Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Monday offered peace talks with a resurgent Taliban after the bloodiest year since they were ousted in 2001 and amid warnings of a violent spring offensive.
He was speaking at a religious gathering in Kabul on one of the holiest days of the Shia Islamic calendar, but he did not specifically name the Taliban. While we are fighting for our honour, we still open the door for talks and negotiations with our enemy who is after our annihilation and is shedding our blood, he told the crowd at the main Shia religious compound in the capital. Karzai also said he prayed for the guidance of those who plotted against Afghanistan, referring to neighbouring Pakistan where he says the Taliban and their Islamic allies have sanctuaries.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/30/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
The United States is ready to contribute air support to an African Union peacekeeping force in Somalia, a leading official said Monday. US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer told AFP that she had made the offer during talks on the sidelines of the African Union summit in Addis Ababa with the head of the AU commission Alpha Oumar Konare. We are ready to provide airlift and contracting airplanes for the African peacekeeping force in Somalia, she said. We already discussed that with Uganda, and I discussed with chairman Konare. A verbal note has been addressed to the AU about the support we are ready to provide and the help we can provide to that force, she added.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/30/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under:
The Sudanese regime suffered diplomatic humiliation yesterday when the African Union refused to appoint its military dictator as its chairman. The union, which includes all 53 countries on the continent, protested over the bloodshed in Sudan's war-torn region of Darfur by rejecting President Omar al-Bashir's bid to assume its rotating chairmanship. Sudan had been promised this accolade when it hosted a summit of African leaders last year. Had he succeeded, Mr Bashir, who seized power in a coup in 1989 and played host to Osama bin Laden for five years in the 1990s, would have become the most prominent leader in Africa.
Instead, the AU chose to give its chairmanship to President John Kufuor of Ghana, a democratically elected leader who was educated at Exeter College, Oxford. "It looks like sense has prevailed," said one aid official.
Instead, the AU chose to give its chairmanship to President John Kufuor of Ghana, a democratically elected leader who was educated at Exeter College, Oxford. "It looks like sense has prevailed," said one aid official.
The AU deploys the only outside force in Darfur, where four years of civil war have forced at least two million people to flee their homes and claimed 300,000 lives, either from violence, starvation or disease. The dangers faced by aid workers were driven home when 135,000 refugees in Gereida, forming the largest concentration of displaced people in Darfur, were left without any food aid. The French agency supplying them, Action against Hunger, withdrew from the area after an attack on its compound. A spokesman said one French aid worker was raped and others were subjected to mock executions during the incident last December.
Under the AU's banner, some 5,000 African soldiers and 2,000 civilians are struggling to contain the violence. Had Sudan been given the AU's leadership, it would have taken charge of this mission and become, in effect, responsible for policing itself. But African leaders gathering for their summit in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, feared that promoting Mr Bashir would have destroyed the AU's credibility.
Having been denied the chairmanship, Mr Bashir also had to listen to criticism of his conduct in Darfur from Ban Ki-moon, the new United Nations secretary-general, who addressed the summit. "Together we must work to end the violence and scorched-earth policies adopted by various parties, including militias, as well as the bombings which are still a terrifying feature of life in Darfur," said Mr Ban. By citing "militias", Mr Ban was referring to the notorious "Janjaweed" militias which Mr Bashir's Arab-dominated regime launched against Darfur's black African tribes at the outset of the war.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/30/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under:
#3
I was dropping off something at ACE Mail Center (NE OK) few days ago and in the car beside me... a familiar face, too familiar. I and my wifey looked at each other and both said at the same time: "That guy looks like Saddam!"
He had a honda civic, somewhat decrepit and there was that type of plastic sheet stuck to the side windows that prevents peering inside, but with the signs of age as the whole car covering just the middle part of the window. We saw the guy as he was just sitting down on the seat and before closing the door. He looked about 10 years younger than Saddam, but almost a perfect clone. Felt sorry for the guy.
#5
My theory is that they captured and traded him to the space aliens years ago for the plans to the Halliburton Earthquake/Tsunami machine but had to put the double on trial and hang him to make it look good and cover everything up.
Anis Al-Daghidi should be expecting a visit from the hunter killer dolphins any time now. They haven't been doing much since Katrina...
#6
Actually, we hanged Mumia, stuck Castro in Mumia's cell, and shipped Sadaam off to Castro's hospital bed in Havana, where he's plotting to further the glory of La Revolucion by giving it a distinctive Baathist twist.
#8
I remember the shots of him working the street crowds during the war and thinking, "The whole country's a Saddam Hussein Lookalike Contest. No wonder they can't find the bastard."
#12
Well, the fact is that no one could play rock/paper/scissors (and pencil and tiger hand) like Saddam. So, it's proven that it was Saddam that hung, beyond any unreasonable doubt.
#14
Saddam = Osama, etc. in that he should NOT be discounted as dead until sn sutopsy is done and formally released to the public. THINK JFK-RFK-MLK REDUX > MSM spent the late 1960's + 1970's all but promo various conspiracy theories depicting Govt corruption and related cover-up(s), e.g THAT OSWALD/SIRHAN DIDN'T ACT ALONE, then after Ollie Stone's JFK came out spent the 1990's to present depicting why Govt is NOT corrupt = perverted + e.g. WHY OSWALD/SIRHAN DID ACT ALONE. ALSO, WORLD INTEL = BLACK OPS = MAFIAS DO MAKE USE OF "DOUBLES", FAKE OR REAL. The good news is that US INTEL, etal. is NOT the only Nation = Major Power that does it.
#16
ou813, you'll know you're a full-fledged Rantburger when suddenly JosephM's less baroque posts make perfect sense. I remember the day the switch clicked in my brain -- and now I find my private notes full of useful JosephM shorthand. Be patient my dear, it will burst upon you one day if only you wait and are good. ;-)
#17
Although, the decoder ring works just as well, TW:>
Posted by: BA ||
01/30/2007 20:49 Comments ||
Top||
#18
Translation: Don't count Saddam or Osama as dead until the autopsy report is released to the public. The MSM spent the 60s and 70s all but promoting that the JFK/RFK/MLK assassinations were part of corrupt government actions and cover-ups. In other words, Lee Harvey Oswald and Sirhan Sirhan didn't act alone.
Then after Oliver Stone's JFK movie, the MSM spent the 1990s trying to prove the exact opposite of what they were pushing in the 60s and 70s. Also, other intelligence agencies and organized crime do make use of doubles. The US isn't the only one to do so.
Nearly a quarter Yemens Jews have fled their village and sought refuge at a hotel in the Arab country after militants threatened to kill them for selling alcohol, a government official said on Monday. The official, who asked not to be named, said authorities had deployed policemen around the hotel to protect the Jews, numbering at least 45, after they escaped the village of Al Salem in the northern province of Saada two weeks ago. Just 200 Jews live in Yemen after thousands were evacuated to Israel in 1948.
The Shiite militants of (Abdel-Malik) al-Houthi sent threats to them (Jews) because they sell wine, the official told Reuters. The Jewish community denied they sold wine. Islam forbids the sale or drinking of alcohol. We are protecting them. They are in a safe place, the official added.
Houthi is a brother of a hardline Shiite cleric Hussein al-Houthi who was killed in 2004. His group is seeking to set up an Islamist state in Yemen. His followers killed six Yemeni soldiers and wounded more than 20 on Saturday when they attacked state buildings near the hotel in Saada, were the Jews are being sheltered. Officials said the two incidents were not linked. After two weeks, we are still in the hotel. It is the shelter that the government provided for us after we were threatened by Houthi, Jewish cleric David Merhavi told Reuters by telephone. We do not sell wine, this is only propaganda.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/30/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[8 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Had some property the local mohammedans coveted?
Posted by: ed ||
01/30/2007 2:18 Comments ||
Top||
#2
If I were there, I would not sell wine, I would drink it.
#3
I swear some Jooooooooooooos are extra crazy, why do they stay? They know this shit is coming. Then again with 3 or 6 exceptions which country would be better?
North Korea's propaganda chief has disappeared from public view, South Korea's spy agency said yesterday, amid a report that his name and photograph were being airbrushed out of the national record after he fell out of favour. They should ask other propaganda agencies like Reuters...nobody uses airbrushing any more, it's all Photoshop now.
The spy agency said Jeong Ha-cheol, the propaganda secretary of the North's ruling Workers Party of Korea, had not been seen in public during the past 15 months.
The spy agency said Jeong Ha-cheol, the propaganda secretary of the North's ruling Workers Party of Korea, had not been seen in public during the past 15 months. Mabye he's just resting. It's a tragedy, that's what it is! The juche content of the daily dose of Songun's gone far, far down hill.
The South's Dong-A Ilbo newspaper said at the weekend that his disappearance had sparked rumours he may have fled the communist country or been purged and imprisoned. Did they check behind the fridge?
Mr Jeong, 74, was editorial chief of the party newspaper Rodong Sinmun and chairman of state television before becoming propaganda chief in 2001.
He was once a confidant of North Korean founding leader Kim Il-sung and accompanied Kim and his successor and son Kim Jong-il on trips overseas.
"All we can confirm is that Jeong has not been spotted in public at all since October 2005," a National Intelligence Service source said.
Dong-A, quoting unnamed sources, reported that North Korean officials were going door-to-door to remove traces of Jeong from publications, without giving any reason. The paper said there were recent rumours that Jeong may have defected, or had been detained in a concentration camp as "a traitor against the party and revolution".
#1
IONews, the NorKor army is apparently recruiting 000's of women into their ranks, seemingly to replace the 000's of male soldiers whom perished during the famines. CHINA's also recruiting women ala STRATEGYPAGE.
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
01/30/2007 5:36 Comments ||
Top||
#5
It's a tragedy, that's what it is! The juche content of the daily dose of Songun's gone far, far down hill.
D*mn straight! the entire affair has been a discrace since the disappearance of Army First guy. Everything started going down hill from there. Stuff's been cr*p ever since!
*sigh*. That quick walk down memory lane is sooo depressing: so much talent down the shitter and gone forever. Only the loss of the Louvre Museum to the Islamic hordes would cause a greater pang within my heart.
Crap. I'd get stinking drunk if it wasn't for the fact that I get a raging headache from a single glass of wine...
#10
The Songun policy pursued by Kim Jong Il is an all-mighty treasured sword which began a new epoch in the human history of politics, the article said, adding: the blessedness bestowed by this great Songun policy is, indeed, the great foundation of all felicity leading the whole nation and people to reunification and prosperity.
From Ptah's link. Ima do miss the old days when each family had 2 ounces of rice.
Mr. Kuhners Web site, Insight, the last remnant of a defunct conservative print magazine owned by the Unification Church led by the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, was able to set off a wave of television commentary, talk-radio chatter, official denials, investigations by journalists around the globe and news media self-analysis that has lasted 11 days and counting.
The controversy started with a quickly discredited Jan. 17 article on the Insight Web site asserting that the presidential campaign of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton was preparing an accusation that her rival, Senator Barack Obama, had covered up a brief period he had spent in an Islamic religious school in Indonesia when he was 6. As opposed to a similar scandal that was denied for weeks, by this very newspaper.
Mr. Kuhners ability to ignite a news media brush fire nonetheless illustrates how easily dubious and politically charged information can spread through the constant chatter of cable news commentary, talk radio programs and political Web sites but not newspapers, especially one as prestigious as us. And at the start of a campaign with perhaps a dozen candidates hiring research directors to examine one another, the Insight episode may be a sign of what is to come. Let us all savor the rich, rich irony of the Gray Lady that is the New York Times blasting weblogs for reporting fake stories.
#5
Oh, but they apologized for (one of) their fake stories, so it's OK to blast everyone else.
Posted by: Bobby ||
01/30/2007 10:41 Comments ||
Top||
#6
The staff of the NYT can all line up single file and lick the backside of my balls. Except for Dowd, she can lick the business end of an old baseball bat.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
01/30/2007 22:24 Comments ||
Top||
IMMIGRANTS who want to live in the small Canadian town of Herouxville, Quebec, must not stone women to death in public, burn them alive or throw acid on them, according to an extraordinary set of rules released by the local council.
The declaration, published on the town's website, has deepened tensions in the predominantly French-speaking province over how tolerant Quebecers should be toward the customs and traditions of immigrants.
"We wish to inform these new arrivals that the way of life which they abandoned when they left their countries of origin cannot be recreated here," said the declaration, which makes clear women are allowed to drive, vote, dance, write cheques, dress how they want, work and own property.
"Therefore we consider it completely outside these norms to ... kill women by stoning them in public, burning them alive, burning them with acid, circumcising them etc."
Herouxville, which has 1300 inhabitants, is about 160km northeast of Montreal.
Andre Drouin, the councilor who devised the declaration, told the National Post newspaper the town was not racist.
"We invite people from all nationalities, all languages, all sexual orientations, whatever, to come live with us, but we want them to know ahead of time how we live," he said.
The declaration is part of a wider debate over "reasonable accommodation", or how far Quebecers should be prepared to change their customs so as not to offend immigrants.
The Herouxville regulations say girls and boys can exercise together and people should only be allowed to cover their faces at Halloween.
Salam Elmenyawi, president of the Muslim Council of Montreal, said the declaration had "set the clock back for decades" as far as race relations were concerned.
"I was shocked and insulted to see these kinds of false stereotypes and ignorance about Islam and our religion ... in a public document written by people in authority who discriminate openly," he said.
"We wish to inform these new arrivals that the way of life which they abandoned when they left their countries of origin cannot be recreated here," said the declaration, which makes clear women are allowed to drive, vote, dance, write cheques, dress how they want, work and own property.
"Therefore we consider it completely outside these norms to ... kill women by stoning them in public, burning them alive, burning them with acid, circumcising them etc."
elicited this reaction:
Salam Elmenyawi, president of the Muslim Council of Montreal, said the declaration had "set the clock back for decades" as far as race relations were concerned.
The proper reaction would be to say "OK, we're the newcomers here; we'll try to fit in". The improper reaction is to declare that asking you to treat women as human beings is "racist".
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
01/30/2007 20:52 Comments ||
Top||
#3
The declaration is part of a wider debate over "reasonable accommodation", or how far Quebecers should be prepared to change their customs so as not to offend immigrants.
I wonder if they'd be willing to make reasonable accommodations to not offend Americans, or even other Canadians.
#4
So if you outlaw killing women by stoning them in public, burning them alive, burning them with acid, circumcising them, etc. you're considered racist? Oh.
So what are you considered if you allow it?
#5
Salam Elmenyawi, president of the Muslim Council of Montreal, said the declaration had "set the clock back for decades"
So you prefer setting the calendar back 13 centuries instead?
#6
So if you outlaw killing women by stoning them in public, burning them alive, burning them with acid, circumcising them, etc. you're considered racist?
A new definition of 'racist'. The old definition was 'someone who's winning an argument with a liberal'.
#7
By laying down the rules, they also eliminate the defense of ignorance. If some family circumcises their daughter, and it is found out, they it is only right that everyone in complicity know beyond any doubt that what they have done is a crime *before* the fact.
It *stops* being cultural accommodation and becomes a crime, when they are informed about it.
Hat Tip: BreitBart.com
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A Senate Republican on Tuesday directly challenged President Bush's declaration that "I am the decision-maker" on issues of war. "I would suggest respectfully to the president that he is not the sole decider," Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., said during a hearing on Congress' war powers amid an increasingly harsh debate over Iraq war policy. "The decider is a shared and joint responsibility," Specter said.
The question of whether to use its power over the government's purse strings to force an end to the war in Iraq, and under what conditions, is among the issues faced by the newly empowered Democratic majority in Congress, and even some of the president's political allies as well.
No one challenges the notion that Congress can stop a war by canceling its funding. In fact, Vice President Dick Cheney challenged Congress to back up its objections to Bush's plan to put 21,500 more troops in Iraq by zeroing out the war budget. Underlying Cheney's gambit is the consensus understanding that such a drastic move is doubtful because it would be fraught with political peril.
#2
Do any of these morons even KNOW/READ/UNDERSTAND the constitution anymore? Or is it just all power grabbing? Geez...
The president is the FUCKING COMMANDER IN CHIEF you fuck. Once you give him the green light for war, he is in FUCKING CHARGE! Period. Stop. End of debate.
#3
Spectre needs an enema, to blow his brains out of his a$$.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/30/2007 14:23 Comments ||
Top||
#4
...If there was ever any other proof needed that to the Political Elite the Constitution is whatever they want it to be, this is it.
This is what Patrick Henry was talking about when he mentioned watering the Tree of Liberty.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
01/30/2007 14:39 Comments ||
Top||
#5
Congress DOES have the power to declare war.
The Framers did not get particularly specific about how such a thing is to be worded.
The 2002 AUMF serves the purpose just as well as anything.
#6
You think during the early 19th Century that the President was expected to wait for Congress to convene in order to repel an invasion? You think that the President had to consult Congress before the War Department organized and sent a expedition against the natives? Rubbish.
Someone aught to get the Senate a copy of the History of Rome for each member so they can see that there is another body that historically takes umbrage to being treated as expendable for political posturing back home.
#8
The problem with a full blown declaratiion of war lies in North Dakota and in areas of interest in the far norther sea. A real war means real weapons, and we can't talk about those, too icky.
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., toughening her tone during a second day of campaigning in Iowa, accused President Bush of trying to pass the problems in Iraq on to the next president and described his actions as "the height of irresponsibility."
"The president has said this is going to be left to his successor. He has said that on more than one occasion," Clinton said during a town-hall meeting Sunday morning. "I really resent it. This was his decision to go to war." Her comment quickly reverberated at the White House, where a spokesman issued a statement denouncing Clinton for a "partisan attack that sends the wrong message to our troops, our enemies and the Iraqi people."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/30/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Didn't the Dems see DRUDGEREPORT > MORE NUKE CLOUDS PLANNED FOR "24"!?
#2
Her and Bill (the co-presidency) passed the problem on to Bush. Then they bitched when he actually did something about it. Now she's bitching because he doesn't think he will be there to finish the job.
#3
"The president has said this is going to be left to his successor. He has said that on more than one occasion," Clinton said during a town-hall meeting Sunday morning. "I really resent it. This was his decision to go to war."
She "resents" it.
I wonder if it ever even occurred to George Bush to "resent" the fact that Bill Clinton "left" Osama bin Laden for him to deal with. I doubt it.
Anyone stupid enough to vote for this self-centered, evil bitch deserves to be tarred and feathered.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
01/30/2007 7:06 Comments ||
Top||
#4
If only GB would raise the minimum wage to 15.00 dollar bucks an hour, nail the gas users with a 2 buckahol a gallon tax, clean the damn streets, kill Rosie and insure the return of the Cod. Then I could get to work on whats wrong with America, which of course is everything but the Children, except your Children, which is part of what wrong with America. I'll send them out with the Cod fleet.
/IceQueen of the Chilrruns Defesne League against angry Cod.
#8
I somehow just can't get past a president hanging on to the whitehouse curtains, eyes rolled back in his head getting a "BJ" while the terrorists are plotting evil things for us. This image detracts from any notion of responsibility that WJC might have had. Maybe I'm just jaded.
#9
hillary the shill needs to be retired, preferably covered in hot tar, chicken feathers, and whatever it is she's deathly allergic to. This woman is pure evil in a Gucci suit. I wouldn't vote for her if the other candidate was OBL himself.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/30/2007 14:29 Comments ||
Top||
#10
I don't see how this is HIllary's concern. She's unlikely to be the next prez unless she hitches her wagon to Gore and confuses the masses with a Clinton/Gore ticket again.
#12
i suspect if Bush passes on Iraq in the same shape Clinton passed Kosovo on to Bush, we'd all be very pleased.
Personally I think, at a deeper level, it would be good to pass on Iraq to the Dems (not in TOO bad a shape mind you) Cause it would force Hilary, Holbrooke, et al to really test themselves. It would make the war no longer just Bush's war. It would departisanize some of the rhetoric. (OTOH some folks here going all crazy on the ROE could be counted on to get that much worse if Hilary was running the war, and it wasnt going any better than now)
But I can understand her frustration. The war was the last thing she needed - her past in the DLC, her connections with the pro-Israel community, and, just maybe, her convictions, all made it very difficult for her to oppose the war at the beginning. Yet it put her in a bad way with half the dem party. Her only hope was that it would be over by now. And it isnt, and the support for it within the Dem party has shrunk. She simply cant win on it. And on top of that, some of the reason is that its been executed horribly, and yet that still hurts her as an early supporter. Now McCain is just as frustrated with the horrible execution, but McCain doesnt have to win a Democratic Primary. Hilary does.
I have read a lot about Walid Shoebat and his is an exciting and positive story. I encourage all RBers to learn more about this man and his journey from the darkness to the light.
This exposes how much the MSM (here I mean "Mainstream Muslim". Heh) covers up the real roots of modern "islamic terrorism", which is the scourge of mohammedism, a barbarous creed of hate and murder.
Three men on a mission to warn the public about Islamic extremism are speaking Tuesday night in Ann Arbor at an event that has drawn criticism from some Arab-Americans and Muslims who say the speakers are promoting hatred.
Walid Shoebat, Kamal Saleem, and Zachariah Anani, of Windsor, were born into Muslim families and say they are former militants who fought in the Middle East. They will speak at the University of Michigan in a public forum being billed as "The 3 Ex-Terrorists." For mohammedeans, truth=hatred IF it exposed their perfidy.
Raised in Lebanon, Anani claims he once battled for various militias, but later converted to Christianity to escape a religion whose adherents, he said, are often violent and intolerant. "I'm not opposing Muslims, I'm opposed to the orthodox doctrine of Islam," Anani said, which wants to "bring back the glory years of Islam by...jihad." 'Glory days' = murder, looting (with 10% vigarish to the big mo himself) and forced conversion.
But the head of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, Imad Hamad, said "this is another form of hate...in the name of fighting terrorism." Please explain how this is a form of hate, in detail. Please.
Hamad met today with university officials to express the community's concern about the event.
The event is being sponsored by the Michigan chapter of the conservative group, Young Americans for Freedom, and the Walid Shoebat Foundation. Good going, guys!
"It has nothing to do with hatred of any certain people," said Keith Davies, director of the foundation. "But there's a certain ideology we have a problem with, and that's what we need to expose."
According to their biographies posted on the website, www.3xterrorists.com, Shoebat and Saleem once fought for the PLO, the Palestine Liberation Organization.
Hamad said he doubted that the three men were actually former terrorists.
"This is a case of baloney that will not fool anyone," Hamad said. Huh? Please explain WHY he doubts what they claim. I have seen Walid and found him very credible. Especially considering he is, I am sure, a real target of the mohamedeans.
I remember Walid's explanation of his turn. He somehow got in the US and developed a relationship with a Christian woman. They had religious discussions and he found out that most of what he had learned from mohammedism was flat wrong. So he read the bible, kkkoran, sought out counsel and converted to christianity.
He went beyond that possible death sentence as an apostate and decided to publicise the dangers of mohammedism (as Churchill called it). This is an IN YOUR FACE insult and I am sure he has a few fatwas on his ass. I hope he is well-guarded and -armed.
#1
Please explain how this is a form of hate, in detail. Please.
Well, the 3 X-Terrorists are still walking around with their necks intact, so it's obviously hatred of Islam. You know, because the Koran commands that they be put to death and all.
Plus, if too many people hear what they have to say, they might start asking questions.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
01/30/2007 5:24 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Duh. If somebody got Ivan Boesky to convert to Christianity, and put on a forum called "An ex-usurer", well it might be technically true, it would leave me wondering. I mean there must be dozens of guys walking around Lebanon who used to be PLO, or militia, and thought better of it and now believe in peace. Couldnt find them - well thats OK, you cant be expected to run over there and hunt down examples. But taking three guys who converted, and calling the thing "ex-terrorists" could, ya know, just give the impression that you mean they became ex-terrorists when they converted, not when they put down their guns. IE that you think muslim=terrorist.
By the way, if the guys actually DID commit acts of terrorism, why are they not under arrest?
#5
If you get a chance watch Walid Shoebat video on youtube. You will see pretty quick why the porKoranimals are pissed off. Shoebat exposes those moon worshippers in the most polite fashion.
#7
Someone needs calling out these defenders of terrorism. Someone should publically confront these groups. I would love to see a live debate between CAIR and someone who can say the facts. The strategy of these so called defenders of Muslims is to trash the reputation of the accuser and call him a racists.
"You guys have a problem within your religion and your not dealing with it."
Anti-war protesters were allowed to spray paint on part of the west front steps of the United States Capitol building after police were ordered to break their security line by their leadership, two sources told The Hill.
According to the sources, police officers were livid when they were told to fall back by U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) Chief Phillip Morse andDeputy Chief Daniel Nichols. "They were the commanders on the scene," one source said, who requested anonymity. "It was disgusting." After police ceded the stairs, located on the lower west front of the Capitol, the building was locked down, the source added.
A second source who witnessed the incident said that the police had the crowd stopped at Third Street, but were told to bring the police line in front of the Capitol. Approximately 300 protesters were allowed to take the steps and began to spray paint "anarchist symbols" and phrase such as "Our capitol building" and "you cant stop us" around the area, the source said.
Morse responded to these claims in an e-mail Sunday afternoon explaining that the protesters were seeking confrontation with the police. "While there were minor instances of spray painting of pavement by a splinter group of Anarchists who were seeking a confrontation with the police, their attempts to breach into secure areas and rush the doors of the Capitol were thwarted," Morse said. "The graffiti was easily removed by the dedicated [Architect of the Capitol] staff, some of whom responded on their day off to quickly clean the area."
He added, "It is the USCP's duty and responsibility to protect the Capitol complex, staff and public while allowing the public to exercise their First Amendment rights at the end of the day, both occurred without injury to protestors or officers."
Yet, the sources who talked to The Hill were furious that protesters were not stopped before reaching the Capitol. "To get that close to the Capitol building, that is ridiculous," the second source said. "[Police] were told not to arrest anyone." The second source added that police had to stand by and watch as protesters posed in front of their graffiti.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
01/30/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Because they love America almost as much as they love the troops.
Posted by: ed ||
01/30/2007 2:25 Comments ||
Top||
#3
Notice how most graffiti is tagged on abandoned and run down buildings and outlays which reflect the state of those who occupy it. So considering the quality that inhabits the building, this is sort of appropriate. Maybe when we move the transients out of the old flop house and get new occupants interested in gentrifying the place, the taggers will move on. Until it has some real value, I wouldnt worry about it too much. If the current occupants aren't worried about our real security, why should I be upset about theirs?
#5
The collective voices of the carping lemmings are heard. There was Hanoi Jane and Bhaghdad Sean Penn, Susan Dead Man Walking Sarandon, etc. There is no moral high ground in that crowd contrary to what they think. They are only legends in their own minds.
#7
I cant for the life of me understand why the Capital Police let them through their lines. If they are not there to protect the Capital from this very kind of crime why be there at all? I mean on the extreme if the Capital Police had gone medieval, cracked a few skulls, who would have faulted them? If they acquiesce this quickly in front of these losers how affective would they be against a real threat? The supervisors who ordered the retreat should be fired and the leaders of the anarchists should be arrested and made to pay damages and restitution. The next time (oh and now they will be emboldened) they should crack a few noggins and see how many brave Mo0b@+5 want to fly across the police line.
#8
I want to go to DC and put my message on the Capitol steps. If the Capitol Police do not allow it, I will sue them for violating my First Amendment rights. After all, if antiwar types are allowed to write messages, I should be able to do so too.
#9
Prolly wasn't spray paint. Ewwww...too many evil toxic chemicals and all. Most likely enviromentally safe blood left over from the Anti-fur rally earlier in the week.
#11
They should have called in a Marine.
With a flamethrower. It's time to quit accepting treason as "free speach" and start shooting some of these idiots. Until we do, they will get bolder and bolder, and do even more damage to our Constitution. "Free Speach" is not a license: it comes with a set of responsibilities that need to be met. Freedom without responsibility is anarchy, and should be responded to as such.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/30/2007 15:21 Comments ||
Top||
#12
to allow these jokers their rights in what amounted to scrawl graffiti, also have that close of access to potentially cause real harm is ridiculous. What about MY rights here.
I believe in these rights, but not at the expense of others.
They should have been arrested and made to pay (not taxpayers money here) for the damages they caused and thrown in jail for these antics.
To allow them to sling their shit on me (and they do so by attacking our public buildings).
What entire bullshit (*and yes, bullshit pronounced with real emphasis here).
I agree with Cyber Sarge.
Posted by: Jan ||
01/30/2007 16:56 Comments ||
Top||
#13
"..explaining that the protesters were seeking confrontation with the police"
Hell I'm an old lady, but would love to hold back these jerks. I have a few tricks up my sleeve.
They want a confrontation? Yeah, bring it on.
Posted by: Jan ||
01/30/2007 17:05 Comments ||
Top||
MIAMI (Reuters) - When 75,000 football fans pack into Dolphin Stadium in Miami for the Super Bowl on February 4, at least a few may want to carry notes from their doctors explaining why they're radioactive enough to set off "dirty bomb" alarms.
With the rising use of radioisotopes in medicine and the growing use of radiation detectors in a security-conscious nation, patients are triggering alarms in places where they may not even realize they're being scanned, doctors and security officials say. Nearly 60,000 people a day in the United States undergo treatment or tests that leave tiny amounts of radioactive material in their bodies, according to the Society of Nuclear Medicine. It is not enough to hurt them or anyone else, but it is enough to trigger radiation alarms for up to three months.
Since the September 11 attacks, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has distributed more than 12,000 hand-held radiation detectors, mainly to Customs and Border Protection agents at airports, seaports and border crossings. Sensors are also used at government buildings and at large public events like the Super Bowl that are considered potential terrorist targets.
At the annual Christmas tree-lighting party in New York City's Rockefeller Center in November, police pulled six people aside in the crowd and asked them why they had tripped sensors. "All six had recently had medical treatments with radioisotopes in their bodies," Richard Falkenrath, the city's deputy commissioner for counterterrorism, told a Republican governors' meeting in Miami recently. "That happens all the time."
#1
Sometimes it's more than that. When a person gets 131I treatment for thyroid cancer he is warned not to have close contact with anyone for a while. Some 1970s pacemakers actually had nuclear batteries. They were powered by 238Pu. Advances in battery technology made those obsolete.
Posted by: Eric Jablow ||
01/30/2007 15:48 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Iodine-131 for Thyroid. Scarey. To think that when Renquist was in his last days, the guards had to tell each other, "It's OK if he trips the alarm. He runs the place..." One would think that there would be some sort of ID for that sort of thing...
#3
I've a friend who had hip replacement surgery. Whenever he travels he carries a letter from the surgeon explaining why he sets off the security gate thingies. And of course he gets to the airport early enough that the surgeon's office can be called to confirm, if necessary. No big deal.
#5
131I is easier to deal with than radical surgery, BigEd. And if the cancer has metasthesized, all the better. The surgeon might not find it all, but it will pick up the radioiodine anyway.
Posted by: Eric Jablow ||
01/30/2007 23:14 Comments ||
Top||
CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (AP) - The Marine Corps said Monday that it has ordered a probe into how a government report on the killings of Iraqi civilians in the town of Haditha was leaked to the news media. Lt. Gen. James Mattis, the top general at Camp Pendleton, ordered the investigation after several defense attorneys complained that sensitive information about their clients had been leaked, Marine spokesman Lt. Col. Sean Gibson said.
The Washington Post published photos and eyewitness accounts on Jan. 6 from the military's investigative file that had not been made public. One photo showed five Iraqis who had been shot dead near a taxi.
Jack Zimmerman, attorney for one of the accused Marines, Lance Cpl. Stephen Tatum, said Mattis ordered the investigation on Jan. 23. ``I was very pleased that he shared our thought that the investigation should never be released,'' Zimmerman said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/30/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Hmm... I seem to recall Jim McDermitt (a.k.a. Baghdad Jim, D Al-Quida) doesn't seem to have a problem leaking private cell phone conversations or secrets to the press.....
In a damning indictment of Islamabad's "propaganda" about Jammu and Kashmir, a new report says the Indian-administered part of the state is "more free" than all of Pakistan, whose support of the "freedom struggle" in the Himalayan state has "little justification".
The "Freedom in the World-2007" report of the US-based Freedom House "totally dismisses the global propaganda war orchestrated by Pakistan against India on the issue of Kashmir," the NGO said.
"Comparisons of the ratings show up the 'freedom struggle' launched by separatists in Jammu and Kashmir as having little justification and Pakistan's posturing as being hypocritical considering how poorly Pakistan itself is rated," it added.
The annual survey of global political rights and civil liberties was first launched in 1973 and claims to be the "standard reference guide" for judging "freedom in countries.
The report categorises countries and disputed territories as being Free or Partly Free or Not Free. These classifications are based on scores from 1(best) to 7 (worst) in the areas of political rights and civil liberties.
While India enjoys a Free Status rating, Indian Kashmir is evaluated as being Partly Free. Against this, both Pakistan and that portion of Kashmir it administers have been classified as Not Free.
In overall levels of freedom, Indian Kashmir is bracketed with countries such as Turkey, Bangladesh, Malaysia, The Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Colombia, Venezuela, Kenya, Nigeria, Seychelles, Uganda, Zambia, Armenia, and Georgia.
With the Not Free status, Pakistan and its part of Kashmir keep the company of Tibet, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Tunisia, Brunei, Myanmar, China, North Korea, Cuba, Angola, Chad, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan among others.
In the area of political rights, India is rated at 2 with Indian Kashmir at 5. Pakistan is lower at 6 and Pakistani Kashmir worse off at 7.
On civil liberties, India has a not too complimentary rating of 3, while the two Kashmirs have been identically rated at 5.
Posted by: john ||
01/30/2007 17:26 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[8 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Typical Muslim attempt to make the "truth what they want, not the reality but as they want to believe it "Really Was", Read with a few pounds of salt.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
01/30/2007 11:30 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Interviewer: "Why did some people, when asked for their opinion, say that Saddam's execution by hanging failed to follow international norms?"
Bushra Khalil: "Of course it didn't. First of all, they say that they did it the English way. The English way is to put the noose on from the side. But using fiber rope is forbidden to begin with. We plan to sue them for using this method, because they should have..."
Interviewer: "Are you talking about the type of rope...?"
Bushra Khalil: "Let me tell you that it is the fiber rope that makes the neck snap. Saddam did not suffocate to death. 'Suffocation to death' means pressing down upon the neck until the airway is closed, and the person is strangulated to death. Saddam died of a broken neck. He was not sentenced to 'death by neck-breaking,' yet this is what happened..."
Hello. I'm Omar Sharif. Are you a hanged dictator? The family, friend, or follower of a hanged dictator? You may be entitled to damages. Call 1-800-KHALIL to see if you qualify. Se habla espanol...
#6
Er, isn't the idea to snap the hangee's neck, rather than strangle them? A snapped neck is instantly fatal; strangulation takes some time.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
01/30/2007 13:24 Comments ||
Top||
#7
Should have borrowed the Saudi's executioner and beheaded him in the Islamic fashion. Maybe that would have displeased others, so who knows. A quick bullet in the back of the head and a secret burial works, too, along with feeding the body into an industrial shredder and dumping the remains in the Euphrates for the fish to eat. Might try out each of these methods on his defense team to see which is best...
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/30/2007 15:26 Comments ||
Top||
The United States has no strategic interest in ensuring that Iraq remain united, former US ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton said in an interview published on Monday.
Bolton, a close ally of US President George W. Bush who stepped down after Democrats made it clear they would block his re-nomination, also told Le Monde newspaper the United States should have handed power over to Iraqis more quickly.
"The United States has no strategic interest in the fact that there be one Iraq or three Iraqs," the newspaper quoted Bolton as saying.
"We have a strategic interest in ensuring that what emerges is not a completely failed state that becomes a refuge for terrorists, or a terrorist state," he said.
Sunni and Shiite Muslims are engaged in an embryonic sectarian civil war in Iraq, and Bush has said he will send 21,500 extra troops there in a bid to quell the violence.
Bolton said that decision was "the best of a series of bad options", adding that he believed the decision to invade Iraq and topple Saddam Hussein was the right one, while admitting that mistakes had been made.
"In retrospect, we should have transferred authority to the Iraqis more quickly after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein," Bolton said, adding, "We did the Iraqis a disservice by depriving them of political responsibilities."
As for who led the country now, Bolton said Washington had no interest in any particular setup.
"Whether it is one state or three states, whether it is led by the Shiites or by a coalition, is not a matter for our strategic interest," he said. Maybe Bolton reads the Burg.
#1
Hmmm. Hand over more quickly to the Iraqis? This is right up there with the assertion by Rummy that the inability of the 4ID to come down from Turkey in '03 accounted for the Sunni trouble-making in Anbar and Nineveh.
That is, I don't buy it. Rumsfeld and Bolton are two of my favorite players, overall, but I can't see the basis for either assertion.
Also think Bolton's wrong about the united Iraq bit. But that whole thing is way over-blown anyway. Kurds have the autonomy they want, and in general Iraqis favor a united country - so long as they each get their share of goodies and/or get left alone by the "others". The place has been divided along various lines for years now, but not in the way Bolton's referring to here. There are more outsiders musing about Iraq breaking up than there are Iraqis.
#4
ed, Iran would certainly try, but I am not sure that the result you imply is the certainity.
If the southern shia region gains independence after break up of Iraq (if that happens), some factors would take more prominence. Namely the animosity between Arabs and Persians. The ages long rivalry between Najaf and Qom. And possibly, the suppression of Arabs in Khuzestan may pop to a forefront, they are mostly shia, too.
#5
Bolton said that decision was "the best of a series of bad options", adding that he believed the decision to invade Iraq and topple Saddam Hussein was the right one, while admitting that mistakes had been CONTINUE TO BE made.
Until the military is permitted to WHACK these vermin in the sancuaries, nothing will change. They pop out of their lairs (neighborhoods), perform their deadly mischief, returning return home in time to see it a few hours later on satellite CNN. These 19 year old soldiers and Marines out on patrol are little more than moving targets. The butchers bill being paid by these kids makes me sick to my stomach. Washington, Patraeus, scum-sucking bickering politicians, somebody do some phueching thing and do it fast.
#6
In my view Iranian control of Shiia southern Iraq is unlikely. The Shiias look to Iran cos they see the Sunnis aided by the Arab Sunni states - plus Iran is more than happy to meddle. With the Iraqi Shiias in an independant state or quasi-state with secure borders, the next flashpoint becomes Shiia Arab Khuzestan (and of course Eastern Kurdistan).
#7
These 19 year old soldiers and Marines out on patrol are little more than moving targets
Well thank God you there are people like you out there to stand up for the poor little hapless 19 year olds who accomplish more in 5 minutes than you have done in a lifetime.
You know what I think? I think you are just jealous because they are brave men fighting for freedom and you are just a tranparent troll who is going to die without ever having been a part of something selfless or bigger than yourself.
I feel quite sure they don't need or care for support from the likes of you.
#9
Mind your manners, Thotle Hupavitch5406 dear. Besoeker is speaking from personal and daily experience, as it happens. One has to be careful here at Rantburg -- the most interesting people, doing the most interesting things, are regulars here. Not me, of course -- I'm just a little civilian housewife in an outer suburb of the Midwest -- but some of the others don't tell most of their exciting stories.
#11
Whahahahaa, I'm hardly "interesing," but a hat tip to you kind lady. My passion for these events gets me carried away at times. Please forgive my..... Ranting.
#12
There are things one can't know about the people here until one has been around for a while, and I remember when Besoeker had to be told to mind his manners, too. I'm sure Thotle Hupavitch5406 had the best of intentions when he clicked submit. For all we know, he's actually one of those non-hapless 19 year olds taking a break from patrolling. A 4:30 a.m. posting suggests either sleeplessness or a very different time zone. I don't recognize the name Fred's anonymizer gave him -- although admittedly I have a hard time keeping track of those.
#13
Unfortunately, most of the Iraq oil fields are in Kurd-Sunni and Arab-Shiite sectors. The US has a strategic interest in being there. US Field troops point to relative stability in Iraq. The flash points are all in mixed ethnic areas, which are being cleansed.
#14
Sistani certainly has issues with Qom, hence the multiple attempts on Sistani's life. Should Sistani either die or be killed, watch for Iranian proxies to move in.
#15
Eh, this is just a reminder that Bolton was never a neocon, but rather a human bludgeon. The UN was a good place for him.
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
01/30/2007 8:52 Comments ||
Top||
#16
3 Iraqs, one Iraq, the real elephant in the room is that al Q vs. USA is being played out there instead of here. Staying means finding ways to continue the fighting while reducing the number of casualties, and pulling out means losing round two to them. Not a smart option. Maybe that's why donks favor pulling out.
#17
#1 -- I doubt many Iraqis muse about Iraq breaking up. The ones who aren't working hard every day to ensure that break-up happens are probably hiding from the others. Musing is a luxury for those with adequate leisure time and personal safety.
#16-- I think the elephant is more accurately described as jihad vs. the rest of the world. The US is serving as the point man for civilization. Al Qaeda and Iran are the largest entities pushing the jihad, but there are so many others.
#18
whether a Shiite South Iraq republic would fall under Iranian instance depends on circumstances. I agree they wouldnt want to, but if they were stuck in a border war with Sunnis, and the US was gone, or neutral, they would probably accept Iranian help, and the strings that came with it. Given the geography, with overlapping pops in many places (Baghdad, Hilla, Basra, Diyala, etc) it seems quite a possible a Bosnia style war over disputed regions would continue.
#19
"Mind your manners, Thotle Hupavitch5406 dear. Besoeker is speaking from personal and daily experience, as it happens. "
Oh, come off it TW. If Besoeker had said identical things about the troops, and then called for withdrawl, hed have gotten the same rough treatment, but supported by 90% of the folks here, and few would give a damn what real life experiences hed had. Because he called for harsher ROE, that exempted him. You can criticize Bush from the right (well you can as long as you dont support limits on campaign contributions) and youre fine, but use identical words from the left and youre a traitor who dishonors the troops.
#20
The ethnic enclave theory seems very problematic. Seems to me it would insure a never-ending sectarian brawl. Its very simplistic to assume that all Iraqis are more loyal to one affiliation over the others. In reality, there are millions that come from mixed heritages that would be forced to choose identities. Which means the affluent but less connected would most likely bug out and leave the spoils for the greedy thugs and their savage hoards.
Hawk, take it easy there. TW was (very) kindly pointing out to a troll that his personal insult might have been off the mark. That's all.
I'm as guilty as anyone when it comes to getting my undies in a bunch. Sometimes I even have to iron the krinkles out of my boxers all by myself. Other times, I have to take a nap. You might have to break out the iron or condsider some pillow time. Drop'em boy and check yo draws!
Posted by: Mike N. ||
01/30/2007 11:06 Comments ||
Top||
#22
The butchers bill being paid by these kids makes me sick to my stomach
Clearly he's not one of "these kids". Ok - so I was an uncivil troll.... but they aren't "kids", they are soldiers fighting for freedom and it ticks me off when they are referred to that way.
"Until the military is permitted to WHACK these vermin in the sancuaries, nothing will change. They pop out of their lairs (neighborhoods), perform their deadly mischief, returning return home in time to see it a few hours later on satellite CNN. These 19 year old soldiers and Marines out on patrol are little more than moving targets. The butchers bill being paid by these kids makes me sick to my stomach. Washington, Patraeus, scum-sucking bickering politicians, somebody do some phueching thing and do it fast. "
and somebody called him on it.
Now supposing instead hed posted
"Until the military is permitted to withdraw from this quagmire, where no one but neocons ever thought anything but disaster was possible nothing will change. Its a hopeless mistake, and always was, and a waste of the lives of our men and women. These 19 year old soldiers and Marines out on patrol are little more than moving targets. The butchers bill being paid by these kids makes me sick to my stomach. Washington, Patraeus,Bush, Cheney, scum-sucking bickering politicians, somebody get our troops out and do it fast. "
IMO there would have been about a dozen posts here like Thotles, and IF TW had attacked one of them (would she have?) shed have been shouted down.
Now Im not pro-withdrawl, but if this is about politeness, then it needs to go both ways.
#29
Liberalhawk et al, Besoeker said a bunch of things early on, when he didn't understand who he was dealing with, that got him slapped down hard by people a good deal blunter than I. He deserved it, and he learned from the experience... eventually. Thotle Hupavitch5406 attacked Besoeker as an armchair chickenhawk troll, when actually he's a fobbit (or hobbit or rabbit or something -- I'm not good with these technical terms) over there right now, taking care of his troops as they come and go beyond the wire (is that how it's said? Sorry). As for the rest of each of their comments, there is enough of both kinds of verbiage that I don't feel any need to use gasoline to put out those particular fires.
#30
Personally, I think the entire 4th ID thing was ill-concieved in the first place. They should have attacked Iraq through Syria, but that's another beef. I agree that the main issue here is that we fight al-Qaida in the middle east, rather than the midwest. In that perspective, whether there is one Iraq or three makes no difference, except it does confuse the political spectrum. I served my time and fought my wars, but would go back on active duty if requested/ordered without a moment's hesitation. This is a young man's war, however, and old fogies like me would indeed be targets.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/30/2007 15:36 Comments ||
Top||
#31
Hawk, I have no beef with Thotle taking issue with Besoeker calling the soldiers kids. I think it's a non-issue, but if someone wants to raise a stink over a non-issue that's their silly choice, and I do understand your point about the same ends derived from different means getting different respones from this board. The personal insult was a bit much and that's what TW called him on.
My issue was that you called out TW when she was very lady like in her refutation of Thotles insult. That's completely different than attacking Thotles position. It was nothing major, I just figured you have seen that kind of hypocrisy on this board enough times in the past and ended up calling out the wrong person for it. She exibited zero hypocrisy in that post.
Maybe we both need a nap.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
01/30/2007 17:37 Comments ||
Top||
#33
I agree that the main issue here is that we fight al-Qaida in the middle east, rather than the midwest.
I agree, but we're going to fight them here sooner or later, whether we like it or not. I believe that when the time comes to fight them here, it will be the death of them permanently.
It will also be the end of the Democrats, Liberals, Multi-Culturalism and bunch of other crap. So, maybe, speeding up the eventuality might be the best thing. Lock and load!
#34
We're already fighting them here, in my opinion, and have been since 9/12. Think of all the Muslim men who simply left the country rather than register; admittedly most were here illegally -- mostly overstayed student and tourist visas for the economic opportunity -- but some of them must have been here for the easy jihad. Think of the increasing pace of imam arrests, that Nation of Islam-ist and the Jamaican kid he brought over to assassinate pedestrians in DC and the surrounding states, the trial of the "paint ball" cell in Virginia that planned to use their skills for jihad. We just haven't got to a full blown shooting war on this side of the pond yet.
Mike N, you are gallant gentleman, and I thank you for your eloquent defence. I hope liberalhawk and I are friends, even if we sometimes misread one another's posts. That's the problem with not discussing face to face over a slowly emptying teapot. ;-)
#35
Somehow I suspect the intended audience for this comment is not CONUS but Tehran and Baghdad. Nobody here listens to Bolton anyway, thanks to the MSM. Disinformation.
"In retrospect, we should have transferred authority to the Iraqis more quickly"
Also a threat to go into Iran the next time, kill people, break things and leave pronto.
#37
Nimble, I suspect you are onto something there. It seems out of character for Bolton to comment in this fashion without some ulterior motive. He does not operate in a vacuum, perticularly given his close association with the CIC.
We seem to be sending a lot of signals to Tehran lately, be it with carrier groups, arrests of their agents, display of supplied weapons or the musings or a former UN diplomat (who, IMO, earned his fab lunches/dinners).
#39
Could it be that Darth Bolton is wrong? Well, yes.
We do have a strategic interest in Iran not taking over southern Iraq and acquiring its oil fields. We also have a strategic interest in preventing full-scale war between Saudi and Iran. And, we do have an interest in Iran not obtaining a choke-hold in the gulf.
Posted by: Captain America ||
01/30/2007 21:05 Comments ||
Top||
#40
Again, my apologies...young men and women then. At my advanced age, nearly everyone appears youthful.
I'm 49, and my active-duty time is over. But I deal with young Marines and sailors every day. They have and will step up just like my generation did - and better.
But they are kids. You teach them, you give 'em advice when they ask for it, you correct them when they screw up. And you visit 'em when they get wounded and you mourn when they die.
Yes, DEBKA, so salt to taste. But, they are often correct. We will see. Some good details, though.
Quote: Their biggest catch was Iranian colonel Fars Hassami, No. 3 in the Revolutionary Guards al Quds Brigades hierarchy, two below the Brigades commander, General Qassem Sulemaini. Officers of the al Quds Brigade also serve with Hizballah combat units in Lebanon and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The interrogation of Hassami and his four fellow detainees yielded some eye-openers, supplemented by sweeps of their offices and computers.
1. Col. Hassam was found to have been in charge of Iranian operations in northern and central Iraq - from Kurdish Irbil down to the northern outskirts of Baghdad and all links with Iraqs Shiite militias, including Moqtada Sadrs Medhi Army, and Sunni insurgent groups. Hassam was the live wire behind Irans military, intelligence and logistic operations in the violence-stricken towns of the northern half of Iraq, Tal Afar, Mosul, Haditha, Kirkuk, Samarra, the Banji refinery town, Tikrit, Ramadi, Falluja and Baquba.
2. This same RG colonel managed an intensive recruitment campaign for the Sadrist Mehdi Army, which controls a large section of Baghdad and against which a combined Iraqi-US crackdown is under preparation. Hassams recruiting center in Ur (birth town of Abraham) north of Baghdad appealed to volunteers aged 15 to 45. Each was handed $1,500 in cash.
3. A second US raid in Irbil uncovered a stockpile of Iranian weapons. It consisted of 40 tons of explosives, shoulder-borne anti-air missiles, anti-tank missiles, hundreds of automatic rifles and a pile of ordnance made in Iran.
4. Inventories of the weapons and ammo supplied the Medhi Army in Baghdad and Kirkuk by Iran in the last two months were detailed on computer hard disks. Maps showed the locations of anti-air missile positions for shooting down American helicopters.
5. Questioning of the captives yielded the identity of the RGs overall commander for orchestrating Tehrans program to dominate Iraq. The name of Col. Bassem Abtakhi struck a familiar chord with the American interrogators. Informed Middle East intelligence circles have come up against him before as the RGs representative attached to the Hizballah command in Lebanon in 2004 and 2005. They were told he now operates out of the Fajr base in Ahwaz, capital of the southern Iranian province of Khozestan. Let's task a KH-11, stat!
Another familiar face is that of the RG officer nicknamed Mahdi Muhandes (Mahdi the Engineer a terrorist euphemism for bomb-maker). His real name is Col. Muhammad Ali Ibrahimi and the captured men named him as responsible for smuggling Iranian supplies of arms and military equipment into Iraq. Khalilzad pointed out Wednesday, Jan 24, that Shiite political groups now dominating the Iraqi government had developed close relationships with the Iranian security forces while they were opposing Saddam Hussein. He singled out the biggest Shiite party, SCIRI for mention. Awww, crap! Can't we find any muzzies who want something other than death?
DEBKAfiles military sources note that the threat by high US officials of detailed disclosures of Irans clandestine campaign to control Iraq and its hand in the spiraling sectarian violence further raises the military tensions between Iran and the United States. It adds fuel to the fears in Tehran that Washington may not be satisfied with filing a UN Security Council complaint against Irans complicity in terrorism, but may also conduct cross-border commando raids against the RGs al Quds bases near the Iranian-Iraqi border. And airstrikes. There and gasoline refineries, missle batteries, nuke facilities, power plants, etc.
#2
1. Im quite sure Ur is in southern Iraq, not north of Baghdad. There is some other geographic fuzziness as well. Id think Debka would at least get that straight
2. We have not heard reports of raids in Sadr City on ammo stockpiles. I presume such raids would come BEFORE any further announcements of intell we got from this guy. Or even before it was announced he was caught. Unless the info was less detailed than im reading Debka to say.
3. The fact that hes being run from over the border doesnt mean we just go ahead and launch an attack over the border. IIUC the world of covert ops doesnt work that way. We did covert ops against the Soviets and friends, and they against us. When you find somebody, you squeeze them for info, then hold them for trade. And you respond with your own covert ops.
#4
Iran is one place I don't care about environmental damage from nukes. A dozen or so should clear things up admirably. If Iran tries to retaliate, then make the entire country glow blue at night. The only place in the entire country I might enjoy seeing is Persepolis, and it would probably survive.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/30/2007 15:42 Comments ||
Top||
#5
LH, there's no set procedure or rule-book for these things, as you well know. Could be that very audacious kinetic action directly against IRGC/Quds people and facilities across the border makes sense - I'd say if an opportunity for same presents itself, it DOES make sense. Recall that the IRGC is basically bereft of any experience in being seriously opposed by an advanced adversary. Methinks they'd be quite unable to take the heat if we were to get serious (I don't consider the usual, marginal approach of plink/counter-plink via detentions and interrogations to be serious in this context).
As for intel, I'd say that quite apart from any bad guys we nab in Iraq, we're surely far ahead of where we were a few years ago. Those mass pilgrimages from Iran to Iraq's Shi'a holy cities has got to be the greatest intelligence opportunity we've faced with an adversary in a long, long time. One just hopes that the community wasn't idle WRT recruiting from the large and able Farsi-speaking American community in the past few years, and that we've fully exploited this windfall. I vaguely recall the Iranians forming some sort of pilgrims' "assistance" council a while back, the clear purpose of which was to try to keep an eye on this mass movement of people. Heh. I'd bet they have not been able to get much of a handle on their little problem there.
#1
The mother of Muhammed Faisal Saksak, the 21-year-old suicide bomber who carried out Monday's attack in Eilat, said she was aware of her son's plan to blow himself up and that she had wished him "good luck."
Here's an idea. Why don't they blow up this bitch's house? Preferably with her and her remaining brood in it.
#4
It's a hard call: do we retaliate and risk stopping their internal festivities?
Weeeeelll, if by "small" Olmert means that that's the maximum size of pieces that would be left, then retaliate at will. If he means anything else, all you're going to do is stir the anthill.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/30/2007 15:44 Comments ||
Top||
#5
Want to have fun? Wait for the next Hamas v. Fatah firefight and bomb ONE SIDE. Say, the Fatah position.
Then announce it was done at the request of Hamas.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
01/30/2007 19:24 Comments ||
Top||
#6
"small in scale" - just like Olmert's backbone.
Rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah agreed to a cease-fire late Monday in a bid to end four days of violence that killed at least 29 people in Gaza and the West Bank. The cease-fire, announced by Palestinian Foreign Minister Mahmoud Zahar, began 3 a.m. Tuesday (7 p.m. Monday ET).
In the hours before the deadline, gunfire and explosions could still be heard in Gaza City. The agreement calls for both sides to withdraw their armed militants from the street, except for Palestinian police, and stop all clashes, as well as refrain from making inflammatory comments. Since fighting erupted late last week, Fatah and Hamas militants have kidnapped more than 50 members of each other's groups, most of them in the West Bank town of Nablus, Palestinian security sources said. Hamas and Fatah leaders have agreed to exchange kidnapped prisoners and participate in a face-to-face meeting, Zahar told reporters.
Hamas has controlled the Palestinian parliament since last year, when elections ended decades of Fatah control. However, the Palestinian Authority presidency is held by Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas. Talks aimed at forming a power-sharing government were suspended after the latest outbreak of violence, which began Thursday when a Hamas operative was killed by a bomb in the Jabalya refugee camp in Gaza.
Sunday, West Bank Hamas leader Fayyad al-Arba was at a bank in Nablus when gunmen with the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades -- the armed wing of Fatah -- walked up a flight of stairs to the entrance, pointed their guns at him, and forced him out. The Associated Press released video of the abduction, as well as a separate clip of a man identified as Abu Jabal, head of Al Aqsa Brigades in Nablus, saying, "Our demand is the resignation of the interior minister and the suppression of the executive force in Gaza."
A recurring sticking point in negotiations between the two groups is Hamas' refusal to recognize Israel's right to exist. Western nations have frozen funds for the Palestinian territories until this prerequisite is met. Another bone of contention is how the competing security forces should divide responsibilities.
Palestinian legislator Saeb Erekat said Abbas has declared that if an agreement on a unity government is not reached within three weeks, then Abbas will issue a presidential decree ordering early elections. Hamas said it will boycott an early vote.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/30/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
The cease-fire began 3 a.m. Tuesday
I'll be generous and give them ...hmmm... 10 hours, to start proceedings for yet another cease-fire..
#3
"All clashes must stop and armed men must withdraw immediately from the streets,"
announced by Mahmoud Zahar, foreign minister in the Hamas-led government
eerm Rofldozers and D9's are the only thing to save the cess pit that is Palestine . Well actually not even the palestinians want to save it , so why bother . Waste of life , waste of cash , hell , even a waste of bullets . One big fat over hyped lost cause , cut it out like a cancer .." A recurring sticking point in negotiations between the two groups is Hamas' refusal to recognize Israel's right to exist" .
Well , if u dont recognize them , just go back to your greasy sand traps , tards
The irony for me is , im beyond angry , and I live 3000 miles away
The mother of Muhammed Faisal Saksak, the 21-year-old suicide bomber who carried out Monday's attack in Eilat, said she was aware of her son's plan to blow himself up and that she had wished him "good luck." She admits she was aware? Fine. Grab her and put her on trial in Israel for aiding and abetting. Now, if she admitted helping Israel, she'd be killed in an unmerciful way.
Dozens of Palestinians, chanting slogans against Israel and the US, converged on the family's home to "congratulate" them on the success of the attack. In other societies people are "congratulated" on births, marriages, promotions, etc. these people congratulate for death.
Although Muhammed's uncles claimed that he crossed the border into Israel from Jordan, PA security sources told The Jerusalem Post that he came from Egypt. They added that Muhammed's dispatchers were deliberately involving Jordan to avoid alienating the Egyptians and to create tensions between the Jordanians and Israel.
Continued on Page 49
#1
This mother's warped pride is hardly an anomaly, but rather a widely held, cultural mantra. It is a clear and present example of the muslim mindset and precisely why these vermin must be dealt with, with extreme prejutice.
#3
Screw the warning. A 2000 pound air burst 3 feet above the house and the whole neighborhood can be proud too.
Posted by: ed ||
01/30/2007 1:48 Comments ||
Top||
#4
Remember, though, that to say other than what she said is a sentence of ostracism, abuse and death on those left behind. In the PA a person can pulled from his house and beaten to death in the street just because village gossip accuses him merely of being insufficiently hostile to Israel, not even necessarily an informant to the Israeli authorities.
Intersting that PA security sources name the uncles as Mr. Saksak's dispatchers, and claim an Egyptian vs. Jordanian border crossing.
#12
I wonder how it would play out if this were an Israeli mother wishing her son good luck before he headed off to blow up a few Paleostinians and then went on international news to say she was proud of him.
A major military crackdown by Myanmar has sent Indian separatists fleeing and left a growing death toll, a rebel leader told AFP on Monday. The junta had burnt down the general headquarters and two camps held by the SS Khaplang faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-K). Heavy fighting is going on with a brigade (about 3,000 men) of the Myanmarese army using mortars and rocket launchers, launching a massive assault on our cadres since the weekend, senior NSCN-K leader AZ Jami said by telephone.
The NSCN-K, fighting for an independent homeland for Naga tribal peoples in the north-eastern Indian state of Nagaland, has at least 50 camps with some 5,000 guerrilla fighters in Sagaing, northern Myanmar. We have lost three of our cadres and as many wounded in the attacks. In retaliatory strikes, our boys killed more than 12 Myanmarese soldiers and injured many more, the rebel leader said. About 60 of our cadres who were at the general headquarters during the raid managed to flee the camp.
The offensive comes a week after Indias Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee visited Yangon and sought the juntas help against rebels from the northeast who have sought refuge across the border. The offensive by the military junta has the backing of the Indian government with most of the weapons used in the operation supplied by New Delhi, another senior rebel leader said, asking not to be named. Mukherjees trip followed reports that hundreds of rebels from Assam escaped into Myanmar after India launched a military operation against the guerrillas earlier this month.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/30/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
The speed and level of chaos in Iraq is picking up fast. An apocalyptic cult Iranian terrorists came uncomfortably close to dying by the thousands taking Najaf, one of Shi'a Islam's most holy cities, and murdering Grand Ayatollah Sistani. Sistani is the neo-cons' favorite quietist Shi'a cleric, the man who was supposed to keep Iraq's Shi'a in line while we went about nation building. And then, on Sunday, Iran's ambassador to Baghdad told the New York Times that Iran is in Iraq to stay and die, whether the Bush Administration likes it or not.
#3
"Mindful of the spreading chaos in Iraq, President Bush has promised not to take the war into Iran. But it won't matter to the IRGC. There is nothing the IRGC likes better than to fight a proxy war in another country."
I hope that first sentence isn't true; because we're not going to solve this problem until we **DO** take the war to Iran.
"We will not tire, we will not falter, and we will not fail."
Remember those words, GWB? THAT is the promise I want kept. Let's get the lead out, and get this friggin' show on the road!
Posted by: Dave D. ||
01/30/2007 17:13 Comments ||
Top||
#4
"We will not tire, we will not falter, and we will not fail."
Didn't his Daddy say something about "No new taxes!"
Bush is like his Daddy, he'll leave this mess for someone else. Iran will snatch Iraq out from under our noses. These idiots in D.C. need to be thrown out, all of them.
#5
Aside from arming the opposition, the IRGC is capable of doing serious damage to our logistics lines. I called up an American contractor in Baghdad who runs convoys from Kuwait every day and asked him just how much damage."Let me put it this way,"he said."In Basra today the currency is the Iranian toman, not the Iraqi dinar."He said his convoys now are forced to pay a 40% surcharge to Shi'a militias and Iraqi police in the south, many of whom are affiliated with IRGC.
Posted by: ed ||
01/30/2007 18:32 Comments ||
Top||
#6
FREEREPUBLIC > Dubya > INVADING IRAN IS NOT THE PLAN. *OTOH, CNN's + FOX > Hillary to Dubya > END WAR = IRAN TROUBLES BY 2008.
Tens of thousands of Shi'ite Muslim Lebanese, chanting "Death to America, death to Israel," marched in Hezbollah's Beirut stronghold on Tuesday to mark the climax of the annual Ashura religious ceremony. The event this year takes place as a political standoff has raised fears of sectarian strife between Lebanese Sunnis and Shi'ites.
A sea of black converged on Beirut's southern suburb to commemorate the killing in battle of the Prophet Mohammad's grandson, Imam Hussein. Men, women and children beat their chests in a sign of grief over Hussein's martyrdom. Some carried red, yellow and black flags with religious slogans. "We will never be humiliated," the crowd also chanted.
The Hezbollah procession crowded streets heavily bombed by Israel during its war last year with Hezbollah guerillas. Hezbollah fighters killed in the war were remembered as the crowd railed against Israel and the United States. It also condemned its political foes in Lebanon.
Hezbollah, which is backed by Syria and Iran, is part of an opposition that wants more say in the Sunni-led government. It accuses ruling politicians of not backing it in last year's war.
The Lebanese political standoff turned violent last week during pro-and anti-government street clashes in which seven people were killed, heightening fears the crisis could turn into sectarian strife between Sunnis and Shi'ites. The rival sides have blamed each other. Hezbollah has sworn it will not to be dragged into a civil war.
President Bush accused Iran, Syria and Hezbollah on Monday of fomenting the latest violence in Lebanon in a bid to topple its government and said "those responsible for creating chaos must be called to account."
Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah condemned U.S. President George W Bush on Sunday for saying the militant group was as great a danger to his nation as al Qaeda.
Addressing a large crowd in a religious ceremony in Beiruts southern suburbs, Nasrallah said Bushs comments did not arise from Shiite Muslim Hezbollahs role in the latest political crisis in Lebanon. Nasrallah, in his first response to Bushs State of the Union address last week, said Bush attacked Hezbollah because it stood by the Palestinian people and because it was fighting Israel. What we did wrong is that we do not succumb to the United States of America, what we did wrong is that we stand and still stand by the Palestinian people That is what we did wrong, he said in a live televised speech on his groups Al Manar television.
Bush said the United States faced an escalating danger from Shia (Shiite) extremists who are just as hostile to America, and are also determined to dominate the Middle East. Hezbollah, whose guerrilla force withstood a 34-day war with Israel last year, remains the only group to have officially kept its arms after the 1975-1990 Lebanese civil war.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/30/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[9 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
What we did wrong is that we blew up the Marine barracks in Beirut do not succumb to the United States of America."
Posted by: Baba Tutu ||
01/30/2007 0:54 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Whatever Mullah-boy.
You be careful around stairwells, now. And going through doors. And starting cars...
#3
Does this mean Mullah boy is going to form an exploratory committee to run in the Democratic primaries? He seems to have the condemn Bush line down pretty well. He wears a dress like Hillary, and his facial hair is better looking!
Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah condemned U.S. President George W Bush on Sunday for saying the militant group was as great a danger to his nation as al Qaeda.
"No, we are a greater danger to the US than al Qaeda! Death to America!" he shouted.
"Death to America! Death to Israel!" the crowd replied.
US President George Bush further deepened the tension between Washington and Iran as he warned Tehran: "We will respond firmly". I'm wondering what actions on Iran's part, if any, would ever serve to "deepen the tension."
Bush warned Iran that it will respond to any actions if Iran continues to escalate its military actions in Iraq in a bid to make life difficult for American forces. Bush's clear warning was the latest move in a public standoff between the United States and Iran as the situation in Iraq further complicates itself.
The White House expressed skepticism about Iran's policies to greatly expand its economic and military ties with its neighbour Iraq. The White House has repeatedly accused Iran of supporting terrorism in Iraq and supplying weapons to kill American military, AP reported. "If Iran escalates its military actions in Iraq to the detriment of our troops and - or innocent Iraqi people, we will respond firmly," Bush said in an interview with National Public Radio.
Earlier in the day, White House statements mirrored Bush's comments. "If Iran wants to quit playing a destructive role in the affairs of Iraq and wants to play a constructive role, we would certainly welcome that," National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said. "We've seen little evidence to date (of constructive activities) and frankly all we have seen is evidence to the contrary."
The tension between the two countries cultivated in Iran's controversial nuclear program which Tehran said was exclusively for energy, a view which the White House seriously doubts. Last week, newly Defense Secretary Robert Gates warned: "If you're in Iraq and trying to kill our troops, then you should consider yourself a target."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/30/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[9 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
"If you're in Iraqon Planet Earth and breathing and trying to kill our troops, then you should consider yourself a target."
There, Mr. Secretary, fixed that for 'ya.
All joking aside, every time I read about one of our best being killed or wounded, I almost can't believe the above is NOT our policy.
But not in a meaningful way. Bush has had 3 years to respond. Now he's spent and the Democrats would rather see their urban power bases destroyed than take military action.
Posted by: ed ||
01/30/2007 2:00 Comments ||
Top||
#3
But not in a meaningful way. Bush has had 3 years to respond. Now he's spent and the Democrats would rather see their urban power bases destroyed than take military action.
Maybe. OTOH, I would be willing to bet our intel on Iran has gotten a lot better over the last couple years.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
01/30/2007 8:25 Comments ||
Top||
#4
Unfortunately the MSM and Democrats have demonized our Intel by repeating the 'Bush Lied' and 'The pre-war intel was flawed' that it would take a mushroom cloud over NYC or San Fran before any intel about Iran is beleaved.
And that, BTW, is as designed (by the MSM / Democrats).
#5
CrazyFool, I watched Katie KuriK last night for the first time since her maiden broadcast and it's obvious that you're right. During their spot about Iranian weapons in Iraq, Kayde made it a point to question the credibility of the intel.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
01/30/2007 8:49 Comments ||
Top||
#6
All of the conditionals used by the White House are predicated on categorical, explicit statements that Iran is ALREADY waging war against US troops in Iraq.
I have my own interpretation of that, and of whether the "warnings" ought to be taken seriously by Iran. Hint: very large numbers of American journalists, intellectuals, and politicians are not seriously attracted to the best interests of the free world. It looks like a majority of them aren't.
How many more Americans will die due to Iranian actions UNTIL America focuses its attention on our central enemy?
#7
Again, I X sends someone covert and gives money, weapons, etc to folks killing the troops of Y, you cant cross the border to get someone from X.
We knew in afghanistan in the 80s that if one of our guys (or the Pakis guys) was caught in Afghanistan by the Soviets there wasnt much we could do for them. But if the Soviets hit us in Peshawar, they did so at their own risk. It would be a major escalation. They never reached the point where they though it was worth the risk. Ditto for Nicaragua and the contra campaign.
We can only openly declare war on the Iranian ops inside Iraq. Not on the folks in Iran running them. Note I said openly.
Whether we would have eventually attacked Germany anyway is an unanswerable what if.
At this point the wisest thing to do with this info is to crack down on Iranian IN Iraq, to add to the propaganda against the regime ("prices of everything are going up in Teheran, theres joblessness, and Imanutjob is spending money blowing stuff up in Iraq and alienating the West") use it to gradually strengthen ties with anyone and everyone, from Europe to the Sunni states in the ME who has reason to be nervous about Iran, AND begin to strengthen your covert position inside Iran.
#10
It's the 21st century, and warfare has undergone a paradigm shift. The days of charging across hill and dale with 40 divisions are a figment of the past, as are the the laws of war those days spawned. The US is unlikely to face any serious conventional foe in the foreseeable future, but rather undeterrable zealots with nuclear weapons, nail-packed bomb belts, and enthusiasm to spread death and destruction for its own sake.
The last few years in Iraq have been painful because our 20th century military has been adapting to 21st century realities. But adapting we are, and one adaptation may well have to be leveling an entire country moments before it levels ours. Iran is forcing us all to weigh whether we'd trade our lives for theirs, and I, for one, have decided: regretfully, f*ck no. Iran's aggression bears little resemblance to the German invasion of Poland, and our response had better be just as different.
#11
I am getting soooo tired of the WH singing this same tired song that it make me want to puke. How many years have we had and now with the Donks knocking of the door to the WH ( if Rudy doesn't run, IMHO there will be a Donk in there) George is toast. Please, George, just once, get off the pot and start slinging some real industrial grade sh!t into Iran. Please.
/Channelling the Discovery Channel
Maybe we should get Mike Rowe involved
/Channelling D.C. off
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
The United States is ready to contribute air support to an African Union peacekeeping force in Somalia, a leading official said Monday. US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer told AFP that she had made the offer during talks on the sidelines of the African Union summit in Addis Ababa with the head of the AU commission Alpha Oumar Konare. We are ready to provide airlift and contracting airplanes for the African peacekeeping force in Somalia, she said. We already discussed that with Uganda, and I discussed with chairman Konare. A verbal note has been addressed to the AU about the support we are ready to provide and the help we can provide to that force, she added.
The Sudanese regime suffered diplomatic humiliation yesterday when the African Union refused to appoint its military dictator as its chairman. The union, which includes all 53 countries on the continent, protested over the bloodshed in Sudan's war-torn region of Darfur by rejecting President Omar al-Bashir's bid to assume its rotating chairmanship. Sudan had been promised this accolade when it hosted a summit of African leaders last year. Had he succeeded, Mr Bashir, who seized power in a coup in 1989 and played host to Osama bin Laden for five years in the 1990s, would have become the most prominent leader in Africa.
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., toughening her tone during a second day of campaigning in Iowa, accused President Bush of trying to pass the problems in Iraq on to the next president and described his actions as "the height of irresponsibility." 
Anti-war protesters were allowed to spray paint on part of the west front steps of the United States Capitol building after police were ordered to break their security line by their leadership, two sources told The Hill.
MIAMI (Reuters) - When 75,000 football fans pack into Dolphin Stadium in Miami for the Super Bowl on February 4, at least a few may want to carry notes from their doctors explaining why they're radioactive enough to set off "dirty bomb" alarms.
The mother of Muhammed Faisal Saksak, the 21-year-old suicide bomber who carried out Monday's attack in Eilat, said she was aware of her son's plan to blow himself up and that she had wished him "good luck." 
Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah condemned U.S. President George W Bush on Sunday for saying the militant group was as great a danger to his nation as al Qaeda. 
