Posted by: Fred ||
08/16/2008 01:03 ||
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#1
Oil prices below $114 Bbl, dollar up, Jihad funding down. It's Bush's fault, of course.
Add the successes in Iraq and I don't believe this is what the Dhimms had in mind for the election season.
#3
This photo is work of art. I don't know what Joan is wearing (or not) behind that chair, but it can't be better than what I'm imagining. And that is the genius of the picture, it captures the imagination.
Posted by: Scott R ||
08/16/2008 10:55 Comments ||
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#4
In her prime? Looks like she's in her birthday suit to me. Looks like it's her best outfit, too.
#6
A great photo of a great star...very reminiscent of the famous Christine Keeler portrait. I wonder if the photographer was familiar with the Blondell pic?
-Afghan security forces withdrew early Friday from Nawa district in Ghazni province after more than two weeks of fighting with Taliban, allowing the rebels to move in and capture the area, Interior ministry spokesman Zemarai Bashary confirmed but did not give details. Police on Thursday had also pulled back from posts in a district of Helmand province after two weeks of clashes with militants. The Taliban also claimed to have taken over that district, called Nad Ali.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/16/2008 01:01 ||
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#1
Okay, the Summer Offensive is still on. But its still Summer. Lots of time for a counter-attack.
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - The U.S.-led coalition says more than 36 militants have been killed in a series of clashes in southern Afghanistan.
The coalition says in a statement the operation started on Wednesday and is still ongoing. It did not provide the exact location of the clash. It says that its reconnaissance patrol was attacked by groups of militants over several days. The troops clashed with militants and called in airstrikes, killing more than three dozen militants.
Orrin Judd suggests that instead of commendations, our guys should be winning stuffed bears ...
There were no reports of casualties among coalition and Afghan forces.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/16/2008 00:00 ||
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Ethiopian forces in the town of Arbiska opened fire on two civilian buses near the Somali capital Mogadishu on Friday, killing at least 30 passengers, witnesses told AFP. A medic at the nearby Afgoye hospital said 10 wounded were also brought in following the incident.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/16/2008 01:01 ||
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(SomaliNet) Eyewitnesses said a Ugandan AMISOM soldiers survived a bombing Tuesday that destroyed the street they were passing near the international airport in Mogadishu shortly after they stepped out. According to reports, AMISOM officials blamed Islamists of the explosion that slightly missed de-mining soldiers that shook several nearby apartments. A bomb underground exploded minutes after the soldiers stepped out, AMISOM official said.-
Posted by: Fred ||
08/16/2008 00:54 ||
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MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) - Somali government troops and their Ethiopian allies sprayed bystanders with gunfire in response to two separate bomb attacks, killing at least 40 people Friday, witnesses said. The killings, which could not be independently confirmed, occurred a day before the president and his estranged prime minister are to hold talks amid a protracted power struggle between them that has complicated efforts to end Somalia's expanding Islamic insurgency.
One man said Somali government forces opened fire after two explosions went off near the president's convoy as it was traveling to the Mogadishu airport. Farah Daud said his father and four others were killed.
In a separate incident, a witness said Ethiopian soldiers opened fire indiscriminately on the road between the capital, Mogadishu, and Afgoye after roadside bombs targeted their convoy. Witness Ali Jama said he counted 35 dead. A woman who fled the scene with her two children said she believe there were more than 30 bodies in the street. "Ethiopian convoys opened fire into different areas where thousands of displaced people were living; they killed everyone on the road," Sahra Nor Osma said.
The witnesses' accounts could not be verified Friday with Somali officials, the insurgency or Ethiopian military officials.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/16/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Why don't they ever seem to blame the people who actually set up the roadside bombs in an area where thousands of displaced people are living?
Besides, if you're ambushed aren't you supposed to return fire and cover the rest of your convoy until you get out of the attack zone?
(These questions are by a completely non-military person so please don't take offense at my ignorance.)
#2
That sounds like something I would write, Gladys dear. Not all of us understand matters military. Of course, this is an AP article, and a great many of them don't understand matters military, as well.
Twelve Nigerian militants and a naval officer were killed in a gunbattle on Friday near a Royal Dutch Shell natural gas plant in the oil-producing Niger Delta, military and security sources said.
Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa, spokesman for the military task force in southern Rivers state, said militants ambushed two navy gunboats on patrol in Rivers state. The Shell-operated gas plant did not come under fire. "This evening our men of the (Joint Task Force) came under attack around Alakiri on the Port Harcourt-Bonny sea route," said Musa. "We responded and exchanged fire and we killed several of the militants." Two security sources said at least 12 militants and one soldier were killed in the fighting.
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), which launched a campaign of violence against the oil sector in early 2006, dismissed the high casualty report. "No MEND units or affiliated groups have reported such heavy losses," the militant group said in an e-mailed statement.
Militant attacks on Nigeria's oil facilities have become increasingly frequent, shutting down a fifth of oil production in the last two years. The Niger Delta Vigilante, a militant group with links to MEND, threatened more violence in the area.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/16/2008 01:01 ||
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Two men were arrested at Manchester Airport under Britain's terrorism laws late on Thursday afternoon, police said. A third was arrested later in the evening in the northwest English town of Accrington. The pair arrested at the airport was from the Blackburn area, also in northwest England, Lancashire police said in a statement posted to their website. A spokesman for Lancashire police said all three men were in their 20s and identified them as being "Asian", meaning that they were of Indian, Bangladeshi, or Pakistani ethnicity. He said he did not know whether they were British citizens, and spoke on condition of anonymity in line with force policy. Bill Crawshaw, terminal duty manager at Manchester Airport, said there had been no disruption to the airport's operations, and referred other questions to the police.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/16/2008 00:30 ||
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#1
Let me see if I can identify them for you.
One, they are home born British.
Two, they are of Pakistani origin.
Third, they have recently returned from visiting Mum's aunt Gira in the NWFP.
Fourth, in their hovel of a pebble-wall terrace house they had literature and pamphlets published by the Pakistan Taliban and AQ community.
Does that seem to fit?
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
08/16/2008 8:57 Comments ||
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#2
Fifth, their parents and they are better off than average.
A bomb exploded during a packed street celebration in the Colombian town of Iturango late Thursday, killing four people wounding up to 40, authorities said. "It was a terrorist attack with a bomb in the town's main street," Iturango fire chief Jairo Calle told AFP. He did not say who was behind the attack.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/16/2008 01:01 ||
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The clashes between Turkish troops and Kurdistan Workers' Party rebels have left three militants and one soldier dead, the Turkish army chief says.
The Friday fight in the mountainous region of Sason in the southeastern Turkish province of Batman has left three insurgents and one security force member dead, said the army's official website.
In another development, Turkish troops discovered 144 kilograms of explosives left behind by rebels as they were intercepted trying to cross illegally into Turkey.
SRINAGAR: Pakistani troops on Saturday opened fire at a security post on the Line of Control (LoC) in Uri sector of Jammu and Kashmir, resulting in the death of a jawan, police said.
Jawan Naresh Kumar was killed in the fire at Khamoosh picket on the Indian side of LoC, police added.
Posted by: john frum ||
08/16/2008 09:41 ||
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Militants fired two rockets near the ISI offices in Kohat cantonment, Dawn News reported on Friday. The channel said that police confirmed that the rockets exploded in an open ground between the ISI offices and the gunners' lane. No casualty or damage occurred. The rockets were fired from Sheikhan near Darra Adam Khel, the channel said. Saddar police registered a case under the Explosives Act.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/16/2008 01:02 ||
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The commander of banned militant outfit Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) was gunned down by unidentified people in Tirah Valley, Khyber Agency, on Friday. Political authorities have confirmed the killing. Commander Azam, a close aide of Mangal Bagh, was chairing a jirga when some armed persons, believed to be from LI's rival Ansarul Islam, fired at him. The jirga was called to discuss the ongoing clashes between the two groups.
This article starring:
Ansarul Islam
Lashkar-e-Islam
Commander Azam
Lashkar-e-Islam
Mangal Bagh
Lashkar-e-Islam
Posted by: Fred ||
08/16/2008 01:02 ||
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Security forces on Friday claimed arresting four agents of Afghan intelligence agency Khadamat-e Etela'at-e Dawlati (State Information Agency) from Qilla Saifullah in Balochistan, ARY TV reported.
According to the channel, weapons and "sensitive documents" have been found from the possession of the spies identified as Muhammad Ibrahim, Qaribullah, Aminullah and Abdul Wajid. The agents arrested from the Bajori area have links with the Northern Alliance of Afghanistan, the channel said, adding that they had been moved to an undisclosed location. The agents plan to carry out "large scale" terror activities in the province, according to the channel.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/16/2008 01:01 ||
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Militants attacked Mattani police station with both light and heavy weapons late on Thursday night, locals and police reported on Friday.
Police sources requesting anonymity told Daily Times militants had been targeting the station every night, retreating before dawn. They said security personnel retaliated with machine-gun fire and other heavy weapons, repelling the attackers. However, the forces could not ascertain whether the militants suffered casualties.
They said operations against militants on the outskirts of Peshawar were imminent, as the government has no other option against militants amassing in the area.
Except surrender. Stay tuned ...
The security situation in Mattani began deteriorating, and attacks on the police station became routine, after an August 6 attack on a police flag march that was put down by helicopter gunships and heavy contingents from the Frontier Corps and Frontier Constabulary.
Two days ago one policeman was killed and two others sustained injuries in a militant attack.
Four members of one family were killed when a mortar shell landed on their house during a clash between militants and forces on Saturday last. Clashes between militants and forces have created such instability many in the area avoid leaving their homes after dark.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/16/2008 01:01 ||
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Ninteen person including 10 militants were killed and 35 injured in fresh fighting between the rival tribal groups in Kurram tribal area on Friday. The clashes have claimed at least 211 lives during the last one week. According to sources in political administration, the warring tribesmen of Bangash and Tori tribes are fighting in Bagzai, Jalmay, Sadda, Balash Khel, Sangeena, Kandi Zar, Karman. Bogki Gram Saidan, Kanj Alizai and Pewar areas.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/16/2008 01:01 ||
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Pakistan's interior ministry chief Rehman Malik said Friday that over 460 militants and 22 soldiers have been killed in more than a week of fighting in Bajaur tribal area bordering Afghanistan. More than 3,000 armed militants, most of them foreigners, are involved in the clashes in the troubled Bajaur tribal region, prime minister's advisor on interior told a Press conference. "Extremists wanted to establish their hold in Bajaur and the government had to take action," he said in Peshawar, the capital of North West Frontier Province. "Until today 462 militants have been killed in Bajaur and a similar number have been injured. Twenty-two troops have been killed and some are missing in action," Malik said. The "major portion" of the militants were foreigners, Malik said, adding that they included "Afghans, Chechens, Yemenis and Afro-Asians." Provincial governor Owais Ghani said that around 219,000 people have been displaced from Bajaur, adding that the provincial government had set up nine camps to provide them shelter, food and medicines. Separately, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said in Islamabad the operation in Bajaur tribal area will continue till the militants have been flushed out.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/16/2008 01:01 ||
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Authorities were investigating whether a senior Taliban leader was among nine suspected militants killed near Khar, the main town in Pakistan's Bajaur tribal region, officials said Friday. Helicopter gunships fired Thursday on the group, said Mohammed Khan, a government official. The firing struck two vehicles. Khan said the targeted vehicles had previously been in the use of Maulvi Faqir Mohammed, who is believed to be an associate of Ayman al-Zawahri. But he added it had yet to be confirmed whether Mohammed was there at the time. Late Thursday, Mohammed's spokesman claimed he had escaped the attack. The spokesman could not immediately be reached Friday.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/16/2008 01:01 ||
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An oil tanker carrying fuel for the Nato forces in Afghanistan was blasted with a time device near the Michni Khassadar post on Friday. The vehicle was carrying 44,000 litres of fuel to Bagram in Afghanistan when it was exploded with a time device fixed beneath it.
On suspicion of involvement, authorities detained the owner-cum-driver of the vehicle, who had escaped unhurt along with his vehicle while the fuel tank was destroyed. The authorities believe that the fuel tank might have been emptied before its explosion.
Meanwhile, the political authorities in the Khyber Agency have sought decision of the honorary Subedars, getting out-of-turn promotion in the Khassadar Force, to either join the Levies Force or return to their original posts.
If the decision is implemented, a good number of those serving against the post might well be sent home as most of them are serving in that capacity after their retirement. Sources said notices had been dispatched to all the three subdivisions of the Khyber Agency, seeking written response from the officials.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/16/2008 00:51 ||
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#1
Actually this was common. Blow up your old piece of shit truck and get the US to buy you a new one. Thats been happening for a couple of years now.
In an unprecedented development, an armed Lashkar in Buner district recently hunted down and killed six militants allegedly involved in killing cops in Kingargali. The operation shows that the people of Buner, Dir Upper and Dir Lower have stood up against the Taliban militants sneaking into these hitherto peaceful areas after Bajaur and Swat military operations.
A grand Jirga of the elders of Maidan area in Lower Dir district's headquarters, Timergara, asked more than 150 foreign fighters and their tribal Taliban supporters to leave the area or face strong action from the local people.
A similar Jirga in Barawal, a town of Dir Upper district, sharing border with Afghanistan, warned the militants to stay away from the area or they would take up arms against them. The Buner incident took place on Khel Mountain in Shalbandai when hundreds of local people picked up arms, locally called 'Appa', on information of the presence of the Taliban militants, who had brutally killed eight policemen in Kingargali last Friday.
The armed Lashkar of 200 locals threw a cordon around the militants and asked them to surrender but the Taliban challenged it. The official sources told 'The News' that the militants' refusal triggered a gunfight and they hurled hand grenades at the Lashkar, prompting a retaliatory action from local armed men, which resulted in the killing of all the six militants.
Three members of the Lashkar sustained injuries in the clash. Four among the militants were locals, hailing from Daggar, the district headquarters of Buner, while the identity of two could not be ascertained till the filing of this report.
However, the local militants were identified as Azim, son of Said Karim, Usman Ghani, son of Said Muhammad, Rahman Said, son of Ali Khan, and Bahram. After confirming the identity of the militants, the local police raided the house of Badshah Khan in Daggar and recovered rifles snatched from the cops killed in Kingargali. The police sources said the rifles included one LMG, two G-3s, two Kalashnikovs and one gas-gun.
They did not rule out the presence of more militants in the area but said they would be dealt with sternly. The militants affiliated to Fazlullah had carried out four attacks on the police during the last six months, of which the Kingargali incident remains the deadliest.
The people of Buner, who have staunchly opposed the deployment of security forces, assured the government that they would deal with the militants and warned the Taliban to stay away from the peaceful district.
The vehicle (IDK 5188) allegedly used in the incident was also recovered and the Lashkar asked those living in mountains to immediately inform the elders should they see any militant group in their respective areas.
Also on Tuesday, the gunship helicopters were called in Hisar when some suspected Taliban fighters were spotted in the area. The choppers shelled the suspected spots but no casualty was reported. However, the Lashkar confronted the militants head-on at Khel mountain when they were sighted roaming around there on Wednesday.
The people in their Jirgas, which they had been holding since Friday in various villages, volunteered 20-25 men from every village to protect their areas. The also vowed to protect police stations and posts, the locals said. Also, a grand Jirga held on August 9, which was attended by representatives of all the parties and the TNSM, had warned the Taliban to stop their militant activities in the district.
Over 150 foreign fighters and hundreds of Taliban are believed to have slipped into the Maidan area in the wake of a military operation in their Bajaur stronghold. The locals were already patrolling Sarlara and Kalpani areas to contain the insurgents. The Jirga agreed that if the militants did not meet the two-day deadline, they would volunteer 50 men from every village to raise a force for fighting the Taliban.
In Barawal area of Dir Upper district, where some miscreants claiming affiliation with the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), have circulated threatening letters, a Jirga attended by the district Nazim, DCO, DPO and elders of the area vowed not to let the Taliban militants enter the area.
"The schools and other government buildings will be protected at all costs. The people said they favour enforcement of Shariah, but not through the destruction of our own country," the district Nazim Sahibzada Tariqullah said.
Tariq said the people in Nihagdara, bordering the militant-infested Peuchar and other areas had already declared that they would treat the Taliban mercilessly, if they tried to enter the district. He said the security forces were not welcomed, as locals would take care of the militants.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/16/2008 00:51 ||
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#1
Sounds like the "Anbar Experiment" (Iraq) has been exported. Of course that would involve paying wages to counter-terrorists. Whatever works.
#2
I think it's more likely that a few people have finally gotten tired of armed men threatening them, messing with their women and goats, and stealing from them. In the end, whatever works.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/16/2008 9:33 Comments ||
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BAGHDAD -- With the help from his family, Coalition forces captured a key suspected Special Groups assistant during operations Saturday morning in Al Kut, about 170 km southeast of Baghdad in Wasit Province.
Based on intelligence information, Coalition forces approached a building in Al Kut, where they found the targeted individual's brother. The brother led forces to a nearby house where they detained the wanted man without incident.
The captured suspect is believed to be one of the key assistants for the overall Special Groups leader in the Al Kut region. His capture will likely lead to further degradation of the Iranian-backed Special Groups interests in Iraq, which have not recovered since Iraqi security forces removed their safe-havens throughout the country.
Iraqi officials threw a massive security cordon around the holy city of Karbala on Friday after a wave of bombings in 24 hours killed at least 20 Shiite worshippers and wounded dozens.
The attacks came ahead of a Shiite festival on Sunday to venerate Imam Mahdi.
More than 40,000 soldiers and police have been mobilized, including 2,000 female security workers, an AFP reporter witnessed, to boost security in response to twin suicide bombings that killed 22 people on Thursday.
Two women detonated their explosives-packed vests 50 meters (yards) apart and at a five-minute interval in Iskandariyah, 50 kilometers (31 miles) south of Baghdad, according to police Lieutenant Kazem al-Khafaji in Babil province.
The blasts also wounded at least 73, most of them young men but also women and children, in the deadliest attack to hit the war-torn nation since last Friday when 21 people were killed by a car bomb in Tal Afar.
General Fade Reza, police chief in Babil (Babylon) province, said on Friday he was unsure how many bombers had been involved, but that there had definitely been two bombs. Eyewitness reports also spoke of two explosions, contrasting with the U.S. military account that said it believed only one woman was behind the attacks.
Iraqi aircraft could be seen overhead and U.S. helicopters monitored the area around the holy city, including the desert west of Karbala from which Sunni insurgents tend to launch mortar and rockets attacks.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/16/2008 00:21 ||
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#1
The Sunnis aren't paying attention. On Juan Cole's website, there is some allegations that al-Maliki is refusing to allow Anbar and other Sunnis to join the Shiite dominated army. That hasn't been corroborated by other sources.
#2
If it comes from Professor Cole, it isn't likely to be corroborated. The man has long been notorious outside those circles that worship every word fallen from his lips. You would learn much from googling him, McZoid.
JERUSALEM - A rocket fired from the Gaza Strip landed in southern Israel on Friday but caused no injuries or damage, police said. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the rocket struck near Sderot, a town often targeted by militants.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
Samoans?
Rocket attacks have become rare since an Egyptian-brokered truce took effect in June.
Define 'rare'.
Earlier this week, Israel closed its border crossings with the Hamas-controlled territory, saying it did so in response to a similar attack.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/16/2008 00:00 ||
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Not everyone in the Russian blogosphere shared concerns about the war; its obscenely rich, glossy, and too self-absorbed fraction carried on as usual. I dont give a f**k about this war is a very loose translation of a post that Artemij Lebedev, one of Russias most famous digerati and bohemians (and this years Young Global Leader in Davos to boot), wrote on his LiveJournal blog. The post received more than 900 comments and was followed by a photo of a nude woman. Young global leadership for new times, indeed.
Amid the millions of comments that Russian bloggers wrote on the issue, a few themes started to emerge. The dominant narrative was that of a grand anti-Russian conspiracy carried out by the Western media. As reports from American and European media poured inmany with extremely graphic images of the destruction caused by Russias bombing of Georgian townssome Russian bloggers despaired that their government couldnt respond with its own powerful imagery and words.
Patriotic Russian netizens decided to wage their own propaganda campaigns. Like their Chinese colleagues who, earlier in the year, rushed to YouTube and Web sites of foreign media to leave comments about Tibet and the Olympics, Russians didnt think twice before flooding the Web sites of CNN and BBC with comments. Even very marginally related online venuessuch as the European forum of the popular game World of Warcraftwere hijacked by angry Russian commenters (the threads have been subsequently deleted).
The most educated among them even started posting simultaneously in two languagesRussian and Englishto convince speakers of both. Many of their comments pointed to inaccuracies in Western reporting and contained examples of possible mistakes in several graphic images from the war that the West might be taking at face value. People of the world. You deceive! World mass media conduct propagation of a false information, begins one such comment titled Typical Address to Stupid Foreigners. Bloggers encouraged each other to repost it on English-language sites as part of the campaign to educate the Western public (according to Google, this very comment has been reposted hundreds of times in the past few days).
The assumption that some Russian bloggers made was that if only the West could read accounts of the great injustice Georgians had inflicted upon South Ossetia, they could be converted to the Russian cause. So, relying on tools such as Google Docs, a popular online platform for sharing documents, they quickly split the work of compiling and then translating the timeline of the events into English. It seemed crucial to have enough reports to show that it was Georgia that first attacked South Ossetia.
No matter how the real conflict between Russia and Georgia ultimately ends, Russias young people are joining their Chinese counterparts in a great fight to make Western media more sympathetic to their countries. They are unlikely to succeed, but their very actions suggest much greater self-confidence on the world stage than their parents could ever exhibit. It remains to be seen whether their belligerence ends at fighting Western media in comment warfare or spills into more radical attacks.
#1
Wow, amazing how clearly the constituent threads of authoritarian groupthink appear when seen in others. My country's leadership is always right regardless of the consequences of its actions; the media are hopelessly biased against us - they're just reporting sensationalist bad news. I'm sure NONE of the people in HERE think like that...LOL. You guys are too much, really....
We used to have more diversity of thought here. But then the fascist BusHitler regime started having commenters beaten up and hauled away to secret prisons.
As you can imagine, they were treated horribly there. Those who resisted were forced to listen to old Gore and Kerry campaign speeches until their minds turned to mush.
The rest of us huddle around our keyboards, almost too frightened to think Englishtened Thoughts. No doubt the Dems will soon reassert 'fairness doctrine' over all electronic communications and we will emerrge into the light of politically correct opinion once again.
#3
You know, paganus, even if for you, the obligatory and self-obvious moral equivalency boils it down to a reciprocal case of "us vs them", I'm quite ok with that, in last analysis... in fact, I find it a very healthy mental atitude, much more so than the so-called culture of critique of "progressives". I'd wish the West be made of bigots and nationalist lemmings who see in "Us vs Them", we wouldn't be much different from the vast majority of the world's population, not at all, and we'd be on a much surer foot to deal with the lot of them, on their terms. Unfortunately, we're progressive and diverse. Oh, well, at least, I can be a bigot myself, it's a start, and be proud of it.
#5
Paganus: as obnoxious as they sometimes behave, there is a substantial value in the comments of those who reflect on what other countries think, even when the pro-nationals see those ideas as gloriously wrong-headed. Which they often are.
For example, the European media has mercilessly battered the US over the invasion of Iraq, joined in the chorus by our own internal critics. And while it is terribly annoying and unpatriotic, it does have a great value in introspection.
Now Americans can't hold a candle to Russians when it comes to full blown introspection. I've read some of the better Russian novels, where Dmitri remembers Ilyana, when she was thinking of Ivan, who was lost in his own reveries of his troubled youth. Recursive is an understatement.
But that is where the more sensible outside opinions are needed right now in the Russian debate. To question the axioms: Was Russia right in doing what it did? Was there a better way? Was there a non-military way? What is the price Russia must now pay?
The actual costs of this fight are going to be far greater than current expenses. The US is well aware of the dramatic hidden costs of our military activities. How diplomacy takes a long time to recover, as well as the free flow of trade. Partnerships are reconsidered, alliances and animosities re-examined.
Within the nation, political balances of power shift as well, and with effects that can last for years.
Russia will now need to strengthen its military, for several reasons. To replace expended supplies, to repair equipment, to upgrade what didn't work, to reconsider tactics, and lots of personnel actions. Military contracts abroad will have many ups and down, running into the billions of dollars.
All of this will take years to figure out, and the critics have the value of pointing it out sooner instead of later. They remain pests, but slightly useful pests.
#6
You're quite right, lotp. Why, there was a time when I independently always voted for liberal Democratic candidates, whereas now I dare only vote for warmongering Republicans. I can only cry (very, very quietly, of course, lest I be heard by informers) to the heavens, "Whence balance? Whence fairness? Whence the threatened wolves of yesteryear?"
From Wikipedia: Tu quoque is a Latin term used to mean an accusation of hypocrisy. The argument states that a certain position is false or wrong and/or should be disregarded because its proponent fails to act consistently in accordance with that position; it attempts to show that a criticism or objection applies equally to the person making it. It is considered an ad hominem argument, since it focuses on the opposite party itself, rather than its positions.
Any criticisms or challenges you'd like to make towards any positions expressed here are always welcome, though. But it is more difficult to debate a position than it is to be sarcastic or dismissive towards those who hold one different than yours.
Not that we're always above a little sarcasm or dismissiveness around here ;-P
#9
Speaking of the Olympics what about that Atlanta to the Sea stuff? In Gawds good time we will smite back and the so called "Army" of the Ohio will be driven back into the heck home that gave them birth. And that goes triple for running dawg Sherman and his lackey ole Pappy Thomas.
#10
A truly democratic free press, as exhibited by postings on Youtube and other Net sites provide accountability in areas where everything has been secretive and controlled for sometime. Getting at the truth and choosing sides is especially difficult when no one is in the right. Trusting the average citizen with a cell phone camera to blog the word out is a credit to the Russians. Putting Cold War stereotypes aside is difficult for many of us, but I also know how often the media is presenting a biased view to the world and the damage it can cause. AP accounts I've read claim the Georgians fired upon journalists trying to ascertain Russian claims of a couple thousand deaths of their passport holders, of "genocide" prompting the invasion and placement of "peacekeepers". Historically, Georgia was home to White Russians, tsarist loyalists, royalists, and anti-Soviet. They are also mostly Orthodox Christians, with a historic rivalry with Roman Cathoicism, and the papal opposition to Communism so well-documented, it is the official excuse for backing the Nazi's over the Soviets. The Cross of St. George was carried by knights eventually ex-communicated by the Vatican and cultural/factional rivalry is historic and recorded for centuries back to the even the time of the Hittites, Medes, Scythians, when even the first Christians were warned of the bloodthirsty inhabitants of the Aryan Caucusus Mountains. Russia has suffered from some horrific Muslim terrorist attacks, such as the Beslan school massacre, and has little sympathy with these southern neighbors that tolerate Islam. Although allied with the US and hosting US trainers, Georgians have also been accused of hiding Chechen rebels, who we know were allied with both Islamists and organized crime moving weapons, drugs, and anything else for a price through this strategic region. Russians claim self-defense, and Georgians claim their sovereign rights. Freedom has been redefined as an absence of laws, with democracy and capitalism synonymous with the black market. Georgian counterfeiters produce quality bills that flood the market with both US currency and the Euro. The Tranzis have this well planned, with the European Union negotiating rather than NATO dealing with it as a security threat to the pipelines that fuel Europe. Obamamessiah to the rescue. Russia also depends on the European markets, and wants the world to know they are not dead on the world stage. This move was carefully orchestrated, maybe even deliberately provoked while both Putin and Bush were away at the Olympics. The push for stronger sanctions to any any who deal with Iran, as Russia does, could come back to hamstring the US in our own diplomatic web. The space shuttle is about to be obsolete, another one not built, as the Orion will finish the mission planned. Our space program, of which getting to the moon and protection of eyes in the skies is a vital mission yet to be accomplished, will be at Russia's technological mercy and necessary funding banned by diplomats. We need Russia, especially with negotiations with Iran (they delayed deliveries)yet are in no position to do anything, putting us over the barrel again. The same pro-UN advisors that gave us the mess in the Balkans in the 90's by choosing the wrong side seem to be calling the shots once again. Blind support of Georgians that may be facilitating the terrorists with WMD's or the drug money to pay for them with taxpayer dollars when the budget and economy are stretched. I just have the awful feeling that there are no good guys to support anymore, at least without a shadow of doubt. Obscenely rich self-absorbed Russians could redeem themselves and be digital heroes that save the world by holding their leaders accountable, all with the click of a mouse.
#11
So, it was the Georgians who provoked the attack....odd, I never heard a peep, Second, while the Russians attempted to keep the peace, the evil Georgians attacked even the peacekeepers....again, I had no idea. However, someone high up in Russia knew because it takes a lot of planning, sneeking, and coordination to launch a massive attack as Russia has. And, viola, now we all hear about it.
Maybe if the earlier assertions were true it would have helped if we were informed. But we weren't, so we suppose those assertions are not true.
Putin's way, when the timing is right for attack, you attack. Then make up the causes and justifications later.
#13
I noted a posted comment on Cubs.com, of all places, no doubt googled by a 'doktordude' who said "Too bad CNN doesn't hire people
with intelligence and knowledge, then you culturally challenged Americans might actually
be respected... alas..." Sounds like a ruskie bear who's a cub fan?...should be a Reds fan.
#14
I also heard about the Russian/Ossetian irregulars who shelled into Georgia for months with tacit Russian approval and no interference from the Russian 'peacekeepers'.
#15
All I saw was a bunch of blown up apartment building in S.Ossetia and Georgia. The don't like apartments I guess, pisses them off just looking at them.
Seriously though Paganus, you'll see articles from Asia Times, Pak Daily, Adrokonos, et al here. Make what you will of the content. But Pravda don't cut it as a single source for an argument.
#16
If the Serbian army moved into Kosovo, heavily shelling Pristina in the middle of the night, occupying it, killing scores of civilians and a dozen US troops what would happen?
#17
Too bad the Russian bloggers don't contemplate why the Russian military had 4,000 troops standing ready on ships plus equipment lined up and ready to enter Georgia by railway. Not exactly an impulsive move to protect ethnic Russians from a sudden surge of Georgian abuse.
The Cold War continues. We need a renewed arms race to break these thugs and we need to appropriately arm their neighbors.
#18
When SFOR (NATO peacekeeping force) sponsors months of Kosovo sniping and artillery attacks into Serbia, as NATO prepositions tanks on bases, trains, and ships to invade Serbia within hours of the start of fighting, then we can talk. Until then the only "genocide" and ethnic cleansing have been by Russian sponsored lackeys, both now and throughout the 1990s.
Ethnic cleansing of Georgians in Abkhazia The ethnic cleansing and massacres of Georgians has been officially recognized by the OSCE conventions in 1994, 1996 and again in 1997 during the Budapest, Lisbon and Istanbul summits and condemned the perpetrators of war crimes committed during the conflict.[18] On May 15 2008, UN General Assembly adopted a resolution (GA/10708) which acknowledges the ethnic cleansing campaign which have been described by OSCE conventions, and strongly emphasizes the return of all Georgian Internally displaced persons (IDPs) back to Abkhazia, protection of their property rights and full restoration of the pre-war population.[19]
Signs of Ethnic Attacks in Georgia Conflict As the conflict between Russia and Georgia enters its second week, there is growing evidence of looting and ethnic cleansing in a number of villages throughout the area of conflict.
The attacks some witnessed by reporters or documented by a human rights group include stealing, the burning of villages and possibly even killings. Some are ethnically motivated, while at least some of the looting appears to be the work of profiteers in areas from which the authorities have fled.
The identities of the attackers vary, but a pattern of violence by ethnic Ossetians against ethnic Georgians is emerging and has been confirmed by some Russian authorities. Now Ossetians are running around and killing poor Georgians in their enclaves, said Maj. Gen. Vyacheslav Nikolaevich Borisov, the commander in charge of the city of Gori, occupied by the Russians.
A lieutenant from an armored transport division that was previously in Chechnya said: We have to be honest. The Ossetians are marauding.
But then this all a drop in the bucket compared to the 30 million of their own citizens the Soviets murdered and the millions more ethnically cleansed and exile to to the armpits of the USSR by organization that Putin so loves.
The Russians may think they have won an easy victory. The reality is that the easy money that the Russians have made selling fuel and metals will end. Sorry Yuri, but the economic growth that comes from integration with the west that Russians have enjoyed the last few years are will end as the west turns to alternative
sources of supply. Russia can go back to the barbaric master/serf society it never left behind. Chances are Yuri's daughter, if lucky, will grow up to be working as a cleaning lady in Tiblisi.
Posted by: ed ||
08/16/2008 17:52 Comments ||
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#19
Apples and oranges.
If Serbia attacked Kosovo, regardless the fact that there were Serbian passport holders inside Kosovo "that must be protected", it would be an agression against a soverign country.
The S Ossetia is not an independnt country (not recognized as such by anone, including Russian Federation), legally a part of Georgia. The Georgian shelling, from the legal POV, can be assessed as a police action, yes over the top action, but not that dissimilar to Russian actions in Chechnya, which were far more damaging to civilians than in S Ossetia (47 dead / 278 injured according the chief of Tskhinvali hospital).
#21
If the Serbian army moved into Kosovo, heavily shelling Pristina in the middle of the night, occupying it, killing scores of civilians and a dozen US troops what would happen?
Before, or after the Serbs' program of ethnic cleansing?
Before would be farcial, since there weren't any US or Nato troops there.
After would be immaterial, since at that point there already was de facto combat.
#24
Are you saying the Serbians (proper) are sponsoring Kosovo Serb sniping and artillery attacks against the Kosovo Albanians? Or are you accusing the NATO nations of sponsoring those attacks? Please show some clarity and consistency in your arguments. All three enclaves are part of the nation state they are attached to. It is the Russians who are attempting to annex two of them. While the Serbia may love to annex N Kosovo they have made no provocations to do so.
Posted by: ed ||
08/16/2008 19:02 Comments ||
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#25
"People of the world. You deceive! World mass media conduct propagation of a false information.
That sounds familiar. The commie bastards were all over the internet with that line of pap including here. From the looks of the things they have sent a better lot today *wink*.
Snicker Snort Snort
#27
The S. Ossetians, with Kremlin backing, have been initiating attacks for months, increasing as the Georgians did not take the bait. Face it, a mechanized division does not move out unless it had prepared itself weeks in advance. Pretty lucky don't you think that entire armored columns were fueled, armed and logistical columns loaded up and moving out in 5 only hours. Pretty damn lucky that armored regiments were preloaded onto trains and moving into Abkhazia within hours and men already loaded onto amphib transports. Powerball Lotto winning luck if you ask me.
Posted by: ed ||
08/16/2008 19:20 Comments ||
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Posted by: ed ||
08/16/2008 19:47 Comments ||
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#30
And do you think the Georgians didn't plan their move ahead as well.
Then chosing the day of the opening ceremony with Putin in China and Medvedev on holidays, hoping to block the tunnel before the Russians had made up their mind.
It just didn't work out because the Russians were prepared better than the Georgians thlought. US intelligence mustn't have been great or the Georgians didn't listen.
Mind you, I'm not pretending that one side is right and the other is wrong. I'm talking realpolitik here.
When you live in the vicinity of Russia you need to behave like you lived in the vicity of Russia, and not say Austria.
Whether Russia is right or wrong, whether it crossed the line etc does not matter.
The question is: Was it to be expected? If so, act accordingly.
#31
Well ed, if your small neighbor suddenly increased his military spending sevenfold, with the help of the U.S., behaving more aggressivily (note that the Georgians already stated an ill-fated assault on SE in 2004), what would you do.
Ignoring it or planning ahead by moving more troops to the border?
Saakashvili did a lot to inflame the tensions since he became president. Abkhazia and Sout Ossetia were a lot quieter before he came to power vowing to retake the two breakaway provinces.
And frankly, it doesn't take THAT MUCH planning ahead to invade South Ossetia from Russia.
#32
Right and wrong do not matter? Who plans and provides the provocations to start a war does not matter? A cynical throwback to 19th century imperialism does not matter? A non elected leader, bred in the most murderous organization of the 20th century, openly acting as the power behind the throne of the second nuclear power on earth does not matter?
Posted by: ed ||
08/16/2008 20:00 Comments ||
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#33
Do you truly believe that a Russian armored division moving out in 5 hours after the order and 14 hours after fighting starts is "normal". Do you think they could even track down the personnel in 5 hours?
Does the Russian Army keep fueled and armed tanks ready on railroad cars or do you think months of planning went into this invasion? How do you think the Black Sea Fleet arrived from Sevastopol in only 12 hours ready to dislodge troops? Be honest.
No doubt Russia and Georgia were in conflict. What with Russia sponsoring the 1992 war and ethnic cleansing and still occupying large chunks of Georgian territory. Ask yourself who was providing the provocation to start the war? Who had their forces prepositioned, ready for war and who was not? Who benefited?
Posted by: ed ||
08/16/2008 20:16 Comments ||
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#34
BTW, the 82nd Airbone Ready Brigade (that's one brigade of paratroopers, no armor, no naval flotilla) is ready to ship out in 18 hours. The Russians must be extraordinary military geniuses to move out a heavy division in 5 hours.
Posted by: ed ||
08/16/2008 20:20 Comments ||
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#35
ed, who upped the ante from some local skirmishes to a full blown invasion of South Ossetia?
The Georgians claimed to have conquered two thirds of SE within hours after they went in, before the Russians reacted.
You think that was not planned way ahead?
And do you think that the Russians do not have intelligence within the Georgian power center?
#36
The S. Ossetian provocations started months ago, but really escalated into artillery duels a few days before the Georgian invasion. Coincidentally, that was the time Bush left for Asia, if you want to get conspiratorial. As we have seen, the Georgians were not as well prepared logistically for this war, even running out of gas for their vehicles. Not the western way of war at all. While on the other hand, as shown, the Russians already had their gear loaded and their people in place well before the Georgian invasion began. The Georgians walked into a Russian trap, even after some warnings from the US.
My question to you, what is your motivation for defending this Russian initiated invasion of a sovereign country?
Posted by: ed ||
08/16/2008 20:37 Comments ||
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#37
sovereign and democratic country.
Posted by: ed ||
08/16/2008 20:38 Comments ||
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#38
ed
I do not defend Russia. I do not defend hornets stinging people but I blame people who think they can poke into a hornet's nest without consequences.
#40
The "hornet's nest" was in Georgia. Russia is the imperial power occupying Georgian territory, de facto and most likely soon formally annexing those territories. You know, there are hundreds of disgruntled minorities in Russia. Oh and looky, it looks like the Russians have stirred up the "hornet's nest" of America. How unfortunate.
Posted by: ed ||
08/16/2008 20:52 Comments ||
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#41
More democratic than Russia. At least there are elections that have more than a ruling party approved (and funded) token opposition.
Posted by: ed ||
08/16/2008 20:53 Comments ||
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#43
I do not defend Russia. I do not defend hornets stinging people but I blame people who think they can poke into a hornet's nest without consequences.
Indeed. It's always ... prudent ... to do that at a distance, as when Germany forced recognition of breakaway Croatia.
How convenient that others then had to step in to salvage the situation in the Balkans.
#46
If the Serbian army moved into Kosovo, heavily shelling Pristina in the middle of the night, occupying it, killing scores of civilians and a dozen US troops what would happen?
You mean in 1999? Dont know, since they occupied it for years and conducted an extended campaign of ethnic cleansing, we cant know what would have happened had it been a case more like Ossetia. Although even in that instance, NATO did not send ground forces to invade Serbia proper.
#49
To call Georgia a "democratic" country is applying very very low standards to democracy.
Its not jsut that Georgia is more democratic than Russia, but that its more democratic since 2004 than it was under its previous two leaders. Its a question of direction.
#50
Paganus: "I'm sure NONE of the people in HERE think like that...LOL. You guys are too much, really...."
Jebus Paganus, Welcome but listen to lotp.. She's always right on the button.
"It's a sad story, actually.
We used to have more diversity of thought here. But then the fascist BusHitler regime started having commenters beaten up and hauled away to secret prisons."
Truth to power Paganus, Just Yesterday I was hauled off BEATEN all night in our local "Lubyanka", called the Sink Trap.
Here's the Proof scroll down Paganus, lotp is correct; the fascist BusHitler regime kicked the living shiite out of me all night!
*sniff* <:(
Posted by: Red Dawg ||
08/16/2008 23:15 Comments ||
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A ranger was wounded early Saturday after a bomb lanted by presumed terrorists insurgents at the foot of a bridge near a small railway station in this troubled southern province exploded while three suspected insurgents were apprehended.
The latest violence took place at about 6.30 am when six paramilitary rangers were patrolling a railway line in Ruso district and the bomb, detonated by remote control, exploded, wounding one of them. The impact of the explosion caused a deep hole near a bridge on the railway line. Also, the first passenger train service from Narathiwat's Sungai Kolok district heading for Surat Thani province was delayed over two hours as bomb detectors inspected the rail line to certify that no other explosives was hidden in the near vicinity.
Provincial security personnel later set up a checkpoint behind the small railway station, near the scene of the bombing, and arrested three suspects for interrogation.
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
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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.
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - The U.S.-led coalition says more than 36 militants have been killed in a series of clashes in southern Afghanistan.
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) - Somali government troops and their Ethiopian allies sprayed bystanders with gunfire in response to two separate bomb attacks, killing at least 40 people Friday, witnesses said. The killings, which could not be independently confirmed, occurred a day before the president and his estranged prime minister are to hold talks amid a protracted power struggle between them that has complicated efforts to end Somalia's expanding Islamic insurgency.
The commander of banned militant outfit 
Ninteen person including 10 militants were killed and 35 injured in fresh fighting between the rival tribal groups in Kurram tribal area on Friday. The clashes have claimed at least 211 lives during the last one week. According to sources in political administration, the warring tribesmen of Bangash and Tori tribes are fighting in Bagzai, Jalmay, Sadda, Balash Khel, Sangeena, Kandi Zar, Karman. Bogki Gram Saidan, Kanj Alizai and Pewar areas.
Pakistan's interior ministry chief Rehman Malik said Friday that over 460 militants and 22 soldiers have been killed in more than a week of fighting in Bajaur tribal area bordering Afghanistan. More than 3,000 armed militants, most of them foreigners, are involved in the clashes in the troubled Bajaur tribal region, prime minister's advisor on interior told a Press conference. "Extremists wanted to establish their hold in Bajaur and the government had to take action," he said in Peshawar, the capital of North West Frontier Province. "Until today 462 militants have been killed in Bajaur and a similar number have been injured. Twenty-two troops have been killed and some are missing in action," Malik said. The "major portion" of the militants were foreigners, Malik said, adding that they included "Afghans, Chechens, Yemenis and Afro-Asians." Provincial governor Owais Ghani said that around 219,000 people have been displaced from Bajaur, adding that the provincial government had set up nine camps to provide them shelter, food and medicines. Separately, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said in Islamabad the operation in Bajaur tribal area will continue till the militants have been flushed out.
Iraqi officials threw a massive security cordon around the holy city of Karbala on Friday after a wave of bombings in 24 hours killed at least 20 Shiite worshippers and wounded dozens.
