President Hamid Karzai said on Wednesday he was unworried by U.S. plans to cut troop numbers in Afghanistan, and U.S. Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld played down concerns about NATO states' willingness to fill the gap.
Under pressure to cut U.S. troop commitments overseas in the face of difficulties in Iraq, Rumsfeld on Monday ordered a reduction in the number of American troops in Afghanistan to about 16,500 from the current 19,000 by next spring.
That's the Roooters spin, and nicely done. There is no pressure to cut troops, there's a recognition that 1) NATO said it would help but is dithering, so we'll put a little pressure on them, and 2) the Afghan military is slowly improving. And Roooters goes on to admit it in the very next paragraph:
The first such cut since U.S. forces invaded Afghanistan in 2001 to oust the Taliban was made possible by a planned increase in NATO peacekeepers there next year and the growing size of Afghan security forces, Rumsfeld and defence officials said.
Karzai told a joint news conference with Rumsfeld in Kabul he was not worried by the move, which he had discussed with the U.S. defence secretary and other senior U.S. officials. "Afghanistan has the total assurance of the United States that it will remain committed in helping in all spheres of life, including in the matter related to security," he said. "The reduction does not mean a reduction in the actual force that one would need to combat terrorism. We are assured of the continued United States' support, so I don't think it will have an impact on the situation on the ground."
Rumsfeld told reporters on his way to Asia that the U.S. military would "continue to do the heavy lifting" in Afghanistan even as NATO boosts its separate International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) from 9,000 to 15,000 troops.
In Kabul with Karzai, Rumsfeld reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to helping Afghanistan maintain security. "We will be continuing as an active participant in NATO's role in Afghanistan, as well as our individual role with regard to counterterrorism efforts and training and equipping of Afghan security forces," he told the news conference. "Together with your security forces and other coalition forces we will continue to be focussed on rooting out the Taliban and al Qaeda that still exist in causing difficulties."
Asked how confident he was about NATO states filling the gap, Rumsfeld made reference to questions in the Dutch parliament. "The fact that one country is acting cowardly having questions in its parliament really ought not to affect anyone's judgement about the commitment of NATO overall," he said. "I don't think that should be taken as any indication of a lack of interest on the part of NATO."
On Monday, the Dutch cabinet delayed until Thursday a decision on sending more troops as part of the NATO expansion amid mounting concern about security after stepped-up violence by the Taliban and their militant allies. The Dutch parliament must vote on the troop deployment, but is not expected to debate the subject until January.
The centrist D66, junior partners in the Dutch ruling coalition, has threatened to vote against the mission, and most opposition parties in parliament are also opposed.
Because they don't want to put troops out in the field to fight, since they might get shot at.
Britain, which is due to take command of ISAF next year and deploy troops in the south alongside Canadian and Dutch forces, has yet to say how many troops it will send.
On Tuesday, the U.N. undersecretary-general for peacekeeping operations, Jean-Marie Guehenno, said it was very important U.S. troop cuts were covered by NATO deployments, but there was no reason to believe there would be a gap.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
12/21/2005 10:39 ||
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Less than 24 hours after inauguration Afghanistan's parliament faces its first challenge with today's election of Speaker. Former president Sibgatullah Mojadeddi was yesterday elected as chairman of the Upper House, the Senate.
Sibgatullah is one of those ineffectual guys that everybody can agree on because he doesn't have a mob...
I'd go with Qanooni without hesitation if I was Karzai. Rasool Sayyaf is a creature of the Saudis, a slippery deal maker who'd sell out his Mom and probably give a discount. Qanooni did a right fine job as interior minister during the transition period. He was a follower of Masood, and I think he's a man of caliber in his own right. His disadvantage in politix is being a Tadjik.
In a race already marred by charges of vote buying at $600 a vote, factions have forged new alliances that shed ethnic differences for political gain. Sayyaf is accused by rights groups of human rights violations in the civil war that followed the end of the 10-year Soviet occupation in 1989.
In this case they're right...
Abdul Sayyaf's comrade is former Qanooni ally, Haji Mohammad Mohaqiq, the fierce Hazara leader who heads Hizb-e-Wahdat, with whom Abdul Sayyaf's forces once clashed. Like Sayyaf, he is accused of rights abuses during the 1992-96 civil war that killed 50,000 people in Kabul.
Mohaqiq leads a Shia faction. I can't see him getting along really well with Rasool's Salafists. But I believe Iran owns him, so maybe that accounts for it.
Qanooni won over Ahmad Shah Massood's faction and Uzbek strongman Rashid Dostum. The mujahideen hero, married to a Pashtun, hopes to woo Pashtuns, former mujahideen and first time women lawmakers. Shukria Barakzai, one of 68 women parliamentarians could eat into his vote.
She's a Pashtun, I believe, but she's a female, which makes her a Pashtun of little consequence. And she's closest thing Afghanistan has to emancipated wimmin, so I'd guess she's a place-holder...
Karzai, informed sources say, chose to back Sayyaf over Rabbani after US prodding.
My guess would be that's the Soddies, working through tame undersecretaries in our State Department. Being generous, we'll say they don't know any better. It's for sure they weren't paying any attention in the 80s, assuming they were around then.
He must find a way of circumventing Abdul Sayyaf's war crimes record, projecting the Paghman chief's Pashtun credentials. Karzai will draw on support from "Pashtuns, independents, democratic intellectuals, women, former communists and Taliban", said analyst Neik Mohammad Kabuli of the National Democratic Institute (NDI) in Kabul. Analysts say the Abdul Sayyaf versus Qanooni contest pits Pashtuns, who make up 50 per cent of the population, against a coalition of minorities.
Who make up the other, more savory, 50 percent.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/21/2005 00:00 ||
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#1
Watch out for 'necks with shotguns in pickup trucks.
#2
The spin Im sure State would use would go as follows. We need to win over Pashtuns, esp moderate Wahabis, to undermine the continuing Taliban insurgency. Thats why we support Sayyaf, and that is why someone like Mohaqiq, whose people were subject to genocide by the Taliban, would take the same position. And its not like Qanooni is clean of religious extremists - Rabbani is pretty fundie himself - hes just been more firmly anti-Taliban cause he Tajik.
Alternatively, its just that this is the best deal we've managed to strike, and the actual deals and counter deals are SO complex it isnt possible to explain them on either ethnic or ideological terms.
#5
#1: Watch out for 'necks with shotguns in pickup trucks.
You called?
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
12/21/2005 14:11 Comments ||
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Liberalhawk
A moderate wahabi is a contradiction. And wahabis are unwinnable. Now for a time after 9/11 I spent time reading traffic in Pashtoon websites and there are a number of Pahtuns who are nationalistic and see chariah as submission to Arabs (and theùm but also a good number of the "religious" Pashtoons see Arabs with contempt). These are the winnable Pashtoons not the Wahabis.
BTW it was through the wahabist Abou Sayaf who extended safe-conducts to the two Al Quaida who killed Massood. He swears, he was not their accomplice, only duped by them. Oh, and the Hazara have a blood feud with him.
US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has signed orders that will reduce the number of American troops in Afghanistan to 16,000 from 19,000 by next spring, The New York Times reported on Tuesday. The orders mean the Louisiana-based Fourth Brigade of the 10th Mountain Division will only deploy 1,300 soldiers to Afghanistan instead of all 4,000 troops as previously scheduled, a senior military officer was reported as saying. The troops staying at home will be on standby, the official told the newspaper, speaking on condition of anonymity. Pentagon spokesman Larry Di Rita told the newspaper the decision to reduce a portion of the Army unit scheduled to replace the 173rd Airborne Brigade, now in southern Afghanistan, was based on recommendations from the senior US commanders in Afghanistan and the Middle East.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/21/2005 00:00 ||
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#1
Democrats must be all-a-twitter trying to figure out if they should take credit or denounce this.
A statement attributed to the leader of the ousted Taliban regime on Tuesday dismissed Afghanistanâs first parliament in 30 years as a US forgery and vowed the American âinvadersâ would be forced out. The parliament was inaugurated in a ceremony attended by US Vice President Dick Cheney.
âAmericans have a policy whenever they decide to carry out a military invasion of a country - they fake documents for their invasion,â said the statement read to AFP over the telephone by a purported Taliban spokesman. In Afghanistanâs case this included the âso-called governmentâ that was set up immediately after the Taliban regime was removed, according to the statement attributed to fugitive leader Mullah Mohammad Omar. âLater they make the symbolic so-called elections - they were forcing people to vote and register to vote, even to the point if someone did not register, they would consider him as an enemy,â it said.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/21/2005 00:00 ||
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#1
Wonder if Mullah O's renewed his subscription to "Cave Life"?
#3
I think the "so-called" Taliban have a few "so-called" credibility problems. Like "so-called" Allah hating their guts, the "so-called" Afghan people wanting them dead, and their "so-called" friends being rarer than Moon rocks on Mars.
#4
Too bad his Imperial Majesty Norton I, Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico, is dead. He'd be the perfect guy to negotiate with Omar.
The plot is thickening in an already conflict-ridden zone as Chadâs military made good on threats to pursue rebels into Sudanese territory following heavy fighting in an eastern border town over the weekend. Article is not clear enough as to whose rebels (Chad or Debby Sudan) and which groups - but is clear that Chad crossed into Sudan to kill some group.
#1
Well, considering that Chad beat off the Libyans by mounting TOWs on their Range Rovers, I'd be really worried if I were a Sudani officer.
Posted by: Eric Jablow ||
12/21/2005 12:54 Comments ||
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The Cnadian military mounted anything it could on vehicles: .50 cal machine guns on Toyota pickups, 105mm recoilless on big Dodge Ram pickups, TOWs and Stinger launchers on anything they would fit on, and more. They also have fire discipline and a good NCO corps, things almost unheard of in Africa. They also know both the home terrain and the enemy's ground from decades of smuggling experience. Sudan may have bitten off more than it can chew, messing with Chad.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
12/21/2005 17:37 Comments ||
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Interesting typo there, OP. For a moment, I thought you meant Canadian instead of Chadian. Chad versus Canada—who would win?
Posted by: Eric Jablow ||
12/21/2005 17:50 Comments ||
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Chad's command of the ocean approaches would stave off defeat from the Canadian human assault waves.
Posted by: Leon Clavin ||
12/21/2005 17:57 Comments ||
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On the dusty trash strewn streets of the Sierra Leonean capital, Freetown, men, women, and children with missing arms and legs wander aimlessly through half-completed concrete buildings. The surrounding hills are covered with hastily constructed shanties made of corrugated iron, plastic, or any other material that can be turned into shelter. Further a field in the countryside, villages lay barren and evoke only the horrific memories of an almost decade-old civil war. This war-torn West African society, which every passing day teeters on collapse, is the last place in which one would expect the âcat and mouseâ game between the West and Islamic extremists to unfold. As the al-Qaeda network morphs from a defined terrorist group into an amorphous ideology of âal-Qaedism,â Sierra Leone--because of its historical ties to terrorism, internal dynamics, and external influences--could soon be pushed to the forefront of the war against terrorism.
Sierra Leone has a history of harboring Islamic militants. The first group to find sanctuary in the country was Hezbollah. From the 1980s onwards, Hezbollah agents, aided by the local Lebanese population, have operated out of Sierra Leone. In 1986, Yasser Arafat entered into negotiations with former President Joseph Momoh to build a PLO training camp on an island off of the coast of Freetown [1]. Further evidence of the ties arose when The United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) released a report on the relationship between al-Qaeda, Charles Taylor, and the infamous Revolutionary United Front of Sierra Leone (RUF). The report showed that in the months prior to 9/11, al-Qaeda and the RUF, with Charles Taylor serving as conduit, traded money and weapons for diamonds. Sierra Leoneâs historical ties to Muslim extremists appear to still be intact. According to a December 2004 article in Freetownâs African Champion, two al-Qaeda operatives returning from Pakistan were arrested while trying to enter Sierra Leone [2]. Moreover, in July 2005 three Middle Eastern âbusinessmenâ with suspected ties to terrorist groups were arrested near the Liberia-Sierra Leone border [3].
These are unlikely to be isolated incidents. Indeed, as the United States and its allies deny terrorists safe havens in the Middle East, Asia, and the Sahel countries, the Muslim states of West Africa will likely become destinations for Islamic terrorist groups. Due to its internal features, Sierra Leone is a likely destination for terrorists. Together, the countryâs demographics, corruption, and unregulated territories and industries create an environment where terrorists can operate with almost total impunity.
Sierra Leone is a multi-racial society. Although the vast majority of people are of African descent, there are also Lebanese, Pakistani, and Indian communities. 60 percent of the population is Sunni Muslim, 30 percent follow indigenous religions, and the remaining ten percent is a mixture of Christians and Shiâite Muslims of Lebanese descent [4]. These demographic factors combined with a substantial Lebanese presence enable terrorists to operate in Sierra Leone.
The Lebanese merchant class has historically served as the link between this small West African state and the broader radical Islamist movement. Hezbollah and now al-Qaeda have used their contacts within this community to acquire documentation, travel certificates, and financing for terrorist operations. These activities are aided by the corrupt government of Sierra Leone.
Similar to most states in Africa, Sierra Leone struggles with endemic corruption at all levels of society, especially at the governmental level. The most recent case of the governmentâs collusion with individuals linked to terrorist groups involves a British national named Paddy McKay, who is wanted in the UK for alleged involvement with al-Qaeda. According to a report in the Freetown Peep, Paddy McKay with the help of Khalil Lakish, a Sierra Leonean of Lebanese descent who is also under investigation for bribery of government officials and ties to Hezbollah, obtained Sierra Leonean registrations for four planes with fraudulent information. The planes have since been tied to terrorist activity. According to two separate reports in The Independent and the Freetown Peep, McKay, who they allege also has ties to the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and Algeriaâs Jamaat al-Islamia, has been using the Sierra Leonean registered planes to traffic illicit diamonds and distribute weapons to the Middle East and the Horn of Africa.
Francis Bockari, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry for Transportation and Communication stated that âMcKay enjoys a normal and professional business relationship with the department of Civil Aviation and the Government of Sierra Leone⊠all airline operators are properly registered and do not have any terrorist connectionsâ [5]. This incident highlights the relationship between the global terrorist infrastructure, the local Lebanese merchant class and corrupt Sierra Leonean government officials. According to another report in the Freetown Peep, al-Qaeda has sought to use their local connections to acquire Sierra Leonean passports on several occasions [6]. Sierra Leoneâs internal environment offers one final advantage to terrorists: lack of government oversight over the diamond industry that is predominately monopolized by unscrupulous Lebanese merchants.
The diamond industry has long been a source of revenue for the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and more recently al-Qaeda. Douglas Farah of The Washington Post and the UNAMSIL mission in Sierra Leone have conducted extensive research on the links between al-Qaeda, Charles Taylor, and the RUF. Since the end of Sierra Leoneâs civil war, the country has experienced a âdiamond boom,â according to Mohammed Deen, the Minister of Mines [7]. In 2004, the country âofficiallyâ exported $130 million worth of diamonds; however, according to UN special envoy Daudi Mwakawago, the diamond industry in Sierra Leone actually exported somewhere between $300 million and $500 million in 2004 [8]. These figures indicate that between one-half to two-thirds of the diamond industry is not regulated. In an industry where some of the traders are already known to have ties to terrorist groups, and where the elements of the former RUF still control the diamond mining regions, it is likely that al-Qaeda will again return to Sierra Leoneâs diamond mines if they have not already.
Despite the presence of over 17,000 UN troops, much of the interior of the country remains ungoverned [9]. Decades of civil war have left the countryâs transportation network in tatters. This lack of control can create an opportunity for al-Qaeda. Furthermore, with the UN scheduled to completely withdraw in December 2005, a major barrier to terrorist infiltration will have been removed.
External forces have historically played a significant role in shaping Sierra Leone, for better or worse. Sierra Leoneâs last insurgency was sparked by Muammar Qadhafiâs destabilizing external influence. Qadhafi trained rebel leaders like Foday Sankoh and Charles Taylor to be foot soldiers for his pan-African revolution. Sankoh initially justified his insurgency by proclaiming himself the liberator of the Sierra Leonean people from a corrupt government. People followed until they realized he was as corrupt as the government in Freetown. By then, he controlled the diamonds and could, in effect, wage war on Freetown indefinitely. This situation would have persisted without the intervention of British forces.
In 2000, rebel forces began an offensive on UN forces before moving on Freetown. British Prime Minister Tony Blair deployed 800 British soldiers to secure the airport and provide logistical support for the UN troops. British forces remained in Sierra Leone until 2003 to train the Sierra Leone Army. The British intervention and the subsequent UN mission (UNAMSIL) were successful insofar as they resuscitated a failed state and gave its people a chance for a better life. On December 20, 2005 the UN will withdraw completely, leaving behind a modicum of a state where the underlying conditions of corruption and destitution, which led people to initially join the RUF in 1991, still exist today. The country suffers from endemic poverty, where the Sunni Muslim masses are disproportionately poorer than theLebanese Shiâites and black Christians; the government is unashamedly corrupt; West Africa as a region is awash in weapons; unemployed child soldiers with no education roam the streets and religious fervor is on the rise. Given this terrible state of affairs, it is not surprising that Daudi Mwakawago, Sierra Leoneâs UN envoy, described the situation as âvery explosiveâ [10].
Sierra Leone is a Muslim country on the precipice where external pressures, like in the past, will decisively influence the country. The U.S. and UK are the two largest contributors of development aid [11]. The British, in particular, have worked with the Sierra Leone government at all levels to improve government transparency and effectiveness. The Islamic Republic of Iran and Saudi Arabia have also aided Sierra Leoneâs recovery by funding the construction of mosques, Islamic education and cultural exchanges [12]. While there is nothing to suggest that these activities have had anything but a beneficial effect, the West needs to ensure that the influence of Iran and Saudi Arabia does not promote extremism.
In the final analysis, Sierra Leone remains on the periphery of global terrorism, but it is important that policymakers begin to examine the factors and possibilities discussed here--even as the U.S.-led war on terrorism is focused on the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
12/21/2005 10:36 ||
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Riyadh, 21 Dec. (AKI) - Saudi Arabia's defence minister revealed on Wednesday that the kingdom is close to closing a deal, thought to be worth up to 17 billion US dollars, to buy fighter aircraft from Britain. "God willing, we hope to conclude in the near future a deal for modern planes with Britain," Prince Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz told the Saudi press Agency after talks with his British counterpart John Reid, who was visiting the kingdom. Sources close to the negotiations said Saudi Arabia is likely to buy at least 48 Eurofighter Typhoon jets, with an option to raise the number to 72.
Just more kills to stencil on the sides of F-22 Raptors somewhere down the line. That is, if any get off the ground
There is speculation the deal may be finalised and signed after Reid meets King Abdullah later on Wednesday.
The Eurofighters are made by a multi-national consortium which includes British aerospace company BAE Systems, the European aerospace group EADS and Finmeccanica from Italy. The shares of all three companies rose on news of the imminent deal.
In the 1980s Saudi Arabia signed a major arms for oil deal with Britain known as the 'Al-Yamamah [The Dove] Offset Programme', to supply the kingdom with fighter planes, artillery and other equipment, under which BAE Systems was the main contractor.
Britain's Guardian newspaper reported in September that the two countries had been holding secret talks over the deal - something the Saudi defence minister later denied - but said the negotiations had stalled because the Saudis were demanding three favours: the long sought-after deportation of Saudi dissidents Saad al-Faqih and Mohammed al-Masari from Britain; the resumption of British Airways flights to Riyadh, which were cancelled due to security fears; and the dropping of a British corruption investigation into BAE and the Saudi royal family.
Posted by: Steve ||
12/21/2005 15:22 ||
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#1
"...and the dropping of a British corruption investigation into BAE and the Saudi royal family."
Allegations are BAE's provision of enticements to the Saudis over a fifteen year period, starting in the late 1980s, using a front company Robert Lee International (RLI), to divert funds to the arms clients and their middlemen. Among other allegations, RLI procured prostitutes for visiting Saudi officials and bought houses for mistresses, while an internal BAE statement reportedly refers to "sex and bondage with Saudi princes".
#3
If this airplane deal is anything like the other ones, all of the major maintenance, ground support, and anything technical at all will be done by expats. In this case, British. The problem with that type of air force, is once the infidels leave, the planes rapidly become very expensive lawn darts.
Ahmed al-Rabei recently described the worst case for Yemen as, "an Afghan scenario and a civil war that will spread to the borders of G.C.C. countries." Al-Rabei, a columnist for Alsharq Alwasat, wrote with great affection for the Yemeni people of his concern for the future of Yemen. Al-Rabei is not alone in his assessment of an uncertain future for Yemen. A variety of international organizations and many reports have highlighted increasingly dysfunctional Yemeni institutions and governance.
Transparency International has noted widespread and growing corruption, ranking Yemen near the bottom of its corruption scale. The qualification assessment for the U.S. funded Millennium Challenge Account determined that the Yemeni regime has moved backwards from previous assessments. In the 2005 round, Yemen failed all six "ruling justly" indicators. It failed three of the four indicators of "investing in people." As a result, Yemen did not qualify for substantial U.S. developmental funding. The World Bank recently cut Yemen's funding by 34 percent due to corruption. Christiaan Poortman, vice president at the World Bank, noted during a press conference that the regime's performance indicators fell markedly.
Yemen ranks eighth on the Fund for Peace's "Failed State Index." The goal of the Fund for Peace (F.F.P.) is the prevention of war, and the Failed State Index analyzes states in terms of the potential for state failure, whether from implosion, explosion or erosion, with the hope of averting violent crises. Yemen exhibits many symptoms of a failing state. In the F.F.P. analysis, Yemen scored lower (more stable) in terms of social indicators and was ranked higher on economic and political indicators. An analysis of the methodology used by the Fund for Peace reveals how the concentration of power in Yemen increasingly distorts the state.
...
The elite run criminal enterprises in Yemen include wide scale weapons trafficking, diesel smuggling, drug smuggling and human trafficking.
...
A second political indicator of possible state collapse is "progressive deterioration of public services," in essential areas like security, health, sanitation, transportation and education services. In a typical failing state, the F.F.P. notes, state mechanisms "narrow" to function only in areas that serve the ruling elites (security forces, presidential staff, central bank, diplomatic service, customs and collection agencies.)
...
As al-Rabei wrote of Yemen, "the reality remains that the worst possible outcome will be disastrous for everyone." To pull Yemen back from the brink of disaster, "worry is not enough." The situation is so grave that he believes immediate direct action is warranted. "Persian Gulf countries should adopt a plan similar to the Marshall Plan with regards to Yemen," al-Rabei suggests. Salt to taste as it is a leftist publication but background is background.
Worldpress may be leftest, but if this is the same Jane Novak of Armies of Liberation, then it is OK. Yemen is her 'special project,' and she's got the government dupes there by the throat. Heck, they denounced her in a government paper as a 'Docile Pupil
of a Monkey Monk!'
Prime Minister Khaleda Zia yesterday rejected the possibility of declaring general amnesty for the militants and reiterated that her government will stop the bomb terrorism at any cost.
Right. Starting any time now...
"At this moment, there's no question of granting amnesty.
"At any given moment in the future, of course, there will be..."
The government is taking every necessary steps including amending the existing laws to stop the militant attacks. We won't show any mercy towards them [militants], they will be brought to book," leaders of the Federation of NGOs in Bangladesh (FNB) who met the premier yesterday quoted her as saying during the meeting.
Hmmm... Anybody actually on trial yet? Hang anybody yet? Any 3- or 4-digit jail terms yet?
She also said those who love the country and want to have it free of terrorism will join the national dialogue. "Alongside holding dialogue with different organisations, the government is carrying out its plans to curb terrorism, " she observed.
"But, really, we like talking more than we like actually doing things. Doing things costs money. When all you do is talk, all you have to pay for is lunch."
The NGO delegation urged the government to take a tougher line on the militancy and immediately arrest the kingpins of the militants. "We suggested the government contain the ongoing spate of blasts by whatever means it takes," Abdul Muyeed Chowdhury, FNB chairman, told reporters after the meeting at the prime minister's office (PMO).
That would mean arresting several highly placed ministers, of course, and scores, even hundreds, of holy men. Can't have that, y'know...
The NGO leaders also proposed taking steps to stop the use of religion for partisan purpose in madrasas across the country.
I'd start by coming down hard on any kind of religious persecution, but we know that won't happen. Watch what happens with the Ahmadis in a few days...
Meanwhile, Ulemas at a separate meeting with Khaleda Zia the same day asked the government to stop 'harassing' the teachers and students 'in the name of searching the madrasas'.
"Everybody knows we're against terrorism! If you don't knock it off, terrible things are gonna happen!"
"We don't have any objection if the law enforcers should search a madrasa. If necessary, they may even take the madrasa chiefs along with them," Qazi Abu Horaira, general secretary of Jatiya Imam Samity, told reporters after the dialogue with the premier. He said the prime minister had told them that the law enforcers will not harass the students and teachers of madrasas.
"Of course not! The little darlings! The country needs more holy men!"
Over 200 Ulemas assured the prime minister that the four-party alliance will be even stronger in the next general election.
"Don't worry! The fix is in!"
They also pledged all-out support for the government. A number of leaders of Jatiyatabadi Ulema Dal, a front organisation of the ruling BNP, Islami Oikya Jote, and pro-Jamaat organisations were among the participants. A senior leader of a faction of Islami Oikya Jote (IOJ), a component of the ruling alliance, Emdadul Haque Araihazari, said three out of nine discussants at the meeting demanded the government recognise the Kawmi madrasas.
"We ain't askin'! We're demandin'!"
"The prime minister assured us that the issue will be discussed in future," the IOJ leader told journalists after the meeting.
"Hokay."
The dialogue, which began on December 12 amid rejection by the 14-party opposition alliance and pro-opposition professional bodies, resumed yesterday after a four-day recess.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/21/2005 10:29 ||
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The Bangla branch of the Jamaat-e-Islami, Qazi's gang, is a component of Zia's government. The JI got its big boost in Pakland proper by having the Ahmadis declared non-Muslim, a process that included some old-fashioned pogroms. The hysterical flap over the passport religion column last year was so no Ahmadis could sneak into Mecca, being non-Muslims and all.
The Ahmadiyya community, a religious sect, demanded security of their lives and properties on Monday, three days ahead the Islamic zealots set deadline to announce them non-Muslims. The bigots under the banner of International Khatme Nabuwat Movement had set the December 23, 2005 deadline a year ago asking the BNP-led alliance government to face a dire consequence if failed to declare the Ahmadiyyas, also known as Qadiani, non-Muslims. They also threatened to lay siege to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat, Bangladeshâs central mosque in Dhaka on December 23.
âThe governmentâs submissive policy to the zealots has put our lives at stake and now we have none but Allah to seek help,â the acting national emir of the Muslim Jamaat, Mir Mobashsher Ali, told a news briefing at the Jamaatâs central office in the cityâs Bakhshibazar area. Accusing the government of maintaining a double-standard, he said the government had assured them of safety while allowed the zealots to announce or go for fresh programmes against them. Two components of the 4-party alliance government believe that the Ahmadiyyas are non-Muslims, and they are behind the continued attacks on Ahmadiyyas of the past two and a half years, the chief missionary of the Ahmadiyya community, Abdul Awwal Khan Chowdhury, said.
The community leaders said they had informed all, including the prime minister and the home minister, of their apprehension âperceived from experienceâ, but no step was taken yet. They said they were stunned as the government had allowed the religious bigots to conduct âultra-fundamentalist programmeâ like cordoning mosque when a drive against the extremists, terrorists and bomb attackers was going on. âThe programme would lead to a communal anarchy in the countryâ.
âWe have no reservation on anyoneâs right of holding rally or brining out procession, but it should not be allowed that his/her practice of democracy would violate the rights of others,â Mobashsher said. âBitter experiences recall that the programmes of cordoning Ahmadiyya mosque were excuses for attacking the mosques, residence and members of the community.â As no action has been taken yet in connection with the attack on mosques, residences and members of the community, it inspired the attackers to declare fresh programme to cordon the Ahmadiyya central mosque, he added. âWe urge the administration to ensure safety and security of the lives and properties of the community members ahead of the zealotsâ programme,â he said and demanded inquiry into all attacks on Ahmadiyya community and its mosques.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/21/2005 00:00 ||
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#1
Is this a Moose limb thing or a caste thing? This being PakiWakiBanglastan and all, I s'pose it's a hybrid of the worst features of both.
#2
It's a Muslim thing, as the Ahmadiyya's do not accept one of the main tenets of Islam, that Muhammad was the final Prophet; as well as rejecting Jihad of the Sword.
Minorities who don't fight back make a very convenient target when you are whipping up the faithful.
It's a similar situation to the Bahai's of Iran.
Posted by: Paul Moloney ||
12/21/2005 1:24 Comments ||
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#3
Thanks Paul. I now see that Islam is a religion of peace as long as you embrace jihad of the sword.
#5
The Mecca thing is a big theological thingie. The Ismailis are also a rather large group not welcome in Soddiland and they end up going to a shrine in Egypt.
There are a half dozen or so sects of Islam, all relatively small, that don't get permission to worship at the black rock unless they disguise themselves.
#6
The ironic thing is, those groups most supportive of the Pakistan movement are those that felt the sword arm of the Pak state.
The Aga Khan backed partition of the Indian subcontinent but now Ismailis are only safe in India itself, their mosques are attacked in Pak and Bangla.
The campaign for Pakistan was strong in East Bengal and the Bengali muslims suffered the most - 3 million dead and tens of thousands raped bybthe Pak army in 1971.
The Ahmadis were also backers of Jinnah. Their reward was being outlawed in Pak and soon Bangla.
Perversely, the Deobandis and Jamaat Islami called the idea of Pakistan - "the work of the devil" and did not support it. These are now in the forefront of the islamization campaign, seeking to purify the land they did not originally support.
Their pogroms have reduced the Sikh and Hindu populations to almost nothing, the Ahmadis are next, then the Ismailis.
The biggest cleaning will be the Shia.
Musharraf himself allededly participated (as a junior officer) in anti-shia pogroms ordered by General Zia ul Haq.
During the Karil war, Pak artillery rained down on the Shia villages in Indian Kashmir.
Once the Shia are gone, the non-conformist Sunni will be arabicized the wahabi-deobandi way.
Posted by: john ||
12/21/2005 10:36 Comments ||
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It's hard to underestimate the ill-feeling the proposal has generated in Mexico, where editorial pages are dominated by cartoons of Uncle Sam putting up walls bearing anti-Mexican messages.
It's almost as if they think they have a right to cross the border when they damn well please. Good Heavens..
He said many Mexicans felt betrayed by the anti-immigrant sentiment.
Anti-ILLEGAL immigrant, you asswipe.
"If people in the U.S. and Canada had an accurate view of the success of democracy, political stability and economic prosperity in Mexico,..
WHY IN THE PHUQUE THEN, ARE PEOPLE COMING ACROSS THE BORDER DAILY IF THERE'S "ECONOMIC PROSPERITY" IN MEXICO????????????
Mexicans are outraged by the proposed measures, especially the extension of the border wall, which many liken to the Berlin Wall.
The difference being that the Berlin Wall was to keep people IN. We want to keep illegals OUT.
See the damned difference???
One more thing: the article's author needs a serious ass kicking.
Cuba launched a blistering verbal attack on the top U.S. diplomat in Havana on Tuesday and on dissidents it accused him of organizing to overthrow the government. A daily state-run television talk show dedicated its 90- minute broadcast to accusing U.S. mission chief Michael Parmly, who arrived in the country in September, of being the new point man for the Bush administration's declared goal of ousting President Fidel Castro from power.
Thank gawd it was only 90 minutes. Otherwise you'd need double Dr. Scholl's inserts to take the whole thing in.
On Tuesday, four journalists took turns detailing Parmly's and other U.S. diplomats' meetings with dissidents and in some cases the computers, televisions, copy machines, cameras and other items given to specific individuals. The Cuban government labels all opponents as charlatans in the employ of the United States and on Tuesday various official journalists accused them of receiving support from a foreign power, a crime under Cuban law.
Parmly succeeded James Cason, now U.S. ambassador to Paraguay, whose confrontational style and open support for dissidents was given as the reason for the imprisonment of 75 dissidents two year ago on charges of working with Washington to overthrow the government.
The journalists also criticized Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's decision this week to form an inter-agency group to recommend measures to tighten the four-decades-old trade embargo and increase aid to dissidents in order to speed a transition to democracy in Cuba.
Lazaro Barrero, editor of the Communist Party daily, Granma, charged talk of transition was a cover for "using mercenaries to provoke a situation justifying invasion and occupation of the country."
The United States and Cuba, bitter foes since President Fidel Castro led a revolution to power in 1959, do not have diplomatic relations but maintain lower-level Interests Sections in each others capitals.
#1
Parmly, like Bolton, must be doing all the right things
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/21/2005 0:31 Comments ||
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#2
More:
Government television criticized Washington's top diplomat in Havana Tuesday, after he met with dissidents and charged that some communist supporters acted like Nazi "brown shirts" or Ku Klux Klan members. Former communist youth leader Randy Alonso, moderator of state television's nightly "Round Table" program, said the Dec. 10 gathering at the residence of new U.S. Interests Section chief Michael Parmly was "a new provocation against our people. To compare Cuba to the worst fascism, and the worst racism of the United States ... it is very hurtful," Alonso said.
Some Cuban officials privately expressed hopes that Parmly would be more diplomatic than his predecessor, James Cason, who spoke out frequently against the government during his three years here. "Up to December 10, Parmly wore the suit of a diplomat, but a change came during that speech," pro-government journalist Arleen Rodriguez said on the program.The nightly program broadcast across this island of 11 million people gave most Cubans their first look at the American diplomat, showing him giving a speech in a brief video clip that apparently was taken surreptitiously at the Dec. 10 gathering, held to celebrate Human Rights Day.
#3
I guess Cuba's looming threats of famine, etc. ala North Korea t'aint the cause(s)!? I'm sure Cuban mothers and families will be glad to know their children died or were eaten for the sake of Castro's = Kimmie's fat belly and better, nicer-looking missles.
#4
I thought regime change in cuba was policy?
So wouldn't an appointed diplomat try to execute policy? I must be missing some subtlety here, that's why I'll never be a diplomat.
#5
Joe, you'd have to work at starving to death in Cuba. :> Altho chicken and rice or rice and rice gets old. I'll bet this is another Christmas decorations squabble.
#1
Will say again that the Norkies know they have realistic "manifest destiny" except to be a glorified, PC un-annexed province of mainland Commie China/PRC, and they know neither China nor Russia will ever allow them to possess a sizable independent nuke arsenal capable of threatening Beijing or Moscow, let alone Japan - by being bellicose they are as much committing NK-specific national suicide as much as they want the international community to believe they are sovereign and independent from China. Dubya's GMD, WHICH IS BEING DE FACTO DEV AND DEPLOYED, + Nuclearized Japan, etal. = China's ambitions of Chinese-centric, COMMUNIST, anti-US/West/Japan East Asian-Pacific hegemony is dead before it even begins.
#2
The kids are all growed-up arent they? One of the big pivotal areas of our age looks like it is going to be the indo-china region. Russia has enough internal problems to keep them busy, but china,nkor, skor and the japs are all jockeying for position. I'm not quite sure how india fits in to all this with them or us, but I can't see this turning out well for everyone.
#3
bigjim: The kids are all growed-up arent they? One of the big pivotal areas of our age looks like it is going to be the indo-china region. Russia has enough internal problems to keep them busy, but china,nkor, skor and the japs are all jockeying for position. I'm not quite sure how india fits in to all this with them or us, but I can't see this turning out well for everyone.
India's hoping we get into a scrap with China so that China is permanently weakened, and we get bloodied enough that we'll stay out of East, Central and South Asia. The Japanese are torn - are the Chinese their yellow brethren, or are they the Middle Kingdom of antiquity - always laying down the law to their neighbors, not to mention taking their land? The South Koreans are clueless - they think of the Chinese as their yellow brethren, even as China is on the verge of making North Korea a Chinese province. The North Koreans would probably prefer being ruled by the Chinese to being ruled by Kim Jong-Il. The Russians probably hope we'll get into a scrap with China, thereby removing China as a threat to Russia's territorial integrity and causing enough damage to Uncle Sam to get him to back off from East, Central and South Asia, all areas where Russia would like to think of as its traditional sphere of influence.
#4
The policy is suicidal for many citizens of NK, but, like Stalin, I think Kim cares for the future prospects of a very small percentage of the local population.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
12/21/2005 19:32 Comments ||
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#5
Japan needs to grow a brain and a nuclear arsenal, in that order.
#6
Hi Zenster, please elaborate on your comment on the Japanese needing to grow a brain. I think the nuclear arsenal part will be taken care of in very short order, constitution notwithstanding. Things change. Please note I am not being anything other than interested in learning what you mean. Thanks.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike ||
12/21/2005 21:21 Comments ||
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Japan's defense spending for fiscal 2006 will be cut by 0.9%, mainly through reducing spending on Cold War-type equipment to make way for increased outlays on missile defense and to offset high oil prices, according to a draft budget proposed by the Finance Ministry on Tuesday. The budget amounts to 4,813.7 billion yen, down 42.7 billion yen from the initial budget for the current fiscal year.
The Finance Ministry proposed slashing expenditures for equipment such as tanks and upgrades for F-15 fighter jets, and reducing Ground Self-Defense Force personnel, in line with last year's new defense guidelines to move away from the Cold War defense model.
#1
Have they gone completely batshit nuts?
They may not have noticed, but China and N.kor would just love to annihilate every last living thing on their little island chain.
December 21, 2005: Japan, concerned over the potential threat from Chinese and North Korean ballistic missile, has agreed to participate in the development of an advanced version of the U.S. Aegis (ship based) anti-missile system. Japan would contribute a third of the $3 billion cost, and develop the nose cone, and two-stage starter motor for the new version of the SM-3 missile. Existing models of the SM-3 are serving on American Aegis warships stationed off North Korea. These ships can use their Aegis radars, and SM-3 missiles, to intercept North Korean ballistic missiles.
They're cutting back on old stuff and concentrating on high technology.
Posted by: Steve ||
12/21/2005 9:52 Comments ||
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#4
Steve's comment is spot on. Don't be too concerned, the Nips have always been proud warriors. They were still finding WWII island holdout Jap soldiers on Pacific Islands into the 1960's. They ain't cowardly, and they don't easily give up.
#5
This is assuming that they haven't gotten rid of their 'warrior' genetic stock and replaced it entirely with fems. ;-) (Read: bishounen.)
But yeah, if they're trying to change their defense model, then better that they do so -- considering that almost everyone involved in a potential East Asian conflict is probably going to do the same.
Posted by: Edward Yee ||
12/21/2005 13:52 Comments ||
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#6
#1: Have they gone completely batshit nuts?
They may not have noticed, but China and N.kor would just love to annihilate every last living thing on their little island chain.
Ummm, this is speculation, but I really doubt that either China or NorKor want the Japanese dead.
I think they want the Japanese as cowed slaves, sending their wealth and industry "Home" to "Mother"
To that end is the constant saber-rattling and threats, so eventualy they (China/NorKor) can reap their "Rogue Colonies" wealth, Dead Japanese and destroyed infrastructure net Chi-Kor nothing but headaches and scorched earth.
I'm watching their "Trial Balloon" of Tiawan's takeover (Coming attractions) as a prelude to Japanese subjugation, perhaps by sucking Japan into a war it can't win. (Some precedent here, as witness Japan's WW2's results vs America)Defeating them, then milking them dry.
Comments?
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
12/21/2005 20:31 Comments ||
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#7
Big,
Only to say that the Japanese ain't close to the warriors they were 60 years ago; and more regretably, neither are we.----AT
... But what is, âthe planâ currently in use for defeating Islamic terrorism? There is a plan, although for political reasons, all details cannot be admitted. Some knowledge of military (and terrorism) history, plus a close look at what has been done so far, makes it pretty clear what the plan is. ...
It's a great lead in. Read the plan and why some hate it at the link. (Brutally Honest)
#1
"The Europeans [& Westies] felt they could live with thugs like...": is that before or after they learned that Osama and the Burqua Boyz actually meant a GLOBAL JIHADIST/ISLAMIST STATE, NOT JUST OR MERELY "REGIONAL", andor "US OUT OF THE ME", and wid "PERMANENT JIHAD"!? Is that before or after Euro anaylsts began labeling the Radics as "ISLAMIST BOLSHEVIKS/MARXISTS/COMMUNISTS"!?
More reasons than these we have for defeating our enemies Mr. Dunnigan, and this ain't brutal reasoning.
Here's some brutal for you:
Democracy for the Middle east is a by product of our larger strategic needs as is any democracy anywhere in the world except right here.
I love democracy and wish it for the world, but cultures with deep ethnic divisions and traditional religious conflicts that involve huge majority populations vs. permanent minorities are often not suited for representative democracy, and it is a gamble that it lasts there. Just a hard truth we have to swallow.
We all know that this war was needed because we must survive as the global leader, and quite frankly I'm tired of having to make excuses to each other to justify guaranteeing the survival of these United States, the greatest country ever to grace the face of the planet. Let's bullshit our foreign enemies and "friends", not ourselves.
But I digress, he wrote that article for general public consumption, so I won't criticize too much.
I could go on, but assume regulars here don't have to delude themselves in order to justify us whipping the shit out of some foreign despots.
Nuff said,criticism/agreement/total dismissal welcome as I know why I support the WoT and the War in Iraq and don't need any firther justification.
American-born Taliban soldier John Walker Lindh has asked President Bush again to reduce his 20-year prison sentence by an unspecified amount, Lindh's attorney said Tuesday. Lindh, now in his early 20s, wrote a first-person account to the Justice Department's pardon attorneys arguing why he believes Bush should reduce his sentence. Lindh's attorney said the document could not be publicly released under U.S. government restrictions intended to prevent Lindh from disclosing national secrets. Why is he still breathing?
#3
We will consider Lindh's request seriously if a pdf of the original first-person account to the DOJ is leaked in the NYT. AFTER THAT HAS BEEN DONE, THEN THE BETTYDAVISCROCKERCRATS⢠WILL HAVE THEIR SAY, WHICH WILL TAKE US TO NOVEMBER 2008, ERGO, IPSO FACTO PRESIDENT BILLARY WILL PASS JUDGEMENT AND THE WORLD SOCIALISTIST/MARXIST AXIS WILL RAISE HIM TO THE LEVEL OF PLUTOCRAT/IMAM WITHOUT PORTFOLIO.
[/JM Channeling...Ima pooped!]
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
12/21/2005 2:38 Comments ||
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#4
Lol, AP! Hard work, is it?
It appears you need a matrix of nouns and adjectives to mix 'n match randomly, dosed liberally with incomprehensible acronymified verbs and adverbs, propositioned with prurient prepositions, then laced with mystical magical icons, and lanced with deliciously dangling deelybobs...
#11
"As passions have cooled, it became clearer to people that John was a young man ... who was in the wrong place at the wrong time," said Lindh's attorney, James Brosnahan of San Francisco. "Hopefully, this president or some future president will reduce his sentence."
Ah, yes. Misguided youth.
Too bad there wasn't a stray round available at "the wrong place and the wrong time".
#12
Too bad the whole lot of Taliban and wannabe foreign Talaban weren't all taken out when they were surrounded at Konduz. Good people like Mike Spann would still be alive today.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
12/21/2005 9:38 Comments ||
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#13
As misguided as he might have been, he picked up arms and fought against the United States of America. That makes him a traitor plain and simple, he's also lucky we take prisoners, unlike the Taliban who executed American soldiers captured. Fuck him, may he rot in prison and be the joy of every prison rapist.
Posted by: 49 pan ||
12/21/2005 10:11 Comments ||
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#14
My loving wife thinks we should give him clemency, strip him of his citizenship and send him back to Afghanistan. He loves it there so much, and it would save us thousands. Besides, the agencies have long memories.
Posted by: 49 pan ||
12/21/2005 10:14 Comments ||
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#16
American-born Taliban soldier John Walker Lindh has asked President Bush again to reduce his 20-year prison sentence by an unspecified amount, Lindh's attorney said Tuesday.
#17
I'm all for releasing him, reconciliation amnesty et al. But first...we all know much Taliban Johnny likes military type stuff, weapons, grenades and the like. I suspect what he really needs to learn is the manly art and skill of military parachuting. I'll be happy to take care of the chute packing and jumpmaster duties. We can invite the BBC, CNN, CBS, his proud parents, friends and relatives, all of them, and celebrate his release with a huge blowout on the DZ.
#22
You guys got it all wrong, give him a good parachute, and drop him off in the deepest darkest part of Africa you can find, complete with a sharp knife, a week's supply of food and a set of skivvies.
You'll never hear from him again.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
12/21/2005 14:23 Comments ||
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#23
He should ask for candy-flavored sunshine, too. And puppies. And a night with Lindsay Lohan. Hey, why not?
#25
I think every time he asks for a lighter sentence, we tack on an additional month or two. Doing that to him (and to all other Islamonazis) would relieve some of the pressure on the legal community.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
12/21/2005 18:44 Comments ||
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The chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence yesterday scathingly disputed claims by Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV that he harbored deep concerns about the Bush administration's warrantless domestic surveillance program when he was briefed on the matter.
Sen. Pat Roberts, Kansas Republican and chairman of the normally apolitical committee, said he was "puzzled" by a letter that Mr. Rockefeller, West Virginia Democrat and vice chairman of the committee, said he sent to Vice President Dick Cheney in 2003 after one such briefing. "In his letter ... Senator Rockefeller asserts that he had lingering concerns about the program designed to protect the American people from another attack, but was prohibited from doing anything about it," Mr. Roberts said in a statement yesterday. "A United States Senator has significant tools with which to wield power and influence over the executive branch. Feigning helplessness is not one of those tools."
Ooooo, that's gonna leave a mark
In his 2003 letter to Mr. Cheney, Mr. Rockefeller said the program raised "profound oversight issues" and he regretted that high security of the program prevented him from seeking advice on the matter. Mr. Rockefeller also told Mr. Cheney that he had made a handwritten copy of the letter, which he distributed to the press Monday. If Mr. Rockefeller had these concerns, Mr. Roberts said, he could have raised them with him or other members of Congress who had been briefed on the program. "I have no recollection of Senator Rockefeller objecting to the program at the many briefings he and I attended together," Mr. Roberts said. "In fact, it is my recollection that on many occasions Senator Rockefeller expressed to the vice president his vocal support for the program," most recently, "two weeks ago."
"The real question is whether the Administration lived up to its statutory requirement to fully inform Congress and allow for adequate oversight and debate," Mr. Rockefeller said. "The simple answer is no."
Mr. Roberts accused Mr. Rockefeller of political opportunism. "Now, when it appears to be politically advantageous, Senator Rockefeller has chosen to release his two and a half year old letter," he Said. "Forgive me if I find this to be ... a bit disingenuous."
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, California Democrat, announced that she wrote a letter, too, but couldn't provide it because, she said, it was classified.
"I wrote it, really I did. Trust me"
"When I learned that the National Security Agency had been authorized to conduct the activities that President Bush referred to in his December 17 radio address, I expressed my strong concerns in a classified letter to the administration and later verbally," she said in a statement issued yesterday. Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill agreed that hearings should be conducted into the matter, but disagreed over whether those hearings should be public or sealed to protect classified information.
Posted by: Steve ||
12/21/2005 10:21 ||
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#1
I am awaiting the highly nuanced comments from the Junior Senator from New York..... waiting.... waiting...
Repubs better start fighting back, Start by indicting some Dimmidonk hacks and let them taste some legal consequences for a change, the leaking bastards.
Posted by: Red Dog ||
12/21/2005 10:51 Comments ||
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#3
Rocky, nicknamed for what is inside his cranium, has convienien MadCow prions, or Alzheimer plaque in regard to a couple of things about Demowimp Presidents and domestic spying...
#4
Every time I hear one of the Dhimmicrats feign outrage I am reminded of Captain Renault in Casablanca:
Rick: âWhy are you shutting us down?â
Renault: âI am shocked, SHOCKED to find that gambling is going on at Rickâsâ
Waiter (handing a wad of cash to Reanault): âHere are your winnings Captain Renault.â
#5
Looks like the SOP is, whenever they get a briefing on something sensitive, write a letter about their "deep concerns". Into the files it goes, just in case.
#6
Looks like the SOP is, whenever they get a briefing on something sensitive, write a letter about their "deep concerns". Into the files it goes, just in case.
Reminds me of when I was in High School, and some pea-brained bureaucrat that was shoved into a position called "counsellor", would threaten to put something in someone's "permanent record" for some minor offense.
W must be laughing. Rockefeller is trading on the famly name to make his point.
#7
I saw a doco on the Rockefeller family a while back. The younger ones all went hard left in the Sixties. It was amusing at the time, listening to these long haired Rockefellers lecturing their parents on the evils of wealth and their dire fate when the Revolution comes. Not so amusing now.
How sharper than a serpents tooth, to have an ungrateful child.
#9
As I remember, BigEd, wasn't one of them eaten by cannibals in Africa back in the 60s?
No, that's not a joke. He was kidnapped while in the Peace Corps in Africa or something like that.
The press is breathlessly reporting that U.S. District Judge James Robertson has resigned from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court - "apparently" in a fit of conscience over news that President Bush was using the National Security Agency to monitor the telephone conversations of terrorists. If the reports are correct, Judge Robertson's conscience has evolved considerably since the days when he was dismissing one criminal case after another against cronies of Bill Clinton - the man who appointed him to the bench in 1994.
Old Arkansas media hand Paul Greenberg has long had Robertson's number. In a 1999 column for Jewish World Review, Greenberg described the honorable judge "as one of the more prejudiced Clintonoids on the bench." As Accuracy in Media noted in 2000, Judge Roberston's conscience wasn't particularly troubled by the crimes committed by one-time Clinton Justice Department Deputy Attorney General Webb Hubbell.
In two cases involving Hubbell, AIM noted, "Judge James Robertson threw out a tax charge and another for lying to federal investigators. Appellate courts overruled in both cases, and Hubbell then plead guilty to felonies in each case." Judge Robertson's conscience also seemed to go AWOL when it came to the case of Archie Schaffer, an executive with Tyson Chicken - a company that had showered Mr. Clinton with campaign contributions and helped steer Mrs. Clinton to her commodities market killing. Critics said Judge Robertson was merely returning the favor on behalf of the man who appointed him, when - as CNN reported in 1998, he "threw out the jury conviction of Tyson Foods executive Archie Schaffer for providing gifts to former Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy."
Robertson had "granted a motion by Schaffer to overturn the verdict which found him guilty of giving Espy tickets to President Bill Clinton's first inaugural dinner and gifts at a birthday party for the firm's chief executive, Don Tyson." In the context of his past performance on the bench, Judge Robertson's media fans will surely understand why some of us aren't buying their claims that he stormed off the FISA court in a fit of outrage over perceived law breaking.
Posted by: Steve ||
12/21/2005 09:52 ||
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#1
It warms my heart to see Republicans (or at least fair press) fighting back against the constant and unending democrat sally of lies.
#4
If the reports are correct, Judge Robertson's conscience has evolved considerably since the days when he was dismissing one criminal case after another against cronies of Bill Clinton - the man who appointed him to the bench in 1994.
The Dimmirat takeover attempt is under way. the DNC, Corrupt judges, NYSlimes, MSM et all are pulling out the stops for impeachment.
What they could't win by ballot they're going to to try and steal by a Coup D'etat.
Posted by: Red Dog ||
12/21/2005 10:11 Comments ||
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#5
The press is breathlessly reporting that U.S. District Judge James Robertson has resigned from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court - "apparently" in a fit of conscience over news that President Bush was using the National Security Agency to monitor the telephone conversations of terrorists.
According to a blurb in the local paper, no explantion was given when the resignation was submitted. The idea that this resignation was/is a protest is coming from "two sources".
The Post said Robertson, without providing an explanation, stepped down from the FISA court in a letter late Monday to Chief Justice John Roberts. He did not resign his parallel position as a federal district judge.
Supreme Court spokeswoman Kathy Arberg said early Wednesday she had no information to offer on the matter.
Robertson was appointed a federal judge by President Clinton in 1994. Chief Justice William Rehnquist later appointed Robertson to the FISA court as well.
Robertson has been critical of the Bush administration's treatment of detainees at the U.S. naval prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, most memorably in a decision that sidetracked the president's system of military tribunals to put some detainees on trial.
Some Republicans have joined a chorus of Democrats who say Congress must investigate whether the president was within the law to allow the super-secret National Security Agency to eavesdrop, reports CBS News correspondent Thalia Assuras.
context:
...That is why the president uniquely swears an oath--prescribed in the Constitution--to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution. Implicit in that oath is the Founders' recognition that, no matter how much we might wish it to be case, Congress cannot legislate for every contingency, and judges cannot supervise many national security decisions. This will be especially true in times of war.
This is not an argument for an unfettered executive prerogative. Under our system of separated powers, Congress has the right and the ability to judge whether President Bush has in fact used his executive discretion soundly, and to hold him responsible if he hasn't. But to engage in demagogic rhetoric about "imperial" presidents and "monarchic" pretensions, with no evidence that the president has abused his discretion, is foolish and irresponsible.
Posted by: Red Dog ||
12/21/2005 10:40 Comments ||
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By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, including sections 302 and 303 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 ("Act") (50 U.S.C. 1801, et seq.), as amended by Public Law 103- 359, and in order to provide for the authorization of physical searches for foreign intelligence purposes as set forth in the Act, it is hereby ordered as follows:
Section 1. Pursuant to section 302(a)(1) of the Act, the Attorney General is authorized to approve physical searches, without a court order, to acquire foreign intelligence information for periods of up to one year, if the Attorney General makes the certifications required by that section.
Sec. 2. Pursuant to section 302(b) of the Act, the Attorney General is authorized to approve applications to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court under section 303 of the Act to obtain orders for physical searches for the purpose of collecting foreign intelligence information.
Sec. 3. Pursuant to section 303(a)(7) of the Act, the following officials, each of whom is employed in the area of national security or defense, is designated to make the certifications required by section 303(a)(7) of the Act in support of applications to conduct physical searches:
(a) Secretary of State;
(b) Secretary of Defense;
(c) Director of Central Intelligence;
(d) Director of the Federal Bureau of
Investigation;
(e) Deputy Secretary of State;
(f) Deputy Secretary of Defense; and
(g) Deputy Director of Central Intelligence.
None of the above officials, nor anyone officially acting in that capacity, may exercise the authority to make the above certifications, unless that official has been appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate.
#6
First off unless they changed the rules since I retired in 2000, there was absolutely nothing wrong with what the President authorized. Spying on communications outside the U.S. is the primary job of NSA. Second, if there were some legal grayness on this issue I would make it a quick vote in the Senate to eliminate any ambiguity. Although I doubt that the law was that vague and I do believe the President followed procedures. Third, you canât readily tell if someone is talking about a terrorists act or ordering takeout unless you first listen and then analyze. This does not lend itself to FISA process, because most of these phone calls didnât last long enough to fill out the paperwork. Finally, whoever leaked this story to the press should be sent to prison for leaking classified information outside official channels. If they thought something was done wrong they should have addressed it to their superiors. This also exposes a subculture in DC that thinks THEY are in charge of the country and not the President. A few key firings would due wonders to remedy this culture. This is not whistle-blowing, this is subversion.
#7
Sadly, if you could send a heavenly query to any of the victims of Pan Am Flight 103, Khobar Towers, the Beirut Bombing, or 9/11, I suspect you'd discover not a single one would have objected to anything NSA could have monitored. Why should any of us?
#8
It sure looks like Clinton's wiretapping was more intrusive than that of Bush. Clinton's reasons are sorta weak (economic mainly) while Bush's are very strong (imminent national security reasons). By the way, what's the big deal about getting approval from a judge? There are a lot of scummy judges out there. 62 million people voted to give Bush authority to lead the nation. I think that's more significant than one judge.
#1
The article doesn't really say anything, but here is my rampant speculation.
They are data mining mobile phone calls. Mobile phones transmit over the airwaves so anyone with the right equipment can listen in. You start off with known patterns from captured terrorist's cellphones, then randomly sample calls looking for the same patterns. Once you get one that fits the pattern, you then listen in for that SIM and as more data comes in you progressively refine your hit list.
You could set up a listening station pretty much anywhere, but I guess embassies and consulates are probably being used. I assume the problem occurs when you sample calls made to or originating from the USA.
#2
WHY??? See "AMERICAN TALIBAN(S)" and Terrorists LAWFULLY RESIDING, LAWFULLY LEARNING, and LAWFULLY WORKING in the same countries they later attack, etc. See also ISLAMIC/ISLAMIST BOLSHEVIKS-MARXISTS-COMMUNISTS, aka Mohammendans-for-Marx/Stalin - you know, America only being attacked by Radical Muslims, NOT Muslims + COMMIES, on 9-11!? 'NUFF SAID.
#4
From their writing on this subject it seems that the left, including the MSM, are at a big disadvantage in this area, because 1) very few of them have ever had clearances, and 2) they seem to be technically clueless.
There are technical problems with FISA that make it obsolete, and it should be revised. But I imagine it would be difficult to craft specific language for a law without giving away technical details.
#5
They could also be building a network of numbers called, land or wireless, from each known terr phone number. Then, without any human intervention, tapping automatically, the numbers called under certain conditions, frequency called, number of other terr numbers calling too, etc. They could be tapping to build their netwoek of numbers called or received as well as conversations. Just looking at frequency of calls to/from would give a good idea of the network. Given the number of PCs and cell phones we've captured, it should not be hard to get such a program started with a large batch of probable terr numbers. A whole new maening to "reach out and touch someone".
#6
Im with the Data minning thing I remember right after 9-11 alot of intel was found that could have put 2+2 together but the analyst were swamped so they wanted a key word program data minner to work as a dog for the analyst letting them only analize the relevant important stuff. In such a case the gov couldnt tell without giving away the edge yet at the same time the privacy would be held unless of course you were using the key words and getting yourself on the analyst desk otherwise you would just be a number in a computer no analyst. Of course this system has room for abuse like changing the key words to something like what the Chineese use but what military weapon and especially intel tool dont have potential for abuse, you just got to trust the gov somewhat and at least go at it from a innocent until proven guilty standing.
Ohhh and those cell phone taps are actaully the NSA ability to tap all signals shot through satalites which means all cell phones international calls and nowadays the bulk of even the land line calls and most if not near all long distance, those knock off companies usually bring signals to thier station then bounce over sats then on.
The bad part if I am right is that we are going to hear about taps on all sorts of people even though the question would be how many were analized?
No matter what the outcome these constant leaks must be plugged and the culprits procecuted to the point of scareing future leakers off. In WW2 we had "loose lips sink ships" signs and commercials in this war it aint ships its civilians and soldgiers who are sunk.
QUETTA: Paramilitary forces have reoccupied trenches in Dera Bugti that they agreed to give up in a deal between government representatives and the Bugti tribe in March, tribal chief Nawab Akbar Bugti said on Tuesday. âWe remain bound (by the agreement) but there are neither any gentlemen nor anyone to honour pledges,â Bugti told a group of reporters in Dera Bugti. He said under the deal, struck by Pakistan Muslim League President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Senator Mushahid Hussain, the Frontier Corp vacated 15 trenches and Bugti fighters vacated their trenches to restore peace.
Alas, the Bugtis are too trusting ...
However, Frontier Corps personnel have now occupied about 45 trenches in the area. The deal was struck in March after clashes between FC troops and Bugti fighters that local say left some 70 people dead. Bugti said that government officials were lying about ongoing activities in Dera Bugti and Kohlu. He claimed some 60 people including women and children had been killed in shelling by government forces in Marri areas.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/21/2005 00:00 ||
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The Wafaqul Madaris Al-Arabia and Jamiat Ahl-e-Sunnah have rejected the Madaris Ordinance of 2005 and urged the government to make a new ordinance that addresses their reservations, otherwise seminaries will not register.
"Nope. Nope. Ain't gonna do it. Nope."
Addressing a press conference at the Lal Masjid after a meeting, Maulana Abdul Rauf, Qari Ayyaz Abbasi, Maulana Abdul Majeed Hazarvi and Maulana Abdul Malik alleged that the government wanted to remove religious seminaries and clerics from the scene. âThe government is mistaken. It is highly condemnable to incorporate clerics in the list of criminals,â they said.
"Even when they rape little boys and kill people! We're holy dammit! That's why they call us holy men!"
They said that the Madaris Ordinance of 2005 had been promulgated against what the government had pledged. They said that all madrassas had been directed not to register under this ordinance. âIf the government is sincere, it should address our reservations, bring a new ordinance and get it approved from the four provincial assemblies,â they said. They added that the removal of two or three reservations would not work. âWe have also given a countrywide protest call on Friday with the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal against enlisting clerics with criminals,â they said, adding that a protest rally would be held on January 3.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/21/2005 00:00 ||
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US Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld will arrive in Pakistan today (Wednesday) on a daylong visit to meet Americans working for the relief and rehabilitation of earthquake victims in northern Pakistan. Rumsfeld is also likely to meet President Pervez Musharraf and other senior government officials.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/21/2005 00:00 ||
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#1
When Darth Rumsfeld shows up in person, one can only hope he does not find you have been "unhelpful".
Two of the cartoonists, fearing for their lives, went into hiding. The Pakistani Jamaaat-e-Islami party offered five thousand kroner to anyone who killed one of the cartoonists.
[..]
the most respected authority in the Sunni Muslim world, Mohammad Sayed Tantawi, Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar University in Cairo, declared that the cartoons had âtrespassed all limits of objective criticism into insults and contempt of the religious beliefs of more than one billion Muslims around the world, including thousands in Denmark. Al-Azhar intends to protest these anti-Prophet cartoons with the UNâs concerned committees and human rights groups around the world.â
The UN was happy to take the case. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, wrote to the OIC: âI understand your attitude to the images that appeared in the newspaper. I find alarming any behaviors that disregard the beliefs of others. This kind of thing is unacceptable.â She announced that investigations for racism and âIslamophobiaâ would commence forthwith.
While solicitous of Muslim belief, Arbour did not seem concerned about the beliefs of the Danes. Yet Jyllands-Posten had well articulated its position as founded upon core principles of the Western world: âWe must quietly point out here that the drawings illustrated an article on the self-censorship which rules large parts of the Western world. Our right to say, write, photograph and draw what we want to within the framework of the law exists and must endure â unconditionally!â Juste added: âIf we apologize, we go against the freedom of speech that generations before us have struggled to win.â
#5
I think we should have a movie, much like Passion of the Christ, about the Profit Mohammad. Call it passion for { little underaged girls | blood | murder | booty | etc...}.
Of course the muzzies wouldn't want a truthful story about him - even one in accordance with their own scriptures - shown. People might mistake him for Hitler / Stalin / Pol-Pot / etc..
#6
What you want in a movie is to make it truly obscene. That is, "Mohammed", a combination of Tom Green, Monty Python, Jackass, and Larry Flynt.
The entire cast and crew would be listed in the credits with the names of the foulest mullahs and al-Qaeda in the world. Starring the "President of Iran" as Mockmud. Of course, everyone would be so heavily made up as to be unrecognizeable.
The movie would be rated XXX, and some homosexuals would be recruited for the sodomy scenes. Lots of drug and alcohol use, and Mocmud portrayed as an unsympathetic Jim Carey-like frenetic lunatic who can't see a child without wanting to rape and murder them. He constantly does horrible things, then when asked, immediately says that Allah ordered him to do it, so it is okay.
He also is obsessively vain and carries a mirror around with him to make sure his makeup looks good on his apelike and warty face. Everything he says is focused on what he wants and how important he is, and how everybody must obey him because he speaks for Allah. He is also a craven coward when faced with personal risk.
His lieutenants are convinced that he is a psycho fake, but the ignorant and feeble-minded people believe him, so they play along, hoping to get rich and powerful "from the dogs" in the process.
Of course, all the women are just filthy and hideously ugly whores, and Mockmud tells them to wear the burks because he hates women and doesn't want to look at their ugly faces. If he can't get children, he admits, he would prefer animals. He curses his mother and father, and violates every taboo known.
It goes on and on, but the production would have to be top secret, edited and re-edited to erase any clue, then posted to the Internet in a dozen different forums, hoping that it would virally spread so quickly that any number of death threats couldn't stop it.
Baghdad, 21 Dec. (AKI) - The former deputy prime minister of Iraq, Tariq Aziz, is to be allowed to see his family for Christmas, his lawyer Badi Arif has told the Iraqi news agency Nina News. "The American forces have allowed Tariq Aziz to see his relatives in prison on the occasion of Christmas, because of his [Aziz's] Christian faith," the lawyer said. Arif added that he would also be allowed to attend.
Aziz's family were given permission to visit him in August this year, in what was thought to be the first time any of Saddam's former aides were allowed to see their family. His daughter Zeinab, who travelled from Jordan for the brief visit, told the media he had lost weight and looked old and frail, but said he had not complained about how he had been treated.
During Saddam's reign, Aziz was the public face of Iraq. He was number 25 on America's most wanted list and surrended in April 2003. He has not yet been charged with any specific crimes, and his lawyer says he has been encouraged to give evidence against Saddam Hussein, but refuses to.
Aziz's lawyer also confirmed that the multi-national force in Iraq had released eight former leaders from the former regime and will soon release another 17 senior figures from the former government in Baghdad. The US authorities in Iraq are also said to be considering freeing a third group of 35 senior officials from Saddam's regime, including the cousin of the former dictator, Ezzedin al-Majid.
Posted by: Steve ||
12/21/2005 15:20 ||
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#1
What a touching story. Would that the victims of the regime and tyrant he once served also had received such kindness.
BAGHDAD, Iraq - After several hours of quietly listening to testimony, Saddam Hussein launched into an extended rant at his trial Wednesday, alleging that he had been beaten "everywhere on my body" while in detention.
"And then they fed me into a plastic shredding machine!"
[pause] ... "Really?"
"Well, ... I got better."
The trial's chief prosecutor said that if American-led multinational forces were abusing the former Iraqi leader, he would be transferred into the custody of Iraqi troops. "Yes I have been beaten, everywhere on my body. The marks are still there," Saddam told the court, without saying who had allegedly beaten him. "And I'm not complaining about the Americans because I can poke their eyes with my own hands." A taste of his own medicine? I think the pix posted of him in his undies was far worse torture on the rest of us...
#2
The trial's chief prosecutor said that if American-led multinational forces were abusing the former Iraqi leader, he would be transferred into the custody of Iraqi troops.
#3
That was my take on it too, SP. Especially since Saddam replied "And I'm not complaining about the Americans..." which is diplospeak for "Never mind, those Iraqis will rip me to shreds."
#6
LOL Yes turn him over to Iraqi forces. I am sure he would get way better treatment from them. I am also waitinmg for Ramsey Clark to be found in contempt and thrown into an Iraqi jail.
#10
Toss him into general population with a few funboys and see him beg for the American protection and good company he had in his prison palace.
Overly civilized society, is it really necessary we treat such a piece of shit so well when we can't even feed or provide heating or healthcare to all of our elderly veterans in our own country who deserve it. This makes me sick.
Granted his humiliation is worth it's weight in gold, but that's done, get on with it.
We all know damn well who and what this piece of shit is, let's quit the court shenanigans and just off this bastard.
2 bucks for a length of rope and then $1.85 for a gallon of diesel, and wham problem solved.
Ansar al-Islam seems to have dropped off the radar screen, while an even more active and deadly terrorist organization with similar nomenclature, Ansar al-Sunna, has emerged in its place. With its membership scattered and installations decimated, has Ansar al-Islam disappeared as a coherent force?
Although not as strong as it once was, the arrest of Ansar al-Islam members in Kurdistan indicates that there are sleeper cells remaining in the area. Ansar al-Islam members still operate inside Iraq but are now largely based in predominately Sunni Arab areas in central Iraq where they are able to operate more freely. Furthermore, Ansar al-Islam is active in Europe, recruiting, transporting and even training jihadists to fight in Iraq.
It has been widely reported that Ansar al-Sunna, a prolific and capable terrorist organization, is an offshoot of Ansar al-Islam. Yet the linkage between Ansar al-Islam and Ansar al-Sunna is not as straightforward. Many security officials believe--and arrest patterns indicate--that Kurdish militants affiliated with Ansar al-Islam have dispersed in two directions within Iraq. Some Ansar members are now connected with Zarqawiâs Qaedat al-Jihad fi Bilad al-Rafidayn (al-Qaeda in Iraq), and work out of central Iraq. Another wing operates under the rubric of Ansar al-Sunna. Ansar al-Islam, for its part, continues to work as a separate entity within Europe.
When it was created, Ansar al-Islam was a conglomerate of Afghan Arabs, the local Kurdish jihad wannabes, Zark's al-Tawhid, and one or two others. It was an al-Qaeda creation from the first; it's controller was Abu Zubaydah. I still haven't quite figured where Mullah Krekar figured, except as a figurehead. He was, if I recall, the head of the Kurdistan Islamic Movement, which provided the bulk of the cannon fodder, but Shafaei was the original commander.
This map of 'Palestine' was prominently displayed during a public gathering at the United Nations headquarters in New York in the presence of all top three UN officials - Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Security Council president Audrey Denisoy and General Assembly president Jan Eliasson - on 'International Day of Solidarity With the Palestinian People'. Israel, a UN member state for 56 years, has been wiped off the map. The event at the UN followed Iranian President Ahmadinejad's call to "eliminate Israel from the pages of history" to which Mr Annan had reacted with "dismay." He was not, however, 'dismayed' by this map.
Posted by: john ||
12/21/2005 16:47 ||
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Rival groups within the ruling Palestinian party Fatah agreed yesterday to cooperate as closely as possible, despite their differences, to defeat Hamas in parliamentary elections in January. The split in Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbasâ Fatah between veteran leaders and a young guard has boosted Hamas ahead of the Jan. 25 election, worrying Israel, the United States and the European Union.
Officials from both Fatah camps said they agreed not to put up rival candidates for the 50 percent of seats in the Palestinian Legislative Council that are determined by voting in different districts. They also said they would try to get permission from electoral authorities to merge two rival candidate lists that have already been presented for the other half of the seats, where voters choose a party rather than an individual. If permission to merge is rejected â and an electoral commission official said it would be â they will retain the two lists but will still work together as much as possible. âThe two lists have agreed to coordinate their efforts to support Fatah candidates in the districts and weâre committed to this,â Mohammad Dahlan, a Gaza strongman who is part of the young guard, told Reuters.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/21/2005 11:17 ||
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Following the recent warming of relations between Israel and Muslim Pakistan, two other Muslim countries which did not previously have diplomatic relations with Israel have approached Israeli authorities to establish new political contacts. An Afghan ambassador recently invited the Israeli Embassy staff to celebrate Afghanistan's Independence Day at his residence, according to Yediot Aharonot. According to reports, the Israeli embassy staff-members in two other countries have also been holding talks with local authorities. In Bangladesh as well, relations with Israel have reportedly been warming as well, as Bangladesh's ambassador recently approached his Israeli counterpart with an offer to establish regular relations. The Israeli ambassador reportedly accepted the proposal.
Isn't it interesting how the non-Arab Muslims have less of a problem with the Israelis ...
Don't forget Qatar and, I believe, Abu Dhabi.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/21/2005 00:00 ||
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#1
Funny how the muzzies get it that the effort in Afghan and Iraq are winding down and the US might be ready to roll on the next AQ supporter? They see we are winning and not going to leave and now instead of bemoaning the US and Israel they are trying to enter relations. Looks like winds of change to me.
Posted by: 49 pan ||
12/21/2005 10:28 Comments ||
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#2
We're friends, we're friends remember? Smart move actually, puts them in good stead for "down wind drift" damage assistance from the US, IS and other allies.
December 21, 2005: Two U.S. Air Force pilots have developed software and sensor modifications that enables an aerial tanker to automatically refuel aircraft. Currently, the refueling operation involves a human operator to control the refueling equipment, and careful attention from the pilots of both aircraft. Itâs long been believed that this process could be automated, but it wasnât until the two pilots took on the project, while students at the test pilot school, that a working system was created. Military pilots in the United States tend of have engineering or scientific degrees, and have developed a lot of aircraft equipment, and especially software, or software upgrades, over the years.
Posted by: Steve ||
12/21/2005 09:41 ||
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#1
Go Air Force. Alot of people tend to forget that pilots are not just drunken wild partiers. Dem boys got edumication!
Of course, this is the only story showing this that is going to appear for at least a decade. Oh no, can't give out good news about our military.
#1
Why would anyone want a working system? That would eliminate countless consulting opportunities, programming contracts, maintainence contracts, etc. If the system worked, livelihoods of well-connected individuals would be threatened, and I think we can all agree that nobody wants that. A not-really-just-barely-functional system is in everyone's best interests.
#2
They could solve the whole shebang by hiring Fred for a princely sum, but he'd have to cut Rantburg loose. And we can't have that. I vote for the status quo.
#3
In the spirit of representative democracy and compromise, Seafarious, I vote for Enhanced Status Quo. Better computers, but not enough to cause starvation among the consultants.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
12/21/2005 9:32 Comments ||
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#4
I'd have .com take it over.
I'd be the anonymous commenter suggesting numnutz trolls kiss my big brown eye.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/21/2005 9:38 Comments ||
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#5
LOL! Fred's joined the dark side! Welcome, Fred!
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/21/2005 10:01 Comments ||
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#6
"What is needed is a set of requirements that really makes sense in the first place and an architecture that is capable of satisfying those requirements--a very serious software engineering discipline to ensure a system is not only going to meet those requirements but be evolvable over time"
Might work if you bought a working off-the-shelf program from someone who does it all the time rather than try to do it in house, but that'll never happen.
I remember waiting years for the AF to finish the long promised replacement for CAMS. Soon as the beta was sent to the field for final trials before going "Gold", the whole program was scrapped without any reason stated. Word was it was so bad, people were frantically trying to remove their fingerprints from the program to save their careers.
Posted by: Steve ||
12/21/2005 12:39 Comments ||
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#7
I'd have .com take it over.
Humm..... Maybe Phil can start another what-if novel.
#8
Have a bud in the FBI. All during the Louis Freeh directorship, automation was very low priority. The man was a technophobe, first and last. You can see the consequences. Compare that to the Army's netting of operational units to the lowest level to see the impact upon command and control and intel sharing.
#9
It would take someone above and outside these agencies to actually get them to work together. The right thing to do would be to give the NSA oversight over Homeland Security / FBI IT infrastructure. It'll never happen, the MSM and the Democrats would raise an incredible stink if Bush ever proposed something like this.
Intelligence officials in Manila say the arrest of the leader of a group of radical Muslim converts may have averted terrorist attacks in the capital over the holiday period. A senior army intelligence officer said that Pio de Vera, allegedly the number two of the Rajah Solaiman Movement (RSM), was captured last week in Zamboanga, on the southern island of Mindanao. The revelation comes on the heels of a report by the International Crisis Group on the danger that radicalised Muslim converts pose to the Philippines, by providing a logistical base in Manila for other more established terror groups.
"We have pre-empted what we believe was a major terror plot by Muslim militants to bomb night spots in the capital over the Christmas holidays," the official said.
In a report entitled "Philippines Terrorism:The Role of Militant Islamic Converts", published on Monday, the International Crisis Group (ICG) warns of increasingly close contact between Rajah Solaiman Movement (RSM) and Islamist terror formations Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah. RSM is the extremist wing of the Balik-Islam movement, literally 'return to Islam'.
The ICG notes that most RSM members live between Manila and the northern region of Luzon, while JI and Abu Sayyaf have their strongholds in the island of Mindanao, in the south. The arrest of Pio De Vera (RSM) in Mindanao would appear to confirm their concerns.
The Brussels-based ICG, which focuses on conflict prevention and resolution, suggests that the collaboration between RSM JI and Abu Sayyaf has paradoxically been fostered by a series of anti-terrorism measures adopted by the Philippines government in recent years. In the peace deal with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), Manila forced the Islamist group to cut its links with various terror groups to whom it had offered sanctuary.
The MILF is one of the groups which is fighting for the creation of an Islamic state on Mindanao where it controls a few provinces. Since other terror operators were no longer welcome in the MILF camps they had to seek contacts and support elsewhere.
Other factors which encouraged JI and Abu Sayyaf to seek new partners were the successes obtained by the security forces against them and the operations of the Filipino army helped by the American marines, on the island of Basilan, the historic headquarters of Abu Sayyaf.
Welcoming them with open arms, the report notes, are members of RSM who live mainly in the capital.
The Rajah Solaiman Movement was founded in January 2002 by Ahmed Santos who abandoned Catholicism in 1993.
From its foundation, RSM has made giant leaps and the Filipino police say that it has collaborated with JI and Abu Sayaf in various terrorist attacks in the capital. According to the US daily, the Christian Science Monitor, a member of Balik Islam movement had admitted responsibility for a bomb that went off on a ferry boat leaving Manila in February 2004. The bomb killed more than 100 people.
RSM is a minority inside Balik Islam and experts say that comes from their desire to prove they are "true Muslims".
Balik Islam literally means "return to Islam" and its adherents believe that all individuals are born free of sin and are Muslims. And those that deviate are those that follow the wrong teachings of their parents and guardians. Following that, according to the Balik Islam, to abandon other faiths in favour of Islam is therefore not a conversion but instead a "return".
Apart from East Timor, the Philippines is the only Asian country with a Christian-Catholic majority. Leaders of Balik Islam argue that before the arrival of the Spanish conquerors the Philippines was a Muslim nation. But historians point out that the main indigenous belief system was animism, until Muslim colonisers arrived in the mid 1300s, followed by the Catholic Spaniards some two hundred years later.
According to some sources there are more than 200,000 Balik Islam members in Manila and surrounding areas. Most of them have 'returned' to Islam by marriage or after long stints working in Saudi Arabia.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
12/21/2005 10:54 ||
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#1
According to some sources there are more than 200,000 Balik Islam members in Manila and surrounding areas. Most of them have 'returned' to Islam by marriage or after long stints working in Saudi Arabia.
(Sapa-AFP) -- A sleek official-looking convoy rolls up in front of Beirut's Maronite patriarchate. No-one emerges. Seconds later a lone, humdrum jeep pops up. And out steps Lebanon's Prime Minister Fuad Siniora. Such fake convoys are just one of the methods used by Lebanese politicians attempting to outwit potential attackers who have reportedly already compiled hit lists of their next targets.
Even the most sophisticated equipment and armoured convoys have been incapable of preventing targeted assassinations against critics of Syria - the last being parliamentarian and press magnate Gibran Tueni a week ago. "The rhythm of the attacks is scary. We hardly have the time to bury a martyr, before another one falls," said Maronite Catholic Cardinal Nasrallah Sfeir. The 85-year-old cardinal, a vocal critic of Syria's presence in Lebanon whose own name appeared on the alleged hit-lists, has also used similar dummy convoys and army helicopters for his movements.
For some, the only option in a climate of fear that has seen 15 attacks and political killings since October 2004 last year has been to barricade themselves at remote mountain retreats or leave the country altogether. Figures critical of Syria's role in Lebanon have adopted tight measures or stayed abroad like Saad Hariri, son and political heir to slain former prime minister Rafiq Hariri. But even pro-Syrian figures, such as Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, head of the Shi'a Muslim group Hezbollah, and Nabih Berri, the powerful parliament speaker and chief of the rival Shi'a Amal movement, have restricted their movements.
International pressure after the murder of former premier Rafiq Hariri in October led to the arrest of top security officials as well as the withdrawal of Syrian forces after nearly three decades in their tiny neighbour. But as international and Lebanese investigators pursued the probe into Hariri's killing, the bombing campaign continued. Tueni was killed the morning after he arrived from Paris, where he had been staying for security reasons.
Powerful Druze leader MP Walid Jumblatt, long retrenched in his mountainous home southeast of Beirut, has warned of more attacks as "the objective is to kill enough MPs to make the country impossible to rule." Samir Geagea, the head of the Christian Lebanese Forces party, has mostly remained in his private home in the Cedar mountains in northern Lebanon. At Tueni's funeral, Geagea arrived at the Greek Orthodox cathedral in downtown Beirut in a small, regular car closely followed by an army of bodyguards. Christian leader Michel Aoun has been also retreated to his villa in Rabiyeh, an exclusive residential hilltop overlooking the capital.
Even companies and malls have been hiring private security agencies.
"In general, cement blocks are placed around buildings and cars are prohibited from parking close by," the head of a security company who did not wish to be identified said. "There is sophisticated equipment to catch explosive materials, but the assassinations are taking place outside secured premises," he added.
He noted that Hariri's convoy had been secured with an extremely sophisticated jamming system and that Tueni's car was an armoured vehicle. "It did not prevent Hariri's car from being blown up by remote-control, according to the report of the UN commission of inquiry. "And it did not prevent Tueni's car from being thrown into a ravine and being burned," he said.
Fear has also spread among journalists after the assassination of Tueni and An Nahar editorial writer Samir Kassir, as well as the bombing attack that maimed May Chidiac, a star newscaster for the leading LBCI television. "I only use taxis, and I am still afraid. We are forced to be constantly on the move and we do not have any sophisticated protection system," one An Nahar journalist said on condition of anonymity.
Marcel Ghanem, a prominent LBCI talk-show star, said the channel had adopted security measures for homes as well as means of transportation and communication. "Everyone is a target," he said.
Posted by: Steve ||
12/21/2005 12:39 ||
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Iran reiterated its intention to develop a fully-fledged nuclear program on Wednesday as Europe's top three powers revived a dialogue with Tehran over suspicions it is secretly trying to make nuclear bombs.
Confrontation rather than compromise has been brewing after declarations from Iran that the Holocaust is a myth and Israel should be wiped out, and a European Union accusation on Tuesday that Tehran has systematically violated human rights at home.
The Islamic republic's increasingly vocal hostility toward the Jewish state and commitment to developing sensitive technology that could yield ingredients for nuclear weaponry have stoked Western concern about its atomic program.
Tehran says it aims only to generate more electricity for an energy-hungry economy. But it dodged U.N. nuclear inspectors for 18 years until 2003 and the West says its cooperation since has fallen short of what is needed to regain diplomatic confidence.
Wednesday's meeting between Iran and Britain, France and Germany in Vienna will be "talks about talks" -- exploring whether any basis exists for resuming negotiations on the future of Iran's nuclear activity, frozen by the "EU3" last August.
"We won't reopen negotiations, we will only listen to what the Iranians have to say, especially about research and development," said an EU3 diplomat, alluding to centrifuge machines capable of enriching uranium to arms-grade level.
"We will see whether what they say to us in private is any different from what they have been declaring in public, to see if there is wiggle room for resuming negotiations."
A diplomat said the talks had begun mid-morning at the French embassy in Vienna.
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said the talks should be without preconditions and establish a timetable for Iran to resume uranium enrichment, which it suspended under a 2003 agreement with the EU trio.
"We don't want talks just for the sake of talks," he told reporters in Tehran.
EU diplomats said the likely outcome would be a decision, taken back in EU capitals, on whether to meet again in January.
Tehran's unswerving rejection of compromise proposals to have its uranium purified by others abroad, to minimize chances of it grasping the complex technology needed to make bombs, has depressed prospects for a diplomatic solution.
"When we talk about (wanting) nuclear technology it means that enrichment to produce fuel for our reactors should be done inside Iran and it means having the complete nuclear fuel cycle," Mottaki said.
He added that Iran would not again suspend uranium ore processing at its Isfahan plant, the resumption of which in August led to the breakdown of the EU-Iran talks, and intended to restart preliminary work on enrichment technology.
"Isfahan is a done deal," he said. "The research and building parts for (enrichment) centrifuges is not the same as enriching uranium. When the time comes we will announce the resumption of these activities," he added.
Diplomats said recent public statements by Iranian officials gave little cause for optimism.
"The problem is, Iran's hardliners were encouraged to believe they could inch forward toward enrichment when they managed to restart uranium processing without provoking a referral to the U.N. Security Council," one diplomat said.
U.S.-EU moves to send Iran's case to the Security Council for possible sanctions have stumbled on resistance by Russia, China and developing nations on the board of the watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The IAEA board opted in November to put off any referral to give time for promoting an EU-backed proposal for Russia to enrich Iran's uranium under a joint venture.
But Tehran has rebuffed the idea and interest in it seems to have waned in Moscow, which has major energy and arms links with Iran, including a $1 billion nuclear reactor under construction and a $1 billion package of missiles and other hardware.
Some analysts believe that if dialogue runs aground again, the way would be cleared to an emergency IAEA board session and vote to put Iran in Security Council hands. But Russia and China could veto sanctions as permanent powers on the Council.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
12/21/2005 11:00 ||
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#1
Iran holds tough line against the EU
It's not as if it would be a difficult thing to do...
#4
... and the West says its cooperation since has fallen short of what is needed to regain diplomatic confidence.
It's not like that's a high bar to clear. Just agree to an inspection of facilities of your own choosing on a date of your own choosing and make sure nothing else is looked at. That's usually more than enough for the IAEA.
Beyond their obvious apocalyptic wet dreaming, I'm sure the MMs are simply enjoying the act of toying with the EU like a cat with a wounded mouse.
#5
The Iranian foreign minister also was quoted as saying, "Fuck you, you pussies", and "We'll bomb your asses of the face of the earth with the Zionist pigs."
#8
YEAH SERIOUSLY!!!!! Stringent sanctions need to be passed immediately. If China or Russia threatens to veto the move, I say we let them know that it would spark a major diplomatic crisis with the U.S. government. OBVIOUSLY IRAN IS VIOLATING THE NON-PROLIFERATION TREATY AND ALL NORMS SET UP BY THE INTERNATIONAL NUCLEAR NON-PROLIFERATION REGIME!!! However, if the world lacks the balls to do what has to be done, there is pretty much no doubt Israel will!!!!
Syria's differences with the UN and Lebanon have topped the agenda of a meeting between Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president, and Hosni Mubarak, his Egyptian counterpart, in Cairo, according to Egypt's foreign minister. Al-Assad flew to the Egyptian capital on Tuesday for a visit of only a few hours and immediately went into talks with Mubarak. After their talks, neither al-Assad nor Mubarak spoke to the media.
Ahmed Aboul Gheit, the Egyptian foreign minister, said they "focused on the main regional issues related to the Mehlis investigation and the latest UN Security Council decision and how Syria dealt with it, as well as Syrian-Lebanese relations and how to advance them". Farouk al-Sharaa, the Syrian foreign minister, said Syria was beset by "campaigns from abroad" and there were "internal elements (in Lebanon) who used them and escalated them ... for political purposes". He said his government was determined to improve relations with Lebanon.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/21/2005 00:00 ||
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#1
Ass(w)ad is going around looking for friends. He knows how this whole murder probe thing is going to turn out and he is scared shitless.
LONDON - An Iranian exile group on Tuesday called on the UNâs atomic watchdog to inspect an extensive network of tunnels which it says the Islamic Republic has built to conceal a clandestine nuclear weapons programme.
The National Council of Resistance of Iran, which first made allegations of the tunnels in September, said their sources in Iran had evidence of underground complexes in 14 locations, near Teheran, Isfahan, Qom and other cities. âThese have been built by military agencies and their front companies,â said Hossein Abedini, a member of the foreign affairs committee of the NCRI at a news conference.
âThe purpose of the tunnels is to conceal parts of the Tehran regimeâs atomic and missile programmes,â he said, adding they were used for hiding research centres, workshops, nuclear equipment and nuclear and missile command and control centres.
It's not for a subway system.
He said the NCRI, which has previously reported accurately about hidden atomic facilities in Iran, had sent the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency its latest information and urged the body to inspect the tunnels. âToday we call on the International Atomic Energy Agency to immediately and urgently act,â said Abedini.
No one was immediately available at the IAEA to comment.
That's what the IAEA calls an immediate and urget response.
Abedini gave more details about the tunnels than previously available and named companies and engineers involved. He said a complex of tunnels at Parchin, east of Tehran, was used for work on laser techniques for uranium enrichment. Another tunnel system in Khojeer, southeast of Tehran, was used to assemble ballistic missiles and was 1 km (0.6 miles) long and 12 metres (yards) wide.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/21/2005 00:00 ||
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#1
I'm sure we noticed - or did they smuggle all the excavated dirt out in their pants cuffs (a la Sandy Burglar the POWs)?
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/21/2005 0:43 Comments ||
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Since the September meeting the composition of the I.A.E.A. board has changed, with more countries represented on it that have already indicated their support for Iran. As the Nov. 21 London Guardian observed:[b] âBelarus, Cuba and Syria joined Venezuela on the I.A.E.A. board in September.[/b] With those anti-U.S. nations on board, any vote on referral would be more strongly opposed than the resolution passed at the last board meeting two months ago.â
[b]Russia, China, India, Brazil and South Africa [/b]have also indicated they would oppose referral. A vote with less countries in support of Security Council referral than in September âwould look like a step backward,â a U.S. official told the Guardian.
As part of its effort to counter the U.S. and E.U.-3 attempts to turn other I.A.E.A. members against it, Iran has stepped up its economic and military cooperation with Russia, the chief source of Iranâs nuclear power technology. On Nov. 7, for example, Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Hamid-Reza Asefi said Tehran welcomed Moscowâs proposal for the establishment of a common, Russian-led military force in the oil-rich Caspian Sea with participation of all the littoral countries â Iran, Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan. The Russian proposal explicitly excludes the participation of other countries, i.e., the U.S., from provision of equipment, technical assistance, intelligence sharing, personnel training or other inputs.
Tehran is also stepping up its cooperation with other countries that are threatened by U.S. aggression, particularly Venezuela and Cuba.
At a joint Nov. 13 press conference in Tehran with visiting Cuban foreign minister Felipe Perez Roque, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared: âWe hope that given new wave of revolutionary moves inspired by freedom-seeking as well as justice-seeking spirit of world nations along with the intellectuals of some South American countries, we will witness further coordination and convergence in rescuing the countries from hegemonic powers in those regions.â
On Nov. 23, the official IRNA news agency reported that the Iranian foreign minister Manouchehr Mottak had told the new Cuban ambassador to Tehran that âFidel Castro taught a very good lesson to world countries, particularly those in Latin America, on how to stand firm in their positions,â and that âIran considers Fidel Castro as a valuable asset for the Latin American nations.â
According to an Oct. 31 IRNA report, Ahmadinejad had sent a letter to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez expressing Tehranâs appreciation for Venezuelaâs stance in support of Iran at the Sept. 24 I.A.E.A. board meeting. Ahmadinejad reportedly described Venezuelaâs stance as proof of the two governmentsâ âbrotherly and lasting relations.â
On Nov. 23, Iranâs Petropars company announced it would invest $2 billion to develop an oil field in Venezuela, Latin Americaâs largest oil producer, with the state-owned Venezuelan oil company PDVSA. âThis is the first oil project of Iran that is being implemented abroad,â Petropars managing director Golam-Reza Manuchehri told the Mehr news agency.
Designation of National Council of Resistance and National Council of Resistance of Iran under Executive Order 13224
The Secretary of State has amended the designation, under Executive Order 13224 on terrorist financing, of the Mujahedin-e Khalq, known as the MEK, to add its aliases National Council of Resistance (NCR) and National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI).
The Secretary of State designated the MEK as a foreign terrorist organization in 1997 under the Immigration and Nationality Act, and again in 2001 pursuant to section 1(b) of Executive Order 13224. That order (as amended) authorizes the Secretary to designate foreign entities and individuals that he determines â in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury, the Attorney General, and the Secretary of Homeland Security â to have committed, or to pose a significant risk of committing, acts of terrorism that threaten the security of U.S. nationals or the national security, foreign policy, or economy of the United States. The action to amend the Executive Order 13224 designation of the MEK to include NCR and NCRI is based on information from a variety of sources that those entities functioned as part of the MEK and have supported the MEK's acts of terrorism.
Released on August 15, 2003
November 1971 attempt to kidnap the American ambassador, as well as the 1972 bombings of the offices belonging to Pepsi-Cola, General Motors, the Hotel International, the Marin Oil Company, the Iranian-American Society and the US Information Office. Over the next three years, the MEK robbed six banks, assassinated the deputy chief of the US Military Mission (Colonel Lewis Hawkins), killed the chief of the Tehran police, killed five American civilians and/or military advisers, attempted to assassinate the chief of the US Military Mission in Iran (General Harold Price), and bombed the offices of Pan-American Airlines, Shell Oil Company, British Petroleum, El Al and British Airways.
US Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld said he doubts that Osama bin Laden is in position to assert full command over the Al Qaeda terror network.
Rumsfeld, who arrived on Wednesday morning for an unannounced visit to Pakistan, said he found it interesting that bin Laden has not been heard from publicly in nearly a year.
âI donât know what it means,â Rumsfeld told a group of reporters traveling with him. âI suspect that in any event, if heâs alive and functioning that heâs probably spending a major fraction of his time trying to avoid getting caught.â
He added that he thought bin Laden would have difficulty being âin a position of major command over a worldwide Al Qaeda operation, but I could be wrong. We just donât know.â
The defense chief also discussed a Pentagon announcement that US troop levels in Afghanistan will drop by about 3,500 to roughly 16,500 next spring. He said the cancellation of a planned deployment there by a Louisiana-based brigade was an example of the way the Pentagon is likely to reduce the American troop presence in Iraq next year.
In an interview aboard a US Air Force C-32 airplane carrying him from Washington to Pakistan, Rumsfeld said when American commanders conclude that a smaller US presence is advisable, some units scheduled to rotate into Iraq will have their tours canceled. At other times, units already in Iraq will be sent home early, he added.
Rumsfeld mentioned no specifics on future troop cuts in Iraq, beyond returning to a base figure of about 138,000 next month from the bulked-up 160,000-strong force assembled in advance of the Dec. 15 election.
The Pentagon hopes to drop the total well below 100,000 before the end of 2006. Those moves will depend on the strength of the insurgency, the progress in training Iraqi security forces and steps forward in building a national political consensus.
At this air base near the Pakistani capital of Islamabad, Rumsfeld was meeting with many of the approximately 850 US troops providing humanitarian relief for victims of the Oct. 8 earthquake that devastated large parts of northwestern Pakistan and the disputed Kashmir region.
Rumsfeld said the United States has already begun scaling back the size of its military presence here, from a peak of more than 1,200 people several weeks ago. Aid efforts will continue for weeks.
The number of US helicopters participating has dropped from 24 to 12, he said.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
12/21/2005 10:28 ||
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#1
This is a good example of how the media whips up hysteria when its agenda doesn't unfold.
I could replace the opening sentence,
Iraq is disintegrating.
with,
Iraqi's vote for a federal Iraq.
A lot of people, myself included, think a loose federation is the best outcome for Iraq. Those who oppose it most strongly are on the tranzi side of politics and follow the UN in stating the existing borders of states are sacrosanct. A policy that stems from the world's nastiest regimes (Syria, Iran, Myanmar, Sudan, etc.) need for legitimacy as they repress and sometimes slaughter people who view those borders as prison walls.
#2
The Independent is arguably the British newspaper with the most anti-US coverage of the middle east. That prick Robert Fisk write for the rag - need I say more? The Shia religious parties in Iraq are less than perfect, but they aren't Iranian stooges.
#3
The independent is seeing the anti-American coalition disintegrate, that's the problem. With every success that the Iraqis have, another loud-mouth detractor falls to the roadside. Kind of selfish, no, extraordinarily selfish to hold your hatred of America above the prospect of the Iraqis having a better life. But I guess it's worth it to try to get a few jabs in on Uncle Sam.
#5
(Image removed by moderator for blowing our formatting all to hell.)
Wishful thinking by a UK member of the MSM. If I were a fly on the wall of the editorial board, I would expect to see drooling....
These results are not that much different than January, except that there are more Sunnis, whic one would expect because they arenot boytcotting.
YOU NEED TWO-THIRDS to do any thing major. The ninconpoops at the Independent don't understand what this means. It is a restriction the Iraqis put on themselves....
#8
So what if the Shias and Kurds have cut a deal? We are talking about 80 freaking percent of the population, and both major muslim factions - Shiite and Sunni {Kurds are predominately Sunni}. 80% of the population cuts a deal with each other? Sounds like democracy to me, except for the sore losers, who just happen to be the main strength of the terrorists operating in Iraq - Arab Sunnis.
Payback is a bitch, boys and girls.
#9
Those who oppose it most strongly are on the tranzi side of politics and follow the UN in stating the existing borders of states are sacrosanct. A policy that stems from the world's nastiest regimes (Syria, Iran, Myanmar, Sudan, etc.) need for legitimacy as they repress and sometimes slaughter people who view those borders as prison walls.
Shallowly viewed. The policy of "sanctity for existing borders" also stems from the fact that Nazi Germany tried to incorporate the minority Germanic regions of Czechoslovakia into itself, and that was one of its first steps in its war of wider conquest. Ethnic groups in neighbouring nations become either pawns of the imperialists in "mother nations" or get prosecuted by the chauvinists of their host nations, when their mere presence can be used to justify border alterations. Either way, it ain't nice.
A related problem (or perhaps it's the same one) is that most minorities don't dwell in nicely related regions that can form a well-made state. To form a state out of them you end up needing to ethnically cleanse dozens of thousands, perhaps hundred of thousands of people of differing nationalities. Most recent example I believe, is the way that the Abkhazians ethnically cleansed hundreds of thousands Georgians in order to be able to form "Abkhazia". (that's the basic argument *against* the supposed right of the Abkhazians to form a state. )
Previously to that was the way the Serb Bosnians genocided Bosnian Muslims in trying to form an "ethnically clean" coherent territory of Serbs in Bosnia (the populations had been hopelessly intermingled), and ofcourse the way that Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots were removed off each other's territories after the island was divided.
On the other side, the Croats ethnically cleansed the Serbs of their territory to *defend* against Serb ambitions on their territory -- and the Serbs attempted to ethnically cleansed the Albanians of Kosovo in reaction to the Albanian ambitions on it. As I said: not nice, on either side.
On my part, mind you, I do NOT view borders as fully sactrosanct - e.g. I think that the planned division of Sudan is one of the best things that can happen to it. However, there are certain criteria that should be used as guidelines:
1. Such changes of borders should not be the result of an external imperialism (e.g. Serbia in Bosnia, Turkey in Cyprus, Russia in Abkhazia) but rather a native desire for independence.
2. Populations should not be so hopelessly intermingled that to make new borders means uprooting hundreds of thousands of people (again Bosnia, Abkhazia, etc)
Given the above thoughts, there'd be no significant problem with the Kurds going independent, in much of their territory atleast (though Kirkuk is highly problematic)...
... but Sunnis and Shias are hopelessly intermingled. To make nations with clearly defined borders out of each of them means uprooting *millions* of each group from their homes.
#10
So what if the Shias and Kurds have cut a deal? We are talking about 80 freaking percent of the population,
No, you failed to get the point: we're talking about the elites of both sides making a deal to hold fraudulent elections. We're talking about a *coup* against democracy. That's the deal he's talking about.
Kurds may not care cause they'll get their own state but what about the secular democrats in the Shia and Sunni population? Oops for them.
That's the "so what".
Sounds like democracy to me, except for the sore losers, who just happen to be the main strength of the terrorists operating in Iraq - Arab Sunnis.
No, that's the main strength of the terrorists *fighting* in Iraq, if you can see the difference. The philo-Iranian Shi'a terrorists and other Islamofascists (e.g. Sadr) are not fighting because they have already *won*, control vast territories, have killed off the secular, liberal and philo-Western opposition, and it seems they have just bribed away all possible Kurdish opposition to their plans.
Right now the Shi'a Islamofascists are just using US forces as their tool to bring down the remaining Sunni opposition. They'll only reveal their own hostility to the US presense once the Sunnis have been clearly defeated and the Shi'a Islamofascist control has solidified. And they'll then react to your presence in the same civilized way that the other fake democrats, the ones in Kyrgyzstan, have already done. No bombs against Americans from the Shia, just internal oppresion against democracy, and solidarity with the neighbouring tyrants of Iran (in Kyrgyzstan's case, Uzbekistan).
Ofcourse USA can't ever admit either fraudulent elections or that the Shia areas are controlled by the bad guys, because the Bush administration needs show an image of constant improvement in Iraq.
#12
Can a moderator, please correct the faulty ending i-tag in my last post? Sorry about that.
Anonymous coward, I don't expect literacy from you, I can't expect you to know the big words and be able to comprehend my post so as to make an actual rebuttal (sarcastic or not) to what I actually said. Indeed you never fail to inadvertently make posts confirming my point. Your comment would work as a sarcasm against imperialism, *against* using minorities as tools to effect border changes -- and oops, that's exactly the policy I *also* argued against.
So you're sarcastically arguing the same thing I argued? How is that an attack on me?
Failure of your reading skills yet again, anonymous coward. And success in reaffirming the rightness of my contempt for you and yours.
#15
Rafael, first of all, I don't claim to have all the answers to the point of you asking me the specific referendum methodology that should be used.
Secondly, in the specific point you mention I used the phrase "native desire for independence" in the sense of contrasting it with imported such desires (aka "external imperialism") -- e.g the Bosnian Serbs were not truly fighting for independence, but rather for a Greater Serbia: they were the tool of Serbian imperialism. Kosovars were not fighting for independence but rather for a Greater Albania. And so on.
On the other hand Quebecois, Tibetans, Chechens, Basques -- these movements for independence (some of which are peaceful, others terroristic in methodology) all seem non-imported, native movements.
As for whether 50%+1 being apart to split apart a country, why are you asking me percentages? It seems to me that if it's *only* 50%+1 that wants to split a country apart, then it's likely that it won't be that big of a "splitting apart" anyway, so it will not be that drastic or perhaps even that irreversible a change.
So, if you are demanding an aswer, then yes (assuming no ethnic cleansing follows), why *shouldn't* 50%+1 be enough? Have the side in favour of unity make its case better and try to convince that extra person next time.
#16
50%+1 was a valid point of contention during the last referendum on separation in Quebec (1995). More precisely, the question was at what percentage could you say that a referendum on separation has weight? Sure, mathematically it's 50%+1 and Quebec would have loved such a result, especially since they were given a mandate to hold the referendum.
The reason why this is important is precisely because Quebec desires a complete separation, with repercussions rippling throughout the rest of the country. For example, I believe once Quebec separates, Canada will cease to exist as a country, with some provinces following Quebec's exit. That risk is real. As a Canadian then (not an Ontarian, or Albertan, or Quebecois), I do not want to see Quebec separate on a 50%+1 vote. And I would hope my federal government would also not make it this easy to separate.
But agreed, this is a special case and doesn't fit in exactly with what you were pointing out.
Posted by: Rafael ||
12/21/2005 21:21 Comments ||
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#17
BTW, that referendum in 1995 came down to decimal points...50.58% against to 49.42% for. So that's why the issue came up.
Posted by: Rafael ||
12/21/2005 21:26 Comments ||
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#18
I think that by 1995 my darling mother-in-law had taken American citizenship... else the vote against would have been another fraction of a percent higher. Huguette loathes the party agitating for separation; just a bunch of corrupt politicians looking to be bought off by Ottowa, no different from the bunch playing the same games when she lived in Quebec as a child. and regardless of the outcome, the peepul see no real benefit. Huguette developed a dark view of human nature during those cold Quebec winters. ;-)
#19
Aris-You are right that religious nutcases may be getting stronger in Iraq, just like they are stronger in Iran, but it is for one reason-THE PEOPLE THEMSELVES CHOSE. People in the ME have just debarked onto a sea of hard lessons, and it's gonna be a long and painful but necessary journey with this as the destination: they can't go around blaming others for the things they themselves cause. In the case of Iran, that means that the majority of the people chose a Shia president-and if that means burqas, chopped off hands, no music, no art, no dissent, no religion but Mo's, destroyed relations with the west, they have no one but themselves to blame for it. In Iraq, it may or may not turn out that way, but it's the same concept. Invasion, no invasion, occupation, no occupation, puppet government, propped up government, or elected government-the lesson is the same; in our generation's time, people in the ME are learning accountability for their choices. And I don't mean that smugly, sadistically or punitively. It's meant in the same way that a person with experience at something can do nothing to eliminate the learning curve of someone with no experience at something. As a Greek citiizen, you have knowledge of the value and responsibility of democracy; as a US citizen, I have it, too. They have little to no experience with it; they are like a person trying to invent something and not addressing a law of physics that are needed to make the invention work-try/fail, try/fail, try/fail-sooner or later, one has to finally step back and say, wait, I need to rethink this. People in that part of the world have looked at their leaders as Gods-larger than life, meant to be feared, with magical powers to solve all problems-SOMEONE ELSE TO CONTROL THEIR DESTINIES. I think we all agree that this hero worship will get people in the ME nowhere. It is a notion that needs to die for people in the Middle East to have better lives. When people there learn that their futures are direclty related to their OWN willingness to confront the horror in their leaders' hearts-when they empower THEMSELVES for the good of everyone, not just their tribe, their lives will get better. In the meantime, though, in our generation, it appears that things have been made worse.
#20
just a bunch of corrupt politicians looking to be bought off by Ottowa
Good point. But I think they truly want independence this time. In any case, should they win the next referendum, they're in a win-win situation. If they fail to gain any concessions from Ottawa they can easily succeed on their own.
As an aside, if Quebec leaves, they will take with them more than half of Canada's officer corps (of the Canadian Armed Forces).
Posted by: Rafael ||
12/21/2005 22:53 Comments ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
President Hamid Karzai said on Wednesday he was unworried by U.S. plans to cut troop numbers in Afghanistan, and U.S. Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld played down concerns about NATO states' willingness to fill the gap.
Less than 24 hours after inauguration Afghanistan's parliament faces its first challenge with today's election of Speaker. Former president 
A statement attributed to the leader of the ousted Taliban regime on Tuesday dismissed Afghanistanâs first parliament in 30 years as a US forgery and vowed the American âinvadersâ would be forced out. The parliament was inaugurated in a ceremony attended by US Vice President 
The plot is thickening in an already conflict-ridden zone as Chadâs military made good on threats to pursue rebels into Sudanese territory following heavy fighting in an eastern border town over the weekend.
The 
Cuba launched a blistering verbal attack on the top U.S. diplomat in Havana on Tuesday and on dissidents it accused him of organizing to overthrow the government. A daily state-run television talk show dedicated its 90- minute broadcast to accusing U.S. mission chief Michael Parmly, who arrived in the country in September, of being the new point man for the Bush administration's declared goal of ousting President Fidel Castro from power. 
QUETTA: Paramilitary forces have reoccupied trenches in Dera Bugti that they agreed to give up in a deal between government representatives and the Bugti tribe in March, tribal chief Nawab Akbar Bugti said on Tuesday. âWe remain bound (by the agreement) but there are neither any gentlemen nor anyone to honour pledges,â Bugti told a group of reporters in Dera Bugti. He said under the deal, struck by Pakistan Muslim League President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Senator Mushahid Hussain, the Frontier Corp vacated 15 trenches and Bugti fighters vacated their trenches to restore peace. 
The 
BAGHDAD, Iraq - After several hours of quietly listening to testimony, Saddam Hussein launched into an extended rant at his trial Wednesday, alleging that he had been beaten "everywhere on my body" while in detention. 
Rival groups within the ruling Palestinian party Fatah agreed yesterday to cooperate as closely as possible, despite their differences, to defeat Hamas in parliamentary elections in January. The split in Palestinian President 
Following the recent warming of relations between Israel and Muslim Pakistan, two other Muslim countries which did not previously have diplomatic relations with Israel have approached Israeli authorities to establish new political contacts. An Afghan ambassador recently invited the Israeli Embassy staff to celebrate Afghanistan's Independence Day at his residence, according to Yediot Aharonot. According to reports, the Israeli embassy staff-members in two other countries have also been holding talks with local authorities. In Bangladesh as well, relations with Israel have reportedly been warming as well, as Bangladesh's ambassador recently approached his Israeli counterpart with an offer to establish regular relations. The Israeli ambassador reportedly accepted the proposal. 
Syria's differences with the UN and Lebanon have topped the agenda of a meeting between 
