Drunken brawls, prostitutes, hazing and humiliation, taking vodka shots out of buttcracks— no, the perpetrators of these Animal House-like antics aren't some depraved frat brothers. They are the private security contractors guarding Camp Sullivan, otherwise known as the US Embassy in Kabul.
These allegations, and many more, are contained in a letter sent to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday by the Project on Government Oversight, which has been investigating the embassy security contract held by ArmorGroup North America (a subsidiary of Wackenhut, which is in turn owned by the security behemoth G4S).
The contractor was the subject of a congressional probe earlier this summer that found serious lapses in the company's handling of the embassy security contract, which internal State Department documents said left the embassy compound "in jeopardy."
Nevertheless, the government opted to extend the company's 5-year, $189 million contract for another year.
#1
It sounds like they are hiring russian guards. The Russian mafia is still strong there. It can be a bit suprising to see russian working girls in country but they are there.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
09/01/2009 17:02 Comments ||
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WASHINGTON -- The prospect that U.S. Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal may ask for as many as 45,000 additional American troops in Afghanistan is fueling growing tension within President Barack Obama's administration over the U.S. commitment to the war there.
Is that 'worried' in that they don't know what his commitment is, or 'worried' in that they know precisely what his commitment is?
On Monday, McChrystal sent his assessment of the situation in Afghanistan to the Pentagon, the U.S. Central Command, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and NATO. Although the assessment didn't include any request for more troops, senior military officials said they expect McChrystal later in September to seek between 21,000 and 45,000 more troops. There currently are 62,000 American troops in Afghanistan.
However, administration officials said that amid rising violence and casualties, polls show a majority of Americans now think the war in Afghanistan isn't worth fighting. With tough battles ahead on health care, the budget and other issues, Vice President Joe Biden and other officials are increasingly anxious about how the American public would respond to sending additional troops.
The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to talk to the media, said Biden has argued that without sustained support from the American people, the U.S. can't make the long-term commitment that would be needed to stabilize Afghanistan and dismantle al-Qaida. Biden's office declined to comment. Likely Obama strategy: Pull out the troops, blame the loss on GW, focus on Nation Building the U.S. into a Socialist State.
"I think they (the Obama administration) thought this would be more popular and easier," a senior Pentagon official said. "We are not getting a Bush-like commitment to this war."
Monday's assessment initially was to include troop recommendations, but political concerns prompted White House and Pentagon officials to agree that those recommendations would come later, advisers to McChrystal said. Although the White House took a hands-off approach toward Afghanistan earlier this summer, Pentagon officials said they're now getting more questions about how many troops might be needed and for how long.
Some White House officials said the administration feels it was pressured to send the additional 17,500 combat troops and 4,000 trainers earlier this year, before the administration was comfortable with its plan for Afghanistan, because of the country's election in August.
Obama now feels that McChrystal and his superior, Army Gen. David Petraeus, the head of the Central Command, are pressuring him to commit still more troops to Afghanistan, a senior military official said. The official said that retired Marine Gen. James Jones, Obama's national security adviser, told McChrystal last month not to ask for more troops, but that McChrystal still indicated in interviews that he may need more.
McChrystal's new assessment is the fifth one ordered since Obama's inauguration. Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said that no details of the assessment would be released. Other officials called it a "political hot potato."
Advisers to McChrystal, who spoke to McClatchy Newspapers on the condition of anonymity because of the matter's sensitivity, said the document is a little more than 10 pages long and broadly spells out McChrystal's assessment of conditions on the ground:
"It says that this could get much worse unless we invest ourselves in this now," one adviser said. "Then it says, 'This is what we propose to do.' "
On Monday, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said that the Obama administration inherited an under-resourced war in Afghanistan, but he stopped short of promising more troops.
#1
it sure doesnt help to have George Will calling for a pullout.
Posted by: liberal hawk ||
09/01/2009 14:56 Comments ||
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#2
Quite a few conservatives called for a pull out of Iraq (WFBuckley was one). Bush didn't take the bait.
Posted by: lord garth ||
09/01/2009 15:05 Comments ||
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#3
The prospect that U.S. Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal may ask for as many as 45,000 additional American troops in Afghanistan is fueling growing tension within President Barack Obama's administration over the U.S. commitment to the war there.
The nuus reports General McChrystal is soon to recommend a "new strategy" for Afghanistan. And all this time I thought his hearts and minds campaign was the new strategy.
#4
the new approach is counter insurgency, of which hearts and minds is only one component. Clear, hold, and build, while building local forces. A strategy needs to be more detailed than that, however.
Posted by: liberal hawk ||
09/01/2009 17:47 Comments ||
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#5
The real problem is pakistan. That is the nexus of the disease. What to do about them? And a lot of their money comes from the Saudis. Everybody is either holding hands or kowtowing to the Saudi king. Too many of our leaders have been bought and sold by the saudis.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
09/01/2009 19:40 Comments ||
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#6
McChrystal's predecessor asked for 30,000 and essentially got fired for it.
Counterinsurgency may be the 'in thing', but it takes time. I highly doubt that there's any kind of national commitment to two-decades-plus of it.
And - the problem with the clear-hold-build is that it requires an increase in support personnel. That creates a whole new set of issues.
#7
Keep in mind that the last 6-8 weeks has been focused on the needs of a (relatively) safe election and a possible runoff. Once that is done the strategy will be adjusted to suit. Of course the youngsters that don't remember the consequences of the retreat from Vietnam will be crying for full withdrawal yesterday (if not sooner). The death and destruction that would follow matters naught.
[Quqnoos] The Electoral Complaints Commission said on Sunday that 567 serious allegations of abuse have been filed with the commission. The ECC said the challenges and complaints may affect the outcome of the Aug 20 presidential election.
The number of allegations has doubled over the past two weeks, all indicating fraud in the process.
Some indicating fraud in the process. Some indicating the thought that there's something to be got if one alleges fraud.
The Independent Election Commission (IEC) announced partial results of the vote on Saturday, placing incumbent Hamid Karzai in the lead, but not by enough to avoid a second round against his main challenger, Abdullah Abdullah. With 35 percent of polling stations tallied so far, the latest partial preliminary results show President Karzai has collected 46.3 percent of the vote and Abdullah 31.4.
Abdullah, a former foreign minister, has warned that people should not accept the outcome of the election if cheating becomes the deciding factor. Abdullah said massive rigging occurred on Election Day.
The ECC said it was now looking into 2,493 complaints, including 567 it classifies as serious.
Or roughly 25%. How did the U.S. do last November?
To avoid a run-off, a candidate must win more than 50 percent of the vote.
The IEC is expected to announce the official final results in 16 September. In the event that the election steps in for a second round, it would be held in October.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/01/2009 00:00 ||
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[Iran Press TV Latest] The Palestinians residing in the United Arab Emirates have expressed their criticism at a government decision to expel thousands of them under the pretext of security concerns.
Palestinian refugees, in a letter addressed to the ruling al-Nahyan family, drew attention to their plight caused by the Israeli occupation and called upon high-profile Emirati authorities to reverse the decision.
The letter went on to highlight that the expulsion of the Palestinians who have been in the UAE for over two decades would undoubtedly exert undue strain on them as well as their families.
It also lambasted the UAE government's persecution of the Palestinians who have been ordered to leave the Middle East country, rapping officials over the degrading treatment that the Palestinians receive at the Persian Gulf state's Interior Ministry.
This is while the Palestinians in question have had no criminal record and no history of violence.
Almost 350 Palestinian teachers have faced the axe this year as part of an Education Ministry decision to replace them with Emirati nationals.
The UAE nationals would replace the Palestinian teachers in Arabic, English and mathematics.
Are the Palestinians fated to become the Wandering Jews of the Arab world, kicked from pillar to post and back again because their homeland refuses to become a proper nation on which they can find refuge at such times? (ed. Yes. Why do you ask such silly questions?)
Posted by: Fred ||
09/01/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
That's that their ancestors were before 1948, TW.
Libya is considering a compensation deal for victims of Tripoli-backed IRA terrorism, a senior official in Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's government has claimed.
Hundreds of relatives are involved in a multi-million damages claim against the Libyan leader for his country's role in providing arms and explosives to Irish republican paramilitaries during the Troubles. Their calls for justice intensified after the release of Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi from a Scottish jail on compassionate grounds.
Now for the first time the authorities in Tripoli have hinted that they may be willing to consider a pay out in recognition for their role in arming the IRA.
Libya's Secretary for International Co-operation Mohammed Siala claimed the issue of compensation had been discussed with London. When asked about the Libyan position regarding the claim, he told The Independent: "It is a special case. We have a good understanding with the UK." However, Mr Siala said no firm agreement had been reached. "Things have not matured yet," he told the paper.
Amid signs of mass defections as the international community began putting pressure on North Korea in the wake of its latest nuclear test, the regime in early May gave orders that no resident was to be allowed to flee the country, followed by a massive crackdown.
The National Defense Commission gave village-to-village indoctrination lectures on a massive scale, apparently prompted by fears that the times when the order alone was enough were gone. Anybody who crossed the Apnok (Yalu) or the Duman (Tumen) River without permission would be considered a traitor, villagers were told.
The Chongori reeducation center in North Hamgyong Province that went through the greatest change. The center has been reorganized as a concentration camp exclusively for arrested defectors. It has reportedly turned into a living hell, where labor is much heavier than at ordinary reeducation centers and where torture and beatings are routine.
Until 2007, North Korea had categorized defectors three groups. The first consisted of those who had gone into foreign embassies to get to South Korea or had taken similar action, or converted to evangelical Christianity. If arrested, they had been detained at Yodok political prison camp. Most Yodok inmates had been sentenced to between 10 years and life in prison and were considered traitors.
The second group were those who had spent an extended period in China without intention to go back to North Korea, although they had neither attempted to flee to South Korea nor converted to Christianity. The third group were categorized as "simple defectors" who had fled the North due to lack of food. Those in the second and third groups were sentenced to between six month and two years of hard labor.
But now, anybody who has crossed the border has unconditionally been sentenced to up to three years of forced labor at Chongori, under instructions that they are to be punished as traitors.
Even those who have been caught while approaching the Apnok or Duman Rivers without good reason, though they have not actually crossed the rivers have been branded with attempted defection and put into the reeducation center. As a result, it is hard to see anyone except border guards along the shores on the North Korean side of the border with China.
Those who carry Chinese mobile phones and try to connect to the outside are also subject to the level of punishment reserved for defectors and taken to Chongori. In the past, such people had been sentenced to three months' labor as a part of the prison discipline in addition to a fine of 500,000 North Korean won. The average monthly pay for an ordinary North Korean worker was 3,000 North Korean won at the time.
Since 2003, when mobile telephone traffic increased in the areas near the North Korea-China border, China has built many signal towers there. As a result, communications, which had been possible only in some mountains near the border, is now possible in nearly all urban areas in North Korea including Sinuiju close to the border.
But North Korea is cracking down on Chinese mobile phone carriers because they could help smuggle out information and encourage defection. It has reportedly recently launched an around-the-clock watch, providing all security guards in the border areas with portable radars. Any mobile phone carrier would see a security guard vehicle arrive immediately if they engaged in a phone conversation for more than five minutes, so they are safe to use phones if they do so in the mountains, where they do not need to worry about being caught by security guards.
One defector who had a hair's breadth escape from Chongori, has said, "Chongori is a living hell. Yodok (the notorious prison camp) is a much better place."
At Chongori, inmates are doomed to die of malnutrition. Forced to work for 14 hours a day, they are given only two whole potatoes and a handful of cornmeal a day. Few inmates stick it out for more than three months, no matter how healthy they are, because beatings are a daily routine there, he said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/01/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Brutal crackdowns in NKor? As I live and breathe! In other news, Kimchee Still Popular.
#2
WHY IS IT...... IF YOU CROSS THE NORTH KOREAN BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU GET 12 YEARS HARD LABOR...... BUT IF YOU CROSS THE US BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU GET A DRIVERS LICENSE, SOCIAL SECURITY CARD, FOOD STAMPS AND FREE HEALTH CARE?
#5
Some of the brutality at these camps is so grotesque that even the Chinese border guards are freaked out by it. One woman who was captured trying to cross the border had large, sharp hooks stuck under her collarbones, to be led to the camp on a chain.
[Kyodo: Korea] North Korea's official media on Monday afternoon reported the opposition Democratic Party of Japan's major victory in Sunday's general election. The official Korean Central News Agency, in a Korean-language dispatch, reported that the DPJ won more than half of the 480 seats in Japan's House of Representatives, delivering a crushing defeat to the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/01/2009 00:00 ||
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[Al Arabiya Latest] An Australian shipping firm at the center of an investigation into North Korean arms smuggling remained tight-lipped Monday as foreign affairs officials probed allegations it shipped arms to Iran.
United Arab Emirates customs officials are believed to have seized containers from the ship ANL Australia as it travelled from North Korea to Iran earlier this month.
The Australian government confirmed over the weekend that weapons including rocket-propelled grenades were found in the containers, in apparent violation of U.N.-imposed sanctions on Pyongyang.
Chris Schultz, ANLA foreign affairs spokeswoman said officials were investigating if there had been a breach of Australian laws relating to the U.N. sanctions, which were strengthened in June after North Korea stunned the world with a nuclear test.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/01/2009 00:00 ||
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WASHINGTON, Aug 31 (Reuters) - The United States is having more success fighting terrorism under President Barack Obama partly because of his "radically different" approach to foreign policy, National security adviser Jim Jones said on Monday.
In an interview with ABC News, Jones said Obama's efforts to reach out to world leaders and improve relations with law enforcement agencies had made it easier to track and kill terrorists than during the Bush administration.
"We have better human intelligence. We know where the terrorists are moving," Jones told ABC.
"Because of the dialogue and the tone of the dialogue between us and our friends and allies ... the trend line against terrorism is positive," he added.
Jones spoke a day after former Vice President Dick Cheney said he has serious doubts about the extent to which Obama understood and is prepared to do what is needed to defend the United States from attack.
Cheney has been a persistent critic of Obama's approach to foreign policy and security issues, accusing the U.S. leader of putting in place policies that could encourage anti-U.S. militants to attack the United States.
While noting that he was not keeping tallies of enemy combatants killed and captured under Obama and Bush, Jones said the numbers were going up as a result of good intelligence.
"We are seeing results that indicate more captures, more deaths of radical leaders and a kind of a global coming-together by the fact that this is a threat to not only the United States but to the world at-large," he said.
He also dismissed Cheney's assertion that the Bush administration's counterterrorism policies worked because there had not been any terrorist attacks on U.S. soil after September 11, 2001.
"It's very easy to leave office and say, 'Well, no other disaster happened on the size and scope of 9/11, so we did our job well.' Well, maybe they did, maybe they didn't."
Jones did not, however, counter Cheney's argument that Attorney General Eric Holder's decision to investigate suspected CIA prisoner abuses could have a chilling effect on the work of the intelligence agency.
"I think it is something we have to address," Jones said. "I think anybody who works in a law enforcement agency ... have to know clearly what the rules are."
#1
Playing politics with our national security to make your boss look good is nothing short of sedition there General Jones. You have seem to forgotten your oath.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
09/01/2009 12:45 Comments ||
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#2
The United States is having more success fighting terrorism under President Barack Obama partly because of his "radically different" approach to foreign policy, National security adviser Jim Jones said on Monday.
Would that be the same "radically different" approach that achieved VICTORY in Iraq and kept the nation SAFE from ATTACK for eight years?
Report to the 'Boot Lick' deck General. Just follow Mullen or any of those other Admirals, he'll take you right to it.
#3
“Jones said Obama's efforts to reach out to world leaders and improve relations with law enforcement agencies had made it easier to track and kill terrorists than during the Bush administration.”
It makes one wonder if anyone with even a casual understanding of international terrorism swallows this load of hogwash. For instance, specifically which “world leaders” have tangibly reciprocated to Obama’s reach out? Oh sure, he apologized to the “Muslim World”. (Whatever the fuck that is.) But, thus far, in return all he has received is the same ole duplicitous claptrap we’ve seen for decades. Ferchrisakes he couldn’t even persuade the NATO countries to step it up. BTW, was it the release of classified documents and photos or was it the threat of prosecution that has “improved relations with law enforcement agencies”? Then again maybe he’s duplicating one of those reverse psychology illusion thingies again. You know…the way he campaigned and got elected.
#4
There was an awful lot of information collected since we started paying attention post 9/11, and with each capture the amount increases. So it wouldn't be surprising that the graph of captures/kills shows a strong upward trend over time. The key question is, will this continue or taper off, now that the President Obama's team are working so hard to castrate the CIA, retreat from Iraq, and make things very difficult for our guys in Afghanistan.
#5
"radically different" approach that achieved VICTORY in Iraq
It was a radically different approach that achieved (a qualified, as yet uncertain) victory in Iraq. The Petraeus-Kagan-McCain-Gates approach, as opposed to the Rumsfeld-Cheney approach. Both of course, were "bush approaches"
What neither the right nor left seems willing to admit is that there was a radical change in policy - in 2006. A real commitment to counter insurgency, a turn away from unilateralist rhetoric, etc. The Obama difference with the Bush-Rummy-Cheney are dramatic. The Obama differences with Bush-Gates-Petraeus not so much. Its frustrating for Obamas PR.
TW - I don't see the Obama team trying to castrate the CIA. They certainly arent ending harsh interrogation techniques - those techniques were ended several years ago. They are debating how far to go in investigating what happened. Panetta on one side, Holder on the other. Thats a debate thats inevitable. Certainly there are many voices who would go much further on that.
So far their retreat from Iraq is merely fulfilling the US-Iraqi pact which was signed by the Bush admin. We certainly can't stay there over the objections of the legitimate govt of Iraq, and it does not seem that that govt thinks the pace of withdrawl is too fast.
The Obama admin is INCREASING the number of troops and the overall resouce commitment to Afghanistan, and is putting in place the kinds of approaches that worked in Iraq. Now the attacks on that policy from the left and the uncertainty of how the admin will respond to those attacks are troubling, as well as whether they will put in as many troops as McCrystal asks for. But to say they are making it difficult for our guys in Afghanistan, as opposed to what the previous admin, did, strikes as thoroughly misguided.
Posted by: liberal hawk ||
09/01/2009 17:41 Comments ||
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#6
"For instance, specifically which "world leaders" have tangibly reciprocated to Obama's reach out?"
I would certainly agree that we are getting too little out of the change in likeability from our NATO allies. Esp on Afghanistan, and to some extent on Gitmo. Iran we will see in the coming months.
But to be fair, Jones is talking abour LE. Would it be better to have him list in public every LE effort? I hope there are things going on behind the scenes - the same hope that was often expressed here (and that I agreed with) under the previous administration.
Posted by: liberal hawk ||
09/01/2009 17:45 Comments ||
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#7
TW - I don't see the Obama team trying to castrate the CIA. They certainly arent ending harsh interrogation techniques - those techniques were ended several years ago. They are debating how far to go in investigating what happened. Panetta on one side, Holder on the other. Thats a debate thats inevitable. Certainly there are many voices who would go much further on that.
liberal hawk, it's quite possible they do not intend to castrate the CIA as such. However, the fact is that Attorney General Holder is threatening to prosecute individual CIA interrogators for doing that which the Justice Department had previously approved as legal. The attorney general is also threatening to prosecute those lawyers who wrote the approvals, and possibly also the line of management. Intentional or no, the result for the next several presidential terms will be CIA interrogators, lawyers, and quite probably others will be very, very careful not to do anything that might annoy the other political party, later. If that's not castration, it's a very reasonable facsimile.
#8
it's quite possible they do not intend to castrate the CIA as such.
Once again, F-O-L-L-O-W the money! Putting the CIA in the ditch is "Job One." Closely behind is Job Two, our military. Hundreds of billions can be harvested by downsizing these organizations and redirecting those funds to Barry's midnight basketball, giveaway programs.
Family: Iraq vet shot self and wife
An Iraq war veteran and his wife were found shot to death in what may be a murder-suicide. Family members blame post-traumatic stress suffered by Chad Olson, 21, during his deployment.
The Associated Press
REPUBLIC, Ferry County -- An Iraq war veteran and his wife were found shot to death in what may be a murder-suicide. Family members blame post-traumatic stress suffered by Chad Olson, 21, during his deployment.
Olson, a former Marine who served in Iraq, was found dead in the home in Republic along with his wife, Jessica Armstrong, also 21.
The Saturday deaths are being investigated by the State Patrol.
KREM-TV of Spokane said the couple married on July 10, and that Armstrong filed for separation two weeks later. Olson's relatives released a statement saying the young man returned from Iraq a changed person, and suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. As usual, the press missed the mark on this one. This guy was a CH-53 Crew Chief, who never went on a single foot patrol or fired a single round during his deployment. He was caught in bed with a 15 yr old girl by his wife. She had filed for a divorce. The coward/pedophile then shoots his wife and himself. PTSD? Not so much. It is so easy to blame the war...why not?
You nailed that one to the wall, Grunt_0369. Spot on and succinct -- well done!
Ma'an -- The de facto Interior Ministry pledged security in Gaza on Monday as security services gathered information about explosions Sunday set off by unknown operatives in Gaza City.
Not a work accident, then?
Ministry spokesman Eyhab Al-Ghussein said, "Investigations are still ongoing about the explosions in the Ansar neighborhood west of Gaza City," and reported that two devices were hurled at a security base there causing the loud blast.
Al-Ghussein accused West Bank security services of releasing a false statement containing threats on behalf of the radical group Jund Ansar Allah, "This statement was released by Palestinian preventative security in Nablus."
He went on to say that Sunday's explosions had nothing to do with a recent clash between Hamas and Jund Ansar Allah in Rafah.
"We will never allow security chaos to return to the Gaza Strip," Al-Ghussein insisted. "These explosions were attempts to frighten residents, and security services undertook all the needed measures and controlled everything."
Posted by: Fred ||
09/01/2009 00:00 ||
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Ma'an/Agencies -- Palestinian caretaker Prime Minister Salam Fayyad defended his plan for a de facto independent Palestinian state against Israeli criticism on Sunday night.
"Establishing the state and its institutions is a Palestinian responsibility," Fayyad said in a joint press conference with European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana. "We are interested in this project and we are working towards implementing it," he added.
Earlier Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman criticized the plan Fayyad plan.
"Palestinians' unilateral initiatives do not contribute to a positive dialogue between the parties," said Lieberman, who threatened that Israel could respond with some unilateral initiatives of its own.
"If the Palestinians do indeed adopt the unilateral program proposed by Salam Fayyad, it will not go unanswered," the Israeli official warned.
Responding to Lieberman, Fayyad said that "if this was a unilateral act, then it is a positive unilateral act, which aims at ending the occupation."
Speaking after a meeting with Fayyad, Solana said Europe supports the plan. "We support the Fayyad plan," he said according to DPA, "It is very good and it shows the fact that the Palestinian government is functioning."
Fayyad's plan focuses on building up infrastructure and improving the economy. Among other things the program calls for the construction of an airport in the West Bank and rail links with neighboring countries.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/01/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Speaking after a meeting with Fayyad, Solana said Europe supports the plan
A small, but positive step toward the ultimate solution of the "Jewish Problem", eh Xavier?
#2
for years we have been complaining that the PA couldnt control its territory, was corrupt, etc.
I can't see what reasonable objection there is Fayyads plan. Its for a DE FACTO independent state - IE a functioning govt, if the Pals can pull that off. NOT a de jure decl of independence.
Lieberman is speaking poorly of it, cause Israeli negativity will win it more support on the Pal street. Or else Yvette is just spouting off his own (and the hard right's) nonsense.
Posted by: liberal hawk ||
09/01/2009 17:52 Comments ||
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#3
take this for example
"rail links with neighboring countries. "
that can only mean Jordan. Isnt a Pal state more tied to Jordan what we want?
Posted by: liberal hawk ||
09/01/2009 17:53 Comments ||
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#4
"Isnt a Pal state more tied to Jordan what we want?"
I doubt Jordan wants that, lh.
At least as long as King Abdullah remembers Black September, etc....
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
09/01/2009 20:22 Comments ||
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[Al Arabiya Latest] Hamas condemned the United Nations on Sunday for what it said was a plan to teach Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip about the Holocaust in its history books as Israel's prime minister slammed three Jewish religious schools for refusing to admit Ethiopian Jews.
In an open letter to a senior U.N. official, the Islamist movement called on the agency to withdraw plans for history books in U.N. schools as it was an obvious bone of contention to teach Palestinian children about an event that lead to the creation of the state of Israel.
A spokesman for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which educates some 200,000 refugee children in Gaza, said the Holocaust was not on its current curriculum but would not comment on Hamas's statement that it was about to change.
Hamas said it believed UNRWA was about to start using a text for 13-year-olds that included a chapter on the Holocaust.
"We refuse to let our children study a lie invented by the Zionists," Hamas' Popular Committees for Refugees said in its letter to local UNRWA chief John Ging.
UNRWA spokesman Adnan Abu Hasna said: "There is no mention of the Holocaust in the current syllabus." Asked if UNRWA planned to change that, he declined to comment.
Hamas's official spokesman in Gaza, Sami Abu Zuhri, said he did not want to discuss the history of the Holocaust but said:
"Regardless of the controversy, we oppose forcing the issue of the so-called Holocaust onto the syllabus, because it aims to reinforce acceptance of the occupation of Palestinian land."
In the Israeli-occupied West Bank, run by the Western-backed Palestinian Authority of President Mahmoud Abbas, teachers said there was no official guidance on teaching about the Holocaust.
Arabs resent the way world powers reacted to the Holocaust by supporting the establishment of Israel in 1948, a move that took land from the Palestinians and left more than half of them refugees.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/01/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
The only thing "palestinian" children need to know is how to press a button.
I, for one, have seen too many of those so-called tattoos on old men and women to stand for it to be referred to as the 'so-called Holocaust."
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
09/01/2009 9:33 Comments ||
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#3
Back in the late sixties I briefly dated a Jewish girl who's father was a concentration camp survivor. After seeing his arm tattoo there could be no doubt, in my mind, as to the reality of the Holocaust.
[Al Arabiya Latest] Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday ruled out holding any peace talks with Israel until a full and lasting freeze in Jewish settlements, which EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said Tel Aviv may agree to by mid-September.
What small fraction of the first percent above zero as odds that Mr. EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana consulted any Israeli government official before saying that?
Javier is an agnostic diplomat: he'll say anything to anyone ...
Abbas and one of his senior allies in his Fatah party both reiterated the Palestinian stance on the settlement issue as a U.S. official acknowledged the problems in persuading Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-leaning Israeli coalition to stop settlement completely.
Nabil Shaath The official, who spoke last week, said Washington would not insist on a total freeze if the Palestinians would accept something less.
But Palestinian official Nabil Shaath Shaath told foreign media in Ramallah that if President Barack Obama should ask Fatah to start negotiations after only a partial, temporary settlement freeze: "I would say, Mr. Obama, we love you...but I am sorry this is not enough to bring us to the peace process."
Thank you, President Obama.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/01/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
At this point, there appear to be more non-Israelis trying to set Israeli foreign policy than there are bodies under President Obama's bus.
Long WSJ piece on the potential for economic change in Syria to lead to political changes.
DAMASCUS -- Syria is accelerating its economic opening -- boosting U.S. hopes that its tight relationship with Iran might be weakened. For decades, Syria has been defined by its rigid socialist economy and its military ties to Iran against Israel and the West. Trade sanctions have taken a heavy toll: More than half the 16 jets in Syria's state airline can't fly for lack of spare parts.
But President Bashar Assad -- heir to his family's political dynasty -- has started unshackling the economy by permitting private banks and insurers to open shop and by letting Syrians hold foreign currency without risk of being tossed in jail. In March, he opened Syria's first stock exchange. Nearby are a Ford showroom and a KFC restaurant.
His four-year-old overhaul is now getting an unexpected lift from Washington. This fall the U.S. plans to name an ambassador to Damascus, its first in years. And in late July the State Department eased some sanctions set by President George W. Bush to punish Syria's support for militant groups Hezbollah and Hamas.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/01/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Syria is accelerating its economic opening -- boosting U.S. hopes
#3
What a sickening white-wash. Amazing how you can take such damning information throw in a few sentences such as "Syria is accelerating its economic opening -- boosting U.S. hopes that its tight relationship with Iran might be weakened." or "Assad -- has started unshackling the economy by permitting private banks and insurers to open shop and by letting Syrians hold foreign currency without risk of being tossed in jail. "
... and people will read right past the fact that what this article is really saying is that:
1. we are easing sanctions with Syria to allow them to buy parts for their jets that can't currently can't fly and Oracle software for their central banks .
3. changes could simply be a tool for transferring state assets to members of the president's inner circle. Rami Makhlouf, an Assad cousin, has come to dominate the Syrian telecom and tourism trades amid a privatization push. Last year, the U.S. Treasury barred American firms from doing business with him for alleged corruption.
5. U.S. officials also believed Damascus ordered the 2005 assassination of Lebanon's former prime minister, Rafik Hariri..you know, the guy who inspired all of the talent to come back into Beirut. Isn't that what this article is all about? How they want to lessen restrictions to unshackle their economy and get the talent to come back?
6. The Obama administration, by easing sanctions on Syria, seemed to signal that "other things than democracy are more important for the U.S."
And I also love the way they manage to blame Bush in this article. This line is so classic right here: Senior Obama administration officials acknowledge that human rights remain a major problem in Syria. But they argue that the Bush administration's attempts to isolate President Assad only made the regime more repressive.
But don't you see, dear reader...it's all good news! Members of Mr. Assad's government say that while they are determined to improve their relationship with the U.S., they are also keeping their options open when it comes to Iran. "Syria's a friendly country toward Iran. That's not a secret," said Fayssal Mekdad, Syria's deputy foreign minister, in an interview last month. "We believe we can play a role in solving misunderstandings" between the U.S. and Iran.
Well thank goodness for that! And with the help of people like this writer from the WSJ, we can all stop misunderstanding that Iran makes clear that they want to nuke Israel, kill our troops and violently suppress their own population.
#5
Aw com'on now Y'all should know by now that Ohshit worships power and Money
note power is in first place.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
09/01/2009 13:17 Comments ||
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#6
The Syrian economy is in deep shit compared to the Joos and the west, therefore it has decided to slowly make some economic changes in order to avoid total collapse.
/end article
This is nothing more than a move to keep Pencilneck's position secure.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
09/01/2009 14:34 Comments ||
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[Al Arabiya Latest] President Bashar al-Assad on Monday said allegations that Syria was sheltering people suspected of involvement in devastating bombings in Iraq were "immoral" and politically motivated.
His remarks were the latest salvo in an escalating war of words between the two neighbors since Iraqi officials accused Syria of complicity in a spike of militant attacks in Iraq.
His comments came as Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu embarked on a mediation bid between Baghdad and Damascus to defuse tensions which worsened last week when the neighbors recalled their respective ambassadors.
" When accusations are not based on any proof, this means they are illogical in the eyes of the law "
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad
"Syria is accused of killing Iraqis although it welcomes 1.2 million Iraqis (refugees)," Assad said at a joint news conference with visiting Cyprus President Demetris Christofias.
"Such accusations are immoral and political," he said.
Iraq has accused Syria of sheltering suspects allegedly involved in one of two devastating truck bombings that targeted government ministries in Baghdad on Aug. 19, killing a total of 95 people and wounding 600.
"When accusations are not based on any proof, this means they are illogical in the eyes of the law," Assad said, again calling on Iraq to present evidence about its allegations.
"Because the full confession of the man involved doesn't count as evidence. (He didn't mention my name, I hope!)"
"As soon as the accusations were made, Syria officially asked Iraq to send a delegation to Damascus with proof," he said. "So far we have not received any reply."
Presdint President Assad sounds exactly like Pakistan about the Mumbai attack. No evidence will ever be accepted as proof. (Sorry about the spelling error. -- tw at 3:25 pm)
Posted by: Fred ||
09/01/2009 00:00 ||
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[Al Arabiya Latest] Iran's parliament began a three-day session on Sunday to debate and vote on President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's proposed new cabinet following his disputed re-election.
The confidence vote comes as Iran is gripped in political turmoil after Ahmadinejad's re-election triggered massive street protests which left at least 30 people dead and shook the pillars of the Islamic regime.
The outcome of the vote on the hard-line president's 21-member cabinet is seen as a test of his hold on power after the June 12 election, which defeated candidates say was rigged in his favor. The authorities deny the allegations.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/01/2009 00:00 ||
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[Iran Press TV Latest] Amid growing accusations of money laundering and fact fabrication, the son of former Iranian president Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani has left the country for the UK, a source close to the family says.
Mehdi Hashemi-Rafsanjani's visit to London, however, "is not linked with the rumors over the possibility of his arrest, on charges of orchestrating and engineering [Iran's] post-election unrest," the source said on Monday.
During the fourth round of the mass trials held for the 'post-election detainees' on August 25, defendant Masoud Bastani told the court that Mehdi Hashemi-Rafsanjani has been seeking to "smear the four-year performance of the government, undermine legal organizations of the country (such as the Basij, the IRGC and the Guardian Council) and question the veracity of the (June 12 presidential) election results," through Jomhouriyat website.
Another defendant Hamzeh Karami, the manager of Jomhouriyat website, also told the court that about USD 2 million of the budget of the Iranian Fuel Conservation Organization -- which was headed by Mehdi at the time -- was used to finance his father's presidential campaign in 2005.
"Mehdi Hashemi believed that the elections in Iran were financed with government funds. He did not believe in spending private savings for the election. So they set up a system for forgery and falsification of documents," Karami claimed.
Following the outbreak of the unrest in the aftermath of Iran's presidential election, Mehdi Hashemi-Rafsanjani and his sister Faezeh were barred from leaving the country. However, the ban was lifted shortly afterwards thanks to the then prosecutor general Qorban-Ali Dorri-Najafabadi's intervention.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/01/2009 00:00 ||
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[Iran Press TV Latest] Ahead of a vote of confidence on the Iranian president's new cabinet, his proposed new intelligence minister vows to use cutting-edge technological discoveries to confront the enemy.
Any djinns involved? Or computers with Israeli-made Intel chips inside?
During a heated debate in parliament (Majlis) on Monday, intelligence minister-designate Heydar Moslehi stressed the importance of his post by hitting out at the enemy for what he described as soft war conspiracies.
Outlining his planned strategies for the ministry, Moslehi said he would adopt an "aggressive approach" in countering the enemy's "software and hardware attacks" and promote the intelligence capacity of the ministry to confront their "soft war."
As the enemy makes use of state-of-the-art methods in its war against the Islamic Republic "we [in the new ministry] will use updated information and cutting-edge technology to protect the Revolution and the system," Moslehi explained.
"Preventative measures should be one of the key methods in countering threats," Moslehi, who previously held the post of a representative of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution in the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, added.
As different cabinet nominees received various reviews from lawmakers during Monday's session, Jamshid Ansari, a deputy from the minority bloc criticized the president's pick, saying that the Intelligence Ministry should "not be affiliated to one branch of power."
"Mr. Moslehi does not have the minimum required experience for intelligence work and therefore his presence in this critical post would not be productive," Ansari told the Parliament.
Majlis is scheduled to give its vote of confidence to President Ahmadinejad's 21-member cabinet on Wednesday.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/01/2009 00:00 ||
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Pakistan has found Somali sea pirates as the new tools in its covert war against India, the Indian Navy confirmed on Tuesday. From jihad factories in Pakistan to pirate terror off the Gulf of Aden, Pakistan's hidden war against India has been crossing the seas.
There have been numerous attacks by Somali pirates on merchant ships with Indian crew on board. And, the Navy destroyer - INS Mysore - reported the Pakistani link to Somali pirates.
Nine months ago, during action against pirate ship Salahuddin, the Indian Navy patrol ships found material evidence of Pakistan's sinister plot. Most of the weapons used by the Somali brigands bore the stamp of Pakistani ordnance factories. The rocket-propelled grenade launcher and the rifles seized from the boat were all made-in-Pakistan. Even the magazines recovered had Pak ordnance factory tags.
The revelation has made obvious raised serious concerns about a possible link between the sea pirates and the suspected terrorist groups.
#1
Pakistan has been in Somalia for quite some time; it's more likely that Pakistani arms have been acquired by the pirates rather than any direct plot to attack Indian shipping.
#4
Maybe the Taliban will mistake them for a bunch of goats!
Al
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
09/01/2009 11:46 Comments ||
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#5
How brave of them to go there after our military has been there for eight years....and they are so valiant to go where the Taliban has been chased out for a while, too!
(I wonder if the reason that their "vacation package" doesn't include airfare is that they are looking at far fewer than 10 potential suckers attendees. No free airfare for Medea, no airfare for anyone else!)
#6
I feel for the poor commander that will have to provide security for them against their will, defend them when they need it, and recover them when they are taken. The Taliban are not the NVA and really don't care about the Code Pink / Jane Fonda types. This will all be living proof to them that we don't know how to keep our women in line.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
09/01/2009 12:50 Comments ||
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#7
I think the commanding General should be given strict orders NOT to intervene in any fashion.
These children (In their minds) need a bad spanking to break out of childhood and grow up.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
09/01/2009 13:28 Comments ||
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#8
Burqas for All!!!
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
09/01/2009 15:04 Comments ||
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#9
If they would just wear those burqas when they return!
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
09/01/2009 16:25 Comments ||
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#10
I heard Code Pink defiled a Koran. Pass it on
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/01/2009 16:29 Comments ||
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#11
Bad boy, Frank, bad boy.
Pssst -- I heard Code Pink defiled a Koran. Pass it on.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/01/2009 17:39 Comments ||
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#12
Really? They did?? But I thought females were the thoughtful and considerate sex...
Code Pink has betrayed female principles by defiling a Quran!
#21
All we want is a thoughtful debate on the allegations that Code Pink defiled a Koran. Keep in mind that nothing has been proved. We just want to get to the bottom of these rumors about Code Pink defiling a Koran. Reasonable people will want to know how many times Code Pink defiled a Koran, whether they plan to do it again, how they justify this action and why Code Pink has so far refused to respond to the allegations that Code Pink defiled a Koran.
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.
WASHINGTON -- The prospect that U.S. Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal may ask for as many as 45,000 additional American troops in Afghanistan is fueling growing tension within President Barack Obama's administration over the U.S. commitment to the war there.
