Video at link
( Phoenix) - Tense moments for Arizona shoo-in John McCain after a media op on Sunday night.
As McCain was leaving, a fossilized 60s throwback waving a sign jumped in front of him yelping like a chihuahua (or maybe a Pomeranian).
A really big guy on the Senator's security team tackled the androgynous agitator to the ground, where she(?) kept barking and howling to the camera. She was among a group of peace tools upset about McCain's opposition to a surrender in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Sunday nights debate was the only televised meeting between the Senate candidates ahead of Election Day. Well, that was stoopid. And pointless.
#4
Still chuckling. The very least that can be said is, well, an American is trying to have their views heard. It is a start towards being American. A few short years ago,(1990s) the apathy in this country was so widespread, as in many people didn't even pick up a newspaper and Bill was out getting diddled. The moral hazard was that things were too placid. I think the battle lines have been drawn, and more people are reading news and being political, which is good for the country in the long term, even if we don't always agree.
#5
In the 1990's the Internet - specifically the 'web' - hadn't caught on with mainstream Americans yet. The MSM still had an almost lock on the information stream - and were trusted with it.
#8
AC, are you competing with Fred to see who can write the best parody paraphrase of a news story?
Y'all are having way too much fun. :-D
(And I'm jealous.)
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
09/27/2010 18:04 Comments ||
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#9
I like her shirt. "Do I look undocumented?"
No, hon, you don't. I'm sure there's paperwork on you in some Arizona state hospital.
Gotta feeling there'll be more. Probably around November...
[Al Arabiya] A prominent Egyptian Coptic organization on Sunday slammed as unacceptable a statement by the country's influential Mohammedan institution, Al-Azhar, describing Egypt as Islamic state.
Coptic organization "Partners for the Nation," known by its Arabic name as Shourakaa, released a statement saying, "The secular Coptic community completely rejects al-Azhar's statement that Egypt is an Islamic state. We are a civil state."
Secular Copt and head of the organization Mamdouh Ramzi demanded Azhar to withdraw its statement holding the institution responsible for any consequences of its announcement, which he said could lead Egypt to a dangerous path.
"We reject a state religion and no religious institution should interfere in political matters or bypass the role of the state," Ramzi said in an interview with Al Arabiya.
He added that the expression "Egypt an Islamic state" is "totally false" and seeks to spread hostilities between Mohammedans and Christian Copts in Egypt and undermine efforts toward democracy.
He added that attempts to impose Islamic law would possibly lead to a situation similar to that in Sudan. Sudan's bid to impose Islamic law lead the Christian south to demanding secession.
The secession demand in Sudan was only possible because the non-Muslim population is clustered in the south of the country. As far as I know, the Coptic population is scattered throughout Egypt.
The non-Muslim population in the Sudan also equals the Muslim population. And they have lots and lots of guns, and a willingness to use them ...
Posted by: Fred ||
09/27/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
In Egypt, the Copts are about in the same state the Jews in Europe were in prior to the rise of the Nazis. And no, it didn't take Goebbels to persuade the Germans that they hated Jews, he was preaching to the choir.
This leaves the Copts little option, because sooner or later...
[Al Arabiya] The rise of Jihadist trends and Salafi political parties as well as growing concerns about Islamism drove the Moroccan government to embark on a plan to support the Sufi movement in the country.
By virtue of its focus on religious practices, Sufism, a type of Islamic, mysticism, is a trend that does not aim at intervening in politics or public affairs unlike other emerging Islamic parties in Morocco. Absence of political ambition among Sufi groups has made them the Moroccan government's way of choice to fight extremism.
Financial support is among the government's strategies to encourage the spread of Sufism in Morocco. This is basically done through issuing royal donations in the name of King Mohamed VI to "zawyas," shrines in which Sufis perform their rituals.
Promotion of Sufism in the media is another of the government's ways to boost the trend. TV shows are dedicated to broadcasting Sufi "dhikr," Arabic for "remembrance," in which Sufis engage in devotional dancing, recitation, and meditation ceremonies for the purpose of remembering the blessing of God.
A series of lectures and seminars have also been launched recently in order to familiarize Moroccans with the principles of Sufism and the philosophy behind its practices.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/27/2010 00:00 ||
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#3
It's a definite step away from the jihadi drive of Saudi Arabia's Wahhabis and Pakistan's Deobandis. However, Sufism is not necessarily a kindlier, gentler form of Islam -- it's just the mystical form versus the puritanical legalistic form the other two favour. Whenever Sufis have been in charge they were just as hard on the kufr in their midst as the legalistic forms have been.
#6
Big Winnah!1! in the "let's set ourselves back a couple centuries" contest? Come on down!
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/27/2010 19:59 Comments ||
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#7
Morocco has a distinct advantage in the "more Muslim than thou" contest: the king claims a direct line of descent from Mohammed himself. Which didn't keep them from being white slaving pirates back when America was still toddling about in baby dresses.
[Iran Press TV] Yemeni President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh has pledged to fight suspected al-Qaeda elements as the country is under heavy attack by the terrorist group.
The Yemeni chief executive made the remarks during a speech on the anniversary of the country's revolution on Sunday.
"We are committed to the war on terror which has harmed our economy, the reputation of our religion and country," Saleh was quoted as saying by state news agency Saba.
Suspected al-Qaeda forces of Evil "have attacked the interests of our people and our homeland," he went on to say.
"We have no choice but to face their danger and overcome it by all means," he further explained.
There have been fierce clashes between government troops and suspected al-Qaeda forces of Evil in Yemen. There is a heavy presence of army soldiers in the area to keep the forces of Evil in check.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/27/2010 00:00 ||
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Mrs May, the Home Secretary, banned Zakir Naik, an Indian television preacher, from a lecture tour in the UK in mid-June, saying his presence “would not be conducive to the public good”.
Mrs May cited reported comments from Dr Naik such as “every Muslim should be a terrorist” and, on Osama Bin Laden, that “if he is fighting the enemies of Islam, I am for him” when she decided to ban him.
However papers lodged as part of Dr Naik's High Court challenge to the ban appear to show the extent of support for his entry among top Home Office officials, including Charles Farr, Whitehall's top security adviser.
They claim that at a meeting on 3 June with Dr Naik’s representatives Mr Farr said he would “put himself on the line” to secure Dr Naik’s entry.
The documents say: “Mr Farr was ‘in favour’ of the claimant coming to the UK and would do ‘all he could’ with the decision makers to encourage it”.
Mr Farr added, according to the papers, that “if necessary [he would] ‘put himself on the line’ as he felt ‘to exclude Dr Naik would be wrong’”.
Mr Farr was appointed director general of the Home OfficeÂ’s Office for Security and Counter Terrorism in July 2007.
His responsibilities reportedly include examining the security challenges from the 2012 Olympics. He was once tipped to be the next head of MI6.
According to the court papers, filed ahead of the start of a High Court hearing next month, Mr Farr said he felt Dr Naik had “a key role to play” and that he can “reach the people we simply cannot”.
He added “that, whatever his own view, it was the Secretary of State … who was charged with making the final decision”.
The documents claim Dr Naik told Mr Farr and a colleague Sabin Khan on 6 June that he had condemned unequivocably “all and any acts of terrorism” including the attacks of September 11 2001 in America and 7 July 2005 in London.
But, on 16 June, Mrs May banned Dr Naik from the UK, two days before he was due to arrive. She said: “Numerous comments made by Dr Naik are evidence to me of his unacceptable behaviour.
“Coming to the UK is a privilege not a right and I am not wiling to allow those who might not be conducive to the public good to enter the UK.”
Venezuela President Hugo Chavez, commenting for the first time on this week's killing of a commander in Colombia's main Marxist rebel group, criticized those who are "joyful" over his death.
"One shouldn't be joyful of the death of anyone," Chavez said Friday night at an event broadcast on state television. You can just feel the hurt in his words. Make no mistake, Chavez shed tears on hearing that a major terrorist had been killed by the legitimate government, I guarantee it. It put a serious dent in his ambitions to rule beyond his borders. I'm sure that's what he means by this, almost-crying tone. He's sad for himself most of all.
Chavez said he hopes that Colombia continues to work toward a peace deal with the rebels and hopes "they don't continue killing here and there." So, in other words, you just hope that what's happening stops happening. Typical wishful thinking...it's so stereotypically leftist that it hurts to type this.
The comments by Chavez on the killing of Mono Jojoy were rather subdued compared to his response in 2008 to the slaying of another FARC leader, Raul Reyes, in a cross-border raid into Ecuador by Colombian troops. This is the one that they identified by your satellite phone calls to him, Senor President-for-Life.
Chavez called Reyes' killing a "coldly calculated murder" and criticized Colombia for wanting to "show off the trophy." During a speech shortly after Reyes' death, he held a moment of silence for the outlaw, a move roundly criticized by the Bogota government. But roundly praised by the usual suspects, who of course are not mentioned.
#2
Yeah. That's kind of the point of the article. He just saw his last, best hope go up in smoke, so he's sorry for himself. He expresses this in an odd way because he can't come out and say "I love FARC" in front of the TV cameras.
SEOUL (Reuters) -- Secretive North Korea's ailing leader Kim Jong-il has named his youngest son as a military general, state media said early on Tuesday, marking the first stage of a dynastic succession.
Kim Jong-il, 68, is believed to have suffered a stroke in 2008 and has been gibbering ever since, but despite his declining health is not expected to go into retirement just yet, experts say. They say his son Kim Jong-un is too young and inexperienced to fully take the reins.
Kim also gave the rank of general to his sister, Kyong-hui, who had been considered a key backer of the young son, KCNA news agency reported.
The young Kim's appointment comes ahead of the opening of a rare meeting of the ruling Workers' Party on Tuesday, in a move analysts had expected would signal the start of the succession process in the North.
In the event Kim Jong-il dies suddenly,
... our fondest wish ...
his son by then identified as figurehead leader, would be surrounded by close family confidants who have been appointed to senior positions in the Workers' Party and military in recent months.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/27/2010 15:31 ||
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#1
and has been gibbering ever since
perhaps you mean that the intensity of his gibbering increased after the stroke?
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
09/27/2010 19:48 Comments ||
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#7
DAILY TIMES.PK > {Russian FM] LAVROV: RUSSIA, CHINA ON SAME PAGE ON NORTH KOREA ["economic engagement" favored by Russia-China to induce the DPRK to give up on dev Nukes].
The North Korean military is reportedly preparing for a massive parade featuring some 10,000 troops, new ballistic missiles, tanks and long-range artillery guns.
Been a while since we've seen a parade of T-55s. Not since the Hungarian revolution, I think ...
A senior South Korean government source on Sunday said intelligence suggests the North has been preparing for the parade since July 12, when it gathered a large number of troops and a lot of equipment at Mirim Airport near Pyongyang.
The parade is expected to be the biggest ever, with more than double the number of troops in the past, and mark the 65th anniversary of the Workers Party on Oct. 10, the source added.
The weapons the North is preparing to display include various missiles, such as new intermediate-range ballistic missiles with a range of 3,000 to 4,000 km capable of reaching Guam, Rodong missiles with a range of 1,300 km, Scud missiles with a range of 300 to 500 km and new KN-02 surface-to-surface missiles with a range of 120 km. Long-range artillery installed at areas near the demilitarized zone, including 240 mm multiple rocket launchers, which pose a threat to the Seoul metropolitan region, various kinds of tanks, and armored vehicles are also slated to take part.
The aim is apparently to show off the regime's power as ailing leader Kim Jong-il tries to establish his son Jong-un as his heir in time with an extraordinary party congress slated for Tuesday and the 65th party anniversary.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/27/2010 00:00 ||
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#2
"Capable of reaching GUAM" > D *** NG IT, KIMMIE CAN'T DO THAT, DATS CHINA'S JOB!
Well, to wit,
* WMF > JAPANESE EXPERTS: DISPUTED DAOYUS [Japan = Senkaku Islands] SHOULD BE RECAST INTO A "JAPAN SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION [SAR] FOR THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA".
* WMF > MURDEROUS US F22's/ US F22 MURDERERS ARRIVE ON GUAM.
* WMF > RUSSIA INTENDS TO TRANSFER US$1.5BILYUHN TO CHINA'S "BACKFIRE" LR BOMBER PRODUCTION LINE. Improved, Armed "Chinese Backfire" Bombers are anticipated to be used in support of Chin PLAAF, PLAN-led defense agz LARGE OFFSHORE NAVAL FLEETS [read, incoming US CVN + CVBG's], US GUAM BASE, JAPAN, + STRAITS OF MALACCAS CAN BE RELIABLY ATTACKED AND BOMBED BY CPLA LONG-RANGE FORCES.
* WMF > CHINA TO PRODUCE MORE LR BALLISTIC MISSLE NUCLEAR SUBMARINES TO PERMANENTLY NULL + BREAK THE BARRIERS OF THE "FIRST ISLAND CHAIN",
US AIRCRAFT CARRIERS ON GUAM BASE + HAWAII PUT AT NUCLEAR RISK [nuclear destruction].
#4
OOOPDIES, forgot TOPIX > GERMANY CAN NOW SAY "NO" TO THE US.
GERMANY = TWO KOREAS, POST-COLD WAR GERMAN REUNIFICATION = INTER-KOREAN REUNIFICATION = UNIFIED GERMANY/KOREAS are better off + geopol stronger than as before re-unification.
#9
Eh, they probably have enough P'okpung-Hos to populate an old-fashioned stalinist equipment parade. If not, they can always fill out the formation with T-62s.
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
09/27/2010 15:23 Comments ||
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#10
More like T-55s!
They'll paint up those old garbage cans and throw some sawdust in the tranny though. Should last long enough to get em through the parade.
Detainees' diets at Guantanamo Bay have been a controversial issue for some time and now the U.S. prison is said to be rationing ice cream.
The frozen dessert is allegedly being tightly measured, with only one ice cream allowed for each of its 147 detainees.
Journalist for The Miami Herald, Carol Rosenberg, photographed a refrigerator at Guantanamo, with two signs reading 'DETAINEE FOOD ONLY' and 'Only 1 Ice Cream For each detainee!'
Rosenberg revealed: 'Found this fridge for Guantanamo detainee food in the rotunda of Camp 6, the most populous of the U.S Navy base prison camps on Sept. 23, 2010 with nearly 90 captives.'
The report comes after much debate on the feeding of U.S. detainees suspected of terrorism, where under feeding in the past has angered human rights advocates.
'Until recently the prison camps boasted on their website that they provide the 174 war on terror detainees with 5,500 -- 6,000 calories a day', Rosenberg wrote.
A early-middle age man with a mostly sedentary life-style (e.g., in a prison cell most of the day) would be expected to require 2,100 - 2,500 calories a day. If you give that man 6,000 calories a day you will fulfill the fondest wishes we at Rantburg have -- after all, a fat, waddling terrorist is slow and easy to kill.
But early detainees were said to have been barely given enough food to survive, while others later tried to starve themselves by attempting hunger strikes.
The ice cream rationing has now led the journalist to question Guantanamo Bay's motives, suspecting that it might be an attempt to reduce spending. Oh, the Humanity!
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
09/27/2010 12:47 ||
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That's about what I aim for when I'm on a hard core bulking cycle at the gym. Can't imagine what a lard-ass you'd be eating that many calories and sitting in a cell for 23 hours a day.
Do note that it's the Pakistani Foreign Office, which already has a Kashmir of its own, not the Indian one.
[Pak Daily Times] Kashmir is not an integral part of India as it is an internationally recognised issue, Foreign Office Spokesman Abdul Basit said on Sunday. Talking to a private news channel, he said the issue could not be resolved under the constitution of India. It was an international issue and the United Nations, aka the Oyster Bay Chowder and Marching Society had passed resolutions for its solution and ultimately it would have to be resolved in accordance with the Kashmiris aspirations, he said. "When there will be a change in Indian policy which has been inflexible in the past, then certainly the talks will prove beneficial between the two countries. Since June 11, there is use of brute force by India in Indian Kashmir and nearly 110 Kashmiris have been martyred," he added.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/27/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
PAKISTANI DEFENCE FORUM > PAKISTAN ASKS INDIA NOT TO CONSIDER KASHMIR AS ITS INTEGRAL PART.
* CHINESE MIL FORUM > JAMESTOWN.ORG = CHINA UNVEILS "THE KASHMIR CARD" | CPLA ON THE MOVE ALONG ALONG CHINA'S SW FRONTIER IN PAKISTAN-HELD KASHMIR.
ARTIC = Major "GEOPOL CRISIS OF HIMALAYAN PROPORTIONS" slowly forming from Afganistan to Burma [Myanmar]; BEIJING FEAR OF [ANTI-SECULAR = ANTI-PARTY-STATE, REACTIONARY] ISLAM + BUDDHISM??? Islamist-led Muslim Separatism versus Hardline MILITANT TIBETAN, CHINESE BUDDHISM???
[Pak Daily Times] Kashmiri separatist leaders on Sunday rejected India's offer to release hundreds of young detainees and review the massive deployment of security forces in the Himalayan territory to defuse deadly civil unrest.
Syed Ali Geelani, the hardline separatist leader who has organised months of protests in the Indian-held Kashmir, dismissed an offer from the government for fresh talks and a security review.
The proposals were put forward by Indian Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram after he led an all-party mission last week to the region, while authorities relaxed a rigid curfew for several hours on Sunday in Srinagar and seven main towns following a pause in the unrest.
"It is a time-gaining exercise and unrealistic. It is aimed to hoodwink the international community," Geelani told news hounds in Srinagar. "If rulers in New Delhi believe that by releasing a few students and providing ex gratia relief to the families of martyrs they can reduce the alienation (of Kashmiris), they are wrongly mistaken," he said.
Protests: He has also announced another seven days of protests over the next 10 days. A statement released in Srinagar appealed to the people to observe complete shutdown and civil curfew on September 27 (today).
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, another separatist leader, said India's initiative was inadequate because all parties were not being consulted.
"Our focus is on the resolution of the Kashmir dispute. New Delhi's latest initiative is not going to change anything in that relation as the dispute involves three parties, Kashmiris, India and Pakistain," Farooq told AP.
Farooq urged India and Pakistain to set up Kashmir committees made up of politicians that could work to resolve the Kashmir issue by involving separatist leaders.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/27/2010 00:00 ||
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[Iran Press TV] A Pak minister has stepped down after severely criticizing the country's influential army and accusing it of killing prominent politicians. The minister for defense production, Abdul Qayyum Khan Jatoi, made the remarks at a news conference in the western city of Quetta.
"We provided the army with uniforms and boots not so that they kill their own fellow countrymen, kill [former Baluchistan Governor] Nawab [Akbar] Sahib [Bugti] and [former Prime Minister] Benazir Bhutto," Jatoi said.
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani told news hounds Sunday that the minister's statements were his personal opinion and did not reflect the Pak government's view.
Jatoi submitted his resignation to Gilani hours after making the controversial remarks.
Former premier Bhutto was killed in a bombing at an election rally in December 2007, while Bugti was killed in a military operation in the province of Baluchistan in 2006.
Criticizing the army is considered very risky for Pak politicians as it is widely believed to be the most powerful institution in the country. Pakistain's military has staged several coups against the civilian governments and has ruled the South Asian country for much of its 63-year history.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/27/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
General, is Jatoy on the "list"?
Well, he wasn't. But he is now...
[Pak Daily Times] One person was killed in a rampage that occurred during food distribution in flood victims relief camps in Kotri, Hyderabad, a private TV channel reported on Sunday. According to details, Provincial Minister Mazharul Haq was distributing eatables among the flood victims when the rampage occurred. The eatables were distributed among the flood victims of the Dadu area. The flood victims staged a protest against the provincial minister which resulted in another four people being injured as the police subjected them to lathi-charge, the TV channel reported. Meanwhile, ...back at the ranch... the protesters blocked the national highway, due to which trains from Kotri to Karachi were delayed.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/27/2010 00:00 ||
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The bad news is that Maoists are not short of arms, any more. Of men they were never short, but with adequate weaponry now, they are in a position to go full blast on the offensive and create havoc. Last week's attack on the hapless men of the CRPF was just an indication of what they can do. The assessment is not mine, it is that of senior police officers involved in the war against the Left ultras.
In the good old days, Maoists used to move in dalams -- groups of 7 or 8. They would hit and scoot. Those were the days of guerrilla warfare. But they have now upgraded their set-up. Dalams have been replaced by platoons -- a group of 20-22 men. There are higher formations too: a company, which has 100-odd ultras and a battalion, which consists of 1,000 men. Clear indications that they have a lot of manpower.
The Left ultras have adequate weaponry too, largely courtesy the Orissa police. The untrained, poorly motivated cops of that state have allowed their armouries to be raided and weapons taken away. Also a rash of attacks on police forces largely gone unnoticed has resulted in a big booty for Maoists. In the attack on the CRPF on Dantewada, the Left ultras made away with 21 AK 47s, 38 Insas rifles, 7 SLRs, 6 LMGs ( light machine guns), 1 sten gun and two-inch mortar each. "These ultras have been whiling away time, because without weapons they can't launch attacks. Now with weapons they are in a position to step up their activities," senior police officers told me.
The nightmare of the police officials is the prospect of a battalion (1,000-strong) of Maoists suddenly descending on police outposts in the infested areas. No police stations, however brave the men who defend them, can match up to so many ultras at one time. Neither is it possible to post 100-200 policemen at each police station in the ultra-infested areas. The police don't have so many people. The problem of the cops is compounded by the fact that the local tribal population aids and assists the ultras. Whether this is out of fear or due to other incentives is a different matter, but their tacit support to the Left ultras is not in doubt.
[Pak Daily Times] Mohammedan nations must collectively resist growing Islamophobia in the US and Europe, the head of the world's largest organisation of Islamic countries told ministers from the 57 member nations gathered this week. When Mohammedans "resist" things it usually involves riots, sometimes chopping people's heads off...
And bomb vests. We mustn't forget all the resisting that's done wearing explosive vests.
Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu urged members of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) to work with Western leaders to dispel misconceptions about their faith. They met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. I labor under the "misconceptions" that most terror acts are perpetrated by Mohammedans. Convince me otherwise.
Ihsanoglu told The News Agency that Dare Not be Named on Saturday that he would be taking this message 'on the road' next week to Chicago, where the OIC will host a major conference on Islam and Mohammedans in America at the American Islamic College. Oooh! Mom! Take me there!
Key: "Education is key in helping the West truly understand Islam," he said. Yasss... I remember being "educated" on the oneness of "Abrahamic" religions. Luckily that didn't last long...
He said his new book, "The Islamic World in the New Century: The Organisation of the Islamic Conference, 1969-2009," includes a whole chapter on the danger of growing Islamophobia in the West. If it's growing, you might want to have a hard look at what's fertilizing it...
Islam has recently been under attack in America, especially with a controversy over a victory mosque near the World Trade Center site and threats by groups to burn the holy Koran in protest. These are nothing like demands that those who insult Mohammedanism be beheaded or attempts to bomb Danish newspapers...
Difficult: "The Mohammedan world is going through an unprecedented difficult and trying time," Ihsanoglu said. "We are facing daunting challenges and severe hardships. Islam and Mohammedans are under serious attack, and Islamophobia is growing and becoming more rampant and dangerous by the day," he added. It seems to consist of purely verbal attacks. I don't see anybody but Mohammedans kidnapping Mohammedans and killing them. Military operations target armed groups of Mohammedans, not the general populace, and we're pretty fastidious about not leveling mosques.
He said a "pandemic of Islam vilification" is sweeping through some parts of Europe and the US, increasing misperceptions about Islam and eroding Mohammedans' human rights. Those are generally the parts of Europa and the US that are closest to the guys who favor turbans and curly-toed slippers.
"We need an all inclusive effort of OIC member states to stem this menace," Ihsanoglu told the ministers. "That is why I firmly believe that this question of Islamophobia should figure prominently on the agenda of all OIC member states whenever they deal with their Western counterparts, " he said. He's rolling his eyes and crying wolf at an intellectual problem: increasing numbers of people don't like Mohammedans and their religion. Meanwhile, guys with turbans are murdering real people, many of them Mohammedans, and being supported by majorities of people who're bitching about not being liked. Anybody see the problem here? Anybody? Bueller?
Ihsanoglu, who is from Turkey, has headed the OIC since 2005. The group is seen as a moderate, collective voice for Islam. "Moderate" doesn't appear to be a synonym for "intellectually honest," does it?
"The OIC is a strategic and crucial partner of the United Nations, aka the Oyster Bay Chowder and Marching Society and plays a significant role in helping to resolve a wide range of issues facing the world community," UN Secretary-General the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon said in a statement to the group when it met on Friday. Kinda the problem in a nutshell, isn't it?
Member states reflect the reach of Islam across the Middle East, Asia, Africa and the Caribbean, and include Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Morocco, Afghanistan, Syria, Chad, Senegal, Niger, Sudan, Guyana and Surinam.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/27/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
excuse me you arrogant twat, Ihsanoglu
I "understand" Islam perfectly well
I just don't *like* it. That's my right as a free person.
And rational people *should* be afraid of an expansionist, fascist, religious ideology whose adherents have repeatedly used suicide bombings and terrorist attacks in the name of spreading their hateful message.
People are right to be afraid of such. A fear based on good reason is not a phobia.
Not only are people right to have such a fear they are right to act on it.
#2
By George, anon1, you'd make a great American. Or we'd make great Australians :-)
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/27/2010 7:57 Comments ||
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#3
thanks Steve, I really like your country a lot. We have a lot to be greatful to the US for, here down under.
You are welcome down here any time. Bring all your ideas of freedom of speech and freedom of the press as some people here are starting to forget that they are important :)
Scuse me, but a cultural aside, the word twat is used less frequently in the USA, cause it still considered very offensive unlike Britoners and Aussies who sprinkle it liberally, IRCC. Haha. So I guess it is then a great phrase reserved for the vilest of villains--the Islamic douche described in this article.
[Iran Press TV] Former Iraqi premier Iyad Allawi has restated that his electoral slate will not participate in the new Iraqi government if it is led by incumbent Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
Since his al-Iraqiya electoral slate won a plurality of seats in Iraq's May 7 general elections, Allawi has repeatedly rejected the idea of cooperating with Maliki's State of Law alliance, which finished second in the vote.
Meanwhile, ...back at the ranch... the State of Law coalition has joined the Iraqi National Alliance (INA), which finished third in the May elections, to form the National Alliance, which now stands only four seats short of the parliamentary majority they need to form a government.
Al-Iraqiya has described the calls for a grand alliance as a desperate attempt to intensify political sectarianism and has vowed to resist the formation of a government by these two blocs.
"Al-Iraqiya will not be part of the government headed by Maliki," the bloc's front man, Rahim al-Shammari, told a Press TV correspondent. "I want to clarify something: al-Iraqiya is capable of delaying or paralyzing the formation of the government or the three presidential positions," he threatened.
The INA announced on Tuesday that the bloc would decide within five days who they would nominate for the post of prime minister after they agreed to set up a committee of 14 wise men tasked with choosing a candidate to form a government.
Iraqi Vice President Adel Abdul-Mahdi and Nouri al-Maliki are the frontrunners for the coalition's nomination for the post of prime minister, who would head the next government.
"We have adopted measures and standards to choose our candidate for the post of prime minister, which is going to be either Adel Abdul-Mahdi or Nouri al-Maliki," Iraqi MP Abbas al-Bayati said. "This is considered a step forward and toward forming a new government."
Widely viewed as enjoying the support of the West and regional Arab powers, Allawi's al-Iraqiya won 91 seats out of the 325-member parliament in the March 7 polls, two more than Maliki's State of Law alliance. The INA finished third with 70 seats.
Allawi's latest remarks come as concern is rising that the political vacuum in the absence of a new government months since the March parliamentary vote could fuel militancy by al-Qaeda-linked Orcs and similar vermin intent on destabilizing the country.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/27/2010 00:00 ||
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BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council Leader Ammar al-Hakim met on Sunday with U.S. ambassador to Iraq James Jeffrey and deliberated over efforts exerted by the Iraqi political blocs to accelerate formation of a new government, according to the SIIC web site.
“Hakim emphasized the importance of forming a genuine national partnership government that excludes no part of the active actors on the Iraqi political chessboard,” the SIIC web site said.
Differences among political blocs reached their zenith between the main two blocs, al-Iraqiya of former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi and the State of Law of incumbent Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, with the first obtaining 91 out of the new parliamentÂ’s 325 seats while the second obtained 89.
The State of Law formed a coalition with the Iraqi National Alliance (INA) to garner the largest number of seats in the new parliament.
This claim was rejected by al-Iraqiya bloc, which argued that it had been the winner of the largest number of seats in the parliament and that it has the right to form the new government.
IraqÂ’s March 7 nationwide elections had ended with four main Iraqi political blocs obtaining most seats, as Iraqiya won 91 seats, followed by MalikiÂ’s State of Law with 89 seats, Ammar Al-HakimÂ’s INA with 70 seats and the Kurdistan Alliance of Iraqi Kurdistan Region President Massoud Barazani and Iraqi President Jalal Talabani as well as a number of Kurdish Islamic parties with 57 seats.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/27/2010 00:00 ||
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[Iran Press TV] The Viva Paleostina aid convoy to Gazoo, Lifeline 5, has been met with enthusiastic reception as it makes its way through the Greek city of Thessaloniki.
"Yay! Hooray! There goes Georgie Galloway!"
Part of the aid convoy set out from London on September 18 with more vehicles joining from countries along the way, including France.
After a lengthy drive from the Greek west coast to the city of Thessaloniki, the convoy members enjoyed a break and reorganized for the next part of the journey into Istanbul in Turkey.
"We are here instead of governments. Let us say we represent the conscience of the world... This is a spiritual convoy. It is a convoy that is here to deliver aid but it is also to break the siege," Mark Holt from the Merseyside Stop the War Coalition told a Press TV correspondent during the break.
During the journey, the convoy took the opportunity to hit the streets of the big city and raise awareness of their humanitarian mission.
Throughout Europe, the convoy, organized by former British politician George Galloway, has held public meetings in countries like Italy with the aim of informing the locals as well as highlighting the plight of Paleostinians, especially the people of Gazoo.
On May 31, a similar Turkish-backed aid convoy Freedom Flotilla, which was seeking to deliver aid to Gazooks, was stormed by Israeli commandos.
The assault, which took place in international waters, claimed the lives of nine Turkish human rights muscle.
"When the vicious attack on the Marmara happened, it opened up the eyes of people right around the world, even on the other side of the world and many of us felt, we had to be there," leader of the Kia Ora Gazoo group, Roger Fowler, told Press TV.
"This is going to be a truly international convoy to try and break the siege and take humanitarian aid to the people of Gazoo," Fowler added.
The convoy is scheduled to reach its final destination to the coastal sliver in the next few weeks.
Gazoo's 1.5 million residents have been living under a crippling Israeli siege since 2006, depriving them of food, fuel and other basic necessities.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/27/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
Gazoo's 1.5 million residents have been living under a crippling Israeli siege since 2006, depriving them of food, fuel and other basic necessities.
Man, the BS just slithers along in a solid sheet here, doesn't it?
No mention of the new swimming pools, resorts opening and all the other revelations I read here on RB
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
09/27/2010 17:00 Comments ||
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#2
As I recall, the last time Mr. Galloway and his convoy passed through, after being stalled for quite some time in the heat in Jordan, they were stopped in Egypt, which eventually decided to let in the goods, but not the people -- especially the formerly honourable Mr. Galloway. He doesn't have a history of being very effective in his search for drama.
#4
#3 Any bets on whether Georgie Boy's actually on the big road trip? Or will he just fly in for a prominent place in the photo op at the end?
depends on the cash. Galloway would gladly expose hisself a bit at the end for publicity and future whoring. It would take big bucks to have to endure the entire dreary cruise
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/27/2010 22:03 Comments ||
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[Al Arabiya] The United States launched a frantic bid to avert the collapse of Middle East talks ahead of a deadline Sunday, but Paleostinian leader the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas said Israel must choose between settlements and peace.
Abbas, who has threatened to quit U.S.-organized negotiations unless Israel extends a moratorium on housing for settlers in the occupied territories, condemned "the mentality of expansion and domination" that he said controls Israel's policies.
The Paleostinian leader met U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell at a New York hotel before talks with other Arab leaders and then leaving the United States without any sign of a deal.
The U.S. administration also held talks with Israeli leaders, according to U.S. officials.
"We are doing everything we can to keep the parties in direct talks," State Department front man P.J. Crowley said.
"We remain engaged with both sides," Crowley added later after Abbas had flown out.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/27/2010 00:00 ||
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[Iran Press TV] The Paleostinian Authority (PA) says Israel must halt its construction activity in the West Bank, noting peace and continued settlement expansion do not go hand in hand. It doesn't look like peace goes hand in hand with anything, does it?
"Restoring the credibility of the peace processor mainly requires compelling... Israel to comply with its obligations and commitments, particularly to cease all settlement activities in the occupied Paleostinian territory, especially in and around east al-Quds (Jerusalem)," acting PA Chief the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas told the United Nations, aka the Oyster Bay Chowder and Marching Society General Assembly on Saturday, the Jerusalem Post reported.
Abbas accused Israel of following policies controlled by what he called the 'mentality of expansion and domination,' noting such a mentality has created dangerous problems for Paleostinians.
Israel "must choose between peace and the continuation of settlements," he insisted.
The remarks come as a partial, temporary settlement freeze Tel Aviv announced in November is due to expire Sunday amid international calls for an extension of the 10-month moratorium, which, even when in place, excluded East al-Quds and allowed the building of "community centers."
On September 2, the first round of direct PA-Israeli talks was launched in Washington upon invitation of the US State Department, in the face of vehement opposition from the public as well as major factions across the Paleostinian territories.
They cite fears that the talks could end up with the Paleostinian Authority giving further concessions to Israel under pressure from Washington, traditionally viewed as Tel Aviv's guardian and closest ally.
PA officials have threatened to walk out of the US-sponsored direct talks if Israel does not extend the moratorium, but have hinted the door to negotiation remains open nonetheless.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/27/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
PA to Israel: Choose peace of the grave or settlement
[Iran Press TV] Nearly 200 Iranian politicians have expressed support for President Mahmoud Short Round Ahmadinejad's remarks at the UN General Assembly last week.
In a statement released on Sunday, 195 politicians said Ahmadinejad's remarks brought joy to the Mohammedan and freedom-seeking nations of the world.
On Thursday, Ahmadinejad proposed that an independent UN committee investigate the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington over what he called "suspicious" circumstances surrounding the attacks.
Two Iranian politicians shared their views on the controversial call with Press TV.
"President Ahmadinejad's revolutionary standings are naturally not pleasant for countries like the United States and Britain, and therefore they are worried," head of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Alaeddin Boroujerdi said Sunday.
"Ahmadinejad referred to an issue which has been a big question mark in the minds of Americans. Naturally the United States is not happy about Ahmadinejad's speech, because there are many ambiguities surrounding the 9/11 incident, especially over its connection with the Zionist Regime [of Israel]."
Lawmaker Hassan Ghafourifard said Ahmadinejad "was criticizing the position of the United States about what happened on September 11, because so many people were killed in that incident. Then America felt justified to attack Iraq and Afghanistan."
"No body cares about the kind of killing that is going on in Afghanistan. And President Ahmadinejad said we have to do a researched probe to find out what was really behind that attack," he added.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/27/2010 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Hizbullah Deputy Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem on Sunday said Hizbullah's demands focus on two issues -- uncovering false witnesses and those standing behind them; and accusing Israel of assassinating former PM Rafik Hariri based on the data provided by Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.
"Cross-examining false witnesses is the only gate to uncovering the truth," Qassem said, adding that "those concerned should discuss the accusation" against Israel.
He reassured that the Hezbullies are in a "very good condition." The Resistance is "strong with its head raised high. It stands steadfast and is not affected by statements made by some (politicians)," he stressed.
Qassem, however, warned that targeting Hizbullah as a Resistance is tantamount to targeting Leb and the region. "Targeting Hizbullah means that the future of the country is targeted," he added. "This Resistance will carry on. "
This article starring:
Naim Qassem
Hizbullah
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah
Hizbullah
Posted by: Fred ||
09/27/2010 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel on Sunday warned that Leb is facing "more than one coup."
"It we were to choose between the International Tribunal associated with street mishaps or no Tribunal, we will choose the Court because the State cannot survive without justice," Gemayel told MTV.
"We feel as if this is the beginning of a regime change to an alternative" he added.
"Is the alternative a return to the era of (Syrian) tutelage?" Gemayel asked.
Addressing Hizbullah, Gemayel said: "I am sincere in the invitation, Let us sit down together with Hizbullah as long as they are sure of their innocence, and I am ready to take an initiative and find a way out of the crisis.
"Any settlement, however, should not be at the expense of the truth," he stressed.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/27/2010 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hizbullah accused western powers on Sunday of wanting to "kill" Hizbullah to prevent it from stopping Israel to implement its decision to naturalize Paleostinians in Leb.
"They want to kill the Resistance That'd be the Hezbullies, natch... which is an obstacle in the face of Israel. The first decision they want to implement is naturalization, but as long as there is a resisting people there is no naturalization," Aoun said following mass at Saint Takla church in Bkessine in Jezzine district.
Giving the example of "lies" by the Bush administration to launch war on Iraq, the MP wondered: "What would prevent the Security Council and the international community from coming up with a new lie and covering up the truth by preventing the prosecution of false witnesses" in ex-Premier Rafik Hariri's assassination case.
"We were accused of conspiring against our country because we respected our words," he said.
Turning to his war on corruption, Aoun told supporters gathered outside the church: "We want a resisting people that do not surrender to corruption."
However, The infamous However... he blamed the people for not confronting corrupt rulers, saying state money was being spent without surveillance and control.
"Our presence ends with emigration and land sales," he said. He also hailed the residents of holding onto their lands in the area, urging them not to sell their properties despite high real estate prices.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/27/2010 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Hizbullah MP Nawaf Moussawi on Sunday warned against any form of compromise on "defending ourselves." "Ain't nobody tells us what to do!"
He renewed criticism against the Special Tribunal for Leb.
Moussawi said that by avoiding to arrest false witnesses, the U.N.-backed investigation team into Hariri's assassination has "failed the integrity and trust exam the first time; giving us a clear evidence that it (probe) is subject to politicization because of its support to one political camp."
That was a reference to the majority March 14 alliance, whom Moussawi accused of recruiting false witnesses "in response to the international political will."
Moussawi's remarks came during a ceremony honoring graduating students in the southern town of Hanaway.
Regarding the so-called "invasion" by Hizbullah supporters of Beirut airport last weekend, Moussawi believed that the State was "anyway stripped of its dignity."
"What happened at the airport was our right as MPs and political sides to open the VIP lounge and be present there because we are the makers of honor," he stressed. "There shall be no compromise on defending ourselves in the face of false accusations, and we have the absolute right to use what we deem appropriate for that," he warned.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/27/2010 00:00 ||
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[Iran Press TV] Iran's foreign minister has stressed the necessity of allocating more permanent and non-permanent seats in the UN Security Council to Islamic countries. "Yeah! We should be in charge!"
"In the past two decades the UN has faced important challenges and has lost its efficiency to effectively respond to the needs of the modern world," Manouchehr Mottaki said at the Organization of the Islamic Conferences (OIC) Foreign Ministers Annual Coordination Meeting at the United Nations, aka the Oyster Bay Chowder and Marching Society Headquarters in New York on Sunday.
The OIC, which was established in 1969, is the second-largest inter-governmental organization after the United Nations and has 57 member states spread over four continents.
"Therefore, continuing the process of revising the structure of this organization (the UNSC) with the aim of strengthening its capabilities and enhancing its capacities... is an unavoidable necessity," IRNA quoted Mottaki as saying.
The Iranian foreign minister added that the UN decision-making process should be more democratized and its activities more clear.
Mottaki referred to the mounting trend of Islamophobia as the Islamic world's main challenge in the West and called for the cooperation of all Mohammedan countries and the adoption of collective measure to effectively counter the phenomenon.
Anti-Islam protesters in the US desecrated the Qur'an on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks by burning pages of the Mohammedan holy book which caused worldwide protests.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/27/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
We can't help it.
The more of you we shoot, the less we like you.
Sorry.
#3
Let's have a bidding war for Our SC seat between Iran and ZimBob Mugabe. The winner gets the seat, the current US tab, and the privilege of hosting this fine institution on their own soil.
I'm confident we can find something more useful to do with the $$ and our time.
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.
[Pak Daily Times] Kashmiri separatist leaders on Sunday rejected India's offer to release hundreds of young detainees and review the massive deployment of security forces in the Himalayan territory to defuse deadly civil unrest.
[Iran Press TV] A Pak minister has stepped down after severely criticizing the country's influential army and accusing it of killing prominent politicians. The minister for defense production, Abdul Qayyum Khan Jatoi, made the remarks at a news conference in the western city of Quetta. 
The bad news is that Maoists are not short of arms, any more. Of men they were never short, but with adequate weaponry now, they are in a position to go full blast on the offensive and create havoc. Last week's attack on the hapless men of the CRPF was just an indication of what they can do. The assessment is not mine, it is that of senior police officers involved in the war against the Left ultras.
[Iran Press TV] The Viva 
[Al Arabiya] The United States launched a frantic bid to avert the collapse of Middle East talks ahead of a deadline Sunday, but 
[An Nahar] Hizbullah Deputy Secretary-General Sheikh 
Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel on Sunday warned that 
