saying stupid things like that, Jean-Pierre.
"I would have been prepared to send troops immediately, period," Mr. Kerry said on Friday, expressing astonishment that President Bush, who talks of supporting democratically elected leaders, withheld any aid and then helped spirit Mr. Aristide into exile after saying the United States could not protect him. "Look, Aristide was no picnic, and did a lot of things wrong," Mr. Kerry said. But Washington "had understandings in the region about the right of a democratic regime to ask for help. And we contravened all of that. I think itâs a terrible message to the region, democracies, and itâs shortsighted."
When they start out being democratically elected, that's a good thing. When they turn into dictators they should be thrown out. We shouldn't send troops to protect Bob in Zimbabwe when the people show up with pitchforks and torches, either.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
03/07/2004 12:15:24 AM ||
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Coulda. Woulda. Shoulda... Aristide's out! And so are all those millions of Capitol Hill lobbying dollars!
Posted by: Jack Deth ||
03/07/2004 0:19 Comments ||
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Kerry is simply incapable of taking a single position on an issue. We should have defended Aristide even though he was "no picnic" and "did a lot of things wrong." As in, ran a thugocracy.
I guess this is what the NYT means by Kerry's "nuances." Blah.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/07/2004 0:20 Comments ||
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#3
"I would have been prepared to send troops immediately, period," Mr. Kerry
Very slick and Clintonian. Kindly note how in his 'nuance' he failed to state he would actually send troops.
Get ready, folks, to dismember whatever Kerry sez the next few months. We will need to dissect every syllable to see how he will try to play to the middle while dragging his heavy leftists chains with him.
Make no mistake. Kerry is NOT taking both sides of the issue. He is saying he would simply be prepared to send troops. What Kerry will actually do is to pin a note to an aid to remind him to send troops and then tell the aid to take a coupla weeks off.
I promise his leftist advisors and allies understand the differences.
Y'all notice Kerry skating ever so graceully passed the salient fact that Aristide was Clinton's pet Carribean project?
#4
Y'know, I supported Clinton's decision to reestablish Aristide back in '94 for the following reasons: 1) Aristide was democratically elected and the Haitian people, as in any democracy, should be made to suffer for their poor decision. 2) It would avert a refugee crisis.
After Aristide's election fraud of 2000 however, which even imbecilic Jimmy Carter knew was rigged, Aristide is no longer a democratically elected psycho marxist priest president. That cancels Reason #1. #2 still exists and I'm glad Bush saw it that way and got Aristide out of there before troops went in so we're not seen as "legitimizing" the bastard.
So Clinton and Bush are both right. (It's a floor wax AND a dessert topping!)
I say we send Maxine Waters, Charlie Rangle, et al down there for ten-twenty years and they can show us how it should be run. On their money of course.
#5
JFKerry, scion of Boston's ruling class and dictator protector. He has shown a remarkable affinity for the likes of Aristide, Saddam, Ho Chi Min, and Pol Pot. They're not bad people. They just need hugs. Who will he genuflect to next? Mugabe? Khameni? Kimmie? How about someone closer to home, like Castro or Chavez in Venezuela? Has he ever met a despot he won't give a hummer to, or set up his relatives in business deals?
Posted by: ed ||
03/07/2004 5:52 Comments ||
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#6
Damned if you do....
I guess Bush can't do anything right(so say the Left Leaning Loons).
#7
Kerry is an ass, running as an ass for the presidency of the United States for the party of the asses. He knows he can say anything he wants, without being held accountable for his words, either those he's uttering now or those he's uttered in the past. He is the worst type of politician, and an absolute disaster for a Democratic party trying to regrain any national relevancy. Not to worry, though, he reflects perfectly the goals, aspirations, and assumptions of the donkey leadership. The only sad thing is that there are millions of people who will vote for this jackass simply because he's got a "Democrat" label.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
03/07/2004 13:41 Comments ||
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#8
While most of us had our eyes focused on our troops in Baghdad last April 8 Bill Clinton, the icon of the Democratic party, was in Haiti having a love fest with Aristide.
Here's what a WSJ journalist had to say about Clinton's visit and his relationship and support of Aristide as well as the Haitian disdain for both.
#9
You know, I'd love to see the Dhimmicrats take a proactive stance on an issue- just once, even, merely to show they're capable of doing it. Just once, tell us what should be done BEFORE Bush takes action, instead of waiting until after he's acted and then carping from the sidelines.
Then again, the "sidelines" is exactly where I'd like the Dims to go. And stay. Permanently.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
03/07/2004 14:59 Comments ||
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#10
I think JBA would be an excellent prime time speaker at the Democratic National Convention.
#11
"I say we send Maxine Waters, Charlie Rangle, et al down there for ten-twenty years and they can show us how it should be run. On their money of course."
I'd support a tax hike to pay their way.
Posted by: B ||
03/07/2004 23:31 Comments ||
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I put it under "Home Front" because heâs back home now.
Waaaay to long to post or even excerpt. And itâs only the first of 3(!) articles. I think WP requires registration, but I think the General has a few fans around here. Go ye, and read it all...
A Denver synagogue was damaged with graffiti overnight. Swastikas were drawn on the synagogue on south Monaco Parkway. The graffiti was in the doorway and across a sign. There were also several symbols drawn on the back wall of the building. A holocaust survivor who saw the graffiti says it was almost too much to take. There was no official response available from the congregation Saturday, although several people who called 9NEWS to report the damage said that they blamed Mel Gibsonâs movie âThe Passion of the Christâ for rekindling anti-Semitism. Hmmm, Here we have an unsupported allegation of motive from anonymous callers who presumably do not know the perps; and this is regarded as newsworthy?
Members of the congregation will gather Sunday morning to start cleaning off the graffiti. Cinema-crazed Christians running amok again. Whatâs next? Catholic-school kids throwing rocks at police and troops? Baptist Car bombs? Buddhist suicide bombers on the Denver metro? Masked United Methodist Youth brandishing AKs? Presbyterian hijackers? Actually this scenario does seem vaguely familiar for some reason, though the SS runes in the picture point solidly to the subjects of an 80s hit by the Tubes, White Punks on Dope.
Posted by: Atomic Conspiracy ||
03/07/2004 3:44:45 AM ||
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I'm aware that Buddhists are not Christians, I was just getting into the multicultural spirit of the thing.
#2
"White Punks On Dope" was an amazing song. I had a button which read "White Dopes On Punk". Described me to a 'T'.
On topic, you're probably right. Denver has had a "neo-nazi skinhead" problem for quite a while now. There have even been murders of minority group members by wannabe hard cases.
"The Passion" cannot possibly be implicated unless cinema owners are seeing groups of 'boot boys' filing in to showings beside church groups. Pretty unlikely.
#3
Two Points:
#1 - Read Krauthammer's column in the WPOST 5 March - this should give some context, if one is willing to read AND think about it.
#2 - Much if not most concern is not that religious Christians will run amok after seeing the movie - but that the haters now have additional cover to justify their hate.
Just coincidence I suppose - nothing like this in East Denver for years - and within days of the movie opening..... just coincidence.....NOT!
#4
It still amazes me that some people don't know who the real enemies of the US are today. Their hatred for the Jewish people is so misled that they could look at 9/11 and still hate the Jews despite their help in the war on terrorism.
#5
Have seen the Passion it is not antisemitic ,its very sad and if you see it will make you realise what Jesus has done for all humans. Some rednecks probably blame jews that aer alive today for the cruxifiction but it was the some of the jews alive at the time and the romans who did it.Besides Jesus had to die at the commandment of God his father as he is subordinate to God in all things.
#6
Just coincidence I suppose - nothing like this in East Denver for years - and within days of the movie opening..... just coincidence.....NOT!
Ever hear of "post hoc ergo propter hoc"? You might want to, oh, I dunno, FIND SOME EVIDENCE before you blame the movie.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
03/07/2004 8:50 Comments ||
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#7
Ever here of "post hoc ergo propter hoc?" Well - the EVIDENCE one needs here would be what? Having the perps go public and say,, yep, it was that movie that energized me to do ......" which isn't likely to occur. So - rest smug in your conviction for now - but keep posted for future events. How many occurences would it take to convince YOU that people who hate would use this film?
#11
Actually, this same area has had problems with vandals before - so its not really new despite some people's attemps to make it look that way. I think the Greek Orthodox church on the hill next door has had vandalism problems as well.
Anyone who gathers all the facts first with an objective viewpoint knows its not the movie. Its the neighborhood - a neighborhood in decline with rougher people spilling down from Colfax and Colorado, now that Univeristy Hospital is moving and leaving a demographic and economic hole in the area.
Also look around that area - there is good BBQ place I make a detour to eat at over off Cherry, and see old friends, when I fly to Denver on the way to Co Springs. When I drove thru there a little while back, there is a huge abandoned grocery store, a lot of crappy old run-down strip malls, a tatoo shop, and around the corner a sex shop. And remember a couple years ago they had problems with people setting fire to the stuff in a park a few blocks away.
So tell the whole story. And dont forget, there might be an Old Spook with an eye for details to call the truth out - and make you look like a fool.
#12
Right on, Old Spook. My daughter used to work at the Jewish Community Center close by. It's a beautiful building in a declining area. The skinhead problem (and problems from similar groups) has been there for at least 15 years, if not longer. Colfax Avenue is now a slum from Josephine to Peoria street. I have friends who attend services at that synagogue - this is NOT the first time it's been vandalized in the last 30 years.
OS, email me, and I'll send you my telephone number. We can get together at the Village Inn on Academy and Palmer Park for coffee one afternoon.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
03/07/2004 12:18 Comments ||
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#13
Guys,
A lurker here, posting as I live in the Denver ... a lot of what you say is true, however; local leaders ARE cleaning up the 'colfax corridor' - but it takes time. From the east, with Stapleton being re-developed. The change is starting to be very apparent and very obvious. From the west with revitilization project, which is just starting.
#14
You got me - I shouldn't have said East Denver - should have said Crestmoor Park - which cannot be called a slum or run-down - try pricing the homes. I'm wondering whether or not you are thinking of the Beth Jacob synagogue which is close to Colfax. The one on Monaco is TRI - about a mile further down from the Greek Orthodox. Anyway - a lot of protest here - too much?
What you're seeing is a group of people who don't jump on a bandwagon when the press calls them to. Unlike, say, yourself, who has charged, tried, and convicted "The Passion of the Christ" on the basis of a few anonymous phone calls.
Now, most people who see swastikas and SS runes think "neo-Nazis", and I think that's the direction the police will be looking, too. Also, this kind of crap took place BEFORE the film was released, so blaming the film seems to be a case of trying to fit the crime to someone you've already convicted.
Now, you said: How many occurences would it take to convince YOU that people who hate would use this film?
For one thing, it doesn't matter what "people who hate" think. They'll hang their rationalizations on ANYTHING, no matter how blameless or innocent. There are, after all, people who will tell you with a straight face that "My Little Pony" tells them to kill their neighbors.
When there IS evidence -- beyond some anonymous phone calls to a TV station -- then come back and ask how much. Until then, stop jumping at shadows.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
03/07/2004 14:18 Comments ||
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#16
Denver has had a "neo-nazi skinhead" problem for quite a while now.
They are everywhere, including Denver - a minor and marginalized fringe subculture, although deeply disturbed and disturbing. But, one of my most favorite memories from the 80s was seeing a march in downtown Denver (KKK/nazi combo, if I remember) just get trashed by a bunch of angry white Coloradoans who were really po'd by the bigotry. The nazi mentality is pretty foreign to the overwhelming majority of Coloradoans who donât suffer from mental illness. Colorado's worldview, really, is a pretty open minded kind of conservatism [editorial note: so open that it let a bunch of Californians come in and take over the state. Oops, another topic].
Colfax Avenue is now a slum from Josephine to Peoria street. Ouch! I work just south of the synagogue at Alameda and Colorado. Please be kind . . .
Regarding the Passion, I think Ebert [editorial note: not known to be very conservative] said it best, something like âBigots will always look for excuses. If Christ had been crucified in Fiji, bigots would call the Fijians Christkillers. But his message was that he came to earth to die, it was ordained. It just took place in Palestine, and it was the Romans who killed him.â
#17
Re "Bigots will always look for excuses" - exactly my point - intentional (I don't believe that for a minute) or not - three months of hype and non-Gospel insertions from Mr. Gibson (Satan was placed among the Jews, not the Romans) - leaves room for abuse of a work intended to inspire. Law of unintended consequences - still hurts nevertheless. Go back and check the Krauthammer analysis again (or for the first time).
You really are stupid about evidence aren't you? Now, according to you, simply pointing to a lack of evidence or logic for an allegation somehow justifies that allegation. How much "protest" is too much, and what does it prove? Do you have the guts to spell it out here?
You should have lived in the 16th Century, you could have gone to the top in the Inquisition.
#19
Gibson is a goof. What's more there to say. Anyone see the interview with Diane Sawyer? I'm so sure the Holy Spirit told him to make $100mil off of Jesus' story.
Regarding the antisemitism, anyone who blames the Jews for killing Jesus, I'm sure hasn't touched the Bible in their whole life.
Posted by: Rafael ||
03/07/2004 17:35 Comments ||
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#20
(Satan was placed among the Jews, not the Romans)ltcedk, are you nuts or just plain ignorant? Read the Bible while youâre able, and before you make pompous comments about Gibsonâs intentions [editorial note: What, so youâre psychic?]. I think anyone who has seriously read the biblical account of Jesus Christâs death would find the Passion to be right on point as a filmic portrayal of those accounts.
The Judeo-Christian Bible reports quite convincingly [editorial note: with better intrinsic and extrinsic proofs than youâll find in most law cases] that Jesus Christ was born a Jew, and was a direct descendent of David through his mother. The New Testament portion of that Bible repeatedly and consistently reports Jesus Christ as identifying with and upholding the honor and sanctity of the Jewish people as a race chosen by the Creator God Almighty to âmake and shake critical points in human historyâ [editorial note: my choice of words] as part of the special relationship of the Jewish people with God Almighty.
The Judeo-Christian Bible also quite honestly reports that all people (Jews and non-Jews alike) are creatures worth saving and bringing into a paradisiacal eternity. It also quite honestly reports that all people are subject to falling short from perfection, often with devastating human impact (e.g., Adam and Eve bring sin into the world, David orders a womanâs husband killed so that he can take her, etc.). The New Testament account does not paint Jews as particularly susceptible to sin, rather all people (Jewish and non-Jewish) fall short and hurt others. The New Testament message is not that the Jews killed Christ, but that Christ chose to become a blood sacrifice [editorial note: i.e., he came to earth knowing when, where, and how he would die, and willing and wanting to lay down his life to save his friends] to wash away all the sins that keep people from entering into a paradisiacal eternity. How is this different than the buddy who takes a bullet or jumps on a grenade to save his friends? Do we blame the shortcomings of his friends for not keeping better watch, and say his friends are buddy-killers? Those arguments cheapen heroics, and are unworthy of Christ.
If the Passion is soooooooo anti-Semitic, why is it staunchly defended by conservative, devout Jews like Dennis Prager and Micheal Medved? ltcedk, your position reminds me of something C. S. Lewis once wrote, and which I paraphrase, âThe gates of Hell are barred from the inside.â Now (take a deep breath), mind you, Iâm not condemning you or saying youâre lost -- Iâm trying to emphasize an analogous point, donât go into something with such bias and preconception that you canât see the real facts.
Have you been living under a rock? This story's been around for at least twice that long, probably closer to a year. And if you're going to blame Mel for what idiots do, then you might want to portion some of that blame out to those who made a fuss about it in the first place.
and non-Gospel insertions from Mr. Gibson
Yeah, how DARE he insert his own beliefs and artistic vision into this! He should have stuck with the original film!
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
03/07/2004 19:35 Comments ||
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#22
ltcedk: I'm wondering whether you are thinking of the Beth Jacob synagogue
Oops! Yes, that's the one, just south of Alameda, about six blocks east of Colorado Boulevard. IIRC, they had a stained-glass window totally destroyed about fifteen years ago in another anti-Semitic incident.
Three things have really hurt East Denver/Aurora in the last ten years: the loss of Lowry AFB, the closing of Fitzsimons hospital, and the moving of air traffic from Stapleton to DIA. I hope the area is recovering, but the last time I was up there (three months ago), it was still pretty run-down.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
03/07/2004 19:42 Comments ||
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#23
Well done, cingold. Well argued and well presented.
Will there be a quiz later on about this? Should we have taken notes during class?
#25
I don't know where Krauthammer got the impression that Satan mainly hangs around Jews. His most memorable appearance, judging from web comment, was the Ugly Baby bit behind the Romans administering the scourging at the pillar. Though he's present on the Via Dolorosa, it's primarily the same soldiers behaving badly, a point made pretty firmly by the main focus character for that sequence, a nice Jewish guy from Cyrene. Apart from a brief detour helping Judas go nuts, he seems mainly to go where Jesus goes, understandably, since he's got something riding on the outcome. What that is exactly is established in his first appearance, the admittedly extra-Biblical temptation-in-the-other-garden, where he's used to make the point that everything that happens proceeds from the need to expiate the crimes of the whole species, ever since that conversation in Eden. Hence the snake. Hence also his slight tendency to make fun of Mary and give her dirty looks. His just showing up to point out which people are icky would have been an easier and far more pointless job the whole way around, and an utter waste of everybody's basic education.
Even on a purely literary level, there are entire interwoven structures of symbolism to the movie unmentioned and evidently undetected by a lot of the reviewers. God knows what they majored in. I am pretty sure what any of my professors would have given me for that kind of unabashed nonanalytic gastric reaction.
Posted by: ABD ||
03/07/2004 22:15 Comments ||
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#26
We shouldn't expect anti-semites to attend a film where the hero is a Jew.
The big question is whether the normal rate for sick crimes like this goes up or down, outside of the normal "noise band". The number of these acts per week fluctuates, and an average fluctuation can be calculated easily. From there, you can tell if an increase is "significant" or "within the margin of the standard deviation", and there are percentages associated with them. For instance, IIRC, a rate two standard deviations away from the norm is 90% assured of being significant, and three is about 95% sure (I.e. you'd be wrong one time out of 20 to assume it's not significant, and right 19 times out of 20 to assume it IS.)
The math and the numbers to feed to it are all there. We just need enough data after the opening to make the comparison.
#27
Of course the Jews crucified Jesus Christ. If not for that one act, we(everyone who has lived, or ever will live), would not have access to salvation. Christians are not the perpetrators of this graffiti. Christians know the VALUE of Jesus' death and resurrection. Because it happened....we have hope in tomorrow.
I encourage everyone Christian and non-Christian alike, to go see the movie. The word scourge is used when talking about the events leading up to the crucifixion of Christ. And, while you know it's a punishment of sorts......you don't have a reference for your mind to get a grip on the practice with. Now, thanks to Mel Gibson's movie, I have a pretty good idea of what being scourged is all about.
Posted by: Danny ||
03/07/2004 23:41 Comments ||
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I think Indonesia took the problem seriously when it came home to roost . . .
After 11 months, the trials of suspects in the Bali terror attack on October 12, 2002, which killed 202 people and injured hundreds of others, finally came to an end last week. ... Though two suspects, Dulmatin and Malaysian national Azahari are still on the run, the courts have tried no less than thirty suspects for their involvement.Three of these, Ali Ghufron alias Mukhlas, Amrozi bin Nurhasim and Imam Samudra were sentenced to death by firing squad. Those on death row in Indonesia have a much shorter life expectancy than those in the U.S.
The rest were jailed for terms ranging from three years to life. Even minor involvement (e.g., hiding a fugitive) was met with prison terms.
11 of those convicted appealed to the Supreme Court after the Bali High Court rejected their appeals.
#1
Sorry, cingold, but you're being rather selective about the truth, aren't you? Bashir, who alternately threatened the court and cried like a baby -- after faking illness to keep from being arrested, certainly didn't face the music... I wonder how life is in the Indo-equivalent of Club Fed. The cannon-fodder, those wearing the the True Believer's Smile, got death. The leadership got a pass. When Indo DOES go after JI & Co leadership, I'll be there to congratulate them. Until then, I hope we are extremely slow to share intel and access to captured asshats. Where I'm wrong - I'm glad. Please tell me I'm wrong!
#2
.com, I admit, I am biased toward Indonesia. I spent a good portion of my childhood there and love the people. I do concede, however, that Indonesian leadership (in the name of country cohesion) can be paranoid and at times abusive, and is quite prone to sickening and self-serving corruption.
Nonetheless, I think Indonesia on the whole is on the right track, and will end up doing the right things about its self-governance and in dealing with the islamofascists. Regarding Bashir; the story isnât over with, yet -- there are a lot more charges to file against him, and I donât see him being released from prison before real, hard-hitting charges are filed. The well supported charges against Bahir were fairly minor, but the heavier charges did not have well-developed evidence [see link] (just something to get him off the streets, I think). I could be wrong, but I donât think so. I think while Bashir is in jail for the little stuff, more significant charges will be brought. We'll see . . . and I hope I'm right.
#3
I absolutely hope you're right! I'm not sure where your optimism comes from, but I'll defer to your experience.
Having Indonesia truly onboard in the WoT would be nearly priceless... and it would help immensely to counterbalance the Malaysian Gov't's (term used rather loosely, here) obvious complicity in the region. I have zero personal experience there, so must rely upon "news" outlets and people who have bona-fide knowledge of the people and culture, such as yourself. Thx for the feedback and perspective - it is sorely needed!
Truly, I hope I'm right too. The mainstream Indonesian ideal of politics is "Unity in Diversity." If islamofascism is not rooted out of Indonesia, it will be because islamofascists have taken over the country (extremely unlikely) or because of corruption (a possibility).
Malaysia ordered six Indonesian terror suspects detained for two years after they were captured returning from a training camp in the Philippines, a senior security official said Sunday. They were caught among a group of illegal immigrants trying to enter the eastern Malaysian state of Sabah on Borneo island several weeks ago but their arrest had not been announced. Borneo is shared by Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei and the men were trying to make their way back to Indonesia after attending training in Mindanao, where the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is fighting a separatist rebellion, he said. They have been served with two year detention orders under Malaysiaâs Internal Security Act, which allows indefinite detention without trial.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
03/07/2004 1:51:31 AM ||
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Terrorists used explosives smuggled from the Philippines in the deadly bombing of a Jakarta hotel last year and other attacks, Indonesiaâs top detective said in newspaper reports Saturday. Police learned the source of the explosives during interrogation of Amran bin Mansyur alias Andi Saputra, a Malaysian arrested in Central Java province on February 26, General Superintendent Erwin Mappaseng said, quoted by Media Indonesia. Mansyur said some of the explosives smuggled from Mindanao were used to bomb churches in Sumatra on Christmas Eve, 2000. The attacks were part of a series across the country that killed 19 people. Explosives left over from those attacks were used in the JW Marriott bombing last August which killed 11 Indonesians and a Dutch banker. "From the residue of the Marriott bomb, the fact is the explosives are the same as those used on Christmas Eve," he said.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
03/07/2004 12:18:14 AM ||
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Residents of the quake-hit city of Bam in southeast Iran rioted in anger at continuing difficult living conditions more than two months after the massive tremor. They burned cars and destroyed containers after a demonstration on Thursday degenerated into violence, the reformist daily Shargh reported. It quoted provincial authorities as saying that agitators on motorbikes incited the demonstrators, prompting police to intervene during the night. The authorities said there were no casualties, but the Fars news agency quoted Bam's Friday prayer leader, Asghar Asgari, as saying that two people were wounded by bullets fired in the crowd. Shargh said the demonstrators, who numbered 500 at one point, protested at the indifference of the authorities, saying promises of officials had not been kept while they continued to live in tents and with inadequate sanitation. The provincial governor's office accused the media of exaggerating the extent of international aid, leading the residents to believe that reconstruction would be easy.
When you split all your time between defining proper behavior to get to the next world and funding organizations that assist other people into that next world, I guess you don't have a lot of attention left over for this world.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/07/2004 13:46 ||
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#1
protested at the indifference of the authorities, saying promises of officials had not been kept while they continued to live in tents and with inadequate sanitation
//sarcasm on// Why are they protesting? Ensha'Allah. //sarcasm off//
#2
Last time we heard, the population of Bam had doubled since the earthquake, due to freeloaders looking for handouts. Sounds like there are lots of people around with nothing better to do.
Posted by: john ||
03/07/2004 16:39 Comments ||
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Iran has threatened to resume uranium enrichment and revise its agreement to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) if the nuclear dispute is not resolved in line with last Octoberâs agreement, the Mehr news service reported on Sunday. âIran will not wait forever to restore its legitimate national right to pursue peaceful nuclear activities,â an unnamed member of the Iranian delegation at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna told Mehr. âWe would not only revise cooperation but also keep the option open to restart uranium enrichment if the IAEA and the Europeans did not fulfill their commitments in line with the October declaration and still continued their double-standard policies toward Iran,â the diplomat added. According to Mehr, continuing accusations against Iran, despite its cooperation with IAEA inspectors, has irked the Iranian delegation, which has accused the United Nations nuclear agency of dealing with Iran in an âillogical mannerâ.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
03/07/2004 9:51:24 AM ||
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#1
I just wonder who'll take out these facilities first: Us or the Israelis. The black turbans have a deathwish, and I'd hate to see them disappointed
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/07/2004 14:30 Comments ||
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#2
I'd guess "threatens" really means they not only already have, but prolly never missed a beat, heh.
Timing, I'm sure, is the pivot point. Pre-General Election seems to be politically unacceptable - as long as they haven't reached their goal: deliverable nuke capable of reaching Israel. If they achieve it beforehand, then what's an election compared to preserving the existence of a truly modern democratic society?
As for who does the deed, I don't care as long as they ace the Mad Mullahs (decapitation style) at the same time!
#3
The Black Turbans have been reading Kimmy's script. Ramp up the rhetoric and next it will be to threaten a sea of fire.
If they have nuke capability and the delivery system ready to go, they have just signed their death warrant, and those of a whole bunch of Iranians. Well, IAEA, wacha gonna do? Is the US and/or Israel going to have to go do the dirty work that you are unwilling to do?
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
03/07/2004 18:44 Comments ||
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A British newspaper has reported that Iran is trying to prevent Libya from disclosing incriminating details of Teheran's top-secret nuclear weapons programme, by threatening to unleash groups opposed to the rule of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, according to reports in the Arabic Press.
Western intelligence sources have learned from interrogation of Al Qaeda suspects, captured near Afghanistan's border with Iran, that a Libyan militant group is being protected and trained by experts from Iran's Revolutionary Guards, the reports said. According to the paper, the Libyan Combat Islamic Group (GICL) was expelled from Libya by Col. Gaddafi in 1997 after it was implicated in attacks against government targets. At first the group relocated to Afghanistan, where it became closely involved in Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda organisation. After the war in Afghanistan in 2001, the group was given a safe haven in Iran, together with other north African militant groups linked to Al Qaeda. The Iranians have told Libya of the group's presence in Iran so long as Col. Gaddafi does not reveal details of Iran's secret nuclear activity. One of the reasons that Col. Gaddafi sought to improve relations with Britain and cooperate with British intelligence following September 11 was his concern about the growing activities of Libya's militant groups. The improved relations culminated in Gaddafi's decision, announced at the end of last year, to dismantle his weapons of mass destruction. "This is a serious initiative by the Iranians," said a Western intelligence official with access to the interrogation transcripts of Al Qaeda detainees in Afghanistan. "They are desperate to prevent Col. Gaddafi from spilling the beans about either Iran's involvement in international terrorism or in developing nuclear weapons."
Posted by: Fred ||
03/07/2004 00:09 ||
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#1
"They are desperate to prevent Col. Gaddafi from spilling the beans about either Iran's involvement in international terrorism or in developing nuclear weapons." Shitting it by the sounds of it,be fun to watch thier futile efforts to shut Kadaffy and America up
#2
I hope you're right Jon. I think it would be a lot better if people the world over knew more of what has been going on.
Unfortunately, whether it is Bush/Blair secrecy policy, a lazy, inattentive media, an apathetic populace or a combination, a lot of this scandalous double dealing is largely unknown and what is known has gone down the 'memory hole'.
Examples: The French sold weapons that ended up in Saddam's armory even as sanctions were in place. How? The Russians were helping Saddam build long range missles. Why? The Chinese were helping to 'bomb proof' control and command infrastructure. What for?
The US and the UK are supposed to play "Mother, May I?" with those three and many other countries in the UN just to defend ourselves and Western Civilization. WTF?
People must cop on to the crap that has been going on for quite some time. The period when we could even possibly entertain the notion of some idjit like John F(rench) Kerry as POTUS is long passed. Kadaffy's talking! Listen up!
#4
Iran's a little to late I think. Most likely Ghaddafi has already told us everything. Also, the recent Mustard Gas and production plant that Libya disclosed has caused me to think about something. Did Saddam help with the Mustard Gas program and we just follow the paper trail back to Libya? Catching that frieghter full of Centrifuges was a big part and all, but the fact that Libya disclosed the Nuke program shortly after Saddam was captured makes me believe that Ghaddafi was afraid of Saddam talking for some reason.
Posted by: Charles ||
03/07/2004 11:03 Comments ||
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Iranian tourists pelted Israeli positions with stones at the Fatima Gate border point during a visit to the Southern region Friday, having arrived in Lebanon on a trip from Syria by way of Western Bekaa.
Why, that was astoundingly brave of them!
On the opposite side of the border, scores of Israelis and foreign tourists were sighted moving around in a park at Metullah settlement, while soldiers manned their fortified positions. The Iranians numbered about 90, among them lawyers and university professors, and included men, women and children. Their first stop over was in the former Khiam detention camp, once run by Israeli occupation forces or their allied militiamen. Those looking after the notorious camp, which has since become an important landmark, explained to the visitors methods of torture once used against detainees, especially resistance fighters. The tourists then moved to a spot facing Metullah and took some snapshots after having disembarked from two buses. A university professor from Teheran, Hamdi Nazeri, said the group had come to Syria and from there to Lebanon on a tourist trip âto have a look at the border and see what happened to the Jews after their defeat in May 2000.â
Posted by: Fred ||
03/07/2004 00:03 ||
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#1
âto have a look at the border and see what happened to the Jews after their defeat in May 2000.â lol
Posted by: Dead Lawton ||
03/07/2004 10:00 Comments ||
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#5
I like the idea of giving the Isreali army a safe way to disperse crowds. The pig Cannon! We have contests to launch watermelons out of enormous cannons, so why not use the Technology to launch pigs at Paleostinians? They don't run from bullets unless their human shield runs off, but they will always run from pigs! To add a twist, you can launch live pigs when PETA starts protesting!
Posted by: Charles ||
03/07/2004 11:31 Comments ||
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#6
What would be entertaining is putting pig blood into this fire-fighting machine and hosing them down...
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994738
#8
My show Champion girl Rowan, her championship pointed kids and our latest puppy think that's a great idea, PBMcL.
If PETA had their way, these dogs wouldn't get to live in our house, take up the sofa and eat fresh meat every day. Instead they'd starve in the woods or be run over on the roads, but according to PETA that would be more "dignified" -- as if dogs hadn't lived with humans for 10,000 years or more!
Oh, and to make us even worse, besides having show Champion parents our new Whippet puppy is from exploited stock in another way - her mom is also a lure coursing (field) champion as well. And Rowan's dignity is under attack every day when I offer her food treats as we train towards competing for an agility title. Yup, she hates the agility obstacle course so much she goes off to run the obstacles herself to see if I'll come play too.
"False consciousness", no doubt. Marx explained it all.
Animal exploiter that I am, I'll gladly donate to the "round up a PETA bozo today" fund whenever it gets rolling.
#9
As a biomedical physician scientist who uses mice every day, I'll gladly match our dog breeder's contribution to this fine cause. Any chance we can launch a few PETAs into Yasser's compound?
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/07/2004 17:01 Comments ||
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#10
I think we should stuff them full of pork sausages first.
Posted by: Phil B ||
03/07/2004 21:22 Comments ||
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#11
Tourists, huh? Sure. Looks like they hit all the hot spots. Was Ein Hellhole closed?
A senior adviser to President Hosni Mubarak said yesterday he doubted the United States would take any action against Syria beyond making threats and applying pressure, the official news agency MENA reported. Presidential adviser Osama El-Baz spoke in MENA in Paris, where Mubarak had talks on Friday with President Jacques Chirac. âIt may be a matter of going to the limits in making threats, because Syria cannot be accused of the same charges made against Iraq,â said Baz, who has been among the top foreign policy decision-makers in Egypt since the 1970s. âAs far as Syria is concerned, itâs a question of practicing pressure,â he added. â Baz ruled out any serious American inclination to carry out any action against Syria,â MENA reported.
If the Boy President bets the farm on that, he could end up sitting next to Sammy...
US congressional sources said on Friday that the US administration planned to impose sanctions on Syria within weeks for its support of Lebanese and Palestinian militant groups. Several sources said the administration was leaning toward imposing economic rather than diplomatic sanctions under legislation signed by President George W. Bush in December. The legislation, the Syria Accountability Act, bans trade in items that could be used in weapons programs until the administration certifies Syria is not supporting âterroristâ groups, has withdrawn personnel from Lebanon, is not developing unconventional weapons and has secured its border with Iraq. Syria says its support for the Palestinian and Lebanese groups is merely political and their only activity in Syria is speaking to the media. After the rapid fall of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein last year, conservatives close to the Bush administration openly advocated military action against Syria. But Washingtonâs difficulties in Iraq have dampened any enthusiasm the administration may have had for another military adventure in the Middle East, analysts say.
Ahhh... That's what they're counting on.
Baz also said it was premature to speculate about a possible meeting between Mubarak and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh after a visit to Cairo next week by Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom. However, senior Israeli and Egyptian officials are to meet early next week to discuss Sharonâs proposed evacuation of Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip, public radio said yesterday.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/07/2004 00:03 ||
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#1
I think the Bekkaa Valley would be an excellent location for a Wal-Mart, Sam's Club, and BJ's in the middle of a HUGE parking lot!
Posted by: Jack Deth ||
03/07/2004 0:15 Comments ||
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#2
OK, so because of the problems in Iraq, he doesn't think we'll be doing anything about the fact that they're causing the problems in Iraq?
Posted by: Phil Fraering ||
03/07/2004 0:34 Comments ||
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#3
Better yet: A 'Jurrasic Park' type theme park with tons of burned out T-72s, broken statues of maximum leaders, demonstrating the ultimate result of socialist policies. We could call it 'YerAss Sick Park.'
#4
Bush is constantly on their minds..... Everytime any of 'em sit down to eat a meal....or go to bed....or take a shit, there's a thought in the back of their mind about how they are a target, and could be HIT at any moment.
I know if I were assad or any of those idiots, I'd be scared to death all the time. If they're wanted, and they're seen, they're dead! And they know it.
Posted by: Danny ||
03/07/2004 1:24 Comments ||
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#5
Won't be the first guy to underestimate
W. Or the last.
Posted by: Mr. Davis ||
03/07/2004 1:45 Comments ||
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#6
i hope assad is constantly visiting his proctoligist because if bush wins in 2004 his asshole will be opening wider in fear than the tigris-euphrates valley
Posted by: SON OF TOLUI ||
03/07/2004 4:54 Comments ||
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#7
Good grief - not the brightest of buttons are they.
I think it is imperative that GWB wins in November, and have been keeping an eye on the Democratic selection process (which was ... interesting). I'm assuming that the Bush onslaught will start in the summer, and on November 4th, baby Assad and the Mullahs break out in a cold sweat.
Posted by: Tony (UK) ||
03/07/2004 7:23 Comments ||
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#8
"I'm assuming that the Bush onslaught will start in the summer, and on November 4th, baby Assad and the Mullahs break out in a cold sweat."
And if the gloves don't come off regarding Syria and Iran immediately after the election, it is we who should be breaking out in a cold sweat.
After our initial boldness, we seem to have sunk into an increasing timidity- and it's got me worried. This "Arab Democracy Initiative" is a noble undertaking, certainly, but I had always considered that our major purpose in being in Iraq was to be in a position to apply real, palpable pressure to the chief sources of the terrorist problem: Saudi Arabia, Syria and Iran. And I don't see very many signs that we are actually doing that.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
03/07/2004 9:29 Comments ||
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#9
Now you are starting to underestimate Bush. A great deal has been accomplished in the last two years. Osama is the target this spring. This summer, we turn over control to an Iraqi government. The fall is the election. The winter is the strategy setting for the next four years. Spring '05, you may like what happens. But a lot of it will happen without knocking heads.
Posted by: Mr. Davis ||
03/07/2004 10:25 Comments ||
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#10
Mr. Davis, agree completely, but please get your language right. That's misunderestimate Bush. :-p
Speaking of which, do the Donks drink a special "Misunderestimate" water or something? Or is it some kind of a disease?
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
03/07/2004 12:08 Comments ||
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#11
The other thing Assad and the Mullahs ought to be worried about is that, if Bush does lose, he's got about 10 weeks (from the election to the inauguration) free use of the world's most devastating military arsenal, with no political consequences to worry about. "Adios, muchachos!."
Posted by: Matt ||
03/07/2004 12:43 Comments ||
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#12
do the Donks drink a special "Misunderestimate" water or something? Or is it some kind of a disease?
It's a hereditary defect. In some places it's called "stupidity", in others, it's called "duckassitis". It's deadly if untreated. Unfortunately, Donks tend to avoid the treatment about the same way Nigerian Muslims avoid innoculations. It requires reading, listening, and thinking - the last of which is most important, and least done.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
03/07/2004 13:21 Comments ||
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#13
do the Donks drink a special "Misunderestimate" water or something? Or is it some kind of a disease?
It's a hereditary defect. In some places it's called "stupidity", in others, it's called "duckassitis". It's deadly if untreated. Unfortunately, Donks tend to avoid the treatment about the same way Nigerian Muslims avoid innoculations. It requires reading, listening, and thinking - the last of which is most important, and least done.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
03/07/2004 13:21 Comments ||
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#14
Hmmm... I don't know whether I'm underestimating Bush or not, and I'm certainly not a Donk: I'm just trying to maintain a clear mental distinction between what I actually know and what I can only suspect (or hope for, as in the matter of getting physical with Syria and Iran).
Speaking of getting physical, I'm not sure just how much Bush can do without additional Congressional authorization; I suspect, not too much.
And it may be that we won't see anything more until after the election, when (I dearly hope) a larger Republican majority will pave the way for Bush getting authorization to kick some more ass.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
03/07/2004 14:52 Comments ||
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#15
No, we probably won't invade. But that doesn't mean we can't kill anything that moves along the border without 12 hours advance notice.
The Palestinian Authority accused the Israelis of âplaying with fireâ and trying to destroy the peace process on Sunday after an army operation in central Gaza left at least 14 people dead. âWe condemn this new massacre and warn the Israeli government against playing with fire,â Palestinian leader Yasser Arafatâs chief aide, Nabil Abu Rudeina, told AFP. The Palestinians would seek an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council in the wake of the operation âand ask the council to impose sanctions against the Israeli governmentâ, he added. âThis Israeli escalation is not only aimed at destroying the peace process but imposing a solution on the Palestinian people. Such measures will not achieve results as no solution can be imposed on the Palestinian people.â
Posted by: Fred ||
03/07/2004 22:54 ||
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#1
Jennifer Griffin of Fox had it right today:
the Israelis want to pull out of Gaza and the West Bank, but don't want the Paleos taking credit and acting like they booted the evil Jooos out, as Hezbollah's done in Lebanon. Finish the fence around the West bank, and seal em off - they're a cancer
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/07/2004 23:45 Comments ||
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EFL
"My husband is the victim of anarchy," murmured Um Fadi, the widow of Khalil Zaban, a prominent Palestinian journalist and human rights activist who was murdered in Gaza City on Tuesday. "He never did anything bad to anyone. I never imagined that the situation would deteriorate to such a low level."
Shoulda stood where we're standing. We could see it coming from miles away...
Zaban, who also pointlessly served as a special adviser to Palestinian AuthorityYasser Arafat on human rights affairs, is the latest victim of lawlessness and anarchy sweeping the West Bank and Gaza Strip in recent months. Some Palestinians believe the state of chaos, together with a severe financial crisis, could lead to the collapse of the Palestinian Authority and degenerate into civil war. ... "There is total chaos in the West Bank and Gaza Strip," a former Palestinian cabinet minister said in response to the killing of Zaban. "Unfortunately, I think this assassination is just the beginning. The Palestinian Authority is very weak and is losing control over the situation. This is what happens when you have too many security agencies and militias."
This is what you have when you put gangsters in charge...
The assassination of Zaban in Gaza City came only three days after Ghassan Shakah, the charismatic mayor of Nablus, announced his decision to resign in protest against the growing state of anarchy. Shakah made his public announcement while the Fatah revolutionary council -- a key decision-making body -- was meeting in Ramallah to discuss the situation in the West Bank and Gaza Strip following complaints that armed gangs had replaced the Palestinian security forces. How did anybody notice a difference?
The resignation, according to senior Palestinian officials, has seriously embarrassed Arafat, who is under intense pressure to take a bathwipe with toilet paper order his security forces to rein in the thugs and enforce law and order. ... Nabil Amer, a former minister of information, was also targeted by Arafat for demanding reforms and an end to corruption in Palestinian ministries and institutions. "Why are you all against me?" a visibly shaken Arafat asked the 126 members of the revolutionary council. "Are you part of the American and Israeli plot against me and our people?" Donât be so modest, Yasshole; youâre doing a bang-up job of screwing your people without outside help.
"We are demanding early elections and major reforms in Fatah," said Hatem Abdel Kader, a Fatah legislator from Jerusalem who represents the grassroots generation in the movement. "The current situation is unhealthy and harmful." Youâll have better luck demanding that rocks fall upward henceforth.
In an attempt to defuse the tensions, Arafat promised to hold elections for Fatah "within a year." Then his head exploded. But many Fatah officials and activists reacted with skepticism. ... "Most of these senior Fatah officials who came from Tunis are on Arafatâs payroll and each one receives from him about $20,000 a month," [a disgruntled Paleo] added. "They must pave the way for fresh faces." The senior Fatah officials promised to get right on it and appoint a committee to study the issue. ... Some Fatah officials have joined the campaign calling for reining in the unruly gunmen. Jibril Rajoub, soon to be found in several alleys at once, a senior Fatah official and national security adviser to Arafat, talked openly at the meeting of the need to dismantle all the militias, including the Aqsa Brigades. But Arafat and the council refused to discuss the issue. The Aqsa Brigades, for their part, sent a clear warning to Arafat and the Fatah leaders that they would never surrender their weapons.
"You'll never take us alive, coppers!... Oh. Wait. We're the coppers."
Arafat promised a special commission of inquiry and tough action, but the perpetrators continue to patrol the streets of Nablus, sometimes smiling at Shakah and flashing V-for-victory signs when he passes by in his car, flanked by armed bodyguards. No doubt everyone was surprised.
A prominent businessman in Nablus, whose family has been frequently targeted by the armed groups, described the situation in the city as catastrophic. "What we have here is a Mafia," he remarked, insisting on anonymity. Aw, be brave and go ask Yasshole for help ... Iâm sure heâll be sympathetic.
"We have tens of competing armed groups that have replaced the PA. Each group has a leader who is directly linked to another more senior official. Every day I hear about armed robberies, rapes, kidnappings and extortion. The security forces say they are afraid of them and there is no judicial system." Inshallah. In a shocking development, Palestinian spokesmen often blame Israel for the chaos, citing its ban on uniformed police in most West Bank cities and the destruction during IDF incursions of security infrastructure such as police stations. However, many Palestinians are no longer prepared to accept this view. "The time has come to say enough," said Hafez Barghouti, editor of the Palestinian daily al-Hayat al-Jadeeda. "The homeland is not the property of one person, and the PA is not a private monopoly. We must support efforts to enforce law and order. The occupation is not always the reason for the disasters. It is the [internal] deterioration that is to blame." Better update your last will & testament, Hafez.
Some Palestinians fear that the chaos in the Palestinian territories is an indication of what is awaiting them after Arafat is gone. As one Palestinian legislator put it this week, "We are on the verge of civil war. Many officials believe Arafat has been weakened and they are exploiting this to establish bases of power. The battle of succession is already under way, and as things appear, it could be a bloody one." Behold the mighty Arab Street. Commence appeasement.
#1
Looks like the civil war is starting with old Arafish not having turned his toes up yet. A bit of decorum please!, wait 'til the old fellers popped his clogs!
Cause, meet effect...
Posted by: Tony (UK) ||
03/07/2004 19:10 Comments ||
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#2
How long do you think before the Palestinians demand the Evil Zionists American's come to help them.
Civil war is inevitable. Israel better hurry up and finish that fence.
Posted by: B ||
03/07/2004 23:21 Comments ||
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#3
Yup - I think you're both right. Get that wall built Now! In fact, I can hear the robot from Lost in Space now: "Danger! Danger! Implosion Imminent!"
As for Arafish - he deserves to be there, right smack dab in the middle of the confusion and outrage, given his major contributions. I hope he is one of the first to fall - it will fracture everything into a thousand shards.
I'm getting images of the colloseum scene from Life of Brian again - only this time they're all packing some form of heat and taking aim at each other...
#4
The fence around Gaza has been finished for a while. That is why we are seeing them reduced to blowing up their own people.
Posted by: Phil B ||
03/07/2004 23:35 Comments ||
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#5
The Israeli's ought to put seats on top of the wall like the Monster seats at Fenway. Sell hot dogs, popcorn, some decent beer, programs. You can't ID the factions without a program, ya know?
U.N. investigators are increasingly certain Pakistan government leaders knew the countryâs top atomic scientist was supplying other nations with nuclear technology and designs, particularly North Korea, diplomats told The Associated Press. Is this really a news flash?
While rogue nations were the main customers of the nuclear black market, sales of enriched uranium and warhead drawings have fed international fears that terrorists also could have bought weapons technology or material, the diplomats said. The investigation has widened beyond Iran, Libya and North Korea - the identified customers of the network headed by Abdul Qadeer Khan - they said, speaking on condition of anonymity in a series of interviews. I think QaddafiKhaddafyDaffy Duck Gaddafi had something to do with all this.
The diplomatsâ assessment comes about half way through the probe by the International Atomic Energy Agency and western intelligence services into the Khan network, whose tentacles extended from Pakistan to Dubai, Malaysia, South Korea, Switzerland, Germany, Japan, Britain, the Netherlands and beyond with potential ties to Syria, Turkey and Spain. Khaaaaaan!!
Investigators told AP they expect to complete the probe by June, eight months after U.S. officials confronted the Pakistani government with suspicions about Khan, setting into motion events that led the father of Islamabadâs nuclear program to confess last month. Iâd give him a probe. Anal, no lube...
Despite denials by the Pakistani government, investigators now are certain that some, if not all, of the countryâs decision makers were aware of Khanâs dealings, especially with North Korea, which apparently helped Islamabad build missiles in exchange for aid with its nuclear arms program, said one diplomat. Kerry wants to kiss Kimmieâs ass. You feel any safer with that thought?
"In all cases except Pakistan, we are sure there was no government involvement," he said. "In Pakistan, itâs hard to believe all this happened under their noses and nobody knew about it." If it happened once, it will happen again.
The diplomats didnât say which parts of the Pakistani government might have known of Khanâs black market activity - military, political or both. Iâd say both; joint ventures work well. Andrew Koch, of Janeâs Defense Weekly, said he ran into evidence that senior military officers knew of Khanâs sideline four years ago when he attended a military technology exhibition in Karachi. There, the booth of A.Q. Khanâs Research Laboratories, complete with pamphlets offering uranium enrichment equipment, shared space with displays of electronics, anti-tank missiles and other items sold by the government defense industry, he said. "So order by midnight tonight, and weâll throw in a free centrifuge!"
"I picked up the (Khan) brochures and I inquired whether everything inside was for sale and was told, âyes, of course, it all had government approval and was available for sale and export,â" he said from Washington. Give them time, they will be eliminated unavailable for comment.
Pakistanâs president, Pervez Musharraf, has insisted his government was not involved. "The Pakistani government has never and will never proliferate," he told a meeting of world leaders in January in Davos, Switzerland, pledging to prosecute all "anti-state" elements found culpable. But his pardon of Khan led to speculation the scientist agreed to keep silent on any government involvement in exchange for avoiding punishment. Which kind of invalidates the previous two paragraphs, right?
Much of what was sold were expensive and high-tech uranium enrichment centrifuge components to Libya - which has confessed to trying to build weapons of mass destruction - and Iran, which denies such ambitions and says its enrichment plans are not for warheads but nuclear power. Moving up on the US Hit Parade, at Number One, itâs IRAN!!
Such equipment would be useless to terrorists lacking the space and expertise needed to set up thousands of centrifuges in series and repeatedly recycle isotopes until they were weapons grade. The tens of millions of dollars needed to buy the equipment might also be a deterrent. Ummmm, lefties? Doesnât that give credence to Bushâs statement against âterrorists and the states that sponsor themâ, given the cost and technical expertise needed for such an effort?
But the diplomats identified two recent discoveries - traces of highly enriched uranium apparently of Russian origin found in Iran, and drawings of a nuclear warhead surrendered by Libya - as representing a potential fast track for terrorists looking to build a weapon. Which is why we shouldnât waffle despite UNFrenchGerman Russian objections to our war against terrorism. (UN / French - sorry for the redundancy)
The uranium apparently was sold by individuals in the black market and not by the Russian government and carried a signature typical of enrichment in the former Soviet Union, the diplomats said. While short of the 90 percent weapons level, it was enriched enough to make it suitable for a warhead with much less equipment and effort than needed to enrich natural uranium. "Weâre talking a couple of dozen centrifuges, as compared to about 1,000," said one diplomat. "OK! Iâll throw in 20 centrifuges at absolutely NO CHARGE! Call 1-800-OBL-NUKE for details on this exciting new offer!"
The engineersâ drawings of a nuclear weapon, now under IAEA seal in the United States, were of Chinese origin. The texts accompanying them were in both Chinese and English, some handwritten. China is widely assumed to have supplied much of the clandestine nuclear technology that Khan used to establish Pakistan as a nuclear power in 1998. With such high-tech drawings and about 50 pounds of highly enriched uranium, nuclear experts associated with terrorist groups could make a crude warhead, said one diplomat. "The simplest way to go about it is to get ready-made nuclear material and weapons design, and - from whatâs been found in Iran and Libya - both seem to be available on the market," said another. Itâs depressing to rely to any degre on the ineptitude of your enemies to help prevent these events, though I welcome it...
Investigators cannot say whether other countries - or groups - have the drawings. Al-Qaida has shown an interest in acquiring nuclear weapons. NO, really?
The U.S. federal indictment of Osama bin Laden charges that as far back as 1992 the al-Qaida leader "and others known and unknown, made efforts to obtain the components of nuclear weapons." Thank you, President Blowjob Clinton.
Bin Laden, in a November 2001 interview with a Pakistani journalist, boasted of having hidden such components "as a deterrent." And in 1998, a Russian nuclear weapons design expert was investigated for allegedly working with the Taliban allies of bin Laden. Bribeâs are high enough, fucking obvious extremely plausible.
Another question is whether the Khan network supplied states other than Iran, Libya and North Korea. Melissa Fleming, spokeswoman of the Vienna-based IAEA, said answering that was the agencyâs "No. 1 priority." Just look at the fuckinâ bank statements. How difficult is that?
A possible suspect is Syria, which denies nuclear weapons ambitions. U.S. officials are divided on whether Syria constitutes a nuclear threat, with Undersecretary of State John Bolton at odds with senior intelligence officials who insist thereâs no clear evidence implicating the country, diplomats told AP. Iâd have to say thatâs an extremely stupid though on Assadâs part, given that (I believe) Old Patriot (et. al?) opined that we could spread their butt cheeks with one division. Camelâs Revenge, writ large...
Several teams of Syrian experts spent time at Ranstad Mineral, a Swedish plant that extracted uranium for enrichment between 1997 and 2002. The IAEA confirmed sponsoring some visits, as part of Syriaâs small-scale peaceful nuclear program. But Bengt Lillja, owner of the plant, said the Syrians paid several visits later on their own - and still later, Swedenâs nuclear watchdog agency ordered the plant shut down because of unspecified irregularities in the extraction process. My translation - "Weâre missing some rods."
Experts suspect more covert manufacturing operations will be discovered beyond the centrifuge parts plants identified in Malaysia. A factory in Turkey is being scrutinized, one diplomat familiar with the investigation said, but declined to go into details beyond suggesting the plant might also be making missile components. Ze plot thickens.. David Albright, Hopefuly no relation to this runway model...
a former Iraq nuclear weapons inspector who runs the Institute for Science and International Security, also pointed to Turkey, saying, "We know some components (to Libya) came out of there." By way of whom?
A diplomat said a company in Spain also was under investigation.
You just have to wonder if he apologized for offing her hubby and brother-in-law...)
The International Red Cross has delivered a message from ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to his eldest daughter, who lives in Jordan. The letter was handed to Raghad Hussein in Amman on Thursday, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says. Red Cross officials visited Saddam Hussein on 21 February, at the secret Iraqi location where he has been held since his capture in December.
EFL
Shiite Muslim political leaders who had refused to sign the countryâs interim constitution said Sunday they would approve the document without changes on Monday despite concerns voiced by the countryâs top Shiite cleric. The reversal appeared to end an embarrassing deadlock over a U.S.-backed document that is designed to prepare Iraq for self-government and enshrine broad protections for individual rights. Officials with Iraqâs Governing Council said they hoped to convene a signing ceremony on Monday, resurrecting an event that was canceled on Friday after five Shiite leaders balked at the last minute. A few hours after the Shiite leaders announced their willingness to sign, a car bomb and at least seven rockets exploded a block away from the Baghdad conference center where the ceremony is scheduled to occur. The attack, which injured one person but otherwise caused minimal damage, appeared aimed at Rashid Hotel and the Foreign Ministry building. Both structures are near the edge of the Green Zone, a high-security swath of the capital that houses the headquarters of the U.S. occupation authority. Interesting. Cause and effect?
The Shiite politicians agreed to change their position after meeting with the cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, in the holy city of Najaf. In refusing to sign the document on Friday, the politicians said Sistani had rejected two provisions in the interim constitution, one that would give ethnic Kurds effective veto power over a permanent constitution and another that would establish a single president under the transitional administration. After Sundayâs meeting, which lasted for about 30 minutes, a top aide to one of the political leaders said Sistani was not happy with the provisions but would not order the politicians to reject the document. "Sistani has reservations, but it will not constitute an obstacle," Mohammed Hussein Bahr Uloom, a top aide to one of the politicians, told reporters in Najaf. "It will be signed as it was agreed upon before the Governing Council members."
Sistani seems to be in statesman mode again. That's as it should be. With a thriving Iraq, even with religious diversity protected, Iraq is liable to displace Iran as the center of Shiism. That'd make Sistani the most influential holy man in the world, after to the Pope (and well before the Archdruid of Canterbury). Any good things that come Iraq's way will reflect on Najaf, and Sistani won't even have to maintain goon squads.
#2
Good observation, Fred. Did you intentionally leave out Thomas S. Monson and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? :)
Whether Sistani is playing good cop or bad cop is OK with me as long as real progress is being made in Iraq and basic human rights for ALL it citizens are secured.
#3
That's what I couldn't figure out, his intransigence (sp). Play along and he's the big kahuna, since arabs will now want to flock to Iraq instead of Iran.
And when an aid said they don't have a problem w/alcohol.....
As many as 10 explosions went off in Baghdad near the headquarters of the U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority, a military spokesman said. The blasts erupted at about 7:45 p.m. Baghdad time near a conference center and the Rashid Hotel, Army Sergeant First Class Bill Sutherland said in a telephone interview from Baghdad. Those buildings are within the so-called Green Zone where the U.S. headquarters is located. The military hasnât determined yet whether the explosions were caused by rockets, mortars, or a car bomb, he said. There is no word yet on casualties, Sutherland said. A military assessment team was looking over damage.
The area may have been struck by rockets fired from a truck parked nearby, Cable News Network reported, citing a military official that it didnât identify. L. Paul Bremer, the U.S. civilian administrator for Iraq, and other U.S. officials have blamed terrorists and fighters loyal to the regime of deposed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein for conducting such attacks in an attempt to disrupt formation of a new government. Bloomberg seems to be trying to keep this story updated. go to link and hit refresh.
A series of loud explosions has been heard in the centre of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. The attack appeared to target the heavily-fortified headquarters of the US-led coalition, but so far there has been no word of any casualties. A BBC correspondent says flashes of flame filled the sky, and sirens were heard across the city. Highly EFL, and the article is short on real content, besides a discussion of the wrangling over the new constitution.
A dissident Libyan group has been expelled from Iran after last weekâs revelation in the Telegraph that it was being trained by the Revolutionary Guards to carry out attacks against Col Muammar Gaddafiâs regime. The Iranians harboured the Libyans as a bargaining chip to prevent Tripoli revealing details about Iranâs clandestine attempts to build an atom bomb. However, after last weekâs report that the Libyans were receiving training in terrorist techniques at a secret Revolutionary Guards base in southern Iran, the group was asked to leave the country. A spokesman for the Libyan Islamic Combat Groupâs "political bureau" told the London-based Arabic newspaper al-Hayat that it had been "coerced" into leaving Iran. He did not say where the dissidents would be based in future, but said that several commanders had been arrested since leaving Iran.
I'd guess they're going to be "based" either in Libya or just across Libya's borders...
Although the Iranians have always denied harbouring al-Qaeda terrorists, the spokesman confirmed that several of the groupâs commanders had fled to Iran after the war in Afghanistan in 2001. Iranâs growing concern at the possibility that the Libyans might provide IAEA inspectors with details of its nuclear project resulted in Massoud Jazairi, the Revolutionary Guardsâ official spokesman, making a rare public statement last week in which he stressed Iranâs high regard for Col Gaddafiâs regime. "While there are occasionally differences between the two countries regarding various issues, we would not let them harm our fraternal and friendly relations," he said.
"Not if the trail leads back to us, anyway."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
03/07/2004 9:59:39 AM ||
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Pakistan has detained 30 people in connection with an attack this week on minority Muslim Shiâites in the southwestern city of Quetta, which killed 44 people and wounded at least 150, police said on Sunday. Police also registered a complaint by relatives of the slain Shiâites against seven local members of an outlawed Sunni militant group whom they blamed them for the attack.
A senior police official told Reuters 30 people had been arrested so far in an extensive investigation into the massacre on Tuesday, when Shiâites were observing Ashura, one of the holiest days in their calendar. Relatives of the Pakistani victims named seven members of the outlawed Sipah-e-Sahabah group as being involved, although police said it was too early to pin the blame on any single group. Over the weekend police released sketches of two suspects and offered one million rupees ($17,400) to anyone providing information that may lead to their capture. Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali told a news conference on Saturday the government would conduct a "very deep" investigation into the attack. Residents said army and paramilitary forces were helping the police to patrol the city, still under a curfew imposed on Tuesday to prevent rioting by Shiâites.
I think most of us could have guessed it would be Sipah/Lashkar e-Jhangvi. The question is whether the attacks in Quetta were coordinated with those in Iraq at the same time?
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
03/07/2004 9:54:19 AM ||
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Armoured Israeli forces have raided two Gaza refugee camps and have killed 14 Palestinians during gunbattles after militants staged an audacious attack on Israeli soldiers at Gazaâs border. Palestinian medics said half the dead were civilians, including three boys. Who were throwing petrol bombs. See below.
The rest were militants, some from Hamas which has killed scores of Israelis in suicide bombings and other attacks in a Palestinian revolt that erupted in 2000. Dozens of armoured vehicles joined the sweep on Sunday for militants in the teeming Nusseirat and al-Bureij camps in the central Gaza Strip. Tanks and troops backed by helicopters fought militants armed with assault rifles and rocket launchers. Medics said the dead included boys of 14, 12 and eight. At least 72 Palestinians were wounded, many of them teenagers who were throwing stones and petrol bombs at armoured vehicles. "Soldiers blasted their way into our housing block at 4 a.m.," said Mahmoud Abu Hujair, a father of three. "They turned our roof into a base to battle gunmen. Women and children were screaming. The building was heavily damaged." Mmm! I presume that is a result of people firing at the building.
Israeli forces withdrew mid-morning, around five hours after sweeping in under cover of darkness. Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurieâs cabinet denounced the raids as "state terror against our people" which undermined Palestinian calls for a mutual ceasefire and revival of a U.S.-backed "road map" peace plan. They still havenât figured out that actions not talk are now required.
An Israeli army spokesman said the raids were "pinpoint" pre-emptive strikes against "terror groups" who had been escalating gun, mortar and rocket attacks on Jewish settlements in Gaza and border areas. Israel blames the peacemaking impasse on the Palestinian Authorityâs failure to subdue militants opposed to the road map. The peace plan envisages a Palestinian state co-existing with Israel on land seized by the Jewish state in the 1967 Middle East war. And which had been previously siezed by Jordan and Egypt which is of course not mentioned.
Posted by: phil_b ||
03/07/2004 8:54:32 AM ||
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#1
Wonder what that was all about.... yesterdays incident was a clear IDF win. Perhaps they are sending a message about the methods that were tried out.
#2
They still havenât figured out that actions not talk are now required.
They've figured it out Phil, it's just that they won't and can't do anything about it. The terrorists have grown to strong thanks to Arafish. To bring down the terrorists will be the same as bringing down the PA. Each depends on the other to watch eachothers back.
Posted by: Charles ||
03/07/2004 10:53 Comments ||
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#3
Read the SAME Reuters post at the Khaleej Times. Amazing how they 'edited' the news.
A son of Osama bin Ladenâs deputy has given crucial information on the whereabouts of al-Qaâeda leaders after being captured by Pakistani forces in a lawless frontier area close to Afghanistan, intelligence officials in Islamabad have revealed. Ayman al-Zawahiriâs son, Khalid, was seized along with 20 other suspected foreign militants in a raid by Pakistanâs security forces in the remote South Waziristan area 10 days ago, officials have told the Telegraph.
Nice news to hear, by golly!
Information gleaned from him by interrogators has helped direct Pakistani and American forces in their drive to capture bin Laden and other senior al-Qaâeda figures, being conducted in the mountainous areas on both sides of the border.
"More giggle juice, Khalid?"
"Yershh, shank you!"
The authorities in Islamabad are unwilling formally to announce the capture of the younger al-Zawahiri, but officials have privately confirmed that he is being questioned by a joint team of intelligence officers - from Pakistanâs Inter-Services Intelligence agency and the CIA - at a secret location in Pakistan. They say that recent sweeps by British and American special forces in the Tora Bora mountains of Afghanistan have been linked to disclosures made by Khalid al-Zawahiri and others - including his wife - captured with him in raids on houses in Azam Warak, nine miles from Wana, the main town of South Waziristan.
Less than ten miles outside of Wana? Now who'd have ever guessed that?
Pakistani security forces also recovered ammunition, passports, video cassettes and other literature belonging to the al-Qaâeda terrorist network in the raids in the lawless frontier area. Al-Zawahiri is said to have been in touch with his father recently. Hundreds of troops from Pakistanâs paramilitary Frontier Corps, backed by helicopter gun ships, have been deployed in the area to tackle the foreign militants and either capture bin Laden, or drive him across the Afghan border into American hands. More than 1,600 American troops, including special forces units, are in place at Salerno base near Khost in eastern Afghanistan ready for an all-out spring offensive to capture bin Laden. By next month, that figure will have more than doubled, bolstered by a heavy contingent of SAS soldiers who have been assigned a key role in the operation. American engineers are currently enlarging and upgrading a landing strip at Salerno so that large military planes can land there to support the mission. Pakistan is reported to have secretly agreed to permit American and British forces to cross into its volatile border tribal areas from Afghanistan in large enough numbers to pursue al-Qaâeda and Taliban fighters.
Otherwise we send somebody for Abdul Qadeer Khan...
Last month the CIAâs top official responsible for south Asia visited the tribal regions to plan the crackdown. "He held meetings with his Pakistani counterparts and exchanged notes with them, including satellite imagery and other scientific details," said an official. Officials said that the government of Pakistan is under immense pressure from the Bush administration to launch a "now or never" operation to capture bin Laden and his associates.
Qazi, of course, will turn himself inside out to prevent that from happening...
The launch of the Pakistani military operation has infuriated local Pathan tribes and led to the provincial government - which is dominated by mullahs from a six-party Islamic alliance, the Mutahida Majlis-e-Amal - denouncing President Musharraf as an American stooge. Leaders have warned that the operation in the tribal areas will have serious consequences for the security of Pakistan. Maulana Abdul Malik Wazir, a member of Pakistanâs national assembly from North Waziristan, said that most people were furious at the way in which the authorities were conducting the operation. He warned: "You know that almost every tribesman is loaded with weapons in the tribal region and if they are pushed to the wall they would never hesitate to take the law into their own hands."
They're hard boyz with guns. They've never met a real army. Perhaps the experience will do them some good.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
03/07/2004 1:31:46 AM ||
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#1
It seems these "hardcore" Islamic Fascist terrorists grunt like pigs when they are captured. These terrorists oink out everything they ever knew about al-Qa'ida and Usama at the mere hint of a request for intel by American and allied interrogators.
#4
disclosures made by Khalid al-Zawahiri and others - including his wife - captured with him in raids
Maybe the wives are the most willing informants.
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
03/07/2004 9:48 Comments ||
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#6
On the contrary, rkb. If even a tittle of news accounts are to be believe, the higher ups in the al-Qa'ida network turn RAT quickly and definitively. Not only do they tell all they know, they are typically captured carting around PCs and paper documents full of details on past, current and future operations; hundreds of phone numbers and bank account numbers; and much more of value. There are several reasons al-Qa'ida have not mounted significant post-Bloody Tuesday attacks in the West -- one such reason is their leaders are RATTING OUT their comrades with gusto.
#7
They've never met a real army. Perhaps the experience will do them some good.
Don't confuse ignorance with stupidity. Sitting Bull didn't have one tenth of Custer's education. These guys have been fighting each other over the same ground for a thousand years, probably, and they have the layout down pat.
#13
The Brits had a pretty nasty time in that neck of the woods for about 200 years. Those tribes don't cotton to no city slickers nosing around, and don't mean strangers no good. Keep your powder dry and your motion detector working.
#14
The Brits went in to oppress, exploit, rob and exploit some more. Under America's leadership, the intention is to introduce liberty, democratic reform, freer market capitalism, equality of the sexes and more.
Anybody got a spare logic board for my digital surprise meter? Mine burned out!
Pictures of Muppets adorn the corridors of Al-Quds Educational Television, but the control room where the Palestinian version of Sesame Street was once produced is now scarred by bullet pockmarks.
But it gives Count Count a new day to teach counting to ten for the kiddies.
Early last month, masked gunmen broke into the studio in the pre-dawn hours. The attackers beat the two technicians on duty and sprayed the control room equipment with dozens of bullets. The television employees managed to escape. They knew nothing about the attackers. "They didn't leave any message," said station director Ayman Bardawil. "There are so many suggestions as to why this happened, but none of them were proven. Until this day, nothing has come out of the investigation."
Maybe they wanted Baywatch.
Law and order in Palestinian cities has all but disappeared during 41 months of conflict and the reoccupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip by Israeli forces. In many places, Palestinian police and security forces have been fragmented or disappeared altogether. The power vacuum has been filled by armed and anonymous Palestinians who are enforcing their own rules. The lawlessness has exposed the internal divisions of Palestinian society and government. Pitted against one another are rival security agencies, militant splinter groups and some members of powerful families in the cities. And as the disorder spreads, Palestinian intellectuals and politicians are increasingly looking past Israel as the usual scapegoat and admitting they share a part of the blame. Not everyone has been as fortunate to escape alive as the employees at Al-Quds Educational Television. Shortly after midnight Tuesday, unknown gunmen shot dead Khalil al-Zabin, an adviser to Yasser Arafat and a veteran journalist, as he left his office in Gaza City's Sabra neighborhood. The brazen attack jolted Palestinians and unleashed a torrent of self-criticism. "The Palestinian Authority, the security services and the Palestinian factions are all responsible," Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia told Al-Jazeera TV.
"I blame myself Mahmoud."
Minutes before the funeral of al-Zabin, his daughter, Nour, said: "Did my father fight 40 years for the Palestinian cause to be killed by Palestinians? These are cowards."
That's pretty much right.
The Palestinian Authority's central rule has been severely weakened with Arafat holed up in his half-destroyed Ramallah headquarters for the last two years, surrounded by red binders Israeli troops. In the cities of the West Bank and Gaza, the overlapping political fiefdoms and the unwieldy network of Palestinian security forces have turned against one another in some cases. Mohammad Dahlan, a former security chief in Gaza recently sidelined from the Palestinian Cabinet who still controls one of Gaza's strongest security forces, has blamed the Palestinian government for the lawlessness while denying any personal connection to the attacks. "It's a result of the weakness of the Authority," Dahlan said. "It's some kind of chaos."
"It's all their fault! Can't be mine!"
The specter of a further deterioration of order has raised concerns in the United States and Israel about a potential takeover by Hamas. But many observers, both Palestinian and Israeli, don't see Islamic groups as ready to challenge Arafat's government, which is still the globally recognized administration and the recipient of international aid. "Most people realize that the Palestinian Authority are the only ones that can speak to an European and Arabic international audience," said Hillel Frisch, a political science professor at Bar-Ilan University who specializes in Palestinian affairs. "Hamas and Islamic Jihad aren't even close to being given that access." But it's not at all clear just how the Palestinian Authority can reestablish the rule of law. Palestinian police in the West Bank are prohibited by the Israeli army from carrying weapons and lack equipment to investigate crimes.
And they have an unfortunate tendency to explode in public.
"People are reverting to tribal laws," said Hasan Khreisheh, a Palestinian legislator. "This is not a good situation, because in civilized countries, all things should be carried out by courts, not by returning to families and revenge."
Have the Paleos ever known anything other than tribal law?
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/07/2004 00:47 ||
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Its late where I live and I read the headline as 'Paleos booming themselves for lawlessness'. I had visions of paleos walking around and finding people who hadn't paid parking tickets and walking up to them and saying 'You have two hundred worth of unpaid ...." the rest being cut short by the boom.
#2
"Palestinian police in the West Bank are prohibited by the Israeli army from carrying weapons.."
This is funny after the Aqaba accord when GWB went to the region, and the CIA and Tenet were involved in restructuring and training the Security forces.
Maybe this Jpost report is moreto the point:
Losing authority
By KHALED ABU TOAMEH
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1078373359847
""The time has come to say enough," said Hafez Barghouti, editor of the Palestinian daily al-Hayat al-Jadeeda. "The homeland is not the property of one person, and the PA is not a private monopoly. We must support efforts to enforce law and order. The occupation is not always the reason for the disasters. It is the [internal] deterioration that is to blame."
Posted by: Barry ||
03/07/2004 12:12 Comments ||
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A former Iraqi intelligence officer captured by police after last weekâs bombings in Baghdad and Karbala has revealed that he was paid by al-Qaâeda to carry out attacks on civilians. Mohammed Hanoun Hamoud al-Mozani was detained with two associates on Wednesday, a day after almost 200 people were killed in simultaneous explosions at shrines packed with Shias. After interrogating al-Mozani for 24 hours, Najaf police revealed that he had given important information on the network behind the attacks in Iraq. "We think that this is a big breakthrough," said Major Mohammed Dayekh of the Najaf police. "Al-Mozani admitted that he was part of a terrorist cell that answered to a middle-man who works for al-Qaâeda and he gave us the names of the four other men in the cell, two from Baghdad and two from Najaf."
There's your start boys. Now all you have to do is follow up...
Al-Mozani and his associates were wearing police uniforms when they were seen in Najaf. After a car chase, the three men were caught and taken to the cityâs police headquarters. On Thursday they were handed over to American troops. The Najaf police team, however, gave a detailed account of how al-Mozani was recruited by an al-Qaâeda envoy while working at his electrical appliance shop in Baghdad. The middle-man, who went by the name of Abu Utthman, promised him tens of thousands of dollars for each successful mission. He allegedly told al-Mozani that he was a deputy of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the Jordanian terrorist whom the coalition blames for most of the attacks in Iraq. "Al-Mozani said they were offered between $20,000 (£10,900) and $30,000 (£16,400) to organise terrorist attacks and that they would get bonus money if the attacks led to the death of a large number of people," Major Dayekh said. "He said that he was tempted to work with them because it was such an easy way to make money and that he agreed to do it because he needed the money."
Have fun spending your bonus, dumbass. Didja think nobody would notice?
Abu Utthman allegedly told al-Mozani that he operated from the Abu Filas neighbourhood in Khaldiya, 60 miles west of Baghdad. Khaldiya has been a hotbed of resistance to coalition forces and scores of American soldiers have been killed and injured there. The two men captured with al-Mozani have not been named but police say that they are convicted murderers and robbers released from an Iraqi jail six months before Saddamâs overthrow.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
03/07/2004 12:30:19 AM ||
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#1
Video tape his confession and air it day and night. Then have a nice parade through Karbala so he can meet his adoring fans.
Posted by: ed ||
03/07/2004 6:47 Comments ||
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#2
Stop the flow of money.
Now, .com - about that 40km strip of land in Eastern SA?
Posted by: Tony (UK) ||
03/07/2004 7:25 Comments ||
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#3
But Allan is a witness that al-Qaeda had nothing to do with these bombings!
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
03/07/2004 10:00 Comments ||
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#4
Of course, this doesn't prove that al-Qaeda and Sammy's secret police boys are working together now, nope, nope, nuttin' to see, move along now, how 'bout that Janet Jackson?
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/07/2004 14:05 Comments ||
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#5
Yo, Tony (UK)! Indeed, I think it's clear they're mercs as well as believers. Methinks this is true of at least 75%+ of the actual actors... The killer point (to me) is that the RoP is designed to keep a steady flow of replacements in the pipeline - perpetually. So, unless we're ready for dhimmitude, we should follow the prescription Powell described so clearly in Gulf War I: surround it (identify the culprits and choose the battleground), cut it off (de-fund the beast and stop resupply), and kill it (this needs no help!). We've only addressed the first item, thusfar...
A top Al Qaeda aide Ayman Al-Zawahri's brother Mohammed Al-Zawahri, who has been extradited to Egypt, will stand trial once again, Egypt's Minister of Interior Habib Al-Adely has said. "Al Zawahri is a convict at large as he was sentenced to death in absentia by a judgment handed down by a court for a number of terror-related cases," he said. Al Adely, who did not disclose the country that extradited Mohammed Al Zawahri, explained that under the Egyptian laws any person convicted under an ex-parte judgment has the right to stand trial again so that he gets an opportunity to defend himself.
The country would be Yemen, I believe.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/07/2004 00:16 ||
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Fred, I believe that Mohammed al-Zawahiri was arrested in Dubai in early 2001 and the extradited to Egypt after the CIA had a crack at him. Egypt has held al-Zawahiri for almost three years without acknowledging that that they had him. Al Jizz 3/4/04: Egypt acknowledged Thursday that it is holding Mohammed al-Zawahri.
WASHINGTON, March 6 â Following a White House directive, the Justice Department is sending a high-level team of prosecutors and investigators to Iraq to take charge of assembling and organizing the evidence to be used in a war crimes trial of Saddam Hussein, administration and Iraqi officials said in recent days. The previously undisclosed directive signed by Condoleezza Rice, President Bush's national security adviser, directs the government to take the initiative in preparing a case against Mr. Hussein that will ultimately be run by Iraqis. The order, issued in January, gives the Justice Department the authority to act as the lead agency in the effort.
This isn't a surprise.
The first officials in a delegation of about 50 lawyers, investigators and prosecutors from the Justice Department are leaving this weekend for Iraq, a Justice Department official said. The group will be assigned to a new office called the Regime Crimes Adviser's Office under the American occupation authority. The office, which is to include legal officials from other countries that we trust completely, will be responsible for sorting through tens of thousands of pages of evidence and preparing a report that will amount to a blueprint for Iraqi prosecutors. Cartons of documents collected by human rights organizations with evidence of atrocities by the Hussein government have been airlifted into Iraq in recent weeks.
For his part, Mr. Hussein, who has been under interrogation by American officials since his capture on Dec. 14, has revealed little that could be used in any trial, government officials said in recent days. He has discussed few specific issues and at times comports himself as a dancing queen head of state, the officials said.
The effort to develop a case involves a delicate balancing act for the administration, which is trying to turn over as complete a brief as possible for the Iraqis to use against Mr. Hussein without appearing to dominate the process in a way that could undercut the independence of the Iraqi authorities. "We're trying to balance a bunch of interests here," said one senior administration official. "We intend to bring quite a few resources to the table but not too many so it looks like a completely American process."
Oh heck, make it as American as you want. Our friends won't care and our enemies won't believe us anyway.
Any trials of Mr. Hussein and other senior members of his administration could also carry important political implications in an election year. Administration officials say they expect the proceedings to provide graphic and substantial evidence of the horrific nature of Mr. Hussein's government.
Salem Chalabi, the Iraqi lawyer in charge of the war crimes issue, said in a recent interview that while he understood the administration's political needs, the trials might not occur until late in the year, after the American elections, and that Mr. Hussein might not even be the first defendant. "We need and welcome the Americans' help and role in this," Mr. Chalabi, nephew of Ahmad Chalabi, the leader of the Iraqi National Congress, said in a telephone interview from Iraq. "But no one should misunderstand that this will be an Iraqi process with decisions by Iraqis."
Sure, fine, whatever, just make sure Carla del Ponte isn't within a thousand miles of the case.
Mr. Chalabi, who is in charge of the war crimes portfolio, ... stated, "We'll tailor the trial procedures in such a way that shows we learned the lessons of the Milosevic trial," he said, referring to how Slobodan Milosevic, the former Serbian leader and Yugoslav president, has used his war crimes trial as a platform to justify his actions and to try to put his accusers, the Western governments, on trial. "We don't want the tribunal and people like Saddam to be the principal teller of the history here," said Mr. Chalabi, who was educated at Yale and the Northwestern University Law School. "We want to bring very specific charges. And the defendants would only be allowed to bring witnesses and make their cases in connection with those specific charges." Such an approach, he said, would block Mr. Hussein from trying to call witnesses like Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld to testify about the United States' earlier cooperation with the Hussein government.
Mr. Chalabi also said the Iraqis might choose to try lesser-ranking officials before Mr. Hussein. "If you try a smaller-ranking person for a war crime like the attacks on the Kurds and he is found guilty, then all we have to do with respect to Saddam Hussein is show the chain of command," he said.
Mr. Chalabi said the Iraqi Governing Council had assembled a list of about 45 Iraqi judges as candidates for the war crimes tribunals. The statute setting up the tribunals calls for three panels of five judges each to try people, and nine judges to serve on an appellate panel. He said those judges who were believed to have been sympathetic to the Hussein government were not eligible. Those who might be prejudiced because they or their families suffered at the hands of the government could not serve as judges but could only be investigators or prosecutors.
Doesn't leave too many candidates, does it?
The case that American officials will draft against Mr. Hussein and his aides will come from three caches of documents, administration officials said. The first is from 18 tons of Iraqi government documents seized by Kurds in 1991 when they overran Baathist Party offices in northern Iraq. Those documents were brought out of Iraq by Peter W. Galbraith, a former American ambassador to Croatia. A second cache of 22 cartons of documents and testimony of atrocities collected by Indict, a London-based human rights group that is now defunct, was airlifted to Iraq a few weeks ago by Pierre-Richard Prosper, the State Department's special ambassador for war crimes. The third batch is the collection drawn from hundreds of thousands of documents seized by American forces after Mr. Hussein's ouster.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/07/2004 00:13 ||
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Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei's daughter applied for an Israeli ID, according to an Israeli newspaper. The Israeli newspaper, Maariv, attempted to question the patriotism of Mr Qorei's daughter, Manal Abu Bakr, who is married to a Palestinian doctor who lives in eastern Jerusalem. Manal is applied for the ID to pass through security checkpoints easily, the paper said. Currently, there are 200 thousand Palestinians in eastern Jerusalem who carry an Israeli ID.
"Got my green card! See ya, Pop! I'll write, okay?"
Posted by: Fred ||
03/07/2004 00:12 ||
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Daddy's little precious wants to get her card early so she can get out before the bloodshed begins escalates.
Posted by: B ||
03/07/2004 10:40 Comments ||
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#2
In other words B, she wants to get out before she becomes a target. When the Civil War explodes(literally) family members of the leaders are going to be Big Game.
Posted by: Charles ||
03/07/2004 11:06 Comments ||
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The CIA has rushed to Iraq four times as many clandestine officers as it had planned on, but it has had little success penetrating the resistance and identifying foreign terrorists involved in the insurgency, according to senior intelligence officials and intelligence experts recently briefed on Iraq. The CIA mission in Iraq, originally slated to have 85 officers, has grown to more than 300 full-time case officers and close to 500 personnel in total, including contractors and people on temporary assignment. It is widely known among agency officials to be the largest station in the world, and the biggest since Saigon during the Vietnam War 30 years ago.
I'm surprised they didn't plan on that...
Despite the size of the contingent, the agencyâs efforts to penetrate Iraqâs ethnic factions and gain intelligence about the insurgency have been hampered by continued violence, the use of temporary and short-term personnel, and the pressing demands of military commanders for tactical intelligence they can use in daily confrontations with armed insurgents. In December, the CIA station chief was replaced with a more experienced officer to handle the unexpected challenges. The violence is making it far more difficult for the CIA to operate. A CIA directive requires case officers to travel only with armed bodyguards, making it nearly impossible to conduct discreet meetings with Iraqis on their own turf, according to intelligence experts briefed on the Iraq mission. The agency operates from more than half a dozen bases around the country. "How do you do your job that way? You canât," said one former CIA official who recently returned from Iraq. "They donât know whatâs going on out there."
The agency is training a private security firm that employs former Special Forces troops to teach them to be less conspicuous when they accompany CIA officers. As an additional safeguard, and because of a shortage of CIA paramilitary personnel, the agency has also hired private security firms to protect bases and personnel. To meet the demand for additional personnel, the CIA has turned to its reserves -- retirees who are willing to come back full time on short notice -- to fill many positions. To coax more people into the dangerous assignment, many officers and support staff are being rotated out of Iraq after 90-day stints. The temporary assignments have made the core task of developing Iraqi sources more difficult, several intelligence experts said. The CIAâs tasks in Iraq are unusually numerous. In addition to its traditional role in recruiting Iraqis for information that cannot be gleaned elsewhere, the agency is responsible for interrogating Hussein and other Iraqi captives. The CIA remains a key component in the continuing hunt for weapons of mass destruction, and is helping to train a new Iraqi intelligence service that will be responsible for internal intelligence collection and analysis. "They just have so much to do," a senior CIA official said.
Posted by: Paul Moloney ||
03/07/2004 12:10:22 AM ||
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#1
Be patient. This effort will take time.
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
03/07/2004 10:04 Comments ||
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It takes a long time (generations?) to infiltrate family affairs... First, you have to fall in love...
US-led forces in Afghanistan have killed nine suspected militants and captured 14 others in two separate operations in south-eastern Afghanistan, a US military spokesman said on Saturday. The nine suspected Taliban fighters were killed on Friday near a coalition base in the town of Orgun near the Pakistani border when they "attempted to flank" the base, Lt-Col Bryan Hilferty told journalists in Kabul. "Friday, a platoon-sized around 40 enemy unit attempted to flank a coalition position east of Orgun. We engaged the unit, killing nine anti-coalition militia," he said, adding that there were no coalition casualties during the clash. Hilferty said that troops from Afghanistanâs national army were also involved in the operation against the militants, who numbered around 40 and were armed with light weapons.
Separately 14 suspects were captured on Thursday during a US air assault on a compound north of Khost city, Hilferty said. He said that there was no exchange of fire between the US-led soldiers and the suspects. He said some 100 mortar rounds and other ammunition were seized from the compound. The detainees were under interrogation at an undisclosed location.
Elsewhere, unidentified gunmen shot dead an Afghan aid worker in Zabul province, a senior official said. Dr Isha Khan, 33, director for the Red Crescent Society, came under fire as he travelled by vehicle from his office to his village home. Zabul Governor Khial Mohammed Husseini told The Associated Press that Khanâs brother, who was travelling in the vehicle, survived unhurt but was in shock. The attack happened at around 5:00 pm on a road between the main town in Zabul, Qalat, and Khanâs home village of Nokhaiz, which lies about 15 kilometres to the north. Husseini said that it was not immediately clear whether it was an attack by Taliban insurgents who are active in much of southern Afghanistan, or if it arose from a personal conflict. He said troops had been sent to the area to investigate.
Afghan security forces launched a search for a Turkish engineer kidnapped by suspected Taliban militants who also shot dead another Turk and an Afghan security guard, an official said. The two Turkish engineers were ambushed on Friday in the Sha Joy area of Zabul province. Their Afghan driver was also kidnapped. "The investigation is ongoing, we have sent our troops into the two suspected areas of Shah Marzai and Naw Bahar districts," Husseini told AFP.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
03/07/2004 12:08:40 AM ||
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Come on, guys - you're falling down on the job. It should be 23 Taliban dead (and none captured).
But keep trying! We like to encourage effort. :-p
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
03/07/2004 12:01 Comments ||
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#2
keep one to beat senseless interrogate. It's good for morale
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/07/2004 13:37 Comments ||
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#3
You catch ten, cut nine of them off at the knees and neck, beat the bodies to a bloody pulp, pour kerosene on them and burn them with a pig until there's nothing left. Then you tell the tenth one that "If we catch you or any of your friends ever again, next time, we won't be Mr. Nice Guy"
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
03/07/2004 19:15 Comments ||
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Opinion piece One vocation shall still be most noble and fair:Content Iâll be the braider of your golden hair.
-âThe Braider of Her Hairâ
Will the poets of today and tomorrow be able to continue their ancestorsâ love affair with the flowing tresses of the Bengali woman (or any other woman for that matter)? Not if the steadily encroaching Arab cultural imperialism does to us what it did to many others. The Persians had a flourishing culture and resisted and thus have managed, even amidst the mullah-led revolution of 1979, to prevent their heritage from being subsumed by the invading Arabs. The Phoenicians of the Levant, Nubians of East Africa, and Amazigh (Berber, Kablye, and Touareg) of West Africa were not so lucky: their languages are largely forgotten, their people fully or partially Arabized, and their developing cultures stunted. It is a pity of heartbreaking proportions to witness a Berber child in a remote Libyan hilltop village who cannot understand the fairy tales in the native language of his ailing grandmother.
In our land the process started in the 1960s with Field Marshal Ayub Khan and his self-hating quislings like Governor Monem Khan who reputedly said penance every time he spoke in Bengali because it was supposedly not Godâs chosen tongue. They banned Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore from the airwaves, started a multi-million dollar program to re-write Bengali in the Arabic script, and used the state publicity machinery to make a mockery of our âHinduizedâ customs. A womanâs sari and teep were symbols of unIslamic behavior, we were lectured; what they meant was that such flourish and elegance was unacceptable to their nouveu riche cultural masters in the oil sheikhdoms dotting the Persian Gulf. We threw the Ayub-Monem circle out in 1971 and gave our culture some breathing space. Yet, that respite has been short-lived.
In the past, in the Levant and Africa the cultural genocide was effected with a sword under the guise of religion. Today in Bangladesh and elsewhere, as the religious mask of the Arab invader remains intact his sword has been replaced by his abundant cash. Through his subsidies to our political parties and their leaders, the Arab sheikh is trying his best to corrupt the top. But the grab of cultural imperialism goes far beyond the top levels of society. The millions of our compatriots employed by the Saudis and their Gulf vassals are daily indoctrinated with subtle messages of Arab cultural superiority. Some carry this virus of indoctrination back home to their friends, family, and neighbors. More and more mosques, including the National Mosque of Baitul Mukarram, have clergy trained under Arab auspices and full of derision for our native traditions, as is obvious every Friday in the sermons of the Baitul Mukarram mufti, Maulana Obaidul Huq.
The effects of this frontal assault on our heritage are becoming more apparent every passing day. Already we use the Arabized Allah Hafiz as opposed to the traditional Khuda Hafiz to bid adieu. The government publishes many of its documents in Bengali, English, and Arabic while the chief airport has a shiny new Arabic welcome sign. Female newscasters often cover their heads, public and private offices have significant numbers of people who like dressing in the unprofessionally flowing Arab garb, and the Bengali-hating daily Inquilab is one of the highest circulating journals in the capital. Even the customary seats of intellectual secularism are not safe anymore.
The shock-troops of this cultural war, the Islami Chhatra Shibir, have bared their teeth, and guns, on our universities. In loud voices they demand that women students be segregated and veiled, if allowed at all. These young fascists physically attack secular organizations and nationalist programs at will and their preferred method of âIslamicâ punishment is to cut off the tendons of those who stand up to them. Rarely are they held to account. Why should they be? After all, the leaders of their parent outfit Jamaat-e-Islami sit in the cabinet. This, then, is the face of our kulturkampf. We are under assault and the attacker has the initiative.
It is a pity. Once upon a time when the ancestors of our Arab brethren were selling slaves in the markets of Timbuktu, our progenitors were writing epics and composing hymns of love. When they were riding camels and herding goats through barren deserts, we were building flourishing cities like Mahasthangarh and Sonargaon. Armed with the Holy Qurâan in one hand and the dollar in the other, these denizens of debauchery are now engaged in a war of attrition against twenty five centuries of rich culture. A culture is not lost overnight; rather, like liberty itself, culture is eroded slowly and surreptitiously because its guardians slumber on the watch not knowing what is happening. Unless we want to go the way of the Phoenicians and the Amazigh, we do need to realize what is happening. Like the Persians, we have a well-developed language and literature able to withstand the assault longer. But âlongerâ does not denote âforeverâ. We need to fight back. We need to resist. We need to stand up to the gnawing tentacles of Arab cultural imperialism. Or else some generation down the road will never know the poetry woven in the flowing locks of a beautiful woman.
Posted by: Paul Moloney ||
03/07/2004 12:04:14 AM ||
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Hummmm! Thanks, Paul, that was quite an interesting read...a different take on the problem, one that I would not normally find on my own.
#3
Well well well - sounds like not everyone in that neck of the woods is enamoured with the Arab way of doing things.
Good.
Posted by: Tony (UK) ||
03/07/2004 6:58 Comments ||
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#4
Islam is a deification of Arabia's primitive culture. Moslems everywhere bow down five times a day to worship a rock in Arabia. Moslems everywhere are supposed to travel to Arabia and leave some of their money there at least once in their life. Moslems everywhere are supposed to talk, dress and act like the primitive desert bandits of Arabia.
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
03/07/2004 9:55 Comments ||
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#5
no worries, the world seems to think our culture is better
#6
Does that ulcer bother you often, Dcreeper? Prolly synch'd with your posting schedule. FOAD.
On-Topic...
Thx, Paul. I find the entire spectrum of "God told me to do it" acts to be reprehensible for the fact that this excuse precludes and denies personal responsibility for the entire chain, from the "leader" who teaches the hate and delivers the marching orders all the way down to the "believer" who performs the deeds of hate.
All belief systems have historical moments when they strayed from civility - and practice active revisionism to moderate the reaction, but those which survive customarily contain sufficient positives to provide, on balance, what can be described as saving grace.
Islam, as a belief system, is demonstrably the most myopic, mercenary, psychotic, illogical, and paranoid belief system of size on the planet. It is rather clearly the exception to the rule. By far, it is the most prolific actor on the hate stage - and has probably been striving for this "honor" since its inception.
Reality trumps all, so I pose the question:
Though it can be argued intellectually to be just another belief system with identifiable positives (e.g. charity - though only for fellow believers), isn't the fact that the actual practice of Islam, the balance, is self-sufficient proof that it is a human pathogen - even for those who believe, but certainly for those who embrace a different set of beliefs?
If the answer is yes, then what is the appropriate response when a pathogen is identfied? Eradication? If still in the "yes" category, why all the dithering - by so many who obviously can follow a train of thought from problem cognition to solution?
If there is a "no" in the sequence, then someone else can pose that alternate response sequence - I find myself concluding "yes" all along the line and wondering when we will discard the civil response to (to put it mildly) the incivil reality of Islam.
#7
Well, .com, I have commented on your Pathogen analysis before...I see it as "Ideas," controling people, people only being the carriers, but in essence our thoughts are the same, just different language.
However, I will posit a dificulity for you in Pathogen Germ Theory...the pathogen has the ability to kill the host. Sometimes the host can do something about it, but often, the host can do nothing, nothing really effective, and the host dies.
Islam can win. The trememdous appeal of Islam, besides just its current outsider satus and hence added appeal, is that it calls into question the very shallowness of modern civalization, our rampant materialism, our vague sense of anomie, our frequent inability to connect to others, even family.
Islam has answers for all of this and it answers the real need inside of people for a Spiritual Answer, and I say this as a non-belilver, but I still recognize that this is a present need and a pressing reality inside of most people.
Islam works and is spreading because it fufills certain human needs...can Western Secularism or even Christianity compete?...I just don't know.
But I do think that we have to realize and acknowledge that this is the essential problem.
#8
Traveller - I'm not sure - did you say we agree, just use different language to describe the situation?
Regards the pathogen idea, indeed, nature customarily dictates that the agent not kill off the host - at least not before the host can infect others (to maintain the agent) - simple genetic selection at work. Ebola appears to be an exception on first blush, but that's not really true since there is (must be) a non-human repository (vector?) to conserve its existence. Dr Steve can clarify and correct me, I'm certain!
As for the "benefits" of Islam, where it addresses human "needs" and, thus, survives, I'll dissent with this: most Muslims, by a huge margin, are / were born to Islam. They did not choose it, but born to it and were indoctrinated before they could walk or talk, much less critically analyse it (assuming the culture encouraged intellectually independent thought - ha!), and are threatened with death if they should leave or criticize it. This is, by far, the main reason for Islam's "growth" - internal population growth.
Conversions are a much different animal - and I'll suggest, since I've thought about this for several years before Islam became the apparent threat it is today, that Islam is what I think of as a "bottom feeder" - and I apologize to catfish and vultures, lest the act of survival by eating offal and carrion be denigrated by something as truly disgusting as Islam in practice.
People can be taught to believe anything - and I mean absolutely anything. If isolated and thus allowed to go unchallenged by experiences which expose its flaws, it reaches a point in the majority of adherents that makes it unassailable - contrary evidence is discarded out of hand and usually characterized as some sort of devilish lie. How convenient, no?
Can other ideologies compete? Certainly, if given sufficient opportunity early enough and often enough. The Internet is definitely one means. I find it hysterical that so many are surprised by the avenues by which people are influenced... My favorite example is the "outrage" generated when access to anything involving sex is concerned... Duh! Every human on this planet is pre-wired for sex - so it sings on a far more basic level than any intellectualization, weighing pros and cons, rational comparison, etc... Janet's mundane titty pic was probably shared amongst hundreds of thousands of Muslim males. Externally, they are either outraged (same as the PCzoids in the West) or shouting "Aha! See? Proof of decadence!" - when it was nothing more than a typical crass grasp for publicity by an "entertainment" industry cretin. Internally, it titillated - and probably prompted a Google spike! My point is exposure to different ideas, early enough, or ideas which supercede imposed societal restrictions effectively start the process of comparison. Among those with the social connections to have communications connections, you would find a ready audience for apostasy - but Islam has anticipated this (The Devil takes many forms!) and imposed the harshest punishment it can devise in hopes of deterring independent thought.
Information and perspective are our best weapons for winning in any conflict of ideologies - the wiring is on the side of the open and free society, warts and all. BUT, where that is not allowed by the opponent, I see no fallback strategy for a peaceful end.
How can any belief system "compete" with an opponent whose entire social system is based upon an ideology of global conquest, without restriction on actions that achieve the desired end - including suicide attacks and / or using any weapon they can get their hands on, and demanding the utter destruction of all other ideologies either through dhimmitude - or death to any who will not accept subjugation. The West is currently hamstrung by the notion of chivalry (Order of the Garter, et al) which has evolved in many ways - even foolish and idiotic distortions, such as PCism and self-hate.
IMHO, from observations dating back about 14 years, now, I believe it is mischaracterized to say it's Islam vs Secularism & Christianity... I'd say it's Islam vs Everything Else. And, additionally, I believe we're not in a competition in the Marketplace of Ideas... I think, for all but a priviledged few in Islam, we're competing against a blind, deaf, and dumb monolith of indoctrinated zealots. Methinks, when all of the trappings and apologies and spin are stripped away -- it's them or us. I choose us.
I hope this rambling makes sense and clarifies my use of the "dire" pathogenic model!!!
#9
No .com, it makes great sense. There are so many great quotes from you that this will be difficult, but I'll try...
- the wiring is on the side of the open and free society-
I hope so, but the base of this a 19th Century Construct...That there is such a thing as progress, the idea that things are getting better and better, (or even that there is a better to get to). This is certainly not the norm in Human Societies...in the Middle Ages what was was, and would be for all time...Islam is similar in this regard.
The idea that there might not be such a thing as progress, (Societies are whole and unique unto themselves), was really a product of the terrible 20th century...Was WWI or WWII or Mutually Assured Destruction really progress...or just a higher order of horror?
Apostasy, as you correctly note, is the central problem with Islam...hence my argument that not Democracy should be our gift to the East...but rather Freedom of Conscience, (Yes, I know it is easier said than done).
-we're competing against a blind, deaf, and dumb monolith of indoctrinated zealots-
With which I also unfortunantly agree. This does, however, tend to contradict your first premise..."we are wired for freedom."
But are we? Or are we only wired to be a part of the machinery we call our Society? This is too large a question for a thread that will soon disapear...lol (the only flaw in rantburg--You've gotta say everything in one day).
If it is however, as you seem to posit and as I distinctly fear, that this is "Us against them," then how do we get out of this without killing 100 million of them?
Den Beste wrote on of his 5,000 word essays on this...the end conclusion being that if we did, the world and especially America would never be the same.
Have you ever felt that you're in a box without a door?
#11
Traveller - I'll hurry this cuz, as you say, we're coming down to the wire!
We've had a slight miscommunication - and it's my fault for not being more specific! The wiring (and, BTW, I didn't say "wired for freedom"!) I refer to is Darwin 101: sex; propagation. Want to stand out? Find a way to use sex - the ultimate sales tool. Appeal to it, and you have everyone's attention, to some degree, at least. Open societies, of course, only minimally restrict it - so they are extremely "interesting" to people from less open and closed societies. Using this definition of wiring sorta makes your other points on it hard to reply to! Sorry. My bad!
On the point of "us vs them" I read den Beste's article, too (I'm in DT's with him on hiatus!) and agree with you both: if forced into it, it will be us - and they may well cease to exist afterwards. Of course, the "fallout" would be extreme polarization among us and, compared with the act of defending our way of life from Islam, it would be a relatively small (read: minor) step to simply throw our LLL zoomies out... and to be honest, I know I would not like the lock-step society that might result. That's far down the road, though. Perhaps we will be able to apply an AD (Assured Destruction - One Way, not Mutual) demonstration in the same manner as occurred with Japan at Hiroshima / Nagasaki to avoid the all-out response. Talk and jihadi screech is one thing. A leveled city of molten glass and iron is another. I hold out only moderate hope, however, that the idiots will be reigned in before they do something to us that invites an extreme response.
Re: Box without a door...
Absolutely true - and good a metaphor for our situation. Factually, we didn't start it, however, and whether this insanity proceeds is truly up to them. Their few will decide the fate of their many. Such is the fate of cattle - to use the metaphor they so arrogantly and nonchalantly apply to us.
#13
Take heart. Such cultural imperialism is not irreversible as the survival of Romanian (with latin script) and the revival of Welsh demonstrate. Stand up, get ready for a long fight, and you may find that your grandchildren will just be shaking their head ruefully at the madness of their arabizing ancestors.
Sri Lankaâs Tamil Tiger rebels expelled a regional commander on Saturday after labelling him a âtraitorâ for mounting the first-ever open challenge to the groupâs leader Velupillai Prabhakaran. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said they âdischargedâ their eastern commander, V. Muralitharan, better known by his nom-de-guerre, Karuna, who tried to lead a breakaway faction on Wednesday. âKaruna has been discharged from the Liberation Tigers organisation and relieved from official responsibilities,â the LTTE said in a statement issued from their political headquarters in northern Kilinochchi town.
"You can't quit! You're fired!"
The split has been seen by diplomats and analysts as a serious blow to the already faltering Norwegian-led peace process aimed at ending three decades of ethnic bloodshed that has claimed more than 60,000 lives. The crisis fuelled fears the country could slide back into civil war after the government rejected the breakaway Tiger commanderâs request for a defence pact and separate truce. The rift in the Tamil leadership comes amid snap national elections set for April 2, nearly four years ahead of schedule. The elections were called by President Chandrika Kumaratunga, who accused arch political rival Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe of ceding too much in negotiations to end the ethnic conflict. It was not immediately clear what action the Tigers would seek to take against Karuna, 37, but the rebels have eliminated hundreds of rivals in their bid to lead the islandâs long-running Tamil separatist campaign. The Tigers also have killed scores of Tamils they have branded âtraitorsâ to their cause.
Sounds like Karuna's about to become The Late...
Posted by: Fred ||
03/07/2004 00:03 ||
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Unidentified gunmen shot dead a Pakistani opposition legislator and his guard on Saturday, sparking violent scuffles between protesters and police in Lahore, police said. Abdullah Murad, a Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) member of the provincial assembly in southern Sindh province, was attacked as he left his home by car. âMurad and his guard died while being taken to hospital,â Karachi city police chief Tariq Jamil told AFP. He said the motive was not immediately known.
My guess is that somebody wanted him dead. It's Pakland. It could have been because of the color of his turban...
Party activists protesting the killing tried to block a main road in the city and threw stones at police and buses. âIn return we fired a few teargas shells to disperse them,â said police officer Asif Rauf. All shops and markets were closed in Malir as Muradâs body arrived back at his house, where some 2,000 supporters had gathered. Additional police forces were brought in to maintain order, Rauf said.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/07/2004 00:03 ||
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The United States confirmed yesterday that it was militarily active in southern Algeria, but denied reports that it had a permanent base there. âThe United States is battling terrorist activities in Algeria and the Sahelâ, the US Embassy in Algiers said, adding, the countryâs ânoteworthy cooperationâ with the US will be âextended to other sectorsâ, including training Algerian armed forces. Last year, Washington allegedly provided Algeria with $700,000 in funds for military equipment needed to fight terrorism. US forces reportedly helped smash a troop of Muslim underground fighters, who had bought weapons in Mali with funds extorted from Germany, according to Algerian media reports. Germany allegedly paid millions for the release of tourists kidnapped in the Sahara.
I'm surprised we heard about it at all...
Posted by: Fred ||
03/07/2004 00:02 ||
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#1
interesting, what with all the talk about 'overstretch' of the military and yet theres enough forces for this too. Good to see
FWIW, the whole story of the Barbary Wars (not just the highlights) serves in my opinion as a good guide for our current War on Terror.
Posted by: Carl in NH ||
03/07/2004 15:48 Comments ||
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#6
Carl-
Excellent point. I'm finishing up a novel about the raid on Derna, Tripoli (the 'shores of Tripoli' the Marines rightly sing about) and it is amazing that even 199 years downrange how familiar it looks - a Congress more interested in avoiding expense and insult than doing right, a few people trying to do the right thing, and in the end the entire effort coming down to a handful of our best trying to do the impossible.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
03/07/2004 17:09 Comments ||
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#7
Man, talk about timely. I told that to my husband today, and threw in that's where the "shores of Tripoli" line comes in from the Marine Anthem.
Yep; aside from highlights of the naval effort, where we get stories of Decatur, the burning of the Philadelphia (Ruben James made his mark there, namesake of the destroyer of history and folk songs)), etc, the story about Tripoli needs to be told in detail: it isn't a story about a detachment of marines storming ashore and taking Tripoli. The actual truth is incredible: there were only a handful of Americans (Eaton, a naval midshipman, and 7 marines) that marched *500 miles* overland from Egypt with hundreds of recruited local mercenaries (locals who were, shall we say, less than dedicated to the object at hand, particularly the Arabs). That small force took Derna, and beat back several attempts by Tripoli to retake it. It is a magnificent story.
One thing to keep in mind vis-a-vis our current War on Terror: there was no neat end to the "Barbary problem". The problem went away when circumstances changed. It was only really solved when France invaded and annexed Algeria in the 1830's / 40's. (Not that that's my answer to our current problem.)
Posted by: Carl in NH ||
03/07/2004 18:20 Comments ||
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#9
(Eaton, a naval midshipman, and 7 marines)
Violated the rule of efficent use of force. Overkill.
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