Four U.S. soldiers face disciplinary action for burning the bodies of two Taliban rebels â a videotaped incident that sparked outrage in Afghanistan â but they will not be prosecuted because their actions were motivated by hygienic concerns, the military said Saturday. TV footage recorded Oct. 1 in a violent part of southern Afghanistan showed American soldiers setting fire to the bodies and then boasting about the act on loudspeakers to taunt insurgents suspected to be hiding in a nearby village. Islam bans cremation, and the video images were compared to photographs of U.S. troops abusing prisoners at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison.
Except that the guys were dead. And stunk. And had their clothes on. And Lyndie England wasn't there.
Afghanistan's government condemned the desecration. Muslim clerics warned of a violent anti-American backlash, though there have been no protests so far.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/28/2005 00:17 ||
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#2
Nah. A formal letter of reprimand maintained in the local personnel file for unauthorized pollution of environment without appropriate paperwork. For those not in the know, the LoR is ripped out when the soldier PCSs and generally has no effect upon good troops. Bad troops though have a habit of collecting them like Pokimon cards.
#4
"Tsk, tsk. You have been found to be culturally insensitive to the Barbarian Hordes. No TV for you this week. Next time, either hold your nose or burn the asstard with the camera, too."
#5
The fire should have been put out by the troops pissing on the corpses, then relit and spit on. When have muslims ever NOT mutilated and desecrated corpses? Respect muslims not one iota more than they respect others.
Posted by: ed ||
11/28/2005 9:49 Comments ||
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#6
Next time, just toss 'em in a ravine or something.
#7
Kabul (AP) - PETA today officially protested the burning of the Taleban bodies. Official spokesman A. Nutball Dogman said, "We are protesting the burning of the bodies, because, unlike humans, buzzards, vultures, and crows do not like their carrion 'extra crispy'. This is dangerous to the digestive tracts of our avian comrades, and it is proper the soldiers should be discliplined."
November 27, 2005: The growing piracy problem off the Somali coast has been solved by the hiring of private contractors to operate as a coast guard. The American firm, Top Cat Marine Security, has previously provided counter-terrorism and coastal security services for the Department of Homeland Defense, and other government agencies. The firm also designs and builds high speed patrol boats.
So they've gone and done it. They have hired privateers and basicly issued a Letter of Marque. They are reading Rantburg.
I hope they going to set up prize courts and the privateers all retire as rich men...
Just don't split the prize money the old Brit way; make sure everyone gets an equal share. You'll have all the people you'd ever want.
While no one is saying it, the United States is basically taking over coastal security duties for Somalia. The Transitional Government there has no money for this sort of thing, so it appears that the U.S. is picking up the tab.
Don't we always?
This could be a self-paying operation ...
This could get interesting, for the Somali warlords who operate along the coast are not going to take kindly to some foreigners trying to interfere.
More money in LaFitte's pocket...
The first priority of the new coast guard is to put the pirate gangs, and especially the two larger "mother ships", that are supporting attacks far out at sea, out of action. Many of the Top Cat personnel will be non-Somali, and former military. Most of the staff will eventually be Somalis. By not sending active duty American military personnel into this, there is less for the media to grab onto and cause public opinion problems for the U.S. government.
Actually, I think the American public would laugh it's collective nether regions off at the thought of the Navy blowing Laughing Boy the Pirate out of the water. Having a few of them walk the plank would play well on the 6 o'clock news, though Amnesia International would admittedly calv on the spot.
Thereâs also the opportunity for more private security forces to be used to help pacify all of Somalia. That would be very expensive, and itâs not a sure thing that the United States government would be willing to absorb the entire cost, as well as the media heat for spending all that money to try and police a bunch of uncooperative, heavily armed and, ungrateful Somalis.
I think I'd stick with potting a few here and there. Hunter-killer teams make a lot of sense in Somalia, and we could contract it out with no guarantee of contract renewal.
Top Cat Marine Security is being paid $55 million for the first two years of the contract. Some of this will be recovered by enforcing the payment of fishing fees by foreign boats that work the lucrative coastal waters. Warlords are now getting some of this money, by demanding protection money from fishing boats, and ransom from boats that are seized by pirates. In reaction to the police effort, the warlords can be expected to go after the new coast guards land bases. Top Cat will either have to establish heavily fortified and well defended land bases, or put some, or all, of them in foreign countries (like Kenya, Djibouti, and the breakaway Somaliland).
I'd go with Somaliland, after we recognize their government.
I'd imagine the warlords would try to 'go after' the Top Cat bases -- once.
But because of the extent of the Somali coast, it's unavoidable that a base be established in central Somalia, which is thick with heavily armed, aggressive and greedy warlords. Top Cat will have to live up to its name in order to survive.
Posted by: Steve ||
11/28/2005 09:48 ||
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Somali pirates have freed a ship and its crew after holding them hostage off the Somali coast for more than a month, a maritime official said Monday. "Somali gunmen have released the Ukrainian ship MV Pagania, and she is now under way to Eastern Europe," Andrew Mwangura, program coordinator of Mombasa-based Kenya Seafarers Association, said in a statement. Mwangura said pirates are still holding eight other vessels.
On Friday, the Somali government announced a two-year, $50 million contract with New York-based Topcat Marine Security Inc. in a bid to fight piracy off the lawless Horn of Africa country of about 10 million. But it was not immediately clear where the money to pay the contract would come from, given that the fledgling government is reliant on donors for funding.
Pirates in speedboats fired on the Panagia before storming it and sailing it to the town of Ely, about 310 miles (500 kilometers) northeast of the coastal capital of Mogadishu, Mwangura said. The gunmen had demanded a ransom of $700,000. "It is not yet clear if any ransom money has been paid by the ship owners," Mwangura said. The Liberian-flagged vessel is owned by Regal Navigation of Odessa, Ukraine
Posted by: Steve ||
11/28/2005 10:26 Comments ||
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#2
PRESS RELEASE- For Immediate Release
Contact: Maryann Johnson 545 8TH AVE. Suite 401 New York, NY 10018
Tel. NY Office: 212.714.6056 SC Office: 843.567.2551 Fax: 212.665-6494
Senator Lindsey Graham gives âThumbs Upâ to Top Cat Marine
Security for Homeland Defense
On April 3rd 2004, during high-speed demonstrations at the Tail Race Canal in Moncks Corner South Carolina, Top Cat Marine Securityâs (TCMS) exclusive line of 31â Cobra Predators passed the ultimate test. With high ranking dignitaries including Senators Lindsey Graham and Larry Groomsand Army & Navy Special Forces personnel in attendance, TCMSâs 31âPatrol Predator performed a spectacular series of high-speed exercises.With the two Senators and a crew of 4 or more on board the Predator maneuvered through a course of both gradual and extremely tight turns,highlighting the boatâs precision turning radius and unsurpassedcapabilities in rough and shallow waters. âThis war is about speed, mobility, strength and character and Top Cat has all of that,â said Senator Lindsey Graham. âThe boat was smooth, its like going from a raggedy old Chevy to a high speed Cadillac with a N o rthstar Engine, only betterâ. âThis is a fine watercraft and we are proud Top Cat will produce them in the low countryâ added Senator Grooms. Peter Casini, designer and captain of the 3100 Cobra, called the demonstrations âextremely excitingâ. The consensus was the Cobra would revolutionize "Go Fastsâ and raise the industry bar to a new level.
TCMS is proud to announce the relocation of their manufacturing facility to St. Stephens, South Carolina. TCMSâs Cobra boats are a state of the art solution to this countryâs urgent need for port/homeland security. TCMS will make a major capital investment in the area with the new facility, which plans to employ up to 75 people in its first year. The 2100 Sidewinder and 31â Predator are capable of providing a new level of security and protection for our country and our national efforts against terrorism. The Predator and Sidewinder are the fastest in their categories, surpassing all other fast patrol boats in production, with an 85 MPH cruising speed and Kevlar® catamaran hull that delivers maneuverability, durability, stability, and stealth. The innovative hull design allows these crafts to turn on a dime at speeds well over 60 MPH while remaining stable enough for a security officer to take aim and return fire in the event of an enemy attack. Top Cat Marine Security (TCMS) has also developed the first a state-ofthe-art training facility offering opportunity and access of highly skilled trainers to all first responders. TCMS instructors all of who are former Navy SEALs and Army Special Forces developed the specialized curriculum taking into account the specific needs and requirements of US Customs, Coast Guard, DEA and Border Patrol. Our TCMS courses also cover testing and evaluation, engineering, maintenance, operations and repair for our high-speed marine fighter suite of hardware and software. All training will be conducted on TCMS's line of Cobra state of the art high performance vessels. Please contact us for a copy of the Senators demo and a copy of TCMSâs DVD containing all previous demonstrations in New York and Washington DC. Since then, Casini has added three more boats to his Top Cat inventory-the 3100 Predator the 2100 Cobra Sidewinder and the 3700 Terminator-and introduced a total of thirteen new commercial and security design patents, including the dive hatch, the specialized enclosed capsule, the 37 foot Terminator, and the 48 foot Rapid Response Coastal Cruiser. Everyone knows how much the world has changed since September 11, and while our victory in the war against Iraq hopefully signals better times ahead, the threat of terrorism persists and our country's future remains uncertain. In the next five years, an estimated $550 million will likely go towards small defense boats to safeguard our ports, harbors and water supplies. At Top Cat Marine Security our goal is-and will continue to be-to bring the highest quality of knowledge, skill, operational expertise and design possible to that essential effort. Capable of reaching speeds over 100mph in as little as 15-20 inches of water, Top Cat's unique, patented Kevlar Hulls are virtually bulletproof and unsinkable, while their dock-like stability makes for an excellent working, diving or intercept & defense platform.
In an ongoing effort to service a wide range of state, federal and international security agencies-including the Department of Homeland Security, the Drug Enforcement Agency, the U.S. Coast Guard, Customs, Local Law Enforcement, Port Authorities and Border Patrol-Top Cat Marine Security has created a fleet of the ultimate "go fast" boats specially designed to meet the needs of law enforcement, military and commercial security organizations. Top among our marine security designs are the; 21 foot Sidewinder; 31 foot Predator and the 37 foot Terminator, 3700 DB3 Enclosed Capsule and soon to be released 48'foot Rapid Response Coastal Cruiser (RRCC).
Top Cat Marine Security's boats are also hand-built to meet customers' specifications. Top Cat specializes in systems integration, customized components and equipment such as: enclosed bulletproof cockpits; diver/dive hatch modifications; weapon mounts; specialized electronics; choice of motors and drives; and more. Top Cat also offers essential turnkey services, including operational training, inspection, and mechanical and maintenance service. Backed by a core of highly skilled special operations personnel with first hand experience in law enforcement, military and security experience, Top Cat brings a level of expertise and training to its production and development that is unsurpassed by any of its competitors.
#3
If I lived anywhere near big water, I'd want one, B, lol! 85MPH cruising speed. Turns on a dime. Gunmounts. Just needs a large cooler and, well, Spring Break's not that far away. Heh.
#5
Sadly, I don't think Lake Mead's big enough for one of those Predators, tw. About the time you got it wound up you'd have to hit the binders for a speed or wake zone, lol. The eds & coeds do seem to enjoy their parties there (1*2*3*), however, lol. I think that venue calls less for speed than specialized gear*. Perhaps I should make observations of their rituals and report back to the 'burg... I think a catch & release & stuff program might be worthy. I am something of a, uh, um, er, an amateur anthropologist (yeah that's the ticket) you see. ;-)
#6
He why not issue letters of marques to both land and sea forces. Talk about playing rough! This is not a foreign endeavor for the U.S. and it is only logical that it should extend this to the WOT. During WWII we (not anyone else) underwrote the French Army/Navy/Air Force and basically hired them to fight the Germans after their government surrendered. During Korea we paid for most of the UN forces that deployed to Korea. In Vietnam we paid for a LARGE number of Thai mercenaries to fight in Cambodia and Laos and basically became the armed forces of those countries. In Angola we (and the South Afrikaners) underwrote the Army that was fighting the communists in that country. In South America we employ many âsecurityâ firms that are engaged in the stemming the drug traffic. Yes there have been successes and failures but by in large it is cheaper and less messy (legally) to use mercenary forces in some cases.
#7
Yes, .com, I've always thought of you as having a scientific turn of mind. Carry on your researches, silly, but I think it best if you only report back to the generality of Rantburg should you make a breakthrough discovery in this much-plowed field of knowledge, else there are those who might think of it as boasting, yes?
Cyber Sarge, mercenary is used by many as an ugly word, but in this case surely contractor is a better fit anyway? ;-)
#8
And, in the spirit of privateers of past years, I present Rantburgers with this Stan Rogers classic:
Barrett's Privateers
Oh the year was seventeen seventy eight
I wish I were in Sherbrooke now!
A letter of marque came from the King
To the scummiest vessel I've ever seen
God Damn them all! I was told
We'd cruise the seas for American gold
We'd fire no guns, shed no tears
Now I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier
The last of Barrett's privateers.
Oh Elcid Barrett cried the town,
I wish I were in Sherbrooke now!
For twenty brave men, all fishermen, who
Would make for him the Antelope's crew,
[chorus]
God Damn them all! I was told
We'd cruise the seas for American gold
We'd fire no guns, shed no tears
Now I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier
The last of Barrett's privateers.
The Antelope sloop was a sickening sight.
She'd a list to port and her sails in rags,
And a cook in the scuppers with staggers and jags.
On the King's birthday we put to sea.
We were ninety-one days to Montego bay,
Pumping like madmen all the way.
On the ninety-sixth day we sailed again.
When a bloody great Yankee hove in sight
With our cracked four-pounders we made to fight
The Yankee lay low down with gold.
She was broad and fat and loose in stays,
But to catch her took the Antelope two whole days
Then at length we stood two cables away.
Our cracked four-pounders made an awful din,
But with one fat ball the Yank stove us in.
The Antelope shook and pitched on her side.
Barrett was smashed like a bowl of eggs,
And the maintruck carried off both me legs.
So here I lay in my twenty-third year.
It's been six years since we sailed away,
And I just made Halifax yesterday.
God Damn them all! I was told
We'd cruise the seas for American gold
We'd fire no guns, shed no tears
Now I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier
The last of Barrett's privateers.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
11/28/2005 16:01 Comments ||
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#9
There were two lofty ships from Old England came,
Blow high, blow low, and so sailed we;
One was the Prince of Luther and the other Prince of Wales
Sailing down the coast of High Barbaree....
There's nought upon the stern, there's nought upon the lee,
Blow high, blow low, and so sailed we;
But a lofty ship to windward, and she's sailing fast and free,
Sailing down the coast of High Barbaree/
"Oh Hail her, Oh Hail her," our gallant captain cried...
"Are you a man-o-war or a privateer" said he,
"Cruising down the coast of High Barbaree?"
"I'm not a man-o-war nore a privateer," said he...
"But I'm a salt sea pirate and I'm looking fo my fee,
Cruising down the coast of High Barbaree."
'Twas broadside and broadside, a long time we lay...
Until the Prince of Luther shot the pirate mast away...
"O quarter, o quarter," the wretched pirate cried,
BLow high, blow low, and so sailed we;
But the quarter that we gave them was to sink them in the tide,
Sink them off the coast of High Barbaree.
#12
There was an old sleezy pirate from the Somali coast who got his boat in the sights of a Predator ghost.
The hellfire missile scored a direct hit and now his wienie is toastâ¦
Aye, by jingo, take that you jackanapes cutthroats. Thatâal learn ya ta joust with the devil. If this ainât enough, Iâll unleash a barrage of doggerel across yer bow.
A Muslim extremist calling himself a member of al-Qaedaâs Bangladesh network has threatened to blow up a number of Western missions in Dhaka, said police in the Gulshan district of the Bangladeshi capital. They told journalists on Sunday that they had received a faxed message from the British High Commission on Sunday night with a request for a general diary entry following the threat to bomb it and other missions.
The British High Commissionâs First Secretary in Dhaka, Mike Stevenson, said that Manik Hossain of Faridganj, identifying himself as a member of al-Qaeda, threatened to blow up the UK mission, along with other Western missions.
The Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner, S.M. Mizanur Rahman, said adequate security forces had already been deployed in areas where the missions were situated.
The Islamist militants campaigning for Islamic rule in Bangladesh had carried out nearly 400 simultaneous bombings across the country on August 17, and on October 3 had attacked courts in three districts. In another major attack on November 14, they killed two judges.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
11/28/2005 13:40 ||
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Maybe we can just open a virtual embassy on the web - save on the budget and all. As for VISA applications, we could just answer them all no. I don't think our economy would suffer adversly.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
11/28/2005 20:10 Comments ||
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A Yemeni preacher convicted of murdering a top opposition politician in December 2002 was executed in Sanaa yesterday, prison officials said.
Hokey smokes! That's a first, isn't it?
Ali Ahmad Jarallah, 28, was executed by firing squad at the central prison in the capital Sanaa, they told Arab News. âA police officer shot four fatal shots from a Kalashnikov rifle into Jarallahâs back,â one official said. A Yemeni court sentenced Jarallah in September 2003 to death for shooting dead Jarallah Omar, the assistant secretary-general of the Yemeni Socialist Party. The sentence was upheld by an appeals court and President Ali Abdullah Saleh affirmed the verdict last week.
G'bye, Ali! Give our regards to Himmler!
Jarallah, a prayer leader at a mosque in the city, shot Omar several times at close range during a congress for Al-Islah party in Sanaa on Dec. 28, 2002. He was arrested on the spot. Jarallah told the primary court that he killed Omar because of his stance against the Shariah. âI killed a man who fought against Godâs law,â he shouted after the verdict was announced on Sept. 14, 2003.
God's law, of course, has nothing in it about not killing people...
The execution, carried out amid tight security, was attended by relatives of the assassinated politician and his familyâs lawyers. Journalists were barred from attending. Armored police vehicles patrolled the prisonâs vicinity and special force personnel were stationed on the prison walls.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/28/2005 00:33 ||
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Start doing that more often,and around the world.There would be a whole lot less trouble from the ROP.
One of three suspects in the murder of a woman police officer 10 days ago was being questioned by detectives last night after being arrested in connection with an unrelated alleged crime.
Yusuf Jama, 19, was one of a group of up to seven Somalis seized by police in a raid on a terrace house in the Saltley area of Birmingham on Saturday. He was taken to a police station in the West Midlands where a sergeant recognised him as one of the men named and pictured the previous day over the killing of WPc Sharon Beshenivsky. Mr Jama's identity was established through fingerprints before he was transferred to West Yorkshire at 3am yesterday to be questioned by specialist officers.
Police are still hunting his brother Mustaf Jama, 25, and Muzzaker Imtiaz Shah, 24, a British Asian, whom they have described as very dangerous and asked for the public to report any sightings immediately. All three were believed to have been living in London.
WPc Beshenivwky, 38, was gunned down as she and her colleague WPc Teresa Milburn, 37, went to investigate a robbery at a travel agency in Bradford city centre. Witnesses to the arrest said that between four and eight people of Somali appearance were taken from the three-bedroom house in Bowyer Road, Saltley. Those arrested were handcuffed and their heads were covered by blankets as police vehicles blocked the quiet one-way street.
#3
The ex-chief of the Met Police is calling for capital punishment to be reinstated for the killers of cops, and wants them armed.
The guys who did this were running from the scene, stopped, turned and fired for no reason on the Pc and her colleague. She took it in the chest, her colleague in the shoulder and it went straight through the vest. There was no reason for it, they were both obviously unarmed.
Makes me bloody sick. How many more cops have to die before they arm them with anything more than pepper spray?
Sultan Demilkhanov, head of the Pamyatoi village administration in Chechnya's Shatoi district was killed last night, a Chechen government spokesman told Interfax on Monday.
Demilkhanov, brother of Chechen State Council member and parliamentary candidate Ruslan Demilkhanov, was seriously wounded when his car came under fire high in the mountains on Sunday night. He died at the scene.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
11/28/2005 14:09 ||
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A summit of EU nations and their Mediterranean neighbours is said to be struggling to agree a definition of terrorism and how to combat it.
Spain and the UK, who are chairing the Barcelona meeting, want to announce an agreed position when it ends on Monday. But correspondents say Arab delegates object to a proposed definition that would allow no exceptions for those fighting occupation. Only two non-EU leaders from Turkey and the Palestinian Authority are present.
Delegates at the two-day meeting are being urged to agree to a declaration on a common "code of conduct on countering terrorism". The draft states "all people have the right to self-determination" but adds that " terrorist attacks cannot be justified or legitimised by any cause or grievance". However Arab nations want to amend the text to distinguish between terrorism and the right to kill Jooos resist occupation.
EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said he was hopeful an agreement would be reached. The Euro-Med meeting marks a decade of co-operation between the neighbouring countries. It brings together the 25 EU members plus Turkey, Israel, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, the Palestinian Authority, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon. Apart from Turkey and the Palestinian Authority, leaders from Arab and North African states as well as Israel, were unable to attend the summit and sent lower level delegations instead.
Posted by: Steve ||
11/28/2005 08:35 ||
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Arab delegates object to a proposed definition that would allow no exceptions for those fighting occupation.
Osama considers our workers in Saudi Arabia as being an occupation. Is this the EU's version definition as well? If so, are we occupied by Arab imagrants
WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court refused Monday to overturn a $116 million judgment against the Palestine Liberation Organization in the deaths of a Jewish couple near the West Bank. The PLO, and its governmental entity, had been sued in federal court in Rhode Island over the 1996 drive-by shooting of Yaron Ungar, an American citizen, and his Israeli wife, Efrat, as the couple returned home from a wedding. The family's relatives argued that the PLO and Palestinian Authority provided a safe haven and operational base for the Islamic militant group Hamas, which was responsible for the attack. A judge issued a default judgment after the PLO did not respond to requests for depositions from Yasser Arafat and others.
Former Attorney General Ramsey Clark, the lawyer for the PLO, told justices in the appeal last month that Ungar relatives have "commenced sweeping national and international efforts" to collect the millions of dollars, including an attempt to seize Palestine's U.N. Mission building in New York. Clark said U.S. courts "are marching off to the conflicts of the Middle East and elsewhere carrying with them the integrity of the U.S. judiciary and risking the foreign perception that U.S. courts will extend their jurisdiction globally deciding the most sensitive political questions affecting the foreign policies of the U.S. and other nations as they go."
The case is Palestine Liberation Organization v. Ungar, 05-510.
Posted by: Steve ||
11/28/2005 14:59 ||
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#1
Ramsey "the sky is a fallin on the poor paleos" Clark might have done well to prevail upon the PLO nutters to actually defend on the merits rather than whine on appeal and drag out the tired old parade of horribles arguments. Then again, truth and merit always seem to be a very scare commodity at the PLO. We all know they can't fight all to well with their guns, bombs, mortars, and rockets and now it appears they come up lacking in the legal arena as well. They just can't help themselves can they.
#8
He's going to turn it around with his next case. I sense a big win coming. Especially as he asked me to shell out $10 million in oil vouchers to hire Johnny Cockrun as a technical consultant. "If the zyklon don't fit, you must acquit." Right on, bro!
OAKLAND -- A 'suspicious' early Monday morning fire heavily damaged an Oakland corner liquor store that was targeted last week by a group of well-dressed vandals who destroyed the beverage coolers with iron bars, terrorized the clerk and sent shelves of liquor bottles crashing to the floor. An Oakland Fire Department dispatcher said the fire at the New York Market at 3446 Market Street was reported at 1:19 a.m.
"It was contained fairly quickly, the crews put a quick hit on it but there was a lot of fire," said Battalion Chief Lorenzo Frediani. "It appears to be arson. It's under investigation." Arson investigators with the Oakland Police department and Oakland Fire Department were investigating the blaze, which destroyed all of the store's merchandise, Frediani said.
On Saturday, Leaders of the Nation Of Islam denied any role in last week's violent late night attacks on the New York Market on 34th and Market and the San Pablo Liquor Market on 23rd and San Pablo Ave. and condemned Oakland police for 'religious profiling' for inferring that they did. At a Saturday press conference, Minister Tony Muhammad -- the Nation of Islam's West Coast leader -- said after reviewing videotapes of the attacks that were played on local media outlets, his group had determined that their members were not responsible.
"In the recent incident of two liquor stores here in the Oakland being vandalized, I'm here to make the official statement ⊠after careful review of the recent news footage of the individuals involved in the actions against the liquor stores and merchants in Oakland -- we have concluded these individuals are not -- nor ever have been -- members of the Nation of IslamâŠor of any affiliated mosque or study groups in this area." "These individuals we do not know."
"Wasn't us, ya ain't got any proof, yada, yada.."
Tony Muhammad said his group had met with the Yamenie American Merchants Association -- who count the owners of the two vandalized stores among its membership -- to "explain our position."
I'd say the fire explained it rather well
As for the Oakland police, the Black Muslim leader had some harsh words.
"We would like to send out to the Oakland Police Department of whom we know that one of their spokesman sort of -- we feel -- painted a brush of racial as well as religious profiling against the Nation of Islam."
"In this climate of anti-Moslem sentiment, we are saying that all citizens and those in law enforcement should be careful how you paint the brush over any religious group. Just because men dressed in suit and ties (in the attacks)âŠIt doesn't mean that all black men in suit and ties are gang members, thugs or nor do we vandalize store merchants."
"And we'll take care of anyone who sez otherwise!"
There was no immediate response from the Oakland police who -- according to Deputy Chief Howard Jordan earlier in the week -- were looking into the incidents as hate crimes because most of the businesses are owned by Arabs or Arab-Americans, and the suspects told the clerks not to sell liquor to black people.
On Wednesday night, a gang of vandals strolled into two Oakland corner liquor stores and unleashed a violent attack, terrorizing the clerks, smashing displays and coolers with iron pipes. The brazen attacks were captured on videotape and thieves seemed not to care that their pictures were being recorded as they looked right into the cameras.
Religious Police being above the law
Posted by: Steve ||
11/28/2005 11:35 ||
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#1
There are alot of men who are not FOI yet go around in groups dressing in 1963 style black suits threatening folks and getting their violent rage thing on. "These individuals we do not know."
#4
Not everyone's as devious as you, mojo, lol. I'm sure CSI:Oakland will find the firebug. From my observations, I reckon they can solve almost anything in an hour. Two max.
#5
.com, just in time for the February sweeps, a very special episode of CSI: Oakland. The investigation centers around a mystery string of vandalism and arson in Oakland's red light district, when the evidence gleaned from surveillance video and eyewitness interviews unfailingly points to the real perpetrators...the Lions Club.
#10
For each pint of the lovely stout wasted I'd inflict 15 blows from the hurley stick right on the perp's face. bright red and mushy pink go very good with black and white clothes. The texture contrasts are striking.
#14
First of all, it's Oakland. DOn't wxpect it to be solved. Crime usually isn't solved there. Even murders.
It could be anything from a Berkeley fraternity hazing to the start of the NOI Chapter of Al Qaeda.
Also, they aren't just Arabs, they are Yemeni Arabs. 80% of the liquor stores in Oakland are Yemeni Arab. Possibly these guys are friends of someone killed off the USS Cole.
If they are just after vice, there is low hanging fruit all over Oakland. Street prostitution, open drug markets, etc.
Posted by: Jerry Brown ||
11/28/2005 17:58 Comments ||
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#15
open drug markets
You mean that long line I saw downtown wasn't for a soup kitchen?
#16
Guys wearing neckties? Hey, it could have some renegade Mormons.
Yeah, the Mormons have a temple just up the hill. Coulda been them.
There are alot of men who are not FOI yet go around in groups dressing in 1963 style black suits threatening folks and getting their violent rage thing on.
When I drive down MacArthur Boulevard there are so many MIB, I some times think they're having Malcolm X look-a-like contests.
Posted by: Lionel Wilson ||
11/28/2005 19:09 Comments ||
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Thirty-four wanted "tribal militants", including the general secretary of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazlur Rehman) in North Waziristan Agency, surrendered to the government on Monday after a peace deal was struck among elders, clerics and the civil administration.
"They (surrendered militants) are now loyal and patriotic Pakistanis," North Waziristan chief administrator Zaheerul Islam said at a ceremony in Miranshah on Monday. He made no mention of amnesty to the 34 militants...
Despite a month of painstaking investigation that continues, Delhi Police admit they are nowhere close to catching those who carried out the worst terrorist attacks in the capital that killed nearly 70 people.
"The case is not solved because we have not been able to break the deadly network of the terrorists," Deputy Commissioner of Police Ajay Kumar said, a month after the October 29 explosions in two crowded markets and in a bus that also injured some 200 people.
In a frank admission, Kumar said that Delhi Police had not been able to penetrate the terrorist network that carried out the attacks and which could, given the chance, try to do so again.
Three people have been arrested for the blasts, which claimed lives in the Sarojini Nagar market and at Paharganj. A third bomb did not kill anyone but left the driver of the bus where it had been kept badly injured.
The bombings, on the eve of the Diwali and Id festivals, were the worst terror attack in the city in two decades.
One of the arrested men is Tariq Ahmed Dar, a Jammu and Kashmir resident who admitted before a court here that he did help Pakistan-based terrorist groups in money laundering but had no direct links with the blasts.
The other two men in custody are those who assisted, in some ways or another, Dar, who is an executive of a leading multinational that makes baby products.
"We have to go a long way as a lot of people have to be arrested. We have just managed to arrest one of the key conspirators and two of his aides who had provided help to carry out the attacks," said Kumar.
He said a special team of Delhi Police had been stationed in Srinagar since the blasts after discovering that mysterious telephone calls were made to Jammu and Kashmir immediately after the event.
"The interrogation of Tariq Dar has helped us identify some of the key conspirators but the case would be closed only after all the people are arrested and their network busted," said Kumar.
According to police sources, the nom de guerre of the men who are believed to be responsible for the Delhi bombings are Abu Fazal and Abu Huzefa, both Pakistanis and area commanders of Lashkar-e-Taiba, an Islamabad-backed terror outfit.
Security agencies say both men may still be holed up in Jammu and Kashmir.
Dar reportedly called a media organisation after the blasts to claim responsibility on behalf of a little known group called the Inquilab-e-Mehez. Authorities say this was meant to put the investigators off the track.
Dar has been previously associated with the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen and reportedly now has a hand in the financial transactions of Lashkar.
Some officials say the Jaish-e-Mohammed, another Pakistan-based terrorist group, may have supplied the RDX explosives that were used in the bombings.
Islamabad has denied any official involvement and promised full cooperation with Indian investigators.
The bodies of some of the victims are yet to be recognised as they are badly burnt. To make matters worse, the fate of some people who were in the markets at the time of the blasts is not known - did they die, and if yes where are their bodies?
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
11/28/2005 14:20 ||
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Al-Qaeda in Iraq issued a message today, November 28, 2005, annoucing that the al-Baraâa Mujahideen Group, through its Emir, Abu Farouq al-Iraqi, has joined with Abu Musab al-Zarqawiâs group, al-Qaeda in Iraq. According to the message, al-Baraâa Mujahideen Group pledges loyalty to Zarqawi, to âobey him in everythingâ and to âfight Allahâs enemies everywhereâ.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
11/28/2005 13:47 ||
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#5
Thermobaric death=what the fucking insurgents deserve with their half ass IED's and human shield tendencies. Burning pre-hell is something I do wish upon them.
#7
Looks like we'll be makin' lotsa molten organic molecules out of the Talibans, just like they did to our fellow citizens at the WTC. So, what's the big deal?...
#13
Article: One unit disintegrated a large one-storey masonry type building with one round from 100 meters. They were extremely impressed.
Color me unimpressed. Taking out bunkers with portable rocket rounds is a capability that infantrymen have had since the invention of the bazooka. This weapon doesn't seem to have given either the Russians or the Chechens an edge, despite the fact that the Russians had it first, after which the Chechens stole it, upon which the edge is supposed to have passed on to them, since this weapon is supposed to favor defenders if both sides have it.
Posted by: John Belushi ||
11/28/2005 20:42 Comments ||
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Anon/ES1852: I looked through all my Crayolas, but couldn't find "unimpressed". :-)
I read your comments here and on DefenseTech, and I think you're missing some of the advantages of thermobaric munitions, as they're described:
Thermobaric munitions use overpressure, not direct blast effects, to kill. Additionally, it's not just that the thermobaric munitions can knock down a building--it's that they can kill defenders in adjoining rooms even if they don't breach the actual structure. A near-miss on a bunker can kill the occupants when using thermobaric munitions; with a bazooka or other HE/HEAT round, you need a direct hit or an incredibly large warhead to take out the bunker.
I completely disagree with your blanket statement on DefenseTech claiming artillery is the urban combat cure-all as well. Even if the attacker doesn't give a damn about the civilian population and the structures, like the Soviets did when taking Berlin in '45, it would take a prohibitive amount of time and ammunition to flatten every structure. The Soviets had overwhelming numbers of guns and men, and estimates of their casualties start in the hundreds of thousands.
And flattening a city is definitely no guarantee the defenders are all dead. The Germans and Soviets discovered in Stalingrad that random bombing and shelling only created MORE cover for the defender--not less. Furthermore it facilitated the defender's job by cratering roads and/or blocking them with rubble, creating roadblocks and obstacles for the attacker.
Posted by: Dar ||
11/28/2005 20:54 Comments ||
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November 27, 2005: The United States often has its commandoes work together with foreign counterparts. One such instance is in Iraq, where Task Force Black (TFB) is composed of teams from the British SAS and the American Delta Force. The unit is used for difficult attacks on terrorists, especially if they are on their way to an operation (either on foot with explosive belts, or suicide car bombers.) These attacks are the most carefully planned and executed terrorist operations, and the objective of TFB is to take down the attackers before they can detonate their explosives. This is easier to do if you catch them before they are close to their target, because the bombers are not poised to set off their explosives on short notice.
Some suicide bomber teams do not rig their detonators to work until they are close to the target. They have good reason for this, for their have been accidental detonations, which kill the support staff as well as the suicide bomber. This is not good for the morale of the escorts, security detail and bomb technicians that make all the preparations for these attacks. THe bombers themselves only do it once, and are not as highly trained and difficult to replace. Without the support people, who are harder to recruit than suicide bombers, these attacks are not possible. When Israel began going after the support staff in the last two years, the Palestinian suicide attacks on Israel diminished, and there were more accidents from poorly made bombs, and more bombers were caught before they could reach their targets. TFB often brings along American and Iraqi troops to make a follow up sweep to grab as many of the support staff as possible.
TFB uses all available intelligence resources to find terrorist gangs that are making the suicide attacks. Most of them work for âal Qaeda in Iraq,â but some are run by various Sunni Arab groups trying to get a civil war going between Sunni and Shia Arabs. The terrorists believe that such a conflict would result in a Sunni Arab victory. Realizing that an outcome like that is highly unlikely, some of the terrorist gangs are shutting down, and there has been a decline on terrorist attacks because of it. But the attacks continue, and TFB continues to have success in stopping some of the attacks, and killing or capturing support staff.
Such joint operations began in Afghanistan, in late 2001, where American and British commandoes worked together to hunt down Taliban leaders.
Posted by: Steve ||
11/28/2005 09:45 ||
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#1
I just love reading about secret black programs.
November 27, 2005: Sunni Arabs are becoming increasingly nervous about their ability to remain in Iraq. To frequently paranoid Sunni Arabs, it's already beginning. In western Iraq, the attacks against terrorist strongholds, in Sunni Arab areas, continue. The military pressure has been constant on the terrorists for most of the year. The most recent attack force was smaller than earlier ones, with 400 U.S. marines and 150 Iraqi troops. But in addition to these joint operations, there has been increasing Iraqi police activity in the west. This also involves Iraqi army troops, and the latest version of the Iraqi secret police.
All this is being applied to Sunni Arabs who want to be back in power, with someone like Saddam Hussein (a ruthless Sunni Arab who knows how to take care of his own), back in charge. The current Iraqi security forces are dominated by Kurds and Shia Arabs (who represent 80 percent of the population.) The Iraqi security forces have evolved into a secret police. Most Westerners forget, or never knew, that every Arab nation has a secret police. Sort of a tradition, and a pretty nasty one. The secret police make up their own rules as they go along. All this business of constitutional protections and rule-of-law is alien to most Iraqis, as they have never experienced it. But most Iraqis have experienced loss at the hands of the Sunni Arab minority, want revenge, and are now eager to repay their tormenters in the same coin. Much to the chagrin of their American advisors, the Iraqi security troops are using "traditional methods" against the Sunni Arab population. This includes torture, arbitrary arrest, summary execution and holding people indefinitely without charge.
It's surreal to hear countries like Saudi Arabia, Russia and China complain about this, especially since most Iraqis are eager to stop the Sunni Arab terrorism any way they can. Saddam wasn't the only Iraqi to admire the way Russia and China maintain order (more lawless secret police and arbitrary use of law). To make matters worse, European media have a field day exposing this "American backed" work of the Iraqi security forces, and demand that the Sunni Arab minority be "protected" from the aggression of the "illegal" American occupation force and the "illegitimate" Iraqi government (which, while it represents the will of the Iraqi people, does not properly deal with the desires of the Sunni Arab minority.) If only those Americans would listen to the French, Germans and Russians, and bring back Sunni Arab domination. Not Saddam, but someone like him. And put American leaders on trial for committing the war crime of upsetting the status quo. Everyone's an expert when it comes to Iraq, but in the meantime, the situation is going to get worse.
The Iraqi government is organizing a force of 10,000 police and soldiers to launch a major attack on the terrorists (that is, the Sunni Arab population) before and after the December 15th parliamentary elections. The terrorists are playing into this by making more attacks on soft targets (hospitals, mosques and, last week a crowd of women and children receiving gifts of toys and candy from American soldiers.) The terrorists are slowly learning there's a difference between terrorizing a group, and just making them so angry that they will do great damage, perhaps even wipe out, their tormenters. To the Sunni Arab neighbors of Iraq, this has always been the ultimate nightmare. In the past, it never seemed possible that the Sunni Arab population would be driven from Iraq. But now, because of the Sunni Arab terrorism in Iraq, the "religious cleansing" of Iraq is becoming a possibility. For that reason, more and more Sunni Arab leaders, and even terrorist groups, are making peace with the government.
But this arrangement demands that the Sunni Arabs become active in fighting the terrorists. Many Sunni Arab leaders are reluctant to do this, for the terrorists have long gone after leaders who turn against them. Some are attacked or killed every month. However, while the terrorist groups may be reckless, many Sunni Arab leaders clearly see the patience of the Shia Arab majority growing shorter. Cleansing Iraq of Sunnis becomes more of a reality the longer the terrorists continue their attacks. You can see this happening already, as Sunni and Shia Arabs separate from villages and neighborhoods where they have long lived together, for safety from terrorist attack. Unfortunately, this makes it easier for Shia Arab and Kurdish secret police to surround exclusively Sunni Arab areas and move the population out of the country. This is a nightmare that many refuse to even acknowledge. But it's a common, if largely suppressed, part of Middle Eastern history. It's happened before, it can happen again.
Posted by: Steve ||
11/28/2005 09:01 ||
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Posted by: Jim ||
11/28/2005 13:15 Comments ||
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#4
Soryy, MoO, it is a bug. A key driver of our strategy is to incorporate significant Sunni into the new Iraq institutions. Iran is a huge threat, and for a 'reasonable' Iraqi government to survive there needs to be a 'critical mass' of viable opposition, which will HAVE to include a functioning Sunni component. We are trying to remove an advanced cancer from a vital organ without destroying the organ.
#5
This is not good news. Especially for the Kurds. Three factions is better than two when it comes to multicultural/ethnic government. Just ask Canada.
"But this arrangement demands that the Sunni Arabs become active in fighting the terrorists."
This is dead right, Jim. It's their call. Thus far, they have either been active or passive allies / dupes for the terrs, hoping to stay out of the crosshairs but ready to inherit the mantle if the old order returns - trying to have it both ways, in other words.
No one can blame the Shi'a or the Kurds for their reaction to this reversal of fortune. To say otherwise is disingenuous. The Sunnis have fostered, whether actively or passively, the lawlessness that exists in Iraq, not to mention the bad blood generated by their brutality under Saddam. In the vacuum, the rise of vigilantes is absolutely natural - every man wants safety for his family, first and foremost. Additionally the payback factor certainly exists - also perfectly natural in their society as many Shi'a and Kurds have lost family to these dysfunctional murdering cretins for generations, and now from their terr "allies". They won't be changing the blood feud "rules" to suit anyone anytime soon. Fact.
In the end, it's obviously their choice. Note that you can't make them choose "correctly", either. So far, in every single case, they've chosen as badly as you would expect from a group as alien as if they came from Mars. Darwin 101 is in effect and social engineering will be just as ineffective here as it is everywhere else. Until the first requirement, safety, is met, all bets are off and the Sunnis are beginning to get exactly what they have clearly asked for - strategy be damned.
#7
.com is right on the money here. The Sunnis will fuck themselves right out of power in Iraq, already have for the most part.
We must secure the country before all else, and if that means wiping out the Sunni,well... they brought it on themselves and have noone to blame but themselves, and the Prhench and Germans for fucking up the original war plans that might have made life easier for Sunni arabs post Saddam!
But regardless, the Sunni are in a bad way and it ain't gonna get any better for them till the insurgency and terrorists are defeated.
#8
Although could nean shia Islamic state from joining Iran?
Posted by: Obvious Phil ||
11/28/2005 17:13 Comments ||
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Shia Arabs in Iran are already agitating to be free of the Shia Persians so it seems unlikely that Shia Arabs in Iraq would suddenly throw their own self-governing away.
I think the Shia Arabs amung Shia Persians in Iran and Shia Arabs amung Sunni Arabs in Saudi Arabia are more likely to wish to join Shia Iraq.
Seems Iran and Saudi Arabia has a lot more to worry about in that scenerio. Could explain why both nations are filling the ranks of guerrillas.
#12
An IRGC top Cdr. has just said today that Iran and the IRG will defeat America in Iraq and throughout the ME - IS IT JUST ME, OR DID IRAN = IRGC JUST GIVE YET ANOTHER INDICIA THAT IRAN IS WILFULLY INTERFERING IN IRAQ, AND THAT DUBYA, AGAIN, IS RIGHTEOUS TO TAKE MIL ACTION AGS IRAN!?
Once again, dem dar Iranyuhns are demanding to be attacked and invaded by Dubya.
BAGHDAD -- Ramsey Clark, the former U.S. Attorney General and antiwar activist, arrived here yesterday and was expected to try to show up at the reopening of Saddam Hussein's trial in Baghdad today, but a U.S. government official warned that he was not officially registered with the court. "As of today, [chief defense lawyer] Khalil Dulaimi has never filed with the Iraqi tribunal the proper paperwork to have an international lawyer work with the defense team," the official said on the condition of anonymity. "He has been invited to do so and told how to do so on a number of occasions. If a proper motion is filed for a qualified international attorney as an adviser to the defense team, it is expected that the court will accept that request," said the U.S. official, who is close to the tribunal.
Mr. Clark, who has defended former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, has advised the defense team and questioned the impartiality of the court, set up while Iraq was under U.S. control. "Our plan is to go to court in Baghdad on Monday morning representing the defense counsel as defense support. A fair trial in this case is absolutely imperative for historical truth to justice obviously," Mr. Clark told Reuters news agency in Amman. Some Shi'ites are worried that Mr. Clark's presence -- especially if contested -- will turn the trial into a circus, with Saddam taking over the proceedings much as he did when the trial began Oct. 19.
Posted by: Steve ||
11/28/2005 08:50 ||
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#1
You mean the anti-American idiot and head of the pro-Fidel, pro-North Korean, communist front group, International Action Center, right? What a shocker!
#2
"... absolutely imperative for historical truth to justice obviously" Pray tell me what the hell that might mean. I take it as signs of early senile dementia (politically induced varient).
#3
I'd say he needs an unescorted vehicle tour of the entire country, just to get a feel for it all. Go ahead Mr. Attorney General, here's 1000 dinars, just slide into any one of those taxis with the orange fenders, no problem. Yes of course Ted Kennedy, Joe Biden, and Barbra Boxer can come along, here's an EXTRA 100,000 dinars and a Camelback filled with Chivas Regal for Senator Kennedy
#4
Some Shi'ites are worried that Mr. Clark's presence -- especially if contested -- will turn the trial into a circus
They are absolutely right about that. Self-Destructive Attention Whores always hope beyond hope someone will contest them as it quadruples the attention given them. No good answers on how to deal with this very professional troublemaker.
Shakespeare's idea would only give him the status of martyrdom that he has been in search of his entire life. The libs would ring their hands and cry out, blaming Bush, The Great Satan.
No, the best we can hope for is that his Alzeheimers just advances to the Arafat stage and we get to see him babbling and drooling live on National TV.
British officials are investigating reports that two British nationals have been killed in Iraq.
The pair and at least three other foreigners were attacked on a bus by gunmen near Baghdad as they travelled to Kerbala, according to media reports.
The group has been described as British Asians on a pilgrimage to holy shrines.
A British embassy spokeswoman told Reuters: "We've heard that it could be two British nationals, but we know no more than that."
The shooting comes as hostage experts hunt for a kidnapped British aid worker who went missing with three other westerners in Baghdad on Saturday.
A multi-national hostage team is trying to find Norman Kember, a retired professor in his 70s.
The Britons feared dead in the separate attack were shot at when the bus they were on neared a checkpoint in the Dora neighbourhood, Police Captain Talib Thamir told Associated Press.
"Hospital officials are telling us that three have been wounded and there are also dead," said BBC correspondent Caroline Hawley.
The injured were taken to Baghdad's Yarmouk hospital.
Iraqi police have arrested eight Sunni Arabs in the northern city of Kirkuk for allegedly plotting to assassinate the investigating judge who prepared the case against Saddam Hussein, a senior police commander said Sunday. The men were carrying a document from former top Saddam deputy Izzat al-Douri ordering them to kill Raed Juhi, said Col. Anwar Qadir, a police commander in Kirkuk, where the men were arrested on Saturday.
Al-Douri is the highest ranking member of the Saddam regime still at large and is believed to be at least the symbolic leader of Saddam loyalists still fighting U.S. forces and the new Iraqi government. Saddam's trial is set to resume on Monday after a five-week break. The first prosecution witnesses are expected to testify before the five-judge panel, offering accounts of the deaths of more than 140 Shiite villagers following an assassination attempt against Saddam in the town of Dujail in 1982. If convicted Saddam and his seven co-defendants could be sentenced to death by hanging.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/28/2005 00:01 ||
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#1
Are they sure they're Sunni Arabs? From Iraq? Ex/Current Ba'athist like? The ones who never got to experience, up close and all personal and such like, having their shit seriously rearranged by the hammer that wasn't? Gee, who'da guessed? Wow. Go figure.
Ol' Red's pretty devious - he just might recruit some Rosecrutians or mebbe some Theravadan Buddhists, as both are always in ample supply 'round Kirkuk. Everyone knows the Sunnis are just misunderstood cuz we didn't get to pay them a visit and become chums during the war thingy.
A British aid worker who is believed to be in his 70s was among four people kidnapped in Iraq, the Foreign Office said last night. Norman Kember, a professor who formerly worked in a London teaching hospital, was abducted with two Canadian aid workers on Saturday. An American aid worker was also believed to have been taken. The Foreign Office said it was "setting in motion an urgent investigation".
Mr Kember's wife, Pat, said at her home in Pinner, north-west London, that she was receiving a great deal of support. She said her husband was working for a number of organisations in Iraq.
Canadian officials reported the kidnapping early on Sunday. Canada, which does not have an embassy or troops in Iraq, has been advising Canadians, including humanitarian workers, not to go to Iraq. The missing workers are the latest among hundreds of foreigners who have been abducted in Iraq.
#1
Guardian: A British peace campaigner has been kidnapped along with three other humanitarian workers in Iraq, it emerged last night, in the first abduction of westerners in the country for several weeks.
Norman Kember, from Pinner, north London, was representing a number of humanitarian organisations in Iraq and was abducted along with two Canadians and an American in Baghdad on Saturday.
Last night night the Foreign Office confirmed the identity of the Briton, who was thought to have been an active peace campaigner in his 60s or 70s, and said an "urgent investigation" was under way.
The precise nature of Mr Kember's mission in Iraq remained unclear last night. His wife, Pat, said: "He is representing a number of different organisations.
Another well intentioned (perhaps?) fool meets reality head on.
HEBRON, West Bank, Nov 28 (Reuters) - A Palestinian terrorist militant threw an explosive device at Israeli soldiers at a checkpoint in the West Bank city of Hebron on Monday, a Palestinian security source and witnesses said. The army had no immediate comment and Israel's ZAKA emergency service said there were no immediate reports of casualties at the roadblock, located near the Tomb of the Patriarchs, a site holy to Muslims and Jews.
Palestinian witnesses said Israeli forces later surrounded a house in Hebron and then detained four terrorists Palestinians. No terrorist militant group claimed responsibility for the blast. About 400 Jewish settlers live among more than 120,000 Palestinians in Hebron, a frequent flashpoint in the West Bank, which Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war.
Posted by: Steve ||
11/28/2005 14:12 ||
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The Palestinians' ruling Fatah Party halted its primary election across the Gaza Strip on Monday after angry gunmen shot in the air at several polling stations, stole some ballot boxes and destroyed others. Fatah officials said the votes cast Monday would be nullified, and the primary would have to be rescheduled. The election violence highlighted the ongoing lawlessness in Gaza's streets.
"The Fatah General Committee held an urgent meeting in Gaza this afternoon to evaluate the primary elections and the committee decided to freeze the election due to the serious violations that took place during the voting process today," the statement said.
The Gaza primaries were expected to continue the trend started during earlier elections in several West Bank districts that swept away many entrenched old-timers, who controlled the party for decades and were seen as corrupt, and replaced them with young politicians more popular with average Palestinians.
The housecleaning in Fatah is crucial to the party's hope of beating back a strong showing by the Islamic militant group Hamas, which has wooed Palestinians in part with its image as an honest group that will not tolerate corruption and graft.
However, it was unclear how officials could ensure that a new round of voting would be any smoother than Monday's.
Before the dramatic cancellation, Mohammed Dahlan, a Gaza strongman and top Palestinian official seen as a bridge between the two generations in Fatah, was greeted by scores of chanting supporters as he voted in a sports club in the Khan Younis refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, where he is a candidate.
"The election has brought a clear and obvious answer that the leadership has to be changed," said Dahlan, who grew up in the camp. "We need an internal, positive revolution within Fatah that can guarantee the dignity of our old-timers â our leaders â and the continuation of Fatah."
Even before the new problems emerged, scheduled votes in Rafah and areas of central Gaza were postponed until Wednesday because of technical hitches, Fatah officials said.
In one station in eastern Khan Younis, about 15 armed gunmen came to vote. When they did not find their names on the registration list, they fired in the air, witnesses said.
Officials closed the polling station for about 45 minutes after the incident.
A similar incident in the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun also forced the closing of a polling station there, officials said.
Several voters at the Khan Younis sports center welcomed the primary for giving a voice to grass-roots party members and a chance to younger candidates.
"We want new blood in Fatah's body. We want to say that Fatah is able to lead and to bring us our rights," said Majdi Abu Daka, a 34-year-old engineer. "We respect the old generation, but it's time to give us a chance. The world is changing and so are we."
Many veteran Fatah leaders lived in exile for decades before moving to the West Bank and Gaza in the 1990s after interim peace accords with Israel, and they secured powerful positions with the Palestinian Authority.
Members of the "young guard" spent their lives in the Palestinian territories, gaining experience as leaders of the first uprising in the 1980s and spending significant time in Israeli jails, giving them credibility with younger Palestinians.
The biggest winner in the primaries held last week was Marwan Barghouti, a charismatic Fatah leader serving five consecutive life sentences in Israel for his involvement in the killings of four Israelis and a Greek monk.
Although Barghouti believes in using force to gain Palestinian independence, he also favors peace talks.
A member of the Palestinian parliament has been jailed for seven years by an Israeli military court for funding members of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. Hossam Khader, who represents the northern West Bank city of Nablus, was sentenced after being found guilty of "transferring funds to a terrorist organisation", an Israeli military spokeswoman said on Sunday. He is the second Palestinian MP to be jailed by Israel after fellow Fatah deputy Marwan Barghuti received five life sentences last year for anti-Israeli attacks.
Khader was arrested in 2003 in Nablus and later charged with funding and having links to a banned "terrorist" organisation. Prosecutors alleged during the course of his trial, which began last year, that Khader had given members of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades money to buy equipment such as bullets and bulletproof vests. One member of the al-Aqsa Brigades signed an affidavit claiming that Khader had given him 4000 shekels (about $900) to buy military equipment, but he later said that he had only made his accusation under duress. The verdict was condemned by the Palestinian Authority and parliamentary leaders as unlawful.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/28/2005 00:00 ||
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#1
like Paleostinians know anything about "lawful"
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/28/2005 21:42 Comments ||
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Philippine soldiers killed four suspected members of a Muslim militant group linked with al Qaeda in an operation to flush out militants from the remote southwestern island of Jolo, an army general said on Monday.
The Abu Sayyaf militants were resting in a wooded area when an army patrol hunting their one-armed, horse-riding local commander ran into them and opened fire.
"The rebels did not know what hit them," Brigadier-General Alexander Aleo told reporters. Four were killed on the spot, while a few others managed to escape, he said.
Hundreds of troops are battling about 150 Abu Sayyaf rebels and rogue members of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), a larger Muslim separatist group that signed an Indonesian-brokered peace deal with the government in 1996.
Aleo said troops had found three abandoned rebel camps in the mountains near Indanan town and seized bomb-making materials and anti-tank projectiles used to make crude mines.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
11/28/2005 13:52 ||
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DEBKAfile Exclusive: Iranian military instructors have slipped into Lebanon with new missile to teach Hizballah how better to destroy Israeli tanks. The clandestine arrival of scores of Iranian Revolutionary Guards specialist instructors via Damascus is Tehranâs response to the shortcomings displayed by the Hizballah when it bombarded northern Israel on Nov. 21 - DEBKAfileâs military sources reveal. Our exclusive sources disclose they stole into the Hizballahâs Lebanese Beqaa Valley bases complete with two new weapons systems. Salt to taste
One is the new Iranian Motemared (Rebel) anti-tank missile, exposed for the first time in the Middle East. The IDF is not familiar with this weapon, beyond that it is the Iranian version of the Russian K and capable of piercing protective anti-explosive belts 1100-1200 mm thick. It is an all-weather weapon, day-or-night and wire-guided. The missile does not work well where there are tall trees, high electricity wires or water pipes, but is at peak effectiveness in open country of hills and valleys such as South Lebanon.
The surprise the Iranians brought with them was a mockup of an Israel Merkava (Chariot) tank. No one knows where it was manufactured or from what materials. Intelligence watchers report it is an exact replica of the real thing.
You don't slip into the country with one of these in your pocket.
The Iranian instructors have set up base at three farms in the Yanta Vadir al Ashair region of the Beqaa valley, where they are instructing Hizballah operatives. They have obviously studied the Hizballah video shots from the bombardment, which depicted an unmanned Israeli tank taking heavy pounding from Sagger missiles without sustaining damage or bursting into flames. The Iranians decided that the Motemared was the answer for destroying an Israeli Chariot. They also seem to have drawn lessons from Iraq where Sunni guerrillas have found ways to disable heavy US M1 Abrams tanks.
The day after its bombardment, Shiite terrorists withdrew troops from the border region. Israeli commanders thought at first it was a tactical retreat for regrouping. Later it turned out the operatives had gone to the Iranian training camps, to study the Chariotâs vulnerabilities and how to use the new missile against them.
The way Iranian RG officers were able to cross into Lebanon from Syria, set up training bases and smuggle in weapons systems shows how little has changed in Lebanon since the Syrian army was ousted. Notwithstanding the UN probe into the Hariri murder, UN Security Council resolutions expelling foreign armies from the country and US-French efforts to help Lebanon recover its sovereignty, Syria and Iran can still make free of Lebanese territory.
This episode also shows how closely Israelâs armed forces are watched by Iran and the speed at which its strategists are capable of drawing operational lessons.
Posted by: Steve ||
11/28/2005 14:52 ||
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#1
Sauce for the goose. For its part, Israel has been working on improving relations with the Kurds. And for every improved military toy the Iranians can fabricate, the Israelis have the capability to make a dozen.
This article probably serves notice to the Iranians that the Israelis not only know that they are doing, but that by being blown, their covert operation demands a quid pro quo.
#4
It is an all-weather weapon, day-or-night and wire-guided. The missile does not work well where there are tall trees, high electricity wires or water pipes, but is at peak effectiveness in open country of hills and valleys such as South Lebanon.
Debka's still free isn't it. Sounds like they may have invented the Sagger.
#5
An Israeli newscast of the Hizballah video can be seen here: http://video.nrg.co.il/lib/wmv/399/871.wmv
It shows 2 ATGM hits on the side armor and turret of an older Merkava(3?) followed by an RPG hit, along with an RPG bombardment of the post. All three hits looked ineffective. Were the post guards not paying attention for Hizballah to get within a few hundred meters of the post?
#7
At some point the Iranians really need to be sent a "thank you note" for all their meddling. Find out where the anti-tank round is manufactured and have a large portion of that industrial complex "collapse" under its own weight.
I'd much prefer to hear that the IDF identified the training center for this new weapon and then cratered everyone and everything for a mile around it.
Beirut, 28 Nov. (AKI) - The Lebanese government is expected on Thursday to ask UN secretary general Kofi Annan to extend the 25 December deadline for the completion of a probe into the assassination of former Lebanese premier Rafik Hariri. Lebanese premier Fuad Siniora government's wants more time to be given to German judge Detlev Mehlis who is heading the commission of inquiry, Lebanese parliamentary sources say.
An extension will enable the commission to complete the investigations and to work together with Lebanese authorities to prepare the trial of those alleged to be responsible for the 14 February bomb blast that killed Hariri and 20 others in a Beirut street. According to the sources, the Lebanese government will also decide on Thursday whether to request the creation of an international tribunal to try the suspects or whether the proceedings will be handled by Lebanese judges.
Damascus will on Tuesday dispatch five top Syrian security officials to Vienna where they will be questioned by Mehlis in connection with Hariri's killing. According to a report in the London-based Arab daily, al-Hauyat, the five are: Colonel Rustum Ghazale, former head of Syrian intelligence in Lebanon; his deputy Jamaa Jamaa; two of his aides, Abd al-Karim Abbas and Zaher Yunis; and, Samih al-Qashani, who co-ordinated the activities of Syrian intelligence operatives in the northern Lebanon region of Metn.
One top official wanted for questioning by Mehlis, but who is not expected to be in Vienna is the head of Syria's military intelligence, Asef Shawkat - a brother-in-law to Syrian president Basher al-Assad.
Posted by: Steve ||
11/28/2005 11:33 ||
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AIN EL-HILWEH, Lebanon: On a quiet autumn night, a mosque loudspeaker shatters the silence in this poor Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon.
''With all pride and grace, we announce to you the martyrdom of our mujahideen brothers Mohamed Ahmed al-Kurdi and Nidal Hussein Mustafa in the battlefields of jihad in Iraq,'' the speaker blares across the narrow streets of Ain el-Hilweh.
"We now return you to our normally scheduled chanting"
The deaths brought to three the number of residents from the camp killed in Iraq in November alone, making a total of five in the past four months.
Arab fighters have played a key role in Iraq's insurgency since the US-led invasion in 2003. Militants led by Jordanian Abu Musab al-Zarqawi have been blamed for a relentless series of attacks, suicide bombings and beheadings. The US military has said that Zarqawi is trying to bring more foreign fighters into the country because many of his Iraqi associates have been rounded up or killed.
One man in Ain el-Hilweh -- a crowded maze of narrow alleyways where gunmen from rival Palestinian factions roam freely and clash sporadically -- is eager to follow Zarqawi. The 36-year-old, who used the alias Abu Dujana, said he was counting the days to return to Iraq to join the ''martyrs in the name of Islam''. He made no effort to hide his loyalty to al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. ''(Bin Laden)...is the symbol of the mujahideen (holy fighters). Every religion has its symbol...and we as Sunnis and mujahideen have Sheikh Osama,'' Abu Dujana, who is a member of the Usbat al-Ansar militant group, told Reuters.
Usbat al-Ansar, which was founded by a Palestinian but now includes many Lebanese as members, follows the same strict version of Sunni Islam as bin Laden. The group, which has a base in Ain el-Hilweh and openly admits links to bin Laden, says dozens of its members have joined the insurgency since the US-led invasion. ''Usbat al-Ansar is offering military and logistical support to al Qaeda in all the battlegrounds of jihad including Iraq,'' said the group's spokesman, who called himself Abu Shareef.
Ain el-Hilweh is the biggest of 12 Palestinian camps in Lebanon, where late leader Yasser Arafat's fighters were a main faction in the civil war that erupted in 1975. The UN says there are 45,000 registered refugees in the camp near the southern city of Sidon but residents put the number much higher.
Posted by: Steve ||
11/28/2005 10:47 ||
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#1
"The deaths brought to three the number of residents from the camp killed in Iraq in November alone, making a total of five in the past four months."
#3
Article: The deaths brought to three the number of residents from the camp killed in Iraq in November alone, making a total of five in the past four months.
...
Ain el-Hilweh is the biggest of 12 Palestinian camps in Lebanon, where late leader Yasser Arafat's fighters were a main faction in the civil war that erupted in 1975. The UN says there are 45,000 registered refugees in the camp near the southern city of Sidon but residents put the number much higher.
Five guys in four months out of a population of 45,000? Multiply that by 12 camps and you have 60 guys in four months, or 240 guys in a year. Out of a population of 540,000. That's a partipation ratio of .04% of the population.
DAMASCUS (Reuters) - A man has appeared on Syrian state television saying Lebanese officials, including the son of Rafik al-Hariri, had forced him to testify falsely to a U.N. inquiry into the former Lebanese prime minister's assassination.
And Syrian State Television wouldn't lie...
Hosam Taher Hosam, a Syrian who said he had worked with Syrian and Lebanese intelligence during Syria's military presence in Lebanon, said in a programme aired on Sunday that an elaborate scheme of torture, threats and bribery had forced him to testify to chief U.N. investigator Detlev Mehlis.
Not that torture, threats and bribery had anything to do with his current statement
His appearance came after Damascus agreed to allow five Syrian officials to be questioned by Mehlis at U.N. offices in Vienna in connection with Hariri's February 14 assassination. Hariri and other officials accused by Hosam could not immediately be reached for comment.
Hosam, who said he belonged to Syria's Kurdish minority, said followers of Hariri and other anti-Syrian officials had detained him for a while in Lebanon and had wanted him to go to Vienna to confront the Syrians to be questioned by Mehlis. "It is all a ploy," Hosam said. "They were after Syria." He said Hariri had told him he was convinced Syria was behind the truck bomb that killed his father, but needed Hosam's testimony to prove it. Syria kept a tight grip on its small neighbor Lebanon for nearly three decades until a Lebanese and international outcry over Hariri's death forced it to withdraw its troops in April.
Hosam also accused Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt and Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh of arranging for other witnesses to testify falsely to Mehlis. Hosam said his captors had wanted him to implicate Maher al-Assad, a brother of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and his brother-in-law, Major General Asef Shawkat, the head of military intelligence.
Hosam said he had been tortured, injected with drugs and offered $1.3 million by Lebanese Interior Minister Hassan al-Sabaa to tell the investigators he had seen the truck used in Hariri's killing in a Syrian-controlled military facility. Hosam said he believed Mehlis was unaware of the alleged scheme. "I felt he had no relation to anything or knew anything," he said.
Mehlis has interviewed more than 500 people in connection with Hariri's killing, diplomatic sources say. His interim report in October did not name Hosam.
I expect to see a whole series of witness "recanting" their previous statements
Posted by: Steve ||
11/28/2005 10:33 ||
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"tortured, injected with drugs and offered $1.3 million"
ROFL. Yeah, that's pretty elaborate, alright. Wonder which one did the trick? Lol, wotta circus.
Iran is secretly training Chechen rebels to enable them to carry out more effective attacks against Russian forces. Teams of Chechen fighters are being trained at the Revolutionary Guardsâ Imam Ali training camp, located close to Tajrish Square in Tehran, the Sunday Telegraph cited Western intelligence reports. In addition to receiving training in the latest terror techniques, the Chechen volunteers undergo ideological and political instruction by hardline Iranian mullahs at Qom.
The paper noted that this information would not âgo down well in Moscow, which regards itself as a close ally of the Iranian regime.â
That's our Iranian mullahs, never missing a chance to dig a deeper hole
The paper pointed out that Russia had sided with Iran in the diplomatic stand-off over Tehranâs controversial nuclear program. While the British and American governments have accused Iran of having a clandestine nuclear weapons program, the Russians, who are building Iranâs Bushehr nuclear power plant, back Tehranâs claim that their nuclear intentions are solely peaceful.
A senior intelligence official quoted by the paper said Iranâs hardline president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, could have sanctioned the training of Chechen fighters in Tehran. âJust as they have orchestrated attacks against British troops in Basra to pressure Britain to drop its opposition to Iranâs nuclear program, so they are trying to put pressure on Moscow by backing Chechen fighters,â he said.
Posted by: Steve ||
11/28/2005 09:57 ||
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#1
Perfect example of the evolution of an "unsourced" news report. The original story cites an anonymous "senior intelligence official". (Whatever the fuck that is) Their allegations are based on unverified "Western intelligence reports" (Whatever the fuck they are) And less then 24 hours later it is picked up and reported with the convenient qualifier "-Paper". Look for a teaser headline on television, with the ole question mark at the end, "Iran Training Chechen Rebels ?". Typically it will be right before they break to commercial for a medication that will cure your penile dysfunction problems or the like.
#2
Oh and BTW...next step on the evolutionary process of these stories ends up being stated as fact, simmilar to the addendum at the end of this report. âJust as they have orchestrated attacks against British troops in Basra..."
IIRC that was graciously supplied to us by another unnamed diplomat citing another unsubstantiated report.
#4
Apologies for an extended rant but I'd be remiss if I didn't point out my favorite part. First insert a name to assign blame. "...Iranâs hardline president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, could have..."
Then combine two seemingly related, yet unverified reports and, eureeka, speculate on motivation. "...so they are trying to put pressure on Moscow by backing Chechen fighters...â
#5
Old Puty is scared sh*tless at the idea that in the next Russian election if he tries to go for Czar the orange revolution (supported by the evil capitalist) will be in Moscow not Unkraine. He has already taken measures to ban all foriegn NGO's and groups and the rest must be licensed, Stalin would be proud. My guess is that Puty will be working a backdoor agreement of selling out Iran (who even Puty must realize is a threat as much if not more to him than US) in return for sometype of agreement that we wont support or help bankroll a orange revolution Russia style. I hope we dont bite I think it would be a long term disaster to sell out the Russian democratic movement. In the long run the UN is not going to back any real teeth in Iran and if they did it would be a US show anyway so who cares if we get their support to do what we want anyway. Iraq is a perfect example of how our goals in Iraq were twisted by the usless process of the UN into WMD WMD WMD, something that was only part of the reason. Iran will be no different.
The UN should be considered nothing more than a mediator between nations and open dialog. For alliances and other matters the fact that everyone is in the UN makes it usless becuase what threat is Iran to say Zimbabway so why would they vote to attack Iran thier is no interest its like asking us to vote to attack Etheopia becuase they threaten Entria or vice versa we maynot want to see war but why should we choose sides niether threatens US. I think we should form a Democratic alliance were all members agreed to certian Human rights, Democracy, Capitalist standards, mutual protection, world stability, in return we would allow free trade for all members and other benifits like the huge amount of aid we give away for no return in the world. This alliance would be able to vote as a block in the UN to get its way also put huge pressure were it counts and if nessecary everyone would do thier part either military assistance or money towards such. They could peace keep organize relief and such all the time growing in size. To sweeeten the pot and force the fence sitters to join in and others to make the compliance to do so would be the economic with no US aid otherwise and tariffs and such on outside nations trade. Thier would be the core group that fully complys a second string of transition nations that are on plans to get to full compliance but want to be part then new entries. Just imagine the numbers of nations that would join for no other reason than to have their security garanteed by being part of the most powerfull alliance ever. Even if it was US and a handfull of other nations it would be unstopable and with the economic insecentives I think India, Australia, Japan, Britian, and alot more not to mention most of E. Europe, old Russian repulics, Turkey, why be part of the EU when you could join such a orginization.
#6
If borne out, one can only hope that RasPutin finally purchases a clue. Whether Iran had any direct hand in Beslan or not, they sure as he|| are helping to plan the next one. Russia's helpless addiction to hard currency will be its undoing.
November 28, 2005: Iran is claiming that itâs new Sina-1 photo-reconnaissance satellite is capable of performing espionage, especially against Israel. Launched in October, on a Russian rocket, the satellite was described as being used for scientific purposes only. With a three year lifetime, the Iranians described the Sina-1 camera equipment as capable of 50 meter resolution (pictures taken allow the identification of any object 50 meters wide or larger.) This is not military grade resolution. You can get better stuff from Google Earth.
Russia built the 375 pound satellite, and is unlikely to have provided higher resolution (and much more expensive) camera gear. Besides, you canât get high res equipment into a satellite of that size. But Russia also has a $132 million contract with Iran, to build and launch Iranâs first communication satellite, so the Russians are not saying much about the Iranian claims. The âspy satelliteâ claim by Iran is apparently for domestic consumption, another attempt to show the Iranian people that the country is getting its moneyâs worth with all these expensive satellite deals, and to buff the countryâs anti-Israeli reputation. However, Iran is also building a second spy satellite, which Russia will launch early next year. Iran has never been shy about stealing high tech secrets, although getting their hands on all the stuff they would need for a high res bird is unlikely.
Posted by: Steve ||
11/28/2005 09:35 ||
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"Sina-1 is a research satellite. It's not possible to use it for military purposes," said Deputy Telecom Minister Ahmad Talebzadeh, who heads the space program. But he agreed it could spy on Israel. "Technically speaking, yes. It can monitor Israel," he told The Associated Press. "But we don't need to do it. You can buy satellite photos of Israeli streets from the market."
#4
There is a method in Russia's madness, though it's questionable whether the technique works or not.
Basically, it is: "When the gunman comes to town, and you do not known his intentions, nor can you see his gun, offer him a knife. If he does not have a gun, his having a knife may make him less inclined to get a gun. If he does have a gun, perhaps he will choose to use his knife instead, creating a smaller risk. Even if he has a gun and intent to use it, giving him a knife is of small matter--he will do no more harm with it than he will do with his gun."
This philosophy could be applied both to long range missiles and nuclear material. In the first case, the Russian attitude is to make them a satellite and launch it, so that the Iranians don't make their own satellite and launcher.
In the second case, they offer the Iranians nuclear fuel and to reprocess their old fuel--no need for the Iranians to do it.
I really doubt that the Russians are doing this out of the milk of human kindness.
#5
I like moose's analogy, but doubt the russians are so concerned about the Iranians not having sattellite launchers. They are just playing games with the Mullahs as usual to provide a hedge against the West and make a few bucks to boot.
The russian space agancy will do anything for a buck.
A friend of mine recently got back from Russia, he went with Gregory Olsen, America's most recent space tourist and ISS joy-rider who is a college buddy of his.
Greg paid his $20 mil and rode the beast to the ISS, but said it was worth every penny. All the guys said that the Russians were in bad shape, and that it seemed to them like if were it not for the space tourist the ISS wouldn't have a single Russian on it at all.
So the Russians need money and the Iranians have plenty to waste evidently.
#6
The Iranians should remember real western history:
When a "gunman" came to town, he more than likely was asked to surrender his weapons (sound familiar?) and ,upon refusal, chances are he was killed later by a 12-Ga shot to the back, so as to avoid collateral damage and threat to the lawmen
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/28/2005 18:26 Comments ||
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#7
Yep. I remember when Ronnie rode into town. The USSR offered him a space-based laser, Ronnie demmured and asked for a milkshake, stirred, no straw.
#10
If he does not have a gun, his having a knife may make him less inclined to get a gun.
There in lies the explanation why the Russians never seem to find peace.
1. he's not a gunman without a gun
2. maybe he didn't even have a knife
3. Who says having a knife doesn't make him want a gun?
4. Now that he has a knife, he can steal a gun
So the real moral of the story is: A guy comes to town, talks a bunch of BS and so he gets a free knife, which he uses to strong-arm a gun and thus the unarmed man becomes a gunman.
As you've no doubt noticed, I totally hosed things while working under the hood yesterday. I went to drop a table and dropped the whole database. Inconvenient, but I thought I'd just restore the backup, which would cost us about a half day's post.
The backup was corrupt. I had to use the previous day's. After tearing my remaining hair out, I was able to restore Page 1 by hand. I still don't have the comments done, will probably do that tomorrow.
I usually have an editor page open set to all records, but today I didn't have it on this machine. A family member -- he'll recover, though he'll never play the violin again -- shut down the page I had open upstairs.
My sincere apologies to everyone.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/28/2005 00:03 ||
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#1
Obviously, Fred, you need to install some miniguns servoed to motion & IR detectors. :)
Posted by: Fred ||
11/28/2005 0:33 Comments ||
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#4
Question for all readers: if you saved a web archive of any of the files yesterday, particularly page 4 (Opinion), please e-mail to Fred or one of the mods. Thanks,
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/28/2005 1:12 Comments ||
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#5
My sincere apologies to everyone
fugitabout'it, who make mistakes? me..jus one of dem things.
#9
That's a tough family you've got there, Fred! And I don't think anybody's terribly upset about the hiccup. I find it miraculous that you keep Rantburg running so smoothly anyway.
Posted by: Jonathan ||
11/28/2005 7:23 Comments ||
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#10
Servers, why do they hate us?
Posted by: Steve ||
11/28/2005 8:44 Comments ||
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#11
Your E-Mail link doesn't work, it gives an error message copied below/
The following problems occurred while processing your request:
fred-at-rantburg.com - This address is too long. Addresses are a maximum of 16 characters.
Your mail has not been sent. Please correct the problems listed and try again.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
11/28/2005 8:45 Comments ||
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#12
You have to change the "-at-" to a "@". Prevents email address harvesting by spammers.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/28/2005 9:39 Comments ||
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#13
Fred, You do a great job! Yesterday my home server crashed and after four hours of work on it we got it back running. When I logged back into Rantburg it had changed, did not know of your issues, but I sure was confused when all the postings were different. The fog of the internet wars won out on that one. Thanks again for the great site!!!
Posted by: 49 pan ||
11/28/2005 11:08 Comments ||
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#14
Damn it, Captain, I'm a doctor not a psychiatrist
Posted by: Captain America ||
11/28/2005 17:16 Comments ||
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#15
Fred,
you do a stand up job on the burg. Keep it up!
I point your site out all the time to my friends in the mil and on the hill and they love it. I heard through the grapevine that you may have even replaced Debka over at AIPAC for their daily net intel gathering!
You need to start charging those fools.
My mamma always said if somebody's willing to pay for something then you should charge them for it before someone else does.
#17
Doing well,
Living in a Redneck highrise
Trailor sitting up on bricks
Just as happy as an old Jay-bird
Aâway out in the sticks
Do alotta hunting and fishing
Drink alotta home-made brew
Proud to be living in America
Don't like it...then _uck you.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
November 27, 2005: The growing piracy problem off the Somali coast has been solved by the hiring of private contractors to operate as a coast guard. The American firm, Top Cat Marine Security, has previously provided counter-terrorism and coastal security services for the Department of Homeland Defense, and other government agencies. The firm also designs and builds high speed patrol boats. 
A Yemeni preacher convicted of murdering a top opposition politician in December 2002 was executed in Sanaa yesterday, prison officials said.
BAGHDAD -- Ramsey Clark, the former U.S. Attorney General and antiwar activist, arrived here yesterday and was expected to try to show up at the reopening of Saddam Hussein's trial in Baghdad today, but a U.S. government official warned that he was not officially registered with the court. "As of today, [chief defense lawyer] Khalil Dulaimi has never filed with the Iraqi tribunal the proper paperwork to have an international lawyer work with the defense team," the official said on the condition of anonymity. "He has been invited to do so and told how to do so on a number of occasions. If a proper motion is filed for a qualified international attorney as an adviser to the defense team, it is expected that the court will accept that request," said the U.S. official, who is close to the tribunal. 
Iraqi police have arrested eight Sunni Arabs in the northern city of Kirkuk for allegedly plotting to assassinate the investigating judge who prepared the case against Saddam Hussein, a senior police commander said Sunday. The men were carrying a document from former top Saddam deputy Izzat al-Douri ordering them to kill Raed Juhi, said Col. Anwar Qadir, a police commander in Kirkuk, where the men were arrested on Saturday.
A British aid worker who is believed to be in his 70s was among four people kidnapped in Iraq, the Foreign Office said last night. Norman Kember, a professor who formerly worked in a London teaching hospital, was abducted with two Canadian aid workers on Saturday. An American aid worker was also believed to have been taken. The Foreign Office said it was "setting in motion an urgent investigation".
A member of the Palestinian parliament has been jailed for seven years by an Israeli military court for funding members of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. Hossam Khader, who represents the northern West Bank city of Nablus, was sentenced after being found guilty of "transferring funds to a terrorist organisation", an Israeli military spokeswoman said on Sunday. He is the second Palestinian MP to be jailed by Israel after fellow Fatah deputy Marwan Barghuti received five life sentences last year for anti-Israeli attacks.
November 28, 2005: Iran is claiming that itâs new Sina-1 photo-reconnaissance satellite is capable of performing espionage, especially against Israel. Launched in October, on a Russian rocket, the satellite was described as being used for scientific purposes only. With a three year lifetime, the Iranians described the Sina-1 camera equipment as capable of 50 meter resolution (pictures taken allow the identification of any object 50 meters wide or larger.) This is not military grade resolution. You can get better stuff from Google Earth. 
As you've no doubt noticed, I totally hosed things while working under the hood yesterday. I went to drop a table and dropped the whole database. Inconvenient, but I thought I'd just restore the backup, which would cost us about a half day's post.
