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 Tuareg militias again clash with Islamic State-loyal militants in northern Mali
Today's Headlines
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07:43 1 11:39 Vernal Hatrack2366 [336068]
07:12 6 20:31 Sock Puppet of Doom [336097]
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Government
NRA Files Suit Challenging Florida Gun Control Law
Posted by: JohnQC || 03/10/2018 10:47 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336072 views] Top|| File under:

#1  restricting constitutional rights for 18-20 yr olds due to the actions of an evil criminal and utter failures of the BSO/School/FBI? This law will get tossed
Posted by: Frank G || 03/10/2018 12:10 Comments || Top||

#2  If the various mass shootings are looked at by the age of the shooter, there doesn't seem to be a correlation or a causal relationship.
Posted by: JohnQC || 03/10/2018 14:25 Comments || Top||

#3  So they think a 5yo is mature enough to determine its gender... A 12yo is mature enough to have sex and get abortions... a 18yo is mature enough to vote ... but they aren't mature enough to drink or to have a gun.

Posted by: DarthVader || 03/10/2018 15:25 Comments || Top||


China-Japan-Koreas
Neutral Switzerland is ready to facilitate talks between North Korea and the United States
[Reuters] Neutral Switzerland is ready to facilitate talks between North Korea and the United States, the Swiss foreign ministry said on Friday.

The offer came a day after U.S. President Donald Trump said he was prepared to meet North Korea’s Kim Jong Un for talks to resolve a standoff over the North’s nuclear weapons. It would be the first face-to-face encounter between the two countries’ leaders.

"Switzerland is in contact with all the parties involved," the ministry said in a statement. "The good offices Switzerland can provide are well known. It is up to the parties involved to decide if, when and where the talks will be held."

Then-President Doris Leuthard offered in September to mediate in the U.S.-North Korea dispute, noting that Switzerland had a long history of neutral and discreet diplomacy.

North Korea and the United States reached a framework agreement in Geneva in 1994 to freeze construction of the North’s nuclear reactors, but that accord unraveled in 2003.
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/10/2018 08:03 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336079 views] Top|| File under:

#1  "...And we brought chocolates! And cuckoo clocks!
Who can't discuss nuclear disarmament when you've got chocolate and cuckoo clocks? Now c'mon, ya big lugs, let's get a deal goin' here!"

*J/K, it couldn't hurt

Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski || 03/10/2018 8:34 Comments || Top||

#2  Ummm...why should the US bother?
What value proposition does DPRK bring?
Posted by: Skidmark || 03/10/2018 10:00 Comments || Top||

#3  N Kor Hyundai's and Kia's
Posted by: 746 || 03/10/2018 18:39 Comments || Top||


Home Front: Culture Wars
The Inconvenient Humans - When Will We Stop Killing People With Down Syndrome?
[Hot Air] Sadly, there will always be those who see people with Down syndrome as nothing more than a burden on society. Princeton University professor Robert George recently tweeted out a shocking video in which a bureaucrat from the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment uses a blackboard to show a man with Down syndrome how "expensive" he is for society compared with "normal" people. "Do the Dutch, who suffered under ‐ and in many cases heroically resisted ‐ Hitler’s domination, forget that the ’final solution’ began with the dehumanization and eugenic killing of the handicapped?" George asked.

Today, more and more people with Down syndrome are speaking out and demanding recognition of their humanity. Recently, Frank Stephens appeared before a House appropriations panel, where he told members of Congress, "I am a man with Down syndrome, and my life is worth living." Noting the abortion rates for Down syndrome babies in Europe, he declared, "I completely understand that the people pushing this particular ’final solution’ are saying that people like me should not exist," but pleaded, "Let’s be America, not Iceland or Denmark. . . . Let’s pursue inclusion, not termination."

Posted by: Besoeker || 03/10/2018 07:43 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336068 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Humans are just a burden on society. That's probably why people view them as such.
Posted by: Vernal Hatrack2366 || 03/10/2018 11:39 Comments || Top||


-Lurid Crime Tales-
Susan Rice Told NSC Officials To ‘Stand Down' In Response To Russian Meddling Attempts
[Daily Caller] Former national security advisor Susan Rice issued a stand down order to national security council officials developing aggressive options to respond to Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, a new excerpt from Russian Roulette: The Inside Story of Putin’s War on America and the Election of Donald Trump reveals.

NSC officials were reportedly alarmed by Russia’s attempts to meddle in the 2016 presidential election, including the hacking of Democratic National Committee officials’ emails, and those belonging to Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta.

Michael Daniel, an NSC official responsible for the Russia portfolio, told to the book’s authors of multiple plans to strike fear in Russian President Vladimir Putin with the aim of ending Russia’s election meddling. These plans included surreptitiously releasing personal information about Putin’s family, which revealed corruption in Putin’s political party, and even crafting a large cybersecurity exercise as a public threat to Russia.

Daniel additionally told the authors that when Rice caught wind of his planning, she called him and berated him.
One day in late August, national security adviser Susan Rice called Daniel into her office and demanded he cease and desist from working on the cyber options he was developing. "Don’t get ahead of us," she warned him. The White House was not prepared to endorse any of these ideas. Daniel and his team in the White House cyber response group were given strict orders: "Stand down." She told Daniel to "knock it off," he recalled.

Obama officials have since lamented "we sort of choked" in response to the Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. The former president instead took it upon himself to warn Putin in person during a face-to-face meeting in September 2016 to "knock it off" in terms of election meddling with a an explicit warning of consequences if it continued.
Emphasis added

Related: Hot Air - Did Obama Admin Issue A “Stand Down” Order On Russian Meddling?
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/10/2018 07:12 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336097 views] Top|| File under:

#1  "Don’t get ahead of us," she warned him.

The intent of which, has now become obvious.
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/10/2018 7:18 Comments || Top||

#2  The DNC emails were NOT repeat not "hacked". They were leaked, forensic analysis confirms it. Likely by a disgruntled DNC insider. The russkies had nothing to do with it.
Posted by: Harcourt Angoluting9366 || 03/10/2018 7:41 Comments || Top||

#3  Likely by a disgruntled DNC insider.

"Disgruntled" or someone paid to release them to support an ongoing narrative....or both. Whichever the case, after Seth Rich the message became unmistakably clear.

Posted by: Besoeker || 03/10/2018 7:49 Comments || Top||

#4  I would think this article is another crude attempt to breath life into the incredible dying carcass of Russian involvement in the election/Russian collusion with Trump.

The only reason Rice would give a stand down order would be to allow her goons to continue their false flag operation to tar Trump as a traitor.

We know from the WikiLeaks dump of CIA hacking tools that one of them allowed you to mimic foreign hackers and even manufacture foreign IP addresses to cover you tracks.

I call BS on this one.
Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom || 03/10/2018 9:23 Comments || Top||

#5  Of course she told them to stand down as obama cronies were acting as Russian hackers to disrupt the election.

“Do not get ahead of us” was really “you are chasing us”
Posted by: Airandee || 03/10/2018 14:09 Comments || Top||

#6  Airadee,

Just remember the only known incident of hacking of voting machines was traced to an IP address in DHS. Someone claimed they were "testing" voting security...right...actually they got caught before they could play with the voting record.

I wonder how many states were hacked from Washington and are running cover for it because all of the election officials are democrap.
Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom || 03/10/2018 20:31 Comments || Top||


-Land of the Free
Time To Ditch Daylight Saving Time ‐ It's A Killer That Doesn't Save Energy
[Investors.com] Sunday, March 11, is the start of daylight saving time across the country. But it might be the last time people in Florida have to switch their clocks.

The legislature there voted overwhelmingly to abolish the biannual changing of the clock, and stick with daylight saving time year round.

Last year, Massachusetts considered a similar move by switching to Atlantic Standard Time, which would permanently set their clocks ahead one hour. Maine also passed bills to ditch daylight saving time. Arizona and Hawaii don't abide by daylight saving time.

The problem Florida faces is that while the law lets states opt out of daylight saving time, they can't opt out of standard time. So, Congress would have to amend the law.

The European Union, meanwhile, is studying whether switching their clocks back and forth each year is worth it.

The answer is, it isn't.

The main reason for imposing daylight saving time has always been that it "saved" energy, since it would stay light an hour longer in the evening. The U.S. extended daylight saving time in 2007, as part of President Bush's woefully misguided energy bill ‐ which also banned traditional incandescent light bulbs ‐ specifically because it was supposed to cut the nation's energy consumption.

At the time, Massachusetts Rep. Ed Markey said it would save consumers $4.4 billion over 15 years.

But research shows this is simply not the case. In fact, it's just as likely that daylight saving time costs energy.
Posted by: JohnQC || 03/10/2018 07:04 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336080 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Assumption, assumptions, assumptions. We didn't have 'standard' time till the technological introduction of the railroads. It was a little complicated in 19th century tech to have timetable when everyone ran their own local time. Locals didn't need to know anything but the basics for relative time as most people didn't move about more than 20 miles a day. High noon was relative. So a convention was established/imposed to accommodate the technology.

Today, as a culture, we are no longer tied to that 19h Century technology. That our 'standard' time is tied to that original imposition of organizing ourselves definitely needs reexamination. Particularly given that 19th Century 'standard' was established long before modern electrification/lighting has altered our way of living.

'Standard' time is less of the year's calendar than the daylight adjustment. Its the evolution of our daily cycle supported by our contemporary society and technology. It's time to shift everyone one zone eastward. Its a social reference tied to the technology that we swim in.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 03/10/2018 7:45 Comments || Top||

#2  DST is like the Star Spangled Banner. It drives some people insane out of all proportion to anything at all. They are more against it than cancer but really can't explain why.
Posted by: M. Murcek || 03/10/2018 14:27 Comments || Top||

#3  I normally get up at 3:50 PST for work, but have been waking an hour early for some reason. This works for me. Thank you, America
Posted by: Frank G || 03/10/2018 17:31 Comments || Top||

#4  The only reasonable system is to have noon as near as possible to solar noon, and keep it thus year-round.
Posted by: Si vis pacem || 03/10/2018 18:23 Comments || Top||


China-Japan-Koreas
Susan Rice Questions if Trump Has ‘Presence of Mind' to Execute ‘High Risk' Meeting With Kim Jong Un
[Free Beacon] Former Obama administration official Susan Rice on Friday questioned President Donald Trump's ability to successfully execute a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and she warned an unsuccessful meeting could increase the risk of conflict.

MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell‐in response to an announcement that Trump will meet with Kim in the coming months‐said to Rice that while the United States doesn't necessarily have a strategy for negotiations for an upcoming meeting, North Korea does.

"What is the downside, if there is this big-flags-waving, red carpet summit and then no results?" Mitchell asked the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and national security adviser.

"I think it's very risky," Rice said. "It risks the president's credibility, the credibility of the United States, and worse still, I think it increases the risk of conflict if they go into something with very high expectations, poor preparation, and the president acting in his typically mercurial way."

"We could end up in a much worse place then we are today," Rice warned.

Rice said there are steps that could be taken to make the meeting productive, but she expressed caution in describing the meeting as "high risk" and commenting that Trump "may not have the temperament" to execute a successful meeting.

"I do think this is high risk if executed in the typical Trumpian fashion," Rice said.

"If, however, the president has the presence of mind and the confidence in his team to allow this to be done responsibly and effectively, then I think it's worth attempting and the downsides can be potentially mitigated," Rice added.
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/10/2018 02:20 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336070 views] Top|| File under:

#1  I question whether anyone in the 0bumhole administration had the presence of mind to squeeze a meeting out of the twit like Trump did. In a little over a year. While being undercut by Socialist forces like Russia and China. And the "Democrat" party and the media. But I repeat myself.
Posted by: gorb || 03/10/2018 3:30 Comments || Top||

#2  All of mankind could be obliterated in a thermal nuclear holocaust and this creature would crawl unharmed from beneath the rubble.
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/10/2018 4:44 Comments || Top||

#3  Yeah, because the State Department has such a shining record of doing well and getting a good deal for America. NOT
Posted by: Glineger Wittlesbach1661 || 03/10/2018 5:30 Comments || Top||

#4  ... compared to President Bill Clinton who had the presence of mind to (temporarily) surrender his presidency to Jimmy Carter in a time of crisis.
Posted by: Elmerert Hupens2660 || 03/10/2018 6:13 Comments || Top||

#5  If this broad is giving advice on anything, it's clear to me the correct position is the opposite of what comes out of her mouth.
Posted by: Raj || 03/10/2018 8:32 Comments || Top||

#6  Yes Raj, she's too stupid to realize she's become a bellwether for duplicity.
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/10/2018 8:39 Comments || Top||

#7  At least she isn't claiming that zero deserves the credit. The skeletons in that closet must be amazing.
Posted by: Titus Fleter8116 || 03/10/2018 12:03 Comments || Top||


Home Front: Politix
Trump's popularity hits new heights - and Dems run scared
[American Thinker] In agonizing, painful, miserable news for the Trump-hating left, a new Marist poll finds that President Trump's popularity has reached a new high at 42% approval, the highest it's been since he took office. According to The Hill:
Trump's approval rating rose from the 38 percent he received in the poll last month. And the percentage of Americans who strongly approve of Trump held at 24 percent from last month’s survey, an all-time high for the president.

At the same time, Trump's disapproval rate, now at 50%, fell four percentage points from 54%. The voters that the Trump haters the left has fed from for the past year, is shrinking.

Something has changed. And better still, these good numbers for Trump are a trend. For the rest of us, the trend is your friend.

The reason he's up, despite the Beltway's over-covered supposed turmoil at the White House, and the Russia,Russia,Russia obsession of the leftwing press, is not hard to discern. Job creation just hit the 300,000 mark, a number we have not seen in about a decade. Taxes went down - and they went down hard for almost everyone. Factories and their jobs are returning to the states. Workforce participation is growing. And get a load of this one, from the Wall Street Journal:
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/10/2018 02:09 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336067 views] Top|| File under:

#1  What kind of political party gets thrilled about economic bad news and upset at economic good news?

The UniParty ?
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/10/2018 2:15 Comments || Top||

#2  What kind of political party gets thrilled about economic bad news and upset at economic good news?

Tried calling Caracas for comment?
Posted by: Procopius2k || 03/10/2018 7:56 Comments || Top||

#3  What kind of political party gets thrilled about economic bad news and upset at economic good news?

A political party in opposition.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 03/10/2018 8:40 Comments || Top||


Home Front: Culture Wars
Civility Isn't Surrender
[National Review] America’s two great ideological tribes are in the midst of a similar conflict. It’s the battle over civility, and all too often reason, compassion, and grace are on the losing side. On the left, aggressive social-justice activists scorn engagement and dialogue as "respectability politics" and instead favor the shout-down, the boycott, and the online shame campaign.

On the right, online pugilists mock more mainstream or "establishment" conservatives as unwilling to do what it takes to win. They mock conservatives who refuse to make Trump-style attacks and decry Trump-style rhetoric as obsessed with "muh principles." In the face of a ferocious Left, we just don’t have what it takes ‐ or, as Milo Yiannopoulos said earlier this week in a long piece calling me "the most reliably frustrating person in conservative media," we’re more prepared to "lose gracefully" than to "be seen as lacking in manners."

First, let’s acknowledge that there’s more than a kernel of truth in these critiques. Civility isn’t always a virtue. There are times when injustice demands a dramatic response. The modern image of Jesus Christ as essentially the nicest person who ever lived is laughably one-dimensional. He compared the Pharisees to "whitewashed tombs." Jesus cleansed the Temple "with a whip made out of cords." He modeled grace and compassion. He also modeled righteous anger.

Moreover, it’s also true that calls for civility are often one-sided, manipulative, and made in bad faith. It turns out that each ideological tribe is often quite tolerant of the vicious voices on its own side and positively repulsed by anger in response. You see the double standard all the time. The same people who lament the angry voices on Fox News or talk radio will positively thrill to the latest Michael Moore documentary or make excuses for Democratic leaders who just can’t quite bring themselves to condemn Louis Farrakhan.
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/10/2018 01:53 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336068 views] Top|| File under:

#1  just don't forget to carry a big stick.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 03/10/2018 2:18 Comments || Top||

#2  French is still not getting it.

For three election cycles now tens of millions of Americans voted for a presidential candidate who called Christians, gun owners, business owners, and people who believe in limited government and intact borders SUBHUMANS. And they voted that way primarily because they are government funded, want the party most likely to keep their government funding intact in power, and are willing to go down the path of treating other human beings as untermensch in order to keep their magic paychecks. In other words, they value their happy metric-free and anxiety-free status quo more than the businesses, liberties, and lives of their neighbors in the private sector.

The people who did this cannot be handled by civility. At best they can be defanged and kept from the levers of power and outed as sociopaths. At worst........
Posted by: no mo uro || 03/10/2018 8:00 Comments || Top||

#3  Too bad NR went to shit once WFB passed away.
Posted by: Raj || 03/10/2018 8:34 Comments || Top||

#4  Without even looking, I could guess that the author was David French.

No, David, the time for civility is long past; surely, if you have a brain you should know that the civility will be one-sided.

We are in a fight for our very survival. It's time to start acting like it.
Posted by: Dave D. || 03/10/2018 9:02 Comments || Top||

#5  No different than the colonists here who whined that 'yeah the king did this and did that and violated our natural rights of Englishmen' but in the end he's our king.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 03/10/2018 9:30 Comments || Top||

#6  For the D French types of the world, civility = "bipartisanship" = bend over.
Posted by: M. Murcek || 03/10/2018 9:37 Comments || Top||


Caribbean-Latin America
State Dept Closes Mexican Consulate, Warns Americans In Yucatan Area
[Hot Air] If you’ve planned to spend spring break in the tourist resorts of the Yucatan Peninsula, you may want to reconsider.The State Department abruptly closed the US consulate in the popular tourist destination of Playa del Carmen late Wednesday evening and ordered US government employees to stay out of the area. They warn other Americans either in the region or thinking of traveling to it about a "real crime threat" from local drug cartels:
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/10/2018 01:42 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336081 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Those US dollars will be better spent on the wall.
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/10/2018 1:44 Comments || Top||

#2  Totally not a shithole. Open the borders, let then all in!
Posted by: Harcourt Angoluting9366 || 03/10/2018 1:54 Comments || Top||

#3  ...so sort of like (no-go zones in) Chicago, Baltimore, et al.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 03/10/2018 7:47 Comments || Top||

#4  No, no, no. They should reopen it and start rotating the top bureaucrats at State there and to other hellholes. Tell them that they need to (quote) refresh field experience (un-quote) or some such blather -- see if they will quit, eh?
Posted by: magpie || 03/10/2018 14:46 Comments || Top||

#5  this will take a huge chunk out of those Tourist Peso's Cancun,Cozumel,Playa De Carmen to Tulum.........a thousand resorts on the shore
Posted by: 746 || 03/10/2018 18:42 Comments || Top||


Home Front: Politix
Valerie Jarrett Compares Attending Farrakhan Event To Meeting With The Koch Brothers
[Hot Air] Today the View discussed the ongoing controversy over Women’s March co-founder Tamika Mallory’s fondness for anti-Semite Louis Farrakhan. For the most part, everyone seemed to be in agreement that Farrakhan was a genuine anti-Semite (and anti-white racist) and that people who claim to be social justice leaders probably shouldn’t be hanging out with him. There was one note of dissent, however. The guest for this segment was former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett who suggested that sometimes, as a leader, you need to meet with people who you strongly disagree with.

"Part of learning to be a leader effectively is that you have to use your voice and you have to be very clear," Jarrett said. She continued, "Now you work with people all the time with whom you disagree. Goodness knows I met with the Koch brothers when we were working on criminal justice or Rupert Murdoch when we were working on immigration reform. But you have to, if you want to lead an inclusive movement, you have to be clear about hate. And you have to be against it every single time."
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/10/2018 01:30 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336065 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Ohferfoksake.
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/10/2018 1:34 Comments || Top||

#2  Looks like never was calibrated.
Posted by: gorb || 03/10/2018 3:31 Comments || Top||

#3  Champs' actual brain trust speaks, and in so doing again reveals so much about what was behind his façade .......her!
Posted by: NoMoreBS || 03/10/2018 15:12 Comments || Top||


Home Front: Culture Wars
Victimhood Culture Only Getting Worse, Professor Warns
[PJ] Two sociology professors have published a new book on how victimhood culture -- as evidenced by safe spaces, speech restrictions, and "microaggression" hype -- is causing problems for students, faculty, and staff alike.

Historically, students learned to "hold their head up high" in response to insult, the book argues. But now, students learn to interpret everything from insults to compliments through the lens of microaggression theory. Protests, conflict, and safe spaces ensue. The Rise of Victimhood Culture -- authored by Bradley Campbell, a professor at California State University, Los Angeles, and Jason Manning, who teaches at West Virginia University -- presents the harrowing details of what happened, and what’s next.

In an interview with PJ Media, Manning warns that victimhood culture "will get worse before it gets better." He says that elite campus culture moves upstream into the workplace, yet it also moves downstream towards youth, and everyone should be concerned. While professors often get blamed for teaching students victimhood culture, this isn’t always the case, argues Manning. In fact, many freshmen arrive with a fully developed understanding of "social justice," due in part to its creep into TV and internet culture.
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/10/2018 01:19 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336076 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Yes, what you reinforce and reward, you get more of.
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/10/2018 1:37 Comments || Top||

#2  I recall an old saying, overheard a number of times with disruptive children, 'you stop your crying now or I'll give you a reason to cry'.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 03/10/2018 9:32 Comments || Top||

#3  Then the allure of drugs becomes an obsession. The intensity of chronic drama and insecurity coupled with no relief invites escape by any means possible. This stage of the game I call Planned Parenthood for adults. The culling of the herd. The reset button.
Posted by: Dale || 03/10/2018 17:12 Comments || Top||


-Lurid Crime Tales-
Author of in-progress presidential pardons book involved in suspected murder-suicide
[PJ] USA Today journalist Gregory Korte had a chilling experience recently. The reporter got an email with a database containing information on every presidential pardon, going back to George Washington. His source, Northern Illinois University political science professor P.S. Ruckman Jr., was someone with whom he had previously worked.

The reporter had written on President Obama's use of clemency, and Ruckman provided him with some of his findings, which he had painstakingly collected during years of research at the National Archives. For this particular piece, Korte received the President Gerald Ford Foundation Award for Distinguished Reporting on the Presidency.

Ruckman sent Korte other lists of presidential pardons when the latter was writing about President Trump's pardon of former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio. The two stayed in touch and Korte hoped to one day have access to Ruckman's full database. The professor informed him that he could as soon as he was done with his book on the topic.

Much to Korte's surprise, he recently received the full database in an email from Ruckman. When he tried to contact him to thank him, he got no response. Korte shared on Twitter this week his sad discovery: shortly after Ruckman emailed him, he killed his two sons, and then himself, at their home.
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/10/2018 00:53 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336077 views] Top|| File under:

#1  This story has a slight smell to it. Can't put my finger on it just yet.
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/10/2018 1:02 Comments || Top||

#2  the klinton death count MO
Posted by: 3dc || 03/10/2018 1:19 Comments || Top||

#3  Well, anyone can snap, but that rural village where Ruckman lived and worked is very civilized and held a great potential future for his sons. Something seems amiss. I have to wonder if his research on pardons had led him to something else.
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/10/2018 1:28 Comments || Top||

#4  Remember when the idiot public applauded Al Capone and his merry mob of mobsters? That is Joe Kennedy laughing from hell with his democrat party.

They Are the Mob. Period.
Posted by: newc || 03/10/2018 3:59 Comments || Top||

#5  According to comments, it was Marriage problem. He was older and married an ex-student or something, she wanted out. He snapped. Lets not make a mountain out of this until several days have passed, let the facts roll in.
Posted by: Charles || 03/10/2018 15:43 Comments || Top||


Britain
UK Deploys Military In Russia Spy Nerve Agent Attack Probe
[NDTV] LONDON: British police requested military assistance in investigating a nerve agent attack on a former Russian double agent as speculation mounted Friday about how London could respond if a state actor were to blame.

Police extended the cordon around the modest suburban home of Sergei Skripal in Salisbury, the quiet city in southwestern England where he and his daughter Yulia were found slumped on a bench on Sunday.

The pair remain unconscious in a critical but stable condition, while Nick Bailey, one of the first police officers on the scene, is now sitting up and talking after initially being admitted to intensive care.

With police also hurt in the attack, pressure is intensifying on Prime Minister Theresa May to find and punish the culprits.
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/10/2018 00:42 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336069 views] Top|| File under:

#1  With police also hurt in the attack, pressure is intensifying on Prime Minister Theresa May to find and punish the culprits.

And, if - just for purposes of discussion - it's not Russians?
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 03/10/2018 8:45 Comments || Top||

#2  As you mentioned yesterday, Colonel Skripal sat in a Russian prison for years. He could have succumbed, with no great fanfare, to any number of illnesses during those years. The Russian is a paranoid, loathsome creature, but he should not be blamed for everything.

I suspect the UK Defense Establishment and Porton Down have a USAMRIID, Bruce Ivins challenge before them. The proximity of PD to the crime scene is simply too coincidental.
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/10/2018 8:56 Comments || Top||

#3  EEK! LEAK! Radiation detected
At Greenham! Chief peacenik affected!
The obvious culprit
Denounced from the pulpit!
Cui bono? The Left, unsuspected.
Posted by: Gloluse Phavigum6920 || 03/10/2018 11:41 Comments || Top||


China-Japan-Koreas
Little Rocket Man's Great Big Summit Scam
[PJ] When President Trump tipped reporters to expect a big announcement Thursday evening on North Korea, I joked to a friend that this could only amount to good news in the unlikely event that North Korean tyrant Kim Jong Un had just sent Trump a note saying "Help! I want to defect!"

No such luck. Instead, Kim has asked President Trump for a meeting as soon as possible, and Trump has agreed to meet with Kim by May.

This plan is now being widely hailed as a historic step forward; a triumph for Trump's campaign of coralling Pyongyang with "maximum pressure." It's historic all right, but there's an enormous hazard that it's a step right into the same old North Korean trap.

North Korea has a record of deceit that includes not only the series of broken nuclear deals over the past 24 years, but the surprise invasion of South Korea way back in 1950, with which Kim Jong Un's grandfather, founding tyrant Kim Il Sung, triggered the 1950-53 Korean War. The totalitarian character of the regime itself -- a system built on brute force, threats and lies -- ought to warn us that Kim's goal in proposing a summit is not to surrender to maximum pressure, but to deflate it, via assorted diplomatic stunts. All the better for Kim to regroup and carry on with North Korea's predatory projects, global rackets and nuclear missile program. (Forget the idea that Kim might be suddenly looking to repent of his murderous ways and scrap his totalitarian system; odds are, his own grotesquely abused citizenry would seize the chance to kill him.)
Posted by: Elmerert Hupens2660 || 03/10/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336077 views] Top|| File under: Commies

#1  "President Donald Trump will not meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un unless North Korea takes "concrete and verifiable actions" toward denuclearization, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Friday."

So the Trump administration is making concessions only to (partially) walk back only hours later.

This kind of erratic and unpredictable behavior has been a defining feature of North Korean negotiating tactics.

The Trump administration seems to be giving the Norks a little taste of their own medicine.
Posted by: Elmerert Hupens2660 || 03/10/2018 1:33 Comments || Top||

#2  Trump never said "Little rocket man", you stupid dumb idiot media.

He mentioned the term rocket man during the UN speech in a way that was not really dis-respectful but just enough to give us the perfect way he said it.

Like he said antifa same quarky way. It was awesome. Kim was drinking wine and eating watching the same speech live and Kim liked it.
He laughed it off as I thought he would. He likes the power of a fame like that and power peoples like shit like that - viewed as a term of endearment.

Like a club that when they award eachother, they know there is a respect of some kind and want a seat at the table.

The moral of the story you stupid fucking media is use the words that were used and do not add to it.

As for all the rest, I don't care. It is Trumps rodeo with this, he handles it.
Posted by: newc || 03/10/2018 4:09 Comments || Top||

#3  "Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at U.N. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won't be around much longer!"

@realDonaldTrump, 23 Sep 2017 (emphasis added)
Posted by: Elmerert Hupens2660 || 03/10/2018 6:17 Comments || Top||

#4  You got me there.
The UN speech was the one that Kim heard live at dinner.
Posted by: newc || 03/10/2018 22:23 Comments || Top||


Home Front: Politix
Russian Billionaire Claims Fusion GPS Funded By Soros
From ZH, so 'Nervousness Alert Trigger'
In a Daily Caller op-ed calling the Russian meddling narrative a "false public manipulation," Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska claims that Daniel Jones - a former FBI investigator, Feinstein staffer and now a Fusion GPS operative - told the Russian Oligarch's lawyer in March, 2017 that Fusion GPS was funded by "a group of Silicon Valley billionaires and George Soros."

"[O]n March 16, 2017, Daniel Jones ‐ himself a team member of Fusion GPS, self-described former FBI agent and, as we now know from the media, an ex-Feinstein staffer ‐ met with my lawyer, Adam Waldman, and described Fusion as a "shadow media organization helping the government," funded by a "group of Silicon Valley billionaires and George Soros." My lawyer testified these facts to the Senate Intelligence Committee on Nov. 3. Mr. Soros is, not coincidentally, also the funder of two "ethics watchdog" NGOs (Democracy 21 and CREW) attacking Rep. Nunes’ committee memo. -Oleg Deripaska"

And there's more innuendo at the link.....If even partially true, answers a few questions I have
Posted by: Mullah Richard || 03/10/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336082 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Fits nicely...maybe too nicely....
Posted by: Shish Forkbeard9742 || 03/10/2018 5:01 Comments || Top||

#2  Is there a left-wing cause that Soros hasn't funded?
Posted by: JohnQC || 03/10/2018 8:31 Comments || Top||

#3  Soros involvement in Fusion GPS would explain a lot of things.
Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom || 03/10/2018 9:19 Comments || Top||

#4  CIA funded/funds both Soros and Fusion GPS so OK.
Posted by: Titus Fleter8116 || 03/10/2018 11:41 Comments || Top||

#5  The bogeyman is everywhere.
Posted by: Dale || 03/10/2018 17:15 Comments || Top||


Bangladesh
CTTC hands over Faizul’s brother to Sylhet police
[Dhaka Tribune] Police’s Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit has handed over the brother of Foyzur Rahman Faizul, who attacked noted author Prof Zafar Iqbal at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) on March 3, to Jalalabad police station in Sylhet city.

Enamul Hasan was sent to Sylhet on Friday morning, said CTTC unit’s Deputy Commissioner Mohibul Islam Khan.

Jalalabad police OC Shafiqul Islam also said that they were expecting Enamul in their custody soon.

Enamul, who had fled their family home after Faizul carried out the attack, was arrested by CTTC unit officials in Gazipur on Thursday evening.

Police also seized a tablet, a mobile phone and a memory card from him at the time. These were previously used by Faizul, officials claimed.

After the news of the attack spread and Faizul was identified, all members of his family had run away from their house. However, his father Atiqur Rahman and mother Minara Begum surrendered at Jalalabad police station the next day.

Posted by: Fred || 03/10/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336067 views] Top|| File under: Ansarullah Bangla Team (AQIS)


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
ISIS launches big attack in western Daraa
[ALMASDARNEWS] The so-called Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
(ISIS) launched a new offensive tonight that targets the western countryside of the Dara’a Governorate.

ISIS reportedly began the attack by storming the rebel lines at the al-Ruba’i Checkpoint, which is located just west of Sheikh Sa’ad.

According to the Islamic State’s media wing, their bandidos Lions of Islam managed to capture this checkpoint after a short battle with the rebel forces.

Intense festivities are now ongoing at the Sheikh Sa’ad axis, where ISIS is attempting to advance against the rebels.

Posted by: Fred || 03/10/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336070 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Afghanistan
Suicide attack in Kabul leaves 9 dead, 18 wounded
[Khaama (Afghanistan)] An kaboom rocked Kabul city at around 11:30 am local time with the security officials saying a jacket wallah has detonated his explosives near a ceremony to mark the death anniversary of Abdul Ali Mazari.

The incident took place in the vicinity of the 6th police district of the city after a suicide bomber detonated his explosives near the ceremony.

The Ministry of Interior confirms that at least nine people have been killed and eighteen others have been maimed in the attack.

The ministry of public health had earlier said at least four people have been killed and thirteen others have been maimed.

The deputy front man for the ministry of interior Nusrat Rahimi had also confirmed the killing of at least Seven people while twenty two others were maimed in the attack.

Posted by: Fred || 03/10/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336071 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


-Short Attention Span Theater-
Rachel Dolezal is given her own Netflix documentary
[Daily Mail, Where America Gets Its News] Rachel Dolezal, the former NAACP leader who pretended she was black only to be unmasked as a white woman in 2015, is appearing in a new Netflix documentary against her son's wishes.
Ja, sure. Ånd I bane identify as Swedish...
Dolezal, 40, from Spokane, Washington, sparked outrage when her parents revealed she was posing as a black woman.
And I identify as 22 years old.
Netflix released the documentary's trailer on Wednesday and was criticized for spending money to promote someone who is 'fraudulent and problematic'.
Ånd I identify as blønd, med a füll head of hair, by gølly! Yust like Råchel, önly nøt knullrufs!
Dolezal's teenage son Franklin, who is biracial, is featured in the trailer where he implores his mother to stop publicizing her beliefs.
Ånd I identify as SLENDER! THAT'S RIGHT! SLENDER, DAMMIT!
'I resent some of her choices and I resent some of the words she has spoken in interviews,' Franklin said during the documentary's trailer.
AND... AND I IDENTIFY AS SANE! NOMRAL! THERE'S NOTHING WORNG WITH ME! really. you know that. don'tcha?...
Posted by: Fred || 03/10/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336088 views] Top|| File under:

#1  You can identify as a different race just like you can identify as a woman or an attack helicopter.
Posted by: Harcourt Angoluting9366 || 03/10/2018 1:56 Comments || Top||

#2  I thought she went by Nkechi these days...
Posted by: Shake || 03/10/2018 6:46 Comments || Top||

#3  I'm a Martian. That's what I told the U.S. census.
Posted by: Count Galeazzo Bumble9919 || 03/10/2018 9:05 Comments || Top||

#4  The previous was me.
Posted by: Deacon Blues || 03/10/2018 9:06 Comments || Top||

#5  Actually, I am a Honda CB750 with Michelin tires.
Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom || 03/10/2018 9:26 Comments || Top||

#6  Supposedly, Barry and Michele Obama are going to do something with documentaries at Netflix in the near future. Documentaries are supposed to be true? Right?
Posted by: JohnQC || 03/10/2018 9:52 Comments || Top||

#7  Supposedly, Barry and Michele Obama are going to do something with documentaries at Netflix in the near future. Documentaries are supposed to be true? Right?

Racist colonial themes all filmed in Kenya or SA no doubt, making him unavailable for congressional testimony or the meddling media. I hope they decide to stay on well beyond the filming.
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/10/2018 9:57 Comments || Top||

#8  Two cows, lounging in the pasture.

One cow leans over, "Hey, you hear about this Mad Cow Disease? Scary huh?"

Other cow replies, "What do I care, I'm a helicopter."
Posted by: swksvolFF || 03/10/2018 10:02 Comments || Top||

#9  Would you believe I am the man in the iron mask?

Or would it strain reason if I claimed to be the reincarnation of Walt Kelly?
Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom || 03/10/2018 20:34 Comments || Top||

#10  Draw us a Pogo and I'm convinced.
Posted by: Fred || 03/10/2018 23:38 Comments || Top||


Iraq
Iraqi officials: senior Islamic State figures hiding in Mosul tunnels
Mosul (IraqiNews.com) Officials at Iraq’s Nineveh province have warned that senior Islamic State leaders were still in hiding at tunnels in the city of Mosul, the birthplace of the extremist group’s self-proclaimed “caliphate”.

Hossam al-Abbar, a member of the Nineveh Province Council, was quoted saying in press statements that senior IS members were still hiding in underground tunnels in the western regions of Mosul, adding that those regions are of tough geography that makes it difficult to detect those tunnels.

The banks of Tigris River have become a hideout for the militants who entrench in tunnels well-hidden in the middle of the jungles, according to Abbar.

Nineveh officials have recently warned that several IS members were moving in the province with fake IDs.

Iraq declared victory over Islamic State militants and the recapture of all of the group’s strongholds in December 2017, but forces continue to hunt for remnant militants hiding at desert areas. As part of the clearing efforts, security commanders have occasionally reported the finding of underground tunnels belonging to the group.
Posted by: 3dc || 03/10/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336072 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Fifth Column
Chairman Nunes Reveals Fusion GPS Connection to Obama White House…
Well this latest twist is sketchy as hell. In December last year we learned about Nellie Ohr working for Fusion GPS and channeling Clinton/Steele ‘dossier’ information to her husband Bruce Ohr who worked in the DOJ National Security Division.

Today Fox News is revealing that Fusion-GPS #2 man-in-charge, Neil King Jr., was/is married to President Obama’s White House Policy Adviser, Shailagh Murray; who was also Joe Biden’s Deputy-Chief-of-Staff.

It’s becoming more and more transparently obvious that Fusion-GPS was one of the contractors with access to the FBI and NSA database; and when Admiral Rogers shut down that access (April 2018), Fusion-GPS needed a workaround to access the system through the Dept. of Justice National Security Division (DOJ-NSD), via Bruce Ohr.
This article starring:
BRUCE OHRDOJ National Security Divisio
BRUCE OHRFusion GPS
JOE BIDENDOJ National Security Divisio
NEIL KING JRDOJ National Security Divisio
Nellie Ohr
SHAILAGH MURRAIDOJ National Security Divisio
Posted by: 3dc || 03/10/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336092 views] Top|| File under: Commies

#1  .....when Admiral Rogers shut down that access (April 2018), Fusion-GPS needed a workaround to access the system

Enter Bruce and Nellie Ohr, an AWOL Christopher Steele, and a host of current and former Russian contacts and sources, some living, others clinging to life.

All hands on deck the 'SS Uranium One' cover story appears to be going down.
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/10/2018 1:12 Comments || Top||

#2  If Putin was behind the dossier and was supporting Trump's election, as contended by the Dems, it never made sense that the Russians would release a faked, sleezy, salacious, Trump dossier slamming Trump. It begs the question: "Who would most benefit from such a dossier?" The answer has to be the Deep State and Hillary Clinton.

Surprisingly, the NYTs provided a fairly accurate account of the Clinton Uranium 1/Clinton Foundation quid pro quo arrangement Here. Before that Peter Schweizer book "Clinton Cash" documented this pay-for-play deal. The MSM and the Clintons went into high gear to discredit this book at the time. Maybe it should have been titled "Traitors for Cash." Mueller does not seem to have much interest into looking at Uranium 1.

Just a hunch but I've often thought that Hillary's unprotected server was intentionally left unprotected. When asked about this, she feigned a lack of knowledge about security procedures and computers.

Hillary was supposed to win and all of this would have been buried deeper.
Posted by: JohnQC || 03/10/2018 8:21 Comments || Top||

#3  Mueller does not seem to have much interest into looking at Uranium 1.

Nor does anyone else I might add.
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/10/2018 8:23 Comments || Top||

#4  Boy Howdy,

Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, it does.

Me thinks they wanted to fire Admiral Rogers for shutting down the access, not him talking to Trump.
Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom || 03/10/2018 9:17 Comments || Top||

#5  Me thinks they wanted to fire Admiral Rogers for shutting down the access, not him talking to Trump. Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom

If the Admiral terminated the signals, there would have been no need for the Trump campaign apparatus to relocate. I doubt Rogers or his organization were a party to any of it. I suspect (obviously have no proof), Page went to Admiral Rogers with a...'hey boss, there's something very strange going on with my cellie.'

Admiral Rogers to Page: 'No problem, give me your selector number, I'll have someone take a look. Good to see you again.
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/10/2018 10:07 Comments || Top||

#6  An afterthought:

If Admiral Rogers went to Donald Trump and reported Trump or his campaign folks were the target of electronic surveillance or collection...(as many believe he did), I doubt that the 'collection' he might have referred to would be of the domestic sort.

Posted by: Besoeker || 03/10/2018 10:23 Comments || Top||

#7  The resignation in the UK right after the election and the Aussie Ambo connection always made me wonder about a five eyes part of the overall story.
Posted by: NoMoreBS || 03/10/2018 12:08 Comments || Top||

#8  Will there be prosecutions for the Deep State players involved in this FISA warrant and dossier mess?
Posted by: JohnQC || 03/10/2018 14:57 Comments || Top||

#9  Because Obama!
Posted by: newc || 03/10/2018 16:14 Comments || Top||


Bangladesh
Faizul’s descent into the world of militancy
[Dhaka Tribune] The Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit of Dhaka is working round the clock to uncover the truth behind the circumstances that got 23-year old Foyzur Rahman Faizul involved in militancy.
Not a complicated problem to solve. Read on.
In search of answers, officials concerned have interrogated the youth multiple times.

CTTC Additional Deputy Police Commissioner Md Saiful Islam said: "Faizul belongs to a devout Moslem family. His behavior began changing from 2016, as he started reading material from the Ahl al-Hadith sect of Islam.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred || 03/10/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336073 views] Top|| File under: Salafists

#1  "Hard to tell. He was a nice boy"
Posted by: Frank G || 03/10/2018 12:04 Comments || Top||


Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Is Russia Plotting to Bring Down OPEC?
[Oilprice.com]
Full article at title link. Short form maybe or just join together with Iran and Iraq as main supplier to EU and China. The "however clause" explores price fixing tendencies which are upsetting the EU and might really upset China. Maybe enough that they join together to cut Russia out. Lots of hand waving and sloppy scenarios.
Posted by: 3dc || 03/10/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336079 views] Top|| File under:

#1  That's an article from 2015
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 03/10/2018 1:07 Comments || Top||

#2  OPEC has always been its own worst enemy.
Posted by: JohnQC || 03/10/2018 7:11 Comments || Top||

#3  Maybe, but they've been far less effective than American frackers. Drill, baby, drill.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 03/10/2018 7:58 Comments || Top||

#4  Actually, bringing down OPEC would be a good idea.

It would put an end to a lot of the moslem BS running rampant in the ME and we'd have fewer pictures on YouTube of silver plated Audis and diamond encrusted Ferraris...

Those places are just tribes with flags (Hat tip to the late great Chris Hinchens).
Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom || 03/10/2018 9:35 Comments || Top||

#5  That's an article from 2015

Good catch, g(r)omgoru. Given that, the question for the group is whether Russia succeeded. Or perhaps whether the intention succeeded via the American execution thereof.
Posted by: trailing wife || 03/10/2018 12:41 Comments || Top||

#6  What P2K said as much as anything brought about a weakening of OPEC. OPEC screwed the U.S. for far too long. Often oil money from the U.S. was in turn used to fund terrorism against us. Radical environmentalists in the U.S. have also thwarted becoming independent from OPEC. I appeciate a clean environment, but extremists have carried their cause to the left of loony.
Posted by: JohnQC || 03/10/2018 14:43 Comments || Top||

#7  C S Lewis said that people have to worship/believe in something...so if they do not believe in God or Jesus the Messiah, they have to find something to worship.

Just color environmentalists just another group of religious fanatics.
Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom || 03/10/2018 20:27 Comments || Top||


-Obits-
Medic who documented Nazi camp horror dies at 93
[CNN] Two dozen veterans held US flags and stood at attention as they and dozens of family and friends bid farewell to one of the nation's great war heroes.

Anthony C. Acevedo's four children and two grandchildren escorted his flag-draped coffin as he came to rest at Riverside National Cemetery before the Prisoner of War Missing in Action Memorial.

Acevedo was a World War II medic and one of 350 US soldiers held in a Nazi slave labor camp. His journal proved critical in documenting the deaths and atrocities inside the camp.

He would become the first Mexican-American ever recognized as a Holocaust survivor. He kept one brutality secret, though, until the final months of his life.
At 93, his final words were: "How life tells a story."
Mr. Acevedo was a true hero.
Posted by: Skidmark || 03/10/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336066 views] Top|| File under:


Europe
Israeli Stand at Berlin Fair Stormed by 'Arab Security Guards Shouting Free Palestine'
[Haaretz] German police alerted to defend Israeli stand at tourism expo after three security guards storm it.

Police have been alerted to protect the stand from further possible attacks.

Police identified the three men and expelled them from the fair grounds.
Posted by: Elmerert Hupens2660 || 03/10/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336065 views] Top|| File under: Moslem Colonists

#1  BTW Berlin's police is suffering from similar problems.

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
Posted by: Elmerert Hupens2660 || 03/10/2018 6:26 Comments || Top||

#2  police cadets, especially those with a migrant background,

Well there's yer problem.
Posted by: AlanC || 03/10/2018 6:52 Comments || Top||

#3  three arab security men STORM the booth?

more like a drizzle
Posted by: Frank G || 03/10/2018 12:07 Comments || Top||


Iraq
Iraq integrates Hashd Al-Shaabi into national armed forces
[ALMASDARNEWS] Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi issued a decree including the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) into the country’s armed forces, according to KUNA news agency.

The Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), also known as Hashd Shaabi, will get the same rights and privileges as the Iraqi armed forces, the KUNA news agency reported.

The Shiite-dominated units, which also include Sunni components, will also be subjected to legislation regulating military service as well as getting access to military institutes and colleges.

The Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi’s decree also determined a supreme chief of the PMF and his two deputies, whose title will be set by the supreme commander of the armed forces.

​Paramilitary members will be given similar salaries to the members of the military under the Ministry of Defense’s control, the decree said. They will also be subject to the laws of military service and will gain access to military institutes and colleges.

The PMF was formed in line with a fatwa of Iraqi top Shiite holy man Ayatollah Ali Sistani in 2014 to resist ISIS*.

Posted by: Fred || 03/10/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336067 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iraq


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
High ranking rebel commander killed in East Ghouta
[ALMASDARNEWS] One of the highest ranking commanders of Faylaq al-Rahman was killed in the East Ghouta region of Damascus, today, pro-opposition activists reported.

The Faylaq al-Rahman commander, Abu ’Ali Dhiya al-Shaghouri, was reportedly killed during the Syrian Arab Army’s (SAA) attack on the Jobar-’Ayn Tarma axis, which is located at the western corridor of the East Ghouta region.
From Wikipedia: "al-Rahman Legion (Arabic: فيلق الرحمن‎, Faylaq al-Raḥmān), also called the al-Rahman Corps, is an Syrian rebel group affiliated with the Free Syrian Army operating mostly in Eastern Ghouta, in the outskirts of Damascus, but also in eastern Qalamoun. It is the main rebel group in Jobar and has received BGM-71 TOW missiles.[20] The group's leader is Abdul al-Nasr Shamir, a captain from rural Homs who defected from the Syrian Army in early 2012."
Shaghouri was considered the chief of staff of Faylaq al-Rahman, making him one of the most powerful members of this Free Syrian Army
... the more palatable version of the Syrian insurgency, heavily influenced by the Moslem Brüderbund...
(FSA) faction.

Posted by: Fred || 03/10/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336069 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Syria


Home Front: WoT
Immigration arrest of mother of 3 in National City raises concerns
SAN DIEGO (NEWS 8) ‐ A protest was held Friday morning outside City Hall offices in National City a day after a video began circulating on social media showing a mother being snatched off a National City street and hauled away by federal authorities in front of her frantic, crying daughters.

Video of Perla Morales-Luna's arrest was posted on Facebook and has gone viral.

The government says she is in the country illegally and accuses her of running a smuggling operation in East County.

The video, which already has 9 million views, shows Morales-Luna being taken into custody by plainclothes U.S. Border Patrol agents at 24th and D streets in National City.

Judith Castro, the teacher of one of Morales-Luna's three young daughters posted the video, which she says was taken by the daughter herself as she witnessed her mother being arrested.

"It was very emotional to watch," said Castro.

National City Councilmember Alejandra Sotelo-Solis says she did not witness the arrest, but in speaking with those close to the family has learned that Morales-Luna and her daughters had been on their way to pay rent when a man dressed in civilian clothes approached, asked her name and then took her into custody.

"When I heard the screams of the daughters, I felt sadness, I felt frustration and then I was infuriated," said Sotelo-Solis.

The following is a statement from the United States Border Patrol, San Diego:

Perla Morales-Luna was identified as a human smuggling facilitator who recruited drivers to transport illegal aliens from a remote border area in Eastern San Diego County to a stash house in National City as part of a larger transnational criminal organization. Other individuals associated with this criminal organization were arrested shortly after a smuggling event transpired in January of 2018 near Boulevard, California. Ms. Morales-Luna eluded arrest at that time, and despite direct phone conversations between her and U.S. Border Patrol agents, she refused to self-surrender to authorities. Due to her unwillingness to self-surrender and the fact that she was an illegal alien present in the United States she was deemed a flight risk and a targeted enforcement operation was approved for her arrest.
Much more at link including much more video. These people are going bananas.
Posted by: Abu Uluque || 03/10/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336095 views] Top|| File under:

#1  I can't raise the CBS site. Union-Tribune story.
Posted by: Chuckles Grumble6778 || 03/10/2018 4:29 Comments || Top||

#2  A protest of a movie, of a video. This coming after the poorly rated Oscars.
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/10/2018 4:38 Comments || Top||

#3  How does Mexico treat human traffickers like this?
Posted by: Glineger Wittlesbach1661 || 03/10/2018 5:29 Comments || Top||

#4  cbs8.com appears to be offline right now. Thanks for the Union Tribune link.
Posted by: Abu Uluque || 03/10/2018 8:38 Comments || Top||

#5  Good theater.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 03/10/2018 8:44 Comments || Top||

#6  The CBS link works for me now. But your posting of analternate link for the story was well done, Chuckles Grumble6778. Thank you.
Posted by: trailing wife || 03/10/2018 13:22 Comments || Top||

#7  This Illegal Alien, who birthed out three anchor babies here, was a known Illegal Smuggling Conspirator. They tried to get her to turn herself in (contacting personally by phobe), but she refused. F her, F her kids, and F the media. Jail and deport her ass
Posted by: Frank G || 03/10/2018 17:17 Comments || Top||


China-Japan-Koreas
DPRK's Access to Nukes Is Just Option
[KCNAWATCH.CO] Miroslav Lazanski, a lawmaker from the Serbian Progressive Party and a political and military commentator of the newspaper Politika, and other international affairs experts of different countries become more vocal in stressing the justification of the DPRK's nuclear possession.

It is eloquently proved by the history of the DPRK-U.S. confrontation.

Historically the U.S. has posed nuclear threat and blackmail to the DPRK for several decades after adopting it as a policy to mount nuclear attack on the DPRK.

In the present century its nuclear threat and blackmail against the DPRK have got more frantic.

There was no other option for the DPRK in the phase of acute confrontation in which it had to protect its system and destiny of the nation in one-on-one showdown with the world's biggest nuclear possessor U.S. We openly and squarely possessed nuclear weapons to defend the supreme interests of the country from the U.S. nuclear threats.

We have scuttled all the nuclear attack operation scenarios of the U.S. which tried to drive the Korean nation into nuclear disaster with hysteric war games. We have drastically weakened its unchallenged position in the world.

Peace and security on the Korean Peninsula, Northeast Asia and the rest of the world have been reliably guaranteed by the DPRK's bolstering of nuclear deterrent.

The DPRK has defended the world peace and security by single-handedly frustrating the U.S. reckless nuclear moves to stifle it by force and dominate the world. Its feats deserve the praise of the world.
Posted by: Fred || 03/10/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336080 views] Top|| File under: Commies


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Qods Force chief: Israel’s destruction the blood debt of Hezbollah commander’s death
And a pony.
[TheLongWarJournal ]Maj Gen Qassem Soleimani, the chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Qods Force, addressed last month a commemoration held in Iran for slain Lebanese Hezbollah commander Imad Mughniyeh (AKA Hajj Radwan). State-affiliated media outlets published different versions of the same speech.

Mughniyeh was a founder of Hezbollah, serving as its international operations chief and liaison with Iran. He was the architect of a string of notorious bombings, kidnappings, hijackings and assassinations including the bombings of the U.S. embassy and Marine barracks in Lebanon in the 1980’s. More Americans died in his orchestrated attacks than anyone else prior to 9/11. Mughniyeh died in a car bombing in Damascus in 2008. Initial suspects were the Syrians or the Israelis. Later revelation pointed to the latter, with the help of the Central Intelligence Agency.

“They [Israel] know, but must more seriously know that the qisas [retribution] of Imad and all the Imads who’ve been martyred in Palestine, Lebanon and Iran is not the firing of a missile and killing someone,” Soleimani warned, “the qisas of these bloods is the destruction of the child-killing Zionist regime, and this is a certain matter.”
Continued on Page 49
This article starring:
ALI KHAMENEIHezbollah
Hajj Radwan
IMAD MUGHNIYEHHezbollah
KHOMEINIHezbollah
Qassem Soleimani
SEYYED HASAN NASROLLAHHezbollah
YASER ARAFATSLA
Posted by: 3dc || 03/10/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336088 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran


Iraq
Three security personnel killed, wounded in armed attack, east of Kirkuk
Kirkuk (IraqiNews.com) Three Iraqi security personnel were killed and injured in an armed attack against one of the headquarters of the Turkmen Front in Kirkuk.

In a statement on Friday, Mohamed Samaan, an official from the front in Kirkuk, said, “the headquarters of the military district, east of Kirkuk, was targeted by unidentified gunmen using RPGs.”

The attack, according to Samaan, left “one personnel of the Counter-Terrorism Service killed and another injured.”

Earlier on the day, a security source said a CTS patrol was attacked in east of Kirkuk, adding that troops repelled the attack.

A total of 91 Iraqi civilians were killed and 208 others were injured in acts of terrorism, violence and armed conflict in February, according to the monthly report issued by the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).

Baghdad was the worst affected Governorate, with 195 civilian casualties (49 killed, 146 injured). Anbar Governorate ranked second place, with 14 killed and 37 injured, and Diyala had 12 killed and 11 injured.

As many as 3,298 civilians were killed and 4,781 others were wounded in 2017, excluding Anbar civilian casualty figures for November and December, which are not available, UNAMI said in a report in December.

Thousands of IS militants as well as Iraqi civilians were killed since the government campaign, backed by paramilitary troops and the coalition was launched in October 2016 to fight the militant group, which declared a self-styled “caliphate” from Mosul in June 2014.
Posted by: 3dc || 03/10/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336073 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


-Short Attention Span Theater-
Utter genius electrocuted after ignoring barricade and hitting wires downed in storm
[PENNLIVE] A driver in New Jersey made a fatal mistake when he ignored a road closed barricade Thursday morning and drove on, only to run over live electrical wires downed by this week's nor'easter storm.

As 6ABC in Philly reports, the driver's SUV erupted into flames in on Summit Avenue and Route 208 in Franklin Lakes just before 9 a.m., as the vehicle hit those live wires.

In fact, the inferno was so bad, the driver had not been positively identified as of last reports.

Fire totally gutted the vehicle, and the driver was pronounced dead at the scene.

Posted by: Fred || 03/10/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336069 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Charles Darwin to the white courtesy phone.....Mr. Darwin..........
Posted by: AlanC || 03/10/2018 7:15 Comments || Top||

#2  In other technical-related news, the burger flipping robot was fired after one day; it wasn't fast enough to keep up.
Posted by: JohnQC || 03/10/2018 9:50 Comments || Top||

#3  Curiosity here JohnQC; did the robot underperform or is the punchline it actually did its job so well there were too many customers?

Because the last time I was in a fast food restaurant, and I'm a go inside and see who touches my food and how clean the place is kinda guy. Looked like a damned petting zoo. Except dirtier. And not as well behaved.
Posted by: swksvolFF || 03/10/2018 11:03 Comments || Top||

#4  Walking up Netherland Ave yesterday, lines down on sidewalk so I carefully step over and the second line whacks me in the head...didn't seem to be live.
Genius, you say?
Posted by: Grunter || 03/10/2018 11:18 Comments || Top||

#5  Burger-flipping robot.

swksvolFF: Reported as too slow. Article didn't say anything about cleanliness. I too like to see attention to cleanliness where people prepare my food.
Posted by: JohnQC || 03/10/2018 11:19 Comments || Top||

#6  Reported as too slow. Reboot. Or double the voltage.
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 || 03/10/2018 13:25 Comments || Top||

#7  I love Lucy-cookie line episode.
Posted by: JohnQC || 03/10/2018 15:11 Comments || Top||


China-Japan-Koreas
China paid students to wave China’s flag on Xi DC visit
The Chinese embassy paid Chinese students to line the streets of DC holding flags when Xi Jinping visited Washington in 2012 and 2015.
Posted by: 3dc || 03/10/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336077 views] Top|| File under: Commies

#1  Just like the Donks. Bus them in. Or union pickets, who are not of the union or get benefits.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 03/10/2018 8:07 Comments || Top||

#2  The Chinese embassy paid Chinese students to line the streets of DC holding flags when Xi Jinping visited Washington in 2012 and 2015.

Not much different than Soros hiring a rent-a-crowd except the Chinese students have better manners and are better behaved.
Posted by: JohnQC || 03/10/2018 8:26 Comments || Top||

#3  Beats just ordering them to do it "because we know where your family lives".
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 03/10/2018 8:41 Comments || Top||

#4  While not quite the same as getting a photo of the PLA National Defense University's graduating class, photos of the rent-a-college-students might be interesting to the spooks at Langley for recruitment purposes, either as prospects or as non-prospects.
Posted by: Zhang Fei || 03/10/2018 14:58 Comments || Top||

#5  Future DNC interns
Posted by: Frank G || 03/10/2018 17:33 Comments || Top||

#6  Zhang Fei : good point

the Chinese are better at this kind of thing than the Dems or Soros will ever hope to be
Posted by: 746 || 03/10/2018 18:57 Comments || Top||


-Lurid Crime Tales-
Attacker of Senator Paul pleads guilty to federal felony charge
[FoxNews] The man accused of violently attacking Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul in November, leaving him with six broken ribs, pleaded guilty Friday.

Rene Boucher,
the Trump-hating, registered Democrat Bernie Bro, whose medical license was reported to have expired in 2015...
Paul’s 59-year-old neighbor, pleaded guilty to a federal charge of assaulting a member of Congress resulting in personal injury.

A judge set sentencing for June 15.

Boucher, an anesthesiologist, faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Prosecutors are reportedly seeking a 21-month prison sentence for Boucher, but the charge carries up to 10 years in jail, and a $250,000 fine.

Boucher’s attorney, Matthew Baker, told Fox News Friday that his client is "relieved" to have "this phase of the case behind him."

"He is looking forward to obtaining a complete resolution," Baker said.

"This whole situation had absolutely nothing to do with anyone's politics or political agendas or political parties," Baker told Fox News. "It has been a longstanding dispute between two neighboring property owners over the issue of their property maintenance of lack thereof."

Boucher initially pleaded not guilty in November.

Paul, R-Ky., sustained six broken ribs and a “pleural effusion.” A pleural effusion is “the build-up of excess fluid between the layers of the pleura outside the lungs,” according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Boucher’s attorney told Fox News in November that Paul and his client had been neighbors for 17 years in Bowling Green, Ky. and were “prominent members of the local medical community and worked together when they were both practicing physicians.”

He said that the dispute grew out of “a matter that most people would regard as trivial.”

Paul was mowing his lawn on Nov. 3, 2017, when Boucher saw him stacking brush into a pile near his property, according to court records reviewed by The Courier Journal.

Boucher had “had enough,” and attacked Paul, over a “property dispute that had finally boiled over,” according to the plea agreement reached in January.
This article starring:
Rene Boucher
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 || 03/10/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336091 views] Top|| File under:


China-Japan-Koreas
Cyber-enabled information and influence operations—it’s not just Russia
[ASPI - Australian Strategic Policy Institute] By Danielle Cave

Each month we learn more and more about the extent of Russia’s interference in the 2016 US elections. Fraudulent social media accounts accused of propping up non-existent political commentators, armies of Twitter bots designed to cluster around and drive defined political and social issues, carefully crafted ‘dark posts’ that only some could see, and political rallies coordinated by social media event pages, all are now standard media fodder.

This sophisticated covert campaign used disinformation to sow confusion and magnify noise and disagreement. It prodded and promoted a lack of confidence in American leaders and institutions. It did so by taking advantage of the openness of American society—and by leveraging cyberspace in new and creative ways that outpaced and outfoxed government thinking. Given the lack of response from the US government during (and immediately following) the elections, and the seeming lack of awareness in media that events were being manipulated, it’s fair to say few understood the magnitude of what was tearing down the pipeline.

At an estimated cost of US$1.25 million a month—chump change for most developed countries’ intelligence services—the operation was a steal for the Russian government. (If you haven’t already done so, do read Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s 37-page indictment of 13 Russian nationals and three Russian entities, including the Internet Research Agency).

While international media remains focused on Russian influence operations in the US and Europe—Sweden is the latest to prepare for possible election meddling—it’s important to note that covert cyber-enabled influence operations take place around the world, including in the Indo-Pacific.

In the Philippines, for example, media and academia have tracked how President Rodrigo Duterte’s ‘keyboard trolls’ spread and amplify messages in support of his policies through a combination of social media bots and fake accounts. Parts of this domestically focused operation appear to be coming straight from the president’s office. A 2017 Oxford paper claimed that Duterte’s office had a budget of US$200,000 and employed 400–500 people to promote the president and defend him from online criticisms.

One operation that Australia’s national security community should watch closely is being investigated in Taiwan. Taipei’s District Prosecutors’ Office alleges that the Chinese government has been running a multi-year operation ‘aimed at infiltrating the military through obtaining confidential information from digital networks and databases, deepening existing contacts, holding military-related events and filing academic research reports’.

Apparently conducted through the Chinese government’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO), the operation involved financing pro-unification propaganda website FIRE News and then using the website’s Facebook page to recruit contacts, ideally senior military contacts. It’s been reported that TAO paid FIRE News’ administrators A$130 for every new Facebook like (as long as that user liked and read at least 70% of the page’s content). It offered A$220 for each Facebook user who interacted with the creators of the page at least once every two weeks for a minimum of two months. If offline meetings were secured with contacts (this had to be proved with photographs), A$435 was up for grabs.

A reward of A$2,180 was given if during these two-person exchanges the Facebook user opened up about their politics and personal feelings. If someone made it to this stage of the operation, it’s alleged that they were told to immediately get in touch with TAO for further instructions.

We could view this operation as stock-standard human intelligence collection—recruiting agents to recruit agents. But it’s actually a two-for-one hybrid operation. We have an Avon/Amway-style espionage operation fused with a cyber-enabled influence operation (taking place through both the website and attached Facebook page). Compared with Russia’s activities in this space, this operation was quieter (until it was discovered of course) and the approach appeared to be tilted towards long-term gain rather than short-term outcomes.

While this is one of the more interesting influence operations we are aware of in Asia, it’s only one case study we can learn from. Start scratching the surface of content farms—particularly in how they’re deployed against Taiwan—and we can glean insights into the types of information-warfare tactics being used in our region.

For Australia, it’s essential that we keep an eye on such influence operations occurring closer to home, particularly as we move towards our next national election. That’s a topic I’ll tackle in my next post.
Posted by: 3dc || 03/10/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336084 views] Top|| File under:


-Land of the Free
This Week in Guns, March 10th, 2018


By Chris Covert
Rantburg.com

Virtue signaling by the left on guns continues, this time in Virginia where a democrat candidate running for Congress, Karen Mallard, made a demonstration of how she destroyed her husband's AR-15 rifle.

A few matters to point out: Mrs. Mallard did not actually destroy the rifle, she merely cut the barrel short. An AR-15 barrel is a general commodity, and is easily replaced. Had she wanted to destroy the rifle, she should have cut into the receiver where the barrel is. It must be noted that Mallard violated US firearms statutes by cutting the barrel short, and it doesn't matter if she subsequently turned it over to the police.

It goes to show just how ignorant the left are when it comes to firearms. Trolling the Facebook page of Huffington Post shows that democrats think running on gun control will help them win back Congress in 2018. They seem to be counting on new voters to help the democrats vote away their Constitutional rights.

Concerning the Parkland High School Massacre: We still know so little about what happened. I have heard that the shooter was sold a Daniel Defense rifle, which is a medium quality AR, in my opinion. South Carolina US Senator Lindsey Graham said that the shooter's rifle jammed, so when it did, the shooter dropped the rifle and left the premises.

ARs once were considered to be jam prone, but over time the quality of the rifles has improved. The most common failures I have heard about have been stove pipes, which is a kind of extractor failure. In a fire fight, it is a pretty dangerous thing to be forced to clear a stovepipe, but with practice it can be done in just a few seconds.

If the rifle did jam, and the shooter did drop the rifle because of it, it tells me he had zero help in learning the handle the rifle.

That part of the incident reminds me of the attempted assassination of a pair of police officers in Vallejo, California 15 months ago. In that incident the shooter's rifle jammed after firing only one shot. When that happened, he also dropped the gun and fled. He was gunned down shortly afterward. Photographs of the rifle showed the failure was a stovepipe, which is supposedly relatively easy to clear. The shooter simply was not prepared for the failure and simply left the scene, only to die tired.

Tactical firearms trainer Max Velocity goes into some details here about rifle stoppages.

In the article I read, the cause of the failure in Florida was said to be a poor quality rifle, which I very much doubt, or bad ammunition. Russian ammunition is particularly bad about AR extractor jams, so much so, it is said that when your AR has a stovepipe failure, it is your AR giving you the finger for using cheap ammunition.

Finally, CNN did a television report on the AR, using a retired US Army general, Mark Hertling, as their expert. The video is hilarious, and not just because of the background commentary. It is when the general tells the reporter, "Now, those were single shots. If I wanted to fire this on full semiautomatic..." The general, who had been trading on his time in the service, should have known better.

Loads.

Rantburg's summary for arms and ammunition:

Pistol ammunition prices were mostly steady. Rifle ammunition prices were steady.

Prices for used pistols were mostly higher. Prices for used rifles were lower.

New Lows:

None

Pistol Ammunition

.45 Caliber, 230 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (5 weeks)
Cheapest, 50 rounds: Red River Reloading, Silver Bear, FMJ, Steel Casing, .22 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 1,000 rounds: East Carolina Trading, Own brand, FMJ, Brass Casing, Reloads, .20 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (8 Weeks))

.40 Caliber Smith & Wesson, 180 Grain, From Last Week: +.01 Each)
Cheapest, 50 rounds: Ammo King, Sellier & Bellot, FMJ, Brass Casing .20 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 1,000 rounds: East Carolina Trading, Own Brand, CRN, Brass Casing, Reloads, .17 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (4Q, 2017))

9mm Parabellum, 115 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (3 weeks)
Cheapest, 50 rounds: Extreme Reloading, Tulammo, FMJ, Steel Casing .14 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 1,000 rounds: Fedarm, Own Brand, FMJ, Brass Casing, Reloads .14 per round (From Last Week: +.01 Each After Unchanged (5 Weeks))

.357 Magnum, 158 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (3Q, 2017)
Cheapest, 50 rounds: Outdoor Limited, Tulammo, FMJ, Steel Casing, .23 per round
Cheapest Bulk: 1,000 rounds: Outdoor Limited, Tulammo, FMJ, Steel Casing, .23 per round (From Last Week: -.01 Each)

.38 Special, 158 Grain, From Last Week: -.07 Each
Cheapest, 50 rounds: Centerfire Systems, CCI, FMJ, Aluminum Casing .16 per round
Cheapest Bulk: 1,000 rounds: SG Ammo, Prvi Patizan, RNL, Brass Casing, .23 per round (From Last Week: -.01 Each After Unchanged (3 Weeks)

Rifle Ammunition

.223 Caliber/5.56mm 55 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (4Q, 2017)
Cheapest, 20 rounds: Able's, Wolf WPA, FMJ, Steel Casing, .20 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 1,000 rounds: Expert Ammo, Tulammo, FMJ, Steel Casing, .20 per round (From Last Week: +.01 Each After Unchanged (2 Weeks))

.308 NATO 150 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (3 Weeks)
Cheapest, 20 rounds: Expert Ammo, Tulammo, FMJ, Steel Casing, .30 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 500 rounds: SG Ammo, Tulammo, FMJ, Steel Casing, .30 per round (From Last Week: +.02 Each After Unchanged(2 Weeks))

7.62x39mm AK 123 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (2 Weeks)
Cheapest, 20 rounds: Target Sports USA, Wolf WPA, FMJ, Steel Casing, .23 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 1,000 rounds: True Shot Gun Club, Wolf WPA, Steel Casing, FMJ, .19 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (3Q, 2017))

.30-06 Springfield 145 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (2 Weeks)
Cheapest, 20 rounds: Outdoor Limited, Wolf WPA, Steel Casing, FMJ, .54 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 500 rounds: United Nations Ammo, Wolf WPA, Steel Casing, FMJ, .53 per round (From Last week: Unchanged (4Q, 2017))

.300 Winchester Magnum 150 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (4 Weeks)
Cheapest, 20 rounds: Selway Armory, Prvi Partizan, Brass Casing, SP, .75 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 500 rounds: Target Sports USA, Prvi Partizan, Brass Casing, SP, .85 per round (From Last Week: +.10 Each After Unchanged (2 Weeks))

.338 Lapua Magnum 250 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (9 Weeks)
Cheapest, 20 rounds: Outdoor Limited, Ten Ring, Brass Casing, SP, 2.15 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 200 rounds: Cabelas, Prvi Partizan, FMJ, Brass Casing, 2.80 per round (From Last Week: +.55 Each

.22 LR 40 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (6 Weeks)
Cheapest, 50 rounds: Ammo King, Federal, RNL, .04 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 5,000 rounds: Outdoor Limited, Armscor, RNL, Brass Casing, .04 per round (From Last Week: +.01 Each After Unchanged (2 Weeks))

Guns for Private Sale
Rifles


.223/5.56mm (AR Pattern Semiautomatic) Average Price: $485 Last Week Avg: $520(-) ($616 (2Q, 2015), $387 (27 Weeks))
Arizona (201, 3Q, 2017(+3))(93, 107): DPMS: $450 ($740 (11 Weeks), $300 (26 Weeks))
Texas (484, 3Q, 2017(+3))(293, 314): Mixed Build: $480 ($700 (1Q, 2015), $350 (2Q, 2015))
Pennsylvania (249, 3Q, 2017(+6))(133, 133): Palmetto State Armory: $500 ($700 (2Q, 2015), $300 (3Q, 2015))
Virginia (282, 3Q, 2017)(191, 206): Mixed Build: $500 ($750 (1Q, 2015), $300 (14 Weeks))
Florida (679, 3Q, 2017)(379, 408): Palmetto State Armory: $498 ($650 (2Q, 2015), $350 (5 Weeks))

.308 NATO (AR-10 Pattern Semiautomatic) Average Price: $910 Last Week Avg: $1,090(-) ($1,359 (2Q, 2015), $766 (39 Weeks))
Arizona (49, 3Q, 2017(+6))(29, 32): Armalite: $1,100 ($2,300 (39 Weeks), $500 (22 Weeks))
Texas (178, 3Q, 2017)(80, 82): DPMS: $900 ($1,500 (4Q, 2014), $600 (5 Weeks))
Pennsylvania (54, 3Q, 2017)(26, 23): DPMS: $800 ($1,600 (4Q, 2016), $700 (3Q, 2015))
Virginia (86, 3Q, 2017)(57, 61): Unidentified Build: $1,000 ($2,750 (1Q, 2016), $675 (18 Weeks))
Florida (128, 3Q, 2017(+3))(72, 67): Palmetto State Armory: $750 ($1,950 (2Q, 1016), $500 (3Q, 2015))

7.62x39mm (AK Pattern Semiautomatic) Average Price: $580 Last Week Avg: $630(-) ($728 (4 Weeks), $450 (3Q, 2015))
Arizona (34, 3Q, 2017(+3))(27, 29): IO: $750 ($950 (4 Weeks), $400 (43 Weeks))
Texas (141, 3Q, 2017)(52, 59): WASR 10/63: $550 ($1,000 (4 Weeks)), $350 (3Q, 2014))
Pennsylvania (75, 3Q, 2017)(40, 43): RAS47: $600 ($750 (1Q, 2015), $375 (1Q, 2015))
Virginia (72, 3Q, 2017)(48, 53): WASR 10/63: $650 ($700 (2Q, 2016), $300 (19 Weeks))
Florida (146, 3Q, 2017)(114, 122): RAS-47: $650 ($700 (1Q, 2016), $300 (4Q, 2014))

30-30 Winchester Lever Action Average Price: $405 Last Week Avg: $430(-) ($495 (4Q, 2016), $296 (3Q, 2015))
Arizona (14, 3Q, 2017)(3, 3): Winchester 94: $550 ($800 (4 Weeks), $200 (42 Weeks)))
Texas (35, 3Q, 2017(+2))(21, 21): Marlin: $375 ($550 (1Q, 2015), ($290 (3 Weeks))
Pennsylvania (23, 3Q, 2017)(15, 14): Winchester 94: $400 ($450 (1Q, 2015), $250 (4Q, 2014))
Virginia (19, 3Q, 2017(+3))(11, 9): Marlin: $350 ($670 (2Q, 2016), $250 (4Q, 2015))
Florida (34, 3Q, 2017)(19, 16): Marlin: $350 ($500 (1Q, 2015), $250 (2Q, 2015))

Pistols

.45 caliber ACP (M1911 Pattern Semiautomatic Pistol) Average Price: $499 Last Week Avg: $464(+) ($525 (3Q, 2016), $350 (4Q, 2015))
Arizona (134, 3Q, 2017(+5))(89, 90): Springfield: $450 ($700 (43 Weeks), $325 (29 Weeks))
Texas (361, 3Q, 2017 (+3))(249, 249): Rock Island Armory: $520 ($650 (3 Weeks), $300 (4Q, 2016)))
Pennsylvania (178, 3Q, 2017)(160, 159): Remington R1: $425 ($600 (31 Weeks), $300 (2Q, 2015))
Virginia (204, 3Q, 2017(+3))(147, 160): Rock Island Armory: $600 ($775 (31 Weeks), $250 (4Q, 2014))
Florida (440, 3Q, 2017)(277, 286): American Tactical Imports: $500 ($500 (1Q, 2016), $250 (1Q, 2015))

9mm (Beretta 92FS or other Semiautomatic) Average Price: $283 Last Week Avg: $279(+) ($358 (1Q, 2016), $207 (43 Weeks))
Arizona (238, 3Q, 2017)(149, 155): Taurus G2: $220 ($400 (50 Weeks), $180 (18 Weeks))
Texas (586, 3Q, 2017(+3))(425, 439): Smith & Wesson SD9VE: $320 ($355 (1Q, 2015), $180 (20 Weeks))
Pennsylvania (441, 3Q, 2017(+2))(296, 307): Kahr CM9: $275 ($350 (4Q 2014), $150 (1Q, 2017))
Virginia (365, 3Q, 2017(+6))(289, 300): Canik TP9SA: $300 ($425 (4Q, 2016), $189 (2Q, 2016))
Florida (827, 3Q, 2017)(685, 693): Ruger P95: $300 ($400 (1Q, 2016), $160 (44 Weeks))

.40 caliber S&W (Glock or other semiautomatic) Average Price: $325 Last Week Avg: $329(-) ($399 (1Q, 2016), $262 (2Q, 2016))
Arizona (77, 3Q, 2017(+2))(42, 43): Bersa Thunder: $395 ($500 (1Q, 2017), $195 (40 Weeks))
Texas (156, 3Q, 2017(+2))(121, 118): Smith & Wesson: $300 ($425 (4Q, 2014), $180 (13 Weeks))
Pennsylvania (115, 3Q, 2017(+5))(76, 78): Smith & Wesson SD40VE: $300 ($450 (2Q, 2016), $200 (3Q, 2016))
Virginia (109, 3Q, 2017(+4))(86, 91): Smith & Wesson SD40VE: $380 ($450 (2Q, 2015), $220 (8 Weeks))
Florida (193, 3Q, 2017(+3))(147, 145): Kahr CM40: $250 ($400 (1Q, 2015), $199 (4Q, 2015))

Used Gun of the Week: (Nebraska)
FN Herstal S.A. semiautomatic pistol chambered in 5.7x28mm
Posted by: badanov || 03/10/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336094 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Your Saturday morning gun video.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 03/10/2018 8:01 Comments || Top||

#2  Back when the going price was $2500, I was amazed, delighted and nearly achieved a full chubb when I first picked up the 5.7. The grip fit perfect, the diameter was right, trigger reach caressed my forefinger pad and the backstrap texture massaged my medial nerve. Even now the memory gives me tingles like Mary Lou's first kiss.
Posted by: Skidmark || 03/10/2018 10:23 Comments || Top||

#3  In a way I understand when butt snorkel cut his barrel a couple weeks back it might have been an Baby Oopsie Goes Poo. Even though the guy had 'supposedly' pro gun tats and banter. He was pretty quick to come back and clarify he then also cut up his lower.

Like when that reporter flashed magazines on-air in DC and broke the law. So many laws one can accidentally break one, like that gal in NJ. Like why Kansas confirmed that the only gun laws are the state and federal gun laws.

This stick of dip not only broke the law, but broke the law in a manner already poostormed two weeks prior. No research. No thought. Just heard about it at some fourth tier cocktail party of failure. Seriously, the buzz is so old on this trick when it happened KU had not yet wrapped up the Big 12. Some serious wasted away in f n loserville, looking for her lost shakers of fault.

Nevermind tyrants, commies, bullies, and jerks. These people are flat out incompetent. Charlie personas who are such failures they agitate the Betas. If the dog chewed through the vacuum cleaner's electrical cord, they would blame the vacuum and not know how to fix the cord then steal the neighbors vacuum.

And these Darwin dead ends have power? WTF VA?
Posted by: swksvolFF || 03/10/2018 10:28 Comments || Top||

#4  The 57 is an interesting firearm but I've never shot one. Very hot round. Still a bit pricey.
Posted by: JohnQC || 03/10/2018 10:37 Comments || Top||

#5  "Assault rounds of bullet. In full semi-auto"
Posted by: Frank G || 03/10/2018 12:36 Comments || Top||

#6  "He went full semi. Never go full semi."
Posted by: swksvolFF || 03/10/2018 19:31 Comments || Top||

#7  Thanks for a very comprehensive article Chris. I look forward to them.
Posted by: Blackbeard Bumble5724 || 03/10/2018 20:40 Comments || Top||


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Ayatollah Khamenei is lone nuclear holdout after Kim’s invitation to Trump
[DEBKA - so SALT]North Korea’s Kim Jong Un invitation to meet US President Donald Trump to talk about denuclearization has left Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei high and dry. He is now the only world ruler still holding out against discussing his country’s nuclear program. Instead, the ayatollah using it as muscle for trying to impose Iran’s will on the United States in the Middle East. “Rocket man” in Pyongyang may have factored into his provocative policies the inevitability of having to face Trump at some point to discuss terms for the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, while preserving his regime. His escalations were countered by the pressure of biting world sanctions, in the imposition of which even China was active. Now, Khamenei can no longer escape the realization that he will have to face the US and renegotiate the changes Trump is demanding for filling in the loopholes in the nuclear deal which Tehran signed with six world powers in 2015.

The first reference to this could be found between the lines of the message Trump posted on Twitter early Friday, March 9, after he accepted the invitation delivered from Kim by South Korean officials: “Kim Jong Un talked about denuclearization with the South Korean Representatives, not just a freeze. Also, no missile testing by North Korea during this period of time. Great progress being made but sanctions will remain until an agreement is reached. Meeting being planned!”

The content of the Trump tweet closely followed the outline of the proposal delivered by French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian this week to Tehran, on behalf of Presidents Emmanuel Macron and Trump, DEBKAfile’s sources report. It was brushed off within 24 hours by senior Revolutionary Guards generals and regime officials. As one of them tellingly put it: “European countries come to Tehran and say we want to negotiate with Iran over its presence in the region. It is none of your business. It is our region. Why are you here?”

While this response was brazen enough, it interestingly omitted mention of nuclear arms and ballistic missiles.
Posted by: 3dc || 03/10/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336069 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran

#1  It is waaay to early to talk like there's a deal on de-nuclearization in the works. It sounds like China left a horse's head in Kim's bed, with a warning to calm things down before Japan and South Korea build their own nukes and delivery systems.
Posted by: ed in texas || 03/10/2018 10:25 Comments || Top||


Southeast Asia
At least eight BIFF rebels killed in Mindanao clash
[AFP] On Friday, the Philippine military said it had killed at least eight insurgents in an operation to stop efforts to set up a militant base in the country's south following the five-month siege of Marawi last year. Military spokesman Gerry Bisana said armored vehicles and artillery were used against about 50 gunmen from the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters on Thursday.

Bisana said troops recovered the bodies of eight gunmen, although they believe rebels carried off 15 other dead comrades. He said a soldier was also injured in the fighting near the town of Datu Saudi Ampatuan.

The military said last month that gunmen linked to the Islamic State have renewed an armed campaign to set up a caliphate in the region. The first attempt was quashed last year after a military campaign that flattened Marawi and killed more than 1,100 people.

Survivors of that siege have recruited a fresh force of about 200 gunmen, according to the military, with President Duterte warning they could attack other cities in Mindanao.
Posted by: ryuge || 03/10/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336072 views] Top|| File under: Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters


Africa North
 Tuareg militias again clash with Islamic State-loyal militants in northern Mali
The Imghad and Allies Self Defense Movement (GATIA) and the Movement for the Salvation of Azawad (MSA) have again reported its fighters have battled with militants loyal to the Islamic State led by Abu Walid al Sahrawi.

According to the joint statement released by the groups, one of their joint patrols engaged in combat with the Islamic State-loyal militants in the Tinzouragan area of Mali’s northern Gao region yesterday. The locale sits close to In-Delimane and the Nigerien borders, an area where the so-called Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) operates. The Tuareg alliance reported that five jihadists were killed, including a high level commander named as Djibo Hamma. Other militants and vehicles were reported captured.

At the same time, France’s Operation Barkhane reported its forces also clashed with suspected jihadist militants near In-Delimane on March 6. It is unclear which group the French troops battled with. While ISGS operates in that area, al Qaeda’s Group for Support of Islam and Muslims have claimed attacks on French troops in that area as well.
This article starring:
ABU WALID AL SAHRAWIIslamic State
DJIBO HAMAISGS
Posted by: 3dc || 03/10/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336117 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State in the Greater Sahara


-Signs, Portents, and the Weather-
POTUS Pardons US Navy Sailor Who Did ‘Nothing' Compared To Hillary
[Daily Caller] President Donald Trump pardoned Navy sailor Kristian Saucier who was jailed in October 2016 for taking photos aboard a U.S. nuclear submarine, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced in a Friday press briefing.

Saucier was convicted of unauthorized retention of national defense information for holding onto the photos aboard the submarine that show classified technology. Trump repeatedly invoked Saucier’s case as evidence of the alleged wrongdoing of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton during the 2016 campaign.

Trump frequently criticized Clinton for her use of a private email server while serving as secretary of state. He noted during the campaign that Saucier did "nothing" compared to Clinton.

"They put him in jail. And you see what she does and she’s allowed to run for president. Folks do you know what it tells you? The system is rigged, and I’ve been saying that for a long time," Trump said, adding "It’s an old submarine, believe me, they have pictures of that submarine that nobody knows about, probably, right?"

Saucier maintained throughout his proceedings that he did not mean to distribute classified information and noted that other sailors had posted similar photos without suffering any consequences.
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/10/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336081 views] Top|| File under:

#1  ...Bad, bad move. The lad not only blew an integrity gasket, he ran right over all the other safeguards, lied through his teeth when he got caught, and did his damnedest to destroy evidence (and not very well at that). And his justification for asking for the pardon boiled down to, "I just wanted to show my family what I did, everybody else did it, and Hilary."

I get that there are things we do in the service that we can't share with our family and friends. But we kept our words and didn't. This will open up a can of worms not worth just poking Felonia von Pantsuit in the eye.

Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski || 03/10/2018 5:32 Comments || Top||

#2  Mike, could this be a way to change the Overton Window?
Posted by: AlanC || 03/10/2018 7:28 Comments || Top||

#3  Hey, he's just 'little people'. Yes, it was wrong, in both cases. Notice though, no equitable pardon for Von Pantsuit.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 03/10/2018 9:27 Comments || Top||

#4  I kinda wonder what the watch officer was doing when the pictures were taken. If the gizmos and gadgets were classified stuff, why were any photography allowed at all...

Of course, given the open access to all of our national defense technology that the Clintons and Zero gave to anyone and everyone, these pics are probably old news to the bad guys.
Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom || 03/10/2018 9:30 Comments || Top||

#5  I don't know the details but if the pix were taken in port there is only a skeleton crew of watchstanders. The whole boat is almost deserted with a couple of rovers and the rest of the watchstanders working or sleeping.
Posted by: AlmostAnonymous5839 || 03/10/2018 10:40 Comments || Top||

#6  I get that there are things we do in the service that we can't share with our family and friends.

I cheated; I married a co-worker who had the same clearances. There was a friend who majored in Chinese military history. We used to discuss Chinese ICBM's. That had to stop after I read the classified intelligence estimate.

Still, everybody with a clearance gets a counterintelligence briefing once a year. Sailor Saucier had to know that what he was doing was wrong. A photograph could have caught unintended targets useful to the black hats. For the longest time, I used a Blackberry that lacked a camera because I couldn't bring a camera on site.

Still, given that the beast walked, what was done to sailor Saucier lacked symmetry. So OK.
Posted by: Titus Fleter8116 || 03/10/2018 11:25 Comments || Top||


Home Front: Culture Wars
Needles, debris, human waste tallied after cleanup of California homeless camp
Follow up to this story from two weeks ago.
[FoxNews] According to the figures, public works crews in Orange County collected 404 tons of debris, 13,950 needles, and 5,279 pounds of human waste during a massive overhaul between Jan. 22 and March 3, the Orange County Register reported.

The specter of the ever-increasing homeless encampment along the Santa Ana River Trail had drawn the ire of local residents, prompting city officials to take action.
Posted by: Skidmark || 03/10/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336067 views] Top|| File under:

#1  It is cheaper to not allow them to pitch that tent anyway, no?
Posted by: newc || 03/10/2018 3:50 Comments || Top||


-Short Attention Span Theater-
The 50 most dangerous cities in the world
[DailyMail]
  • South and Central America dominate list of world's most violent cities with 42 of the top 50

  • Brazil has the most cities on the list which also includes four from the US and three from South Africa

  • Los Cabos, in Mexico, is the most violent in the world, followed by Caracas, in Venezuela, and Acapulco

  • Authors praised a drop in violence in Honduras, but said the situation in Mexico is spiraling out of control
Posted by: Skidmark || 03/10/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336078 views] Top|| File under:

#1  I'm surprised Sao Paulo's not on there - it's got quite the reputation as a shithole city, and a client confirmed it when he got back from one of the World Cup games down there back in 2014.
Posted by: Raj || 03/10/2018 8:29 Comments || Top||

#2  I'm surprised Chicago didn't make the top 50?
Posted by: JohnQC || 03/10/2018 10:09 Comments || Top||

#3  Los Cabos, in Mexico, is the most violent in the world

Such a shame.
I had a lot of fun in the Baja.
First time in a Mexican hospital.
Posted by: Skidmark || 03/10/2018 10:09 Comments || Top||

#4  #3 First time in a Mexican hospital. Skidmark, that sounds like a story. Or just Montezuma's Revenge?
Posted by: JohnQC || 03/10/2018 10:12 Comments || Top||

#5  A tussle with some locals, not Montezumians.
Posted by: Skidmark || 03/10/2018 22:39 Comments || Top||


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Gaza perimeter agriculture in peril due to water reservoir contamination
Because Hamas spends their funds on war tunnels and military training for children instead of sewage treatment.
[Ynet] With Gazoo's sewage treatment facility still nonoperational and Israel having to bear the load of its wastewater, Israeli wastewater reservoirs in strip's perimeter are paying a toll, as their water becomes so contaminated it can no longer be used for irrigation‐hurting the region's farmers.

The Ministry of Health instructed farmers in Israeli communities on the Gazoo perimeter on Tuesday not to use water from Sderot and Sha'ar HaNegev wastewater reservoirs to irrigate their fields, after it found the water was contaminated by sewage from the Gazoo Strip.

Last July, the Sderot Municipality and Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council, which is situated on the Gazoo perimeter, were instructed by the Water Authority to build a new sewage pipe in the vicinity of the Erez Crossing to receive wastewater from Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanun in the Gazoo Strip, after the sewage treatment facility there was shut down due to the electricity crisis.

The absorbed sewage was transferred to sewage storage facilities in Kibbutz Erez and then to Sha'ar HaNegev and Sderot's sewage treatment facilities.

Prior to that, sewage from the strip flowed through Nahal Hanun, was stored in the sands of Moshav Netiv HaAsara and contaminated the area and groundwater. Once every few days, Israeli trucks came and pumped the sewage.

The Water Authority said they were "treating the matter as an emergency event, to stop the massive flow of sewage from the Gazoo Strip into the territory of the State of Israel (via Nahal Hanun).

"The Water Authority is working to reduce expected damage from Paleostinian wastewater overflows and to protect the wells of the area. The flow of sewage from the Gazoo Strip toward the State of Israel began long before and without any connection to the electricity problems in Gazoo, and we expect the cooperation of all regional bodies in the region."

Recently, the Ministry of Health conducted a series of tests at the site, after which it became clear that the quality of water in the reservoir became too poor to use due to sewage from the Strip.

No good deed goes unpunished
The wastewater treatment plant receives approximately 2,000 cubic meters of sewage from the Gazoo Strip every day.

In recent years, the Ministry of Health and the Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council have demanded a plan to upgrade the facility, but this has not been implemented for various reasons, mainly budgetary.

Farmers on the Gazoo perimeter are concerned about the new situation, as in a few weeks they are set to begin pumping water for irrigation of fields and orchards‐something that has not been done all winter.

Alon Shuster, head of the Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council, said that "the good deed we are doing by collecting Gazoo's sewage so that it will not contaminate Israel's groundwater brought a heavy punishment on us.

"We are making an effort to cleanse the wastewater and hope that the Ministry of Health will give us time to resolve the issue."

In July, the amount of sewage discharged into Nahal Hanun increased significantly. It was flooded and almost overflowing with contaminated water, which made pumping sewage out of it no longer effective.

The IDF was then forced to block the stream from the Gazoo side with mounds of dirt in an attempt to stop the flow of sewage, but the Paleostinians broke through the mounds and returned to dumping sewage into the stream.
Posted by: trailing wife || 03/10/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336069 views] Top|| File under: Hamas

#1  They never fail to fail.
Posted by: gorb || 03/10/2018 3:19 Comments || Top||

#2  Gazans are sewage. So much sewage that the idiot and blasphemous piece of shit Arab world that sponsored their bullshit refuse them now.

Now MY Israel is threatened by that piece of shit tribe squatting on MY LAND?

Let me remind you of something: In ZEPH2, then as of now, I gave no one authority to take Gush Katif. I only ordered Israel out of it, again. None of you scumbag phonies were invited to that land. It was to be deserted as a message but you took it anyways.

And now I AM more angry than ever with it's contents. Find the donars and make them take these assholes as "refugees" He who paid for their warfare activity they most takes the most of the rabid dogs they have bred.

I AM serious.
Clear it out. Sinai or bust. You will not live around Israel in the end.
Posted by: newc || 03/10/2018 3:56 Comments || Top||


Southeast Asia
Will upcoming election results hinder Malaysian Islamization?
[Malaysia Today]
Posted by: ryuge || 03/10/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336088 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Interesting article. I think Muslim countries would benefit from Chicom rule. The one improvement China would bring is the conversion of radical Muslim clergy and laity into involuntary organ donors or makers of textiles and shoes from political prisons. There's not much to admire about the system, but if there's one regime that can annihilate radical Islam without genocidal measures, it's Communist China. It may take a century or more, but China has the distinction, almost alone among the infidel nations of the world, of converting Muslims into patriotic citizens.
Posted by: Zhang Fei || 03/10/2018 22:12 Comments || Top||


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Islamic Jihad denounces Palestinian Authority crackdown
[IsraelTimes] As at least 12 of terror group's members tossed in the calaboose
I ain't sayin' nuttin' widdout me mout'piece!
, it complains it is being targeted by Israeli and Paleostinian Authority security forces


The Paleostinian Islamic Jihad
...created after many members of the Egyptian Moslem Brotherhood decided the organization was becoming too moderate. Operations were conducted out of Egypt until 1981 when the group was exiled after the assassination of President Anwar Sadat. They worked out of Gaza until they were exiled to Lebanon in 1987, where they clove tightly to Hezbollah. In 1989 they moved to Damascus, where they remain a subsidiary of Hezbollah...
(PIJ) on Thursday accused the Paleostinian Authority of targeting members of the terror group in the West Bank because of their "political and social activities."

In recent days, scores of PIJ members were summoned for interrogation or arrested by the PA security forces in Hebron, Ramallah, Tulkarem, Qalqilyeh, Jenin, and Nablus, said Daoud Shehab, spokesperson for Islamic Jihad in the Gazoo Strip

On Thursday, the PA’s Preventative Security Force arrested 12 PIJ members in the Jenin area.

The PA security forces, he said, have been summoning for interrogation or arrest "anyone connected to the intifada and the resistance, including those who support the families of prisoners and deaders."

Shehab accused the PA of stifling social and political activities. "There’s no room anymore for political and social work in the West Bank."

PA security sources said that the crackdown on PIJ was linked to the terror group’s increased activities in the West Bank. The arrests are not linked to the suspects’ political or social activities, the sources clarified, without elaborating.

Among those taken into custody are Maher al Akhras, a senior PIJ operative, and his son, Islam.

The two were arrested during a raid on their home in the village of Silet al Dahriyeh, near Jenin, Paleostinian sources said.

Earlier, the PA security forces arrested Hikmat Odeh, another PIJ operative, after raiding his home in Tulkarem, the sources added, noting that he had been released from Israeli prison a few weeks ago after serving a seven-year sentence for security-related offences.

In the Hebron area, the PA security forces arrested Malek Abu Shkhaidem, Nail Bashir, and Mahmoud Odeh, according to the sources.

Fathi al Qara’wi, a Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, member of the Paleostinian Legislative Council in the West Bank, strongly condemned the PA clampdown, saying there was widespread anger among the Paleostinians because of the arrests.

He claimed that the PA security forces have also been arresting Paleostinians because of posts on social media and statements in support of Paleostinian prisoners held by Israel.

The Hamas official said that Odeh, who was arrested in Tulkarem, was beaten by PA security forces in front of his family members. The PA security forces’ actions were tantamount to crimes, he charged.
Posted by: trailing wife || 03/10/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336069 views] Top|| File under: Islamic Jihad (Palestian)


Science & Technology
Your Facebook data is creepy as hell!
… and why you should really have a look at it.

[HackerNoon] Since 2010, Facebook allows you to download an archive file of all your interactions with the network. It’s a 5-click easy process that your grandmother can do (more details below).

Inside the .zip, lies an ‘index.html’ page that acts as a portal to your personal data. Visually, it looks like an ad-free stripped down version of Facebook that’s actually quite relaxing.

As I’m trying to reduce my exposure to social networks, I decided to take a look at this info. By extrapolating the data of a single individual (me), I might be able to better apprehend the capabilities of the beast. In the end, it all comes down to what is tracked and what can be deduced from that.

We all gave up on privacy…

… we just don’t fully realise it.

Everything you expect is there: your profile, statuses, messages, friends, pokes (Tinder’s ancestor), photos, videos, comments, events. All of it in a 500mb zip file.
There’s a lot of material and you could sift it for hours. Most of the content is unsurprising but there are a few notable facts that are worth exploring.
  • Limitless data storage period

  • Exhaustive photo metadata,
    location, camera, focus, speed, etc..

  • Abundant log-in & session data points
    Every time you open Facebook, the time, location, IP address, browser & device have been recorded. If you’re part of the 1.4B people that use Facebook on a daily basis, they have enough data points to determine your everyday life patterns with great accuracy: home and work address, daily commute, wake up & bed time, travel duration & destination, etc.

  • Flawless facial recognition

  • Detailed contact list
    When you install Facebook’s app on your phone, you give it the right to see your contact list. Once that’s done, Facebook keeps ALL your contacts information forever.

  • Get to know your advertiser
    … because he surely knows you.
    Eventually, I realised that the harm potential really depends on 2 factors: the intentions & means of action of the organisation that harvests your data.
    Harm potential = money * financial KPI’s — regulatory pressure.

  • How to get your data?
    To download your Facebook backup, just follow the 3 steps described here. Facebook will send you an email once your backup’s ready (it usually takes less than 10 minutes).
    For a more holistic approach, check out PersonalData.io. It’s a web service that‘s helping individuals get a hold on their personal data. They’re doing an awesome job referencing data controllers & providing request templates filled with the correct wording & legal jargon. They then publish the requests & answers online so that everyone can appreciate corporate lawyers’ talent for complexifying exchanges & dodging questions.

  • Dig deeper
    Most facts presented in this article are sourced from these reports & websites.
    If you wish to learn more or make your own opinion, I think they’re a good starting point.
    Facebook machine learning - Stacey Higginbotham from Fortune magazine wrote really interesting stuff on that topic.
    Algorithm & user profiling - Julia Angwin, Terry Parris Jr. & Surya Mattu published an awesome 4 episode series on machine bias in ProPublica
    Facial recognition legal issues - The Daily Beast’s thorough report taught me a lot.
    Archiving your social media data - Liana Bandziulis published a great article on that topic in WIRED magazine.
Wish I had posted the whole thing! It's now deleted! Then undeleted then deleted then un..
Posted by: 3dc || 03/10/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336067 views] Top|| File under:

#1  I gave up on FB long ago. However, at least FB doesn't randomly give the user creepy laughter like Amazon's Alexa.
Posted by: JohnQC || 03/10/2018 8:44 Comments || Top||

#2  at least FB doesn't randomly give the user creepy laughter like Amazon's Alexa

I thought the laugh sounded a lot like SHillary's when I first heard it at a friend's house.

Deep State, indeed!
Posted by: Mullah Richard || 03/10/2018 9:01 Comments || Top||

#3  Zuck owns a data mining operation. That is all it is.
Posted by: Alaska Paul || 03/10/2018 11:20 Comments || Top||

#4  I have never used Facebook and never will. A word to the wise ....
Posted by: Titus Fleter8116 || 03/10/2018 11:33 Comments || Top||


Afghanistan
At least 60 Taliban militants killed in Kandahar airstrike
[Khaama (Afghanistan)] At least sixty Talibs have been killed in the latest Arclight airstrike conducted by the US forces in southern Kandahar province of Afghanistan.

According to the local government officials, the latest airstrike was carried out late on Wednesday night in the vicinity of Maiwand district.

Provincial governor’s front man Qudrullah Khoshbashkht confirmed that the US forces based in Afghanistan carried out airstrikes in support of the Afghan cops.

Khoshbakht further added that the airstrikes were carried out in response to a coordinated attack by the Taliban
...Arabic for students...
Lion of Islams.

He said at least sixty bully boyz have been killed and twenty others have been maimed during the airstrikes.

Posted by: Fred || 03/10/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336070 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Afrin adventures: Turkish-backed “rebels” capture more towns, may or may not have Afrin center encircled

Turkish-backed rebel advance within 2km of Afrin city: map

[ALMASDARNEWS] The Ottoman Turkish-backed rebels have been on a roll in the Afrin region recently, capturing large chunks of territory from the Kurdish-led YPG forces.

On Friday, the Ottoman Turkish-backed rebels continued their push towards Afrin city, seizing two towns in the northern part of this region in Aleppo’s northwestern countryside.

According to pro-opposition media, the Ottoman Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army
... the more palatable version of the Syrian insurgency, heavily influenced by the Moslem Brüderbund...
(FSA) captured the towns of Enab and Maryamin after a short battle with the YPG forces in the area.

Turkish military seizes control of Jinderes town in Syria's Afrin region: Anadolu

[ahram online] Turkish forces and their Syrian rebel allies seized control of the town of Jinderes on Thursday, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported, giving them control of one of the largest settlements in Syria's northwest Afrin region.

The Turkish army and its allies from Free Syrian Army (FSA) factions pushed fighters from the Syrian Kurdish YPG out of the town centre on Thursday following intense clashes, it said, adding that operations to secure the area were continuing.

Air raids on the Jinderes town centre had intensified after Turkish forces and the FSA captured the hill overlooking it a day earlier, Anadolu said.

Turkey and its allies have so far seized five of the seven urban centers in the Afrin region, it said.

Turkey launched its air and ground assault on Afrin, dubbed Operation Olive Branch, in January to drive out the YPG, which it sees as an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) that has waged an insurgency on Turkish soil since 1984. The PKK is considered a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.

Turkey's foreign minister said on Thursday the operation will be completed by May.

On Tuesday, Kurdish-allied Syrian Arab militias said they are redeploying 1,700 fighters from fronts against Islamic State (IS) militants to the Afrin region to help fend off the Turkish offensive.

The United States, which has infuriated Turkey with its support for the YPG-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), said Turkey's offensive on Afrin has diverted attention from the fight against IS.

Syrian Kurdish YPG militia denies Turkey has encircled Afrin center

[AhramOnline]The Syrian Kurdish YPG militia denied on Friday that Turkish troops had besieged Afrin town, after Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said the military had surrounded the center of Afrin.

"The forces of Erdogan's Turkish army ... are 10 to 15 km away from it," YPG spokesman Nouri Mahmoud said.

At least 68 Turkish soldiers killed in Afrin since January 20th

[ALMASDARNEWS] At least 68 soldiers from the Ottoman Turkish Armed Forces have been killed since the start of Operation Olive Branch on January 20th, the pro-opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported.

In addition to the 68 soldiers killed, the SOHR alleged that 341 rebels were killed as well, raising the corpse count for the Ottoman Turkish forces to 409.

Furthermore, the SOHR claimed that the Kurdish-led People’s Protection Units (YPG) 359 casualties, while their allies from the pro-government National Defense Forces (NDF) lost a total of 81 fighters.

The Ottoman Turkish General Staff claims contrast the SOHR’s numbers, as they allege that more than 3,000 YPG fighters have been killed since January 20th.
Posted by: Fred || 03/10/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336072 views] Top|| File under: Sublime Porte


Syria accuses Turkey of opening border for terrorists
[ALMASDARNEWS] The Ottoman Turkish government has opened the border to tens of thousands of faceless myrmidons to infiltrate Syria, Syria’s Ambassador to the United Nations
...aka the Oyster Bay Chowder and Marching Society...
Bashar Jaafari told Sputnik.

"The Ottoman Turkish government has opened the border for tens of thousands of faceless myrmidons to enter Syria," Syria’s Ambassador to the United Nations Bashar Jaafari said.

He noted that the Ottoman Turkish government committed to arming faceless myrmidons and financing their activities, set a camp for their military training on The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...the decaying remnant of the Ottoman Empire....
’s territory, and facilitated their access to chemical weapons.

According to Jaafari, terrorist groups allegedly inspired by the Ottoman Turkish government robbed factories in Aleppo. The value of the loot is estimated to amount to tens of billions of US dollars.

He stated that Turkey did not stop after committing these crimes and launched direct aggression in Afrin. Jaafari stressed that Turkey in its official statements refused to comply with the provisions of UNSC Resolution 2401 on cessation of hostilities in Syria.

Last week, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2401 that urges all parties to the conflict to immediately stop all festivities and adhere to a long-term humanitarian ceasefire for at least 30 days across the entirety of Syrian territory in order to ensure the safe and unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid supplies, as well as the medical evacuation of injured people. However,
women are made to be loved, not understood...
truce violations continue to take place in the crisis-torn country, including in Eastern Ghouta. Ottoman Turkish President Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan the First
... Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him. It's a sin, a shame, and a felony to insult the president of Turkey...
criticized the resolution, noting that Ankara has been conducting operation only against terrorists.

On January 20, Ankara, jointly with the opposition Free Syrian Army
... the more palatable version of the Syrian insurgency, heavily influenced by the Moslem Brüderbund...
forces, launched Operation Olive Branch in Afrin in order to "clear" Turkey’s Syrian border from the terrorist threat. Turkey considers the PYD, a Kurdish political party in northern Syria, and the YPG militia to be linked to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), listed as a terrorist organization by Ankara.

Posted by: Fred || 03/10/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336071 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Syria


Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
The Sky is falling..
[TheJamestownFoundation] Russia Seeks Total Military Domination Over West.

During his annual address to the parliament, on March 1, Russian President Vladimir Putin unveiled an array of nuclear superweapons, claiming Russia has secretly overcome the mighty United States and assumed a dominant military position. Putin demanded the West now “negotiate,” which sounded more like a demand of strategic surrender (see EDM, March 1). The Western response to Putin’s presentation was disappointing at best. The Kremlin leader’s mix of threats and complaints about US (Western) intransigence in rejecting Russian (Putin’s) “constructive proposals” was conspicuously illustrated with animations of missiles flying across the world to America and brief footage of Russia’s missile testing grounds and military research facilities. Yet, none of these particularly impressed Western audiences. Are Putin’s fancy superweapons real or more of a hypersonic “pie in the sky?” Was this a serious message to Washington or an electioneering show before the March 18, presidential elections (see EDM, March 5)?

Speaking on March 1, Putin insisted the West must take him seriously: “You did not listen before—listen now!” But this passionate call seems to have been largely in vain. The somewhat mute Western (US) response to Putin’s speech is seen in Moscow as highly disappointing and inadequate. At a special background briefing for Russian journalists, a top defense ministry official scolded the West and the US for being apparently too dumb to understand that Russia has already won the arms race and there is little choice left but to follow Putin’s public offer to “sit down and negotiate” an orderly surrender. The hundreds of different US land- and sea-based missile-defense (MD) interceptors (GBI, SM-3, THAAD), “Have been rendered totally useless and have no military significance. At best, good for shooting at sparrows, because they cannot defend against the new Russian weapons,” the Russian military insists. US naval ships and newly deployed forces in the Baltics and Poland are defenseless and open to attack. “Against new Russian weapons, US MD is like a slingshot against a MiG fighter,” according to the Russian defense ministry. “No one in the world but Russia has a deployed hypersonic weapon. There is no defense or hiding from the Kinzhal airborne missile that travels at a speed of Mach 10,” the defense ministry added, assuring that all the fancy weapons Putin revealed are real and are being deployed or readied for deployment. The Russian defense ministry, backing up and following Putin, insists the US must stop squandering its fortune on MD and other weapons that have been rendered irrelevant and “recognize the new reality” (Militarynews.ru, March 3).
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: 3dc || 03/10/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336073 views] Top|| File under:

#1  LOL
Curse you Russia. I AM sick of your shit.
Posted by: newc || 03/10/2018 0:37 Comments || Top||

#2  There's not enough Russophobia dammit! Everyone panic! Let's get an arms race started! Because if there's one thing we don't spend enough on, it's the military-industrial complex!
Posted by: Harcourt Angoluting9366 || 03/10/2018 2:00 Comments || Top||

#3  and the cuckoo clock was actually invented by an intelligent peasant from Pinsk.....
Posted by: Shish Forkbeard9742 || 03/10/2018 4:53 Comments || Top||

#4  They do make good vodka. You have to credit them for that. Its not Bourbon, so again they're at best number 2.
Posted by: BrerRabbit || 03/10/2018 6:54 Comments || Top||

#5  My doctor says it's important to be good at #2.
Posted by: no mo uro || 03/10/2018 7:50 Comments || Top||

#6  They do make good vodka.

I have had both and IMHO Grey Goose is better but not as good as Woodford Reserve. :-)
Posted by: Titus Fleter8116 || 03/10/2018 12:06 Comments || Top||


Britain
The UK columnist Katie Hopkins talks about her homeland (video)
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/10/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336067 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Delightful.
Posted by: trailing wife || 03/10/2018 0:50 Comments || Top||

#2  I think I'm in love.
Posted by: Matt || 03/10/2018 10:33 Comments || Top||

#3  Take the time to watch this. The entire speech. She is inspirational, funny, and a truth teller. Her stories of personal experience are stunningly prescient to what is beguine here.
Posted by: NoMoreBS || 03/10/2018 12:41 Comments || Top||


Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Ukraine’s Hybrid War
Salt because retired General Wesley Clark is the author
[WashingtonTimes] Four years ago this week, Moscow launched its hybrid war against Ukraine and seized Crimea. Six weeks later, it began its not-so covert military operation in Donbas. One of the great, if unheralded stories of this war has been the largely successful effort of Ukraine to defend itself against this hybrid war in the east.

Ukraine has been on the front lines of a new generation of warfare where Russia blurs the lines between peace and war. Moscow’s aggression began with the seizure and then annexation of Crimea in February and March, and then the not so-covert war in Donbas in April.

While the Kremlin has claimed that this was an uprising of Donbas’ ethnic Russians and Russian-speakers against the government in Kyiv, the truth is that this has been a war led, financed and armed from Moscow. Thousands of regular Russian troops stopped Kyiv from retaking the entire Donbas in the late summer of 2014 and thousands of Russian troops remain in the occupied territories today. Moscow controls the military activity of the so-called separatist forces.

We have watched carefully the evolution of Ukraine’s armed forces since the war began and it is impressive.

We were in Kyiv in the first half of December at the invitation of the Victor Pinchuk Foundation for discussions with senior politicians, military representatives and representatives of civil society. We were impressed by their competence, dedication and energy.

Ukraine’s army has largely fought Kremlin forces to a stalemate. The old, static, Soviet-style army that Ukraine had in 2014 has been transformed into a capable fighting force. Part of that is due to the training provided by NATO members and especially the U.S. But most of this is due to the exigencies of wartime and Ukraine’s creative response.

Ukrainian officers have adapted well to battlefield developments and proved ingenious at countering Moscow’s clear advantages in tanks, artillery, cyber and electronic warfare.

For instance, reluctance on the part of Western countries and Israel to provide state-of-the-art drones prompted Ukrainian engineers to create their own, less complicated versions that have proved quite serviceable; and Ukraine’s own formidable cyber community has done a stalwart job shutting done Russian attacks on electricity grids and other infrastructure. Ukrainian hackers also got into the files of senior Putin-aide Vladislav Surkov and revealed embarrassing details about Kremlin operations in Ukraine.

In short, the Russian campaign in Ukraine is the face of future, hybrid war; and Ukraine has gained valuable experience that NATO and the U.S. are currently absorbing. This knowledge is critical for our own defense against an aggressive Kremlin.
Posted by: 3dc || 03/10/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336083 views] Top|| File under: Commies

#1  I really don't think Russia is trying too hard (in the traditional sense) of kicking Ukraine's ass.

If Russia controlled the eastern (read: Russian) part of Ukraine, I could care less.
Posted by: Clem || 03/10/2018 16:12 Comments || Top||

#2  So... the Russian part of Ukraine? Its the part with all the Donbassses?
Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain || 03/10/2018 17:06 Comments || Top||

#3  To your room, Snowy Thing, there to contemplate your egregious triumph. Really, that’s awful in two languages.
Posted by: trailing wife || 03/10/2018 17:27 Comments || Top||


Rebels claim Ukrainians killed a prisoner
Rebels claim the the Ukrainians returned the mutilated body of a soldier captured March 2nd, according to Russian language news accounts.

A video released by the Donetsk ministry of defense, (translation available) featured part of a press conference held Friday, discussing the return of the corpse of Evgeny Igorevich Toropkin, who both sides originally said had been captured.

According to the Donetsk ministry of health head of forensics, Dmitry Kalashnikov, the soldier had been shot and stabbed numerous times, and in a several places on the body skin had been removed. A death certificate given to rebel officials said that the cause of death was known, characterized in the report as death "as result of uncertain intentions."

Although rebel officials decline to state what caused the injuries, it appears the soldier was beaten and stabbed to death.

Each side tells a different story of events.

According to press reports at the time which appeared in lb.ua, drunken elements of the rebel 9th Separate Naval Infantry Regiment stumbled into the security zone of the Ukrainian 36th Separate Naval Infantry Brigade, calling the Ukrainians out to fight.

The lb.ua report said that one of the rebel marines was killed, while the other two fled, presumably returning to their own lines.

According to rebel accounts at the time, a reinforced Ukrainian naval infantry squad, numbering 15 effectives, attempted to attack rebel positions under the cover of mortar fire.

Although neither side has specified the location of the encounters, it is known that Ukrainian naval infantry units have occupied the town of Shirokino since the summer of 2015, while rebel occupy positions near Sakhanka, about 1.6 kilometers to the northeast of Shirokino.

The rebel report said that two Ukrainian marines were killed in the encounter and another two were wounded. The remainder of the squad returned to their lines.

The rebel reports said that one of their soldiers were wounded and another was captured.
Posted by: badanov || 03/10/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336067 views] Top|| File under:


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Suddenly Arabs are talking directly to Israel

Israeli and Saudi officials reportedly hold series of secret meetings in Egypt

[IsraelTimes] Palestinian official says warming Jerusalem-Riyadh ties are undermining the PA, with the Saudis no longer viewing Israel as 'the greatest enemy in the region anymore'.

Top Israeli and Saudi Arabian officials reportedly held a series of secret meetings in Cairo last week, ahead of US President Donald Trump’s expected unveiling of his long-awaited Middle East peace plan.

Earlier on Friday, a report in the privately owned Egyptian newspaper Al Shorouk said several unnamed Arab countries were advising PA President Mahmoud Abbas to accept whatever plan the Trump administration put forth, or risk “regretting” it later.

White House to convene Gaza ‘stakeholders’ for summit on saving Strip

[IsraelTimes] Administration mum on guest list for brainstorming session devoted to solving humanitarian crisis in enclave, announced by Greenblatt.

Israel, Lebanon talking ‘nearly every day’ in bid to avoid conflict

[IsraelTimes] UNIFIL spokesperson says there is 'no appetite for instability or for war' from either side, after heightened tensions over border wall, offshore gas fields
Posted by: trailing wife || 03/10/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336069 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Getting what I asked for.
Posted by: newc || 03/10/2018 0:36 Comments || Top||

#2  How long before 0bumhole claims that this was his plan to create Middle East Peace all along?
Posted by: gorb || 03/10/2018 3:16 Comments || Top||

#3  He did with DPRK today.
Obama had no plan but Stalin. He is a bad place to be around.
Posted by: newc || 03/10/2018 3:47 Comments || Top||

#4  My plan better, and may work as they have been read the riot act - or not officially read the riot act... yet.

They all better Pray it never comes to that because they know WHO is watching.
Posted by: newc || 03/10/2018 3:49 Comments || Top||

#5  It's not that they're suddenly 'talking' to Israel. They've been doing that for years.
It's that they're communicating in public and don't care who knows it.
Posted by: ed in texas || 03/10/2018 10:14 Comments || Top||

#6  You still can't trust anything they say.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 03/10/2018 10:16 Comments || Top||


Afghanistan
16 security personnel martyred in Takhar attack
[Khaama (Afghanistan)] The officials in northeastern Takhar province of Afghanistan are saying that sixteen security personnel have been martyred in bandidos bully boyz attack.

Provincial governor’s front man Sanatullah Temor said the attack was carried out by a large number of bandidos bully boyz in Khaja Ghar district.

Temor further added that seven army soldiers and nine members of the Afghan Local Police (ALP) forces were martyred in the attack.

He said at least 13 security personnel have also sustained injuries in the attack but did not elaborate further regarding their health condition.

In the meantime, the Chief Executive of the Unity Government Abdullah Abdullah
... the former foreign minister of the Northern Alliance government, advisor to Masood, and candidate for president against Karzai. Dr. Abdullah was born in Kabul and is half Tadjik and half Pashtun...
said at least ten army soldiers and six police personnel were martyred in the attack.

However,
it's easy to be generous with someone else's money...
the Takhar police front man Khalil Asir says at least ten coppers and seven army soldiers have bit the dust in the attack.

The Talibs group grabbed credit behind the attack with the group’s front man Zabiullah Mujahid claiming that the police forces have suffered heavy casualties during the festivities.

Posted by: Fred || 03/10/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336094 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
An Uncertain Year Ahead for the North Caucasus
[TheJamestownFoundation] Conflict in the North Caucasus has slowed significantly since 2014, and violence there has made few headlines, despite occasional significant events. Nevertheless, insurgent attacks and counterterrorist operations have continued, including in some areas that have been peaceful for years.

Total casualties resulting from violent conflict in 2017 were radically different from republic to republic in the North Caucasus. The number of deaths resulting from armed conflict fell by 73 percent in Dagestan (Caucasian Knot, January 15), with a similar decrease in the number of conflict incidents. Kabardino-Balkaria saw a massive reduction: 93 percent fewer victims of armed conflict in 2017 than in 2016, with only a single dead militant and no security personnel among the casualties (Caucasian Knot, January 14). Ingushetia, meanwhile, saw an increase of 26 percent in casualties from violence in 2017, with 10 violent incidents recorded that year compared to five in 2016 (Caucasian Knot, January 16). A major increase in violence was recorded in Chechnya, which saw an increase of 74 percent over the previous year (Caucasian Knot, January 15).

The major increase in casualties in Chechnya suggests there is potential for greater violence in Ramzan Kadyrov’s republic this year. Examining the course of events over the last five months provides some clarity on what to expect from the region.
Hit the title link for details and opinions.
Posted by: 3dc || 03/10/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336082 views] Top|| File under:


Southeast Asia
Indonesian women face 'virgin test' before joining military, police
[Newsweek]
Posted by: ryuge || 03/10/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336071 views] Top|| File under:


Afghanistan
Afghan military confirm deadly airstrike on TTP militants in Kunar
[Khaama (Afghanistan)] The Afghan military has confirmed the deadly Arclight airstrike on snuffies in eastern Kunar province
... which is right down the road from Chitral. Kunar is Haqqani country.....
of Afghanistan amid reports the son of Tehrik-e-Taliban
...Arabic for students...
Pakistain Chief Mullah Fazlullah
...son-in-law of holy man Sufi Mohammad. Known as Mullah FM, Fazlullah had the habit of grabbing his FM mike when the mood struck him and bellowing forth sermons. Sufi suckered the Pak govt into imposing Shariah on the Swat Valley and then stepped aside whilst Fazlullah and his Talibs imposed a reign of terror on the populace like they hadn't seen before, at least not for a thousand years or so. For some reason the Pak intel services were never able to locate his transmitter, much less bomb it. After ruling the place like a conquered province for a year or so, Fazlullah's Talibs began gobbling up more territory as they pushed toward Islamabad, at which point as a matter of self-preservation the Mighty Pak Army threw them out and chased them into Afghanistan...
has also been killed.

The 201st Silab Corps of the Afghan Military in the East said the airstrike was carried out in Chogam and Chinar Banda areas of Shiltan district.

Without disclosing further information regarding the identities of the snuffies killed in the airstrike, the Silab Corps confirmed the deaths of at least fifteen snuffies were killed.

This comes as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain had earlier confirmed that the son Mullah Fazlullah has been killed in an airstrike in eastern Kunar.

In a statement sent to the local media outlets, TTP has said at least nineteen jacket wallahs were also among killed in the airstrike.

TTP has blamed the Afghan Intelligence, National Directorate of Security
...the Afghan national intel agency...
(NDS), for providing information regarding the TTP hideout which was targeted by the US air forces.

The attack was reportedly carried out in Sultan Khel area of Kunar near Bajaur Agency, aka Turban Central
...Smallest of the agencies in FATA. The Agency administration is located in Khar. Bajaur is inhabited almost exclusively by Tarkani Pashtuns, which are divided into multiple bickering subtribes. Its 52 km border border with Afghanistan's Kunar Province makes it of strategic importance to Pakistain's strategic depth...
tribal region of Pakistain.

The sources in Pakistain have said that a hideout of the group Ghaz was camp was targeted in the airstrike and the commander of Bajaur chapter of TTP Gul Mohammad was also killed in the raid.

Posted by: Fred || 03/10/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336086 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


Arabia
Units of army, popular forces attacks al- Talaa military site in Najran
[SABANEWS.NET] The units of the army and popular forces attacked on Thursday al- Talaa Saudi military site in Najran, causing killing and injuring dozens of Saudi soldiers and their mercenaries, a military official told Saba.

The army killed dozens of Saudi soldiers and mercenaries in counter- offensive operation on al- Talaa site, the official said.

Meanwhile,
...back at the wreckage, Captain Poindexter wished he had a cup of coffee. Even instant would do...
the army and popular forces burned weapons store of the Saudi soldiers beyond al- Makhrooq site with artillery shells, assuring that three of the Saudi mercenaries were shot in front of Alab border crossing in Asir district.
Posted by: Fred || 03/10/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336080 views] Top|| File under: Houthis

#1  The Qat Squad needs a theme song!
Posted by: 3dc || 03/10/2018 13:05 Comments || Top||

#2  Arabia Felix, or That Wonderful Qat

Feelin' the qat?
Please don't keep it under your hat.
To kafirs, Catha edulis;
To us, a faceful of h3rbal bliss!
Chewing the fat
With any old skinny-ass rat,
You'll yak so much
Your tongue will ache;
Your heart will go pitter-pat
When you're feelin'
That wonderful qat!

I'll work on it.
Posted by: Zenobia Floger6220 || 03/10/2018 21:23 Comments || Top||


Iraq
Islamic State member in charge of seizing conscripts’ houses, weapons arrested in Nineveh
Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) An Islamic State member, who was in charge of confiscating houses and weapons of police conscripts, has been arrested, Nineveh Police Command announced on Friday.

Speaking to Baghdad Today website, Lt. Gen. Hamad Names al-Jabouri, commander of Nineveh police, said troops “managed to arrest IS member called Ahmed Hussein Khalaf Ibrahim, who is from a village in Nimrud region.”

The militant, according to Jabouri, “was in charge of confiscating houses and weapons of the conscripts in Nineveh.”

“Troops managed to arrest him in al-Karama district in eastern Mosul,” he added.

On Tuesday, an IS emir was arrested in an operation in south of Mosul, the military intelligence department announced Moreover, the Nineveh Operations command said 26 people were arrested in western Mosul over their suspected affiliation with the Islamic State.

Earlier this week, Hassan al-Sabaawi, member of Nineveh provincial council, warned against appearance of IS militants.

Posted by: 3dc || 03/10/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336074 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


The Grand Turk
Erdogan says Turkey can enter Afrin center 'at any moment'
[ahram online] President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday said Turkish forces and allied rebels could enter the centre of the Kurdish-held Syrian town of Afrin "at any moment", a day after the capture of another key strategic town.

"Now our objective is Afrin... As of now, we have Afrin encircled. We can enter Afrin at any moment, God willing," Erdogan told his ruling party in Ankara, a day after Turkish forces took control of the town of Jandairis.
Posted by: 3dc || 03/10/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336073 views] Top|| File under: Sublime Porte

#1  It has taken a Turkish armored Divison a month and a half to go about ten of the 14 miles from Turkish border to Afrin.
Pattons ghost is giggling at the ineptitude.
Posted by: Glaising Snusotle5882 || 03/10/2018 7:50 Comments || Top||

#2  How you use tanks against a distant city.
Posted by: 3dc || 03/10/2018 13:15 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
Pakistan faces global banking isolation over terror financing
Good.
[ATimes] If Islamabad's plan to counter terror funding and money laundering fails to satisfy the Financial Action Task Force, the consequences could be grave.

With Pakistan set to be placed on the inter-governmental Financial Action Task Force’s “grey” list this June, following a round of farcical diplomacy in Paris last month, the country appears to be edging toward global banking isolation.

Pakistan temporarily avoided being put on the grey list after failing, at the Paris meeting, to present its proposal to counter terror financing and money laundering. But Islamabad’s proposal will be scrutinized in a June meeting, and failing to satisfy the FATF could in fact result in Pakistan being put on the black list, alongside only two other offenders: Iran and North Korea.

Pakistan hasn’t taken the necessary measures, as per the FATF’s instructions, to curb money laundering or combat financing for terrorism – the two domains that the watchdog reviews.
The FATF has “40 plus 9” recommendations for all states – 40 pre-date 9/11; nine came after it. Pakistan falls short on many of those.

“These are crystal clear instructions sent out to all the countries. Pakistan has been failing to fulfill its requirements,” says economist and columnist Farrukh Saleem, who is executive director of the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) in Islamabad.

The FATF judges states on three levels: legislation, institutional capacity and conviction. Speaking to Asia Times, Saleem said Pakistan hasn’t been doing enough of any of those fronts.

“As far as the repercussions [for being put on the FATF grey list] are concerned, no country in the world can live in isolation – it’s a global village now,” he said. “Our imports are worth approximately US$55 billion, exports worth US$20 billion, with around US$20 billion worth of remittances. So roughly there’s US$100 billion worth of business that involves Pakistan – and all of this is through banking channels.

“Once a country is on the grey list, all banking channels are put under scrutiny. This would result in constant delays in transactions. And there is a chance that many banks would simply refuse to do business in Pakistan.”
Posted by: 3dc || 03/10/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336067 views] Top|| File under:

#1  After General Zia ul-Haq attempted to implement sharia-based Islamic banking in the nineteen eighties Pakistan banks began to keep two sets of books. Only one of which was shown the government. Thus began the corruption later manifested by the failure of the Bank of Credit and Commerce International. Nothing much has changed, and rampant corruption exists in the Pak banking sector today.
Posted by: Clurong Peacock9529 || 03/10/2018 8:34 Comments || Top||


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Palestinian killed in clash with IDF in Hebron amid Jerusalem embassy protests
[IsraelTimes] Violent demonstrations reported across West Bank and along Gazoo border fence; two Paleostinians said maimed near Ramallah and four in Gazoo

A Paleostinian man was killed in festivities on Friday with the Israeli army in the West Bank city of Hebron,
...Hamas Central in the West Bank...
the Paleostinian health ministry said, as hundreds of Paleostinians demonstrated against the moving of the US embassy to Jerusalem.

Mohammed al-Jabari, 24, was shot during the festivities and later died in hospital, the ministry said.

The Israeli army said a "riot" had broken out in Hebron and that protesters had attacked soldiers.

"Troops fired live rounds towards a main instigator who held a Molotov cocktail with the intent to hurl it," a front man said, adding an investigation had been launched.

Some Paleostinian media reported he Jabari was deaf. The official Paleostinian news agency Wafa said he had disabilities, without further details.

During the violent demonstrations, Paleostinians threw rocks and fire bombs at the soldiers who responded with riot dispersal means. There were no reports of injuries to IDF forces.

Two other Paleostinians were reported maimed by live fire in festivities near Ramallah in the West Bank, while violent festivities were also reported along the border fence with Gazoo.

The Hamas, a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",-run health ministry in Gazoo said four people were maimed, one of them seriously.

Paleostinian groups have called for festivities with Israeli forces to protest the US administration’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and relocate the US embassy to the city.

Hamas leader says it can’t stop mass protests slated against US embassy move

[IsraelTimes] Ismail Haniyeh predicts 'tens of thousands' of Palestinians will march on Israeli border when diplomatic mission relocates to Jerusalem in May.

On Friday, four Palestinian protesters were injured in clashes with Israeli soldiers near Khan Younis. The Hamas-run health ministry said the injured protesters were taken to a local hospital and one was in a serious condition and the other three were in moderate condition.

Earlier this week, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip called for a sit-in protest along the border in the weeks leading up to Nakba Day.

Organizers on Wednesday said a tent city was being erected near border to protest Israel’s refusal to grant Palestinian refugees and their descendants a full “right of return” — permission to live in Israel.

The group wants hundreds of thousands of Gazans, including families, to come join the tent city “at the nearest, safe point from the border” with Israel, the Reuters news agency reported.

Shots fired at IDF troops near Nablus

[IsraelTimes] Shots were fired Thursday evening in the direction of IDF soldiers who were operating near the city of Nablus in the West Bank, the military said. There were no casualties in the incident, the IDF said. Troops were conducting searches in the area for suspects, it added.

Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman said in February that Israel’s security forces thwarted between 20 and 30 terror attacks in the West Bank each week over the past few months.

Security forces arrest 9 in anti-terror sweep

[Ynet] The IDF, Shin Bet, and Israel Police arrested nine wanted persons suspected of involvement in terrorist activity and violent disturbances in The West Bank Wednesday overnight. They were detained and transferred for questioning.
Posted by: trailing wife || 03/10/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336072 views] Top|| File under: Hamas

#1  Some Paleostinian media reported he Jabari was deaf.

you mean dead?
Posted by: Frank G || 03/10/2018 12:08 Comments || Top||


-Short Attention Span Theater-
Russian trolls behind anti-Clinton video game
[CNN] Russian trolls created an anti-Hillary Clinton video game called "Hiltendo," and tried to make it go viral in the weeks before the 2016 US presidential election.
But it didn’t take off — viewed by 700,000, played by 19,000. CNN is trying to sell the sizzle because there is no steak, poor dears.
Posted by: Skidmark || 03/10/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [336077 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Trying to influence the election? Or just trying to exploit some rubes and make some rubles?
Posted by: Glenmore || 03/10/2018 8:44 Comments || Top||

#2  Hiltendo, catchy, never heard of it.

I'd go Hilda Beast, a play on Altered Beast.

Except instead of gaining animalistic powers after retrieving bottles of mana, bundles of cash would increase the power and physical frumpiness, with a bottle of gin to give fire breathing abilities. Level bosses would be political opponents, Joe the Plumber, Middle Class home owner.
Posted by: swksvolFF || 03/10/2018 10:55 Comments || Top||

#3  Hating Hillary Clinton: It's not just for Americans anymore.
Posted by: ed in texas || 03/10/2018 19:30 Comments || Top||



Who's in the News
35[untagged]
5Commies
4Taliban
4Islamic State
2Govt of Syria
2Hamas
2Sublime Porte
2Govt of Iran
1Ansarullah Bangla Team (AQIS)
1Islamic State in the Greater Sahara
1Moslem Colonists
1Salafists
1Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters
1Govt of Iraq
1Houthis
1Islamic Jihad (Palestian)

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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.
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Meet the Mods
In no particular order...
Steve White
Seafarious
tu3031
badanov
sherry
ryuge
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Two weeks of WOT
Sat 2018-03-10
   Tuareg militias again clash with Islamic State-loyal militants in northern Mali
Fri 2018-03-09
  Mullah Fazlullah's kid killed in drone strike in Afghanistan
Thu 2018-03-08
  Accomplice of Paris attacks mastermind held in Poland
Wed 2018-03-07
  Kirkuk Klean up: 33 turbans permanently unwound
Tue 2018-03-06
  Paramilitary troops repulsed Islamic State suicide attack, north of Babel
Mon 2018-03-05
  20 Islamic State militants killed in clashes with Iraqi forces in Hawija
Sun 2018-03-04
  Teacher found guilty of grooming children to launch terror attacks in London
Sat 2018-03-03
  Mosul Clearances Continue: 30 turbans tied up or permanently unwound, ISIS chemicals concern, Saddam Hussein mass grave found
Fri 2018-03-02
  Attack underway in Burkina Faso's capital, police say
Thu 2018-03-01
  Nigerian-Cameroonian Troops Eliminate 35 Boko Haram fighters, Recover Large Weapons
Wed 2018-02-28
  US designates 'Daesh-Egypt', other ISIS affiliates as terrorist groups
Tue 2018-02-27
  Drone strike kill 3 militants, injures 3 more in Laghman province
Mon 2018-02-26
  Police arrest widow of Jemaah Islamiyah leader Marwan
Sun 2018-02-25
  UN Security Council unanimously votes in favor of Syria ceasefire resolution
Sat 2018-02-24
  US says Jerusalem embassy to open in May, Palestinians furious

Better than the average link...



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