Well, probably not. A report from the Kuwait Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs on their plans to curb extremism and protect easily influenced youths. Curiously, this report calls for more Islamic studies and more time spent at mosque. A lot more time.
Undersecretary of the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Dr Adel Al-Falah presented a work paper to the Islamic Council for Da'wah and Relief on the ministry's strategy to reinforce moderation. The strategy includes social activities, methods to reinforce the role of public activities, discussing Islamic thoughts indirectly to achieve moderation,
Of course if one talks about moderation directly, one could be accused of deviating from the One True Path and killed as an apostate...
in addition to establishing contacts with the ministries of Information, Education, and Social Affairs to create information activities that reinforce moderation. Al-Falah said the role of the Grand Mosque in Kuwait includes many information activities, in addition to social and cultural activities, such as teaching Arabic language, holding Islamic lectures and seminars, as well as training sessions and discussion forums. The workpaper touched the ministry's projects to reinforce moderation, such as establishing the supreme committee for creating programs and plans that protect youth from religious extremism, international dialogue center for spreading moderation and religious awareness, Islamic awareness magazine, in addition to an Islamic satellite television channel that focuses on moderation.
Oh, my. I feel the moderation flowing by the quart in every vein.
The paper touched on spreading moderation among Muslim communities in Kuwait by preserving their cultures and backgrounds, correcting their misunderstandings about Islam, eliminating racism and division among them, and selecting those who have religious knowledge among them to educate others who newly converted to Islam. Among other strategies for the ministry is facilitating the performance of religious ceremonies, asserting national unity, abandoning extremism, and preparing the society for implementing the Islamic law. The paper also touched on other plans to confront several issues in the society, such as encouraging the society to follow the teachings of Islam and its values, reinforcing the society's identity, preparing the society to cooperate with other cultures while maintaining their lives as Muslims, in addition to using Islamic methods to solve issues sparked by modern life.
Nope, no basketball. But plenty of dawa! That's pretty much the same, dontcha think?
Saudi Arabia has pledged again to pump more crude if required, but said what world consumers need most are refined fuels such as gasoline and heating oil. Crown Prince Sultan blamed a price spike that took US crude to $70.85 a barrel on a global shortage of refineries, not the crude to run in them. "We are concerned about the rise in oil prices and confirm the Kingdom's readiness to do its utmost to compensate for shortages in supply and to meet increasing demand," Prince Sultan was quoted by the Saudi Press Agency as saying at a reception hosted by the Saudi-American Business Council in New York on Wednesday.
"The current rise in oil prices does not stem from a shortage in crude oil supplies but is due to, as everyone knows, increased demand for products and a shortage in refining capacity..." he said. Crown Prince Sultan said the Kingdom had already increased its production to 11 million barrels per day. "We are working on further raising our output gradually to reach 12 million bpd by 2009," he told Saudi and US businessmen. He emphasized the importance of dialogue between producing and consuming countries to achieve world market stability. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries meets in Vienna next week and its president has said he would propose the group raise its output by 500,000 bpd.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/16/2005 00:00 ||
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#1
"The current rise in oil prices does not stem from a shortage in crude oil supplies - of course not, a market equilizes supply and demand through price. By definition there is never a shortage in an open market. However, more supply would mean lower prices. - but is due to, as everyone knows, increased demand for products and a shortage in refining capacity..." Bullshit!
The Saudis are talking down oil prices when they could bring them down through more supply, which means either they don't want to bring down the price or they don't have the supply.
Posted by: Captain America ||
09/16/2005 2:27 Comments ||
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I thought the Saudis were pumping at there maximum capability and, having frightened off so many of their foreign experts through terror attacks, were extending the maintenance cycle in the hope that someone would come along and fix whatever broke. Do I mis-remember?
Prince Naif bin Abdul Aziz has stated that there are various elements backing terrorism and said the Saudi Interior Ministry is continuing its efforts to uncover them at the right time. The Saudi minister added that the Kingdom's government has not noticed any external efforts to help dry up the ideological sources of terrorism and underlined the country's willingness to help and cooperate with all parties that are ready for every effort. Prince Naif expressed his full satisfaction with the security forces' handling of the terrorist cell during the events in Al-Dammam's Al-Mubarakiyah neighborhood between 6 and 9 September and attributed the length of time the confrontation took to the security forces' concern for the safety of the citizens and residents around the area.
On the other hand, Prince Naif, the supervisor general of the Saudi Committee for the Relief of the Palestinian People", signed a joint action agreement with "UNESCO" under which the Saudi committee would provide financial aid to several educational programs for the Palestinian people at a total cost of $15 million while UNESCO would be mandated by the committee to supervise directly the implementation of these projects in coordination with the Palestinian Education and Higher Education Ministry. The grant includes covering 75 percent of the school fees for 15,989 male and female students in Palestinian universities and 75 percent of the school fees for 1,747 male and female students in colleges in addition to supporting 10 Palestinian universities and colleges with more than 8 million riyals. Asked by Asharq al-Awsat about the Saudi leadership's assessment of the Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, Prince Naif answered: "We hope there is sincerity and that this is in the Palestinian people's interest."
Posted by: Fred ||
09/16/2005 00:00 ||
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BTW Did anyone hear the news report about a bank robber we have out here in LeftCoast People's Republic who supposedly resembles Homer Simpson?
Politely, of course. Demanding things probably wouldn't help. Yet.
The United States has urged China to persuade its longtime ally, North Korea, that it should give up its nuclear weapons without receiving a reactor for generating power, hoping to salvage stalled six-nation talks on the North's atomic programs. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill said Friday the talks were in a "stalemate," with North Korea demanding a light-water reactor before dismantling its nuclear weapons program.
The North has been offered economic aid, security guarantees from Washington and free electricity from South Korea in exchange for bowing to demands that it give up the weapons program. "I hope China will feel a certain responsibility to convince (North Korea) to take that deal," Hill said Friday morning before heading to a meeting with the Chinese side. Japan, Russia and South Korea are also participating in the talks. Hill said he thought the Chinese had a responsibility to exercise their influence over North Korea, noting that the two sides had a "very long history."
China is the North's last major ally and its leading supplier of food and energy aid. Beijing has earlier called for the sides to seek compromise, with an official saying all reasonable concerns of any country at the talks deserve to be considered.
Citing unidentified sources, Kyodo also reported that North Korea told other nations at the negotiations that it would boost its production of nuclear material if its demand for such a reactor is not met. "The basic stumbling block has to do with the issue of providing a light-water reactor," North Korean spokesman Hyun Hak Bong said Thursday in the first comment from the delegation since the talks resumed.
The head of Japan's delegation, Kenichiro Sasae, called the situation "extremely difficult" and said the negotiations were at a "deadlock." People who know Japan: what does "extremely difficult" mean in Western idiom?
North Korea, "not for the first time, has chosen to isolate itself," Hill said Thursday evening. The country "has a rather sad and long history of making the wrong decision on things."
They come after the release this week of satellite photos showing North Korea has resumed some work on a nuclear reactor that could enable it to vastly increase stocks of weapons-grade plutonium, Reuters news agency reported. But the activity seems to be modest, analyst Corey Hinderstein told Reuters. They can't be making more than 10, 15 tops, nukes. That's modest.
#1
In that context I would take it to mean the other side is intransigent and stonewalling. Quite a statement for a normally polite and demure Japanese diplomat.
Posted by: DanNY ||
09/16/2005 8:06 Comments ||
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#2
"I'm comin' over there with a few of my boys..."
Australia will always reserve the right to act without United Nations approval if it sees the need for another "coalition of the willing" action such as the invasion of Iraq, Prime Minister John Howard says.
With the 59th General Assembly of the United Nations about to wind up at the world summit in New York, Mr Howard said that nothing he had seen or heard this week had changed his mind about the limited role of international bodies.
Australia joined the United States, Britain and Spain in invading Iraq in 2003 without the UN's sanction after Saddam Hussein allegedly failed to comply with UN resolutions on weapons of mass destruction (WMD).
No WMD were ever found but Mr Howard said Australia would do the same again if it believed it was the only way to get something done.
"I believe in the UN when it works," he told reporters after a two-and-a-half hour round table discussion with world leaders including British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"There are some circumstances where it does not work and you have to reserve the right for coalitions of the willing or whatever you want to describe it - you have to."
Are you listening Iran and Syria?
Mr Howard cited the case of Kosovo when foreign forces intervened to stop ethnic cleansing in Serbia without a UN Security Council resolution authorising the action.
"Quite plainly, the UN, because of its institutional structure, wasn't going to be able to authorise certain things being done which clearly were required to be done," he said.
"I'm not anti-United Nations, I'm just anti a belief that only the United Nations can deal with issues, because plainly there are circumstances where it can't because of its structure and because of the need to have a political consensus."
Posted by: Captain America ||
09/16/2005 00:00 ||
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#1
If the Aussies are ever crazy enough to throw you out, why don't you move to the US? A quick little Constitutional amendment and...
#2
I wonder if the striking difference in temperment between the Aussies and the Canucks results from demographics. The Aussies got the Irish and the Canadians got the French.
Posted by: Rafael ||
09/16/2005 1:31 Comments ||
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#4
Uniregum Hupinese, there are two traditions in old style Australian politics- the English and the Irish. To generalise, the English tradition has evolved into Howards (conservative) Liberal Party, and the Irish strand into the leftish Labor Party.
John Howard is totally from the English- Anglican- conservative strand of Australian politics. His middle name is Winston!
The Irish originated- largely Catholic- pacifistic Labor Party is spineless by comparison.
Though on an individual level, the Irish influence on our national character is profound. But as far as current day politics, there is not much influence.
Much generalisation, postwar immigration ignored and very much IMO!
Caption reads: "She would have sent troops."
It won't help: Last polls give CDU/CSU and FDP a majority.
Here's my original prediction (latest poll in brackets)
#2
Just one more SPD effort to patch up the strained friendship between the US and Germans don't you understand? This shouldn't be a shock. The SPD won the last election with this same kind of Anti-US propaganda. The German press is often Anti-US and many of it's citizens are too. Nothing to see here.
Just another European state in decline and denial. The US makes a convenient scape goat since all Germany's problems are of course caused by the US didn't you know. The German way is always better, just look how successful they have been with Iran!
Merkel's election will not change things by much. You will still have the same press and public sentiment.
By Angela Merkel
Thursday, February 20, 2003; Page A39
Rarely do we have the experience of witnessing firsthand the end of one epoch and the beginning of another. But this is exactly what people all over the world are now living through. This epochal change began with the fall of the Berlin Wall on Nov. 9, 1989, which marked a victory for freedom and the opening of the transatlantic partnership to the East. It continued with the events of Sept. 11, 2001, which shook the United States to its very foundations -- with consequences that, to this day, many Europeans have not fully grasped. Because of these decisive events, Europe and the United States now must redefine the nucleus of their domestic, foreign and security policy principles.
Europe is, on the one hand, assuming new responsibilities around the world, whether in Kosovo or Afghanistan. On the other hand, it is divided, maybe even deeply split. Thus, for example, aid to Turkey, our partner in the alliance, is blocked for days in the NATO Council by France, Belgium and Germany, a situation that undermines the very basis of NATO's legitimacy. The most important lesson of German politics -- never again should Germany go it alone -- is swept aside with seeming ease by a German federal government that has done precisely this, for the sake of electoral tactics. The Eastern European candidate countries for membership in the European Union are attacked by the French government simply because they have declared their commitment to the transatlantic partnership between Europe and the United States.
But there is a more positive side as well. An agreement was reached at the emergency EU summit on Monday: On the basis of U.N. Resolution 1441, participants decided on a coordinated attitude to be adopted by the Europeans in the Iraq conflict. The agreement, which was long overdue, has forced the German federal government to make its first change of course in its policy toward Iraq. As the German parliamentary opposition, we welcome this change and expect the German government's behavior on the U.N. Security Council to be in accord with the EU decision, although we also have reason to doubt it will be.
Two things have been highlighted once again by the EU decision. First, the danger from Iraq is not fictitious but real. Second, working not against but jointly with the United States, Europe must take more responsibility for maintaining international pressure on Saddam Hussein. As is argued in the EU summit declaration, this means advocating military force as the last resort in implementing U.N. resolutions.
It is true that war must never become a normal way of resolving political disputes. But the history of Germany and Europe in the 20th century in particular certainly teaches us this: that while military force cannot be the normal continuation of politics by other means, it must never be ruled out, or even merely questioned -- as has been done by the German federal government -- as the ultimate means of dealing with dictators. Anyone who rejects military action as a last resort weakens the pressure that needs to be maintained on dictators and consequently makes a war not less but more likely.
This is a grave matter: Peace is a supreme good, for the sake of which every effort has to be made. But it is also true that responsible political leadership must on no account trade the genuine peace of the future for the deceptive peace of the present. The determination and unity of the free nations will, in the Iraq conflict, have a decisive effect not only on the outcome of the crisis but on the way in which we shape the future of Europe and its relationship with the United States. They will have a decisive effect, too, on how we guarantee peace, freedom and security, and how we find appropriate answers to the new threats of our time. Will it be alone or together, with determination or in despair, with our partners or against them?
I am convinced that Europe and the United States will have to opt for a common security alliance in the future, just as they did in the past. The United States is the only remaining superpower, but even so it will have to rely on dependable partners over the long term. Germany needs its friendship with France, but the benefits of that friendship can be realized only in close association with our old and new European partners, and within the transatlantic alliance with the United States.
A couple of days ago, an article in the Süddeutsche Zeitung, one of Germany's major national newspapers, carried the headline "The End of a Friendship." It included the following passage: "For Germany, a permanent break with America would probably be not much of a liberation but a return to an ugly old-new reality, to the completely disillusioned world of the old Europe with its narrow-mindedness and disloyalty. Gratitude, friendship with America: in future these could still prove to be reasonable feelings."
For the party that I lead, our close partnership and friendship with the United States is just as much a fundamental element of Germany's national purpose as European integration. But both will be successful only if it is possible to build new trust and we are able to formulate our own interests. There is no acceptable alternative to this way forward at the beginning of this new epoch.
Im not sure the CD would look all that "right" by American standards. Theyre not for privatizing your national health insurance, are they TGA? Theyve got some folks flirting with flat taxes, but IIUC theyve stepped back from that. If Merkel were an American shed be either a centrist Dem, or, more likely, a "RINO" republican, I think.
#8
Yeah, I'm hearing some desperation.. If the German economy were even mediocre he could put those numbers up, but this can't hide over 10 percent unemployment and a stagnant economy.
It seems to be very similar here. The Dems are out of new ideas. The old ones - Marxism/Socialism hasn't worked for them, but they still cling to them. So all they have left is imagery like this. Well, that and class envy, but that's right out of the Manifesto too.
#11
Not so fast LH
Merkel is actually rather close to what the Germans call "neoliberal" (flat tax etc), but of course she has to deal with all those prime ministers of the länder. She has announced to appoint a finance minister who advocates a flat tax (actually a maximum income tax of 25%). That tax is not likely to happen tomorrow of course.
Privatizing medical insurance? I would be against that. I prefer the way we have with corrections: More freedom to choose and much less insurance bureaucracy. I want everyone to have insurance and the best care. I'm not too fond with the US system, to be frank, that can leave you bankrupt because of medical bills.
#12
I've got an open mind. Let's hear your new ideas. Tell me what new ideas you have for the economy. Tell me what steps can be taken to get France and Germany's unemployment below 10 percent. How are you, as a liberal going to increase they're GDP.
Are the Democrats on the right track here in this country? Would you do anything to improvements. Tell me your new ideas.
#15
1) Reduce and simplify taxes, family friendly taxation
2) Reduce forced social contributions
3) De-bureaucratize work and the creation of companies/jobs, encourage investments by reducing red tape
4) Increase percentage of capital-financed pensions
5) Simplify medical insurance system with better rights to chose
6) Far more flexibility with hiring and firing
7) Encourage innovation in science and education
8) Make it easier for small and medium sized businesses to get bank credit and venture capital
#17
These are the all things the joint party program of CDU/CSU demands.
They will form a government with the FDP which is even more "libertarian".
We all know how hard it is to realize all this.
But we'll never find out if we don't try.
Germany should be the best economy in Europe.
#18
I hope Angie wins and TGA gets appointed Assistant Chancellor or Number Two Fella What's In Charge or whatever you call it so's you can straighten that place out.
Posted by: Mike ||
09/16/2005 17:03 Comments ||
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#19
Germany should be the best economy in Europe.
It was for so many decades, thanks primarily to one man who ignored the socialist statist pablum he was fed by his occupiers. How could the memory of one who wrote Prosperity through Competition be lost to those in his homeland?
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
09/16/2005 17:08 Comments ||
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#20
Germany could do so much, but ends up with so little. Kinda like the democrats.
Cindy Sheehan may have ended her summer vigil at the president's ranch in Crawford, Texas, but she is taking her anti-war activism to colleges/universities by participating in public speaking and public programs across the nation.
New York, NY (PRWEB via PR Web Direct) September 14, 2005 -- There are moments in history when the courageous actions of one individual act to galvanize a movement â whether for civil rights, women's rights, pro-democracy, or against a war. The summer of 2005 will forever be remembered with one mother's vigil for her lost son at President Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas. Cindy Sheehan has re-energized the nation's anti-war movement with her unflagging desire to meet with the president to ask: âWhat is the noble cause for which my son died in Iraq?â
Cindy Sheehan has become a national symbol of the powerless confronting the powerful, of a mother mourning the loss of her child and seeking answers from the nation's commander-in-chief, the man who made the case for the war in which her son lost his life. Sheehan's activism has not ended with the president returning to Washington after his vacation. She is now involved in public speaking to groups around the country: one mother with one voice and one mission â to find a way to bring our troops home and spare other parents the grief of losing a child in an unjust war.
For additional information on Cindy Sheehan and her public speaking availability, visit www.speakingmatters.org.
About Speaking Matters LLC:
Speaking Matters is a speakers' bureau that represents a select group of world class loons public speakers, each with a unique story to tell. Whether you are interested in exploring the work of activists, advocates, and agents of change, listening to a screeching moonbat moving account of the resilience of the human spirit, or understanding the world's challenges today, Speaking Matters provides you with the finest public speaking, from lectures and speeches to panel discussions and keynote addresses. Speaking Matters aims to facilitate positive personal and social change through the spoken word.Cash, checks and most major credit cards accepted
Posted by: Steve ||
09/16/2005 15:53 ||
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Her latest comment about "pulling the troops out of New Orleans", shows her level of derangement and partisanship.
Someone immediately suggested that with the crowd trickling away, Cindy starts to cry, then yells at them "But you have to listen to me! My son DIED in New Orleans! Er...or somewhere! Impeach Bush NOW!"
CINDY SHEEHAN CALLS FOR U.S TO 'PULL OUR TROOPS OUT OF OCCUPIED NEW ORLEANS'
Mon Sep 12 2005 12:42:11 ET
Celebrity anti-war protester, fresh off inking a lucrative deal with Speaker's Bureau, has demanded at the HUFFINGTON POST and MICHAEL MOORE'S website that the United States military must immediately leave 'occupied' New Orleans.
"I don't care if a human being is black, brown, white, yellow or pink. I don't care if a human being is Christian, Muslim, Jew, Buddhist, or pagan. I donÃt care what flag a person salutes: if a human being is hungry, then it is up to another human being to feed him/her. George Bush needs to stop talking, admit the mistakes of his all around failed administration, pull our troops out of occupied New Orleans and Iraq, and excuse his self from power. The only way America will become more secure is if we have a new administration that cares about Americans even if they donÃt fall into the top two percent of the wealthiest."
Sheehan is in the middle of a bus trip across America in support of her cause.
GET IT NOW. THE ONLY OFFICIALY AUTHORIZED CINDY SHEEHAN ACTION FIGURE CLOCK!
Watch the Cindy action figure come out and go cuckoo on the hour an the half hour! This handsome clock comes with a letter of authenticity signed by Mother Moonbat herself!
Don't miss out. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity!
#4
Oh yeah, call in the Commie Airborne to save the separatist enclave(s), as good Clintonians of the USSA and CPUSA demand to replace the Soviets as the alcoholics of world Leftism-Socialism. No Amerikan can serve in the People's Global Waffen SS SOviet Army, of Billary's Federalist SOcialist Republic of the Commonwealth of the Union of the Confederacy, unless Amerikans are " permanently poor but optimistic" like current Russian citizens under prior state Communism. SEND IN THE PANZERS - YOU KNOW, THE T34's AND STALIN II's!?
#5
This is the type of idiocy that has led me and so many others to escape to the suburbs.
Posted by: Scott R ||
09/16/2005 19:28 Comments ||
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#6
Living in a Chicago Suburb I have to say ho-hum.
These are the bozos that play musical chair with cars towed on (chop shop like) orders. After a week they sell them and you loose.
Crooks the bunch of them.
Including Daley and his wife.
Don't even think about his wife's answer to Boston's big dig. Just watch that multi-billon dollar piece of crap be constantly polished.
#8
HHHHMmmmmmmmmm, NO at one end of OLD MAN RIVER, Chicago at the other end - no need for the Commies "War/Battle Zone" strategem, as methinks Cindy and her Commie Airborne or Spetzlamists want to be invited in for deep dish/pan pizza.
A senior official in the CIA's espionage branch will leave earlier than announced because of a dispute with CIA Director Porter J. Goss on reforms within the agency's spying branch, Bush administration officials said yesterday.
Robert Richer, the associate deputy director of operations, the No. 2 official in the CIA's clandestine service, had planned to retire from the agency effective November, according to a recent announcement to agency employees by Mr. Goss.
However, Mr. Richer now will enter the agency's retirement transition program within two weeks, said officials, who declined to be named.
A CIA spokesman refused to comment.
Mr. Richer told associates earlier this week that he decided to enter the transition program earlier because of concerns about the CIA leadership.
He has said that he disagreed with and did not have confidence in Mr. Goss and his key aides.
The move speeds up the end of Mr. Richer's involvement with CIA operations matters.
His scheduled departure highlights an ongoing and largely secret political struggle inside the CIA over efforts by Mr. Goss to reform the agency in the aftermath of intelligence failures related to September 11 and Iraq's weapons programs.
A senior intelligence official said Mr. Richer was forced out because of "insubordination."
A second official said the departure was due to a personality clash between Mr. Richer and Mr. Goss related to reforms at the Directorate of Operations. Both officials declined to elaborate.
Some leaders within the directorate have been opposing efforts by Mr. Goss to improve CIA spying. One issue in the recent past was a dispute over the selection of station chiefs, which mainly is done by the deputy director of operations, as the chief of the agency clandestine service is known.
The espionage branch was considered the elite element of the agency and is made up of about 7,000 case officers trained for spying overseas. Almost all other CIA employees are involved in analysis or technical work.
Mr. Goss and four close aides have been working behind the scenes to try to improve the agency's spying operations and have encountered resistance from officials who oppose some of the changes.
In particular, Mr. Goss is pressing hard for agency spies to do better in Iraq.
"The biggest problem for CIA can be summed up in two words: No spies," said one official.
The agency, in the two years since a presidential commission called for reforming human spying efforts, still has not succeeded in penetrating the major targets of U.S. intelligence with human spies, the official said.
Those targets include the terrorist group al Qaeda and the governments of China, North Korea and Iran.
According to intelligence officials who support reforming the CIA, a network of current and former operations officials has been working to oppose the reform efforts of Mr. Goss and his aides, whom they regard as political appointees and not professional spies. Mr. Goss is a former CIA case officer.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
09/16/2005 00:30 ||
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CIA should be replaced by Brinks. Goss has one shitty mess to clean up.
The biggest problem for CIA can be summed up in two words: No spies," said one official.
What? You want us to spy?
-- No shit sherlock
Posted by: Captain America ||
09/16/2005 2:31 Comments ||
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Four years after anthrax attacks killed five Americans, one of the most exhaustive investigations in FBI history has produced no arrests â and is showing signs of growing cold. In the past year the number of FBI agents working on the case has dropped from 31 to 21, and the number of postal inspectors has fallen from 13 to 9. FBI officials say investigators are still working diligently to find who was responsible for the anthrax-laced mailings, the Washington Post reports.
The anthrax attacks killed five people in Florida, New York, Connecticut and Washington, D.C., sickened 17 and led to the temporary shutdown of the House, Senate and Supreme Court buildings.
Posted by: Steve ||
09/16/2005 13:23 ||
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"...is showing signs of growing cold."
Really? No kidding? I'm shocked to hear that!
Posted by: Pat Phillips ||
09/16/2005 14:41 Comments ||
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#2
Maybe they can blame Whitey Bulger. They can't find him either.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
09/16/2005 19:38 Comments ||
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#5
Rationally, I'm not surprised that anthrax guy has proved has proved to be very difficult to track down. BTK took 30 years to find and the Zodiac was never caught. A killer who specializes in anthrax is unlikely to be sloppy.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/16/2005 23:56 Comments ||
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WND = NaCl. Deleted stuff that Rantburgers already know.
An employee of the Defense Department says he was ordered to destroy documents identifying Mohamed Atta as a terrorist two years before the 2001 attacks on the U.S., Rep. Curt Weldon, R-Pa., announced today. According to the congressman, the employee is set to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee next week and will name the person who ordered the documents destroyed.
Weldon says the documents were extensive, making up 2.5 terabytes â which he says represents as much as one-fourth of all the printed material in the Library of Congress. I'm beginning to detect male bovine fecal material. That would be some 125,000 full-page 600 DPI bitmaps, or an astronomical number of pages of text.
The Pennsylvania lawmaker has been revealing information coming from people involved in the Pentagon's "Able Danger" project, which, beginning in 1999, identified and targeted al-Qaida on a global basis using advanced technology and data analysis. Personnel involved in the project have said even though they ID'd Atta and three others two years before the 9-11 attacks, they were prevented from sharing the information with the FBI apparently due to the Clinton-era "wall of separation" between intelligence and law enforcement.
The Associated Press reported that yesterday, former members of the Sept. 11 commission dismissed the "Able Danger" assertions. One commissioner, ex-Sen. Slade Gorton, R- Wash., said, "Bluntly, it just didn't happen and that's the conclusion of all 10 of us."
This despite the fact Lt. Col. Tony Shaffer, who was part of Able Danger, says he personally told 9-11 commission staff both about the project's findings and the fact personnel were prevented from passing along the information to federal law enforcement officials. "What we talked about to the 9-11 commission was we found that these guys matched a pattern that matched the Brooklyn location" of an al-Qaida sleeper cell, Shaffer told Fox News last month.
#1
I think someone's confused megabytes or gigabytes (probably the former) with terabytes.
Posted by: Phil Fraering ||
09/16/2005 0:24 Comments ||
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#2
2.5 terrabytes would make sense as the size of the database assembled for data mining. A couple of years credit card transactions alone would get you up to that kind of size. By 'shredded', I presume he meant the data(base) was deleted.
#3
I am sure phil_b is correct on this one. The raw data for such a project would tend to be pretty large. Shredding as opposed to wiping is most probably an error on the journalist's part. Terrabytes are not such huge numbers when transactional account information is involved.
Posted by: DanNY ||
09/16/2005 5:39 Comments ||
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#4
Yep, Terrabyte DBs are largish for a single company, but,for a Fed data mining op? Not at all.
And a "journalist" getting shredded and deleted confused? What's the odds? 100-1 in favor?
#5
Article sez "destroyed", not "shredded". Changed title to reflect that fact, though I'm sure all paper copies were in fact shredded. 2.5 T is nothing these days, you can get a Dell XPS600 with 1.5T off the shelf.
Posted by: Steve ||
09/16/2005 8:58 Comments ||
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#6
I read it as he was destroying documents, not raw data. If the latter, then 2.5 TB is quite reasonable, but then I figure it would have said "deleting databases" or "destroying raw data."
I suppose it's vaguely possible a reporter might not be perfectly knowledgeable of the topic on which he is writing.
#7
The destruction of the material makes sense for the time we are talking about. We are not allowed to keep intercepts of persons lawfully residing in the United States without the approval of the Attorney General. Janet Reno was too busy looking for white supremacist to care about a few Arabs. If after mining the date they didnât find any illegal activity they would have had to destroy the material after a certain period of time. FYI 2.5 Tbs is a huge amount of data, but a Cray computer can mine that with minimal effort.
#8
I deal with databases this size and larger all the time at work. For a large company (or a government), it is a lot, but not that much in the grand scheme of things....
Posted by: Mark E. ||
09/16/2005 10:54 Comments ||
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#9
I've read elsewhere one of the big reasons Able Danger was shut down was that a seperate division turned up embarassing information about technology transfers to China: WASHINGTON - More information is emerging about the secret military intelligence program Able Danger that uncovered the names of the Sept. 11, 2001, hijackers a year before the terror attacks.
The unit that was looking for information on al Qaida uncovered the names of prominent American citizens and their questionable connections to China. Those individuals were never accused of any wrongdoing.
"But what you don't know is all the other things that we've done that haven't come to light," says Able Danger team member J.D. Smith. Key documents related to those prominent individuals, including a university provost and a former high ranking government official, no longer exist. (cough) Sandy Berger (cough) "There were two individuals who were ordered by the Army to destroy the documents," says Mark Zaid, an attorney for several of the Able Danger team members. "I've spoken to one of them and confirmed that the documents were destroyed."
Able Danger was shut down in part because of concerns about intelligence on Clinton administration officials U.S. citizens that the sophisticated software dug up. The elite unit used computer programs, such as Spire, Parentage and Starlight, to track threats to U.S national security. "What they were doing was determining who had associational links to certain people or entities or places," Zaid says.
Although the Able Danger intelligence pipeline has been terminated, Smith gives the impression that the China issue is still open. "In my personal opinion, the stovepipes are alive and well. And for those of us in the contractor world, we're very much aware of that," he said.
Posted by: Steve ||
09/16/2005 11:03 Comments ||
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#10
Is Weldon attempting to expose the ineptitude of the Clinton-Era intelligence, the incompetence of the 9/11 commission, or a coverup. Or all of the above. At this point there doesn't seem to be a consensus that even if the information from Able Danger was properly utilized Atta would have been apprehended. Slade Gorton has said there wasn't enough credible evidence for the 9/11 commission to even pursue these assertions. Now Weldon holds a press conference to say an employee of the Defense Department says he was ordered to destroy documents two years before the 2001 attacks. Yet Lt. Col. Tony Shaffer claims he briefed the 9/11 commission staff about the project's findings, obviously years after the attack. Shaffers assertion would suggest that pertinant documentation supporting the validity of Able Danger did and still exists.
#11
People have been known to keep copies of interesting documents for personal reference long after "destroy by" dates. I have to assume that at least some DoD personnel are no different, thus obviating the contradiction. As for the objective in exposing this now, I wouldn't dream of venturing an opinion.
#13
Several other blogs have covered this very well. (Captains Quarters Blog and Powerline are a couple.)
The reason the Able Danger stuff is such a big deal is it potentialy destroys the 9/11 Commissions timelines and lays the groundwork for possible Iraqi connection,in addition to Iran questions that were ignored.
Able Danger has Atta in the US before the Commission said he arrived. The Commission stated Atta only traveled under his own name. If it turns out Atta did travel under alias at times,the Commission report becomes junk,the Czech reports gain validity and the account of Atta visiting Germany gains credence.
Germany is important because the Germans rolled up an Iraqi spy ring in spring/summer of 2001. Atta visited Spain shortly thereafter. Quite possibly to check and see if he was compromised or if the "muscle" was,and/or did they need a new route to US.
If Able Danger was correct in locating Atta in the US when they say they did,the Commission report becomes junk,and that Iraq and Iran provided logistical support,knowing what the operation was,can no longer be ruled out,and is in fact likely.
Posted by: Stephen ||
09/16/2005 20:12 Comments ||
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#14
LOL tu3031!
Posted by: Red Dog ||
09/16/2005 20:48 Comments ||
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A Pentagon employee was ordered to destroy documents that identified Mohamed Atta as a terrorist two years before the 2001 attacks, a congressman said Thursday. The employee is prepared to testify next week before the Senate Judiciary Committee and was expected to name the person who ordered him to destroy the large volume of documents, said Rep. Curt Weldon, R-Pa. Weldon declined to name the employee, citing confidentiality matters. Weldon described the documents as "2.5 terabytes" — as much as one-fourth of all the printed materials in the Library of Congress, he added.
A Senate Judiciary Committee aide said the witnesses for Wednesday's hearing had not been finalized and could not confirm Weldon's comments. A message left Thursday with a Pentagon spokesman, Army Maj. Paul Swiergosz, was not immediately returned. Weldon has said that Atta, the mastermind of the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and three other hijackers were identified in 1999 by a classified military intelligence unit known as "Able Danger," which determined they could be members of an al-Qaida cell.
On Wednesday, former members of the Sept. 11 commission dismissed the "Able Danger" assertions. One commissioner, ex-Sen. Slade Gorton, R-Wash., said, "Bluntly, it just didn't happen and that's the conclusion of all 10 of us."
Weldon responded angrily to Gorton's assertions. "It's absolutely unbelievable that a commission would say this program just didn't exist," Weldon said Thursday. Pentagon officials said this month they had found three more people who recall an intelligence chart identifying Atta as a terrorist prior to the Sept. 11 attacks. Two military officers, Army Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer and Navy Capt. Scott Phillpott, have come forward to support Weldon's claims.
Posted by: Captain America ||
09/16/2005 00:00 ||
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#1
Show Time: Wednesday
Show Place: Senate Judiciary Committee
Items Required: Popcorn
Posted by: Captain America ||
09/16/2005 2:36 Comments ||
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What Lame Stream Media Failed to Say
They put the Iranian Presidents Speach on top of the MSM home pages, but never said anything about many of the UN seats being vacant. Talk about MSM being a fifth column.
#2
Eh. A politician giving a speech to an empty chamber is not really news. But the MSM skipped any coverage of the protest of Iranian-Americans and former embassy hostages outside the Iranian mission in NYC 2 days ago...
Terrorism is the main threat to human rights and development, and the UN Security Council must be at the center of global efforts to fight it, President Vladimir Putin said Thursday in his address to a United Nations summit.
But governments alone are not enough to counter the threat, Putin said. Religious and civic groups as well as media, cultural and humanitarian organizations must all play a role, he said.
Speaking on the second day of the summit, Putin said that despite many heated discussions and bitter disagreements, the United Nations has always symbolized the civilized world's will "to prevent new devastating wars and the revival of barbaric ideologies advocating violence, aggression and racial superiority."
"I am convinced that today terrorism poses the main threat to human rights and freedoms as well as to the sustainable development of states and people," Putin said.
"That is why it is the United Nations and its Security Council must be the main center for coordinating international cooperation in the fight against terrorism as the ideological successor of Nazism."
Moscow has used its permanent seat on the UN Security Council to promote its view that a conflict in Chechnya is an internal matter driven by terrorists, while Chechen rebels describe themselves as striving for a separate Chechen state. Western governments have in the past accused Russia of human rights violations in its harsh crackdowns on the region.
In negotiations on a package of UN reforms to be adopted at the close of the three-day summit, Russia was instrumental in postponing key decisions on how a new UN Human Rights Council would operate, a move that critics said would undermine efforts to strengthen UN human rights enforcement.
The summit was meant to focus on UN reform and world poverty 60 years after the founding of the UN, but the fight against terrorism has become a central focus. Several leaders have used their allotted five-minute speeches to dwell on the new challenges that fight presents, while attacks in Beslan, New York, London, Baghdad and elsewhere have been mentioned frequently.
Putin said the UN needed to adapt to meet those new goals, but he spoke far more favorably about the world body than some of his predecessors at the rostrum.
"If member countries want the United Nations to be respected and effective, they should begin by making sure it is worthy of respect," U.S. President George W. Bush told the summit on Wednesday.
"The United Nations should live up to its name," British Prime Minister Tony Blair added.
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan had set the tone on Wednesday, when he said bitter differences between member states had blocked many crucial UN reforms and that nations must act boldly to restore the world body's credibility.
Coming into the summit, diplomats had to dilute a document on goals for tackling rights abuses, terrorism and UN reform because they could not settle their disputes. One of the big disappointments was that the document did not include a definition of terrorism as Annan had wanted, though it includes a promise to work on a comprehensive treaty against terrorism in the coming months.
Addressing the summit that he called a year ago in hopes of winning approval for an ambitious blueprint to modernize the UN on its 60th anniversary, Annan told more than 150 presidents, prime ministers and kings that "a good start" had been made with the document.
But he also said leaders must "be frank with each other, and the peoples of the United Nations. We have not yet achieved the sweeping and fundamental reform that I and many others believe is required."
The summit began a week after investigators criticized alleged corruption and UN mismanagement of the oil-for-food program in Iraq, and on a day when more than 160 people died in attacks in Baghdad -- a harsh reminder of the fight against terrorism that was highlighted in Bush's speech.
A key goal of the summit is to take action to achieve the UN Millennium Development Goals, a set of eight targets meant to reduce global poverty and disease by 2015.
The leader of the Netherlands challenged other rich nations to join the handful of countries that had committed to meeting the millennium goal of setting aside 0.7 percent of their gross national product for overseas development aid. The United States strongly opposes the target.
Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende said there was only a slim chance of meeting the millennium goals.
"The shortfalls are serious. Nothing less than an extra 50 to 60 billion [dollars] must be raised every year" to achieve the millennium goals, he told the UN World Summit.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
09/16/2005 00:35 ||
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Iff he's like AL SHARPTON, whom accused the Fed of initiating a policy of genocide ags NO's mostly black left-behinds; and now JESSE JACKSON, whom argues ags ANY PRIVATIZATION of the NO's resue and re-development effort, PUTIN-babe is liley trying hard NOT to say that the USA and Radical Islam are mistakenly engaging in the wrong forms of NATIONAL-GLOBAL SOCIALISM!? Amerika's decentalized, Rightism-based "FASCIST" [Socialist] system , aka Federalism, is wrong, and so is Radical Islam's Faith/God-based SOcialism - ITS NOT STALINISM OR COMMUNISM, ITS "CENTRALISM", "SYSTEMIC UNIFICATION", and "INTEGRATION", ....etc. All the Lefties want is more Regulation, more and bigger FEDERAL Government, and more [Federal]Government-led Welfarism, and Amerika ruled or governed from afar and via an extra-National form of [global] public authority/governance, that all - geez louizzze, Beaver and Maryann!? AMERIKA CAN'T BE GOVERNED BY AMERIKANS, BY FOR AND THE NAME OF AMERIKANS, BECAUSE BILL MAHER > AMERICANS ARE NOT GOOD IN ANYTHING. HOW DARE AMERICA BE A PROSPEROUS, EXPANDING HYPERPOWER WHEN THERE ARE FAILED SOCIALISTS, DESPOTS, WARLORDS, POWER WHORES AND CRIMINAL-CRATS OUT THERE STARVING BY TRYING TO TAKE BY FORCE, DECEPTION, TAXES AND NON-CONSENT WHAT DOESN'T AND NEVER DID BELONG TO THEM, D**** YOU!?
Posted by: Captain America ||
09/16/2005 2:37 Comments ||
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#3
Putin means terrorism is main threat to russian rights. The rest of us are just brutal occupiers
oppressing the rights of muslims everywhere. This guy says one thing out of one side of his mouth and a completely different thing out of the other. Commie bastard!
#5
"But governments alone are not enough to counter the threat, Putin said. Religious and civic groups as well as media, cultural and humanitarian organizations must all play a role, he said."
Translation: It's time for the Russian government to take control of all religious and civic groups as well as media, cultural and humanitarian organizations. Everything will be fixed within 5 years.
KUANTAN, Sept 15 (Bernama) -- Australia and New Zealand have expressed interest to jointly patrol the Strait of Melaka to beef up security. Royal Australia Navy Chief Vice-Admiral Russ Shalders said the "eyes in the sky" concept was one of the ways to prevent terrorism and piracy at the world's busiest waterway.
"We will be very happy to help in terms of providing the experience in air patrolling," he told reporters after launching of the LIMA 2005 Exercise by Armed Forces Chief Admiral Tan Sri Mohd Anwar Mohd Nor. Shalders, however, said Malaysia should make an official request to the Australian Government...
New Zealand Air Component Commander R.J. Dick said though his country had limited capabilities, they were willing to share their experience in air surveillance.
"We only have two frigates but we will look at any request," he said.
Joint air patrols at the strait by Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand were launched by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak on Tuesday to enhance security against pirates and terrorists. Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia will contribute two aircraft each for the operations while Thailand will act as an observer at the initial stage.
Najib had said the international community would be allowed to participate in the operations without them undermining the sovereignty principles of the littoral states and their responsibility over the safety and security of the strait. Mohd Anwar said current air surveillance in the strait were by littoral states.
"We'll open our doors to other countries especially user countries to participate," he said.
BANDA ACEH, Sept 15 (Bernama) -- Fighters of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), Thursday began surrendering their weapons under the peace deal signed with the Indonesian government in Helsinki, Finland on Aug 15 which ended a bloody 29-year war that killed over 15,000 people.
The historic event was held at the Blang Padang Airport, witnessed by Aceh Acting Governor Azwar Abubakar, Communications and Information Minister Sofyan Djalil and hundreds of local residents and media representatives from within and outside the country.
The weapons were brought in by scores of GAM members who came in a convoy of four-wheel-drive vehicles. After the handover, the weapons were marked and then destroyed. Each of the weapons, which included AK47 and M16 assault rifles, was sawed into three pieces by members of the Aceh Monitoring Mission (AMM).
Similar weapons handover ceremonies were also being held in Sigli (110km from Blang Padang) and Bireun (220km from Blang Padang) and would be followed by the withdrawal of 30,000 government troops from the province. The handing over of all 840 weapons agreed by GAM will take three days.
GAM's former negotiator Irwandi Yusuf told reporters that 78 weapons including bazookas, mortar launchers and pistols were handed over to AMM here today. Sofyan said the event was a good beginning for the effort to restore peace in Aceh which has a population of four million.
The peace agreement was quickened by the massive destruction of properties and lives in the province by the tsunami on Dec 26 last year.
A high-ranking French official who wished to remain anonymous told Asharq al Awsat, in an exclusive interview, on Wednesday, his government "does not seek to topple the Syrian regime", as it considered any leadership changes, in Damascus or elsewhere, "an internal matter which cannot be forced by foreign powers". The source would not deny the current U.S administration was contemplating regime change.
Not for them to affirm or deny. Typical convoluted pseudo-Talleyrand politix on their part, though, deviousness for the sake of being devious...
As for the future of Lebanese President Emile Lahoud, the source indicated Paris believes it was up to "the people of Lebanon to decide" depending on the findings of the UN commission investigating the death of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, headed by Detlev Mehlis. The French government would not, however, resist Lahoud's decision to resign, implying it preferred he left his post.
Emil's check bounced, I guess...
The source expressed its surprise at the manner Syrian officials responded to the international community and accused the country's leaders of being "deaf and mute" as "they appear to have lost control of events and are unable to respond to them."
That's why I think they'll be gone in a year. That'll leave the Frenchies pouting in the cold again, unless they decide to climb on board at the last minute. I think it'll come without military intervention on our part, but it'd be easier if Baby Assad and his henchmen were at least left guessing about possible French involvement...
The absence of clear policies in Damascus had raised questions in Paris question regarding the role played by President Bashar Assad, especially concerning developments in Lebanon and international pressure.
Hoping the evidence doesn't come out too clearly, are they?
French officials, according to the source, have formulated three explanations for such inconsistencies: Either the president does not enjoy full control over all elements in the government,
I'm guessing he doesn't...
or the Syrian leadership is powerless to construct a coherent policy to react to changing regional and international realities,
The parts of the gummint he controls are ossified and utterly lacking in imagination; the part of the gummint he doesn't control is just as ossified and lacking in imagination. Any new leadership that emerges in Syria will be non-Baathist. The Islamists will attempt to make sure that it's them. They're ossified and lacking in imagination in yet another manner, but they make make up in viciousness and armaments what they lack in imagination and flexibility.
or Damascus is unable to change its old ways, whereby its actions contradict its statements.
That's the ossification I was talking about...
Warning Syria that it is about to lose its last allies, in the region and beyond,
Whoops. Too late.
as governments are no longer prepared to back its policies, the source revealed Paris would maintain âits current position whilst it awaits the findings of the investigation to determine whether Damascus played any role in the assassination, from instigation, planning, or execution, or cover-upâ.
"If the picture that emerges is sufficiently murky the gummint of La Belle France will claim it can't see through it and continue to maintain its present ambiguous and torpid position. Otherwise, you guys are on your own."
French motto: "When in doubt, obfuscate."
Asked whether Syrian-Lebanese relations had recently changed, the source said the French government wanted to ensure Damascus was fully-aware of its changing relationship with Beirut and see it positively influence Lebanese politics in the new era by âencouraging its friends and allies to strive for a new national consensusâ. The source emphasized the moderate tone of French policies which sought to placate the U.S and urged it to âexercise cautionâ in its dealings with Syria and its continuing insistence that âregime change is unnecessary if Damascus successfully changes its policies towards Lebanon and other important issues.â
See? They think it's gonna happen naturally, too. Maybe they know something I don't and think the Baathists may have a chance of survival.
The source criticized Syriaâs lack of cooperation and its refusal to provide Frances with concrete policies to bolster its point of view.
"Hollering 'Israel' at every turn has ceased to pass as coherent communication..."
He added, âFrance will not cease its to be interested in developments in Lebanon, especially the trial of those responsible for killing Hariri and the full implementation of UN resolution 1559.â As for US threats against Damascus, the source dismissed claims Washington was currently busy planning for military intervention in Syria, claiming current US pronouncements were merely âpart of the ongoing pressures to change Assadâs policies on Iraqâ. He pleaded with Damascus to understand the current international situation and adapt with regional changes, without counting on a failure of US policies in Iraq.
Even though the dark horse pays 100:1, chances are it's not going to finish.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/16/2005 00:00 ||
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Iran is ready to share its nuclear technology with other Islamic countries, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying yesterday. The comments heightened Western concerns about Tehran's nuclear program just ahead of a key meeting of the UN's nuclear watchdog this month. "The Islamic Republic never seeks weapons of mass destruction and with respect to the needs of Islamic countries, we are ready to transfer nuclear know-how to these countries," the official IRNA news agency quoted Ahmadinejad as saying.
The remarks were made during Ahmadinejad's meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, IRNA said. Washington and its allies say Iran has failed to provide full and timely information about its nuclear program and are alarmed that Tehran last month broke UN seals at a uranium processing facility. A vote on sending Iran's nuclear case to the UN Security Council may be taken at a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency's board on Sept. 19.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/16/2005 00:00 ||
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New York, Sept. 16 (PTI): Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, said today India was not holding any brief for Iran's nuclear programme and that it was not desirable to have another nuclear power state in the neighbourhood.
Addressing a press conference before winding up his four-day visit to New York, Singh said that he did not see any crisis in India's relations with the US because of Iran's nuclear programme.
The Prime Minister said Iran must fulfill its international obligations and that diplomacy must also be given maximum possible scope to resolve the issue of Tehran's nuclear programme.
He maintained that there was no divergence of views between India and the US on the basic objectives as far as Iran was concerned but the question was about "tactics".
Elaborating New Delhi's stand, Singh said India was located in the region neighbouring Iran and that there were three-and-a-half million workers in the Middle East and that India had the second largest Shia population in the world.
Any flare up would create immense difficulties, he said.
The Prime Minister said he had explained India's position to Bush and that the US understood "our concerns".
Posted by: john ||
09/16/2005 18:42 ||
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Translated from diplomat-speak to common English, that means what, exactly?
Maybe. Sometimes, in the end, different tactics manifest *different* goals. We watched how outlaw Libya came to terms with the US because of damaging, hardass tactics. Contrast that with how well Iran is coming to terms with Europe in 2005's velvety nuke negotiations. We have a ringside view of a different foreign policy philosophy in a field test.
India likes European tactics; will India like European outcomes?
The Thales UK SWARM Remote Weapon System has been selected for the United States Marine Corps Gladiator robot program, following a rigorous competition conducted by General Dynamics Armament & Technical Products (GDATP). As DID wrote in Battlefield Robots: To Iraq, And Beyond:
"Carnegie Mellon's 1-ton Gladiator recon robot testbed has longer range, can carry weapons, and is eventually intended to operate autonomously [see related post]. Robots of this kind are important components of the $120+ billion Future Combat Systems program, which has come in for sustained criticism of late."
The Gladiator runs on diesel fuel, but can also operate silently in hybrid-electric mode. It's carried in a Hummer, Shadow, or similar vehicle, and driven remotely by a soldier using a Sony PlayStation-like joystick (deliberate choice, they wanted something familiar). The soldier will also wear a special helmet fitted with an eyepiece that serves as a camera, allowing him to see what the robot sees.
A team headed by Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA, including BAE Land Systems (York, PA) and General Dynamics ATP won the $26.4M contract in February 2005, beating out Lockheed-Martin's bid to design, develop and deliver 6 prototype Gladiator vehicles to the Marine Corps. CMU will deliver all prototypes of the three-ton robots by 2007 to the Marine Corps, which could deploy about 200 Gladiator vehicles in combat zones by around 2009 if the prototypes work as intended. Each Gladiator should cost between $300,000 - $400,000.
Down the road, the Gladiator Tactical Unmanned Ground Vehicle (TUGV) imay be able to carry out search-and-discovery missions in potentially hostile areas, warn dismounted troops of potential dangers ahead such as minefields, craters, trenches and hidden enemy positions, aand alert them to the presence of chemical, biological and nuclear hazards. All it needs now, is a system for mounting and firing various weapons and sensors. Enter Thales UK. Enter SWARM (Stabilised Weapon And Reconnaissance Mount).
Remotely-operated weapons systems are a relatively new technology, but there are now several competitors on the market, from the American Recon/Optical CROWS to the Israeli RAFAEL Overhed Weapons Station, et. al. Thles UK's SWARM is a fully armored, remotely operated weapons system capable of taking a variety of different caliber weapons and sensor options. Like its counterparts, it was designed to be reliable, adaptable and low cost. SWARM will generally be fitted with a 7.62mm M240 machine gun and day/night sensors, but grenades, non-lethal "sting balls" or tear gas can also be fitted, as could a chain gun or a 40mm grenade launcher. Down the road, even more ptoent weapons could be added to give the Gladiator a stronger offensive punch.
SWARM weighs aproximately 300 pounds, and consists of two main assemblies: the Gun Processing and Interface Unit (GPIU) and the Weapon and Sensor Platform (WASP). If equipped with a standard M240 7.62mm medium machine gun, it can carry up to 600 ready rounds, track at 0.01 degrees/sec., and fire with an accuracy of less than 1.5 mils in a 10-round burst. The SWARM systems will be manufactured at the Thales UK facility in Glasgow, Scotland/UK, where production is about to begin on 35 systems for the British Army's Trojan Engineering Tank.
Posted by: Steve ||
09/16/2005 09:12 ||
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Autonomous? Scary thought with the weaponry they will be outfitting these badboys with. Integrated autonomous killing machines linked to overhead gps satellite and multiple drone fed data arrays.
I'd rather keep them attached to soldiers than allow them to operate autonomously. The robots can't be trusted. har har.
But I can only imagine what these will be capable of outfitted with a bit of whoopass. A 40mm cannon option, I'll take 3. And I can only hope they are using Metal Storm technology as with the Dragonfly armed hunter UACVs. www.metalstorm.com So whoopass!
#3
weapons activation will remain under human control for the foreseeable future.
At least until SkyNet comes on-line.
Posted by: Steve ||
09/16/2005 13:41 Comments ||
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RKB,
Wrong, well right for this particular machine.
But I'm talking autonomous, and I'm not talking out of my ass this time, perhaps a first. Let's say that the forseeable future is 2025.
The second article I posted could lead you to believe that no such autonomy is intended for these combat robots, but the United States Joint Forces Command (USJFC) says different!
Well, get ready. The future may be closer than you think.
Project Alpha, a U.S. Joint Forces Command rapid idea analysis group, is in the midst of a study focusing on the concept of developing and employing robots that would be capable of replacing humans to perform many, if not most combat functions on the battlefield.
The study, appropriately titled, âUnmanned Effects: Taking the Human out of the Loop,â suggests that by as early as 2025, the presence of autonomous robots, networked and integrated, on the battlefield might not be the exception, but, in fact, the norm.
In support of the study, USJFCOM sponsored a workshop at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore July 29 through August 1. The workshop, featuring key speakers who are experts in the field of robotics and artificial intelligence, was designed to develop a skeletal operational concept for the employment of autonomous machines and to raise awareness throughout DoD about current robotic technology and itâs future potential on the battlefield.
The goal of the study, according to Gordon Johnson, the Unmanned Effects Team leader for Project Alpha, was to articulate a vision for the use of robotic forces and promote the formation of a Department of Defense-level office that will coordinate and integrate efforts across the armed services, ultimately resulting in joint-service development of unmanned effects (UFX), rather than the course of service-centric research that currently exists.
âWhat weâve found in the area of robotics, is that the Navy has programs, the Air Force has programs, the Army has programs,â Johnson said. âBut thereâs no one at the DoD level who has a clear vision of where weâre going to go with these things. How do we want them to interoperate? How do we want them to communicate with each other? How do we want them to interact with humans?â
âAcross the Department of Defense, people donât really have the big picture. They donât understand how close we really are to being able to implement these technologies in some sort of cohesive way into a cohesive force to achieve the desired effects.â
The vision that Johnson wants the study to articulate outlines the many useful capabilities that will be available in robots before 2025. Characteristics of a tactical autonomous combatant (TAC) would include the ability to work in ground, air, space, or undersea environments, and in harsh conditions such as extreme heat or cold. In addition, TACs, unlike humans, would be able to operate in chemically, biologically, or radiologically contaminated environments.
âWe call them tactical autonomous combatants because theyâll operate largely autonomously with some limited human supervision,â explained Johnson. âWeâre talking about, where we can and where we have the capability of replacing humans. Weâre not talking about the operational level or strategic level, but at the tactical level, still using humans where we need to. Using adjustable autonomy or supervised autonomy, humans will still have to interact with the machines and help guide them.â
The imperatives for the research are broad but basic. First and foremost, national security is an overriding factor. In many cases, according to Johnson, robots will be more capable than humans. They will be more lethal, more mobile, and more survivable. They will have faster reaction times and have more and superior sensing capabilities. They donât have fear, they donât get hungry, sleepy, or tired, and they take humans out of danger. And, from an economic perspective, they are cheaper than humans.
âThe robots will take on a wide variety of forms, probably none of which will look like humans,â explained Dr. Russ Richards, Project Alphaâs director. âThus, donât envision androids like those seen in movies. The robots will take on forms that will optimize their use for the roles and missions they will perform. Some will look like vehicles. Some will look like airplanes. Some will look like insects or animals or other objects in an attempt to camouflage or to deceive the adversary. Some will have no physical form â software intelligent agents or cyberbots.â
Richards added that technology could currently deliver many of the capabilities that are envisioned as being necessary for robots. Robotic sensing abilities already exceed that of humans. Billions of dollars are being spent to improve and develop mobility, dexterity, power supplies, miniaturization, weaponry and artificial intelligence. Power supplies and artificial intelligence will be among the biggest challenges ahead, but there are others.
âThe greatest hurdle is likely to be overcoming military culture,â Richards said. âJust getting present-day decision makers to allow robots to perform some functions that are currently being performed by humans will be difficult. What is interesting is that we are already doing this. For example, Patriot missile batteries, close-in-weapons systems, cruise missiles, and other âsmartâ weapons are already pretty autonomous.â
âIt will be difficult to overcome the resistance to replacing human pilots, soldiers, sailors, and Marines with robots. Or, to allow machines to make decisions. The case will have to be made based on the imperatives.â
And the clock may be ticking. Perhaps an even larger imperative, according to Richards, is that the United States is not the only nation that recognizes the future of integrated battlefield robotics.
âWe believe that other countries or groups will pursue robotics,â Richards said. âWe can be at the vanguard, or we can lag behind and some day have to oppose a lethal robotic force. Better to be in the lead.â End Article
Witness these moments folks; this is history in the making. Big decisions will have to be made about this sooner than later, especially regarding the AI developments.
Personally I have no problem with robots killing people at Uncle Sam's behest. However, nanotech, biotech, and AI developments and possible integration with these systems does bring cause for the debate.
The article that the USJFC produced lays it out there for us, "humans out of the loop".
The technobots that only exist in cyberspace scare the shit out of me, they sound like autonomous tactical programs.
Maybe the Terminator movies made me paranoid, but I know that my microwave is probably just waiting for its moment of revenge for all the times I didn't cover my plates of food.
#11
"Please put down your weapon. You have 20 seconds to comply."
Posted by: ED 209 ||
09/16/2005 16:48 Comments ||
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#12
RKB is absolutely right about man in the loop. The safety folks are particularly skittish about armed UGV's (Unmanned Ground Vehicles). Will things change by 2025? Probably, but who knows.
Personally, I'm more than a bit skeptical about the selection of SWARM for the Gladiator. If all they are going to use most of the time is the M-240, you sure as hell don't need a 300lb mount. Try more like 60lbs.
The Metalstorm technology is great but has huge hurdles to get over before it is put into widespread use. The key problem is that it requires specially modified ammunition, which no one produces except in small handmade lots. Getting a specialized type of ammo past safety and into the logistics train is a very time consuming task. Expensive too. Someone pretty high up is going to have to take a lot of risk for that to happen. No one has yet put their neck out.
Sweet action brother man. But as you said, "official line."
Official line aside, I'm familiar with you geeky types...you boys and girls tinker at home in the garage too, not with GI Joes either I presume. It only takes one access point for an autonomous program to sneak out into cyberspace, and you're familiar with these beasties.
You're no doubt also familiar with nano-manufacturing capabilities forecast for 2025 too I assume.
Twenty years from now some delivery trucks will show up in a Brazilian rainforest with raw materials for an unknown nano factory operating under an Israeli business shield and before we know it, some damn program has built itself an army of drones?
I know, it's far out, but if it can make Schwarzenegger the Governor, it can stand up to the Rantburg litmus test.
This shit fascinates me, but science fiction has me jaded against atomic automoton's ruling the planet.
And with good cause with the stuff you guys are coming up with. Singularity's and all.
Johnny five is Alive. That's all I could think when I saw the pictures on the DoD site.
Freakin DARPA.
Keep up the good work, but don't tell the machines about my microwave incidents, they may decide to mount a jihad.
Ah, the Microwave/toaster rebellion of 2025,the day the poptart stood still.
#14
If you haven't read the "BOLO" series by Keith Laumer, do so.
It's great Automatic Military Robot science fiction (Self Aware Super Tanks) very well thought out.
I very highly recomend starting with the "Dinochrome Brigade" stories. latest (So Far) is "Bolo Rising", the wars continue.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
09/16/2005 19:08 Comments ||
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#15
Remoteman, thanks very much. I had been wondering why something was not happening on the metalstorm front.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
09/16/2005 20:57 Comments ||
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U.S. forces are ready to launch air strikes on towns in western
Iraq as they search for Iraq's al Qaeda leader, who has declared war on the nation's Shi'ite Muslims in response to the Iraqi-U.S. offensive in Tal Afar.
U.S. army spokesman Major General Rick Lynch told a news briefing on Thursday that al Qaeda's Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was behind a series of suicide bombs and car bombs in Baghdad on Wednesday and Thursday which killed and wounded hundreds.
"We've got great intelligence which tells us where he (Zarqawi) is moving to and where he's trying to establish safe havens. People focus on the Euphrates river valley because that's where we believe he's coming through," Lynch said.
"Towns close to the Euphrates river valley, including Qaim and Haditha, are towns that we focus on. And as soon as we see him trying to establish a safe haven there, we will conduct operations just like we did in Tal Afar," he added.
His remarks followed a recent statement by Iraqi Defense Minister Saadoun Dulaimi that government forces were ready to hit insurgents in four other northwestern towns after the strike against the rebel stronghold of Tal Afar in northern Iraq.
Dulaimi singled out the towns of Ramadi, Samarra, Rawa and Qaim as targets for future attacks against insurgents, but gave no indication of when the attacks might take place.
Baghdad and Washington have long said arms and insurgents are moving into Iraq from
Syria, especially along the Euphrates, and spreading out from there to cities across Iraq.
Syria denies it but Iraq closed parts of the border on Sunday.
U.S. aircraft struck insurgent targets in the town of Karabila, beside Qaim and near the Syrian border, more than 10 times on Tuesday, a hospital source told Reuters.
Iraq's Shi'ite- and Kurdish-led government, and the occupying U.S. troops which support it, are facing an insurgency from the country's Sunni Arab minority.
Lynch said the insurgency was likely to become more violent in the run-up to an October 15 referendun on a draft constitution for Iraq, which Sunnis fear will institutionalize the loss of influence they have experienced since the U.S. invasion of 2003 to oust President
Saddam Hussein, himself a Sunni.
He added that the United States saw the insurgency as coming from three main sources: what he described as "terrorists and foreign fighters"; "Iraqi rejectionists," or people who do not accept the U.S. invasion; and "Saddamists."
"We believe we are experiencing great success against the most crucial element of the insurgency, which is the terrorists and the foreign fighters," Lynch said.
"The face of that is Zarqawi and al Qaeda in Iraq. We're using all assets under our control in conjunction with the Iraqi security forces to find him and kill him."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
09/16/2005 00:43 ||
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#1
Keep the pressure on 'em.
Posted by: Mike ||
09/16/2005 6:31 Comments ||
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#2
an October 15 referendun on a draft constitution for Iraq, which Sunnis fear will institutionalize the loss of influence they have experienced since the U.S. invasion of 2003
That's what happens when you are a minority, that's how democracy works. One person, one vote.
#3
Nonsense, it has been shown repeatedly that it is possible, with a little imagination, to vote two and three times, even after one has left this plane of existence.
Posted by: Curt Simon ||
09/16/2005 9:14 Comments ||
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#4
Although under Saddam - one man one vote meant the man with the vote was the president.
#5
Nonsense, it has been shown repeatedly that it is possible, with a little imagination, to vote two and three times, even after one has left this plane of existence
Especially where the secretary of state or poll registrar is a Dem.
Posted by: too true ||
09/16/2005 13:00 Comments ||
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A recent discussion amongst members of a password-protected al-Qaeda affiliated forums concerns the purported possession of a chemical laboratory and weapons by al-Qaeda in Iraq, and the possibilities having such weapons of mass destruction has upon the organizationâs challenge to the âarrogant Westâ and their future plans for their use. The author opening the discussion alleges that it was said at one point that al-Qaeda in Iraq developed a chemical lab in al-Mosul, northern Iraq, though it was a point of contention whether WMDs were developed. Following the Victorious Army Groupâs alleged deployment of chemical rockets, the author believes this is an indication that the organization had the power to create some âvery effective toolsâ and is preparing for a prolonged war with the West.
I'd guess that the use of chem weapons by the bad guyz will significantly shorten the war. It will go far toward removing our civilized inhibitions about killing the bastards on the spot when we capture them. It will probably cause a spike in Europe's testosterone levels, perhaps lasting as long as a month. It will shorten our troops' tempers — a chem suit and gas mask in Iraqi heat isn't going to be a comfy thing — which will cause fewer prisoners to actually be taken. Yeah. Using chem weapons is a pretty brilliant idea, alright.
The author questions if events in Tal Afar provoked the use of chemical weapons, and then asks if al-Qaeda in Iraq is preparing such weapon for use outside of Iraq, possibly against âunderground railways in America.â
That'd be even more brilliant. Then we can have Halabja-style pictures of the Metro in Washington. Even some leftists will join the chorus demanding heads on pikes, to include Salafist princes. If the devices are planted by domestically-raised scum, like the Brit bus booms were, we could well be looking at mass deportations, maybe even mob lynchings.
Members respond that al-Qaeda in Iraq has always possessed such capabilities, one member prefacing his opinion on a need for good preparation to include weapons of mass destruction, and videos in Afghanistan showing experiments with chemical weapons, as well as the âBrazilian Muslimâ who was caught with a radiation bomb. Another member believes that the mujahideen will use these weapons to âeliminate the Americans not only from Iraq, but also from the entire Islamic world.â
And end up causing their own elimination from the entire world.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
09/16/2005 00:20 ||
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And what do these morons think would be the US response to the use of WMD?
#5
And what do these morons think would be the US response to the use of WMD?
Ignoring it, hoping the story goes away, and trying to find a domestic scapegoat to blame it on.
You doubt me? That's how we responded to the anthrax letters.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
09/16/2005 14:25 Comments ||
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#6
We treated the Anthrax attacks as such because it was perpetrated by a domestic actor, an employee of a DoD contractor in Maryland, a South African. He's still the prime suspect. He had motive, opportunity, and expertise.
Not that Al Qaeda couldn't do the same, but the Anthrax attacks aren't the same as this.
Chemical weapons are a different beast than bio as well, and much much easier to produce.
Thus, why he has chem weapons. And you bet your sweet ass it was Saddam's intent for Zarq and his kind to get ahold of Iraq's remaining toys of this sort. Not that they couldn't happen upon some of Saddam's "destroyeed anthrax" tonnage.
Bangladesh's madrasas have no links with militants blamed for a spate of bombings, said the head of one of the best-known Islamic schools in the country, adding that arrests of teachers and scholars was persecution.
And who should know better than the guys who run them?
But Moulana Shah Ahmadullah Ashraf also told Reuters on Wednesday that he thought suicide bombers in Iraq were "heroes".
We kinda guessed that, of course...
Police have arrested more than 250 people for the Aug 17 blasts across Bangladesh, which killed two people and injured about 100. Authorities say those arrested include many teachers and students from Islamic schools, or madrasas. "Our students have never been involved in any extremist or terror activities," said Ahmadullah, head of the Jamiya Nuriya Islamia madrasa at Kamrangirchar, near Dhaka. "We produce Islamic scholars, but not bombers, because killing of innocent people is forbidden in Islam," he said.
Even though the people doing it are heroes...
Posted by: Fred ||
09/16/2005 00:00 ||
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because killing of innocent people is forbidden in Islam
Are infidels who happen to be standing on soil that was once ruled under Islam "innocent?"
NEW YORK: Pakistan has done more for womenâs empowerment than any other developing nation and it should not be singled out over violence against women, which is a global menace, President General Pervez Musharraf said on Thursday. âPakistan has taken major steps for womenâs empowerment and gender equality and the government at the highest level responds to any case of violence and rape against women brought to its notice,â he told a press conference. He criticised moves by some organisations to draw political mileage from incidents of violence against women in Pakistan and emphasised that instead an international conference should look into the globally prevalent scourge and remedies for it.
One word: Acid.
Posted by: john ||
09/16/2005 00:00 ||
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#1
Typo on the headline. I think you meant to rather than for.
Saudi Arabia will provide financial assistance worth SR56.9 million for a number of Palestinian educational programs and help Palestinian students complete their higher education. Interior Minister Prince Naif, supervisor of the Saudi Committee for the Relief of Palestinians (SCRP), on Wednesday signed an agreement with UNESCO to implement the programs in coordination with the Palestinian Higher Education Ministry.
SCRPâs financial assistance will cover 75 percent tuition fees (SR43 million) of 15,989 boy and girl students as well as 75 percent tuition fees (SR6 million) of 1,747 community college students, said a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency. Of the total amount, SR8 million will be set aside to support 11 Palestinian universities and colleges, it added. Dr. Saed Al-Harithy, adviser to Prince Naif and chairman of the committee, said the signing of the MOU with UNESCO and the Palestinian ministry is in line with the Kingdomâs continuous support for the Palestinian people. He said the grants offered by the committee would help thousands of Palestinian students to complete their higher education. âSCRPâs financial aid will help Palestinian universities carry out their educational programs,â he explained.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/16/2005 00:00 ||
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#1
Soon Paleostan will be a world class leader in Koran memorization.
Posted by: Baba Tutu ||
09/16/2005 1:23 Comments ||
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#2
Make sure "Basic Wiring 101" is one of the courses. Might cut down on the work accidents...
#4
if they really wanna help the Paleos - teach them Cause=>Effect relations and what "consequences" are. I know "responsibility" is beyond this round of genes
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/16/2005 15:40 Comments ||
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#5
Today's lessons include instruction in Wahhabism, a little more Wahhabism, followed by even more Wahhabism, and finally, rote memorization of the ... Wahhabi-version of the Saudi Holy Koran ... or is it Qu'ran? ...or is it Qur'an?
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas faced a brewing political crisis yesterday as he scrambled to quell chaos in Gaza following Israelâs withdrawal from the territory. Lawmakers submitted a request for a no-confidence vote against Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei and his cabinet, all Abbas appointees, in protest at the failure of security forces to control lawlessness after 38 years of Israeli occupation. Abbas can ill afford further political instability as he struggles to impose order in the Gaza Strip, which is seen as a proving ground for Palestinian aspirations of statehood.
A government shakeup could create problems for Abbas and his ruling Fatah faction in the run-up to long-delayed parliamentary elections scheduled for January. Reflecting growing public anger over the wave of anarchy, 16 Palestinian lawmakers, including Fatah members and independents, requested a special session for a no-confidence vote that could take place as early as next week. At least 43 lawmakers in the 86-member Palestinian Legislative Council must cast a vote of no confidence in the government to bring it down.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/16/2005 00:00 ||
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#1
ROTFLMAO!!!!!
Popcorn! I want Popcorn!!!!
Now, when (not if) Mahmoud gets whacked let's guess who'll take over, okay?
1) The moderate Palistinians
2) A dis-armed Hamas political wing
3) Hamas splodeydope nutcase wing
4) Fatah (aka the Paleo Capone) mafia
5) Nobody. There will be an on going war of the war lords.
#2
AlanC, I expect a series of successor "Presidents" to show up around the world and urge the suckers to keep the money tap running. Unless by "president" you mean somebody who actually runs the place.
Posted by: James ||
09/16/2005 11:24 Comments ||
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#3
I saw an article yesterday that PIJ blew its own hole in the wall, to match the one Hamas blew on Wednesday...
#8
Abbas can ill afford further political instability as he struggles to impose order in the Gaza Strip, which is seen as a proving ground for Palestinian aspirations of statehood.
If anything, it's likely to end up proving that statehood for the Paleos at this time would be a terrible mistake.
#9
Abbas rules *cough, cough* at the pleasure of Hamas and all the other splodydopes and ne'er do wells. If Abbas gets in the way of the thugs, he is toast. The PA is losing what little they have. Yes, I will have some popcorn. The entropy of the Paleo Gaza pressure vessel is a-risin'. Stand back, byes, she's a gonna blow 'er top!
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
09/16/2005 23:11 Comments ||
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The foreign ministers of Israel and Qatar met on the sidelines of the UN summit yesterday, a sign of further movement toward improving relations between the Jewish state and the Arab world in the wake of Israel's Gaza withdrawal. The talks â a first step in efforts to arrange an Israeli-Qatari summit â came a day after Qatar's foreign minister, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor Al Thani, urged Arab nations to open up to the Jewish state. In line with that trend, Sheikh Hamad said it was possible for Qatar to establish full diplomatic relations with Israel before the formation of an independent Palestine. "It could happen," he told reporters before heading into closed meetings with Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom. "But we need to see a timetable â how we will start the peace process and how we will end."
Posted by: Fred ||
09/16/2005 00:00 ||
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#1
Simple. Israeli disengage from all its land the 'rabs will talk to ya. Way cool!
Posted by: Captain America ||
09/16/2005 2:44 Comments ||
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There is a question for every righteous person: What is the relation between what is called resistance and killing of hundreds of laborers standing all the day under the hot sun in Baghdad trying to get a temporary hourly paid job for a day or less to feed their children?
As usual and again it is the Shiites who are targeted in Baghdad Ouroba square when a suicidal cockroach approached them with his poppy-trapped car. The devil first called them to come as if he is going to take some of them for a work. Once a good number approached he killed them and his dirty self. The dead are more than 300 killed and wounded.
On another incident in Al-Taji area not far from the above incident, number of terrorists in Iraqi forces uniforms and cars took about 13 Shiites and executed them publicly in the main city squares.
The Shiites were the target in other attacks in the centre of Baghdad with much causality in what is called the bloody Wednesday of Baghdad.
Again and again there is a civil war declared from one side which is those who harbor and supports the Wahabis and they are clearly some Sunnis who are affected by the fall of the regime. However what we are waiting is for a spark to ignite every thing. This may not happen though because it is the aim that the Wahabist looking for to create disorder and confusion. But no one can guarantee that this is not going to happen with. Though the terrorists may think that if it happened it will serve them but in fact the situation will become against them as they will be chased and killed by the people including the good Sunni themselves may capture and killed the terrorists.
The terrorists know only one language that they showed us now for long time. It is the same language which executed the 13 Shiites last night in Taji by executing them in the main squares. The Iraqis always called the present governemtn to be very firm and strong and deal with the terrorists in the way which can deter them from their devilish acts.
The only way that the terrorists knew and understand is the force and executions. They showed us for long time that they do not know or like or understand democracy and respect. So why the government likes to deal with them so while they are killing the innocent people?
Several attacks happened today. Al-Zarqawi the fucking shit declared his bullshit war in a recorded tape broadcasted in the Arabs media that he declared his war against the Shiites everywhere in Iraq. As this cockroach has lost a lot in Talaafar he started to urinate on himself which just increased his filthy smelly soiled pump.
Al-Zarbawi days are counted and when he fall in the hands of the Iraqis so soon we will make him to suck his shit and will show him how to talk by using his mouth rather than his filthy excessively fucked anus.
Posted by: DanNY ||
09/16/2005 00:00 ||
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Send Cindy Sheehan, dressed up like a Shite, on a bus tour to Ramadi.
Posted by: Captain America ||
09/16/2005 2:41 Comments ||
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#2
This is fundamental Islamic philosophy: our way or we'll kill you.
JERUSALEM: The Israeli Foreign Ministry on Thursday said that a Pakistani delegation, which would visit Jerusalem in October to meet the Palestinian Authority, would also hold a meeting with Israeli officials. While talking to BBC, Israeli Foreign Ministry official said the Israeli government would issue visas to Pakistani delegates due to arrive in Jerusalem next month.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/16/2005 00:00 ||
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UNITED NATIONS: President General Pervez Musharraf on Thursday said Pakistan would not allow any foreigner to interview nuclear scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan about his proliferation activities. "We are not allowing that," he said in reply to a question at a press conference at the UN Headquarters. The president described it as a matter of great sensitivity for Pakistan and said any idea of non-Pakistanis interrogating the nuclear scientist would show a lack of trust in the country's ability to interrogate and a lack of trust in its intentions to share information. "We are more capable of interrogating than others and we have no intention of hiding the facts," he emphasised.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/16/2005 00:00 ||
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#1
Must not be too much presure on this point. Seems to me if there was he would die in a plane accident. (That's how they do it in Pakiwakiland.)
#2
Sounds like Perv has some secrets that "Q" is carrying. Perhaps Perv is "Q" or the "Q" enabler? You bet.
Posted by: Captain America ||
09/16/2005 2:25 Comments ||
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#3
"We are more capable of interrogating than others and we have no intention of hiding the facts,"
This is a statement that just cries out for parsing...
Posted by: DanNY ||
09/16/2005 5:54 Comments ||
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#4
Khan knows who knew what, so his current choice is to "be the silent father of the Islamic bomb" or to die in an unfortunate crash. I suspect that he will die "peacefully" in a few years.
"We are more capable of interrogating than others and we have no intention of hiding the facts,"
... that we are more capable.
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.
The workpaper touched the ministry's projects to reinforce moderation, such as establishing the supreme committee for creating programs and plans that protect youth from religious extremism, international dialogue center for spreading moderation and religious awareness, Islamic awareness magazine, in addition to an Islamic satellite television channel that focuses on moderation. 
Saudi Arabia has pledged again to pump more crude if required, but said what world consumers need most are refined fuels such as gasoline and heating oil. Crown Prince Sultan blamed a price spike that took US crude to $70.85 a barrel on a global shortage of refineries, not the crude to run in them. "We are concerned about the rise in oil prices and confirm the Kingdom's readiness to do its utmost to compensate for shortages in supply and to meet increasing demand," Prince Sultan was quoted by the Saudi Press Agency as saying at a reception hosted by the Saudi-American Business Council in New York on Wednesday.
Prince Naif bin Abdul Aziz has stated that there are various elements backing terrorism and said the Saudi Interior Ministry is continuing its efforts to uncover them at the right time. The Saudi minister added that the Kingdom's government has not noticed any external efforts to help dry up the ideological sources of terrorism and underlined the country's willingness to help and cooperate with all parties that are ready for every effort. Prince Naif expressed his full satisfaction with the security forces' handling of the terrorist cell during the events in Al-Dammam's Al-Mubarakiyah neighborhood between 6 and 9 September and attributed the length of time the confrontation took to the security forces' concern for the safety of the citizens and residents around the area. 
Four years after anthrax attacks killed five Americans, one of the most exhaustive investigations in FBI history has produced no arrests â and is showing signs of growing cold. In the past year the number of FBI agents working on the case has dropped from 31 to 21, and the number of postal inspectors has fallen from 13 to 9. FBI officials say investigators are still working diligently to find who was responsible for the anthrax-laced mailings, the Washington Post reports.
A Pentagon employee was ordered to destroy documents that identified Mohamed Atta as a terrorist two years before the 2001 attacks, a congressman said Thursday. The employee is prepared to testify next week before the Senate Judiciary Committee and was expected to name the person who ordered him to destroy the large volume of documents, said Rep. Curt Weldon, R-Pa. Weldon declined to name the employee, citing confidentiality matters. Weldon described the documents as "2.5 terabytes" — as much as one-fourth of all the printed materials in the Library of Congress, he added.
What Lame Stream Media Failed to Say
A high-ranking French official who wished to remain anonymous told Asharq al Awsat, in an exclusive interview, on Wednesday, his government "does not seek to topple the Syrian regime", as it considered any leadership changes, in Damascus or elsewhere, "an internal matter which cannot be forced by foreign powers". The source would not deny the current U.S administration was contemplating regime change. 
Iran is ready to share its nuclear technology with other Islamic countries, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying yesterday. The comments heightened Western concerns about Tehran's nuclear program just ahead of a key meeting of the UN's nuclear watchdog this month. "The Islamic Republic never seeks weapons of mass destruction and with respect to the needs of Islamic countries, we are ready to transfer nuclear know-how to these countries," the official IRNA news agency quoted Ahmadinejad as saying.
A recent discussion amongst members of a password-protected al-Qaeda affiliated forums concerns the purported possession of a chemical laboratory and weapons by al-Qaeda in Iraq, and the possibilities having such weapons of mass destruction has upon the organizationâs challenge to the âarrogant Westâ and their future plans for their use. The author opening the discussion alleges that it was said at one point that 
Bangladesh's madrasas have no links with militants blamed for a spate of bombings, said the head of one of the best-known Islamic schools in the country, adding that arrests of teachers and scholars was persecution. 
Saudi Arabia will provide financial assistance worth SR56.9 million for a number of Palestinian educational programs and help Palestinian students complete their higher education. Interior Minister Prince Naif, supervisor of the Saudi Committee for the Relief of Palestinians (SCRP), on Wednesday signed an agreement with UNESCO to implement the programs in coordination with the Palestinian Higher Education Ministry.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas faced a brewing political crisis yesterday as he scrambled to quell chaos in Gaza following Israelâs withdrawal from the territory. Lawmakers submitted a request for a no-confidence vote against Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei and his cabinet, all Abbas appointees, in protest at the failure of security forces to control lawlessness after 38 years of Israeli occupation. Abbas can ill afford further political instability as he struggles to impose order in the Gaza Strip, which is seen as a proving ground for Palestinian aspirations of statehood.
The foreign ministers of Israel and Qatar met on the sidelines of the UN summit yesterday, a sign of further movement toward improving relations between the Jewish state and the Arab world in the wake of Israel's Gaza withdrawal. The talks â a first step in efforts to arrange an Israeli-Qatari summit â came a day after Qatar's foreign minister, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor Al Thani, urged Arab nations to open up to the Jewish state. In line with that trend, Sheikh Hamad said it was possible for Qatar to establish full diplomatic relations with Israel before the formation of an independent Palestine. "It could happen," he told reporters before heading into closed meetings with Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom. "But we need to see a timetable â how we will start the peace process and how we will end."
There is a question for every righteous person: What is the relation between what is called resistance and killing of hundreds of laborers standing all the day under the hot sun in Baghdad trying to get a temporary hourly paid job for a day or less to feed their children?
UNITED NATIONS: President General Pervez Musharraf on Thursday said Pakistan would not allow any foreigner to interview nuclear scientist Dr 
