If this was posted before, please delete.
International peace researchers report that worldwide conflict is on the decline as are the number of casualties. Their research shows that the number of people killed in battle has fallen to 20,000 per year—the lowest number in the post-Second World War period. Although death tolls in Iraq and Afghanistan have thrust war into the global spotlight, annual reports from think-tanks such as the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute and the Canadian NGO Project Ploughshares, cite a drop from the peak numbers of armed conflicts witnessed in the 1990s. According to the Stockholm Institute, which measures the number of conflicts that produce greater than 1,000 deaths in a year, 19 major wars were in progress in 2003 compared to 33 in 1991.
The 2004 Stockholm report, obtained in advance of its September publication by The Associated Press, points out that three wars ended in 2003 (Angola, Rwanda and Somalia) and a fourth in India's Assam state was downgraded from the 'major' category in the same period of time. There were three new wars added in 2003—Iraq, the Darfur region of Sudan and Liberia. The list also includes the U.S. war on al-Qaeda and the conflict between India and Pakistan. Project Ploughshares, which measures the number of wars that accumulate 1,000 deaths from the beginning of a conflict, reports a drop to 33 conflicts in 2003 from 44 in 1995. The Canadian figures do not include deaths from war-induced starvation and disease, deaths from ethnic conflicts not formally involving states or unopposed massacres such as the Rwandan genocide.
Posted by: Rafael ||
08/31/2004 2:02:36 PM ||
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PRIME Minister John Howard today said he would brief Opposition Leader Mark Latham and tell the Australian people if any terror threat emerged during the election campaign. But Mr Howard said there was nothing to brief on so far . He said he did not want to be accused of in some way seeking to use possible threats of a terror attack for political advantage. "What I promise the Australian people is two things. Firstly if there is any hard information that they should have, I will make it available and I will communicate it at the same time to the Leader of the Opposition," he said. "If necessary I will talk to him in the caretaker period so that he is apprised of it as I am."
Mr Howard said secondly, there was no information to justify any change. He said he noted comments last night by former White House counter-terrorism adviser Richard Clarke who said the Australian election campaign was at more risk of an al-Qaeda terrorist attack than the United States presidential election.
Mr Clarke, an adviser to four presidents, said Mr Latham's pledge to bring Australian troops home from Iraq by Christmas meant there were differences in policy between the two sides of politics which al-Qaeda could seek to exploit. Mr Howard said it was a sensitive and difficult issue. "I don't want to be accused of in any way using that in the course of the election campaign," he said. But Mr Howard did say he regarded Mr Clarke's comments on Australia's limited commitment to the Iraq war as offensive. "I did regard that as insulting," he said. Mr Howard said he was not aware if his own personal security precautions had been lifted. "Not that I am aware of. You never know," he said. "I haven't been advised that there is a particular additional risk. I am not conscious of having any more people."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
08/31/2004 1:01:11 AM ||
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#1
Well, this puts Clarke right up there with Jesse, Fatso Moore and all the other opportunistic lefties of the world who will say and do anything....
Posted by: Jack is Back ||
08/31/2004 10:31 Comments ||
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Australia pressured New Zealand into tightening its citizenship laws because of fears it could be used as a back door to gain entry into Australia, a NZ government MP said today.
Somebody has been paying attention.
Progressive Party MP Matt Robson said Australian concerns were one of the reasons for the amendments, which include cancelling automatic citizenship for all babies born in the country. "Definitely there has been pressure from Australia at different times, of bringing up the question that New Zealand mustn't be seen as a back door," Robson said. " ... I know that Australia have raised this issue of whether New Zealand is a back door entry into - now I'm Australian - our pristine country." New Zealand has visa-free arrangements with a number of countries including Australia.
As first mooted in March, the New Zealand government is amending its laws to no longer give automatic citizenship to a child born in New Zealand to parents who are not permanent residents or citizens. Other changes include increasing from three to five years the time immigrants have to spend in New Zealand before they can apply for citizenship.
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Posted by: Steve White ||
08/31/2004 12:14:34 AM ||
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Posted by: Fred ||
08/31/2004 20:24 ||
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#1
Incredible -- first the trio stands idly by while a sovereign country is destroyed on basis of lies about WMD, and now they want to profit by doing business in the war-torn country.
#2
What lies? All the evidence said Saddam had WMD. Heck, the peaceniks were using their existence as a reason to NOT invade, claiming Saddam would unleash a bloodbath by USING the weapons the left now claims they always knew were never there.
For that matter, what sovereign nation? Iraq wasn't sovereign, it was ruled by a dictator.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
08/31/2004 20:59 Comments ||
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#3
Even if your inane premise were true, that's not really incredible except to a child. Oops, I repeated myself!
#4
Well, there's no reasoning with the unreasonable, or in this case with those whose interests lie with Israel which is the sole beneficiary of aggression against her Moslem neighbors. What I regret is that my tax dollars are used to destroy life and property, and yes, in a sovereign country that has done nothing against the United States. BTW, sovereignty is defined by international borders, not by the regime within.
#5
UFO: Incredible -- first the trio stands idly by while a sovereign country is destroyed on basis of lies about WMD, and now they want to profit by doing business in the war-torn country.
Incredible -- first UFO stands idly by while Saddam is toppled on basis of American national interests, and now he wants to criticize the countries that did the most to help Saddam stay in power. What has UFO ever done for Saddam? Shouldn't he be in Iraq helping to bring him back to power? Or does he think that his whining alone will do the trick?
#7
UFO: Well, there's no reasoning with the unreasonable, or in this case with those whose interests lie with Israel which is the sole beneficiary of aggression against her Moslem neighbors.
Well, there's no reasoning with the unreasonable, or in this case with those whose interests lie with Islam which is the sole beneficiary of aggression against its non-Moslem neighbors.
UFO: What I regret is that my tax dollars are used to destroy life and property, and yes, in a sovereign country that has done nothing against the United States.
Except sponsor and shelter terrorists who killed dozens of Americans and invaded a sovereign country Kuwait, endangering American oil supplies, and threatening to invade Saudi Arabia.
Note that apart from Pearl Harbor and its invasion of an American colony, Japan had done nothing against the US either. There was certainly no invasion of the American mainland.
If you don't like it, withhold your taxes. Or better still, move to a more "humanitarian" country where your taxes will be better spent - like Canada or Sweden.
UFO: BTW, sovereignty is defined by international borders, not by the regime within.
We had no respect for Germany's, Japan's or Italy's sovereignty either. If you don't like America's policy of fighting its enemies abroad - you can certainly move to a neutral country. Or better still - volunteer to fight in the army of the dictator that is clearly in the right - Saddam's army. I believe the people of Fallujah would dearly welcome your presence.
#8
ZF, don't try to take issues to a personal level with me because you can't reach that high. BTW, I won't dignify the rest of your nonsense with an answer.
#9
Well, there's no reasoning with the unreasonable, or in this case with those whose interests lie with Israel which is the sole beneficiary of aggression against her Moslem neighbors.
Listen, Saucer-boy, you're the one who started slinging insults. Or at least trying to. You attacked the arguers, not the arguments. Hell, you ignored most of the arguments.
Sovereignty doesn't arise from lines on the map, it comes from the consent of the governed. Saddam didn't have that consent; his regime was not a sovereign nation. What is being established now will be a sovereign nation, much more so than Saddam's regime ever was.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
08/31/2004 21:54 Comments ||
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#10
RC, you too are reaching above your level, and FYI borders defining sovereignty are engraved in soil by the blood of those who fought for it.
Well, I guess we're all "beneath" you -- you're sooooo damned superior, why, your statements don't need to be supported by arguments or facts. Since you said it, why, it just must be true!
borders defining sovereignty are engraved in soil by the blood of those who fought for it.
I believe this was originally called Blut and Boden. I'll have to reassess my estimate of your political alignment; you're not a left-wing kook, you're a right-wing kook.
I should have twigged to that based on the Israel line, but it's harder and harder to tell anymore.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
08/31/2004 22:15 Comments ||
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#12
Relax RC, I'm none of the above and don't use anyone's language but my own, just don't try to match wits with someone way above your class because you don't have any. :-)
#16
I'm none of the above and don't use anyone's language but my own, just don't try to match wits with someone way above your class because you don't have any.
What was that earlier about "don't try to take issues to a personal level"? I guess it doesn't apply to Your Magnificence, eh?
Still not trying to provide facts or arguments to support your positions, though. Just unsupported assertions.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
08/31/2004 22:47 Comments ||
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#17
It's not censorship. You're just the latest fool to come along and make the inane and unsubstantiated assumption that you're intelligent, well-informed, principled, and oh so fucking superior. In your dreams, fuckwit. You have no substance, no message, no basis for your goofy blather. Were it not for many of us, you wouldn't have the right to make such a fool of yourself. Get a grip and do your onanistic sputtering in private. When you grow up, then lurk. When you've lurked long enough to hear a popping sound (your head coming out of your ass), then you can post something. Make it pithy and worthy. Jacking off in public is just stupid, boy.
#18
They certainly are, and they are well preserved by the censorship on this board.
Sounds like our Jew-hating friend from a while ago is back. Still confused about "censorship", and utterly uncomprehending of the idea of "private property".
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
08/31/2004 22:48 Comments ||
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#19
I hope they brought towels to wipe up all the drooling they are doing over the oil.....
#20
ZF:Or better still, move to a more "humanitarian" country where your taxes will be better spent - like Canada or Sweden.
Sweden has better looking wimmin :) Let him go there.
UFO: the censorship on this board
You mean the [censored] has been [censored] what I been posting [censored] since [censored] my [censored] [censored] [censored]!!!
Posted by: Rafael ||
08/31/2004 22:50 Comments ||
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#21
(And let me say, if I'm wrong and you're NOT the same guy who bothered this site a few months ago, I apologize. However, you have a curiously similar list of whinges:
o Israel
o "Censorship"
o Your assumed superiority
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
08/31/2004 22:51 Comments ||
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#22
damn, troll-whoring, and I missed it!
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/31/2004 23:05 Comments ||
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#23
What a snake pit! I leave for a few minutes and the vipers crawl out spitting their venom! None of you could survive a real discussion in an open forum, instead you hide here behind censorship reflected by Fred's 'truth trap'.
#26
Saucer-boy, I've asked you to support your assertions. I've asked you multiple times. Instead all you've posted is mindless whining about "censorship" -- despite all your posts still being here -- and insults.
If you want a "real discussion", put an argument forward. So far, you haven't.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
08/31/2004 23:35 Comments ||
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#27
NB -- there are no posts in the sink trap.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
08/31/2004 23:37 Comments ||
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#28
TGA, challenge? If duels were legal you'd wear diapers! Look, just keep polluting this forum as long as Fred is willing to clean up after you.
Really .com, you reveal the size of your brain with that dot. :-)
OK class, if you see another one of my posts show some respect or I'll have you stand in the corner. :-)
#30
UFO - you've exposed yourself for the weak-ass troll you are - people who's opinions I've come to respect have shown that true. Bite my ass and be gone to the DU hell that spawned you!
and have a nice day :-)
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/01/2004 0:01 Comments ||
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#31
UFO = Uninteresting Fucknozzle Orating
Posted by: Chris W. ||
09/01/2004 0:02 Comments ||
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#32
Come now TGA, what else could you possibly say than you already have, and who do you think would care to listen to your nonsense? All of you, if you want me to grace you with my presence please show some respect.
#36
This whole thing is some goofy self-sacrificial "Don't throw me in the briar patch!" game. Wotta dipshit. He wants it so bad, sure, fine, save the bandwidth. He's no fun, anyway. Fuckwit. No, wait, I like Chris W's def better.
#37
UFO. I'm a poor, devout muslim, working to put myself through med school. It has been very hard. Americans don't like brown skined people. But I can tell your different. Thanks for all your support. Don't let the meanies scare you. After awhile you'll be understood and everything will be OK. True thought will always win over those who listen. LISTEN Rbrs. UFO has been there and done that. Can't you understand, for gods sakes!
There are those on Rantburg such as Oldspook, Atomic Conspiracy and True German Ally who have looked the devil in the eyes and survived to pass on their wisdom. Of these, none has experienced the evil he has seen, survived and become the better man than TGA is. He is your better and worthy of your, and all our, respect. Debate him on points of fact and present your arguments in logical and persuasive order, much as you would with a respected uncle or grandfather.
You may be new to this forum, and ignorant of our ways and people. But now, consider yourself educated. Show that you are a class act.
Posted by: ed ||
09/01/2004 0:55 Comments ||
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#45
"...Show that you are a class act."
OK ed I'll play, just don't any of you bite before I get my rabies shots. :-)
#49
UFO:BTW, sovereignty is defined by international borders, not by the regime within.
UFO, those folks over at Websters are probably beneath you also. However, they define sovereignty thus: one that exercises supreme authority within a limited sphere. The one (the sovereign), in this case, was Saddam and the boundries were already established when he murdered his way in to control. It's true that on two occasions he tried, unsuccessfully, to expand that limited sphere. But the sovereign of Iraq was Saddam.
via David's Medienkritik, who also has some good RNC protest coverage:
October 1-3, 2004
The Tour of the Blessed AL-Aqsa & Intifada ... It will be the first practical and serious step for the Arabs and Muslims in Europe to work for the following titles: a) Strengthening the Arab Islamic presence in Europe, unifying its institutions and securing its rights. b) Supporting the resistance movement against the aggression and occupation in Palestine and Iraq, and supporting the steadfastness of the people who is enduring all kinds of oppression and chicanery and torture under the policy of the iron Faust, and who is struggling for its freedom and sovereignty on all the Arab and Islamic countries. c) Installing a worthy and fair popular Arab Islamic European dialogue to create a common platform of values and principles relying on the support of the right and on the resistance against oppression and injustice, aside the support of the world's forwarding toward equality and peace between peoples. d) Creating an Arab Islamic chain within the unified world's front to oppose hegemony. (...) And so on and so forth; worth the read if you've taken your blood pressure meds to-day.
#3
The principal document of the declaration of the Berlin Call 2004
Stand up and perform resistance
Perform resistance. Plain talk: suicide bombers, on your mark, get set, boom. I guess some suckers will fall for any political expression, as long as it comes from the Arab world...
#7
dont take no shizel from the Man!
Solidarity forever!
Freee Huey!
Freeeeeeee Lunch!
Where my bong?
Party Like its 1968 which is only hmmmm.... carry the 4.... angchor the 3... HUNGARIAN!
France is seen by many Americans as a reluctant ally, at best, in President Bush's war on terror.
I favor "unindicted co-conspiritor", but that's just me.
But a new hostage crisis has made clear that the Gallic nation, with western Europe's largest Muslim population, is not immune to threats from radical Islam.
"Muslim population" and "threats from radical Islam" kinda go together, don't they?
As French diplomats scrambled to save two journalists held hostage in Iraq, the government defied captors' demands to scrap a new law banning Muslim head scarves in public schools. "The law will be applied" when school doors open on Thursday, government spokesman Jean-Francois Cope said.
Good for the Frenchies...
Muslim leaders at home and abroad rallied around France with statements of support and calls on the Islamic Army of Iraq to release the journalists. Rebel Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's lieutenants added their voices Tuesday to the calls for the release of the newsmen, calling their abduction "inhumane and immoral."
"They're on our side! Back off!"
"Such acts defame Islam and Muslims in general," said Ali al-Yasiri, an al-Sadr representative in Baghdad. "To fight in a battlefield is OK, but to kill a civilian or journalist is blasphemy."
Posted by: Steve ||
08/31/2004 9:06:33 AM ||
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#1
"The French (people) have discovered that having opposed the Iraq war does not make them immune from the wrath of Islamists..."
This is the slow class, right?
Posted by: Matt ||
08/31/2004 10:18 Comments ||
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#2
10 to 1 there is a deal of some kind in the works. No one is better at the baksheesh, slippery finger dangledop and other nefarious means of hypocrisy and face saving than the french.
Posted by: Jack is Back ||
08/31/2004 10:34 Comments ||
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France, Despite Opposition to Iraq War, Is Not Immune
I forgot where I read or heard this, but it was said that on the subject of French nationals being kidnapped and ransom demands made, French officials made it a point to stress that they opposed the war. Haaahahahahaaahahahaaa.
Whole lotta good that did you, eh Jacques? Swallow your medicine like a man, you little weenie.
#4
Belmont Club refers to the kidnapping as a "red on red" incident.
Posted by: Matt ||
08/31/2004 10:50 Comments ||
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#5
Cox& Forkum 8/30/04 C'est l'appeasement I wonder if France understands that appeasement on the issue of head scarves won't make them immune to future blackmail or attacks. Non? Didn't think so.
Posted by: Matt ||
08/31/2004 13:35 Comments ||
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#11
This might be controversial, and I don't really know which way it is but I sometimes wonder about what was going through these terrorists minds when they kidnapped those French journalistes. I wonder if maybe they're so ignorant that the actual low-level & mid-level guys don't even know that France opposed the war and is Islamic terrorism's best friend in the West. I wonder if maybe their so ignorant & uneducated that they're just thinking "Hey, there's a Westerner...GRAB HIM!" But the other way of looking at this is that they did know and the decision to kidnap these French was taken at higher levels, or at least by people who understand the strategic implications of such a move. If that's the case then they really do think of the French as equally worthless to Americans, Israelis, etc. Probably the latter is true, but it could be a combination of both, or it could be said that these instances sometimes fall into both categories. Like, for example, wasn't there a Cuban kidnapped in Iraq recently? And I've heard about Colombian guerrillas briefly kidnapping Russians, Ukrainians, Chinese, French, Norwegians, etc. and they usually release them pretty quickly. So I think that the first scenario does happen, and that's humorous to me. I just picture a bunch of Islamic terrorists standing around on a dusty street corner and being like "Hey, Mohammed, check it out. It's a foriegner...let's get 'em." as opposed to some sophisticated operation where individuals are chosen specifically for their nationalities, identities, professions, etc. And then they're like "Boss, look what we got..." And the boss is like "You kidnapped an ally you idiots...I'm surrounded by idiots!"
#12
Didn't believe this BBC headline: French leaders pray for hostages -- until I read further below that "Top officials joined prayers for the men's safe release at the main Paris mosque... [including] Interior Minister Dominique de Villepin and Paris mayor Bertrand Delanoe.... Muslim leaders in France condemned the kidnappings. "France is not a country that can be punished because of its attitude toward Islam - quite the contrary," Mr Boubakeur told the AFP news agency. Earth to the French: the jihadist will as gladly saw off your necks as
ours. Triangulate all you want, but you're in the crosshairs now, mes amis.
#13
Well one good thing about being the Great Satan is the Islamofascists expect this from the US, so we are sort of immune since they are figthing other Jihad wars against us.
Posted by: Bill Nelson ||
08/31/2004 14:22 Comments ||
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#14
"The French (people) have discovered that having opposed the Iraq war does not make them immune from the wrath of Islamists..."
It may be a subtle distinction, but France's opposition to the war wasn't one of "We want to be a friend to Islam", but "This will make us look good to Islam".
...gets threatened with murder, natch.
After describing the Prophet Mohammed as a pervert, Ayaan Hirsi Ali already needs round-the-clock protection from the Dutch security services. Now the Muslim apostate and rising star of Dutch politics has pushed her luck even further with a film exhibiting verses of the Koran across the chest, stomach and thighs of an almost naked girl. Mrs Hirsi Ali, who has risen from Somali asylum seeker to Dutch MP in 12 years, produced the film broadcast on Dutch television on Sunday night to highlight the continued oppression of Muslim women in Europe.
The 11-minute programme, Submission, depicts a young Muslim girl confronting Allah at prayer in a mosque. She wears the veil, covering most of the face, but her voluptuous body is clearly visible through a transparent gown. "All praise to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds," begins the text painted across the actress's throat, which then scrolls down her bare chest. It is taken from the fatiha or opening of the Koran, the lines recited aloud by men, and silently by women, at Muslim prayer five times a day throughout the world. Four other women act out scenes of torment and repression. One battered victim in a torn dress, exposes her shoulders and arms covered with lash wounds and the text of Verse 34, Chapter 4, The Women. "Men are the maintainers of women because Allah has made them excel and because they spend out of their property; the good women are therefore obedient. Those on whose part you fear desertion, admonish them, and leave them alone in the sleeping-places and beat them," it says. The broadcast was watched by 750,000 people, a large audience in a country of 16 million. An estimated one million are Muslims of Turkish or North African origin.
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Posted by: Bulldog ||
08/31/2004 5:03:13 AM ||
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#1
but her voluptuous body is clearly visible through a transparent gown
Photos, dammit, I want photos!
Posted by: Steve ||
08/31/2004 8:29 Comments ||
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Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
08/31/2004 9:11 Comments ||
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#4
You Mrs Davis is a cruel woman
Dave
Posted by: Dave ||
08/31/2004 9:31 Comments ||
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#5
#1: " . . . but her voluptuous body is clearly visible through a transparent gown. Photos, dammit, I want photos!"
Now where's that .com when you need him? : )
Anyway, she looks like a real fighter to me.
"But Mrs Hirsi Ali has become immensely popular among the ordinary Dutch, people who have been shocked by the sudden emergence of large Muslim enclaves in their cities - often with ties to militant anti-western groups. A parliamentary report this year found that more than 70 per cent of Dutch-born Muslims were bringing in spouses from their home countries, perpetuating a separatist sub-culture."
There was a discussion yesterday about a group of moslems getting a permit in Arkansas to build a mosque and moslem school and twenty houses. See-- they're trying to do the same thing here.
" . . .death edicts have been raining down since she attacked Islam as a medieval, misogynist cult incapable of self-criticism and blind to modern science . . ." Ha! That was great. I just hope she stays alive. Since she's from Somalia, it's about a 99% chance that she was forced to undergo infibulation. No kidding she's rightly pissed about Islam's treatment of women, and her film is next to nothing compared to what really goes on. More power to her!
And what does this say about her?:
1) "Mrs Hirsi Ali arrived in Holland as a penniless refugee in 1992 after sneaking across the German border to escape a forced marriage to a Somali kinsman.
2) She did not speak a word of Dutch.
3) Finding jobs as a cleaner, she went on to study political science at Leiden University.
4) Her ambition now is nothing less than a reformation of Islam. "
#6
Lurking, ex-lib, lurking. This one was a slam dunk, so I gave it a pass.
BTW, I think you're right - she's a fighter. No matter how they try to spin her message, she makes them squirm and squeal. So I like her, heh. Got real brass and it's great that she's being seen as an emerging leader - that speaks well for her country, as well. Win-win for the Good Guyz.
A parliamentary report this year found that more than 70 per cent of Dutch-born Muslims were bringing in spouses from their home countries, perpetuating a separatist sub-culture. Wonder how MANY spouses they are talking about, and whether they are even pubescent yet?
#8
Low-level fatwas - or death edicts - have been raining down since she attacked Islam as a medieval, misogynist cult incapable of self-criticism and blind to modern science.
Er, typical reaction of, what she describes above. More info :
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
08/31/2004 03:39 ||
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#1
Rudi is the man! He covered exactly what needed to be covered:
The long-term pattern of appeasement by our European âalliesâ:â¦The attack on the Israeli team at the Munich Olympics was in 1972â¦the three surviving terrorists were arrested and within two months released by the German governmentâ¦so terrorists learned they could intimidate the world community and too often the response, particularly in Europe, was "accommodation, appeasement and compromiseâ¦terrorist acts became a ticket to the international bargaining table. Scapegoating in the Middle East:The hatred and anger in the Middle East arises from the lack of accountable governments...rather than trying to grant more freedom, create more income, improve education and basic health care, these governments deflect their own failures by pointing to America and Israel and other external scapegoatsâ¦but blaming these scapegoats does not improve the life of a single person in the Arab world. Principled leadership: Some call it stubbornnessâ¦I call it principled leadership. President Bush has the courage of his convictions. Kerryâs inability to use military force, even in obvious situations: When Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990, John Kerry voted against the Persian Gulf Warâ¦
#3
I have some issues with that speech. He makes it sound like the Germans released the Munich terrorists just like that. He fails to mention that they were exchanged to save the lives of the passengers of a hijacked Lufthansa plane. In 1972 terrorism was still a new phenonemon and many mistakes were made. This led to the creation of the GSG9 which managed to liberate the passengers of another hijacked Lufthansa plane in Mogadisho (Somalia) without killing a single hostage. Germany took a hard stance and refused to negotiate with RAF terrorists ever since. Sorry Rudy, this was a cheap shot at us.
Especially because you happened to forget something: What did Reagan do in Lebanon 1982, after over 200 marines were slaughtered there?
Not to bash anyone, but we all had a steep learning curve when dealing with terrorists.
Even Israel has released Hizbollah terrorists to recover the remains of (dead) pilots. Appeasement? Hardly.
#4
Jeeps, TGA that was a long time ago. Is there any truth to the tale that the German Police force at the scene (airport) didn't have automatic weapons?
#5
TGA-German was the first foreign language I studied. I want to clarify that I am not attacking Germany, the country, or you personally. It seems simply that there is an ethical disagreement between our two countries-is satisfying threatening demands an appropriate deal between government and terrorist?
What you describe sounds like a business transaction, except the business is whether hostages will die. "What will you trade" is unpalatable in a few situations of human life, right? Munich was a long time ago (and thank you for sending me information on it-I was a bit too young to know it already) -but has Germany's approach changed?
You write that "we all had a steep learning curve". I agree-because the US is in the thick of it, we understand in a personal way what you mean.
Authorities along the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border are tightening security amid concerns that terrorists will try to enter the country before the November presidential election. U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Robert Bonner said the border is in a "period of increased risk." In July, federal officials said intelligence indicated al-Qaida hoped to attack the United States to disrupt the elections. "There have been concerns that terrorists will try to enter the country across our southern border," Bonner said in an Aug. 20 statement. "We have been preparing for the possibility and are taking appropriate actions."
#3
Maybe the alarming stories coming out of Tombstone Arizona aren't being poo poo'd anymore.
Here's another article from The Arizona Republic, Aug. 22. It's lengthy, but worth a read all the way through.
#4
Even if they do get caught the illegal aliens (they are not been granted 'immigrant' status dammit!) are simply released again.
Look for CAIR or someone simular filing suit for 'racial profiling' if the border patrol starts detaining 'middle eastern' men and not simply releasing them
#5
Don't believe the border tightening BS until you see the National Guard standing 10 yards apart over the entire length of it.
I happen to think that any Islamist that is going to pull something, is probably already here.
#6
Here's another article from The Arizona Republic,..
I can't believe that headline - Border no terror corridor - so far. Why is it necessary to wait for it to BECOME a terror corridor before securing it?
If the next act of terrorism on American soil can be traced to an illegal entry from Mexico, a LOT of people are going to be really angry, to say the least.
#8
BAR-Bigtime, and that could result in some really ugly acts. I hope the Bush administration appreciates just how ugly, and as we speak is abandoning Vincente at the altar of a flawed asylum policy...
The Census Bureau announced on Monday that it would no longer assist law enforcement or intelligence agencies with special tabulations on ethnic groups and other "sensitive populations" without the approval of senior bureau officials.
The policy shift comes in response to weeks of criticism after the recent disclosure that the bureau had compiled detailed demographic data on Arab-Americans for the Department of Homeland Security. Findings of a Freedom of Information Act request disclosed in July showed that the Census Bureau had produced two specially tabulated demographic tables on Arab-Americans for the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, a division of the Department of Homeland Security. One table provided ZIP code-level breakdowns of Arab-Americans of various national origins. The cooperation was legal and the statistics used to compile the tables were publicly available. But the assistance sparked complaints from ethnic, privacy and civil rights groups that the Census Bureau was using its powers to aid law enforcement.
"How dare these government agencies work together to enforce the law!"
"We recognize that simply making sure we obey the law may not always be enough to ensure that people trust us," said C. Louis Kincannon, the census director. "Perception also affects how people view and cooperate with the census. This is an interim step to restore trust."
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/31/2004 12:17:39 AM ||
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We can't tell you about anyone whose first and/or middle and/or last name is Mohammed, Muhamad, Mohamed, etc etc etc, lest we be accused of "profiling".
Of course the NEW census employees at the NEW location outside Washington may have REFORMED opinions after the old employees are dying of radiation poisoning in a building which glows in the dark.
#2
I note that the "sensitives" are on the job early to make certain they hinder law enforcement as much as humanly possible. I hope they are sorely disappointed and scream their bloody heads off when push comes to shove and various US agencies finally get the funding and political cover to cooperate.
It sure as hell won't be easy, it's hasn't happened since WWII, but it will be made possible when some asshole kills a bunch of Americans with something other than a gun. I don't want it to happen - but that won't affect the fact that it will happen. Then I see all the apologists and human rights specialists starting the usual litany of defensive claims, retreating from one line to the next, until there is no cover left. And shit finally happens - to them.
#3
Then I see all the apologists and human rights specialists starting the usual litany of defensive claims, retreating from one line to the next, until there is no cover left. And shit finally happens - to them.
#4
Problem with non-defense civil service is that so many of them came to government service under Clinton and think he's still president. You can't fire the rank & file, but you can certainly clean house in the senior ranks. Long overdue. Remember these are the people who wanted to "adjust" the census numbers to account for minorities who were undercounted to make sure that these people who weren't there got their fair share of federal handouts.
#5
But the assistance sparked complaints from ethnic, privacy and civil rights groups that the Census Bureau was using its powers to aid law enforcement.
However, these same groups have no problem with using slack methods of census-taking, so that the Bureau can be use to benefit them...
SOCHI, Russia (AFP) Aug 31, 2004
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed concern about Iran's atomic programme on Tuesday and said it must not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons. "Russia has cooperated with Iran and we will continue to do so, but like our European colleagues France, Germany, Britain, and the US, we are concerned by the fact that questions are being raised about Iran's nuclear programme," Putin said. "We are categorically against an enlargement of the club of nuclear powers, and that includes Iran," Putin said after talks with the German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and French President Jacques Chirac.
Somebody woke up and smelled a mushroom cloud.
Russia is constructing Iran's first nuclear power plant in the southern city of Bushehr despite international protests, although negotiations over price and logistics are holding up the launch. But the United States and Israel say Iran, a major oil and gas producer, has no need for nuclear power and accuse it of only seeking weapons. "We are in negotiations with our Iranian partners. We are going to try to obtain certain guarantees from them, including in the form of agreements. This problem can and must be examined by the international community, at this stage in the framework of the IAEA (the UN atomic agency)," said Putin. Putin's comments were echoed by Schroeder, whose country along with Britain and France has been pushing Iran to abandon its nuclear fuel cycle work altogether, in addition to not enriching uranium. "The situation gives reason for worries about Iran. No one should be brought under suspicion wrongly ... The worry is that Iran is not following the agreement to the letter. "There will be cooperation between the three European countries and Russia. We want together to prevent Iran getting atomic weapons," Schroeder said.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/31/2004 4:22:55 PM ||
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Golly, I just knew ol' Vladimir and I had a lot in common.
Posted by: Michael ||
08/31/2004 16:38 Comments ||
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Seriously, Russia only wants some dengi for its miserably poor nuclear power industry. A couple billion $ should do the trick.
The really difficult thing is to find a way to get BlairStraw to end the farce in which the Three Dwarves run back from Teheran every few months with their backsides smarting and their trousers around their ankles.
#9
Someday Iran will be free like Iraq is becoming. Once that happens everyone will be buying dishwashers, air conditioning units and extra televisions. This will require more electricity. At that point the Iranians will wonder why they wanted to waste money on buying reacotrs when they could have purchased much more power generation capacity much quicker for their money.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/01/2004 3:16 Comments ||
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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and France are weighing a U.N. Security Council resolution seeking to curb Syrian influence in Lebanon, whose pro-Syrian president wants to stay beyond his six-year term, a U.S. official said on Monday.
Lebanon's cabinet on Saturday agreed to a plan to extend President Emile Lahoud's term by three years, an act that would require amending the country's constitution and be welcomed by Syria, Lebanon's main power-broker. The proposal has been denounced by Lahoud's opponents and even some allies of Syria in Lebanon, where Damascus poured troops in the 1975-1990 civil war, afterwards consolidating broad sway in the presidency, army and security services.
Being a conquered state really sucks, eh?
"We are discussing with the French a possible resolution of the Security Council that would stand up for Lebanon's right to decide its own fate without outside interference," a senior State Department official who asked not to be told reporters.
Yes, the French certainly can make the Syrians listen.
The cabinet meeting came after Lebanese leaders, including Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri, met Syrian President Bashar al-Assad over the matter of the presidency, in which lawmakers said Syrian officials made it clear they backed Lahoud's bid.
Critics and backers of the proposal link its fate to Syria's foreign relations, particularly with the United States, which wants Damascus to cut support for Lebanon's Hizbollah guerrillas and pull its troops out of Lebanon.
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs William Burns might visit Damascus and raise the issue as part of a tentatively planned Sept. 8-16 trip to Cairo, Jerusalem and London, where he intends to meet Libyan officials.
The Lebanese cabinet's agreement on extending Lahoud's term would have to be sent to parliament, which picks the president, and where a two-thirds majority can change the constitution. "We have heard a lot of voices in Lebanon standing up for the established constitution. And we think the Lebanese people should be allowed to decide without influence from other parties," said State Department spokesman Richard Boucher.
Time to form a "Popular Front for the Liberation of Lebanon?"
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/31/2004 12:09:05 AM ||
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Must be ok to be occupied by muslims though as I've not been hearing much about roadside bombs, assasinations and drive-by mortar barages.
#2
the syrian position in Lebanon is technically within international law, as they were actually invited in at one point by the Lebanese govt, who saw them as an alternative force to the PLO - they came in to help the Christian Lebanese. Of course they overstayed their welcome, switched sides, and ended up propping up only pro-Syrian govts. And outlasting Israel, the US, and even Iraq (which briefly supported a christian rebel in an anti-Syrian move)
The international community more or less accepted this, as long as it seemed necessary to do so for Lebanese reconstruction to get underway. Better than civil war. An agreement was signed (the Taif agreement) whereby Syria would eventually withdraw. Syria has of course ignored this. With Lebanon essentially back on its feet the Syrian presence is more rawly colonial, and changing the Leb constitution to keep in place one of the few pro-Syrian christian pols with any legitimacy is a pretty blatant act. In this situation the US feels it has leverage to push the UNSC to act.
The Palestinian Authority condemned a double bus bombing by Palestinian militants that killed 15 people in Israel on Tuesday and called for an immediate cessation of such attacks. "The Palestinian government reiterates that our higher national interests are not served by such actions and they should be stopped immediately," Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei's office said in a statement faxed to Reuters. The statement said such attacks give Israel a pretext to "assassinate" Palestinian militants, step up military raids into Palestinian cities and speed up expansion of Jewish settlements in occupied territories. The simultaneous suicide bombings in the city of Beersheba were claimed by the Palestinian group Hamas.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/31/2004 8:26:36 PM ||
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So......No condemnation of the cold-blooded murder of innocents? Only that this isn't in the Paleos interest?
#4
such attacks give Israel a pretext to âassassinateâ Palestinian militants, step up military raids into Palestinian cities and speed up expansion of Jewish settlements in occupied territories.
The opposition in the NWFP Assembly requisitioned the assembly session on Tuesday, submitting a nine-point agenda. Opposition Leader Shahzada Gustasip, Awami National Party parliamentary leader Bashir Ahmed Bilour, and the Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) parliamentary leader Abdul Akbar Khan handed over the requisition with 41 signatures to Acting Speaker Ikramullah Shahid. The agenda includes the non-implementation of Sharia, revival of the District Development Advisory Committee (DDAC) Act, formation of zakat and ushr standing committees, law and order, block allocation and umbrella projects in the Annual Development Programme (ADP), postings, transfers and appointment of class-4 employees and inflation and unemployment, Anwar Kamal Marwat, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) parliamentary leader, told Daily Times.
Mr Marwat said the opposition had not planned any strategy for the upcoming session, claiming that the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) was in disarray and faced with differences and divisions among its component parties. The PML-N leader said a non-elected individual Mufti Kafayatullah, an MMA leader, was asking for the resignation of the deputy speaker who belonged to the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Sami (JUI-Sami). Mr Marwat said NWFP Senior Minister Sirajul Haq from the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) had condemned Kafayatullah's statement asking for the resignation of the deputy speaker. Mr Marwat said the non-implementation of Sharia was at the top of the agenda as the six-party religious alliance had failed to implement the Sharia Bill despite the fact that the assembly had passed it. He said the MMA was bringing a bad name to the assembly and fooling people in the name of Islam.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/31/2004 8:12:43 PM ||
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Imams have yet again criticised Foreign Affairs minister Ali Mwakwere, saying he had poorly handled the crisis of the three Kenyans held hostage in Iraq. Addressing a Press conference in Mombasa yesterday, Sheikh Khalifa said Muslims and Kenyans were yet to see Government submission commitment in handling the situation. "President Mwai Kibaki told us of his Government's commitment in securing the release of hostages in Iraq. We are yet to see this," the Imam said. He said Government efforts to secure the release of its citizen should not be seen as a shakedown favour but a State duty.
At the same time, Sheikh Khalifa called on the Government to amicably settle the Civil Servants strike by increasing their pay. He said civil servants were resorting to a strike because of the wide salary gap between the majority and their seniors. "The civil servants should be awarded the 600 per cent salary hike. This is because the senior Civil Servants and Cabinet ministers who earn more shop for food in the same markets," he said. The Imam also urged the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) and the civil society to press for a new Constitution and withdraw their support to the Government until it complied with Muslim Kenyans' wishes.
An Islamist group which claimed responsibility for a bombing which killed eight people in Moscow on Tuesday vowed more attacks in "infidel" Russia, according to a statement published on a Web site. "There will be, God willing, more waves until we humiliate the infidel state called Russia," said the statement signed by the Islambouli Brigades, which had earlier also claimed responsibility for last week's plane crashes in Russia.
#1
French hostages, Russian deaths. Sure pays not to help us. If either of these countries had a backbone, they would offer to send troops to Iraq or Afganastan, unless this stops.
The Tactical High Energy Laser, built by Northrop Grumman for the US Army, shot down multiple mortar rounds Aug. 24, proving that laser weapons could be applied on the battlefield to protect against common threats. In tests representative of actual mortar threat scenarios, the THEL testbed destroyed both single mortar rounds and mortar rounds fired in a salvo at White Sands Missile Range, NM. The tests were conducted by the Army as part of the Mobile THEL (MTHEL) program. The MTHEL program is the responsibility of the SHORAD Project Office under the U.S. Army's Program Executive Office for Air, Space, and Missile Defense. The purpose of the MTHEL program is to develop and test the first mobile Directed Energy weapon system capable of detecting, tracking, engaging, and defeating Rockets/Artillery/Mortars (RAM), cruise missiles, short-range ballistic missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles. The Army is collaborating with the Israeli Ministry of Defense in the execution of the MTHEL program.
You wanted a Zionist Death Ray, you got it!
"These successful tests once again prove the versatility of the THEL testbed to counter a wide range of threats, particularly low-tech weapons like mortars," said Patrick Caruana, vice president of Space and Missile Defense for Northrop Grumman Space Technology. "For the first time, we have a way to protect our forces, and those of our allies, against almost daily mortar attacks. Together with the U.S. Army, we have overcome the technical hurdles and we're ready to move laser weapons onto the battlefield." As the nation's only laser weapon, the THEL testbed has shot down a variety of threats since 2000, showing its versatility by destroying about three dozen targets, ranging from Katyusha rockets to artillery shells and large-caliber rockets, and now mortar threats as well. "In the foreseeable future, MTHEL is the only directed energy program we can depend on to counter threats posed by rockets, artillery and mortar rounds," said Joe Shwartz, MTHEL program manager for Northrop Grumman Space Technology.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/31/2004 4:18:38 PM ||
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First priority for deployment is with our troops, next should be the Israelis. Israel would make a good testbed for these things.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
08/31/2004 16:25 Comments ||
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Quick, MTHEL! My pills!
Posted by: Fred ||
08/31/2004 16:39 Comments ||
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#3
You OK Fred?
Posted by: Howard UK ||
08/31/2004 16:40 Comments ||
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#4
Fred will be here all week, try the veal.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/31/2004 16:50 Comments ||
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Righto.
Posted by: Howard UK ||
08/31/2004 16:52 Comments ||
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#6
I rarely say it but, geebus, is this a great country or what! Soon every child will have one at an affordable price.
#7
This sort of thing is the onlyway they'll ever have peace in Israel. When the Palestinians had their own territory they fired rockets into Israel regularly. When the Palestinians were part of Jordan and Egypt they fired rockets into Isreal regularly. I have a sneaking suspician that if they have a state of their own they'll be raining rockets down on Israel again.
#1
Soâ¦I guess heâs saying that Bush and Mushy are working with bin Laden and all of these other bigs to create a war â so that they can get reelected. Together they pick up the âleadersâ of AQ, one by one, just to get headlines.
Ah, yes, yesâ¦.Bush was behind 9-11, not just with the complicity of Israel, but now also with Pakistan.
Move along, nothing to see here except more frothing from the lunatics, taking the word âparanoidâ to new heights
Posted by: B ||
08/31/2004 11:14 Comments ||
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They say Ramzi Yousef is also a nephew of KSM. That makes three nephews. He's got a lot of terrorist nephews...This article is really helping me to not like or trust Pakistan. I'm thinking we shoulda bombed Pakistan instead. I advocated nuking Islamabad, Kabul, Teheran, Baghadad, Damascus, Khartoum, Beirut, Ramallah, & Riyadh on 9-11. I really believe that should've been our response. Or if not nuke, then topple those governments conventionally & SIMULTANEOUSLY.
#1
Wait a minute, I thought it was because Allan sent down the camel spiders. Sounds like someone's taking cues from "flip flop" Kerry. Just another mark against them that we need to answer (or Israel).
Posted by: BA ||
08/31/2004 10:25 Comments ||
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Good reason to make sure we finish them off next time. We need to learn from our mistakes, and they from thiers.
#5
Must have been all that spiritual glory generated by the high rate of Tater Tots matyrdom. After a while, there weren't enough of them left for a good standup fight.
#1
If certain folks have their way, it won't be long before Saddam gets back into Iraq, after a long and convoluted "international" trial that acquits him, to pick up where he, the UN, and various European/Asian powers left off. Embargo....hahahahahahahaha
The Taliban warned yesterday of more deadly attacks in the run-up to Afghanistan's first presidential election as the death toll from a weekend car bomb reached at least 10 persons. Three Americans were among those killed in the blast targeting the offices of international security company Dyncorp, which provides bodyguards for Afghan President Hamid Karzai and helps train the national police force. Another blast on Saturday killed nine children and one adult at a religious school in Paktia province, south of Kabul.
That'll bring out the sympathy vote, killing the kiddies.
I think the left further diminishes its credibility when it takes honest, no-brainer statements like this one, or likeâyes, Iâve made mistakesâ and turns them into negative sound bites intended to make Bush look bad.
Itâs a total insult to the intended audience to think they would be fooled. I suppose they could be targeting the under 70IQ crowd, but if not, getting all jubilant over comments like these just makes the left look shrill and petty.
#4
Hell, the nutjobs in the streets of NYC are proving Bush's point. We may be able to beat the Islamofascists, but the fascists in our own streets will just pick up the slack.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
08/31/2004 8:21 Comments ||
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#5
Israel's never-ending war on terrorism and Waco corroborate Bush's point, and to think otherwise one would have to be naive or just plain foolish. We can not violate the sovereignties of countries or the ideologies of individuals with expectations of blind compliance.
#7
"The Taliban warned..."
Why in the blazes are they even able to?
Posted by: Tom ||
08/31/2004 9:28 Comments ||
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The Taliban warned yesterday of more deadly attacks in the run-up to Afghanistan's first presidential election as the death toll from a weekend car bomb reached at least 10 persons.
Taliban Spokeaman :
"We will be continuing holy sniper attacks on kite-flyers, chess-players, and those listening to music. Allah Akhbar! Allah Akhbar! Allah Akhbar!Allah Akhbar! Allah Akhbar! Allah Akhbar! Allah Akhbar!" (At this point the spokesman's breathing beacme heavy, then he groaned and collapsed.)
#9
UFOman is right terrorism is a social problem. Money is needed to hire experts to study it in depth. And since terrorism can't be beaten we should learn to cope with it. Money will be needed to train the sociologists and psychologists in helping people cope when bad things happen. We should all learn to appreciate the dynamic role Islam and Islamism will be playing in our country.
#10
Terrorism is the tool, not the enemy. Talibandies need to be exterminated. There is no peace to be had with them.
It is Islamic Jihad that is the political platform that we are fighting. Unless that is faced down then, yes, no victory to be had.
And all their bases are not ours. That will need to be Iranian, paki, and SA bases. To bad muslims can't cut this thing out. Our German friends fell for the evil thing too, a political philosophy at war with the world.
#11
When I heard the Matt Lauer interview with President Bush, Matt asked the "but can we *win* it?!" question a number of times. In his response, the President put the emphasis on the word "It", which I inferred as a way of saying "We aren't going to be able to 'win' this war in the same traditional way we've won the old style of wars."
As soon as I heard it, I figured the quote could be used by itself in print to be taken out of context for negative purposes. I think his original point is really right on the money ...
As for the Taliban ... remember the old Hill Street Blues end-of-meeting phrase? "Let's do it to them before they do it to us ..."
The former policeman Alu Alkhanov capped the official announcement of his election as Chechnya's president yesterday by demanding that the separatist militant leader, Aslan Maskhadov, face trial and apologise to the Chechen people. Officials announced the predictable landslide victory yesterday of Mr Alkhanov, 47, as successor to Akhmad Kadyrov, who was assassinated in May. Turnout in the election was claimed to be 85%, and Mr Alkhanov was said in a preliminary count to have won 74% of the vote, Interfax reported.
The election on Sunday was held under martial law with 17,000 troops patrolling the streets after an attack by militants the previous Saturday. Few voters could actually be seen, and, as in previous elections, allegations of ballot-rigging were rife. Mr Alkhanov's only serious opponent was barred from running. A US state department spokesman said the Chechen vote "did not meet international standards for a democratic election".
Mr Alkhanov, a former interior minister, told the news agency Itar-Tass after hearing the initial results: "I feel an enormous burden of responsibility. I feel no euphoria. There is a clear understanding that a lot of hard work is ahead." Mr Maskhadov has vowed to kill the winner of the vote. Mr Alkhanov dismissed the idea of negotiations with Mr Maskhadov as "not necessary", according to Interfax yesterday. Mr Alkhanov pledged to revive the economy and create 150,000 new jobs. He added that he had "very friendly professional relations" with Ramzan Kadyrov, the son of the late president, whose private army rules much of Chechnya. Mr Alkhanov was installed to keep the supporters of Akhmad Kadyrov loyal to Moscow, yet the clan's key strongmen have reportedly begun to bicker.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
08/31/2004 1:16:46 AM ||
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Mr Alkhanov pledged to revive the economy and create 150,000 new jobs
blah, blah, blah⦠as if a any politician anywhere wouldnât make that promise. Itâs as meaningless as a 4th grader, running for class president, promising more time for recess and less homework.
Another sign that Sadr is suffering from the major ass kicking he received.
An aide to Muqtada al-Sadr says the Shia cleric has called on his militia to cease all fighting against U.S. and Iraqi forces. "[He] has called for a halting of all military operations in Iraq, and we are studying the idea of joining the political process," said Naim Al-Kaabi, an al-Sadr aide in Baghdad. Will there be a convention? What will the party's name be?
Al-Sadr called on all his followers to lay down their arms unless in self-defence, the aide said, adding they should be patient until the political program is revealed. "This latest initiative shows that we want stability and security in this country by ending all confrontation in all parts of Iraq," said Sheik Raed al-Khadami, al-Sadr's spokesperson in Baghdad. [Not from Scrappleface!]
He said al-Sadr's office in Najaf will call within the next two days to join the political process. A peace deal was reached on Friday ending three weeks of fighting between Sadr's militia and American and Iraqi forces in the Iraqi city of Najaf, but Monday's announcement was aimed at halting the fighting that has spread to other Shia communities. The government of interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi has demanded al-Sadr disband the Mahdi Army and join the political process.
Posted by: Rafael ||
08/31/2004 1:09:03 AM ||
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The government of interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi has demanded al-Sadr disband the Mahdi Army and join the political process.
Hopefully the first steps of joining the 'political process' will involve arraignment and trial for Sadr?
#2
I think this is great. If Sadr joins the political process, he will give attention and a sense of purpose to the losers extraordinaire. Through the political process, Sadr will have the same impact as Jessie Jackson, ie: not much - but enough to satisfy him and his band of disenchanted, that they are doing something to achieve their goals WITHIN the system.
While it seems distasteful, it actually would be a good result.
#5
B has a good point about "own sweet time" I can see good reasons for waiting for an ELECTED govt before putting Sadr on trial, though he will undoubtedly use whatever political capital he has to avoid said trial. Although that leaves him that much less political capital for other things.
#6
Through the political process, Sadr will have the same impact as Jessie Jackson, ie: not much - but enough to satisfy him and his band of disenchanted, that they are doing something to achieve their goals WITHIN the system.
I wouldn't count on that. Were this to play out as you speculate, what do you think Sadr would do if he was convinced that he had, in effect, become marginalized? I'd say that the "Mahdi Army" would be making another appearance.
..and there is nothing stopping the Iraqiâs from trying him for his murders in their own sweet time.
If they're going to take their sweet time about it, then it's not going to mean anything, assuming that it happens at all. The guy has to be in custody, something that he is not. And if the guy really is nothing more than a criminal, why is he being courted to be "part of the political process", and not simply arrested with the intent of prosecuting him for his crimes?
I believe he's MMA. Paul?
Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Mohammad Yusuf on Monday said that involvement of external elements, including the Indian intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), in the current acts of terrorism in Balochistan could not be ruled out. Speaking at the Meet the Press programme of Karachi Press Club, he defended the construction of Gwadar port and military cantonments, and blamed 'anti-Pakistan forces' for fomenting trouble in the strategically located Balochistan. "Though dialogue for normalization is continuing, as long as Kashmir is not settled they will continue to create difficulties for Pakistan," said Jam Yusuf in an apparent reference to the Indian RAW.
"See, it ain't our fault, it's, um, ... theirs."
In support of his contention with regard to foreign involvement, Jam Yusuf referred to various training camps in which, according to him, terrorists were being harboured and paid huge sums to create trouble. He said that none of the Baloch wadera had the capacity to finance such an operation. He said that some of those involved in terrorist activities had fled to the Gulf. "Conspiracies are hatched against Balochistan by anti-Pakistan forces who do not want Gwadar port to become economic hub in the region," he said.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
08/31/2004 1:06:15 AM ||
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He is a member of the PML, IIRC, but heads a coalition government with the MMA.
Of late there has been an upsurge of attacks by a group called the Baluchistan Liberation Army (BLA), building on the anger that many Baluch's feel at the building of a port city in Gwadar which they believe will do nothing for them and only benefit immigrants from other parts of Pakistan. The BLA has been playing on this and conducted some attacks, including one on the Chief Minister himself.
The Pakistanis have been going on about Indian and Afghan involvement in terrorisn and seperatism for years, it seems unlikely to me, but maybe where there is smoke there is fire. Both countries accuse Pakistan of sending terrorists across the borders, so maybe they want to play the same game.
Posted by: Paul Moloney ||
08/31/2004 4:31 Comments ||
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terrorists were being harboured and paid huge sums to create trouble.
Eight Sudanese aid workers are reported to have been kidnapped in Darfur, as a deadline expires for the UN to hear how Sudan is tackling violence there. The Sudan government said rebels abducted the Sudanese nationals who were working for international groups. UN officials are set to issue findings on efforts to stop the attacks that have exacerbated a humanitarian crisis. The UN Security Council will meet on Thursday to discuss whether to take action against the Sudanese government. The UN had threatened action if Sudan did not take steps by 30 August to improve the security situation in the western region of Darfur and to rein in the militias, blamed for killing civilians. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan is expected to decide on Tuesday whether the Sudanese government is complying with those demands.
They're doomed.
More than one million black Africans in Darfur have been driven from their homes, primarily by the pro-government Arab Janjaweed militia. Sudan's government denies being in control of the Janjaweed and President Omar al-Bashir has called them "friends and comrades" "thieves and gangsters". The BBC's Hilary Andersson in southern Darfur says large parts of the region remain insecure for displaced civilians. It was in southern Darfur that the aid workers were last seen. Three of them are from UN's World Food Programme and five of them from the Sudanese Red Crescent. The BBC's Stephen Gibbs at the UN in New York says it seems likely that the UN will conclude that Sudan has gone some way - but not far enough - to alleviate this crisis.
Could have maild that guess in from London.
The threat of sanctions appears to be dimming, he adds.
Who besides the US/UK threatened sanctions?
The Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa Osman Ismail said he hoped the Security Council would come to a "reasonable decision". "We wish the relationship between Sudan and the Security Council will not be in the way of confrontation," he told Associated Press television in an interview.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/31/2004 12:32:38 AM ||
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Yeah, sanctions really stops the raping and murdering and chopping bits off of people, like it did in Bosnia, Iraq and other choice spots around the world.
#3
Eight Sudanese aid workers are reported to have been kidnapped in Darfur...
That way, no witnesses can report that nothing has changed. The tactics are pretty consistent-remember when Kofi and Colin went to the camps and no one was there?
#4
The Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa Osman Ismail said he hoped the Security Council would come to a "reasonable decision".
Yeah, like we want to be nominated as head of the Human Rights Commission next year, after Syria and Lybia finish their terms. Ask Kofi, he said it's o.k.
Posted by: BA ||
08/31/2004 10:15 Comments ||
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So they'll have a meeting to set an agenda for a conference to discuss a new deadline.
Which, when it is finally set, will be ignored. Again.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
08/31/2004 14:33 Comments ||
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#6
The UN deadline is over: A hush is fall over the world.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon wants all 21 Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip evacuated at the same time instead of in three stages, officials said Monday, reflecting a major shift in tactics in his pullout plan. Sharon's goal is to prevent drawn-out and violent confrontations between settlers and the security forces, as well as multiple confrontations in his Cabinet.
According his "unilateral disengagement" plan as approved in June, the Gaza settlements are to be removed in three stages by the end of September 2005. Four small West Bank settlements are also to be evacuated. Sharon presented the new formula to his Security Cabinet, a forum of senior ministers, on Monday. Dropping the staged pullout of Gaza is meant to stifle criticism and limit armed resistance to what would be the first time Israel has ever removed authorized settlements in the West Bank or Gaza.
Since Sharon first raised the plan in December, settlers have been organizing to resist. Though most of the 8,000 Gaza settlers are expected to accept compensation or alternative housing and leave quietly, a small hard core of settlers would likely dig in and try to fend off security forces. Removing all 21 settlements at once would be practical, said political analyst Hanan Crystal. "If they do it in stages, the same thousand settlers will run from one place to the next" to resist, he told The Associated Press. "If they do it all at once, where can they run?"
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/31/2004 12:00:37 AM ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
