[Quqnoos] Kazakhstan's Foreign Minister in his trip to Kabul on Sunday pledged $5 million of aid to Afghanistan over the next five years. The aid would only be disbursed for the improvement of education in Afghanistan.
Foreign Minister, Kanat Saudabaev, held talks with his Afghan counterpart, Rangin Dadfer Spanta and other Afghan officials in the Afghan capital, Kabul. Mr Saudabaev said that the aid would be spent on 1,000 scholarships for Afghan students over the next five years and he emphasised on the long-term contribution of his country to Afghanistan.
Any of the money to be used to educate women?
"Kazakhstan believes that Afghanistan issues shouldn't only be seen through military channels," Kazakhstan Foreign Minister said.
Earlier, Japan also announced $5 billion aid to Afghanistan, which would be given to the Afghan government in the next five years.
As countries start to deliver aid to Afghanistan, pressure is also mounting on the Afghan government to fight the rampant corruption in its administration. Western officials say that most of the aid to Afghanistan had been looted and it did not reach the people who need it the most.
Following the Western official's calls, Afghan President Hamid Karzai promised in his inauguration to take strong measures against corruption.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/24/2009 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] After fighting a bloody war in Afghanistan for more than eight years, the United States appears to have undertaken a re-think of its policy and has started engaging the Taliban in negotiations through Saudi and Pakistani intelligence agencies, highly-placed sources told Dawn here on Monday.
'We have started 'engagement' with the Afghan Taliban and are hopeful that our efforts will bear fruit,' a source involved in secret negotiations told this correspondent.
He said that four 'major neutral players' were engaged with the Afghan Taliban on behalf of the Saudi leadership and the General Intelligence Directorate (GID) of Saudi Arabia and the Pakistani leadership and Inter Services Intelligence (ISI).
The GID and ISI have been doing the job on behalf of the US government and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The source said that one of the main objectives of the recent visit to Pakistan by CIA chief Leon Panetta was to assess progress in the back-channel negotiations.
The source said that four leaders were playing the role of mediators on behalf of the Saudis and the Afghan Taliban.
Among them is Abdullah Anas, a son-in-law of Osama bin Laden's mentor Abdullah Azzam who was killed in Peshawar in 1989 along with his two sons. Anas lives in the UK, but maintains close links with the Afghan Taliban and even Al Qaida.
Saudi national Abul Hassan Madni, once a prominent leader of Rabta-i-Alam-i-Islami, has also been in the picture. He lives in Madina.
Abu Jud Mehmood Samrai, an Iraqi who is married to a Pakistani woman, has also been contacted. He was given Pakistani nationality by former president Ziaul Haq for his role in the Afghan war.
Maulana Fazlur Rehman Khalil, a Pakistani militant leader, is also in the loop. Khalil, who co-founded the Harkatul Ansar, currently heads Hizbul Mujahideen.
He had signed the famous decree issued by Osama bin Laden and Ayman Al Zawahiri in 1998 calling for killing the Americans. Khalil commands respect among both Pakistani and Afghani Taliban and is said to have played a secret mediatory role with Pakistani authorities for peace in the country.
Reliable sources also told Dawn that Mullah Umar, the chief of Afghan Taliban, has nominated his shadow foreign minister, Agha Motasam, to negotiate with the Americans. They said that talks held so far were of a preliminary nature, but may resume on a serious note after Eid.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/24/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
So the One, who learned about not going public until the deal was done (see Chicago Olympics)is holding off on Afghan announcements until he can cut a deal with the talibangers.
Might as well get Hamas to sign on, too.
Posted by: Bobby ||
11/24/2009 5:54 Comments ||
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#2
Its the only honorable thing to do, just ask President Obeyme, he'll tell 'ya.
#3
US Embassy Denies Secret Eikenberry Talks With Taliban "There is no truth to reports that the U.S. Embassy is engaging in secret talks with elements of the Taliban. Our position on the inclusion of Taliban and other fighters into Afghan society remains unchanged: we support the efforts of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghan to reintegrate fighters and other disaffected individuals into society, under the Afghan constitution. This process must be Afghan-led."
Posted by: ed ||
11/24/2009 21:11 Comments ||
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[Al Arabiya Latest] Humanitarian agencies working in Yemen slammed the Houthi rebel group for using children in the armed conflict in the Saada province as Saudi Arabia's air force continued to bomb several rebel hideouts on its border with Yemen, press reports said on Monday.
Representatives of the UNICEF and Islamic Relief Worldwide held a press conference in which children from Saada testified to the daily horrors they face, including being forced to take part in the conflict.
Nassim al-Rahman, UNICEF representative in Yemen, expressed his indignation at the violation of children's rights in Saada while the Shawthab Foundation for Children and Development, a Sanaa-based NGO, stated its absolute rejection of the recruitment of children under 18 in any armed conflict, whether to fight for the rebels or the Yemeni army.
Shawthab called on all relevant bodies and child relief organization to show no leniency as far as using children in war. The statement called for measures to be implemented against all parties involved in recruitment of children in the military as well as offering the guarantees that insure a normal life for those children.
Meanwhile, Saudi forces bombed several rebel hideouts, forcing the Houthis to withdraw further back into Yemeni territories.
The army thwarted an attack by the Houthis in the border area of Jabal Rumaih and bombed hideouts in Jabal Dukhan and Wadi al-Mouked, killing several insurgents, Al Arabiya News Channel reported.
Yemen's army said it was making progress in the northern governorate of Saada by curbing rebel operations and aborting a rebel infiltration in to the area of al-Makash.
Several Houthi rebels were killed in Malaheez, where intense fighting is still going on, as the Yemeni army continued bombing many areas in Harf Sufian, Wadi Ayan and al-Haira.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/24/2009 00:00 ||
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[Bangla Daily Star] The trial of BDR members in connection with the mutiny on February 25-26 in Dhaka and elsewhere in the country begins today through a special court at the Rangamati BDR sector headquarters.
A three-member court led by BDR Director General Maj Gen M Mainul Islam will sit at the sector headquarters at 3:00pm today to start the trial of accused soldiers of 12 Rifle Battalion under the sector, said BDR Deputy Director General (DDG) Brig Gen Mohd Obaidul Haque.
"Besides, a representative nominated by the attorney general will aid the court," said the DDG adding, "The court will deal with only the mutiny and each of the alleged mutineers will get chances of self-defence. The alleged mutineers will also be allowed to take help from an officer of the department or from their lawyers."
Asked, Obaidul said, "It cannot be said yet how many alleged mutineers from 12 Rifle Battalion will be finally tried."
After completion of the first day's proceedings, the court will sit again tomorrow morning and function for the first half of the day while the court will resume trial proceedings after Eid-ul-Azha vacation.
Around 4,000 BDR soldiers will be tried under the BDR Act on charge of mutiny.
Earlier on November 15, the BDR headquarters constituted six special courts--two in Dhaka--as per the Bangladesh Rifles Order 1972 to initiate trial of the mutineers while BDR DG will head each of the three-member courts.
Soldiers involved in other crimes including killings, arson and looting that took place at Pilkhana will be tried under the civil law and investigation is also going on in this regard, BDR sources said.
The mutiny in Rangamati took place at three of the sector's five battalions. The three battalions are 12 Rifle Battalion at Rajnagar, 9 Rifle Battalion at Marissa, and 18 Rifle Battalion at Chhotohorina.
Around 40 alleged mutineers from the three battalions are now in Rangamati jail. Five of them from the 12 Rifle Battalion will face today's trial.
As per the BDR laws, every accused will get at least 27 days to prepare for their defence. They will be able to get officers from the force free of cost for self-defence. They can also hire lawyers from outside, said a BDR officer.
Special court-1 will deal with mutiny in Khulna, Rajshahi and Kushtia sectors, special court-2 with cases in Dinajpur and Rangpur sectors, special court-3 will cover Sylhet, Comilla and Mymensingh sectors, special court-4 will cover Chittagong, Rangamati and Khagrachhari sectors while special court-5 Dhaka sector, and special court-6 will try mutineers of the BDR headquarters.
At least 73 people, including 57 army officers deputed the paramilitary force, were killed in the February 25-26 mutiny.
Our Rangamati correspondent adds: in the first day, basically, only trial court will be formed to operate the activities of trial.
Five alleged mutineers have been kept in Rangamati jail. They are Sabbir Ahmed, Sohrab Hossain, Abdur Rahman, Md Shamsul Haque and Md Abul Kalam Azad.
After the mutiny in Rangamati, three separate cases were filed accusing 39 BDR jawans with three police stations.
Advocate Shaiful Islam Ponir, a friend of the accused, yesterday told The Daily Star that the accused were not involved in the mutiny and they were on duty during the revolt.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/24/2009 00:00 ||
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The U.S. Senate on Friday unanimously approved Robert King as special envoy for North Korean human rights. King will start his official duties as a member of the State Department's North Korea policy team under Stephen Bosworth, AP reported.
Unlike his predecessor Jay Leftowitz, an ineffectual part-timer named by former President George W. Bush, King will handle North Korean human rights full-time.
He's likely to be just as ineffectual, since Bosworth is no prize, Hildebeast has no power, and Bambi has no vision.
Clearly it hasn't occurred to the diapproving journalist that Mr. Leftowitz accomplishing [edit: accomplished, not -ing] exactly what his president desired: nothing. Had it been important and do-able, President Bush would have put someone on the project full time.
Speaking at a Senate confirmation hearing earlier this month, he defined North Korea as "one of the worst abusers of human rights in the world."
He pledged to protect the human rights of the North Koreans,
How?
He's thinking, he's thinking ...
pay attention to South Korean prisoners of war in the North and Japanese abducted to the North,
What would paying attention accomplish?
and address China's deportation of North Korean defectors.
Paying attention and addressing? My goodness gracious me.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/24/2009 00:00 ||
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Power in the North Korean military is expected to be more heavily concentrated in the hands of newly appointed Defense Minister Kim Yong-chun, an intelligence officer in the South said after the military shakeup on Feb. 11.
Does he bring the military to heel, or does he represent the military -- or does he plan to grab the country for himself?
"With Kim Jong-il's health problems, the military reshuffles in the North appear to be designed to bring the military under firm control and stabilize it, with Minister Kim Young-chun at the top," said Rhu Dong-ryeol, a researcher at the Police Science Institute.
Kim Young-chun is a prominent hardliner who led a host of North Korean provocations against the South since 1995. The 1998 North Korean submarine intrusion on the east coast, the 1998 test of a Taepodong-1 missile, the first inter-Korean naval skirmish off Yeonpyeong Island in 1999, the second naval clash there in 2002 and the firing of a Taepodong-2 missile and a nuclear device in 2006 all took place while Kim was chief of staff.
As a consequence, the South Korean military is said to be on alert, concerned that the emergence of hardliner is another sign that the North is preparing for further provocations. There has been press speculation that Kim Jong-il's appointment of Kim Yong-chun may be a step toward making his third son Jong-un, born to his late wife Ko Yong-hi, his heir.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/24/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Does he bring the military to heel, or does he represent the military -- or does he plan to grab the country for himself?
Lets all hope the Kimmie dynasty will shortly be replaced by the Chun dynasty.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
11/24/2009 12:51 Comments ||
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The North Korean military has seized charge of the economy, elbowing out other ministries and the Workers' Party, the Washington Post said Tuesday. According to the daily, North Korea's military has "grabbed nearly complete command of the nation's state-run economy and staked out a lucrative new trade in mineral sales to China to make money for its supreme commander, Kim Jong-il."
"The army has earned hundreds of millions of dollars selling missiles and weapons to Iran, Pakistan, Syria and other nations." But its two nuclear tests in October 2006 and in May 2009 "have triggered UN sanctions that are now choking off arms sales," prompting the military to seek other sources of income, it speculated.
According to recent trade statistics, the North makes up for foreign currency shortage by selling coal, iron ore and other minerals to China. "As the Army has taken over management of mines in North Korea, mineral exports to China have soared, rising from US$15 million in 2003 to $213 million last year." North Korea's mineral reserves are worth $5.94 trillion, according to an estimate. "Kim is increasingly creaming off a significant slice of Chinese mineral revenue to fund his nuclear program and to buy the loyalty of elites," the daily quoted "North Korea, Inc.," a recent report by the U.S. Institute of Peace, a Washington-based group funded by the U.S. Congress, as saying.
The military has a part "in the daily lives of the country's 23.5 million people. Soldiers dig clams and launch missiles, pick apples and build irrigation canals, market mushrooms and supervise the export of knockoff Nintendo games. They also guard the country's 3,000 cooperative farms, and help themselves to scarce food in a hungry country," the daily said. It "is also sending trucks to state farms to haul away as much as a quarter of the annual harvest for its soldiers, analysts say."
According to the Strategic Studies Institute, the research arm of the U.S. Army War College, North Korea is the most militarized state on earth, with about 5 percent of the country's population on active duty. The paper recalled that all references to "communism" were removed this year from the North Korean constitution and replaced with the word "songun" or "military first." "'The army is the people, the state and the party,' the government has declared."
The paper concluded "military first" is "a literal description of how the economy works, how citizens are forced to organize their lives and how Kim remains powerful -- and wealthy."
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/24/2009 00:00 ||
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#3
The same day that somebody else claims that "hardliners" are bringing the military "to heel"? The aggregate of those two stories suggests that nobody knows anything & they're just seeing puppy-dogs and dragons'-wings in clouds.
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
11/24/2009 10:22 Comments ||
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#4
Ah yes, the Hellfire-Henessy-Hole in One trade triangle.
#7
Replace 'Nork Military' with 'Bambi' and insert GM, Chrysler, and other formerly free enterprise capitalistic goings ons and the story could play in downtown Chicago. (Watch out for that heavy Olympic traffic, however)
Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie is in North Korea in the first visit by a Chinese defense chief since April 2006. "No force on earth can break the unity of the armies and peoples of the two countries and it will last forever," Liang was quoted by the official KCNA news agency as saying Sunday.
He was speaking at a reception hosted by North Korea's Ministry of the People's Armed Forces. "I personally experienced the bilateral friendship sealed in blood when I was in Korea about 50 years ago as a member of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army," fighting in the Korean War on the North Korean side.
His North Korean counterpart Kim Yong-chun said, "It is the firm stand of our Army and people to develop the Korea-China friendship, which has withstood all trials of history."
On Nov. 17, Gen. Kim Jong-gak, the first vice director of the General Political Bureau and an influential leader in the North Korean Army, visited Beijing, where he met Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping, the presumptive next leader. Kim Yong-chun visited China in June.
Kim Heung-kyu, a professor at the Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security, said, "China apparently feels the need to establish a channel in the North Korean military since the military's influence in the North's policy-making process is growing."
The bilateral military channel was virtually disconnected in the late 1950s when Kim Il-sung conducted a mass purge of so-called pro-Chinese "Yanan faction" in the military.
Prof. Nam Joo-hong of Kyonggi University said, "With the approach of the North's return to the six-party talks, it's time for China to placate the North Korean military. And it's also time for the North to seek outside military support to rely as the Seoul-Washington alliance is strong."
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/24/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
See also TOPIX/WORLD NEWS > [Ministry of Foreign Affairs]JAPAN URGES US TO REDUCE EAST ASIA [military]PRESENCE.
#2
WMF > MILITARY EXPERT: CHINA'S NEW STEALTH FIGHTER TO FACE THE US-LED ENCIRCLEMENT OF EAST ASIA; + THE FIRST TO FIGHT WITH: THE US PLANS TO SEND "GREAT GREEN FLEET" OF AIRCRAFT CARRIER BATTLE GROUPS TO DOMINATE THE NORTH POLE.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
11/24/2009 13:02 Comments ||
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#6
China since the long reach of the emperors considers Korea just another vassal kingdom nation. The Norks are just that odd uncle at the family get together that everyone knows is challenged financially and emotionally. And everyone is hoping he doesn't go postal and tries to avoid doing anything that might trigger it. The SKors are the niece that's living with someone the family doesn't approve, but right now, after the initial dust up, are acting civilly for the harmony of the 'greater' family and the fortune the lad brought with him [but none the less would like to see him gone].
#7
"I personally experienced the bilateral friendship sealed in blood when I was in Korea about 50 years ago as a member of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army,"
Wow, really? The vast majority of the "volunteers" were Kuomintang retreads sent there to die under UN artillery and machine guns. Mao couldn't just off them without causing trouble.
I was just in Chinese class the other day when we learned the word for Korea. I said, "North Korea is China's good friend" as an example sentence and got corrected by the teacher.
#8
Oh yeah, the other weird thing about China is seeing North Koreans show up in places like tradeshows and such. In my experience, they are decently dressed and dirt poor. One of my friends tried to pick up one of the women. I still have a couple of their catalogs. It's also fun seeing "Pyongyang" on the departures board in Beijing airport.
President Barack Obama met Monday evening with his national security team to finalize a plan to dispatch some 34,000 additional U.S. troops over the next year to what he's called "a war of necessity" in Afghanistan , U.S. officials told McClatchy.
Obama is expected to announce his long-awaited decision on Dec. 1 , followed by meetings on Capitol Hill aimed at winning congressional support amid opposition by some Democrats who are worried about the strain on the U.S. Treasury and whether Afghanistan has become a quagmire, the officials said.
Posted by: ed ||
11/24/2009 10:49 ||
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#1
The U.S. officials all spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the issue publicly and because, one official said, the White House is incensed by leaks on its Afghanistan policy that didn't originate in the White House .
- This leak sprung within five minutes of the end of the meeting.
- Interesting that the White House is only upset by leaks that don't originate in the White House.
Posted by: Kelly ||
11/24/2009 13:25 Comments ||
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#3
See also STARS-N-STRIPES > PAKISTAN FEARS AN INFLUX OF MILITANTS [new recruits for Militant Groups + escalation of violence iff US-NATO choose option to send more troops to AFPAK region].
US prosecutors yesterday charged eight men with recruiting immigrants from Somalia to join the Islamist insurgency in the African country, in one of the biggest US terrorism investigations since 9/11.
According to court documents unsealed yesterday, the eight organised a network in the US that enlisted and financed about 20 men, mostly from the Somali community in Minneapolis, to become fighters with the al-Shabaab group, designated a terrorist organisation by Washington.
Five of the recruits were killed fighting in Somalia, including at least one believed to have carried out the first suicide bombing by an American citizen, according to US officials. In Australia, four men of Somali and Lebanese descent aged between 22 and 26, with alleged links to al-Shabaab, were arrested in August in a joint counter-terror police operation in Melbourne.
The four were accused of plotting a suicide attack on Holsworthy army base in Sydney.
The US investigation is among several that raised concerns over the recruitment of US Muslims by radical groups. The case represents the largest group of US citizens suspected of joining an extremist movement affiliated with al-Qa'ida, senior officials said.
Officials previously saw the threat in the US as less than in Europe, which has a large immigrant Muslim population.
"The national security implications are serious," said Ralph Boelter, special agent in charge of the FBI's Minneapolis office. "This is the closest thing we've seen" to the homegrown terrorism recruitment in Britain.
Somali community leaders say the recruits appear to have been motivated by Ethiopia's US-backed invasion of Somalia three years ago and wanted to help the Islamist group oust foreigners. Those charged include Cabdulaahi Ahmed Faarax and Abdiweli Yassin Isse, both US residents.
An FBI affidavit alleges Mr Faarax and others met at a Minneapolis mosque and at a private home in 2007 and that Mr Faarax claimed to have fought in the war and encouraged other men to join the fight in Somalia.
Prosecutors allege Mr Isse described plans for a jihad against the Ethiopian forces and raised money for plane tickets under the guise of sending young men to Saudi Arabia to study the Koran.
Both men left the US by the Mexican border near San Diego and are now outside the country.
Also charged is Mahamud Said Omar, a Somali US resident arrested on terror charges in The Netherlands this month. The US is seeking his extradition.
FBI director Robert Mueller has said the case was worrying because it shows young men raised in the US can be recruited by terrorists from overseas and trained to conduct attacks.
Ay-Pee article. Rest at link.
"Based on the evidence thus far, his mental status must be raised," Galligan told The Associated Press by phone from his office near Fort Hood, about 130 miles southwest of Dallas. "Anybody who allegedly engages in conduct that is completely consistent contradictory to his lifestyle and military career -- an insanity defense has to be considered." Oh, I get it now. If anybody does anything wrong, you have to question whether or not they were insane at the time of the wrongdoing. So why do we need a stupid legal system?
#1
It's such a pity that he didn't know where to turn to for help with psychological issues, nor that he could have possibly ever have recognized the onset of potential mental illness. Clearly this is a lack of proper training provided by the Army.
(BTW, good luck with that Hail Mary pass there, Galligan.)
#8
There is no Muslim social stigma attached to using a fake insanity defense to "get over" when caught by infidels. It is used frequently all over the world. Too frequently.
On the plus side, the insanity defense was so abused in the US in the 1960s, that the rules have been tightened up so much, that you would be insane to use it, because even if you win, you will be worse off than if you are sent to prison.
If Hasan truly is paralyzed, all he has left is his brain. And if he gets his insanity plea, he will spend the rest of his crappy life both paralyzed and so drugged that drooling will be a major effort.
#9
I don't want Mr. Jihad in a nice comfy hospital. Hasan I'd rather have the paralyzed and lucid Mr. Hasan jailed with other maximum security population at Leavenworth. Given frequent sponge baths by guys named Butch.
Posted by: ed ||
11/24/2009 9:01 Comments ||
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#10
He knows he is up for the death penalty, but I bet if he gets life in the brigg's hospital, he better be afraid of these guys.
#11
Any reason that image is displayed bigger than original size?
Posted by: ed ||
11/24/2009 9:22 Comments ||
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#12
Image deleted; way too big for the Burg. Don't do that.
AoS.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/24/2009 9:36 Comments ||
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#13
I expect the next tactic for his defense will be a variant of "D-W-B" - Driving While Black. Only this will be "S-W-I" - Shooting While Islamic. (Hey, I tried it as Shooting While Muslim, and that comes out as S-W-M, which is almost as inadvertently comic an acronym as the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.)
#18
My only regret here is that nice young police woman did not get taught the triple tap method, body, body, head. Then there would be no,"Is he crazy?" questions, only,"He's dead Jim."
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
11/24/2009 19:50 Comments ||
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#19
49 Pan, she was shot through both legs after all. In fact, there is some evidence that it was the other guard who actually brought the scumbag down.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
11/24/2009 20:56 Comments ||
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#20
Let me get this straight. Hasan is a Psychiatric PROFESSIONAL but he cant see his own symptoms as abnormal and he doesnt recognize his own insanity even tho' that's his field.? Yeah?
But his Lawyers are recommending ( Hell, they have to try SOMEthing cause pleading PMS wont cut it)so Insanity is the douche of choice.
Still. Leavenworth in the showers is not something he will want while the alternative to THAT is being goofballed and drooling in a straitjacket ...which isnt exactly hey hey happy either.
Isnt there someone who can slip something in his IV? Go get the PDR and look up Poisons...there must be something! How about a big air-bubble in his right ventricle. (here , get a good grip on him and hold him down) Make the injection in his crotch femoral and use a bicycle pump.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs confirmed today that President Obama will not be making an Afghanistan announcement before the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
Next week? Who knows?
Gibbs said he can answer that question "when the president tells me what's likely ... I would simply say that it's not going to happen this week, obviously."
Tonight's national security meeting is dedicated to answering some of the questions Obama raised a couple of weeks ago, Gibbs said, including the potential U.S. exit strategy from Afghanistan.
"A decent part of it is not just how we get people there, but what's the strategy for getting them out, " Gibbs said.
This is Obama's ninth national security meeting on an Afghanistan strategy -- and Gibbs said no more are scheduled.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/24/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
And in other news, Generalissimo Franco is still not dead.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
11/24/2009 9:08 Comments ||
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#4
You can't spell the President Obama w/o voting Present.
Posted by: ed ||
11/24/2009 9:10 Comments ||
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#5
He thinks he's Fabius Maximus Cunctator, but really, he's just a cunt.
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
11/24/2009 10:05 Comments ||
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#6
Ugh, sometimes I wish Rantburg had a delete comment feature...
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
11/24/2009 10:06 Comments ||
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#7
Aw, c'mon, give The Man a break. It's a big change from speaking Truth to Power to actually being The Power. Now he has to make decisions about something other than divvying up the boodle and who to extort next. Besides, it's not like there is a war on. What? There is? Oh.
#8
ION PAKISTANI DEFENCE FORUM > OBAMA TO TELL ZARDARI: INDIA IS NOT A THREAT TO PAKISTAN [ PAK should move troops to western borders]; + THE RAT IS OUT OF THE BAG|[PAK Foreign Office SPokeman Abdul Basit]FO:INDIA IS PREPARING FOR LIMITED WAR AGZ PAKISTAN [Limited Nuclear?]???
FO Spokesman BASIT on comments by INDIAN ARMY CHIEF DEEPAK KOOR.
* SAME > [United Liberation Front of Assam/Asom]ULFA ADMITS TO USING CHINA AS A BASE, + other foreign Countries e.g. BANGLA for strikes = operations agz the GOVT. OF INDIA.
#9
ION BHARAT RAKSHAK > NUCLEAR SECURITY ISSUES ROCK PAKISTAN; + WMF > PAKISTAN DESIRES TO KEEP BOTH US FORCES AND TERRORISTS AWAY FROM ITS NUCLEAR DEPOTS.
* WMF > SOMALIA IN THE PHILIPPINES: FAMILIES OF KIDNAPPED CHINESE WORKERS ASK CHINA NOT TO PAY RANSOM OR SEND PLA TROOPS TO RESCUE THEM [inspire more international kidnappings, new Militancy].
House Appropriations chief David Obey, in an interview with ABC news, threw down the gauntlet on Afghanistan, saying if the administration wants more troops, he will demand that they be paid for with an across-the-board income tax surcharge.
He said the ten-year cost of the war clocks in at $900 billion, about the size of the Democratic health care legislation. Obey warned last spring when he pushed through the last war funding bill that the administration had one year to show progress. Time is up. House Democrats are now in a full-scale rebellion.
Good. Remember what happened to the Pubs when they deserted W?
Obey said unless the war is paid for it will "wipe out every initiative that we have to rebuild our own economy."
It will be interesting to see how Republicans who are fighting the health care legislation will feel about a war surtax; if they oppose it and do not find $900 billion in programs they want to cut, the only alternative is deficit financing, which is no longer an alternative. With a $1.4 trillion deficit this year, the Bush days of unfunded Medicare prescription drug bills and troop surges are over. Republicans, Democrats and the administration are going to have a very hard time getting used to that.
#1
Now you know the point of the 1.4 billion deficit spending; to make us raise taxes, which will hurt the economy more, causing us to not be able to afford the war anyway. Welcome to the event horizon.
Tree. Liberty. Water. Some assembly required. >:-(
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
11/24/2009 11:25 Comments ||
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#5
CHINESE MILITARY FORUM > CHINA'S HIDDEN PROBLEM [rising bankruptcies + approxi 800,000 businesses choosing to leave market sectors]; + RED ALERT: THE SECOND WAVE OF THE FINANCIAL TSUNAMI| [Global Research.ca]THE WAVE IS GATHERING FORCE AND COULD HIT BETWEEN THE 1ST, 2ND QUARTER OF 2010???
The Pakistan People's Party (PPP) as well as opposition parties are demanding that President Asif Zardari and several ministers resign and face trials for alleged past crimes.
The call for the resignations came after some cabinet ministers were named this weekend in the Law Ministry's list of people that have benefited from the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO), or an amnesty decree that dismissed their past alleged crimes.
The PPP leadership has conveyed to NRO that the beneficiary ministers should quit their offices "voluntarily before the party asks them to tender their resignations," Pakistan's Daily Times reported Monday, quoting a PPP source.
The PPP has also asked the concerned ministers to face their cases in courts instead of "becoming a liability to the government."
"President Asif Ali Zardari, who is also the co-chairman of the party, will continue in his office and will face the cases, as he has been doing in the past, after he leaves office," the report said.
Even the mainstream opposition party, the Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) demanded Monday, during a party meeting in Lahore, that the cabinet ministers who benefited from the NRO resign from their offices. It further asked President Zardari to decide his own fate, a Press TV correspondent reported late Monday.
As Pakistan is dealing with growing militancy, the call for the resignations and trials are yet another crisis looming large over the country.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/24/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Let me guess ... their internal emails appeared on climate websites?
[Al Arabiya Latest] Iraq's fractious parliament on Monday approved an amended version of a law needed to hold a general election next year, but sidestepped a veto by Sunni Arab Vice-President Tareq al-Hashemi, lawmakers said.
But the upcoming election was again thrown into oubt when a top MP warned the amended electoral law would be vetoed for a second time by the country's Sunni vice president.
"I must give you a very important notice: his excellency (Tareq al-Hashemi) will veto this again, but this will be considered his second veto," Baha al-Araji, the head of parliament's legal committee, told reporters, referring to Hashemi's veto of a previous bill last week.
"This has widened the problem and we are heading into a dark tunnel. This means a delay in the election by at least one month," said Alaa Maki of the Sunni Arab Accordance Front.
Maki said he believed the vice-president would again reject the law.
The amended election law includes new clauses that give Iraqis inside and outside the country equal status as voters and say the votes of refugees and exiles would be counted in their home provinces.
It also stipulates that the voter rolls will be based on food ration data from 2005, when the last election was held, increased by 2.8 percent per year since then to match estimated population growth.
But it did not increase the number of seats allocated to minorities, internally displaced and refugees to 15 percent of the total, as Hashemi had demanded when he cast his veto.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/24/2009 00:00 ||
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Jerusalem is not a Palestinian "problem" but a pan-Arab one, and Israel will suffer if a "just solution" is not found there, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak warned Sunday in Cairo, after meeting President Shimon Peres. Mubarak, according to a translation of his remarks put out by Peres's office, said there was no choice but to deal seriously with this issue, an apparent reference to the Jerusalem Municipal Planning Committee's decision to approve the building of 900 housing units in the southern Jerusalem neighborhood of Gilo.
"I expressed my concern to President Peres that peace talks have not progressed since our last meeting in July and that Egypt is looking forward to an Israeli response, such as halting the building of settlements in east Jerusalem," he said.
I think he's just spitballing the Paleos ...
Peres, in reply, said that Jerusalem was under Israeli sovereignty, and any change to that status would necessitate Knesset approval.
At the same time, referring to the recent riots in Jerusalem sparked by rumors that Israel was making a move on the Temple Mount, Peres said, "I want to send a clear message to the Arab world: we have no intention of building on the Temple Mount. We respect the Muslims, and I am sorry for the frequent rumors and lies. We should not create fabricated crises."
Peres said that just as Israel respects the Muslims, he expected the Muslims to respect the Jews and "guard the synagogues and churches in their lands to the same degree that we demonstrate toward the Muslims in Israel."
Good idea, let's see the UN human rights commissars get on that ...
The comments came at a press conference that followed a one-on-one meeting between the two men that lasted for 90 minutes, and which Peres's office characterized as "warm and positive."
Hosni understands that he needs the Israelis more than he needs the Paleos ...
They then had a working lunch, and were joined by Egypt's intelligence chief Omar Suleiman and Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit.
To which no Paleo officials were invited ...
Peres arrived in Cairo a day after Mubarak issued a withering attack of Israel in the Egyptian parliament, accusing Israel of having plans to "Judaize" Jerusalem, and saying its demand for recognition as a Jewish state and refusal to include Jerusalem in negotiations on a comprehensive agreement were "undermining" peace efforts." Regarding the settlement issue, Peres said at the press conference that this would be dealt with once negotiations resumed.
Peres termed the settlement construction a "marginal issue" that became a central issue for the wrong reasons, ...
Thanks Bambi
... and that this could be solved through negotiations and agreement.
"The sooner we start to negotiate, the issue of settlements will disappear, because once we have agreed borders, there won't be any problems, and we have to reach that by agreement," he said. "The minute we shall start to negotiate, there won't be new settlements, and there won't be confiscation of land."
In addition, he said, "There will be no financial investment in new settlements. There will be a dismantling of the settlements that were established without authorization."
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has said for months that Israel would not build any new settlements or expropriate any new land for settlement use.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/24/2009 00:00 ||
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accusing Israel of having plans to "Judaize" Jerusalem
Well, it is called Jew-rusalem, after all. I wonder how much of that 'withering attack' is just boilerplate for the home crowd while Hosni and Shimon figure out what to do about Iran.
#2
I wonder how much of that 'withering attack' is just boilerplate for the home crowd while Hosni and Shimon figure out what to do about Iran.
That's how I read it. I think Hosni was delivering a message from the Saoodis; if you Juice fellers want to overfly our country on your way to bomb Iran, it's okay and we never heard of you.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/24/2009 7:49 Comments ||
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Yep, and East Prussia is a Pan-Germanic issue. See how far that flies with Moscow.
Paranoid much?
Iranian authorities have banned the country's largest-circulation newspaper for publishing a photo of a Baha'i temple, state media reported Monday.
Iran's Shiite cleric-led regime views the Baha'i religion as heretical and has banned it since the 1979 revolution. The photo also gave Iran's leaders an opportunity to silence the Hamshahri daily, which mostly reports on social issues but which has been critical of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Posted by: ed ||
11/24/2009 10:54 ||
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Tehran begins the second day of a sweeping aerial drill with a strong warning to Tel Aviv: Israeli warplanes 'will come tumbling down' if they step out of line.
Israel routinely threatens to bomb Iran's nuclear sites, arguing that the country's enrichment activities are an existential threat to Tel Aviv, which ironically is reported to have an arsenal of 200 nuclear warheads at its disposal.
The threats were repeated only last week when Gabi Ashkenazi, the chief-of-staff of Israel's armed forces, dropped heavy hints at an upcoming attack on Iran.
In response to the threats, Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force, warned that Israel will pay a high price if it decides to commit such a mistake.
"One step out of line and Israeli warplanes will be completely destroyed," said Hajizadeh, explaining that Iran will annihilate Israeli F-15 and F-16 jets, if the country is attacked.
"Even if they escape our sophisticated defense system, they will never see their bases again; because our surface-to-surface missiles are on their marks to target Israeli military bases before the dust settles," he added.
Hajizadeh made the comments on the second day of a five-day aerial maneuver named the Sky of Velayat 2.
The maneuver, which began on Sunday and is said to be the biggest yet in Iran, involves all units of Iran's defense forces, including the military, the IRGC, and the Air Force.
Aimed at honing Iran's air defense skills against any potential attack on the country's nuclear plants, the drill will cover a vast area spanning from the northwestern parts of the country all the way to the South.
On a different note, Hajizadeh said that inquiries about Russia's failure to deliver the S-300 missiles under a previously agreed deal do not mean that Iran desperately needs the system to protect its airspace.
"The Iranian military and armed forces are merely demanding an explanation as to why the Kremlin is refusing to deliver the sophisticated anti-air craft system, which according to unofficial reports, is worth around $800 million," he said.
Codenamed 'the SA-20 Gargoyle' by NATO, the S-300 is a mobile land-based system designed to shoot down aircrafts and cruise missiles.
Russia's reluctance is said to be linked with strong Israeli opposition to the deal.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/24/2009 00:00 ||
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Russia's failure to deliver the S-300 missiles under a previously agreed deal do not mean that Iran desperately needs the system to protect its airspace.
So true. They still have the same Russian air defense that Syria found so effective during the recent excursion by the IAF. And they have all those Phantoms and Tomcats the Shah bought.
#3
"If you should cut me, I will bleed on you! Profusely even!"
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/24/2009 17:52 Comments ||
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ION WMF > UK "INDEPENDENT" MEDIA: US BASES AGREEMENT WID COLUMBIA ALLOWS THE USA TO DEPLOY NUCLEAR WEAPONS ON SAME[includ possib US Nuke Subs]. US NUCWEAPONS IN COLUMBIA ALLOW THE TO STRENGTHEN MILITARY, POLITICAL, + ECON CONTROL OVER SOUTH AMERICA + LATIN AMERICA [LatAmer = 1/2 of US Oil Imports]. US VOWS NEW COLUMBIAN BASES WILL NOT BE USED TO ATTACK ANY NATION IN THE AMERICAS???
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.
Power in the North Korean military is expected to be more heavily concentrated in the hands of newly appointed Defense Minister Kim Yong-chun, an intelligence officer in the South said after the military shakeup on Feb. 11. 
The North Korean military has seized charge of the economy, elbowing out other ministries and the Workers' Party, the Washington Post said Tuesday. According to the daily, North Korea's military has "grabbed nearly complete command of the nation's state-run economy and staked out a lucrative new trade in mineral sales to China to make money for its supreme commander, Kim Jong-il."
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs confirmed today that President Obama will not be making an Afghanistan announcement before the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
The Pakistan People's Party (PPP) as well as opposition parties are demanding that President Asif Zardari and several ministers resign and face trials for alleged past crimes. 
