#1
This was a vicious, vicious attack, some initial parts of which were filmed by the tourists; frightened grannies and grandpas (many killed were retirees on an organized trip) chased by ak-wielding jihadis in trance, chanting the usual allan snackbar of the crazed muslim warrior, slaughtering unarmed people as they do best. I remember an old swiss woman who survived by hiding under the bleeding corpse of her husband. Sickening.
The Algerian army is "on the road to victory" over the Maghreb branch of the Al-Qaeda network, responsible for suicide attacks in the north African country, according to a French anti-terrorism expert. "I am convinced that the Algerian army and security forces are on the road to victory," said Louis Caprioli in an interview with the Algerian Arabic daily El-Khabar published Thursday. "Al-Qaeda in Maghreb has weakened. Before their groups were found in all regions. Today, they are concentrated in certain areas. They are confronted regularly with operations by the army," he said.
Caprioli, formerly number three at the French domestic intelligence agency, has been a consultant since 2004 for Geos, a company specialising in risk management.
He said the Islamist radical Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) allied with Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda network in order to prevent the Algerian militant group from disappearing and to internationalise its fight. "For its part Al-Qaeda was looking to establish a branch in the Maghreb, but up to now there is not a united command. There are contacts between terrorist organisations and a desire to unify their work. It is not organised," Caprioli said.
Since linking up with Al-Qaeda, the Maghreb branch has introduced suicide bomb attacks which have targeted government and army positions in Algeria, killing more than 100 people between April and October this year.
Caprioli said the Algerian authorities should keep up the pressure on armed groups and continue to push the national reconciliation policy, which has offered the Islamist radicals a pardon for surrendering their arms. The policy introduced by President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has allowed for the release of some 2,200 people convicted of terrorism and the surrender of about 300 Islamist militants.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/16/2007 00:00 ||
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Lord Malloch-Brown, the controversial Foreign Office minister, was in a fresh row last night after telling senior members of the Syrian regime of his willingness to speak for them on the world stage. The remarks were reportedly made last week at a reception hosted by Sami Khiyami, the Syrian ambassador. One witness said the minister told the Syrians: "Think of me as your man in the Cabinet." Lord Malloch-Brown denies making the comment.
The reception was held to mark the visit of Abdullah Dardari, Syria's deputy prime minister. He and Lord Malloch-Brown are said to be close friends from when they worked at the United Nations in New York. The Arabic newspaper al-Quds al-Arabi, whose correspondent attended the reception, said Lord Malloch-Brown gave an "emotional" speech, recalling how he had considered himself to be "representing Syria inside the UN". The minister also spoke warmly about Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president.
The speech may fuel doubts about Gordon Brown's wisdom in appointing Lord Malloch-Brown. The White House accuses Syria of supporting Iraqi insurgents and Lebanon's Hizbollah movement. Lord Malloch-Brown was appointed by the Prime Minister as part of his "government of all the talents" and has permission to attend Cabinet meetings.
One guest at the reception told The Daily Telegraph: "People were startled by how effusive he was, especially when he said, 'Think of me as your man in the Cabinet'." A Syrian embassy official said: "It was a courtesy, a kind thing to say. He was saying he would do his best to narrow the gaps between the two countries."
Bernard Jenkin, a Conservative member of the Commons defence committee, said: "This is another clumsy outburst, which reinforces the impression that the Foreign Office exists to represent foreigners instead of British national interests."
Posted by: ryuge ||
11/16/2007 06:23 ||
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#1
"I'm a naughty boy. I'm your whore. Use me"
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/16/2007 8:41 Comments ||
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#2
It's good to send people like Brown back home so the hometown folks can get a bellyfull of their brilliance. Should be US policy to not renew their visas after one term.
Posted by: ed ||
11/16/2007 9:11 Comments ||
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#3
An interesting Side Note regarding Mr. Malloch-Brown, prior to his employ at the UN, he was the editor in chief of the Economist. Any 'burgers who read that (formerly) fine periodical throughout the '90's may have observed its devolution from a respected centuries-old scholarly journal of world affairs and economics into a more expensive weekly version of the Guardian. I attribute it mainly to his influence. Just another leftist bringing down the respected institutions of Western Civilization, and now coddling terrorists in the interests of transnational progressivism. (spit)
Posted by: Thrairt Oppressor of the Lichtensteiners6029 ||
11/16/2007 10:40 Comments ||
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#5
Well, if Gordon Brown wants to maintain his status as "poodle in good standing", then I suggest he dump Malloch-Brown faster than ... (I'll let you guys fill in the blank)
#6
Well, mjh, I used to be an avid Economist reader back in the days of Norman McRae and even Rupert Pennant-Rea. But I never read it now because of its leftward tilt and its swing from pro-American to anti (I'm a Brit myself). But the ghastly Malloch Brown was a mere peon at The Economist, not the Editor in Chief. I think he was the Political Editor, and then only for a couple of years. So, while he may have contributed to the decline and even hastened it, he couldn't have done that much damage all on his own. As long as we're handicapping formerly good magazines, has anyone noticed how far left the Atlantic Monthly has gone. Subscription cancellation is just one pro-Hillary article away.
Posted by: Peter Carroll ||
11/16/2007 17:23 Comments ||
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#7
Malloch-Brown ready to be Syria's tool
Too late, by far. Malloch-Brown already is a tool, however limp.
#9
has anyone noticed how far left the Atlantic Monthly has gone
I've definitely noticed too. I try to subscribe to magazines that have ,at least some, content from both sides, and have subscribed to the Atlantic for a while now. They've had great things from Christopher Hitchens and I especially used to look forward to Mark Steyn obits. They had a riveting article about Abu Sayef in the Philippines a while back.
But I definitely see the slide into boilerplate, academic ivory-tower echo chamber crapola and breathless anti-Bush alarmism. And, yes, Fallows is often an excellent example of this.
The Atlantic has been publishing historical articles in recent months to celebrate their 150th anniversary. The contrast between some of these and these how-will-America-recover-after-the-disaster-that-is-GWB pieces does not show a promising trend. And, it seems that Steyn won't be doing obits anymore either.
A British court ruled Thursday that radical Muslim cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri could be extradited to the United States to face terrorism charges including trying to set up an al Qaeda training camp in Oregon.
Egyptian-born Hamza, 49, serving a seven-year jail term in Britain for inciting his followers to murder nonbelievers, is wanted by U.S. authorities on 11 charges. The U.S. indictment accuses Hamza who had a hook in place of a missing hand of attempting to set up a terrorist training camp in Bly, Oregon, from 1999 to early 2000, and also providing support to al Qaeda and the Taliban.
Hamza, who applauded the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington in 2001, also faces charges that he was involved in plotting the seizure of 16 Western hostages in Yemen in 1998. Four of the hostages, three Britons and an Australian, were killed when Yemeni troops stormed the militants' hide-out.
Hamza was quizzed at the time by British police but was not charged and Washington said it had since obtained new evidence an interview the cleric had given to one of the hostages who survived. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of up to 100 years in prison.
That's one hundred years American, not Euro.
London's City of Westminster Magistrates' Court approved the extradition but the decision now has to be ratified by the British home secretary (interior minister).
"We continue to watch these ongoing legal proceedings carefully with respect to his (Hamza's) extradition request and are hopeful that ultimately he will be able to stand trial in New York," U.S. Justice Department spokesman Dean Boyd said in Washington.
Under new extradition laws brought in this year, suspects can be extradited from Britain to the United States while they are serving a jail term. However, in a rare British rebuke of the U.S. penal system, Judge Timothy Workman criticized the solitary confinement regime at top U.S. security prisons and said its use could be enough to block an extradition on human rights grounds. "In my view if such a regime were to be applied for a lengthy, indefinite period it could properly amount to inhuman and degrading treatment which would violate article 3 (of the European Convention on Human Rights)," Workman said.
Fortunately our views differ.
Hamza, a former nightclub bouncer, was jailed by a London court in February 2006 over sermons which prosecutors said repeatedly advocated the killing of Jews and other non-Muslims. Although he was never linked to any specific plot, police said his Finsbury Park Mosque had acted as a base for militants.
A number of Islamists jailed for plotting attacks in Britain in recent years worshiped there, and the mosque had attracted the likes of convicted "shoebomber" Richard Reid and jailed September 11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui.
Hamza, who has one eye and wore the hook in place of two hands he lost in Afghanistan, had long been a hate figure for the British tabloid press, a sentiment that grew in intensity after the London bombings in July 2005. However after his conviction, his British lawyer said Hamza felt he was a "prisoner of faith." His lawyers said they would fight the extradition request on human rights grounds and argued he should be tried in Britain over the Yemen charges.
#1
Bring Hook Boy back on a C-130 across the pond, open the cargo door in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle, and Send Captain Hook on the ride of his life.
Posted by: Alaska Paul in Fairbanks ||
11/16/2007 0:22 Comments ||
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#2
Works for me AP!
Posted by: Tony (UK) ||
11/16/2007 0:54 Comments ||
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#5
When we get done with him, Hookboy had better find himself permanently ensconced in a SuperMax. Denied of his prosthetics, there'd be very little he could do to amuse himself. I'd like to think that his complete final stages of mental deterioration wouldn't take more than several months.
Two Americans who deserted the U.S. Army to protest against the war in Iraq lost their bid for refugee status in Canada on Thursday, and the Canadian government made it clear they were no longer welcome. The Supreme Court of Canada declined to hear appeals from the two men, Jeremy Hinzman and Brandon Hughey, over decisions by immigration authorities -- backed in two subsequent court rulings -- that they were not refugees in need of protection.
Opposing the war on the belief that it was illegal and immoral, the two deserted when they learned their units would be deployed to Iraq, and came to Canada. If deported to the United States, they say they face a court martial and up to five years in prison.
This article starring:
Brandon Hughey
Jeremy Hinzman
Posted by: Fred ||
11/16/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Perhaps the Taliban in Pakistan would accept them as guests.
#3
Illegal? AFAIK, in the US a war is "legal" when it has beeen approved by Congress and there is no provision in the Constitution for empowering that bunch of pedofilic thugs called the United Nations.
#4
JFM - it's a desperate attempt by their lawyers seeking a friendly judge who'd grasp at any rationale without reference to real law to make a personal judgment call. The 'rituals', legislative and executive, on the American side of the border have been done to meet legal standards IAW the [US] Constitution. And, the UN, as much as it would wish, doesn't displace the American Constitution in legal authority as far as the majority of Americans are concerned [not counting the usual suspects]. While not specific to this case, the Supreme Court ruled in Reid vs Covert, circa 1957 that the Constitution supersedes international treaties ratified by the United States Senate. According to the decision, "this Court has regularly and uniformly recognized the supremacy of the Constitution over a treaty,"
Hinzman, who grew up in Rapid City, S.D., joined the Army in January 2001. The socialist structure of the military appealed to him, he said. He liked the subsidized housing and groceries and, at the end of his service, the money for college. "It seemed like a good financial decision," he said. And, he said, "I had a romantic vision of what the Army was." But from the beginning, basic training bothered him. He said he was horrified by the chanting about blood and killing during marches, by the shooting at targets without faces and by what he called the dehumanization of the enemy.
If he loved the subsidized housing and food, then he'll probably love Leavenworth. They'll take care of all that hard stuff for him...
#9
To follow up on P2K's comment, Article VI of the Constitution, says:
This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.
Which makes clear that the Constitution is above any treaty that the Congress sits below the Constitution and above the laws of any State (that is, any of our states).
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/16/2007 10:52 Comments ||
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#10
re: Jeremy Hinzman and Brandon Hughey,
10 easy years at Leavenworth Penitentiary followed by a Public Stripping of their US Citizen Status and then finally a Speedy Deportation to Cuba.
Sounds Eminently Fair and Sets a Fine Example.
Posted by: Red Dawg ||
11/16/2007 13:51 Comments ||
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#11
...There may be public dissatisfaction in Canada with the US, but they made it clear back in 91 that there would NEVER again be the kind of unlimited sanctuary that evaders had during Vietnam.
I sincerely hope these little darlings are figuring out exactly what's waiting for them.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
11/16/2007 16:44 Comments ||
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#12
10 easy years at Leavenworth Penitentiary followed by a Public Stripping of their US Citizen Status and then finally a Speedy Deportation to Cuba.
Hopefully, by then Castro will be dead and his regime will have crumbled.
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Senate on Friday blocked a Republican proposal to pay $70 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan without strings attached. The 53-45 vote was 15 votes short of the 60 needed to advance.
The measure was aimed at countering Democratic legislation that also would bankroll the operations, but would additionally require that troops start coming home in 30 days. The Democratic bill, passed by the House on Wednesday, set a goal of ending combat by December 2008.
Main story:
Senate Democrats said Friday that money for the Iraq war should be tied to troop withdrawals because the Baghdad government has not taken advantage of the security provided by U.S. forces. "We have done our part," said Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash. "The Iraqi government has not done its part." "And in the meantime, while more than 150,000 of our troops have been policing a civil war in Iraq, we have become more vulnerable overseas," she said.
How, exactly?
The Senate was voting Friday on a $50 billion bill that would pay for combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistanabout one-fourth of the amount that President Bush has requestedbut which would also require that troops start coming home. The measure sets a goal of ending combat by Dec. 15, 2008.
The House passed the measure, 218-203, on Wednesday.
The Senate also planned to vote on a proposal by Sen. Ted Stevens, R- Alaska, that would give the military $70 billion without strings attached. Neither measure was expected to reach the 60-vote threshold needed to advance.
Democrats said this week that if Congress cannot pass legislation that ties war money to troop withdrawals, they would not send Bush a bill. Instead, they would revisit the issue upon returning in January, pushing the Pentagon to the brink of an accounting nightmare and deepening Democrats' conflict with the White House on the war.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Republicans will be responsible for not passing war money by Christmas. "The president, refusing to be held accountable for his disastrous war policy, is threatening to reject both our reasonable approach and that money, leaving our military empty-handed," Reid said in a statement on Thursday.
In the meantime, Democrats say, the Pentagon can eat into its $471 billion annual budget without being forced to take drastic steps. "The days of a free lunch are over," said Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
Starting with defense earmarks in New York.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates said that unless Congress passes funding for the war within days, he will direct the Army and Marine Corps to begin developing plans to lay off employees and terminate earmarks contracts early next year.
Gates, who met with lawmakers on Wednesday, said he does not have the money or the flexibility to move funds around to adequately cover the costs of the continuing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. "There is a misperception that this department can continue funding our troops in the field for an indefinite period of time through accounting maneuvers, that we can shuffle money around the department. This is a serious misconception," Gates told reporters at the Pentagon.
As a result, he said he is faced with the undesirable task of preparing to cease operations at Army bases by mid-February, and lay off about 100,000 defense department employees and an equal number of civilian contractors. A month later, he said, similar moves would have to be made by the Marines.
Some members of Congress believe the Pentagon can switch enough money to cover the war accounts, Gates said. But he added that he only has the flexibility to transfer about $3.7 billion, which is just one week's worth of war expenses. Lawmakers, he said, may not understand how complicated and restrictive the situation is.
#1
The defeatocrats are a despicable bunch. They will be remembered at election time. They do not want the country to win in its war efforts. The scariest thing to them is that we are winning since they have been so heavily invested in defeat. I watched the dhimmicrat as long as I could stand it last night. I like to know my enemy. They are still talking about defeat as if there have been no positive advances in Iraq.
#5
Desperately trying to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Reid and Pelosi are basically criminals sent to Washington by their supporters to steal as much as they can from the public coffers. Everything they do is an attempt to tighten their grip on the money at the expense of America. I would call them traitors, but I don't think they have ever been loyal to this country and hence can't betray it. Just thieving pond scum.
Democratic leaders on Thursday warned the Iraqi government was locked in a stalemate, as they jockeyed for position ahead of another Senate showdown over Iraq war funding. They also threatened Republicans with a rare weekend vote, after the start of the scheduled break for the Thanksgiving holiday, on a bill including troop withdrawal dates which cleared the House of Representatives Wednesday.
Go ahead, that's a sure-fire way to get Republicans on your side.
"Every place you go you hear about no progress being made in Iraq," said Senate Democratic majority leader Harry Reid. "The government is stalemated today, as it was six months ago, as it was two years ago," Reid told reporters, warning US soldiers were caught in the middle of a civil war.
And who would know more about stalemated government than Harry Reid?
"It is not getting better, it is getting worse," he said.
Enough about the Congress alrready!
Democrats are using perceived lack of reconciliation and political development by the Iraqi government to refute claims by Republicans that President George W. Bush's troop surge strategy has yielded concrete results.
If Karl Rove were still around, he'd pull a rabbit out of his hat Monday morning with a 'major reconciliation pact' amongst the Iraqis.
The Senate was expected to start work on the 50 billion dollar emergency war funding bill by Friday, though the measure is considered dead on arrival due to Republican opposition. President George W. Bush, who has repeatedly outmuscled Democrats attempting to tie his hands on the war, has threatened to veto the measure in the unlikely event it reaches his desk.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/16/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
I wish the Iraqis would take this tripe in a positive way - as a challange to be more prductive than our own Congress.
Shouldn't be all that tough.
Posted by: Bobby ||
11/16/2007 6:34 Comments ||
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#2
"Every place you go you hear about no progress being made in Iraq,"
I suggest reading newspapers other than the New York Times...
#5
"a challange to be more prductive than our own Congress."
Actually I think they already are. I know they are more popular than the US Congress. When you take into account that all Iraqi PM have had their families threatened and sometimes killed, their courage and commitment is amazing. How many Democrats would show up for work in the same circumstances?
Al
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
11/16/2007 10:21 Comments ||
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#7
Finally, something we can all agree on. The major political progress in Iraq has coalesced from the ground up. It is long past time for the Iraqi central government to begin acting like one.
#8
GLOBALRESEARCH.CA/RENSE > BUSH REPEATS THIRD WORLD WAR WARNING + BUSH THREATENS TO HIT IRAN WITH NUCLEAR STRIKES. To start a de facto [global?]Third World War, just drop a nuke bomb on Israel - 'Tis "neither a prediction nor a wish".
*TOPIX/BIGNEWSNETWORK > BUSH TO ESCALATE PRESSURE IFF IRAN FAILS TO HALT NUCLEAR WORK/ENRICHMENT.
When issuing suggested holiday mailing deadlines for military care packages, the Unites States Postal Service made sure to highlight that "all packages and mail must be addressed to individual service members, as required by U.S. Department of Defense regulations."
Since DOD suspended mail addressed to "any servicemember" nearly six years ago, individuals and organizations back home, as well as troops deployed to the contingency theater, have devised a variety of cumbersome, and sometimes potentially dangerous, methods to circumvent security and transportation concerns that originally led to the cancellation of the program.
Noting the great lengths being taken, including posting the full name and rotation dates of Soldiers, Airmen, Marines and Sailors to the Internet or sending to the attention of one person enough feminine and oral hygiene products to meet the needs of an entire unit, Army & Air Force Exchange Service officials began working to create a program that would allow any American to safely send support to "any servicemember."
The resulting "Gifts from the Homefront" program today makes it possible for anyone to leverage services and products already "on the ground" and available at military exchanges throughout operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom through lightweight gift certificates that can be routed to "any servicemember" without compromising safety or creating additional demands on the military postal system.
Some four years after the launch of "Gifts from the Homefront" in March 2003, the American public has sent 92,240 "BX/PX" gift certificates totaling nearly $2 million.
"The outpouring of support has been very encouraging," said Chief Master Sgt. Bryan Eaton, AAFES' senior enlisted advisor. "It's understandable as the effort is a win/win for all involved; the sender saves money on postage and doesn't need a direct point of contact while the recipients can go into an exchange and redeem the gift certificate for exactly what they need."
"Gifts from the Homefront" can be sent to deployed troops by logging on to www.aafes.org and clicking to the "Gifts from the Homefront" icon, or by calling 877-770-4438. From there, the gift certificates are sent to individual service members (designated by the purchaser) or distributed to "any service member" through the Air Force Aid Society, American Red Cross, Coalition to Salute America's Heroes, Fisher House, Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society, Operation Homefront, Operation Interdependence or USO.
"Gifts from the Homefront" gift certificates can be redeemed at exchange facilities worldwide. Recent reports indicate troops shopping their contingency exchanges are reaching for movies, snacks, Military Exchange Global prepaid phone cards and more.
#1
This came in late in the day, and I'd request that it be carried over a day or so to encourage folks to send something to the kids in the service who have done such a great job over there.
My questions for those who have been over there are, would you rather receive a gift certificate or a care package? And if a care package, what is most appreciated?
An FBI agent testified yesterday that the founder of a defunct Boston-based Islamic charity told agents he had "never ever" been to Afghanistan, but they later learned he traveled there in 1994 and personally met with a notorious Afghan mujahideen warlord.
FBI special agent Christopher Peet told jurors that he and another agent showed up unexpectedly at Emededdin Muntasser's office in April 2003 to question him about the charity, Massachusetts Care International Inc., and its ties to a New York organization. He said they would have drastically changed their focus if Muntasser had disclosed his meeting in Afghanistan with warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatayr. "We would have been very interested in how that meeting took place, where it took place," Peet told jurors.
Hekmatayr, who led a group that helped end Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in 1989, was designated a global terrorist by the US State Department in February 2003. But US District Judge F. Dennis Saylor ruled yesterday that jurors should not be told that Hekmatayr was an alleged terrorist because it could prejudice them against Muntasser and his two codefendants. The judge said that Muntasser's alleged meeting with Hekmatayr was in 1994 and that there was no evidence that he knew the warlord was deemed a terrorist by the US government nearly a decade later.
Muntasser, 42, of Braintree, who owns Logan Furniture Co., is accused of lying to federal agents for failing to disclose his trip to Afghanistan. He is also charged, along with Muhamed Mubayyid, 42, of Shrewsbury and Samir Al-Monla, 50, of Boston of defrauding the government to win tax-exempt status for Care International. Prosecutors allege the men failed to disclose to the Internal Revenue Service that the humanitarian organization also distributed projihad publications and professed support for Muslim militants overseas. Care International raised $1.7 million between 1993 and 2003.
Defense lawyers have argued that the three men are being prosecuted for their political views, and they told jurors during opening statements that all the money raised by Care International went to charitable causes and that no money was ever diverted to support Islamic militants.
In his opening remarks, Norman Zalkind, Muntasser's lawyer, said his client initially didn't disclose his trip to Afghanistan in 2003 because he was fearful that he might be sent to the US detention camp at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. But, later, Zalkind said, Muntasser consulted a lawyer and said that after traveling to Pakistan to verify that Care International's money was being used for charitable causes, he crossed the border into Afghanistan.
Muntasser said he worked as a volunteer for Al-Kifah Refugee Center, which was based in New York and had a branch in Boston, but split from the organization over concerns it wasn't operating as a nonprofit, then formed Care International, Peet said.
#1
Lying, or even faulty remembering, to the FBI has put quite a few people in jail, even if there was no associated crime (see La. insurance commissioner Brown, for instance). Works about the same with Special Prosecuters (see 'Scooter' Libby). I doubt it applies to Muslims though.
#2
I just realized it CAN'T apply to Muslims - lying to infidel authorities is a religious obligation so punishing them for it violates their religious freedom!
#3
He is also charged, along with Muhamed Mubayyid, 42, of Shrewsbury and Samir Al-Monla, 50, of Boston of defrauding the government to win tax-exempt status for Care International. Prosecutors allege the men failed to disclose to the Internal Revenue Service that the humanitarian organization also distributed projihad publications and professed support for Muslim militants overseas. Care International raised $1.7 million between 1993 and 2003.
It can only be hoped that this is the start of all Islamic "charities" getting stripped of their tax exempt status and being investigated down to proctological levels. The final upshot of such efforts must be the entire disqualification of Islam as a tax exempt entity. Its political nature and pseudo-governmental identity cannot in any way be interpreted as "non-profit".
Defense lawyers have argued that the three men are being prosecuted for their political views, and they told jurors during opening statements that all the money raised by Care International went to charitable causes and that no money was ever diverted to support Islamic militants.
As a matter of fact, they are "being prosecuted for their political views". Political Islam is the enemy of all other nations and religions. The defendants had better be able to provide convincing proof of their donations' final destinations. If not, their previous pattern of lieing to investigators should be construed as a tacit admission of guilt.
I just realized it CAN'T apply to Muslims - lying to infidel authorities is a religious obligation so punishing them for it violates their religious freedom!
Glenmore, you are dangerously close to the truth with your sarcasm. In a single sentence, you have identified why all Muslims simply cannot be trusted in any way. Nowhere do we see any Muslims loudly resolving to purge Islam of kitman and taqiyya. Religiously sanctioned lieing represents a profound moral and ethical crime. Even if Islam were entirely free of its abhorent institutionalized misogyny, taqiyya would still totally disqualify it of any validity or worthiness. The only way to combat such an insurmountable and unfair advantage like taqiyya is simply to eradicate its entire existence. There is no "fair fight" to be had against such philosophical filth.
Former Pakistan premiers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif have agreed to join forces to oust President Pervez Musharraf from office, a top party official said yesterday. If the deal is pushed through it would unite two of the country's biggest opposition parties against the military ruler, whose imposition of emergency rule has triggered a national crisis. The two leaders, who have been rivals during the past, agreed to bury their differences to launch a "joint struggle" against Musharraf, said Raja Zafar-ul Haq, chairman of Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-N party.
The two spoke Wednesday by telephone, officials from both parties said. "She has assured she will continue the struggle against General Musharraf until he resigns from both offices," Haq told AFP. "He is not acceptable, neither as president nor as army chief."
Benazir's party confirmed the pair spoke but said she would give details of their conversation later in the day.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/16/2007 00:00 ||
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City police arrested at least 31 Afghan nationals and sent them to jail under the 14-Foriegners Act, police said. Gulbahar Police Station Duty Officer Inam told Daily Times that the Afghan nationals belonging to the Ghazni province in northern Afghanistan were arrested on Wednesday while travelling without any passport or other documents. They were arrested at the General Bus Stand, where they were trying to board a Multan-bound bus.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/16/2007 00:00 ||
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PPP Chairperson Benazir Bhutto on Thursday expressed shock over the news that another town in NWFP had fallen to militants in Swat valley. In a statement issued by her party, Bhutto said Pakistan was facing the threat of disintegration under the present military dictatorship. She appealed to people to strengthen her hands for restoring democracy. Instead of sending police to Alpuri, which fell to militants after Madyan and Kalam, the regime has sent forces to fortify Lahore and Rawalpindi. Tear gas, baton charge, and rubber bullets should be used on militants, not on pro-democracy forces, said Bhutto.
Bhutto had predicted the fall of Alpuri if re-enforcement was not sent, said the statement. She said it was a matter of shame that Pakistani flag had been removed in Alpuri and the Constitution had been torn to pieces. This regime was interested in self preservation more than national preservation, she said.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/16/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
"...Tear gas, baton charge, and rubber bullets should be used on militants, not on pro-democracy forces, said Bhutto.
Well tear gas might be useful but only after the explosives have flattened the Al Q safe houses.
Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Maj Gen Waheed Arshad said on Thursday that up to 700 militants were operating in small groups in various areas of the NWFP. In an interview with CNBC, a private TV channel, the ISPR DG said, They (militants) operate in small groups and terrorise civilians, forcing them to cooperate with them. He said the majority of people in the area was peace-loving. They are true Pakistanis, he said, adding that the locals did not support the militants.
He said all militants were not local. He said many of them were criminals who came from various parts of the country. There are also reports regarding the presence of foreigners, he added. Maj Gen Arshad said the citizens of the area were tired of militancy and were of the view that the militants were defaming Islam. There are several incidents of torture and victimisation of those who did not cooperate with them, he said, citing the beheading innocent people. He said that there were reports of links between the militants and Lal Masjid.
He said the army was called in because the situation was going out of control in Swat. Earlier, the NWFP government had been taking action against militants in collaboration with law enforcement agencies. He said army gunship helicopters were taking action only after they had confirmed reports of militant hideouts, ammunition dumps and check posts. He said ground troops had not been mobilised so far. He said the army was taking targeted action because it wanted to avoid civilian causalities.
Maj Gen Arshad said that earlier, the army had carried out unprecedented development work in FATA to bring the area at par with other areas of the country. In the education sector, he said, a quota for students from FATA had been allocated in various cadet schools and colleges. 100 seats have been allocated for FATA children in army public schools, he added. He said the country was facing a national challenge in extremism and terrorism.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/16/2007 00:00 ||
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Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) Secretary General Maulana Fazlur Rehman has urged the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) to settle their issues so that a joint struggle of opposition parties against the emergency rule could materialise, Geo news reported on Thursday. While addressing a press conference in Islamabad, he said participation of opposition parties in the polls would be decided after mutual consultations.The channel quoted him as saying that the MMA would decide whether to boycott the polls or not after consulting all of its component parties.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/16/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Jamaat-e-Ulema Islami
President General Pervez Musharraf on Thursday amended the Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO) to allow himself power to revoke the proclamation of emergency.
The state of emergency had been imposed in the country by the chief of army staff, and under the Constitution, it could only be revoked by the chief of army staff. With this amendment, the president can also revoke the state of emergency, Attorney General Malik Qayyum told Daily Times. The amendment aims at empowering President Musharraf to lift emergency rule after he resigns as army chief. The president has also amended the PCO to allow himself the authority to amend or repeal it.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/16/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
#1
Being as how he's so powerful an' all, mebbe Perv should order hisself a nice flying car, with a all-u-can-eat sundae bar aboard.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) - Police said they lifted the house arrest of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto on Friday, hours before the arrival in Pakistan of a senior U.S. official who was expected to urge the country's military leader to end emergency rule.
``The government has withdrawn the detention order,'' Zahid Abbas, a senior police official, told an Associated Press reporter near the barricaded house where Bhutto has been confined for three days. ``The house is no longer a sub-jail but security will remain for her own protection. She's free to move and anyone will be able to go to the house,'' Abbas said.
However, trucks and tractors were still parked across the road leading to the house in the eastern city of Lahore early Friday, and police would not let reporters cross the cordon.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/16/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
What day is it dear?
Well, Gomez, I'm not under house arrest so that would make it...Friday.
ISLAMABAD - Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf decided on Thursday to appoint senate chairman Mohammedmian Soomro as caretaker zookeeper prime minister to oversee general elections, a presidential aide told AFP.
Mohammedmian Soomro will take the oath as caretaker prime minister tomorrow, a senior presidential aide told AFP. He is the most suitable candidate and has vast experience.
Much of it spent looking the other way.
The 57-year-old, a member of Musharrafs ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Q party, will be responsible for guiding an interim administration to prepare for elections promised by Musharraf by January 9. He takes over from premier Shaukat Aziz, who is leaving office after three years when parliament dissolves at midnight Thursday after serving the first full five-year term in Pakistans history.
Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid, a close confidant of Musharraf, earlier said Soomro was the leading candidate for the job. Soomro is the front-runner and he is likely to be the caretaker prime minister, Rashid told AFP.
Former banker Soomro was appointed governor of Sindh province in May 2000 and elected as a senator in February 2003, becoming senate chairman the following month, according to his biography on the Pakistan senates website. He is head of the Soomro tribe of southern Sindh province and comes from a family with decades of political experience, it said.
He is known for his strong interpersonal and leadership skills, the biography says. He is well acquainted with national and socio-political issues and has vast exposure in political life since his college days.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/16/2007 00:00 ||
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ISLAMABAD - Pakistan has begun extradition proceedings for Rashid Rauf, a suspect in a terrorist plot to blow up US-bound passenger planes in Britain, a senior official said on Thursday. The arrest by Pakistan of British national Rauf in August 2006 sparked a worldwide security alert and arrests in Britain.
We have started the legal proceedings today for the extradition of Rashid Rauf. He is wanted by the British government, Tariq Pervaz, director general of Pakistans Federal Investigation Agency, told AFP. The proceedings will take a week to 10 days, Pervaz said. The extradition will be decided on by a court of law after the completion of the formalities.
Pakistans outgoing cabinet had earlier Thursday ratified an agreement on the transfer of prisoners between Pakistan and Britain, a statement from Prime Minister Shaukat Azizs office said.
In April, the Pakistani foreign ministry denied reports that Rauf would be extradited to Britain in exchange for a sixth-round draft choice and a terrorist to be named later separatist leaders.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/16/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Britain
ANKARA, (Xinhua) -- A senior Turkish army general said Thursday that the country was in the process of implementing across-border operation against the outlawed Kurdish Workers' Party(PKK) based in northern Iraq, private NTV reported. "We are now in the process of implementing a cross-border operation," which "will be a heavy blow to PKK camps in northern Iraq," General Ilker Basbug, head of the land forces, was quoted as saying.
No further details about the operation were immediately available, but Basbug noted that the parliament has authorized the cabinet on the operation. Of course, when and how this mandate will be implemented is "a completely separate issue", he added.
The general's remarks came one day after Ankara said the United States had begun to share intelligence on rebel targets in northern Iraq.
First, there was the growing list of al Qaeda leaders that had been killed or captured. This grew from a few a month early in the year, before the surge offensive began in June, to 19 in July, 25 in August and 29 in September.
Posted by: ed ||
11/16/2007 08:11 ||
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#1
The obvious response to al-Qaeda "going dark" is to essentially cordon off the region they have fled to, and create a strict internal passport regime in it until it has been cleansed. This includes US-quality ID cards, biometric data on everybody, including children that can be used for couriers, and is run by the Iraqi government.
It is the first part of a detailed national census, which can be used for innumerable purposes by the government.
In turn, it would also be fair warning to Iraqis living outside Iraq to get home ASAP for the census.
#3
As the surge offensive continued to tear apart the terrorist infrastructure, the leaders put the organization into survival mode. Planning and carrying out attacks became less important than keeping remaining leaders and key people out of jail, or a grave. This is why the number of terror attacks has plummeted. The remnants of al Qaeda have fled to northern Iraq, around Mosul and areas near the Iranian border. If worse comes to worse, the terrorists know they can flee into Iran, and have a chance of bargaining their way out of an Iranian jail. Within Iraq, however, capture is either a long jail sentence, or execution. Al Qaeda is the most hated organization in the country, and may have to abandon Iraq altogether if the pressure doesn't ease up.
Posted by: Bobby ||
11/16/2007 17:45 Comments ||
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#4
Again, where Osama is concerned, the ultimate focii of his Islamist Apocalypse is a WAR/BATTLE FOR IRAN. World Islam = Radical Islamism will be made or broken in this perceived apocalyptic, all-out, Euro-Wester = non-Euro-Western decisive battle under God-Heaven. Once the West is defeated, the rest of the non-Islamist Muslim World will surrender or be destroyed. NO US-ISLAMIST BATTLE FOR IRAN = WOT AGZ US-WEST WILL CONTINUE INDEFINITELY AS LONG AS OSAMA, etc. HAS ANYTHING TO DO ABOUT IT. A high-profile US-Western defeat in IRAN, coupled wid US-Western destabilizations via never-ending Terror attacks and Local-Regional "brush wars", ultimately
"justifies" Islam + Islamism forever. IMO, ASSUMING THAT THIS OSAMIAN APOCALYPSE VV US-IRAN DOES NOT TAKE PLACE BEFORE JAN 2009 [Dubya leaves WH], AMERS SHOULD NOT EXPECT MORE THAN A SHORT "LULL" ONLY IN INSURGENT/ISLAMIST VIOLENCE.
Lastly, as a reminder, anti-US Lefties, Globalists, Anarchists, Govtists,etal. agendists make little to no distinction between per se US DEFEAT = per se US VICTORY WHEN IT COMES TO IMPOSING/ENTRENCHING BIG[GER] GOVT. + REGULATORY ANTI-DEMOCRACY/LEFTISM-TOTALITARIANISM IN AMERICA. A "Fascist" = well-meaning but errorful LIMITED LEFIST = LIMITED COMMUNIST = LIMITED GOVTIST = LIMITED TOTALITARIANIST, .........etc.
You could have knocked me over with the proverbial feather when I saw this on the front page of our local uberleftist daily fishwrapper...
Second Lt. Bryan Jackson was eight months into his first tour of duty in Iraq and out on patrol in Anbar Province in September 2006 when the Humvee he was towing behind a Bradley Fighting Vehicle got stuck in the mud.
It was a mundane mishap, but it made Jackson and his crew nervous. Not only did they fear the Humvee would roll over, but they also knew the stall made them a naked target for insurgent fire. Just a month earlier, a comrade had been seriously wounded at the same spot near the town of Hit.
What happened next would earn Jackson, now a first lieutenant, the Distinguished Service Cross for extraordinary heroism in action -- making him only the seventh soldier since the Vietnam War to receive the nation's second-highest military honor. Jackson, a West Point graduate, is from Oak Harbor where his father, now based in Washington, D.C., commanded a Navy P3 Orion squadron on Whidbey Island. The writer continues with a just-the-facts narrative of this young man's exploits - performing first aid on a gravely wounded sergeant while firing back at the enemy. No Chomskyite blather, no attempts to cast him as villain or victim. Guess the editor must have been out sick that day - this writer's probably going to have to do a LOT of penance to make up for this transgression. Like maybe a five-column, front-page, above-the-fold tongue bath on Saint Watada...
For his actions, Jackson received the nation's second-highest distinction after the Medal of Honor for valor during a ceremony Nov. 2 in Washington, D.C.
His citation reads in part: " 2nd Lt. Jackson's selfless courage under extreme enemy fire was essential to saving another soldier's life. ..."
"I couldn't be more proud of my son," said his father, Navy Capt. Walter Jackson, who is stationed at the Naval Research Lab in Washington, D.C. "No one knows how they'll react in a situation like that. I'm proud that when it was his turn to step up, he did." if you're unfamiliar with the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, it may be difficult to understand just how shocking it was to see this article on the front page. You never, never, NEVER see coverage about military personnel in the PI unless there's an antiwar/anti-Bush spin that can be imparted. What's even more remarkable is that the online version's comments section didn't have any troll droppings from the local "progressives" calling 1LT Jackson a warmongering, baby-killing fascist stooge
Posted by: Ricky bin Ricardo (Abu Babaloo) ||
11/16/2007 01:45 ||
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#1
If I was a suspicious, cynical person, I might question the timing of this story, perhaps as an effort to distract Washington's citizens from coverage of the disgraceful assault on the Port of Olympia and the US military by antiwar anarchist loonbats, and an effort to pretend, for an hour or two at most, that the P-I Supports The Troops, at least until it's time to denounce their commander-in-chief yet again.
Good thing I'm not a person who would think such things. Certainly not. Nope. Nope.
#4
I dunno, Sea...except for about 15 minutes after 9/11, Puget Pravda the P-I has never made even a pretense of supporting the military or its mission. They routinely run long, slobbering puff pieces about Watada, Jim McDermott, Cindy Sheehan, and the all too numerous loons who try to get military recruiters barred from the Seattle schools - which is why this article was such a gobsmack. It was as much out of place as a Katha Pollitt or Frank Rich piece in the Weekly Standard.
Posted by: Ricky bin Ricardo (Abu Babaloo) ||
11/16/2007 22:09 Comments ||
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Iraqs cabinet has approved a redraft of a law that would allow lower ranking members of ousted dictator Saddam Husseins Baath party to return to public office, a government official said.
The bill will set up an independent Justice and Accountability Commission that will recognise two categories of Baathists - those in the lower ranks who committed no crimes and senior leaders who implemented the oppressive policies of the party. But lower ranked members would be allowed back into public life and into the military. Tens of thousands of Baath party members were dismissed from state institutions after Saddam was toppled by the US-led invasion in March 2003, leaving schools and government offices struggling for expertise.
Employment and political restrictions: The bill prevents senior party members from being employed or practising any political job, government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said on national television late on Thursday.We do not want those who changed their faces to infiltrate the government services, he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/16/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Hilarious timing. Right when the Dhimmis were getting up a head of steam that the Maliki government wasn't doing anything, it meets one of the primary benchmark goals.
WASHINGTON (AP) - The State Department is dropping plans to force diplomats to serve in Iraq because volunteers have filled all 48 vacant positions at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and in outlying provinces, The Associated Press has learned.
Jawboning, ridicule and public embarrassment worked.
The department will announce it no longer needs to move to ``directed assignments'' for Iraq once personnel panels give a formal OK to foreign service officers who signed up for the remaining three open jobs, U.S. officials said Thursday. Those three diplomats have won tentative approval, they said. The announcement could come as early as Friday, the officials said.
The prospect of the largest diplomatic call-up since Vietnam had caused an uproar among the 11,500-member Foreign Service. At a contentious town hall meeting this month, the strength of their opposition came into public view as some diplomats protested the forced assignments, citing safety and security concerns.
The complaints were a deep embarrassment to the department and led Rice and her deputy, John Negroponte, to remind diplomats of their duty to serve their government anywhere they are needed. Both sent worldwide cables urging foreign service officers to volunteer, but stressed that they would rely directed assignments if needed.
More than 1,500 diplomats have volunteered to work in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. But the resistance to forced assignments generated bitter criticism of the diplomatic corps; some Internet commentators accused the foreign service of cowardice and treason.
Last month, the department told 200 to 300 diplomats that they were ``prime candidates'' for the 48 vacant positions that will come open in Iraq next summer. They had until Tuesday to accept or to offer a medical or family reason not to go. Those without a compelling reason would have been subject to disciplinary action, including dismissal. But on Tuesday, citing the rising number of volunteers, the department extended the window for more diplomats to come forward and officials said they would not begin ordering anyone to Iraq until next week, if at all.
The use of directed assignments is rare but not unprecedented. In 1969, an entire class of entry-level diplomats was sent to Vietnam. On a smaller scale, diplomats were required to work at various embassies in West Africa in the 1970s and 1980s.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/16/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
....even more deep embarrassment to the department and led Rice and her deputy, John Negroponte, to remind diplomats of their duty to serve their government anywhere they are needed.
This statement's impact on bottom feeding US State Dept. employees..... nada, zipp, zero,
- 0 -! Condo and Ponti think they are dealing with normal, rational, patriotic Americans. As far as "volunteers" go...., one must wonder what deals were struck and how the crisis occured in the first place.
#3
Something may have been accomplished among the general public -- "But the resistance to forced assignments generated bitter criticism of the diplomatic corps; some Internet commentators accused the foreign service of cowardice and treason."
#5
In most of the corporate world the rule is "Your paycheck is going to _______, if you want it, you'll go too." You are free to refuse, but will likely lose your job, possibly your retirement benefits, and certainly your future promotability. In government employment refusing orders from your superiors is more likely to get you promoted.
#6
what about Jack Croddy, Coward and Tool? Is he still employed? Why isn't he assigned to NWFP or Swat?
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/16/2007 8:47 Comments ||
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#7
So have they removed the option of 'directed assignments' from the table permanently?
if so, then Dr. Rice needs to go; in fact the time is past for her to catch a train out of town. To anywhere.
I doubt that the Mad Mullahs are doing this out of the goodness of their cold, dark little hearts. Wonder if the recent 'arrests' of their people in Iraq has something to do with this?
BAGHDAD - Iran appears to be holding to its pledge to stem the flow of arms into Iraq, contributing to a sharp fall in roadside bomb attacks across the country in recent months, a US general said on Thursday.
General James Simmons, a deputy corps commander, said that 1,560 IED (improvised explosive device) events had been recorded in October compared to 3,239 in March. There has been a decrease every month during that time, Simmons told a press conference in Baghdad, adding that the October figure was the lowest since September 2005.
He said Iranian weapons found recently in caches in Iraq appeared to have been brought into the country some time ago and there was no evidence that the flow of weapons across the border was continuing. We believe that this indicates the commitments Iran has made appear to be holding up, the general said.
US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said a fortnight ago that Teheran had assured Baghdad it would help stop the flow of Iranian arms into Iraq. For the last four months, said Simmons, the number of IED attacks and casualties has dropped significantly. Right now there is a decrease across all the areas of Iraq. He added the IED was still the weapon of choice for Sunni insurgents and Shiite militias but that the number of victims killed by the bombs was falling.
Insurgents were also using a new generation of IEDs, known as Explosive Formed Penetrators (EFPs), which use shaped charges capable of penetrating the thickest armour-plated vehicles.
A US military Stryker armoured vehicle attacked just outside Baghdads highly protected Green Zone on Wednesday, which killed two Iraqi civilians and a US soldier, had been struck by an array of EFPs, the general said. The attack, the first near the Green Zone in four or five months, took place in an area swarming with police, raising questions how the devices and the launcher could have been planted without anyone noticing.
Iraqs central province of Wasit has a 200-kilometre (125-mile) border with Iran and authorities had struggled to stop the movement of weapons from Iran.
Simmons said part of the turnaround was due to an increasing number of tip-offs from Iraqi citizens about weapons caches. We had found more caches by May of this year than in all of 2006, he said.
That's the more likely reason: the locals are fed up with the fighting. Oil money is flowing in, local politics are getting settled, and it's just easier to get on with life and figure out how to rig the family generator to run the new air conditioner. Beats fighting. And dying.
He acknowledged that 1,500 roadside bomb events -- explosions and discovery of IEDs before they explode -- was still way too high.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/16/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Alternatively, Doc, they may have realized their most effective strategy may be to back off so we'll leave. Once we're gone, we won't come back to stop the 'popular uprising' by Iran-backed Shia, nor the ethnic cleansing that would follow.
#2
"Hamas, which is shunned by Israel and its allies for its refusal to renounce violence against the Jewish state..."
There's Reuters lying to us yet again. In fact, Hamas terrorists are shunned because of their refusal to stop killing Israeli civilians. Also, Israel is not exclusively a "Jewish state", as anyone with more than two brain cells to rub together knows. Palestinian terrorists have killed plenty Israeli Arabs. So did Hezbollah during the war last year.
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on Thursday called on the people of the Gaza Strip to topple the Islamist Hamas movement that seized power there in June from his secular Fatah group. We must get rid of this clique that took control of the Gaza Strip by force and which is exploiting the suffering and tragedies of our people, he said in a speech in Ramallah marking the 19th anniversary of the symbolic declaration of a Palestinian state.
Abbas denounced what he called criminal acts by lawless gangs in Gaza where they opened fire in cold blood on crowds commemorating the third anniversary of the death of the martyr Yasser Arafat.Eight people were killed in Gaza City on Monday when Hamas police opened fire as demonstrators dispersed after a mass rally to remember the late Palestinian leader who died in a Paris hospital on November 11, 2004. Abbas denounced mass arrests by Hamas after the demonstration, saying they showed the confusion and isolation of the Islamists in the Gaza Strip.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/16/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
martyr Yasser Arafat
I must have missed that info on the news at that time. Did he splode?
#1
Read - every square inch-foot of Terra Firma will be pre-spotted/gridded for Arty Fire - sub read RAILGUNS, "GLOBAL PROMPT STRIKE", SPACE STRIKE, FALCON, etal.
* DIGG > PENN STATE,edu > ARE ASTEROIDS A THREAT? They will be iff the futue OWG-NWO guns and lasers are pointing INWARD, TOWARDS EARTH, NOT OUTWARD TOWARDS DEEP SPACE. OOOOOPPPPPPSIES, OUR BAD, CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCorrectness..........
IRANS moderates are intensifying criticism of hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, landing their first blows in a bitter political fight ahead of elections next year.
The moderate heavyweights Mohammad Khatami and Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani have been unusually explicit in their criticism of Ahmadinejads economic policies and his analysis of the threat posed by the United States. Ahmadinejad has shot back using language colourful even by his standards, warning he would expose traitors in the nuclear standoff and accusing critics of being less intelligent than a goat.
The sharp rhetoric is the upshot of concerns over the mounting international crisis over the Iranian nuclear programme and a sign of the proximity of legislative elections on March 14. There is exasperation among moderates over Ahmadinejads brushing-off of UN sanctions action as just pieces of paper and his refusal to even countenance the possibility of a US military attack.
Political exchanges in Iran are normally marked by the utmost courtesy. But the differences in visions of the countrys future means the tensions between the factions are now abundantly clear. Mohammad Atrianfar, a confidant of Rafsanjani, said the explicit criticism had been triggered by the degree of concern amongst moderates about the state of the country under Ahmadinejad.
Rafsanjani is genuinely worried, the leading newspaper editor told AFP. He was one of those who created this (Islamic) system and as he was a leader in the (1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war) he knows what war means and what price people have to pay. Ahmadinejad does not have a true idea about reality. He has no sense of fear. He thinks that if he adopts radical positions his rivals will step back. The attacks are set to multiply ahead of the elections.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/16/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
See also in PAYVAND > COUNTERPUNCH.org - LOGISTICAL VULNERABILITIES AND THE AFGHANISTAN WAR: THE PAKISTAN FUEL CONNECTION. For USA, its all about the FUEL.
Lebanon's majority leader Saad Hariri said General Michel Aoun could be the father of March 14 coalition, because we have so much in common with him. "Aoun believes in the tribunal, the UN resolutions , Paris 3 conference and wants good relations with all countries " , Hariri said
Hariri added: "We committed an error in dealing with Aoun and he too committed an error in dealing with us. We have no problem with him but he should have cooperated with us to protect and guard March 14 objectives."
Hariri told a French radio station that "when Jumblatt and I first collaborated with Hezbollah we did this for the same reasons Aoun gave for collaborating with Hezbollah. But in the end when it came to the issue of the Tribunal, Lebanon's sovereignty and independence and Syria's interference in Lebanon, Hezbollah had nothing at all to offer.
Hariri said he does not support Aoun's candidacy for the presidency of Lebanon because of Aoun's relationship with Hezbollah. Aoun shot back and called Hariri's statement a hostile act towards him and Hezbollah"
Aoun also criticized the creation of a list of candidates and said this is not fair, because the list includes the names of candidates that failed in the 2005 elections. Aoun threatened not to attend the elections if he is not the sole candidate for the presidency . Sami Haddad, a political analyst told Ya Libnan . " Aoun only believes in democracy if he is the only candidate . This is not democracy, this is dictatorship . For someone who heads a group that is called Reform and Change , Aoun's actions dont match his words. Lebanon does not need a dictator who aligns himself with Hezbollah , a party that is determined to bring Syria back. "
Aoun also criticized the US and blamed it for opposing an agreement on a consensus candidate. The aim of the US Aoun said is the disarming of Hezbollah.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/16/2007 00:00 ||
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Lebanon's parliament majority leader Saad Hariri announced that the ruling March 14 alliance had every intention to make the French initiative a complete success, accusing Syria of seeking to destroy it. "We are exerting all efforts to make the French initiative a success and so we could reach a settlement," Hariri told the French satellite channel TV5. "But the Syrian regime is capable of thwarting it (French initiative)," Hariri added.
Hariri said there is a "big chance" for electing a consensus president "if pressure was exerted on others." He said that Berri is after smooth presidential elections, however "there are increasing Syrian pressures on our friends in Lebanon."
Posted by: Fred ||
11/16/2007 00:00 ||
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United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Lebanon Thursday for talks to help end the political crises over the election of a new president to replace Emile Lahoud. Upon arrival at the Beirut airport Ban ( pictured at Beirut airport) told reporters " Lebanon should hold the presidential elections on time next week , in accordance with the Lebanese constitution".
Lebanon's Parliament speaker has postponed three votes as Lebanese rival leaders failed to agree on a compromise candidate. The political crisis in Lebanon is the worst since its 1975-90 civil war.
From the airport Ban immediately went to meet with Speaker Nabih Berri , an ally of the Iranian and Syrian backed Hezbollah-led opposition. Ban will hold talks later with the Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir, who is reported to have drawn up a list of candidates that may be acceptable to both government and the opposition.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/16/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Thanks alot Fred! Whatta graphic - but now I have to explain to my workmates who Andy Kaufman AND Mighty Mouse was.
A report by the U.N. nuclear watchdog on Iran's nuclear program shows Tehran is keeping its promise to cooperate in allaying suspicions about its plans, a senior Iranian nuclear official said on Thursday. "It (the report) ... shows that Iran has cooperated with the IAEA as promised," the official told Reuters when asked about the report by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/16/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
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.
Lord Malloch-Brown, the controversial Foreign Office minister, was in a fresh row last night after telling senior members of the Syrian regime of his willingness to speak for them on the world stage. The remarks were reportedly made last week at a reception hosted by Sami Khiyami, the Syrian ambassador. One witness said the minister told the Syrians: "Think of me as your man in the Cabinet." Lord Malloch-Brown denies making the comment.
A British court ruled Thursday that radical Muslim cleric 
Update:
Democratic leaders on Thursday warned the Iraqi government was locked in a stalemate, as they jockeyed for position ahead of another Senate showdown over Iraq war funding. They also threatened Republicans with a rare weekend vote, after the start of the scheduled break for the Thanksgiving holiday, on a bill including troop withdrawal dates which cleared the House of Representatives Wednesday.
Former Pakistan premiers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif have agreed to join forces to oust President Pervez Musharraf from office, a top party official said yesterday. If the deal is pushed through it would unite two of the country's biggest opposition parties against the military ruler, whose imposition of emergency rule has triggered a national crisis. The two leaders, who have been rivals during the past, agreed to bury their differences to launch a "joint struggle" against Musharraf, said Raja Zafar-ul Haq, chairman of Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-N party. 
PPP Chairperson Benazir Bhutto on Thursday expressed shock over the news that another town in NWFP had fallen to militants in Swat valley. In a statement issued by her party, Bhutto said Pakistan was facing the threat of disintegration under the present military dictatorship. She appealed to people to strengthen her hands for restoring democracy. Instead of sending police to Alpuri, which fell to militants after Madyan and Kalam, the regime has sent forces to fortify Lahore and Rawalpindi. Tear gas, baton charge, and rubber bullets should be used on militants, not on pro-democracy forces, said Bhutto.
Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Maj Gen Waheed Arshad said on Thursday that up to 700 militants were operating in small groups in various areas of the NWFP. In an interview with CNBC, a private TV channel, the ISPR DG said, They (militants) operate in small groups and terrorise civilians, forcing them to cooperate with them. He said the majority of people in the area was peace-loving. They are true Pakistanis, he said, adding that the locals did not support the militants.
Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) Secretary General Maulana Fazlur Rehman has urged the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) to settle their issues so that a joint struggle of opposition parties against the emergency rule could materialise, Geo news reported on Thursday. While addressing a press conference in Islamabad, he said participation of opposition parties in the polls would be decided after mutual consultations.The channel quoted him as saying that the MMA would decide whether to boycott the polls or not after consulting all of its component parties.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) - Police said they lifted the house arrest of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto on Friday, hours before the arrival in Pakistan of a senior U.S. official who was expected to urge the country's military leader to end emergency rule.
ISLAMABAD - Pakistan has begun extradition proceedings for 
Iraqs cabinet has approved a redraft of a law that would allow lower ranking members of ousted dictator Saddam Husseins Baath party to return to public office, a government official said.
WASHINGTON (AP) - The State Department is dropping plans to force diplomats to serve in Iraq because volunteers have filled all 48 vacant positions at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and in outlying provinces, The Associated Press has learned.
Lebanon's majority leader Saad Hariri said General Michel Aoun could be the father of March 14 coalition, because we have so much in common with him. "Aoun believes in the tribunal, the UN resolutions , Paris 3 conference and wants good relations with all countries " , Hariri said
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Lebanon Thursday for talks to help end the political crises over the election of a new president to replace Emile Lahoud. Upon arrival at the Beirut airport Ban ( pictured at Beirut airport) told reporters " Lebanon should hold the presidential elections on time next week , in accordance with the Lebanese constitution".
