Hi there, !
Today Thu 08/22/2013 Wed 08/21/2013 Tue 08/20/2013 Mon 08/19/2013 Sun 08/18/2013 Sat 08/17/2013 Fri 08/16/2013 Archives
Rantburg
533557 articles and 1861513 comments are archived on Rantburg.

Today: 54 articles and 152 comments as of 23:23.
Post a news link    Post your own article   
Area: WoT Operations    Non-WoT    Opinion        Politix   
Dozens of Egyptian policemen killed in North Sinai blast
Today's Headlines
Headline Comments [Views]
Page 2: WoT Background
11 20:56 JosephMendiola [5] 
0 [4] 
0 [6] 
0 [7] 
0 [1] 
0 [3] 
1 02:04 JosephMendiola [7] 
1 11:09 Pappy [2] 
0 [5] 
14 21:05 gorb [5] 
0 [3] 
0 [4] 
2 23:56 JosephMendiola [5] 
2 01:55 JosephMendiola [2] 
7 19:43 Glenmore [4] 
1 11:14 Paul D [3] 
Page 1: WoT Operations
1 22:42 lord garth [3]
4 19:33 Glenmore [5]
2 11:10 Besoeker [3]
1 07:56 Frank G [6]
6 10:27 Redneck Jim [1]
0 [4]
0 [4]
0 [8]
0 [7]
0 [7]
0 [9]
0 [9]
0 [2]
0 [3]
0 [3]
0 [3]
1 01:41 g(r)omgoru [4]
0 [2]
0 []
7 16:33 g(r)omgoru [5]
Page 3: Non-WoT
0 [2]
3 18:17 Frank G [11]
0 [7]
1 15:51 Dopey Sinatra [2]
1 10:10 Redneck Jim [2]
2 17:41 SteveS [2]
Page 4: Opinion
0 [1]
12 20:12 Bright Pebbles [5]
1 00:46 Unolulet Hupomoling9738 [3]
3 05:34 g(r)omgoru []
8 23:51 JosephMendiola [1]
6 18:32 Pappy [3]
5 15:58 Dopey Sinatra [4]
4 20:13 OldSpook [8]
Page 6: Politix
8 18:40 Pappy [3]
6 07:46 Besoeker [3]
18 19:03 Dale [7]
13 21:44 mossomo [5]
Africa North
ElBaradei in Vienna after Protest Resignation
Back to his natural environment.
Better food, unlimited dessert bar, nicer environment, and no one's going to blow him up. What's not to like?
Don't forget the expensive blondes.
[An Nahar] Egyptian Nobel laureate Mohammed ElBaradei, who resigned as vice-president in protest over a bloody crackdown on supporters of ousted leader Mohammed Morsi, arrived in Vienna on Sunday.

The respected former chief of the Vienna-based ineffective International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), was spotted at the airport in the Austrian capital, but gave no comment to journalists.

ElBaradei was named vice president after the army ousted Morsi on July 3 following a wave of popular protests.

But the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize winner resigned on August 14 after scores were killed in a crackdown by the military-installed interim regime's security forces on loyalists of the ousted Islamist president.
Posted by: Fred || 08/19/2013 00:00 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under: Arab Spring


Egypt will not bow to violence: El-Sisi
[Al Ahram] Egypt's army chief General Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said on Sunday that protecting the "people's will" is a greater honour than ruling the country.

In a speech at a meeting with police and military leaders on Sunday, which was recorded and broadcasted shortly afterwards on Egyptian television, the leader of the armed forces said that he warned that political conflict would develop into religious fighting and drag Egypt down a "dark tunnel."

The country has been increasingly polarised amid recent deadly violence which left hundreds dead, following security forces' dispersal of protest camps by supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi on Wednesday. The bloody crackdown left more than 600 dead and sparked retaliatory violence nationwide.

Violence continued over the last several days, with further festivities claiming dozens of lives.

On the dispersal of the main sit-in by Morsi supporters, which was situated in Cairo's Nasr City district, El-Sisi said: "Those who were saying we should have dispersed the camp peacefully -- we tried ... But when army and police forces get attacked by snipers deployed on top of buildings, how do you expect them to react?"

"In such a massive sit-in, it is enough to have some 20, 30 or 50 gunnies to turn it into a bloody event."

"We were given a mandate by the public to deal with potential terrorism, and we acted accordingly ... we are keen not to spill blood, but are they?" he continued.

The army's intervention to oust Morsi last month stemmed from its assessment of the "national security" situation, El-Sisi said, saying there were no plans "to exclude anyone" from the political process.

In a message to supporters of Egypt's toppled Islamist leaders, El-Sisi said "there is place for everyone in Egypt," urging them to reassess their position and acknowledge that "legitimacy is owned by the people."
Posted by: Fred || 08/19/2013 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Arab Spring


Technical committee to propose radical changes to Egypt's 2012 constitution
[Al Ahram] A 10-member technical committee entrusted with amending Egypt's 2012 constitution has almost finished its task. The committee was formed under Article 28 of the constitutional declaration issued by Interim President Adly Mansour 8 July and is headed by Mansour's legal advisor, Ali Awad.

In a presser Sunday, Awad told parliamentary correspondents that the committee will finish its work Monday, with the new draft constitution expected to be announced Wednesday. The new constitution will form the bedrock of Egypt's new post-30 June revolution's political roadmap, aimed at turning the country into a fully democratic state under civilian rule.

Sources close to the committee told Ahram Online Sunday that after almost one month of thorough revision, the committee's members concluded that "fundamental changes must be introduced to 2012 Islamist-backed constitution."

"The 2012 constitution was drafted under the former regime of the Moslem Brüderbund to grant Islamists an upper hand and a final say in Egypt's political future, and this must be changed now," a committee source told Ahram Online on condition of anonymity. He added that "When the people revolted 30 June, their main goals were not confined to removing Mohamed Morsi from power, but also changing the fundamental pillars of the religious tyranny the Moslem Brüderbund regime tried its best to impose on Egypt."

Within this context, the source revealed that members of the committee reached consensus that the new constitution must impose a ban on political parties based on religious foundations.

This would mark a return back to Article 5 of 2007's constitutional amendments introduced by the regime of ousted president Hosni Mubarak
...The former President-for-Life of Egypt, dumped by popular demand in early 2011...
. It stated that, "It is not permitted to pursue any political activity or establish any political parties within any religious frame of reference (marja'iyya) or on any religious basis or on the basis of gender or origin."

The committee source said, "The return to the 2007 constitution's Article 5 was necessary after we saw that dozens of political parties were clearly formed on religious foundations and that their main objective was to turn Egypt into a religious state."

The source explained that "the anticipated ban gained momentum after the committee received requests and proposals from more than 400 political, economic and social institutions, pressing hard for the necessity of safeguarding Egypt against Islamist factions trying to change the civil nature of the country into a religious oligarchy."
... derived from the Greek words oligos, a few and the verb archo, to rule, to govern, to command. Oligarchies are invariably effectual rather than established, to whit, they disguise themselves as other systems, working as the real government behind the face of of democracy, fascism, socialism, monarchy, or what have you...

The source, however, argued that "as a return back to a constitutional article that was drafted by the Mubarak regime is expected to stir up a lot of controversy, the new constitution will keep Article 2 of 2012's Islamist-backed constitution -- which states that Islamic Sharia is the main source of legislation -- in place."

Chairman of the committee Ali Awad told parliamentary correspondents last week that Article 2 on Islamic Sharia will be retained "in order to stress the Islamic identity of Egypt."

The article, however, will be primarily maintained so as not to give a reason to Islamist factions -- especially the ultraconservative Salafist party of El-Nour -- to boycott the next stage's of the political roadmap. Chairman of El-Nour Younis Al-Qadi warned last week that "the party would withdraw from the upcoming political process if it found out that the articles stressing Egypt's Islamic identity were revoked from the next constitution."

According to the source, most political institutions have recommended that "if it is necessary to keep the Islamic Sharia article in place as a nod to Islamists like El-Nour, it is by no means necessary to maintain the 2012 constitution's separate article (Article 219) that delivers an interpretation of Islamic Sharia."

Mohamed Abul-Ghar, chairman of the Egyptian Democratic Socialist Party and a member of the National Salvation Front that helped lead the 30 June revolution against the regime of Mohamed Morsi, told Ahram Online that "while Article 2 on Islamic Sharia was first instituted by late President Anwar El-Sadat in 1980 and has never faced objections from most political forces since then, it is by no means plausible to turn the constitution into a religious national charter by filling it with as many Islamist articles as possible." "Article 219 leaves Islamic Sharia clearly hostage to medieval interpretations that could give legitimacy to the ideology of Islamist radicalism and jihadism," Abul-Ghar argued.
Posted by: Fred || 08/19/2013 00:00 || Comments || Link || [3 views] Top|| File under: Arab Spring


Qatar says it gives aid to Egypt, not Muslim Brotherhood
[Al Ahram] Qatar's foreign minister said Monday his country had never given aid to Egypt's Moslem Brüderbund and that all assistance went to Egypt as a whole.

"As far as Qatar's support for the Moslem Brüderbund, there are some wrong impressions about the aid Qatar is providing," said Foreign Minister Khaled al-Attiya, whose country is perceived as a backer of the embattled Islamist group.

"Qatar has never given aid to an Egyptian group or an Egyptian political party. The aid has always been provided to Egypt," he told journalists after meeting French counterpart Laurent Fabius.

"Qatari aid began immediately after the revolution and continues today," he added, referring to the Arab Spring uprising that overthrew long-time Egyptian ruler Hosni Mubarak
...The former President-for-Life of Egypt, dumped by popular demand in early 2011...
in 2011.

"We do not give aid to any political party."

Qatar on Wednesday forcefully condemned the crackdown by Egyptian security forces on supporters of the Moslem Brüderbund and Egypt's ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.

More than 750 people were killed in four days after the military and police launched a blistering crackdown on Islamist protest camps, sparking international condemnation.

Since the Egyptian army ousted Morsi last month amid massive protests against his rule, Qatar has repeatedly voiced solidarity with the Islamist leader's camp.
Posted by: Fred || 08/19/2013 00:00 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under: Arab Spring

#1  I see the 'moonwalk' is becoming popular in Qatar.
Posted by: Pappy || 08/19/2013 11:09 Comments || Top||


US lawmakers want to cut aid after Egypt 'massacre'
[Al Ahram] US politicians on Sunday called for cutting off military aid to Egypt after its security forces killed hundreds of supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi in a four-day "massacre."

US Senator John Maverick McCain
... the Senator-for-Life from Arizona, former presidential candidate and even more former foot soldier in the Reagan Revolution...
, who called for suspending the $1.3 billion in annual aid to the military after it overthrew Morsi in early July, said Washington risked losing credibility if it continued to turn a blind eye to the bloody crackdown.

"They have orchestrated a massacre," he said, after the four-day corpse count from mass shootings and street festivities climbed to more than 750 people.

"We have no credibility. We do have influence, but when you don't use that influence, then you do not have that influence," McCain, a Republican hawk and frequent critic of Obama's foreign policy, told CNN's "State of the Union."

McCain suggested Washington could pressure Egypt's generals by cutting off aid, spare parts for US-made military equipment and backing for an International Monetary Fund loan to relieve the country's devastated economy.

"For us to sit by and watch this happen is a violation of everything that we stand for," he said.

Senator Rand Paul, a rising star in the Republican Party, also called for cutting off aid, saying on "Fox News Sunday": "I don't think we are buying any love of the Egyptian people when they see an American tank on the street."
This administration has no coin left with which to buy anyone's goodwill over there, never mind love. Perhaps the next president will be able to find a reset button.
Posted by: Fred || 08/19/2013 00:00 || Comments || Link || [5 views] Top|| File under: Arab Spring

#1  McCain suggested Washington could pressure Egypt's generals by cutting off aid, spare parts for US-made military equipment and backing for an International Monetary Fund loan to relieve the country's devastated economy

Might as well. The generals are lining up for business-trip flights to Moscow. The Sauds and others are, for now, ready with their checkbooks.

"For us to sit by and watch this happen is a violation of everything that we stand for"

What do we stand for, Senator? More specifically, what do you stand for? You didn't earn your sobriquet back when you were a fighter jock.

I will guarantee that "sit by and watch this happen" is exactly what will occur. And you will let this and a hundred other 'outrages' slip by until you're voted out, retired, or recalled, because things like 'bipartisanship' for you are more important.

"I don't think we are buying any love of the Egyptian people when they see an American tank on the street"

We're not gonna get any love when the Russian tanks show up either. Sometimes the esteemed Senator from Tennessee is as dense as his dad.
Posted by: Pappy || 08/19/2013 0:16 Comments || Top||

#2  You mean an "overcharge" button? I'm so confused
Posted by: newc || 08/19/2013 1:14 Comments || Top||

#3  Yep, like the US has any moral authority or leverage any more. Thanks to O and to you and fellow dems and rinos.
Posted by: Alaska Paul || 08/19/2013 1:21 Comments || Top||

#4  They have orchestrated a massacre

Not enough of one so far---remember Algerian civil war, senator?
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 08/19/2013 1:53 Comments || Top||

#5  Ohh, meant to say shut up McGram
Posted by: newc || 08/19/2013 1:57 Comments || Top||

#6  Maybe if the prez had supported the same Egyptian president as so many other US Presidents, instead of hanging Mubarak out to dry - like the second-worst-president-in-history.
Posted by: Bobby || 08/19/2013 6:17 Comments || Top||

#7  ..someone didn't learn about the long term consequences of not supporting the Shah. Sometimes in history its about backing the least odious choice.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 08/19/2013 8:12 Comments || Top||

#8  When it comes to our current regime and its Dem and Rino enablers I find myself limited to the word "DESPICABLE". May they all rot in hell, starting ASAP.
Posted by: AlanC || 08/19/2013 12:38 Comments || Top||

#9  Kentucky pappy.
Posted by: Beavis || 08/19/2013 18:21 Comments || Top||

#10  My bad.
Posted by: Pappy || 08/19/2013 18:28 Comments || Top||

#11  Fund whoever is losing. Apply to all intra-Muslim conflicts. Never provide weaponry you cannot easily defend yourself against. (And provide unlimited birth control and abortion aid...)
Posted by: Glenmore || 08/19/2013 19:38 Comments || Top||

#12  Fund whoever is losing...... Never provide weaponry you cannot easily defend yourself against. (And provide unlimited birth control and abortion aid...) Posted by Glenmore

We're familiar with the huh.....strategy, but you were talking about a foreign, overseas adversary, right Glen.
Posted by: Besoeker || 08/19/2013 19:48 Comments || Top||

#13  you were talking about a foreign, overseas adversary, right Glen.
Yeah, Besoeker. But when you think about it, it could apply to the current domestic political situation as well - there are worse things than gridlock, namely pretty much anything either side proposes.
Posted by: Glenmore || 08/19/2013 20:26 Comments || Top||

#14  Great. Our vaunted politicians can be tricked by savages.
Posted by: gorb || 08/19/2013 21:05 Comments || Top||


Libyan interior minister submits resignation to cabinet
[Al Ahram] Libya's Interior Minister Mohammed Khalifa al-Sheikh submitted his resignation on Sunday over differences with the prime minister over his responsibilities, a parliament member said.

Al-Sharif al-Wafi, a member of the Libyan General National Congress, said Sheikh, a former Tripoli
...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn...
police colonel, submitted his resignation to the cabinet and to parliament in protest against what he said was interference in his work by the government and parliament.

Sheikh took up his post in May after his predecessor Ashour Shuail resigned.
Posted by: Fred || 08/19/2013 00:00 || Comments || Link || [3 views] Top|| File under: Arab Spring


3,500 Morsi supporters arrested since violence began: Brotherhood lawyer
[Al Ahram] More than 3,500 supporters of deposed president Mohamed Morsi have been incarcerated
Please don't kill me!
since the dispersal of the Rabaa Al-Adaweya and Al-Nahda sit-ins, says Moslem Brüderbund lawyer Mustafa El-Demeery.
Definitely like the old days. D'you suppose we'll get another round of books from it in ten or twenty years, this time explaining why this little adventure in MB governance was not the clever idea it seemed at the time?
According to El-Demeery, 2,000 Morsi supporters were arrested during the dispersal operation 14 August. The rest were arrested during festivities between Morsi supporters and security forces and residents in the Ramses Square district of downtown Cairo.

The General Prosecution has already ordered the continued detention of 404 Morsi supporters who were arrested during the Ramses Square festivities. The rest are being questioned.

On 14 August, security forces forcibly dispersed sit-ins by Morsi supporters in Rabaa Al-Adaweya in Nasr City, Cairo, and Al-Nahda Square in Giza. The protesters were demanding the reinstatement of Morsi who was ousted from power 3 July by the army following mass street demonstrations calling for his removal.
Posted by: Fred || 08/19/2013 00:00 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under: Arab Spring


Egyptian Military Warns Obama "Supporting Terrorism In Egypt" Is "Red Line"
Maybe time for Cmdr. Zero to ask ValJar if he should put on his "big boy" bicycle pants...?
Posted by: Uncle Phester || 08/19/2013 00:00 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under:

#1  This is not the "Red Line", This is the END LINE.

Egypt has Fortitude.
Posted by: newc || 08/19/2013 1:03 Comments || Top||

#2  ValJar is busy already this morning, making a few hurried international calls. She'll have to get back to the Champ after lunch.
Posted by: Besoeker || 08/19/2013 8:02 Comments || Top||

#3  Not a good place. If the generals said 'sod off' and you do nothing now, you got to start sweating about the boys across the Potomac getting ideas. Paranoia isn't a good state to try to operate from. Too often it leads to self fulling prophecies. Making things happen that otherwise wouldn't happen.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 08/19/2013 8:55 Comments || Top||

#4  The Soodies and IS want the ditch to stay open and free of Broederbond control. At this stage, it really is all about the oil.
Posted by: Besoeker || 08/19/2013 9:10 Comments || Top||

#5  Look, Spot, look.

See the Red Line move.
Posted by: Kelly || 08/19/2013 11:48 Comments || Top||

#6  "and that “the military does not accept any external dictates and will not permit any nation to support terrorism in Egypt,” a reference to the fact that U.S. support for the Brotherhood is support for terrorism."

My, my how the U.S. has fallen away from the alter of freedom in the eyes of the free world...
Posted by: Uneaper Spairong8790 || 08/19/2013 15:27 Comments || Top||

#7  Just read Smith's 'Bloody Ridge' and recall 'The Thin Red Line' - puts this headline re. Egypt in a different context. I am seeing similarities between the 1930's and the present, and reading & learning just how close we came to disaster in Midway, in Guadalcanal, in North Africa, etc. scares the Hell out of me.
Posted by: Glenmore || 08/19/2013 19:43 Comments || Top||


Saudis and French side with anti -Moslem Brotherhood military
Saudi Arabia and France have agreed on giving Egypt's roadmap a "chance," Al Arabiya reported the kingdom's Foreign Minister Saudi al-Faisal as saying Sunday.

"We have agreed on giving the roadmap in Egypt a chance to fulfill security and early elections," al-Faisal said after meeting with France's President Francois Hollande.
[the fact that the Saudis would opt for a joint announcement w the French is fairly obviously a slap at Obama]
After ousting Egypt's Islamist President Mohammed Muri on July 3, the country's army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi announced the roadmap which includes temporary suspension of the constitution, early presidential elections and a review of proposed amendments to the constitution by experts and a wide-range of Egyptians.
[Saudis have been among the most anti MBrotherhood of any country in the MEast, and their money speaks loudly-- presumably they were frightened that the MB would destabilize Egypt irrevocably and that would ultimately destabilize SArabia itself]
The Saudi royals, it is said, also view the highly organized and widely embedded Muslim Brotherhood as rivals for the shaping of the Muslim outlook, both within the Arab world and among the emigre' community -- Saudi Arabia provides teachers, imams and religious schoolbooks, not to mention funds for building fancy mosques, while the Muslim Brotherhood provides CAIR and Moslem Student Associations and all the other political groups that a now entwined with government and public education at all levels.

No reason they can't be multitasking, though...
Posted by: lord garth || 08/19/2013 00:00 || Comments || Link || [3 views] Top|| File under:

#1  I hope the UK/US support the Egyptian Army too as MB is not the way forward.
Posted by: Paul D || 08/19/2013 11:14 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
Pakistan orders temporary stay of executions
[Dawn] Pakistain on Sunday ordered a temporary stay of executions following objections from the president and rights groups, days before they were due to resume after a five-year moratorium.

The new government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif
... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf...
in June scrapped the moratorium on the death penalty in a bid to crack down on criminals and Islamist snuffies in the violence-torn country.

But on Sunday the government announced that executions, which had been scheduled to begin this week, would be stayed temporarily following objections from outgoing President Asif Ali Ten Percent Zardari
... husband of the late Benazir Bhutto, who has been singularly lacking in curiosity about who done her in ...

The stay would last until Zardari returns from abroad to discuss the matter with Sharif, a statement said.
Posted by: Fred || 08/19/2013 00:00 || Comments || Link || [6 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan


New Pakistan will begin from KP: Imran
[Dawn] Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaf
...a political party in Pakistan. PTI was founded by former Pakistani cricket captain and philanthropist Imran Khan. The party's slogan is Justice, Humanity and Self Esteem, each of which is open to widely divergent interpretations....
(PTI) chairman Imran Khan
... aka Taliban Khan, who ain't the brightest knife in the national drawer...
has said a new Pakistain will begin in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central...
(KP) and that within a month the people will feel the change brought about by a new system.

Speaking to a public gathering in Beautiful Downtown Peshawar
...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire.
's Shahi Bagh, Imran Khan said promises made to the public will be fulfilled. The PTI chief said that corrupt individuals will be held accountable while corruption itself will be eliminated.

Imran Khan said that only when corruption is tackled will there be investment in the country. He said that a proper education system is being implemented in the province.

He also said that improvement in healthcare will be a top priority while free medicine will be given for patients at hospitals.

Imran Khan said that in KP, electricty will be produced through hydropower which will be supplied to the rest of Pakistain.

Earlier on while speaking to a presser at a hotel in Peshawar, the PTI chairman said that the revolution that he has thought about for so long will begin from today.

"The law is part of our manifesto, which is why the people have given us their votes... with this law corruption will be finished and the masses will recieve relief," Imran Khan said.

"Our Accountability Act is ready, which is a revolution... our accountability commission will be independent, it will not be working under anyone and will not let anyone off the hook," the PTI chief said.
Posted by: Fred || 08/19/2013 00:00 || Comments || Link || [7 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Report: US, PA sign $148 million economic aid agreement
The Palestinian Authority signed a $148 million agreement with the US on Sunday to support the PA's budget, official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

PA Prime Minister Rami Hadallah signed the agreement during a ceremony in which the United States was represented by American Consul General Michael Ratney.

Ratney said such aid shows US commitment to supporting the Palestinian people and economy.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 08/19/2013 03:44 || Comments || Link || [5 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Agreement? That suggests the PA agreed to do something in exchange for $148 million.
Posted by: Bobby || 08/19/2013 6:20 Comments || Top||

#2  the PA agreed to do something in exchange for $148 million.

Or it suggest that USG wants to assist what PA is already doing.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 08/19/2013 6:55 Comments || Top||

#3  Paying them $148 large to have them do nothing might be the best investment we make there...
Posted by: Steve White || 08/19/2013 8:55 Comments || Top||

#4  For god's sake why, This borders on "Aid to the enemy".

We have a sequester, remember. (Obama not included)
Posted by: Redneck Jim || 08/19/2013 10:17 Comments || Top||

#5  What ever happened to that sequester-thingy?
Posted by: Pappy || 08/19/2013 11:17 Comments || Top||

#6  The sequester only applies to those things the chief executive dislikes, like school tours of the White House, and camping in federal parks.
Posted by: trailing wife || 08/19/2013 12:42 Comments || Top||

#7  Don't forget the military TW. You know how much the Commander in Chief dislikes his military (except for drones).
Posted by: CrazyFool || 08/19/2013 13:03 Comments || Top||

#8  Quite right, CrazyFool. Thank you for catching that for me. The next Secretary of Defence is going to have quite a job cleaning out the stable after The Third Smartest Man In The Room.
Posted by: trailing wife || 08/19/2013 13:59 Comments || Top||

#9  I will always read that as:

"The Third Smartest Man in an Empty Room"...
Posted by: CrazyFool || 08/19/2013 14:40 Comments || Top||

#10  I read the headline as 'US, Pennsylvania sign $148 MM ..." and I was a little put off. When I read on and learned PA referred to Paleostinians I was REALLY put off.
Posted by: Glenmore || 08/19/2013 19:36 Comments || Top||

#11  Meanwhile, KICK-ASS 2 fans, not to be outdone by the US + POTUS Bammer's mighty "red lines", ...

* BIG NEWS NETWORK > IRAN, SYRIA ESTABLISH "RAT LINE", for covert transfer of $$$, materials, + fighters to the Palestinian Authority [PA].

* DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > VIDEO: SYRIAN ISLAMIST FIGHTERS REACH BORDER WID ISRAEL | TIMES OF ISRAEL.

They're [almost?] HHHEEEEEEEERRREEE!?
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 08/19/2013 20:56 Comments || Top||


Southeast Asia
Philippine-MILF talks to resume in Malaysia
Posted by: ryuge || 08/19/2013 00:00 || Comments || Link || [5 views] Top|| File under: Moro Islamic Liberation Front

#1  ION BIGNEWSNETWORK > [GMA News] DEFENCE CHIEF [Voltaire Gazmin]: GOVT. [Macalanang = Manila]READY FOR ANY OUTCOME OF MISUARI DECLARATION.

Previously ...

* SAME > MNLF CONFIRMS [Misuari]"DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE", GIRDS ITSELF FOR POSSIBLE FIGHTING.

* SAME > PALACE ON BANGASAMORO REVOLT: THERE IS ONLY ONE GOVT IN PHILIPINES.

-------------

* FYI TOPIX > [Korea Herald] CHINA SUBMITS CLAIMS ON EAST CHINA SEA SHELF TO UN, saying its UW Shelf extends all the way to the Okinawa Trough.
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 08/19/2013 21:03 Comments || Top||

#2  I have to wonder what "red lines" the Bammer is gonna make iff the Commies weirdly-n-mysteriously start acting up similarly in PHIL + JAPAN + SOUTH KOREA + INDONESIA???
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 08/19/2013 23:56 Comments || Top||


MNLF to adopt Kosovo model
The Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) yesterday said it would adopt the "Kosovo model" as a peaceful means of attaining independence. MNLF spokesman Emmanuel Fontanilla said, "Armed struggle is already obsolete as proven in Syria and other countries. We will adopt the peaceful strategy used by Kosovo in attaining self rule."

Serbia called the declaration of independence by Kosovo illegal and sought international validation from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) which said the declaration did not violate international law.

Fontanilla said they wanted to embrace the Kosovo model by setting up the Bangsa Moro Republik (BMR) comprising Mindanao, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Basilan, as well as Sabah and Sarawak of Malaysia.
Because grabbing a chunk of Malaysia too makes it so much more tenable.
He also appealed to the Philippine government not to take repressive measures that would defy the will of the people for self-rule.

Although the MNLF has renounced armed struggle, Fontanilla said they would act in self-defense when people's lives are in danger. He said, "It a sad fact that the people of Mindanao have been long neglected, exploited and their ancestral rights violated."

Fontanilla claimed that at least five countries in Middle East have already expressed their recognition for the BMR. He said the MNLF is now taking the next step in organizing its government in exile and would later conduct a series of assemblies for every province where Muslims, Christians and tribal communities will express their desire for self-rule. A series of declarations will be made province by province and, "The rest will be history," said Fontanilla.
Posted by: ryuge || 08/19/2013 00:00 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under:

#1  This will not end well, as IIRC the PHIL Govt = Macalanang had only agreed to selective local autonomy, NOT independence or quasi/semi-independence from PHIL sovereignty - unilaterall takeover of sovereign bits of Malaysia is also not in PHIL interests???
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 08/19/2013 1:40 Comments || Top||

#2  Iff something goes wrong + sectarian violence breaks out, this may turn Mindanao + Malaysia into another SYRIA, LIBYA, EGYPT, + IRAQ, ETC. WHERE FOREIGN MILITANT GROUPS FROM OUTSIDE THE SE aSIAN REGION WILL BE INSPIRED TO MILITARILY INTERVENE.

POTUS Bammer > will proclaim that the US will NOT take sides which, given what is already occurring per the above Muslim countries, effec means or infers the mainly Catholic/Christian PHIL will devol into another target for Islamist Jihad.

Muslim emigres are already entering Nauru + PNG, etal. Pacific islands.

THE FOUNDATION FOR ACLU- + LEFTSOCIALIST-LED LEGAL SHARIA IN OWG AMERIKA KEEPS GETTING STRONGER + STRONGER AS WE SPEAK.
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 08/19/2013 1:55 Comments || Top||


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Iran, Hezbollah now running Syria: Opposition
[Al Ahram] Opposition leader Ahmad Jarba said Syria is now being run by regime allies Iran and Leb's Hezbollah, with Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad
Oppressor of the Syrians and the Lebs...
out of the picture, in an interview published Sunday.

Jarba also told Saudi-owned newspaper Al-Hayat that Syrian rebels have seized control of "at least half" of the country, 29 months into an anti-Assad uprising.

Assad is "a killer and a criminal, and... he has collapsed," the National Coalition chief charged.

The opposition leader reiterated the rebels' insistence that any settlement must exclude Assad, demanding that he be "punished for the war crimes he has committed against the Syrian people".

More than 100,000 people have been killed since the conflict broke out in mid-March 2011, the UN says.

Assad "no longer runs Syria. The real rulers of Syria are the Iranian (elite) Revolutionary Guard... with the participation of (Lebanese Shiite) Hezbollah fighters," Jarba said.

Tehran is Assad's main regional backer, while Hezbollah has sent in troops from Leb to help the army fight the anti-regime rebellion.

Jarba said that supplying the rebel Free Syrian Army with sophisticated weaponry would "change the course of the revolution," despite Western fears that the arms could land in the hands of bad boys.
Posted by: Fred || 08/19/2013 00:00 || Comments || Link || [7 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Syria

#1  "Mahanist", OWG Caliphate-happy Rising Iran wants its Mediterranean naval, military presence [+ ultimately "blue-water" presence], + ISN'T TAKING "NO" FOR AN ANSWER.
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 08/19/2013 2:04 Comments || Top||


Syria's Assad says determined to 'eradicate terrorism'
[Al Ahram] Syria's Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad
One of the last of the old-fashioned hereditary iron-fisted fascist dictators...
said on Sunday he is determined to "eradicate terrorism" which he blames for the conflict raging in his country, according to state news agency SANA.

"Syria has welcomed all constructive, genuine efforts to find a political solution to the crisis" that erupted in March 2011, Assad was quoted as saying.

But Damascus "is at the same time determined to confront terrorism and eradicate it," he added in reference to a rebellion that broke out against him after his regime unleashed a brutal crackdown against dissent.

Assad made his remarks during a meeting with a visiting delegation of Mauritanian party leaders in Damascus.

He said "the cohesion between our heroic army and the people" would help Damascus defeat the rebellion, according to SANA.

Assad's latest remarks come two weeks after he promised in a rare speech to strike out "terrorism" with an "iron fist".

Posted by: Fred || 08/19/2013 00:00 || Comments || Link || [5 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Syria



Who's in the News
27[untagged]
11Arab Spring
3Govt of Syria
3Govt of Pakistan
2TTP
2Hezbollah
1Islamic State of Iraq
1Moro Islamic Liberation Front
1Salafists
1Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan
1Thai Insurgency
1Commies

Bookmark
E-Mail Me

The Classics
The O Club
Rantburg Store
The Bloids
The Never-ending Story
Thugburg
Gulf War I
The Way We Were
Bio

Merry-Go-Blog











On Sale now!


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.
Click here for more information

Meet the Mods
In no particular order...
Steve White
Seafarious
tu3031
badanov
sherry
ryuge
GolfBravoUSMC
Bright Pebbles
trailing wife
Gloria
Fred
Besoeker
Glenmore
Frank G
3dc
Skidmark

Two weeks of WOT
Mon 2013-08-19
  Dozens of Egyptian policemen killed in North Sinai blast
Sun 2013-08-18
  250 Kgs of Explosives Found in Car near Naameh Municipality Building
Sat 2013-08-17
  At least 90 killed in Egypt on Friday: Witnesses
Fri 2013-08-16
  At Least 578 People Killed in Egypt Festivities
Thu 2013-08-15
  Car Boom in Hezbi Stronghold Kills 14
Wed 2013-08-14
  Breaking: Egypt security forces storm pro-Morsi camps
Tue 2013-08-13
  Agents: 44 Gunned Down In Nigeria Mosque
Mon 2013-08-12
  Morsi Loyalists Rally in Cairo as Crackdown Looms
Sun 2013-08-11
  Two militants killed in Yemen 'drone strike'
Sat 2013-08-10
  Pro-Morsi forces take to streets in 'Eid of Victory' rallies
Fri 2013-08-09
  Zanzibar: Acid attack on two British women volunteer teachers
Thu 2013-08-08
  Rebels attack Assad motorcade
Wed 2013-08-07
  Kashmir: Five Indian soldiers killed in shooting
Tue 2013-08-06
  Clashes between Military, Insurgents Kill 35 in North Nigeria
Mon 2013-08-05
  Thirty killed in heavy fighting in Syrian mountains


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.
3.144.25.74
Help keep the Burg running! Paypal:
WoT Operations (20)    Non-WoT (6)    Opinion (8)    (0)    Politix (4)