Even as the highest-profile segment of the 64th UN General Assembly opened here today with leaders such as US President Barack Obama and external affairs minister S.M. Krishna taking the podium, the session has been overshadowed, for the man in the street, by a huge controversy over the presence of one of the worlds longest-serving and most mercurial leaders, Muammar Gaddafi.
This is Gaddafis first visit to the US since he took power at the age of 27, exactly four decades ago.
Libya is president of the General Assembly for a year from this month and is an elected member of the UN Security Council, but Gaddafi has been unable to find any place to stay in New York this week.
In keeping with his unconventional lifestyle, Gaddafi, who likes to sleep in a bedouin tent, tried to pitch his sleeping quarters on the grounds of New Yorks famed Central Park, but the City of New York denied him permission to do so.
Ratan Tatas landmark hotel here, the Taj Pierre, accepted a booking for the Guide of the First of September Great Revolution of the Socialist Peoples Libyan Arab Jamahiriya and Brotherly Leader and Guide of the Revolution, who has held no official state title for 30 of the 40 years that he has led Libya.
But when word got around and the hotels long-time clients protested, the Tatas quickly cancelled the booking for Gaddafi. Taj Pierre would not comment on the record on the ground that guest bookings are confidential business.
The aborted choice of the Taj Pierre was actually the last resort for the Libyan strongman, according to a Libyan diplomat to the UN. His UN Mission earlier tried to pitch Gaddafis tent at a property in the New Jersey town of Englewood.
Although that property is owned by the Libyan embassy, the US state department stepped in and banned erection of the tent there in the face of angry protests by residents of Englewood, many of whom are Jews.
In keeping with prior arrangements, the Englewood, New Jersey, property is not available for any use in connection with Gaddafis visit, state department spokesman Ian Kelly told reporters.
Any use of this property other than the personal use of the Libyan ambassador and his family has to be reviewed by the state department, Kelly said.
Gaddafi has always been a hate figure among Americans, who view him as an enemy of the US and a promoter of terror and weapons of mass destruction. In 1986, then US President Ronald Reagan bombed what were thought to be Gaddafis sleeping tents in Tripoli and Benghazi, killing, among others, Gaddafis daughter, Hannah.
However, in recent years, Libya compromised with its Western enemies, allowed the inspection and dismantling of Libyas nuclear programme and was allowed back into the international community by the US and European Union countries.
Libyas presidency of the General Assembly and its election to the Security Council were the results of such acceptance.
Earlier this year, there were suggestions from Tripoli that Gaddafi might himself preside over the 64th General Assembly, but the proposal ran aground because he wanted to hand over the post mid-way to his son and heir apparent, Saif Al Islam.
Under UN rules, an individual has to be elected General Assembly president for an entire year. The post was eventually filled by Ali Abdussalam Treki, Libyas minister for African Union affairs.
Gaddafis visit to New York this week was to have been the high point of Libyas return to the world order, but it has been spoiled by the controversy over his accommodation.
The trigger for the latest round of American protests was the release from a Scottish prison of a Libyan, Abdel Basset al-Megrahi, who was given a heros welcome on his return to Libya in August.
Megrahi, who was convicted of bombing a Pan Am jet over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988 killing 270 people, was released on compassionate grounds because of his terminal cancer.
After the Englewood fiasco, billionaire builder Donald Trump offered his estate in Bedford, 43 miles north of Manhattan, as a site for erecting Gaddafis tent, but town authorities stepped in and ordered work to be stopped at the site on the flimsy ground that no permits were sought for building a temporary residence on the estate.
Several Manhattan hotels then refused to book the Libyan leader.
At one point, Libyan diplomats here, desperate for a roof for Gaddafi under Manhattans skyline, pretended to be Dutch diplomats and inquired about renting a six-storey townhouse. They were quickly discovered to be Arabs because of their accents.
The Libyan leader will now stay at his countrys Permanent Mission to the UN, which is an office and does not have residential facilities.
Posted by: john frum ||
09/24/2009 13:20 ||
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Le him pitch his tent on the White House Lawn.
Obama's his friend? Right?
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
09/24/2009 13:50 Comments ||
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An Al-Qaeda splinter group threatened to attack the US embassy in Pretoria, prompting the United States to close its diplomatic posts in South Africa, a newspaper reported on Thursday.
The group phoned the embassy on Monday and threatened to attack US government buildings in South Africa, including the embassy and aid offices, The Star newspaper said, citing "well-placed security sources".
The report did not identify the group, but said the threat was apparently prompted by the killing of a top regional Al-Qaeda leader in Somalia during a lightning US military operation last week.
Somalia's hardline Shebab Islamist group has vowed to avenge the killing of Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan, a Kenyan citizen wanted by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation over anti-Israeli attacks in Mombasa in 2002. What? No mention of the 200 Africans, almost all female students, killed and 5000 wounded in Kenya and Tanzania?
Posted by: ed ||
09/24/2009 08:36 ||
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[Asharq al-Aswat] In an upstairs wing of the Imam Turki Bin Abdullah mosque in Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat meets the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia Sheikh Abdul Aziz Aal Al-Sheikh who is sitting on the floor with a student explaining a religious book.
After the Grand Mufti leads prayers, and providing there is enough time, he usually holds a question and answer session with those in the mosque to answer their questions on religion. During his interview with Asharq Al-Awsat Grand Mufti Sheikh Aziz Aal Al-Sheikh answered questions with the same humility and clarity that he answers religious questions. The following is the text of the interview Asharq Al-Awsat conducted with Grand Mufti Sheikh Aziz Aal Al-Sheikh.
Q) What is your religious position towards joining, supporting, or covering up for members of Al Qaeda in Saudi Arabia?
A) In the name of God, the most Gracious the most Merciful, and praise be to God, and peace and blessings upon his messenger Prophet Mohamed, and his family, and his companions. Almighty God said to the Believers, 'Help ye one another in righteousness and piety, but help ye not one another in sin and rancour: fear Allah: for Allah is strict in punishment,' [Surat Al-Maeda, Verse 2]. The character of a believer should be to cooperate and help others in goodness, righteousness, and piety, not helping [to achieve] sin and transgression. Sin and transgression, and those who do this, should be condemned and detested, and he [the believer] should not help to commit them. Any group that inflicts harm on Islam and Muslims, or any group that is hostile to Islam, or [any group that] spreads corruption, chaos, and fear, and destabilizes security, and sheds the blood of the Ummah [Muslim nation], any group or organization that assumes such a role, then the Muslims are not with them but against them, and are an enemy of them, because Muslims respect the value of human life and [understand the concept of] honour.
The Prophet (pbuh) said, "The life, wealth, and honour of a Muslim are inviolable by another Muslim," [Sahih Muslim Hadith]. If this is the case, then no believer should recognize the people of falsehood. The Prophet (pbuh) also said, '"Support your brother, whether he is the oppressor or the oppressed. They said, 'we will support him if he is oppressed, but what about if he is the oppressor?' He [the prophet] said '[in this case] you should support him by preventing him from committing injustice.'" In other words, do not aid your brother in committing unjust acts. Whoever aids a corrupt person in spreading corruption is a partner in sin. This is why the Prophet (pbuh) also said, "God curses those who shelter a heretic."
Scholars say that sheltering a heretic includes [physically] sheltering him, covering up for him, not exposing him, as well as aiding him and standing with him, and this is something that does not befit a Muslim who believes in God and Judgment Day.
Q) The Al Qaeda organization targeted the Saudi Deputy Interior Minister for Security Affairs, Prince Mohammed Bin Naif, during the holy month of Ramadan. What is your opinion of this?
A) There is no doubt that Prince Mohammed Bin Naif is a uniquely well-mannered and religious individual who works restlessly to advise the ummah. As the Deputy Minister of Interior for Security Affairs he is one of the strongholds of Islam in this country, and he has made laudable efforts and achieved good results. There is no doubt that what happened to Prince Mohammed is a serious incident, but as God said 'If ye take a dislike to them it may be that ye dislike a thing, and Allah brings about through it a great deal of good,' [Surat An-Nisa, Verse 19]. This incident highlighted this man [Prince Mohammed Bin Naif] and his virtues and deeds, and thank God that he is well and unharmed. The targeting of such figures will undoubtedly result in the public condemnation of all of these evil organizations and trends because they harm Islam and Muslims.
Q) The security apparatus has achieved great success in curbing these organizations and their crimes, however there are some who believe that the efforts to address their ideology in schools, mosques, universities, and even within families is still below the requisite level. What do you recommend in this regard?
A) This ideology is being treated in a variety of ways. It must be treated by the education curriculum, either by way of written materials or at least by lectures, to clarify this evil ideology to people and warn them against it. Whether by way of lectures or study, what is important is that in education there is something to wake people up from their indifference [to the dangers of this ideology], and help them understand what is happening in reality, and warn them against it.
Our news media should also treat this issue realistically, not with words and culture, but with a realistic and uncomplicated treatment [of the issue] to clarify to the public what these organizations are, what their goals are, and what harm they cause, and so the media must also be cooperative. Imams should also play a role in this. The press should also have a role, and it is up to the press to write fairly on this issue, rather than just showing one point of view, that terrorism takes place against good and righteous people, or vice-verse. This evil issue should be treated on a case-by-case basis, rather than by blaming it on the other side.
Q) Moving now to the H1N1 virus, there has been much talk on the issue of swine flu, and scholars are divided over whether somebody who dies from swine flu is a martyr. What is your opinion on this?
A) The Prophet (pbuh) said that [dying from] plague is martyrdom. So if this epidemic proves to have the same impact as a plague, then it would be considered a plague. I would not describe it as this now, but it is well known that plague causes massive numbers of death in a short period of time. If physicians say this disease is similar to diseases with high-mortality rates, then it should be deemed so. This [however] depends upon the specialists that can better assess this disease and its impact to understand whether it is a deadly disease or not.
Q) So what is the religious advice with regards to postponing one's Hajj pilgrimage for fear of contracting swine flu?
A) If one is afraid of contracting the disease, then Hajj is not a duty for him, and he can postpone his Hajj pilgrimage until next year, but thank God we hear that this illness is not critical, and that it is a treatable disease. The Ministry of Health says that 98 percent of swine flu cases in Saudi Arabia have fully recovered meaning that, thank God, this is an uncomplicated issue. The King has also ordered that the relevant vaccine be purchased, and we pray to God that these prove beneficial.
Q) Satellite television channels and telephone lines are now full of people issuing fatwas and interpreting dreams, do you believe legal and official measures are necessary in order to curb this?
A) There are two types of satellite television channels at the moment, those present inside Saudi Arabia, and those present outside of the country. Every satellite channel is trying to increase its audience and therefore occasionally bring Muftis, dream interpreters, and singers to appear, depending on what the audience wants at a particular time. There is no doubt that issuing fatwas has a role in the country, and the people like to do good deeds, and so those who issue fatwas appear on one television channel or another, and perhaps some channels entice them with money, in order to attract a larger audience. However this issue concerns the Mufti in question who should fear and obey God and know that speaking about God in ignorance is one of the greatest sins. The Quran says, 'Say: the things that my Lord hath indeed forbidden are: shameful deeds, whether open or secret; sins and trespasses against truth or reason; assigning of partners to Allah, for which He hath given no authority; and saying things about Allah of which ye have no knowledge, [Surat Al-Araf, Verse 33].'
It is essential for a man to preach from his heart, and not be lured into appearing on a television channel; he should keep God in mind and know that one day God will ask him about everything that he said.
As for the issue of interpreting dreams, this is undoubtedly a knowledge granted by God to Prophet Yusuf (pbuh), as God almighty said, 'Thus will thy Lord choose thee and teach thee the interpretation of stories (and events),' [Surat Yusuf, Verse 6]. However, many of these [dream interpreters on television] say what they think the dreamer wants to hear, and this is wrong. Interpreting dreams is knowledge and not a means to compliment somebody, and some of these interpret dreams in order to satisfy the dreamer whether or not he believes this is true. This is a grave mistake, as dream interpretation is knowledge, and only those who have mastered this are entitled to speak.
Q) The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz recently ordered that the Council of Senior Ulama be expanded to include 21 members representing the four juristic schools of Islamic thought. To what extent do you believe this will affect the topics put forward for deliberation by the Council?
A) The Council of Senior Ulama is a consultative body that comprises of members who I hope will make favourable judgments and will be up to the responsibility [of this] and may God bless the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques with regards to this decision.
Q) Regarding the current economic reforms and economic activity that emerges from time to time, and the related fatwas regarding whether or not it is possible to hold shares in a particular company, to have insurance etc. do you believe that there should be just one authority for issuing fatwas to give explicit and clear opinions regarding all financial dealings that emerge in the Saudi market?
A) This is what is needed and what we hope for, but unfortunately many of them seek fatwas from clerics who lack knowledge and issue fatwas blindly. It is very problematic as you might find several different answers to one question on the same company. Instead, there must be a general principle for what is prohibited and what is permissible. Thank God, we know that the government does not license a company unless it is Sharia-compliant. We are aware of this but matters that follow should be discussed with knowledge and calm, and the Council of Senior Ulama and the Permanent Committee [for Islamic Research and Fataawa] should be consulted on this.
Q) Banks and other bodies such as satellite television channels have their own Sharia committees. To what extant can those committees be trusted and have you looked at their work?
A) We have not looked at all of the work of all these committees, but I wish them success as long as they are Sharia compliant and comprise of knowledgeable people.
Q) The Shura Council recently discussed a proposal to set up committees affiliated to the General Presidency for Fatwas with regards to all fields (economics, medicine, sociology, politics etc.), which would aim to raise the scholars' awareness of facts and reality. In this sense, through the accurate and correct awareness, you can take part in issues that require fatwas. What is your view in this regard?
A) A medical authority comprising of some members of the Council of Senior Ulama and some specialists, has been set up within the Permanent Committee and is held once every four months to look into medical issues. This is promising and if the council wants to look into an economic issue, it can simply summon specialists to give their opinions in writing, and so on.
Q) King Abdulaziz Bin Abdul Rahman unified this country and Islam. However, certain phenomena have surfaced recently in society such as showing off about tribal and regional affiliations, branding one another as Islamists, liberals, communists, Marxists etc. To what extant does this pose a threat to society?
A) This is a Muslim nation that is governed by Islam and one that worships God and obeys the prophet, and follows Islamic Sharia. Our rulers are Muslims who administer and establish God's Sharia. This country's urban and desert parts were unified by King Abdulaziz, may his soul rest in peace, who did not allow for racism; therefore, it is our duty to ignore these matters because boasting about being highbred goes against Islam and the Prophet (pbuh) who said, "There are two practices among my people both of which indicate disbelief: ridiculing the ancestry of others and wailing over the dead." Ridiculing or boasting about ancestry are low and rejected practices. The Quran says: 'The noblest of you, in the sight of Allah, is the best in conduct' [Surat Al-Hujraat, Verse 13], and 'the believers are but brethren' [Surat Al-Hujraat, Verse 10] and, 'And hold fast by the covenant of Allah all together and be not disunited, and remember the favor of Allah on you when you were enemies, then He united your hearts so by His favor you became brethren,' [Surat Al-Imran, Verse 102]. The relationship between Muslims is one of Islamic brotherhood that has nothing to do with tribal or regional discrimination. We are a Muslim nation and are governed by the Holy Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet (pbuh), and the leadership upholds all of this, and I pray that Allah will grant it success.
Q) Throughout the past four years, Saudi Arabia has sent tens of thousands of its citizens abroad on scholarships. What is your advice to them whilst they are abroad or after they return home?
A) I pray to God that they preserve their religion and remain virtuous and strong, gain the knowledge that benefits their country, maintain their morals and are never lured by temptations of civilisation that will be of no benefit to them as Muslims. I hope that they will return to their homeland with knowledge, and promote God's religion through their religion. I recommend that they uphold good morals so that others would recognize them as Muslims through their morals and conduct, and to abide by the rules [of the countries in which they live] and at the same time uphold the [Islamic] Sharia morals that guide them towards good.
Q) What would you like to say to the Muslim nation now that the month of Ramadan has come to an end?
A) I pray to God that our fasting during Ramadan is accepted and that Ramadan is returned to us once again with faith and prosperity and that God helps us carry out good deeds, and helps the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the Crown Prince, and the Second Deputy [Prime Minister] with all that is good.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/24/2009 00:00 ||
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Q) What is your religious position towards joining, supporting, or covering up for members of Al Qaeda in Saudi Arabia?
A) Any group that inflicts harm on Islam and Muslims, or any group that is hostile to Islam, or [any group that] spreads corruption, chaos, and fear, and destabilizes security, and sheds the blood of the Ummah [Muslim nation], any group or organization that assumes such a role, then the Muslims are not with them but against them, and are an enemy of them, because Muslims respect the value of human life and [understand the concept of] honour. ...
The Prophet (pbuh) said, "The life, wealth, and honour of a Muslim are inviolable by another Muslim,"
Message understood. Infidels need not apply.
Posted by: ed ||
09/24/2009 6:17 Comments ||
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I find it odd that their speech so closely resembles 16th century english literature.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
09/24/2009 16:39 Comments ||
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[Al Arabiya Latest] Iranians living in the United Arab Emirates who apply for a visa to the United States are often targeted by the CIA as potential spies for Washington, a report published on Tuesday said.
Every Iranian applicant is grilled for information on the Islamic Republic and those with the most valuable information are recruited by the CIA as informants, the U.K.'s Telegraph quoted a newly released book.
"The visa windows at the U.S. Consulate and Embassy are lucrative intelligence collection points," reads Dubai: The Story of the World's Fastest City by Jim Krane, who cites unnamed diplomats as his source.
"So lucrative, in fact, that the Central Intelligence Agency stepped in to save the Dubai consulate from closure," Krane, a former AP correspondent, writes, referring to the State Department attempt to shut down the consulate to cut spending.
The UAE, which lies just across the Arabian Gulf from the Islamic Republic, is home to some 400,000 Iranians and thousands more stream in to apply for visas as the U.S. has had no official mission in Tehran since the closure of its embassy following the 1979 Islamic revolution.
Farsi-speaking specialists in the consulate, installed by the CIA, are tasked with spotting Iranians with "interesting backgrounds," who are then asked to return several times before either being granted a visa or recruited as informants.
Krane added people of interest include those that live in Iran or Dubai and said the Iranian community in the emirate was made up of anti-government exiles, pro-government officials and businessmen seeking an easier environment then the sanction-hit republic, the paper reported.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/24/2009 00:00 ||
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A former secretary of the North Korean Workers Party who defected to Seoul in 1997 says China must prevail on the North to reform and open up. Speaking on the 20th anniversary of the Monthly Korea Forum, a conservative magazine, at the Korea Press Center in Seoul on Tuesday, Hwang Jang-yop said, "It's necessary to call China to account for maintaining an alliance with Kim Jong-il."
Hwang said reunification can be discussed in 15 to 20 years if North Korea opens its doors and carries out reforms as China did, and if South Korean funds and engineers are allowed access.
"Opening and reform after the Chinese model are tantamount to getting rid of absolute rule and introducing the market economy. If this happens, North Korea's living standards would improve dramatically within 15 years, and there will be nothing to worry about" when reunification comes.
"It is China in the end that decides Kim Jong-il's fate. South Korea must sign a free trade pact with China to draw China and North Korea apart," he said. "At the moment, no Chinese leaders think favorably of Kim Jong-il."
He blamed the "Sunshine Policy" for the slow pace of change in the North. "When I left, I predicted that North Korea would not survive for another five years. But the prospects have darkened" due to the policy of engagement.
South Korea "should help the 23 million North Koreans as citizens of the Republic of Korea. But helping Kim Jong-il, a national traitor, will only result in strengthening the armor of his dictatorship," he said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/24/2009 00:00 ||
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I interpet both this article and the one below as "Desperate Floundering" in other words, thrashing about in a panic.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
09/24/2009 11:20 Comments ||
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[Kyodo: Korea] North Korean leader Kim Jong Il told a Chinese presidential envoy during a meeting Friday in Pyongyang that North Korea intends to prioritize talks with the United States as a way of addressing the nuclear standoff, diplomatic sources involved in six-party denuclearization talks said Tuesday. China"s Foreign Ministry has quoted Kim as telling Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo that North Korea aims to solve the denuclearization issue through ""bilateral and multilateral talks,"" but the ministry did not make clear whether bilateral talks refer to U.S.-North Korea talks.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/24/2009 00:00 ||
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I interpet both this article and the one above as "Desperate Floundering" in other words, thrashing about in a panic.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
09/24/2009 11:18 Comments ||
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IRANIAN President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad did not cross the "red line" that would have prompted a walkout by all EU states in his speech at the United Nations, the Swedish foreign ministry says.
"There were certain criteria set for when the EU would leave the room and those criteria were not fulfilled," spokeswoman Cecilia Julin said.
The criteria agreed in New York before the Iranian leader spoke included denying the Holocaust and calling for the annihilation of Israel, which Mr Ahmadinejad avoided doing this time.
Even so, a number of EU states did walk out when Mr Ahmadinejad attacked Israel, including Britain, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary and Italy.
"We're not commenting on who left or who didn't leave," Ms Julin said. "I think there were other reasons for other countries that decided to leave."
In his address, Mr Ahmadinejad again took aim at Israel but without mentioning the country or Jews by name, referring only to the "Zionist regime".
He accused Israel of "inhumane policies in Palestine," including genocide, and seeking to "establish a new form of slavery, and harm the reputation of other nations, even European nations and the US, to attain its racist ambitions".
Israel had called for a boycott of the speech, and was not present when the Iranian leader spoke. Canada heeded the boycott call, while delegations from Argentina, Australia, Costa Rica, New Zealand and the United States also left the room as Mr Ahmadinejad began to rail against Israel, a European source said.
Those remaining applauded wildly to make up for the defections, lest poor President Ahmadenijad's feelings be hurt.
Too much emphasis on pointy hats Sept. 11 hurts my head clouds judgment, Chief Justice McLachlin says
Canada's most senior judge cautioned Tuesday against going overboard in the fight against terrorism by putting too much emphasis on the 9/11 attacks in the U.S. at the expense of sacrificing civil rights and charter protections.
Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin's warning that lawmakers, judges and citizens must heed the big picture... I'm sure those on the 104th floor of the WTC were heeding the big picture.
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Attorney General Eric Holder announced limits Wednesday on the use of the "state secrets" defense, which can block courts from considering cases in which government secrets could be released. Eric Holder gave no indication the new rules would affect ongoing cases in which the privilege has been invoked.
The new standard would require the attorney general and a panel of government lawyers to approve such a claim "only when genuine and significant harm to national defense or foreign relations is at stake."
Currently, the Justice Department can ask a court to block consideration of a case by invoking the defense with a lower standard by asserting disclosures could harm national security.
In a four-page memo to all Executive Branch and intelligence agencies, Holder says the change will "provide greater accountability and reliability."
Holder said the Justice Department will not defend the use of the state secrets privilege in order to hide violations of law or government errors, or to protect against the embarrassment of government officials.
The American Civil Liberties Union said the change did not go far enough, and lumped the Obama administration with that of the Bush administration in its use of the state secrets privilege.
The usual kvetching, right on cue.
"On paper, this is a step forward. In court, however, the Obama administration continues to defend a broader view of state secrets put forward by the Bush administration and to demand that federal courts throw out lawsuits filed by victims of torture and illegal surveillance," said Ben Wizner, staff attorney with the ACLU National Security Project. The group urged Congress to pass laws to limit the White House's use of the state secrets privilege.
The policy change is the result of a lengthy review of current cases in which the Bush administration had invoked the state secrets privilege. However, Holder gave no indication the new rules would affect ongoing cases in which the privilege has been invoked.
The Obama administration has continued to back sensitive cases originally brought against the Bush administration in which citizens claimed they were illegally monitored.
The newly announced changes may not go far enough to satisfy staunch Democratic critics of the state secrets defense.
Of course not. The only secrets the congressional Democrats want to keep are their incomes, their political contributions and their ACORN affiliations ...
Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-New York, said, "The reforms fall short of what is necessary." Nadler, who heads a key House subcommittee on civil liberties, said he believes legislation is still required.
Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont, who leads the Senate Judiciary Committee, said he remains "especially concerned" that the new policy does not require the government to provide substantial evidence to a judge when asserting the privilege.
The policy change announced Wednesday goes into effect October 1.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/24/2009 00:00 ||
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It's should be interesting when the other party takes power and discovers the extent of selling out the US and placement of marxists and communists in key positions in the government. It ought to be a prosecutors happy hunting ground, if the Republican leadership have any balls.
Posted by: ed ||
09/24/2009 8:11 Comments ||
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The new standard would require the attorney general and a panel of government lawyers to approve such a claim "only when genuine and significant harm to national defense or foreign relations is at stake."
Glad they have no need for 'experts' in military security and operations, clandestine operations, sigint or slews of other areas of national defense. The legal caste as the ruling caste. The process becomes the end, no longer just the means. Who needs the 'consent' of the governed when they're in charge.
Police acting without the FBI's knowledge may have inadvertently helped blow the surveillance of a terrorism suspect and compromised a bomb plot investigation at a sensitive stage by questioning an imam about him, a criminal complaint suggests.
"They came to ask me about your characters," the Muslim religious leader, Ahmad Wais Afzali, told Najibullah Zazi in a secretly recorded Sept. 11 telephone conversation. "They asked me about you guys."
At least one of those New York Police Department detectives, referred to in the recently unsealed criminal complaint, works for a division that operates independently from an FBI-run terrorism task force.
The complaint also suggests investigators may have tipped off Zazi, a 24-year-old Denver airport shuttle driver, by towing and searching a rental car he was using on a New York City trip that heightened fears of an attack.
The maneuver, authorities say, produced evidence of bomb-making instructions retrieved from a hard drive on Zazi's laptop.
But it also apparently didn't get by the suspect: In the phone conversation with Afzali, Zazi said the car's disappearance convinced him he was being watched.
NYPD and FBI officials have denied that the potential missteps forced their hand in a series of high-profile raids last week, prompted Zazi to abort his New York visit and caused friction between the two agencies, which work together through the Joint Terrorism Task Force.
NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly, asked Tuesday if he had any concerns about the handling of Afzali, declined comment on the investigation beyond what was in court papers, saying the probe was classified.
NYPD spokesman Paul Browne insisted the NYPD and the FBI "worked closely and successfully in this case and in scores of others." He declined further comment.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/24/2009 00:00 ||
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The government is considering emulating the Turkish model to bring madrassa education into the mainstream, Daily Times has learnt.
"The Turkish government has successfully modernised their religious institutions and Pakistan may benefit from the Turkish experience through exchange of visits," sources quoted Federal Education Minister Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani as informing a recent cabinet meeting. They said Bijarani was responding to ministers who had asked whether the government's attempts to introduce contemporary subjects in the syllabi of madrassas was proving successful at modernising the religious schools.
The government has been attempting to bring madrassa education into the mainstream through the introduction of modern subjects for several years, but madrassa organisations have been resisting these efforts, claiming they are a plan by foreign countries to make their students secular. The sources said the education minister had also quoted a UNESCO report that had revealed 50 million Pakistanis were illiterate, while 5 to 6 million children were not attending any schools.
Pilot project: To a question on free education, the cabinet was informed the government had decided to launch a pilot project for residential schools to provide free education to the poor. "This pilot project will initially be launched in selected districts on behalf of the federal government and would be extended to other districts if it succeeds. Poor students would be given free education in these residential schools, including free books, uniforms and meals," Bijarani added.
Massive increase: The minister said the education allocation in the budget was about two percent of the Gross Domestic Product. "Investment in education shall be increased to seven percent of the GDP by 2015," he said. The sources said the federal cabinet had also unanimously agreed that the term "handicapped children" should be replaced with the term "special children" in the education policy.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/24/2009 00:00 ||
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President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is a "disgrace to his country," said German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Thursday, a day after Ahmadinejad's controversial speech before the UN General Assembly.
Ahmadinejad accused Israel of "inhuman policies" in the Palestinian territories and of dominating world political and economic affairs in his speech to the UN General Assembly on Wednesday. "That kind of remark is not just intolerable. This president is a disgrace to his country," said Steinmeier in Berlin.
The speech prompted many delegations to walk out of the assembly hall in protest. Israel did not attend at all.
Ahmadinejad assailed Israel for what he said was a barbaric attack on the Gaza Strip last winter and for subjecting the Palestinians to "genocide." He also accused the West of hypocrisy, saying it preached democracy, but violated its fundamental principles.
Addressing Israel, the Iranian leader said, "The awakening of nations and the expansion of freedom worldwide will no longer allow them to continue their hypocrisy and vicious attitudes."
"How can one imagine that the inhuman policies in Palestine may continue?" Ahmadinejad continued. "How can crimes of the occupiers against defenseless women and children and destruction of their homes, farms, hospitals and schools be supported unconditionally by certain governments?"
The Iranian leader said it was time for the world to respond. "It is no longer acceptable that a small minority would dominate the politics, economy and culture of major parts of the world by its complicated networks, and establish a new form of slavery, and harm the reputation of other nations, even European nations and the U.S., to attain its racist ambitions," he said.
Ahmadinejad spoke to a half-empty chamber as he sought to cast himself as a beleaguered champion of the developing world, that he portrayed as under attack from rapacious capitalism. At the same time, the Iranian leader issued stinging attacks on the United States and its allies without calling them by name, prompting a walkout by the U.S. delegation.
At times, Ahmadinejad struck a softer tone, declaring that Tehran was prepared to warmly shake all those hands which are honestly extended to us. He peppered his speech with religious references, invoking the prophets of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
Ahmadinejad made a passing reference to the nuclear issue - call for global nuclear disarmament - but most of the speech focused on his usual themes - scathing verbal attacks on Israel and the West. Ahmadinejad also accused foreign forces of spreading "war, bloodshed, aggression, terror and intimidation" in the Middle East, citing the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Turning to domestic affairs, Ahmadinejad insisted he won a large majority in June elections. Pro-reform opposition politicians have alleged electoral fraud, and Ahmadinejad has been at the center of political turmoil since then. "Our nation has gone through a glorious and fully democratic election, opening a new chapter for our country in the march towards national progress and enhanced international interactions," he said, adding that Iranian voters "entrusted me once more with a large majority."
#3
so much for america being standard bearer for freedom in the world...this frickin commie we have has moved swiftly to undermine 60 years of american leadership...we are truly a joke if we do follow the honduran example
truman, ike, kennedy, johnson, nixon and reagan must be turning in their graves at what we have become...our enemies our now the friends and our friends are now the enemies...not sure we can last 3 more years of this...i would not protest a coup by the military to restore constitional govt
Posted by: Dan ||
09/24/2009 12:12 Comments ||
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a blistering attack on the floor of the United Nations Thursday on Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, saying the hearing granted the Iranian president the night before amounted to a "disgrace of the U.N. charter."
Mr. Netanyahu dramatically held up copies of minutes of the meeting of Nazi officials in 1942 where plans were made for the extermination of the Jews, as well as constructions plans of Nazi concentration camps.
"Are these protocols lies?" he asked, waving them in his hand. "Are the successive German governments that have kept these documents for posterity all liars?"
He opened his remarks by saying that the greatest threat to the U.N. effort to prevent a repetition of the carnage of the World War II is the "assault on truth."
"Yesterday the president of Iran stood at this very podium and spewed his anti-Semitic rants," he said. "Just a few days earlier he claimed that the Holocaust was a lie." He then described how he had obtained the documents he held up before the assembly.
"Nearly one-third of all Jews at the time perished in the Holocaust," he said. "Nearly every family was affected, including my own."
Mr. Netanyahu continued about Mr. Ahmadinejad, "Perhaps some of you think this man and his odious regime only threaten the Jews. Well, if you think that you are wrong, dead wrong.
"What starts as attacks on Jews always ends up engulfing others this regime embodies the extremes of Islamic fundamentalism."
He concluded his remarks by quoting Winston Churchill, and his warnings about mounting threats in the run-up to World War II.
"The question facing the international community is whether it is prepared to confront these forces or just accommodate them," he said.
Anticipating Bambi will impose sanctions on Iran? They've got more faith than I do....
Some major oil traders have cut shipments to Iran in anticipation of the U.S. and other Western countries imposing sanctions on the country over its nuclear program.
The threat of sanctions has hovered for years and their imposition is not certain, but the U.S. and Russia again raised the possibility yesterday.
The nations will meet next week.
BP PLC halted shipments to Iran at least six months ago, a source said, and an official at Total SA said it would halt shipments if the U.S. and other European nations imposed sanctions.
U.S. companies are already banned from selling petroleum products to Iran.
Iran is one of the world's biggest oil producers, but it imports around 40 percent of oil products, providing western leaders with a key point of leverage in trying to stop Iran from enriching uranium (From WSJ - link may switch to subscription later, or not)
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
09/24/2009 13:08 ||
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Canada will boycott Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speech at the United Nations on Wednesday, saying his outbursts about the Holocaust and Israel are "shameful."
Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon will be at the world body to attend the opening of the UN General Assembly's annual debate, but officials signal he and other members of the Canadian delegation will vacate the Canadian seats when the Islamic republic's President approaches the podium.
Walking out of the chamber is seen as a strong diplomatic show of disgust at the UN -- and since the chamber is generally packed on the first day of the annual summit, Canada's empty seats will not go unnoticed.
One of the first speakers of the day will be U.S. President Barack Obama, who is making his debut address before the assembly.
"President Ahmadinejad's repeated denial of the Holocaust and his anti-Israel comments run counter to the values of the UN General Assembly, and they're shameful," said one Canadian official.
"He uses his public appearances to provoke the international community, and that is why Canada's seats will be empty."
The gesture is a step stronger than one announced on Tuesday by the German foreign ministry, which asked other European Union member states to walk out of the General Assembly chamber if Mr. Ahmadinejad again denies the Holocaust, or makes anti-Semitic statements.
The Canadian initiative will be welcomed by Israel, which on Tueday urged all delegates in the 192-member chamber to stay away when Mr. Ahmadinejad speaks.
"A few days ago he gave a new speech of hate," Gabriela Shalev, Israeli ambassador to the UN, told Israeli army radio. "The simple fact of leaving the room during his speech, or not to be present during it, is a symbolic act."
Iranian officials said this week Mr. Ahmadinejad intended to use his speech to offer a message of "peace and friendship."
Posted by: Fred ||
09/24/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Good for the Canadians. Suggest they also throw ice skates before walking out.
Posted by: ed ||
09/24/2009 8:20 Comments ||
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#2
Is the Obamanation supporting our ally in this?
#3
Nutjob had a choice. He could be cornered into talking about his country's current human rights crisis or talking about his hatred for Jooooos. He chose the latter, and it's working.
[Iran Press TV Latest] Iran's Assembly of Experts, which chooses and supervises the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, has stated that Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei is the only person suitable to lead the Islamic Republic. "[The Assembly] continues to consider Ayatollah Khamenei as the sole choice that befits the robe of leadership," said a statement by the assembly after its meeting on Wednesday. "Ayatollah, we will defend you with our blood!"
The clerical council, which is headed by Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani, also thanked Ayatollah Khamenei for providing "sage guidance" in the turbulent aftermath of Iran's 10th presidential election in June.
The council also suggested that the Islamic establishment continues to enjoy the support of people, citing the eighty-five percent election turnout as proof. It also congratulated President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on his re-election.
The assembly then advised the president to take use of advice given by religious leaders.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/24/2009 00:00 ||
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In what appears to be the start of a war of words with the French president, Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said the people of France deserve better than their leaders.
On August 31, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Iranians deserved better after Iran's 10th presidential election in June.
When asked to comment on the remarks, President Ahmadinejad, who is in New York to attend the UN General Assembly, said his French counterpart seems to be crossing the line with his statement.
"The French people deserve better than their current leaders," he told France 2 television when asked to comment on President Nicolas Sarkozy's recent remarks on Iran.
"Mr. Sarkozy is meddling in the internal affairs of our country. I too have a similar view," Ahmadinejad told France 2 television. "The French people deserve better than their current leaders."
Ahmadinejad also urged Paris to move to earn the release of a French academic, Clotilde Reiss, who is held in Iran on alleged charges of espionage and aiding a Western plot in the aftermath of the presidential election.
"Unfortunately, we have seen no action by the French government" in favor of the prisoner, Ahmadinejad said.
Reiss is on bail and staying in the French Embassy in Tehran and awaits a verdict after her appearance in a televised mass trial.
Ahmadinejad pointed to a number of Iranians being held in France and suggested that a prisoner swap could be arranged between Tehran and Paris for the release of Reiss.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/24/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Give it a few more years and France will have new leaders. Ones that Nutjob will approve of.
#3
Note that some chosen french wingnuts applause with both hands... but then again, as I've noted before, a good chunk of the french far-"right" is more interested in hating the jooooos, the americano-zionists, free-market capitalism,... than actualling being actual rightwingers with actual rightwing convictions...
Nice to see they've already interiorized they've lost, and are rooting for the "strong horses", putin, iran,... in their fight against the Empire.
To be frank, other commenters DO point out the idiocy of approving/rooting for the iranian midget, which is pretty nice, given that sarko really is not loved there, for good (phony "conservative") and bad reasons (jooooooos, sold to the USA, mossad agent, bling-bling, he stole pépé lepen's thunder,....).
For those who don't speak french, 1st comment is "I love that guy", 3 is "but, he's very clear-headed, that dude", 4 is "me, I like him, he's in his home turf. And, after all, he does what he wish to in his country. He's just a scapeogoat for all those bitches sarko, bush, obama and co".
Etc, etc, and so on (with the mitigating factor of th enon-idiotarians weighting in to tell how screwed up a worldview this is).
Note that the "official" rightwing party, the FN, or what's left of it (an hollow shell with a cult-like devotion to the Fearless Leader) has made a clear shift toward that 'iranian friendly' stance and it's not recent. I guess being in the sphere of influence of the MM does allow to keep on paying the bills (some other red-brown micro-political parties have been co-opted as well, but those are very marginal, unacknowledged neo-n88zis, national-bolsh44viks, anti-zionists national-m99rxists,... but those are fringe).
Pépé le pen seems to have falen back into the far-right lowest common denominator with age, funny to think that in the 80's, he was courted by the israeli right (french jews put a grinding stop to that, as was the wish of the then president, the awful mitterrand, in order to "demonize" the FN to destroy the conservative right... can't paint the Devil as antisemite if he's an anti-arab ally of Israel/jews), and the FN was leaning toward Reaganism.
But, now, it's a cult of some sort, and pépé le pen follows his heart (his daughter is less "obsessed" with certain subjects, this infuriates some wingnuts who believe in "better - islamic - green than friendly to the joooooos").
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Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
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President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is a "disgrace to his country," said German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Thursday, a day after Ahmadinejad's controversial speech before the UN General Assembly. 
