Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter accused British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Thursday of simply copying U.S. foreign policies instead of acting as a moderating influence.
"I have been really disappointed in the apparent subservience of the British government's policies related to many of the serious mistakes that have been originated in Washington," Carter told the BBC's Newsnight programme.
Carter, a Democrat who was president from 1977 to 1981, cited Britain's stance alongside Washington during the recent war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon and its participation in the U.S.-led 2003 invasion of Iraq.
He said there had been some reports Blair had tried behind the scenes to influence U.S. President George W. Bush but, if true, it had been to no avail.
Carter, who now tours the world promoting 'peace' through his foundation, said Britain had acted as a moderating influence in the past through the so-called special relationship between the two countries but this was no longer the case.
"This time no matter what kind of radical or ill-advised policy is proposed from the White House it seems to me that almost automatically the government of Great Britain would adopt the same policy," said Carter.
"When the British have a public news media appearance there seems to be a total acquiescence to whatever America proposed at the beginning," he said.
Blair's opinion poll ratings have dropped over a combination of the conflict in Iraq, sleaze within his ruling Labour Party and infighting in Labour's ranks over a successor when he steps down next year.
Some critics have accused Blair of being a "poodle" to Bush and slavishly following the Republican president's foreign policies.
#2
"Why, when I was president, I showed respect to our Moslem brothers. I didn't threaten them. I didn't attack them--even when they had our guys, I held the line. Sure I tried a polite helicopter rescue, but who could really be mad about trying a rescue. I didn't, like, bomb them or anything. When Ray-Gun was elected, we saw the beginning of hostilities between the West and our friends in the Islamic countries. It was such a relief when my best buddy Bill took over, because we were back to bombing Serbia on behalf of the Moslem Albanians. Then came Bush, and now all we ever hear is how much the Islamic world will punish us for our mistakes. It just makes me piss my pants."
#5
Dhimmi Carter, the greatest American nincompoop of our time. Emboldened by that now ignoble Nobel "Peace" Prize(which he himself lobbied for), he's hell bent to dhimmify the world.
#15
Carter is trying to be the uber-Christian: by bending before our enemies, he proves how perfectly he embodies Christ. Naturally, the more implacable the enemy, the better. There's nothing to forgiving a guy who picks your pocket; in order to be a true Christian, you must lift your head as your throat is being cut.
It's the kind of Christian Gandhi was, the kind of Christian he urged the Jews to be.
Carter grew up in the south when many around him were, if not racist, at least content to allow major inequities to be enforced by law. You need to understand how DEEPLY he feels superior to those peers of his to understand how deeply he feels smug and superior to us now.
The man really does believe that he is holy and we are .... lesser. He's quite HUMBLE about it, mind you. Or wants to explain his fear of rabbits that way, at any rate.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair blasted his fellow European politicians on Thursday for their anti-American "madness" in dangerous times as he urged a complete strategy rethink to defeat extremism.
None of the world's most pressing problems could be fixed "or even contemplated" without US involvement, he wrote in a 37-page document spelling out the challenges facing the world and his answers for dealing with them. He urged the international community to unite around a shared set of values, tackling climate change and trade justice as well as extremist terrorism in the pamphlet "A Global Alliance For Global Values" for the Foreign Policy Centre, a Blairite think tank. "The strain of, frankly, anti-American feeling in parts of European politics is madness when set against the long-term interests of the world we believe in," Blair wrote.
"The danger with America today is not that they are too much involved. The danger is if they decide to pull up the drawbridge and disengage. We need them involved. We want them engaged. The reality is that none of the problems that press in on us can be resolved or even contemplated without them."
Posted by: Fred ||
09/15/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Tony!!! Don't talk about America's LLL like that! Nancy, Howard, and Harry might get their feelings hurt.
Ohh. You are talking about European politicians that hate America. Sorry.
#2
LOL, mouse, had to distinguish Euros from Nancy, Howie, Harry, & Co.
Clearly Tony is not going to go riding off into the twilight.
Posted by: Captain America ||
09/15/2006 2:17 Comments ||
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#3
But when you're a coward it's easy to attack those who you know can't or won't hurt you. For example: If you're from another country, just bash the US because they won't do squat unless you hurt 'em bad. If you're a hand-wringing Defeatocrat, attack the US because nobody's going to hurt you because you're just doing a little soul-searching. Or something.
But think: What would happen and where would you be if the US were to just disappear tomorrow.
#5
This is what I e-mailed to Carter's foundation. Not very erudite, but quick and clean.
I really wish President Carter could not inject himself into politics anymore. I know he thinks it's the right thing to do, but it angers me greatly. The old tradition was that ex-President never criticized current office holders.
I might contribute to the Foundation, but not as long as he keeps attacking the United States and our allies.
He should go back to public arguments with Lester Maddox about whether the GBI was following Maddox. Maybe he remembers that?
I already got a response, of sorts:
Dear Friend of The Carter Center,
Your email has been forwarded to the appropriate staff member for consideration.
Because of the large volume of email we receive daily, we are not able to respond individually to comments. However, please know that we
will consider your views and requests.
We invite you to visit www.cartercenter.org regularly for updates about our ongoing efforts to advance peace and health worldwide.
Sincerely,
Web Site Administrator
Posted by: Bobby ||
09/15/2006 15:01 Comments ||
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#6
One may also send a message of support to Mr. Blair at - http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/page8513.asp
Think I'll get a more personal response than from the peanut farmer?
Posted by: Bobby ||
09/15/2006 15:09 Comments ||
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#7
Worst president ever.
Posted by: Comic Guy ||
09/15/2006 15:23 Comments ||
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#8
Dammit, wrong thread.
Posted by: Comic Guy ||
09/15/2006 15:24 Comments ||
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#9
If the embassy and the foundation are anything like the large consumer products company I once worked for -- for a short time I was involved in analyzing consumer comments -- individual comments/letters do not signify as such. Rather, the total number of comments (how passionate are people about this thing? Being aware that the number of people who are actually moved to comment is only a fraction of those who feel strongly about it -- in my area the numbers bandied about were 1/7th to 1/10th, in politics it's probably closer to 1/100th or 1/1000th) and the ratio of positive to negative comments was what mattered.
My company used to send grocery store coupons to those who contacted us to comment, but we thought the opinion of our customers was important. We are not the customers of either the British embassy or of Jimmy Carter's various foundations; unless we are high government functionaries or executive office officials (for the former) or large money donators or NGO peers (for the latter) we are merely noisy bystanders whose opinion really doesn't matter.
That's why a part of what I wrote to Mr. Carter was, Reports in the news today that you choose to speak out on two matters, your personal opinion of the current Prime Minister of Great Britain, and your personal opinion on one of the candidates for Senator from Connecticut, have in fact reversed my previous stance; you force me to the conclusion that whatever position you take publically must automatically trigger the opposite in me. Based on what I hear from others, I am part of a growing trend. He doesn't care what I think, only the trend lines where they are triggered by his behaviour.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez announced on Thursday that Venezuela will support Iran in the event of any attack against the country. "Iran is being threatened," Chavez said to Iranian President Ahmedinajed in a visit to Cuba. "If Iran is attacked, we are with you."
Posted by: Fred ||
09/15/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Just for Chavez, I wanna build a largest parking lot there.
#7
"Chavez: We will support Iran if they are invaded"
Lemmee see:
In our hemisphere: Check
Easy access from Atlantic without overflying surrounding countries: Check
Golden chance to knock off two birds assholes with one stone strike: Check
What's the downside?
Support away, idiot.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
09/15/2006 4:31 Comments ||
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#8
Yeah, but will Shorty support Pudgey if he's invaded?
Posted by: Bobby ||
09/15/2006 6:47 Comments ||
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#9
This little blowhard. Didn't someone mention that the only refineries processing his heavy crude are ours. Quit refining his oil for 6 months. His bravado will dissipate rapidly.
#11
SOP35/rat: I'd read that somewhere and had questioned that at the time....however, as far as I know, it's true (that, basically the only refineries that could process his oil were here in the US - Citgo refineries). It could be there's some more in other areas of the world, but if push came to shove, he'd take a hit if he lost the U.S. as a "market." China could suck up his excess, I would assume, but if they can't refine it, that could be years from now. A long time for him to survive, w/o a lot of his oil money rolling in.
Posted by: BA ||
09/15/2006 11:14 Comments ||
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#12
Chavez is a cartoon. It is like someone was doing bad typecasting for a bananna republic strongman. The more he opens his piehole the better for the US in South America.
He is driving all of his erstwhile allies in the region away. Those who considered his way the path to regional prosperity are now ditching him. Sure, we could cut off the oil we get from him, but he is too fun to listen to to cut off now. Besides, he makes Iran look bad too.
#14
Someone needs to make a mach-2+ flyby of Caracas at three AM, and watch for snow-plows to be deployed to clean up what that would generate. We really do need to rattle this a$$hole's cage every once in awhile, just to let him know we aren't forgetting him or his excess bull$$$$.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/15/2006 20:29 Comments ||
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#15
Taiwan and North Korea, iff MadMoud gets invaded by Clintonian Fascists = Limited Commie Airborne??
TOKYO: Japan may freeze as soon as this month the financial assets of groups and individuals it suspects of links to North Korea's development of weapons of mass destruction, a newspaper said on Thursday. The freezing of bank assets would be in line with a United Nations resolution passed after Pyongyang stunned the region with a barrage of missile tests in July, the Mainichi Shimbun said.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/15/2006 00:00 ||
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EAST-ASIA-INTEL.COM Thursday, September 14, 2006. North Korean reclusive leader Kim Jong-Il's health has further deteriorated and he can no longer walk without difficulty due to worsening diabetes, a South Korean lawmaker said.
Kim, 64, has long suffered from diabetes, kidney and liver problems and now has difficulty walking, said Chung Hyung-Keun, a longtime intelligence official now affiliated with the opposition Grand National Party. "Kim has problems walking more than 30 meters at once and has to sit and rest [frequently]. Kim has been accompanied by an assistant with a chair," said Chung.
Diabetic neuropathy is due to the effects of hyperglycemia on the peripheral nerves. Leaves you unable to walk and stand since the sensory nerves aren't talking to the brain. Pretty darned crippling for an advanced diabetic.
Chung served as an investigator for the anti-communism division of South Korea's intelligence agency throughout the 1980s and early 1990s. He is believed to have extensive intelligence sources on North Korea. He has periodically revealed information on the secret society in the North since becoming a lawmaker in 1996. He is a member of the parliamentary intelligence committee.
48-hour rule at least.
Chung also said Kim Jong-Il's first son, Jong-Nam, has backing from the Chinese leadership to be North Korea's next leader. However, his maverick lifestyle has caused him to lose his father's favor, Chung said.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/15/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
This maggot cannot die soon enough. Roast in eternal hell, Kim.
#6
Diabetic neuropathy is due to the effects of hyperglycemia on the peripheral nerves. Leaves you unable to walk and stand since the sensory nerves aren't talking to the brain. Pretty darned crippling for an advanced diabetic.
#10
Of course, a lifestyle that emphasizes alcohol, drugs and young Russian blondes is not the best for controling diabeties.
Al
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
09/15/2006 11:23 Comments ||
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#11
I thought the liitle turd...
That's it! He's shaped exactly like a turd. I knew he looked familiar and....I've been trying to place him.....and I thought it was uncanny and.....and....
Mick Keelty is the top cop in Australia. Is it me, or does it seem like he has gone over to the other side?
FEDERAL police commissioner Mick Keelty has urged people to back off Muslims, insisting Islamic Australia is not to blame for terrorism.
In a revealing interview with The Weekend Australian, Mr Keelty said racial profiling was self-defeating because it risked alienating mainstream Muslims while ignoring the real danger of homegrown non-Muslim terror. "I remind people that the firstperson who was convicted of a terrorist offence in Australia was a person with the unlikely name of Jack Roche," the police chief said.
And Mr Keelty said he did not like the phrase "the war on terror", because it did not apply in Australia. "Unless people understand what is happening here, we risk alienating the Islamic community, we risk branding the Islamic community," he said.
Mr Keelty made no criticism, direct or implied, of how politicians were conducting the debates on immigration and terror. But his message of inclusion is in contrast to the thrust of federal politics in the past few weeks.
#1
"I remind people that the firstperson who was convicted of a terrorist offence in Australia was a person with the unlikely name of Jack Roche," Oh, so that makes Islamic terrorism OK.
"Unless people understand what is happening here, we risk alienating the Islamic community, we risk branding the Islamic community," They 'branded' themselves.
I can't speak for other organisations - to consider carefully how we portray that in the media. I think it's equally important as to how the media portrays it."Never, ever use the word Muslim or Islam in your articles. Call them 'youths' or 'religious protesters' or 'dissidents' or....or....
Mr Keelty declared himself an admirer of Muslim Australians and said there was a "terrific positive story to be told" about their long migrant history.And what story would that be? Being a foreigner, I would love to learn.
"True Islam denounces murder, it is not practising the Koran to commit murder or to commit atrocities," A complete and total LIE. It's REQUIRED to KILL infidels in the Koran.
"I think a statement like the war against terror is an easy statement to make. But terrorism is a crime, it's murder. It's more about a mindset and a motivation than it is about a war ... As an Australian what is so important to us, I think, is that we maintain the quality of life that we have and we continue to capitalise on the benefits of multiculturalism, that we look to be embracing of all cultures." Multiculturalist drivel, can't we all just get along, blah,blah,blah. This guy's a cop?
#2
"I am against racial profiling for crimes because (it) risks missing the true cause of the crime and risks focusing (on) an aspect of the community that may not necessarily involve itself in the crime while the crime is being committed."
And blowing up your citizens in Bali was'nt profiling by the Muslims, and risked unnecesarily
the aspect of the community that may not be involved in the crime? ( Like the vast majority of Australia)
#3
Islamic Australia? That phrasing strikes me as either unfortunate or indicative. Eurabia and Andalusia come to mind. But perhaps I'm over-interpreting it.
from an English-language blog on German-language media, via Instapundit, we have a classic example of Blair's Law in action. Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 14.09.2006. Mona Nagger reports on an embarrassing letter of solidarity that Günter Grass received from 46 Arab intellectuals. "The signatories see in Grass' confession to having been a member of the Waffen SS (more here) a sign of courage that deserves respect and recognition. The critique of Grass is being interpreted as a campaign 'aimed at diverting attention from the Israeli crimes against Palestine and Lebanon.' The Israelis are depicted as 'Neonazis': "They're just like you, Günter!"
'They kill Palestinians and Israelis, destroy their countries, build a dividing wall around them and put them in camps.' The tone recalls quite clearly the language of the Iranian president Ahmadinejad." Nagger's conclusion: "The document says a lot about the sensitivities of many Arab intellectuals. They live in a world of conspiracy theories, far removed form reality; they mistake populist slogans and rhetoric for intellectual discourse and they see no need to take a serious look at the Holocaust and Nazi crimes."
Posted by: Mike ||
09/15/2006 09:36 ||
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#1
"The document says a lot about the sensitivities of many Arab intellectuals. They live in a world of conspiracy theories, far removed form reality; they mistake populist slogans and rhetoric for intellectual discourse and they see no need to take a serious look at the Holocaust and Nazi crimes."
#6
In actual fact, their culture allows for two competing thoughts to exist simultaneously. It's mindboggling to western sensibilities, but it really is the case. Take, for example, arabs who claim Mossad/CIA were responsible for 9/11 yet dance in the streets over it and praise bin Laden (the CIA shill, I presume?) as an arab hero.
Thus, there are those who believe:
a. it did not happen,
WHILE ALSO BELIEVING
b. it DID happen and they should have killed more
#7
Uhm . . . if the Holocaust never happened, and therefore Jews weren't exterminated, then I guess the Nazis FAILED, right? So why are the Arabs supporting a failed regime and its leaders?
Oh, right, it's cuz' they KNOW the Holocaust happened, and they want to give it a second round, which is why they admire the Nazis.
Once you know that LYING is a valued asset among Moslems, everything else makes sense.
#8
"Take, for example, arabs who claim Mossad/CIA were responsible for 9/11 yet dance in the streets over it and praise bin Laden (the CIA shill, I presume?) as an arab hero."
This point, while obvious to us, is completely unpersuasive to moonbats.
Posted by: J. D. Lux ||
09/15/2006 11:59 Comments ||
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#9
Well, this vote of confidence from the Arab world should certainly rehabilitate Grass' image.
#1
This lady was very courageous and way ahead of the rest of us in pointing out the Muzzie menace and the danger it was becoming to Europe. I think she pointed this out way back in the 1970's. Most were too fat and happy to listen.
#4
The death of a great woman of principle. She did an interview once with the Arafish. Her description of his physical appearance alone spoke volumes on him.
Very intense and intelligent woman. She was an unappreciated treasure of Italy, prodding and scolding Italy to do the right thing in confronting the danger of Islam in their country. They gave her nothing but grief for her efforts.
Well, she lived a full and meaningful life, and contributed much to the world. I hope that the world as a whole appreciates it someday.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
09/15/2006 11:12 Comments ||
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#6
Rest in peace, Oriana. Thank you for all you did.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
09/15/2006 11:37 Comments ||
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#7
How lovely that she was able to go home to die. After all that fuss about arresting her for insulting Islam, I'd thought she would live out her last days in her New York City apartment.
#10
Union of Italian Muslims, launched a lawsuit against Fallaci charging that "some of the things she said in her book The Force of Reason are offensive to Islam." Smith's attorney, Matteo Nicoli, cited a phrase from the book that refers to Islam as "a pool that never purifies."
~~
This day is calld the feast of Crispian.
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when this day is namd,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say To-morrow is Saint Crispian.
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars,
And say These wounds I had on Crispians day.
Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
But hell remember, with advantages,
What feats he did that day. Then shall our names,
Familiar in his mouth as household words- Fallaci, Harry the King, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester-
Be in their flowing cups freshly remembred.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall neer go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered-
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he neer so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now-a-bed
Shall think themselves accursd they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispins day.
#12
From her Interview with History, during an exchange with that sorry bastard Arafart.
Abu Ammar, you always invoke the the unity of the Arab world. But you know quite well that not all the Arab states are willing to go to war for Palestine and that, for those already at war, a peace accord is possible, even desirable. Even Nasser said so. If such an accord comes about, as even Russia hopes, what will you do?
We will not accept it. Never! We will continue to wage war against Israel alone, until we reacquire Palestine. The end of Israel is the goal of our struggle, and it permits neither compromises nor mediation. The points of this struggle, whether our friends like it or not, will remain fixed in the principles that we enumerated in 1965 with the creation of Al Fatah. First: revolutionary violence is the only system for liberating the land of our fathers; second: the goal of this violence is to liquidate Zionism in all of its forms, political, economic, and military, and to chase it away from Palestine forever; third: our revolutionary action must be independent of any control by party or state; fourth: this action will be of long duration. We know the intentions of some Arab leaders: to resolve the conflict with a peace accord. When this happens, we will oppose it.
Conclusion: you don't want at all the peace that everyone hopes for.
No! We don't want peace! We want war, victory. Peace for us means the destruction of Israel and nothing else. That which you call peace, is peace for Israel and the imperialists. For us it is injustice and shame. We will fight until we achieve victory. Decades if necessary, generations.
Compare and contrast to the pathetic "journalists" we have today (Rather, Wallace, Walters). They only wish they were half as good.
If Mahmoud Jaballah was really involved with the terrorists who bombed two American embassies in East Africa, killing hundreds, he would long ago have been brought to justice in the United States, his lawyer argued Wednesday. The fact the Toronto father of six has never been charged in the U.S. or anywhere else with a terror-related offence should raise serious doubts about the weight of the secret evidence that has kept him detained on a national security certificate for five years.
Making his final arguments in the long and complicated case in Federal Court in Toronto, John Norris urged the judge to reject the classified intelligence compiled against his client. ''Had Mr. Jaballah played any role whatsoever in those events in August of 1998, he would have been charged and he would have been extradited to the United States long before now,'' said Norris. ''Absent any charges, absent those proceedings, there must be serious doubts about the credibility and the reliability of the secret evidence said to implicate him in those events.''
But lawyers for the federal government, which is trying to deport Jaballah for a second time on the grounds that he is a danger to national security, said the fact the Egyptian national has not been indicted is meaningless. ''Mr. Jaballah should take no comfort from a silent record and you should pay it no heed,'' Donald MacIntosh, an attorney for the Justice Department, said.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
09/15/2006 00:00 ||
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Millions spent on Chafee, and this is what we get
President Bush's nomination of John R. Bolton as ambassador to the United Nations appears increasingly endangered in the Senate, prompting the administration to explore other ways to keep him in the job after his temporary appointment expires in January, officials said yesterday.
The situation represents a sharp turnaround from two weeks ago, when the White House was confident it could finally push through Bolton's long-stalled nomination. But last week's surprise move by Sen. Lincoln D. Chafee (R-R.I.) to delay a vote convinced Republicans on Capitol Hill that the nomination may be doomed, prompting a search for alternatives.
#5
The US should reduce our contribution to the UN to something similar to that of other nations, and then simply ignore them. Vetos in the Security Council, and ignore everything else.
#6
The U.S. is the largest contributor and has been every year since 1945. $3 billion in 2002. 22 percent of the UN regular budget.
Population wise, 300 million people out of 6 billion is 5%. We need to cut a couple of billion dollars a year. That may be enough to get their attention and perhaps instill the fear of losing another billion and their host country.
#7
Even if Bolton were willing to serve as a volunteer ambassador, officials said, the move could run afoul of another federal law that bans full-time employees from working without compensation.
Except the Senate, as noted above, would get all upset about it.
Why, that'd be using trickery to get around one clown blocking the will of the people!
Posted by: Bobby ||
09/15/2006 8:37 Comments ||
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#9
Boltonhas been well spoken, grudgingly respected and very effective at the UN. Why is that idiot Chaffeee opposing him?
F**king Chaffee ought to go ahead and change parties - he's more democrat then republican anyway (Hell, even Barak Obama is to the right of him!), and with bullshit like this, putting a thumb in the eye of the national party that jsut helped him win a toguh primary, he shows no party loyalty.
#10
And if the Repub leaderhsip had any guts at all, they'd play hardball with Chaffee the same way: stat yanking him off cmittess that matter, and drop him off any leadership opositions he has. Put him on the "sh*tlist" jobs, throw him OUT of the important ones: he has demonstrated that he's not interested in the Nation or PArty;s welfare, so throw him OUT.
#2
Bush has got to veto any bill that limits our abilty to protect our intel guyz. No inform sharing for the terrs or their lawyers.
Posted by: Captain America ||
09/15/2006 2:23 Comments ||
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#3
I wish Bush would lay the facts out and ridicule these morons. The sane segment of the public would get it, just as they overwhelmingly support him on the surveillance and finance programs. The house voted big in favor of the bill. Put the spotlight on these Senate fiddledicks. You almost got your back up yesterday, Dubya... Go for it, get nasty, damnit, and show the public just who's on their side - and who's on the side of the asshats.
#4
Warner and McCain joined fellow Republicans Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Susan Collins of Maine in voting for the committee version.
You may contact various members of Congress, one at a time, - thru
I'll be doing that next.
Posted by: Bobby ||
09/15/2006 6:09 Comments ||
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#5
This is one of the messages:
Senator: Terrorists are not recognized under the Geneva Convention. We should not be affording them the rights of our citizens.
Our judicial system was founded on a premise that it is better for 999 criminals to go free rather than one innocent person be incarcerated. I would prefer we jail 999 potentially innocent terrorists so that one guilty terrorist does not go free. I am not at all concerned about any 'steep and slippery slope' that will ultimately take away some of my freedoms, either. This is war, Senator. President Lincoln suspended habeas corpus. We got it back.
I do not want the prople charged with protecting us to be fettered by political correctness. I hope you will ultimately support the President's position, since to do otherwise is to demonstrate to our enemies that bin Laden's fatwah was correct.
Posted by: Bobby ||
09/15/2006 6:46 Comments ||
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#6
From this issue, to Bolton, to Immigration, the list goes on and on. It's very clear that most of our problems in Washington are not caused by the Dems, but by Republicans in name only.
The Dems are a known enemy, and we can deal with their ravings. We anticipate their opposition to everything, primarily because they refuse to see past their BDS and look to the good of the country. The enemy within is far more insidious. What good is a 'Republican' majority if 7 to 10 of them are wolves in sheeps clothing?
#8
Bravo, MG1. I asked this question more that a year ago. McCain loves the TV cameras. This is why I say that he is just Clintoon without the intern. Graham is looking for a position in a future McCain administration. Warner is senile. Collins is representing her constituency.
Graham is up for re-election in '08. I will campaign against him if he runs. Chafee again demonstrates that a majority not founded on principle is worthless.
#10
McCain has stars in his eyes, but I don't think he has a snowballs' chance of becoming President. i think that the President should call over the "leadership" and suggest very strongly that they give this bill some more consideration.
US President George W. Bush warned against Iranian "stalling" in the heat of a nuclear showdown, and warned he could not protect America without tough interrogations of top terror suspects. Mr Bush used a news conference in the White House Rose Garden, to set the stage for high-stakes talks on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly next week on imposing sanctions on Iran over its refusal to halt uranium enrichment.
And he hit back forcefully at a Republican rebellion in Congress over his administration's rejigged plans on the trial and interrogation of top Al-Qaeda terror suspects.
He also expressed frustration with the UN over delays in the deployment of a UN force to stop what he has called genocide in the Sudanese region of Darfur.
Mr Bush warned Iran should not be able to stretch out the diplomatic clock and "stall" to repel the international effort to stop it enriching uranium. He also ruled out a meeting with Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the UN next week. "My concern is that they'll stall, they'll try to wait us out," Bush said.
Which is obvious to everyone except the EU and the Dhimmicrats. And Kofi. And the IAEA ...
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday made it clear that in no way had President General Pervez Musharraf equated Pashtuns with Taliban. Responding to charges made by the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said that President Musharraf's address to the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs related specifically to the recent peace deal signed by the government and militants in N Waziristan.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/15/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Hole gets deeper, and deeper
Posted by: Captain America ||
09/15/2006 2:24 Comments ||
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#2
Not all Pashtuns - Karzai being one example - are Taliban supporters, but a Salafist brand of Islam is most popular among members of that group.
JAMMU: An Indian soldier shot and killed his commanding officer in the Indian held Kashmir, police said on Thursday, blaming the killing on the tensions of serving in the volatile area. The soldier, Naik Ravi Kumar, was arrested after shooting Maj Harsh Kumar with his service weapon late on Wednesday at a base in the Rajouri district, local police chief Farooq Khan said. Khan said there had been several such cases recently, which he attributed to "stress due to long duty hours in the troubled area or denial of leave".
Posted by: Fred ||
09/15/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Would there be any issues due to the relationship between "classes", or are they over that in the military?
#2
Gorb - If I can notice the class distinctions and behaviors of my Indian workmates here in the states, how can I believe they would be less in India?
Muslim scholars and religious leaders in Pakistan on Thursday criticised Pope Benedicts remarks against Islam, and urged him to play a positive role in bringing Islam and Christianity closer. It is very unfortunate that a religious leader of his stature is issuing statements that can fan religious disharmony, said Khurshid Ahmed, head of the Institute of Policy Studies in Islamabad. Pope Benedict XVI hit out at Islam and the concept of jihad in a speech in Germany on Tuesday, citing a 14th century Christian emperor who said that Prophet Mohammed (PTUI PBUH) had brought the world evil and inhuman things.
Instead of bringing Islam and Christianity closer, he is straining relations between the two religions. Such views can be exploited by people trying to malign Islam, he added.
JUI leader Hafiz Hussain Ahmed said, The pope is a respected personality for Christians, and Muslims as well. He should not lower his stature by giving Bush-like statements. The popes statement is highly irresponsible, said Islamic scholar Javed Ahmed Ghamdi. The concept of jihad is not to spread Islam with sword, Ghamdi said in a statement.
Police in Kashmir seized newspapers on Thursday carrying the popes remarks, fearing a Muslim backlash in the area. The popes spokesperson said the pope respected Islam, but rejected violence motivated by religion. It was not his intention to do an in-depth study of jihad, or hurt Muslim, said Father Federico Lombardi in a statement.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
fearing a Muslim backlash in the area translates IOW into the existential success of them in blackmailing the nons into silence. Disproportionate consideration and pushing for more.
Benedict's the man and Bush could pay more attention in that direction as well.
What will the nutjob Dalai Lama say now, after that infamous statement proclaiming islam as a RoP?
#2
Thus begins the long arduous process of demonizing Islam.
Muslim scholars and religious leaders in Pakistan on Thursday criticised Pope Benedicts remarks against Islam, and urged him to play a positive role in bringing Islam and Christianity closer.
Don't worry guys, the Pope is "bringing Islam and Christianity closer". It just happens that those who will be close are the Christians and a few dozen moderate Muslims that are left alive when we're done sorting Islam out.
#3
Pope does Truman (I just tell them the truth and they think its hell)
Posted by: Captain America ||
09/15/2006 2:26 Comments ||
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#4
The concept of jihad is not to spread Islam with sword,
That may be the "concept", but is sure as hell ain't reality - the sword is the only way Jihad goes if people oppose Islam. Ask the Christians and Animists in Africa about butchery at the hands of Islam.
#9
The concept of jihad is not to spread Islam with sword,
Then why does a sword decorate the flag of Saudi Arabia under the the muslim declaration of faith?
Posted by: john ||
09/15/2006 6:25 Comments ||
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#10
It is very unfortunate that a religious leader of his stature is issuing statements that can fan religious disharmony,
Meanwhile, back in fatwa-ville, they can issue statements every friday and behead innocent people.
"The concept of jihad is not to spread Islam with sword,
He's right. Mo started with a peaceful and unifying concept -- he only started using the sword when he met substantial resistance.
The concept of America is not to spread freedom with the sword, but we will if we have to.
In August, 2005, Ms. Fallaci (who recently categorized herself as an "atheist Christian"), was invited to a private audience with Pope Benedict in his summer palace at Castel Gandolpho. The details of that meeting, as far as I know, have not been released.
He was quoting a point he emphasized several times the Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Palaeologus, from a dialogue with an unnamed Persian Muslim. But this selection can hardly have been accidental. Manuel II was the father of Constantine XI, the last Byzantine Emperor, a brave and pious man who died on the wall of the great city when the Turks finally overran it. Manuel also undertook a fateful journey in the early 14th century to the courts of Europe, a journey that amounted chiefly to beggary: he needed aid from the West or his city (for he was an emperor with no empire) would fall. More humiliating than even this and the tragic enmity between Greek and Roman churches in that age should not be underestimated was another event, before Manuels ascension to the imperial throne: as a subject of the sultan, owing him tribute, Manuel and his army were obliged to join the Turks in the reduction and conquest of the last free Greek city in Anatolia, Philadelphia.
It would be difficult be discover in history two more tragic figures than Manuel and his son, the men who ruled when the dying embers of Rome, once pagan, now Christian, once Italian, now Greek, were finally trod out.
#19
This Pope finally did what need's doing. Shine a very bright light on these assholes. Brave, but overdue. I would cancel my trip to Turkistan though, because they'll have every bomber in the ummah gathering there prior to his visit. Will make Leb look like the friendly neighborhood sandpile.
#22
I suppose that when the hijackings, suicide bombings, kidnapings, beheadings, Jew extermination attempts, slavery, piracy, and subjugation of women settle down, we'll all realize that the Pope was just a trouble-maker. So it's up to these seething Muslims to get their religion under control before those of us with less-Christian dispositions than the Pope's have to take action to end Muslim history.
I could be more sympathetic if I could think of even one productive contribution to the world by
Mohammed's minions, but so far they've had 1,400 years with nothing to show for it. Islam is a totalitarian, loser philosophy that hasn't brought the world anything more than Jim Jones or the Branch Davidians. If the Muslim culture would leave us alone I wouldn't care, but it won't: it only survives by looting and plundering other cultures. It is no better than piracy.
#29
No one's doing anything but pointing out what Islam teaches and what its followers do.
Demonization, yes.
Incidentally, before the fundamentalists derailed all Muslim progress, their contributions to this world were quite profound. Some of the first detailed medical texts came from the Middle East. Agricultural irrigation, algebra, the concept of "zero" (which they've taken a bit too far), elaborate cooking recipes, complex multi-course meals and defined cuisine that includes the use of both subtle and distinctive spices that were light years ahead of European cooking.
Poetry and discourse in writing. Astronomy and other observational sciences were brought to peaks in their time. A huge number of the standard mechanical devices, especially hydraulically driven ones are of Muslim design. This includes the more complex reciprocating motion mechanics the create reverse force from the original direction of motion. The Persian invention of the architectural arch precedes the Roman masonary arch by centuries.
All of this essentially came to a grinding halt over a millennia ago when rigid fundamentalism overtook Islam. Since then it has stagnated into the corrupt, repressive and theocratic pile of steaming horsesh!t that we see today.
#30
The concept of Zero and its use as a placeholder in a positional form of number representation came from the Hindus. The Arabs learned it there and transmitted it to Europe.
Discourse and poetry?? Both the Greeks and especially the Romans had strong traditions in both, including rather refined poetic forms and strong literary critical theories about rhetoric and effective writing and discourse. Both well before Mohammed was born.
As for arches, a lot depends on what you mean by "arch". There were barrel vaults (semicircular arches) built by the Etruscans (later absorbed into the Roman culture) 2600 years ago. That predates the entry of the Indo-Aryans into what became Persia/Iran by about 600 years.
The Romans invented the keystone arch, which is significantly stronger in terms of the weight it can hold above it, for less stone and footprint. The ogee (pointed) arch did appear in Persia fairly early, as in several other places as well.
The Harappa cultures on the Indian subcontinent were doing irrigation about 5000 years ago, well before the Indo-Aryans entered what is now Persia. And of course Persians did not become Muslim until 2700 years after that entry ....
Similarly, the Romans had very sophisticated irrigation systems for agriculture, including the aquaducts that brought water hundreds of miles with remarkably little loss.
#31
"The development of algebra is outlined in these notes under the following headings: Egyptian algebra, Babylonian algebra, Greek geometric algebra, Diophantine algebra, Hindu algebra, Arabic algebra, European algebra since 1500, and modern algebra."
"In algebra the Arabs contributed first of all the name. The word "algebra" come from the title of a text book in the subject, Hisab al-jabr w'al muqabala, written about 830 by the astronomer/ mathematician Mohammed ibn-Musa al-Khowarizmi."
"Although the language was Arabic many of the scholars were Greeks, Christians, Persians, or Jews. Their most valuable contribution was the preservation of Greek learning through the middle ages..."
Posted by: Al Giberish ||
09/15/2006 15:57 Comments ||
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#32
The facts that the Arabs were at a world crossroads and plundered the coasts from India to Africa for both spices and slaves should not give them credit for "subtle and distinctive spices that were light years ahead of European cooking". Europe was no semi-tropical spice plantation and was not sitting at the crossroads of world trade, so perhaps the lack of spices in European cooking had more to do with hostile Islam sitting in the way. The Europeans certainly embraced spices once they were able to sail around Islam.
Okay, maybe Muslims discovered coffee around 800 A.D., but that was pretty early in Muslim history and it's about the only thing that made it into this history of cooking:
http://www.geocities.com/napavalley/6454/history2.html
Posted by: P. Al Dente ||
09/15/2006 16:13 Comments ||
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#33
But thank Allan for those Islamic alchemists!
Posted by: Al Coholic ||
09/15/2006 16:38 Comments ||
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#34
I think we can safely say that the teenage male Pakistanis burning the effigy of the Pope (as shown on Drudge Report today) have contributed nothing to architecture, algebra, or cuisine. Just consider how pathetic it is that a few cartoons or a few words from an old man in Germany can whip them into such a frenzy. Perhaps we could kill the zealots with mass heart attacks if we all simultaneously insult Islam. How about 8 O'clock tonight?
Fine, I'll acknowledge the important PAST contributions from Islamic societies. Doesn't change the fact that their latest, greatest contributions are religious tyranny and human splatter. It should be obvious and reasonable to ANY person that acts such as execution for apostasy, genital mutilation, "honor" killings, and suicide bombings are against the human good.
Devotees came in their tens of thousands, unrolled mats, pitched tents, assembled mini-stoves, and spent the weekend in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad sipping tea, praying and listening to sermons. From Friday night to Sunday morning, preachers of Islamic revivalism held sway over a congregation organised by Tablighi Jamaat, a missionary organisation that has spread from South Asia to Europe, North America, South Africa, and South East Asia. "Allah sent us for the good of mankind, whether it is in India, China, Russia or elsewhere," Haji Abdul Wahab, the white bearded Ameer, or leader, of the movement in Pakistan, told his flock at the beginning of the mass meeting. "We aren't for one nation. We're for the entire world. No one is our enemy except the devil," he told the crowd, many sitting cross-legged on the ground at a site until recently used as a tent village for victims of a big earthquake last year.
Nevertheless, Tablighi Jamaat's name has frequently surfaced during investigations into terrorism in the West. According to British media reports, several suspects in the Heathrow airline plot uncovered by British police last month, with U.S. and Pakistani help, attended the group's meetings in Britain. Up to all four of the suicide bombers who attacked London's transport system in July last year are also reported by the British media to have been worshippers at Tablighi Jamaat's European headquarters in Dewsbury, in northern England.
French intelligence labelled the movement an "antechamber of fundamentalism", according to a report cited by French media. The United States' Federal Bureau of Investigation has said that al Qaeda has recruited Tablighi Jamaat members. "We have a significant presence of Tablighi Jamaat in the United States, and we have found that Al Qaeda used them for recruiting," Michael J. Heimbach, the deputy chief of the FBI's international terrorism section told the New York Times in 2003.
Continued on Page 49
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09/15/2006 00:00 ||
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RAMALLAH, West Bank - No mobile phones, no international calls, no fuel coupons and no excessive hospitality for senior employees. Hamas is tightening the purse strings. Struggling under six months of international sanctions imposed because of its refusal to recognise Israel and renounce violence, the Islamic militant group that heads the Palestinian government is saving money as best it can.
And the austerity drive appears to be bearing fruit. Acting Finance Minister Samir Abu Eisha said running expenses had been cut from $30 million a month to less than $20 million, with the aim to get them down to $15 million. Were even reviewing the whole use of vehicles in the public sector, Abu Eisha, who has stood in for Finance Minister Omar Abdel-Razeq since he was jailed by Israel in June, told Reuters. Hopefully well be able to cut other expenses so we can maximise the money we collect locally, he said.
"Sorry Granny, we're cutting back, so no check this month."
"But my gracious, how will I ever afford ammo?"
Since the United States and the European Union imposed sanctions in March, the Hamas-led government has been unable to pay full salaries to its 165,000 employees. Paying salaries and other operating costs alone costs the government about $150 million a month, a large part of which has traditionally been financed through foreign aid and assistance. The government also relies on about $55 million a month in tax revenues that Israel collects on its behalf, but since Hamass rise to power, those payments have been withheld.
Abu Eisha, a US-educated professor who also acts as planning minister, said the inability to pay salaries had had an impact on other revenues because the 3.8 million Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza were spending less. Those local revenues had dropped from over $30 million to some $20 million per month, he said. The factories, the companies are not running as expected. Because of that, their income is down and the revenues we collect of course are reduced, he said.
The World Bank said on Wednesday that the average Palestinians personal income was likely to fall by 40 percent this year, while the rate of poverty would rise to around two-thirds of the population.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/15/2006 00:01 ||
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#1
Were even reviewing the whole use of vehicles in the public sector,
Translation: "We'll be using alternative modes of transportation, like the Red Crescent and UN ambulances."
This is so sad, I'm just gonna hafta go home and lie down!
Posted by: Bobby ||
09/15/2006 6:55 Comments ||
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#4
Paying salaries and other operating costs alone costs the government about $150 million a month, a large part of which has traditionally been financed through foreign aid and assistance.
That's the ticket! If there was not the dole supplied through foreign aid and assistance for more than half a century, there won't be any Palestinian issue. It shows how thins whole thing is artificially plugged into a life support system. Brain dead, as it is, to boot.
I think that I'll establish a Republic of North Eastern Okie and live on largese of foreign beneficiaries, skimmin' million here and there into an overseas bank account. Before long, I could be a billionaire!
#5
The World Bank said on Wednesday that the average Palestinians personal income was likely to fall by 40 percent this year...
So what? They created the ham asses Reality they chose. Now. WB, stop redirecting World attention from more deserving and dire cases of other suffering and unquestionably more worthy societies elswhere.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas met at a secret location in Jordan and came to an agreement over the release of captured IDF soldier Cpl. Gilad Shalit, the Arab-Israeli newspaper A-Sinrareported on Thursday. The two were reportedly joined by the head of the Mossad and deputy head of the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency). Israel Radio reported that officials in the Prime Minister's Office denied the report.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/15/2006 00:00 ||
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Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has decided to send former PA Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei (Abu Ala) to Damascus for talks with Syrian President Bashar Assad to further his efforts to release kidnapped IDF soldier Cpl. Gilad Shalit, PA officials here revealed on Thursday. The decision was taken after a meeting with Abbas on Wednesday night in his office with PLO and Fatah leaders, the officials told The Jerusalem Post.
A high-ranking member of the IDF General Staff said Thursday that Damascus-based Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal was the "key" to the release of Shalit, who he said was still being held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. "Everyone understands that the final decision will be made by Mashaal in Syria," the officer said. He added that the Hamas leader, was under pressure on the one side by moderate elements such as Abbas to release Shalit and on the other side by more extremist elements like Syria and Iran to hold on to the soldier. The ongoing military operations in the Gaza Strip were, however, having the right effect, the officer claimed, and were creating pressure on Mashaal to release Shalit. "As long as the military operations continue, the pressure will keep up on Mashaal since the people in Gaza are suffering," he said.
Meanwhile, a senior official in Abbas's office quoted the PA chairman as telling American and European officials this week that Shalit "was likely to spend next Saturday [September 23] with his family." The official said he was unaware of plans to hold a meeting between Qurei and Mashaal in Damascus. "We believe that key is in Assad's hands and Mashaal will do whatever the Syrians tell him," he explained.
The high-ranking officer said Shalit was no longer an asset for the Palestinians but had turned into a burden on the population in the Gaza Strip. At least 228 Palestinians, including 16 innocent civilians, have been killed since the IDF launched its operations in the Gaza Strip following the June 25 abduction of Shalit. In addition, another 474 have been wounded, including 451 terrorists, the IDF said.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/15/2006 00:00 ||
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Some 25 former generals will meet with Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz on Friday and present him with an ultimatum - either he appoints them as members of an internal military commission of inquiry or they will publicly call for his resignation.
It will be the second such meeting Halutz has held with the former members of the top brass. The point of the meeting, officers close to Halutz said, was to hear the generals' ideas and thoughts. Maj.-Gen. (res.) Uri Saguy, a former head of Military Intelligence and one of the most vocal critics since the war ended, said Thursday personnel changes were needed within the defense and political establishments in Israel. "There was a bad mix between the diplomatic and military echelons," he said.
Meanwhile, Defense Minister Amir Peretz met with OC Northern Command Maj.-Gen. Udi Adam on Thursday, a day after the general announced his resignation from the IDF. According to sources close to Peretz, Adam said during the meeting that he did not intend to retract his decision and asked that his replacement be found as soon as possible.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/15/2006 00:00 ||
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Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas said Wednesday evening that kidnapped IDF soldier Cpl. Gilad was in good physical condition, and that he was optimistic that Shalit would be released soon, Army Radio reported. Abbas made the statement at a meeting in Ramallah with European Jewish Congress President Pierre Besnainou.
Posted by: Fred ||
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Imtiaz Gul, the first ever Pakistani journalist to visit Israel, on Thursday described how threat perception had shaped the Israeli mentality and their foreign policy. "It is deeply embedded in their minds that there is threat all around," Gul said while giving his views at a programme, "Impressions and Observations", hosted by the South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA).
Gul, who was on an assignment, termed the experience from getting a visa to extreme security checks that he encountered in Israel as extremely annoying and scary. "It took me six months to get a visa and once I arrived in Tel Aviv, the security checks were intimidating but fortunately an official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was there to receive us," he said. He said that Israel wanted a demilitarized Palestinian state and believed Hamas was committed to destroying them. "They want to have permanent borders on their own terms," he added.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/15/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
James Taranto: "After all, how many suicide bombers does the pope have?"
Posted by: Matt ||
09/15/2006 16:16 Comments ||
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#2
Reminds me of the seething, outrage and protest that occured when Mahathir from Malaysia said all those nasty things about Jews. Oh. Wait. There wasn't any.
I guess it's just not ok to say bad things about muslims. might hurt their feelings and they'll be provoked.
But unlike just about any other ethnicity, religion or culture, ANYTHING provokes them, apparently.
the use of the term "Islamofacism" to mean those who terrorize in the name of Islam - a provocation
Cartoons - a provocation
Pope's comments - a provocation
The existence of Israel - a provocation
We buy their oil - a provocation
We furnish them with horrible western things like medicine, technology and education - a provocation
We're not muslim - a provocation
#8
Re #5: Actually, I'm in agreement with the guy's sign that says "Christians Community Should Take Notice of Pope's Remarks". I'll bet the holder of the sign doesn't speak or write English. I'll also bet that the BBC photographer made the signs.
#11
But unlike just about any other ethnicity, religion or culture, ANYTHING provokes them, apparently.
As I was saying over in the soccer thread:
Basically, everything imaginable is un-Islamic, except when it isn't. Just ask any mullah. If you're not a Muslim, every damn thing on earth and yet to be is un-Islamic. If you are a Muslim, any-fucking-thing goes. All taqqiya, all the time.
#12
News > No retraction forthcoming. SO, the Vatican has to choose between MadMoud attacking ST. Peter's, versus Gabriel slicing and dicing the earth like a ginsu, or OWG shooting down Jesus Christ with a HELLFIRE for lack of OWG aerospace travel clearance, ergo the Vatican must fear MadMoud, etal.
#14
I don't know how to break this to you, Blondie, but in Pakistan an uppity dame like yourself might not last very long without something like a BAR (Browning Automatic Rifle).
Turkey's ruling Islamic-rooted party joined a wave of criticism of Pope Benedict XVI on Friday, accusing him of trying to revive the spirit of the Crusades with remarks he made about Islam. A party official said the pontiff would go down in history "in the same category as leaders such as Hitler and Mussolini" for his words.
The Vatican said the pope did not intend the remarks - made in Germany on Tuesday during an address at a university - to be offensive.
The pope quoted from a book recounting a conversation between 14th century Byzantine Christian Emperor Manuel Paleologos II and a Persian scholar on the truths of Christianity and Islam.
"The emperor comes to speak about the issue of jihad, holy war," the pope said.
"He said, I quote, 'Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached,'" he quoted the emperor as saying. He did not explicitly agree with them nor repudiate them.
Turkey's top Islamic cleric, Religious Affairs Directorate head Ali Bardakoglu, asked Benedict on Thursday to apologize about the remarks and unleashed a string of accusations against Christianity, raising tensions before the pontiff's planned visit to Turkey in November on what would be his first papal pilgrimage in a Muslim country.
Bardakoglu said he was deeply offended and called the remarks "extraordinarily worrying, saddening and unfortunate." I know I'm stating the blindingly obvious, but even putting jihadists and run-of-the-mill muslim misdeeds aside, islamic theological tenets state that christians (and jooooos) are falsificators who rewrote their own holy books to deviate from the One True Natural Religion (islam, which of course predate every other religions, whatever chronology and common sense tell); in its very essence, islam is a negation and a direct refutation of christianity (no Trinity, Jesus only a *muslim* prophet, no crucifixion), and is a supremacist, hegemonical and expansionnist ideology created from scratches to serve arab imperialism (it's probable old Mo' didn't even exist and is actually a mythical founding father whose biography is a mix of several calife's), more than a religion anyway... so this is VERY rich.
On Thursday, when the pope returned to Italy, Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said, "It certainly wasn't the intention of the pope to carry out a deep examination of jihad (holy war) and on Muslim thought on it, much less to offend the sensibility of Muslim believers."
Lombardi insisted the pontiff respects Islam. Benedict wants to "cultivate an attitude of respect and dialogue toward the other religions and cultures, obviously also toward Islam," Lombardi said.
On Friday, Salih Kapusuz, a deputy leader of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's party, said Benedict's remarks were either "the result of pitiful ignorance" about Islam and its prophet, or worse, a deliberate distortion of the truths.
"He has a dark mentality that comes from the darkness of the Middle Ages. He is a poor thing that has not benefited from the spirit of reform in the Christian world," Kapusuz blurted out in comments made to the state-owned Anatolia news agency. "It looks like an effort to revive the mentality of the Crusades."
"Benedict, the author of such unfortunate and insolent remarks is going down in history for his words. However ... he is going down in history in the same category as leaders such as Hitler and Mussolini," he said.
In Beirut, Lebanon's most senior Shiite Muslim cleric denounced the remarks and demanded the pope personally apologize for insulting Islam.
"We do not accept the apology through Vatican channels ... and ask him (Benedict) to offer a personal apology - not through his officials - to Muslims for this false reading (of Islam)," Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah told worshippers in his Friday prayers sermon.
A Lebanese government official said the country's ambassador to the Vatican has been instructed to seek clarifications on the pontiff's remarks.
In neighboring Syria, the grand mufti, the country's top Sunni Muslim religious authority, sent a letter to the Pope saying he feared the pontiff's comments on Islam would worsen interfaith relations.
And in Cairo, about 100 demonstrators gathered in an anti-Vatican protest outside the capital's al-Azhar mosque.
Pakistan's parliament unanimously adopted a resolution condemning the pope for making what it called "derogatory" comments about Islam, and seeking an apology from him
Pakistan's Foreign Ministry also called the pope's remarks "regrettable."
"Anyone who describes Islam as a religion as intolerant encourages violence," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam said.
"What he has done is that he has quoted very offensive remarks by some emperor hundreds of years ago," Aslam said. "It is not helpful (because) we have been trying to bridge the gap, calling for dialogue and understanding between religions."
She said Muslims had a long history of tolerance, adding that when the Catholic kingdom of Spain expelled its Jewish population in 1492 they were welcomed by Muslim nations such as the Turkish Ottoman Empire.
The head of Britain's largest Muslim body said it was disturbed by the pope's use of a 14th century passage. The Muslim Council, which represents 400 groups in Britain, said the emperor's views were "ill-informed and frankly bigoted."
"One would expect a religious leader such as the pope to act and speak with responsibility and repudiate the Byzantine emperor's views in the interests of truth and harmonious relations between the followers of Islam and Catholicism," said Muhammad Abdul Bari, the council's secretary-general.
Benedict, who has made the fight against growing secularism in Western society a theme of his pontificate, is expected to visit Turkey for a few days, starting Nov. 28. He was invited by the staunchly secularist Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, who said the invitation was part of an effort to strengthen dialogue between religions.
On Friday the pope appointed a French prelate with diplomatic experience in the Muslim world as the Vatican's new foreign minister. The new foreign minister - officially called secretary for relations with states - is Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, 54, who was born of French parents in Morocco.
Posted by: J. D. Lux ||
09/15/2006 13:56 Comments ||
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#5
Don't apologize.
Ask the muzzies to apologize for their behaivor.
Exactly. It's way past time we started calling their bluff and taking them to task publicly for the true nature of their ideology. No more of this "hijacking of a great religion" PC twaddle. I'm not Catholic, but I'm glad the Pope is taking point on this. The only other Christians making similar points are always dismissed (sometimes with cause) as fundy Christer nutjobs, while the mainline Protestant Churches are turning Unitarian on this issue.
Don't scratch your furry head, Snowman, it's just I think the owner of this place felt like islam somehow belonged in the past (I wonder why), and had some aspect, some would say puritan and fire and brimstone accents, that this writing would evoke with irony.
I know you cryptid hominids are a straightforward, honest people, hopping from underground cavern world only to see what's going on among the puny hairlessones, so you may have difficulties understand cranky curmudgeons like the All-Powerfull RB boss, brimming with snark and with 50's pin ups pictures in their wallet.
#11
Either way, I'm waiting to see if the Pope apologizes. I hope he doesn't but I half expect he will in some way. Personally, I'd love for him to expand on his first statement w/some parallel to "you will know them by their fruits" or some such. As for me, I'd just tell'em to go wipe their ass w/that koran of theirs and hope it don't scratch.
#16
Remember -
TGA knew the Pope and before becomming the pope had him frequently over for dinner.
At dinner you tend to talk about things you know about and sometimes even show people what you just read on the internet.
Consider TGA was a Rantburg regular. I give even odds the Pope has visited Rantburg a time or two.
There is no such thing as a moderate Muslim and US President George W. Bush is mistaken in casting his war on terror in terms of a "struggle for civilisation", Malaysia's outspoken former prime minister says. Mahathir Mohamad, who ruled Malaysia for 22 years and is known for his frequent barbs against what he has called Western double standards, said he believed even the Sept 11, 2001 attacks on the United States were at root linked to Israel's occupation of Palestinian land.
"What is happening today has got nothing to do with religion. It has got to do with territorial disputes, mainly the dispute over Palestinian land," he told Reuters after a religious congress in Astana, capital of Kazakhstan. He said Bush's description of America's "war on terror" as "a struggle for civilisation" on the fifth anniversary of the attacks was flawed, as was the West's hope that moderate Muslims would have a dominant voice. "There is no such thing as a moderate Muslim," he said. "We are fundamentalists in Malaysia. We follow the true teachings of the religion and the true teachings do not teach us to bomb and kill people without reason." On Bush's comments, Mahathir, 81, said: "He's not civilised, he shouldn't be talking about civilising others."
Posted by: Fred ||
09/15/2006 00:00 ||
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"What is happening today has got nothing to do with religion. It has got to do with territorial disputes, mainly the dispute over Palestinian land,"
The old Palestine excuse. Like there will never, ever be an inch of forward progress in any other Muslim majority country until the Israeli Palestinian conflict is sorted out first.
Who are these moron jerkwads and how do they expect anyone to keep swallowing this drivel? If they want to continue to have everything hinge on the Israeli Palestinain crisis, that's fine, but we'll be dropping by to bomb their Islamic @sses the instant they get out of line.
"There is no such thing as a moderate Muslim,"
There you go folks, straight from the horse's ass mouth. "There is no such thing as a moderate Muslim." Someone needs to tell this nutbag idjit that the entire hope of all Islam depends on there being enough moderate Muslims to reform their death cult church after we're done killing all of the extremists.
"We are fundamentalists in Malaysia. We follow the true teachings of the religion and the true teachings do not teach us to bomb and kill people without reason."
Yeah, and we all know that the mere existence of a single Jew on the face of this earth is "reason" enough for these maggots to go on bombing and killing whenever and wherever they want to. Nobody's fooled by this crap anymore. Well, except maybe over in Europe.
#4
Mahathir of course has always been a master of half truths. That's what made him appeared so "intellectual" to his gravy train and rustic followers. Actually he is very sophistic and inconsistent but the fettered media covers that up thoroughly for him earlier.
#9
These moon god worshipers claim it's always about Palestine is which pure male bovine excreta
"The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct 'Palestinian people' to oppose Zionism.
"For tactical reasons, Jordan, which is a sovereign state with defined borders, cannot raise claims to Haifa and Jaffa. While as a Palestinian, I can undoubtedly demand Haifa, Jaffa, Beer-Sheva and Jerusalem. However, the moment we reclaim our right to all of Palestine, we will not wait even
a minute to unite Palestine and Jordan."
(PLO executive committee member Zahir Muhsein, in a 1977 interview with the Dutch newspaper Trouw.)
#10
#9: "However, the moment we reclaim our right to all of Palestine, we will not wait even a minute to unite Palestine and Jordan."
Which is why Jordan quietly works behind the scenes to support Israel. They don't want the Paleos either.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
09/15/2006 5:05 Comments ||
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#11
"There is no such thing as a moderate Muslim," he said. "We are fundamentalists in Malaysia. We follow the true teachings of the religion and the true teachings do not teach us to bomb and kill people without reason."
Ah, but there's the rub, isn't it? Who defines a 'reason'? If you have a reason to bomb and to kill, then it's OK. A slight against their moon-god or saying something that they define as an 'insult' to their religion are all they need to set them off.
A civilized world simply cannot work that way. The incompatibility of Islam with a peaceful world is clearly exposed. We Christians deal with the most vitriolic gutter insults to our faith on a daily basis, without killing anybody.
He's right about one thing though. There is no moderate muslim. There are people of an Islamic heritage who do not fully practice the faith, or perhaps don't realize it's full teachings, but Islam itself cannot be moderated. How do you 'moderate' something which at it's core, demands the death of those who disagree? How do you 'negotiate' with someone whose starting point is your destruction?
#13
Ummmm, is it just me, or does anyone else remember the reasons behind bin Laden's declaration of war to be a LOT of other issues besides "Palestine"? Specifically, I remember him outlining all "infidels" being out of the Middle East, which we interpreted (at the time) to mean our troops out of Saudi (stationed there for GWI), among numerous other issues. "Palestine" was not the ONLY reason. Of course, I'd agree with him on that one point...there's no such thing as a moderate Muslim, if they TRULY believe their "Holy book".
Posted by: BA ||
09/15/2006 11:08 Comments ||
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#14
I feel it is extremely important to begin taking these wankers at their word. For quite some time we've been told that "Islam is not a monolithic religion". Despite such minute offshoot sects as the Kurds and whatnot, it is increasingly apparent that much of Islam is monolithic.
One look at how all of the tin pot Islamic dictators, mullahs and every mother's son uses the Palestine issue as a wrench in the gears for all other discussions regarding governmental reform in Muslim majority nations should be enough.
While Muslims continue to claim that Palestinians are being murdered by the Jews, they handily overlook the publically declared intention of genocide on the part of Fatah, Hamas and Hezbollah. The reverse of this matter is not at all so clear.
The beheading of Christians in Indonesia take place in a total absence of any attempts on the lives of Muslims. The Christian church is not calling out for the casting down of Islam. It is merely the minuscule threat of Muslims coming into contact with any other religion or the simple existence of any other religion at all that puts the psychos into a frenzy.
The single fact remains that, claims to the contrary notwithstanding, Islam continues to act and function in a monolithic fashion. The sunni - shiite conflict is about all that disspells this notion until you look at how sunnis and shiites alike still pursue genocide and kill the kufir with glee.
Either Islam unites to form some sort of regulatory body akin to the Catholic Vatican or it must continue to lose all credibility as any sort of ostensible religion. The Pope has done well to begin gnawing at the underpinnings of this revolting death cult.
If Muslims can unite and begin issuing edicts that result in the ejection of jihadists, that is fine. If they cannot unite and refuse to denounce and renounce terrorism, then we need to clean out each and every pocket of this corrupt and decayed ideology.
WASHINGTON - The United States moved on Thursday to reduce its diplomatic presence in Syria following this weeks attack on its embassy in Damascus by offering free flights out of the country to non-essential diplomats and family members on a voluntary basis. The State Department announced the move in a travel warning that alerted US citizens to increased security concerns in Syria following the attack on Tuesday.
The Department of State warns US citizens to defer non-essential travel to Syria, the warning said. American citizens currently in Syria should carefully evaluate their own security situations and consider departing.
A US official said the decision did not reflect any further deterioration in US-Syrian relations, which have long been strained. Last year Washington withdrew its ambassador to Damascus. It certainly isnt a reflection of any change in our diplomatic relations or anything like that, the official said. It is just a response to the security situation.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/15/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
It is just a response to the security situation
Clearing the target area of innocent bystanders, one'd like to hope.
#4
The US should remove all staff from the embassy in Syria and shut it down in preparation for tenderization. We have played footsie too long with these enablers of terrorism.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
09/15/2006 11:19 Comments ||
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A deep rift erupted Thursday between two of the major, influential political blocs in Lebanon, the Shiite Hezbollah group and the anti-Syrian majority bloc known as the March 14 forces. The rift is the culmination of a period of intense tension and bitter exchanges of accusations related to the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, in which more than 1,200 people were killed. The rift came to the open after Hezbollah chief Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah accused the majority bloc of 'stabbing his guerrillas in the back' while fighting the 'enemy' (Israel) when Israel launched a wide-scale offensive against the movement July 12 after Hezbollah captured two soldiers at the Israeli-Lebanese border.
A member of the parliamentary majority, acting interior minister Ahmed Fatfat described Thursday the hardline tone of Nasrallah and his 14-member parliament bloc as an 'invitation to kill.' MP Samir Franjiyeh, member of the March 14 forces, said that the current dispute with Hezbollah reflected a crisis inside the party. Franjiyeh called on Hezbollah to open up to all political forces in order to confront the crisis that resulted from the war and learn from mistakes to avoid another disaster. 'What is needed is for Hezbollah to admit that what happened was wrong ... to return to calm and stop accusations of treason,' Franjiyeh said.
Sources close to Shiite House Speaker Nabih Berri, who has close links to Hezbollah but also maintains good relations with the majority, said Berri - who is outside the country - had sent his aide Ali Hassan Khalil to meet majority leader Saad Hariri and some Hezbollah officials. Khalil was quoted Thursday as saying that 'the priority now should be given to ways to reinforce the government, not to changing it,' indicating a difference in views between the movement headed by Berri and Hezbollah.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
09/15/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Time to resume Lebanese Civil war (why shoul Iraquis have all the fun?).
PARIS: Iran is trying to divide the international community in order to pursue its contested nuclear activities, French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy warned in comments released on Thursday. "If the international community were to become divided, Iran would continue" its uranium enrichment activities, Douste-Blazy charged in an interview to appear in the French weekly Valeurs Actuelles. "That is what some in Tehran are waiting for, in order to call into question the system of non-proliferation," he said. Douste-Blazy called for a sustained effort to engage Tehran in a dialogue over the stand-off and warned against moving towards confrontation with the Islamic republic.
"While pursuing consultations on the adoption of a new resolution (at the UN Security Council), we need to maintain dialogue with Tehran," he said. "If one or two of the permanent members of the Security Council fail to uphold this dialogue, and there is a growing drive - on either side - towards confrontation, the international community would split."
Posted by: Fred ||
09/15/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
The division is all yours, Euros, the US is simply checking boxes.
Posted by: Captain America ||
09/15/2006 2:37 Comments ||
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#2
The threat of Iran acquiring nuclear weapons is rapidly dividing the international community into two very different camps. Those capable of rational thought and those with shit-for-brains.
#6
Anon5089 is there a divide within the French Gov't. itself ? This minister's comments seem to support our thinking, whereas Al-Shiraq is only upset that the Russkies undercut him and sold reactors to the Iranians before he could make the deal. Are some in France awakening to the threat ?
(AsiaNews) --- Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir today called for "Lebanese solidarity" to put the country back on its feet whilst slamming Hezbollah. He said that through a Lebanese "proxy", the country was subjected to a war between the United States and Israel on the one hand, and Syria and Iran on the other. In meeting the press, Sayyed Ali el-Amin, mufti of Tyre and Jabal, distanced himself from Hezbollah. In his opinion, whilst "most Shiites are with Hezbollah against Israel," they are "not with it when it becomes an obstacle to the state".
Openly criticising those who want to remain outside plans to rebuild the Lebanese state, he said that it was a mistake not join the process. "We want to be in [this process]. There is no shame for Hezbollah to hand in its weapons and fully turn itself into a political party if the purpose is to protect the country."
This morning Cardinal Sfeir met US Ambassador Jeffrey Feltman as well as the chief editors of Lebanon's major dailies. He pointed out that in the last two months the situation in the country was getting worse and that more and more people were falling into abject poverty. Given the rising tide of emigration among the young--more than 200,000 with many still waiting for their visa--something has to be taken right away.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
09/15/2006 00:00 ||
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(IRIN) - A Hezbollah member of parliament has criticised a report by Amnesty International that said the armed wing of the Lebanese political party committed a "serious violation of humanitarian law" in its recent conflict with Israel. Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah was quoted by the BBC as saying the London-based rights group should analyse the number of civilians killed on each side, before accusing Hezbollah of war crimes.
The Amnesty report concluded that Hezbollah had violated the 1949 Geneva Convention by deliberately targeting civilians when it fired thousands of Katyusha rockets loaded with ball bearings at urban areas in northern Israel. "Hezbollah's rocket attacks on northern Israel amounted to deliberate attacks on civilians and civilian objects, as well as indiscriminate attacks - both war crimes under international law," the report said. An earlier Amnesty report in August accused Israel of committing war crimes by deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure in Lebanon.
The August report detailed what it described as "massive destruction by Israeli forces of whole civilian neighbourhoods and villages", together with attacks on bridges "in areas of no apparent strategic importance", on its list of supporting evidence.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
09/15/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
LOL. Kidnap some AI doinkers and see if anyone will pay to get 'em back...
#5
After accusing Israelis of war crimes in August, they received trainloads of email and letters from people like me, calling them the tools that they became in the last 25 years.
This report is more a PR exercise to present an image of impartiality rather than anything serious.
I'd insert some witty snark here, but this asshat speaks for himself....
Actor Sean Penn, in a taped Larry King Live interview aired Thursday night on CNN to promote his new movie, All the King's Men, in which he plays a Huey Long-like character, suggested President Bush may bring fascism to America, charged that Bush has "devastated our democracy," insisted Donald Rumsfeld and Bush have done "enormous damage" to "this country and mankind" and claimed the war on terrorism is meant to distract from reality.
Clearly referring to President Bush, a smirking Penn recalled: "Well, in 1932 Huey Long said something very interesting. It was, 'Fascism will come to America, but likely under another name, perhaps anti-fascism.'" Later, Penn fulminated about how "party clowns like Don Rumsfeld could be described as, as far as I'm concerned, except for the enormous damage he's done this country and mankind -- and our President -- and saw that they're getting out there and they're beating this drum, to drown out, as they did in 2002, to drown out other -- in that case it was Enron. Now we have another situation, so it's this war on terror, boom, boom, boom. Drown out the reality of what's really happening." Penn also argued: "No Democrat that doesn't have a plan to get our troops out of Iraq should be voted for."
James Carville, a Louisiana native, is one of the Executive Producers of All the King's Men, which will open on September 22.
About 27 minutes into the interview aired on September 14, Larry King proposed: "But that character that you play, basically Huey Long, fictionalized version of Huey Long, the famous 'spread the wealth' former Governor of Louisiana, is a character who becomes affected by power, and then absolute power destroys him. Right? You can relate that to any political figure today, couldn't you?"
Sean Penn, clearly referring to George W. Bush: "Well, in 1932 Huey Long said something very interesting. It was, 'Fascism will come to America, but likely under another name, perhaps anti-fascism.'" King, going into ad break: "We'll dwell on that for a minute."
A couple of segments later, King brought up Iraq:
King: "All right. Some other things. Iraq. Getting any better? The military now controls itself."
Penn: "No. It's -- I think -- to me the situation is pretty simple. I mean, the devastation of the situation is pretty simple. Right now, you know, what these party clowns like Don Rumsfeld could be described as, as far as I'm concerned, except for the enormous damage he's done this country and mankind -- and our President -- and saw that they're getting out there and they're beating this drum, to drown out, as they did in 2002, to drown out other -- in that case it was Enron. Now we have another situation, so it's this war on terror, boom, boom, boom. Drown out the reality of what's really happening.
"I think the American people have a choice. In my idea, it's about an eight to ten-year proposition of Iraqis and Americans and others dying in Iraq. The same amount will be dead of Iraqis, innocent, in ten years without the Americans as they will with the Americans there. We'll just have more Americans dead. So shamefully, we have to -- you know, it's what Nixon called 'peace with honor,' to get out of Vietnam.
"I think that, you know, 'cut and run' is something that's meant to make people feel like cowards if they do it. Well, we did make a mistake. It is time to pull our troops out. It's time to rebuild our military because we've got a bad world and they've inflamed terrorism around the world. I think that's very clear to most people. So what's happened there is a civil war that's going to get worse with us or without us. It's time for us to strengthen ourselves and to try to help them through diplomacy and with money."
King: "But when the President says we should support emerging democracies, because democracy's better for the world, is that -- isn't he right?"
Penn: "I think he's devastated our democracy. I think you have to start with our democracy. He's made us divided. I have a lot of very good friends who are Republicans, who are right-wing Republicans. And when you are with people and you talk to people as people, and not as Republicans and Democrats, you find that's why his numbers are down. Because people have common sense. They're going to vote, you know, in a few months, and they're going to say, well, are we going to be suckers again? Are we going to be suckers to partisan policy and politics and all of that stuff?
"By the way, no Democrat that doesn't have a plan to get our troops out of Iraq should be voted for. Not one of them. You know, there's got to be some courage expressed, and that's what I'm worried about is that we're not going to have good choices."
#1
I've herad of "method acting" before, but . . . cheeze, Sean, aren't you getting a little too much into this neo-populist nationalist-socialist demagoge-weasel Huey Long character?
Posted by: Mike ||
09/15/2006 9:54 Comments ||
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#2
What's even more telling is that Larry King acted as if Sean Penn is an expert at anything? The asshole is an ACTOR,so it's logical that he'll look like an expert because he's an expert at ACTING like an EXPERT.
#3
-Hahaha, listening to "Spicoli" is amusing - the babblings of a clown who couldn't even cut it at a community college. Our pop culture is so funny - I don't know how Larry King sits there w/a straight face (other then he laughs himself all the way to the bank afterwards.)
Why does the press give any credence or volume to the opinions of an idiot like this?
Sean Penn barely graduated high school. For God's sake, a guy from some african shithole (Somolia) that's driving a cab I rode in (in NY) has more credibility: he has a degree in biology and has seen dictatorship first hand (and he's working on his masters while he's driving a hack, so he can get out and up)
Put HIM on Larry King - hell of a lot more informed opinion, and a hell of a lot better person too.
I nominate this as the most ironic line in thw whole thing:
Drown out the reality of what's really happening.
LMAO! THats what they have been trying to do with their shouting and screaming: ignore the reality of the world around them because it doesnt fit with their ideals. Bush Elected? That can't be, this is a liberal country, because we are right and therefore people must have voted for us. So it must be election fraud that defeated Al Gore. 9/11 people declared a war on us and killed thousands? Can't be - must be our fault. And even if its not our fault (after all we hate the US too and havent blown anythign up here, so why woudl the arabs?) then it must have been Bush's conspiracy, so he could be elected! Yeah thats it, I'll invent fantasy and conspircay and idiocy after idiocy, all to make the world bend to my view. Instead of facing the facts and changing the world by taking up arms against the sea of troubles and DOING something.
These people are not "honorable opponents", they are mentally ill. And thats why we should never let them hide their lies and stupidity, never let them come to power. Be merciless and hound them with facts, and with the truth,
#5
Sean, aren't you getting a little too much into...
He's been there for the last 5 years.
However, what puzzles me that his incoherent blather gets any air.
This is the part of the American culture--the infatuation with movie, pop, sports stars--that I don't fully understand. As if being a celebrity gives you any weight regarding topics that have nothing to do with your occupation. Sure, anybody can have any opinion, but Sean Penn's opinion is as valid as Joe Sixpack's.
#7
Latest idiotic reality dodge by the libs: "Saddam wasnt a threat to the US", which is slowly morphing to "Iraq was better off under Saddam".
Can you beleive that?
What color is the sky in their world?
The biggest problem is the press distorts the situation in Iraq so badly (and has done so going way back - covering up Saddam's evil so they coudl "report" from there) that the public is not jsut MIS-informed, they are MAL-informed by the mainstream media. This leads to such stupidity and non-sense as the "Saddam was OK" stuff we are seeing. They only way somone can hold this opinion is either by being mal-informed or by being deliberately dishonest with themselves, or by being deliberately dishonest with others (i.e. lying for personal gain).
Its is often asked what will check the government's power: Quis Custodiet Custodes Ipsos?
Who will report the reporters? We need a check, a serious one, that will stop journalists from getting away with lying and distorting the news.
Luckily the web seems to be gaining strength as just such a check in some ways (Powerline and Dan Rather), and as gasoline on the fire in other ways (Visit DU or Kos lately?)
The press MUST be foreced to put thier errors on the FRONT page or lead story on TV, and be forced to acknolwedge them sand apologize for misleading their readers/viewers.
#8
If we ever need advice from the entertainment set, we'll ask for it. Meantime, ignorant fools like Penn, Porky Rosie, and looney Clooney can keep their worthless opinions to themselves. Leave it to windbag Larry K. to give them a forum to spout on. And, he encourages this tripe.
#10
Penn is actually pretty smart. When facism doesn't come he can take credit for stopping it by being so vocal at an early point the coup members felt unsafe. If fascism does come he's a gonner either way.
Its not as if he's gaining new fans anyway. He's preaching to the choir. Last Sean Penn movie I saw was Fast Times.
#11
"The big question is: Why does the press give any credence or volume to the opinions of an idiot like this?"
I think the answer is, a) because the MSM is in the business of generating liberal propaganda, not reporting the news; and b) because they agree with Penn.
As horrible as it may sound, I think that's the way it is. They really, truly are an enemy Fifth Column, working for the alliance comprising radical Islam and international Socialism.
I wonder how much long this shit can go on, before it all snaps...
Posted by: Dave D. ||
09/15/2006 11:22 Comments ||
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#12
" . . . working for the alliance comprising radical Islam and international Socialism."
#13
Because he's a 'star' and part of the [wannabe] ruling elite! And you know being a professional liar makes him more knowledgable about this then, say, DOCTOR Rice (PhD).....
I would tell him to 'shut up and sing act' but he can't do that either.....
"Last year I went to Iraq. Before 'Team America' showed up it was a happy place. They had flowery meadows an rainbow skies, and rivers made of chocolate, where the children laughed and played with gumdrop smiles."
#18
I thought he was good in the movie "state of grace." Other then that he's a douche bag & a p*ssy. I know a couple 105lb female Marines who could take his ass bare-knuckle.
#19
"The big question is: Why does the press give any credence or volume to the opinions of an idiot like this?"
Ever hear - birds of a feather flock together. We're dealing with idiots talking to idiots. I wouldn't waste my time with idiots, even for entertainment.
#22
Just remember, Sean, it was the Democratic Party that controlled the US Congress, and thus America's + the USGov's law-making ability, for most of the 20th century - even within the narrow selective scope of Sean's premise, iff any Party is unilater andor majorily responsible for the alleged introduction and entrenchment of "fascism in America", its the Dems.
#23
I just got back drinking beer with a group of combat vets and return to read this? Damn this blows a good drunk. I mean Sean "I can bail a boat with a dixie cup" Penn. Screw him.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
09/15/2006 22:22 Comments ||
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#24
You'd think if we were going to be subjected to all these show business people from the 80's they could at least have picked the Bangles or something...
#26
Too many Americans are independent thinkers, Swamp Blondie, and we don't accept argument from authority well. We simply aren't good at being fascists. For which I am profoundly grateful.
#27
#25: "Fascism has been descending on America for how many decades now??"
A loooooong time, SB.
Was it P.J. O'Rourke who said, "Fascism is forever descending on America, but always lands in Europe."?
He's still right.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
09/15/2006 22:51 Comments ||
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#28
I think you're right, Barbara, both about the source of that quote, and, the fact that all those wonderful "-isms" take deep root in the Old Country.
#29
"we don't accept argument from authority well. "
'tis true, TW.
Ain't it great being descended from the rest of the world's troublemakers, outcasts and general hell raisers? ;) (Ok, the Aussies are, too. Good on 'em!)
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.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair blasted his fellow European politicians on Thursday for their anti-American "madness" in dangerous times as he urged a complete strategy rethink to defeat extremism.
EAST-ASIA-INTEL.COM Thursday, September 14, 2006. North Korean reclusive leader Kim Jong-Il's health has further deteriorated and he can no longer walk without difficulty due to worsening diabetes, a South Korean lawmaker said.
If 
US President George W. Bush warned against Iranian "stalling" in the heat of a nuclear showdown, and warned he could not protect America without tough interrogations of top terror suspects. Mr Bush used a news conference in the White House Rose Garden, to set the stage for high-stakes talks on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly next week on imposing sanctions on Iran over its refusal to halt uranium enrichment.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday made it clear that in no way had President General Pervez Musharraf equated Pashtuns with Taliban. Responding to charges made by the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said that President Musharraf's address to the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs related specifically to the recent peace deal signed by the government and militants in N Waziristan.
Muslim scholars and religious leaders in Pakistan on Thursday criticised Pope Benedicts remarks against Islam, and urged him to play a positive role in bringing Islam and Christianity closer. It is very unfortunate that a religious leader of his stature is issuing statements that can fan religious disharmony, said 
Devotees came in their tens of thousands, unrolled mats, pitched tents, assembled mini-stoves, and spent the weekend in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad sipping tea, praying and listening to sermons. From Friday night to Sunday morning, preachers of Islamic revivalism held sway over a congregation organised by 
RAMALLAH, West Bank - No mobile phones, no international calls, no fuel coupons and no excessive hospitality for senior employees. Hamas is tightening the purse strings. Struggling under six months of international sanctions imposed because of its refusal to recognise Israel and renounce violence, the Islamic militant group that heads the Palestinian government is saving money as best it can.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas met at a secret location in Jordan and came to an agreement over the release of captured IDF soldier Cpl. Gilad Shalit, the Arab-Israeli newspaper A-Sinrareported on Thursday. The two were reportedly joined by the head of the Mossad and deputy head of the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency). Israel Radio reported that officials in the Prime Minister's Office denied the report.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has decided to send former PA Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei (Abu Ala) to Damascus for talks with Syrian President Bashar Assad to further his efforts to release kidnapped IDF soldier Cpl. Gilad Shalit, PA officials here revealed on Thursday. The decision was taken after a meeting with Abbas on Wednesday night in his office with PLO and Fatah leaders, the officials told The Jerusalem Post. 
Some 25 former generals will meet with Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz on Friday and present him with an ultimatum - either he appoints them as members of an internal military commission of inquiry or they will publicly call for his resignation. 
WASHINGTON - The United States moved on Thursday to reduce its diplomatic presence in Syria following this weeks attack on its embassy in Damascus by offering free flights out of the country to non-essential diplomats and family members on a voluntary basis. The State Department announced the move in a travel warning that alerted US citizens to increased security concerns in Syria following the attack on Tuesday.
A deep rift erupted Thursday between two of the major, influential political blocs in Lebanon, the Shiite Hezbollah group and the anti-Syrian majority bloc known as the March 14 forces. The rift is the culmination of a period of intense tension and bitter exchanges of accusations related to the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, in which more than 1,200 people were killed. The rift came to the open after Hezbollah chief Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah accused the majority bloc of 'stabbing his guerrillas in the back' while fighting the 'enemy' (Israel) when Israel launched a wide-scale offensive against the movement July 12 after Hezbollah captured two soldiers at the Israeli-Lebanese border. 
PARIS: Iran is trying to divide the international community in order to pursue its contested nuclear activities, French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy warned in comments released on Thursday. "If the international community were to become divided, Iran would continue" its uranium enrichment activities, Douste-Blazy charged in an interview to appear in the French weekly Valeurs Actuelles. "That is what some in Tehran are waiting for, in order to call into question the system of non-proliferation," he said. Douste-Blazy called for a sustained effort to engage Tehran in a dialogue over the stand-off and warned against moving towards confrontation with the Islamic republic. 
(AsiaNews) --- Maronite Patriarch 
(IRIN) - A Hezbollah member of parliament has criticised a report by Amnesty International that said the armed wing of the Lebanese political party committed a "serious violation of humanitarian law" in its recent conflict with Israel. Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah was quoted by the BBC as saying the London-based rights group should analyse the number of civilians killed on each side, before accusing Hezbollah of war crimes. 
