#1
Good news. Freedom and a thriving economy are possible. If, we can continue to remove the AL Q and Taliban scum. Afghanistan stands to show a wonderful improvement in quality of life with such a firm foundation of income and needed resources.
Robert G. Webster is one of the few bird flu experts confident enough to answer the key question: Will the avian flu switch from posing a terrible hazard to birds to becoming a real threat to humans?
There are "about even odds at this time for the virus to learn how to transmit human to human," he told ABC's "World News Tonight." Webster, the Rosemary Thomas Chair at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., is credited with being the first scientist to find the link between human flu and bird flu.
Webster and his team of scientists are working to find a way to beat the virus if it morphs. He has even been dubbed the Flu Hunter.
Right now, H5N1, a type of avian influenza virus, has confined itself to birds. It can be transmitted from bird to human but only by direct contact with the droppings and excretions of infected birds.
But viruses mutate, and the big fear among the world's scientists is that the bird flu virus will join the human flu virus, change its genetic code and emerge as a new and deadly flu that can spread through the air from human to human.
"I personally believe it will happen and make personal preparations," said Webster, who has stored a three-month supply of food and water at his home in case of an outbreak.
"Society just can't accept the idea that 50 percent of the population could die. And I think we have to face that possibility," Webster said. "I'm sorry if I'm making people a little frightened, but I feel it's my role."
Most scientists won't put it that bluntly, but many acknowledge that Webster could be right about the flu becoming transmissible among humans, even though they believe the 50 percent figure could be too high.
Researcher Dr. Anne Moscona at New York Weill Cornell Medical Center said that a human form may not mutate this year or next -- or ever -- but it would be foolish to ignore the dire consequences if it did.
"If bird flu becomes not bird flu but mutates into a form that can be transmitted between humans, we could then have a spread like wildfire across the globe," Moscona said.
No one knows how long or how many mutation changes it would take for bird flu to become a direct threat to humans.
"It may not do it. There may just be too many changes. The virus may not be able to be a human virus," Moscona said.
But that hasn't stopped Moscona from searching for new types of anti-viral treatments that both prevent and slow the spread of bird flu.
"I don't think that once we have human-to-human transmission, it's going to be possible to contain it," she said.
That is why nearly every viral scientist in America, perhaps the world, is waiting and watching the avian flu virus to see if it remains just a threat to birds or changes its genetic code and becomes just as deadly to humans. 50% is unrealistically high. First of all, at worst, the disease has a 50% mortality rate among those infected. Typically, only from 5% to 20% of the population catch the flu in the first place. This would make our worst possible theoretical mortality rate 36M people, or 1/10th of our population. This assumes no vaccine or other preventative measures at all. Practically speaking, 1/100th or 3.6M people would be the high end, compared to 30-50,000 who normally die of flu each year.
#2
"Society just can't accept the idea that 50 percent of the population could die. And I think we have to face that possibility," Webster said. "I'm sorry if I'm making people a little frightened, but I feel it's my role."
Bullshit. Society does quite well knowing that 100% of the population will die.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
03/14/2006 19:43
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#3
Back in 1976, the international infrastructure for tracking and reporting flu was very underdeveloped. Statistically, we were due not only for a serious flu, like the Hong Kong flu of 1968-69 (that I personally remember because it laid my parents out for six weeks); but we were overdue for what even then was called "the killer flu".
The US had been horribly traumatized by the Spanish flu in 1918, and these were people inured to many epidemics across the country, as commonplace events. Most people had a mental block to the year or two of the Spanish death. Only after WWII were even our health authorities able to come to grips with what it meant.
The first wake up call we got about the Swine flu were overseas reports that it was serious, but only when a soldier at Ft. Dix died, did the alarm bells go off.
The US was not saved by anything we did, only by the fact that the Swine flu had mutated again to a less virulent strain before it arrived. President Ford and congress had wasted no time in reacting, but they realized after the fact that their reaction time was far too slow to have mattered.
From that point on, it became a national prerogative to do whatever was necessary to track the next "killer flu" before it hit the US. The US has done one heck of a lot in that direction, but only with the minor SARS outbreak, did the rest of the world really catch on to what we were up to.
Their doctors know what an immense disaster avian flu could be in especially Asia, and they have done anything they could to stimulate their local political leaders--most of whom are getting the message.
Right now, we know that "the flu" will continue to hit us during the flu season. We also know for sure that the avian flu has the potential to devastate domestic birds, perhaps pets and livestock--costing tens of billions of dollars if nothing else.
The odds do favor the avian flu turning H2H, while keeping much of its virulence. Recently, it's been noted that its spread in wild birds is far faster than expected.
#4
Exploding Commie BioWar factories and research complexes notwithstanding, it also helps iff farm animals are not allowed to eat andor wallow in pervasive urban, suburban, and agricultural-provincial industrial waste heaps. FTLG, film footage of China's recent chemical spills show local children waving and playing amidst huge piles of wastes and trash. Its no longer how many heaps are in the rivers BUT HOW MANY, AND HOW MANY MORE HEAPS CAN THE RIVERS HOLD!?
AFGHAN VENDORS POST IMPRESSIVE GAINS IN CONTRACTING
Release Date: 3/14/2006
KABUL , Afghanistan Afghan vendors won 84 percent of contracts awarded by the U.S. militarys regional contracting centers in February, up from 55 percent in October. Their gains in contract values were even more impressive, to 81 percent in January from 31 percent in October.
Coalition officials attributed the gains to efforts emphasizing Afghan businesses, changes in contract solicitation language (to Afghan vendors consideration and advantage) and to efforts to educate Afghan vendors on how to compete for U.S. military contracts.
Such contracts involve office furniture and supplies, construction materials and work, hauling, interpreting and other products and services. Between October and February, U.S. military contracting officers awarded contracts worth a total of $108 million to 715 Afghan vendors.
The Coalition is establishing the conditions for enduring security and stability in Afghanistan . Promoting economic development is a part of that, said Lt. Col. Scott Kiser, director of Afghanistan contracting for the recently formed Joint Contracting Command for Iraq and Afghanistan.
One change to contracting language involves encouraging bidding vendors to hire Afghan suppliers and distributors. In another change, the contracting command gives more consideration to vendors who hire Afghans or who promise to train Afghans than to vendors who do not. (Can they try this kind of process in granting contracts in Katrina-ravaged areas? Or is the risk of corruption too high here?)
Officials from Regional Contracting Center - Kabul explained the changes during their first Vendors Day in December. Other contracting centers plan similar events in Kandahar , Khost and Parwan provinces in the near future.
I think I like the idea being promoted here, despite the fraud and corruption risk, and wonder how it compares with what we are doing in Iraq.
#2
Small business creation incentives have by far the most bang-for-buck of about any government program. Practically speaking, they give thousands of percents in return for the investment.
SB is also the largest employer in most countries.
SEOUL, South Korea President Roh Moo-hyun accepted the resignation of his prime minister Tuesday after the premier set off a scandal by playing golf during a national railway strike.
Lee Hae-chan came under pressure to leave after his golf outing on a March 1 national holiday that coincided with the start of the walkout. His departure was delayed while Roh was on a trip to Africa, but he offered to step down Tuesday when the president returned.
Roh accepted Lee's resignation after ruling party leaders urged him to defuse the scandal ahead of local elections in May.
It wasn't the first time Lee was caught with clubs in hand when critics said he should have been behind his desk.
He was golfing in April 2005 when a wildfire destroyed a 1,300-year-old Buddhist temple. And he was rounding the greens in July when heavy rains struck southern parts of the country.
Adding to Lee's woes this time were his golfing pals, who included a businessman with a criminal record for rigging stock prices.
The man, who runs a flour mill in the southern port city of Busan, was reportedly ordered the day after the game to pay $3.6 million in fines for fixing flour prices. Some opposition critics suggested the man tried to persuade Lee between holes to bail him out of the mess.
The game also involved $411 in bets, and one of Lee's fellow golfers covered the costs of the round _ a sizable expense in golf-crazy South Korea, which has astronomical greens fees and mandatory caddy charges in the hundreds of dollars.
The main opposition Grand National Party filed a complaint with prosecutors claiming Lee could have received requests for favors from the businessmen. After the resignation announcement Tuesday, the party said the investigation of what it has labeled "Golfgate" should continue.
Lee, who had been in the post since June 2004, repeatedly apologized for the incident before offering to resign.
The uproar came as the opposition sought to divert attention from a scandal of their own: a senior lawmaker's fondling a female reporter's breasts while drunk. Choi Yeon-hee, 61, has since resigned as secretary-general of the Grand National Party. There have been increasing calls for him to also give up his parliament seat.
Lee's departure as prime minister was expected to touch off jockeying for the job inside the ruling Uri Party, which is split internally and has a new head, former Unification Minister Chung Dong-young, who is eager to prove he can one day run the country.
The prime minister's post is a largely ceremonial job with little real power, which is concentrated in the president's office. The president himself has increasingly been viewed as a lame duck: Roh's popularity numbers fell to record lows after a failed attempt to form a grand coalition with the opposition and amid a stall in the country's economy.
Roh took office in 2003 and is constitutionally barred from running again. Last month he suggested that even the single five-year term for the country's presidents might be "a little too long."
Australia, which has consistently refused to sell uranium to India citing New Delhi's refusal to sign the NPT, is close to inking a major deal with China for the export of nuclear fuel.
"China and Australia are willing to have mutually beneficial cooperation on the basis of equality and mutual benefit in terms of nuclear energy cooperation. We take a positive attitude in this regard," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang told mediapersons on Tuesday.
Mr Qin said that Sino-Australian cooperation would serve the interests of both the countries and will lead to the deepening of the bilateral friendship and relations.
"The two sides, during negotiations, pointed out that we are willing to support the non-proliferation regime and efforts of the international community. We will honour our responsibility and commitments of non-proliferation," he said. However, Mr Qin said he did not have the details of the agreement.
He also said that he was not aware of the reports that the uranium deal would be signed during the possible visit to Australia by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao in April.
"I don't have any information to offer at this stage. If we sign this agreement, we will keep you updated," the spokesman added.
Posted by: john ||
03/14/2006
16:59 ||
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(CNN) -- NASA has scrubbed the May launch of the space shuttle Discovery to replace four low-level sensors in the external fuel tank -- a process that will take three weeks, space shuttle program manager Wayne Hale announced Tuesday .
The next launch opportunity lasts from July 1 to July 19.
Low-level sensors or engine cutoff (ECO) sensors, indicate to controllers when fuel is running low.
NASA scrubbed Discovery's launch July 13, 2005, just 2 1/2 hours before liftoff when a pre-launch test showed one of Discovery's four sensors in its hydrogen fuel tank was not working. It lifted off on July 26, 2005.
"Ha Ha! HOLDD (Halliburton Orbital Lift Destabilization Department) strikes again!!" "You fool! Those are friendlies!!"
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Terrell Owens is free to play for any team willing to have him. The Philadelphia Eagles released the exiled Owens on Tuesday, ending a tumultuous, two-year relationship with the wide receiver. Owens was due a $5 million roster bonus on Wednesday, so the Eagles had to cut him or trade him before then to avoid paying him the money.
The move was a formality because Owens was kicked off the team in November following a series of incidents and infractions, including repeated criticism of quarterback Donovan McNabb. The Eagles announced the cut in a one-sentence statement. Team officials said they would not comment.
Thank god the Redskins already picked up Randel El from the Steelers. Now if we only had a quaterback to throw to him..
Posted by: Steve ||
03/14/2006
16:01 ||
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#1
He's going to Miami so he can bitch at Culpepper.
I'm beginning to believe, that my grandkids and their peers, will bring us out of this 60's & 70's mentality. Our Guard is growing! At least some news folks are seeing the numbers
By Dan K. Thomasson
Scripps Howard News Service
WASHINGTON At the recent annual spring dinner of the Gridiron Club, the U.S. Marine Band in all its John Philip Sousa magnificence launched into a medley of service anthems, from the Army's "Caissons Go Rolling Along" to the Corps' own "Marines Hymn."
In this room filled with the nation's leaders, including the president, vice president and members of Congress, as well as publishers, movie and television celebrities and others, the red-coated Marines always provide a stirring moment in a night filled with the journalism club's roasting of the political parties in song, dance and speech a sometimes anachronistic, but hugely necessary, long-running display of irreverence.
There is always a shifting of bodies in the room as the band, after performing one of Sousa's stirring marches on this night it was the "Gridiron March" strikes the first chords of the service medley. Proudly, veterans of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard prepare to rise to attention as the trumpets blare and the notes fill the hotel room. Forty years ago, large numbers of the audience stood fiercely proud, perhaps remembering the roll of a ship or the roar of an airplane engine or a landing craft's pitch as it headed for a beach.
As the years have passed, however, the number of those who rise has dwindled steadily, the ranks thinned by natural forces and not refilled, until by this night there were only a handful of gray, balding and often-stooped men throwing back their shoulders to stand tall against the ravages of time in honor of their heritage and their fallen comrades. More proof that the media doesn't understand the military; they've never served or been around someone who served
This, of course, should surprise no one in this age of a volunteer military. This should not be construed as any criticism of the young men and women who have committed themselves willingly to stand guard over the rest of us. Nor is it an appeal for the return of the draft. It is merely an acknowledgment of the passing of a tradition of shared experience that has linked men and women since the beginning of the Republic, a nod to the citizen warrior whose dedication, whether in peace or combat, through willing enlistment or conscription, has never been found wanting.
As the last drum roll reverberated and the band departed to a thunderous ovation, more than one in the audience expressed a sadness at the waning of a tradition and wondered if it is a loss the nation can truly afford. The answer, of course, is that there still are young men and women who understand the important role of part-time service, those who meld a civilian career while giving up weekends and other time to fill important jobs in the reserves or National Guard.
In fact, as the old gave way to the new on Gridiron night, the Guard was releasing figures showing that its enrollments were up substantially, that the nation's youths were once again responding to swell ranks depleted by the call to active duty in Iraq.
The Guard released figures showing that it signed up more than 26,000 in the first five months of the fiscal year, a 7 percent increase over projections and the best recruiting performance in 13 years. Congress has authorized Guard levels at 350,000, which officials say is now easily attainable. Current numbers are about 336,000, according to press reports, and in the last months the Guard has kept pace with the Army's active-duty recruitment.
One of those noting the diminishing numbers that evening was World War II veteran Alan Cromley of the Daily Oklahoman. As a Kansas youngster he went off to Europe, was wounded and later served for a short time in the occupation forces before launching a distinguished career as a correspondent and bureau chief. The Gridiron member stood straight and tall as the band played.
All eyes should have been on him. There aren't many like him left.
Dan K. Thomasson is former editor of the Scripps Howard News Service.
AUSTIN A state appeals court today threw out more than 30 subpoenas requested by Travis County prosecutors building a criminal case against U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay, saying the investigation should have stopped in December when a district judge halted proceedings in his court.
District Attorney Ronnie Earle has been issuing the subpoenas ever since Senior District Judge Pat Priest dismissed all or part of three indictments against DeLay, R-Sugar Land. Earle appealed Priest's ruling, and the judge stayed the case pending a ruling by the Third Court of Appeals. Most of the subpoenas involved political fund-raising controversies that have involved DeLay, some dating back to 1996.
Desperately seeking anything that faintly resembles a crime
After Earle subpoenaed records from DeLay's wife, Christine, DeLay's legal team asked Priest to quash the subpoenas. Priest told DeLay lawyer Dick DeGuerin that the case was stayed while on appeal, so he would neither halt Earle from issuing subpoenas nor would he enforce them. DeGuerin then asked the appeals court to intervene. "Because the state has obtained a stay in the proceedings ... we hold that subpoenas may not issue compelling witnesses to testify and produce documents at the stayed proceedings," the order by a three-judge panel said.
The panel, which is scheduled to hear Earle's appeal on March 22, said Earle may not issue any more subpoenas while the stay is in effect; ruled all the ones issued after the stay are "null and void;" and any subpoenas issued before the stay are suspended while the appeal is pending. The unsigned order was issued by Judges Bea A. Smith, David Puryear and Alan Waldrop. Smith is a Democrat. Puryear and Waldrop are Republicans who are up for re-election this year.
DeGuerin was not immediately available for comment, but his law partner Matt Hennessy called it a victory in stopping Earle from running a "political" investigation. "Congressman DeLay doesn't have anything to fear from whatever evidence might have been produced," Hennessy said. "The point here is Ronnie Earle is abusing his office ... to have a court declare that Ronnie Earle was abusing his office, and that is in effect what the Third Court said."
Earle's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Posted by: Steve ||
03/14/2006
15:45 ||
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#1
Can some lawyer explain to me if this is SOP? I thought that once you filed charges, the prosecuter had all the "evidence" needed to get a conviction. If this is SOP you could indict anyone and dig until you gound something.
#2
I think the prosecutor only needs to get enough evidence for an indictment. Once discovery begins, though, they can keep asking for as much as they want.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
03/14/2006 18:56
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#3
I read about this today and it seems that since the CONSPIRACY charge was thrown out and the case was on hold on appeal, Earle kept on issuing subpeonas when it is comsidered improper to do so and is almost Prosecutorial Misconduct in Texas.
From an Iraqi blog - making it somewhere between opinion and news.
Today the Iraqi police discovered more than 80 bodies in different parts of the country mostly in Baghdad. Some of the bodies were mutilated and have been subjected to tortures before killed.
On the same time the Iraqi security police arrested an American man with large amount of explosives near Tikrit. He claimed that he is working for a security company! (This is interesting.)
The weak and hypocritical politicians are now in a different position from the Iraqi people. They are not less than warlords or gang leaders seeking power even if it is on the mass skulls of the people. In principle there is no difference between them and Saddam.
By this time the expulsion of the Shiite families from the Sunni dominated areas continued.
In the last few days the terrorist killed and assassinated many journalists and reporters from Iraq in addition to ongoing attacks against the intellectuals, doctors, university lecturers, and others.
The aim of the terrorists is to create civil war. The situation is very dangerous especially with the biased interference of Zalmi Khalel Zada the US ambassador towards those who support the terrorism. This may lead to full scale anti-US forces in the Shiite areas which remained calm until now.
The terrorist are indeed planning for a major attack so soon to inflame the condition farther.
#2
There is good and bad here. The understanding that it is terrorists that are killing people and trying to create civil war.
One angle could be to throw yourselves behind the government - as ineffectual as you might find it - in favour of throwing your lot in to succumb to terrorists. A joy of demnocracy is that you can throw the bums out at the next election.
Succumbing to terror and sects and tribes won't offer the same hope. You must come together as a people under one banner - however temporary, it's a darn start. Then fine tune it - but you must keep the freedom to do so.
I too, am worried about a major attack, but the thwarting of the green zone may have been a part of it. Or a smokescreen. But it remains that internal conditions are choice - reaction certainly is.
Potential 2008 Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Russ Feingold has become the first in the crowd of candidates to host a national town hall meeting via the Internet.
Through his Web site, Feingold yesterday promoted his independent progressive ideas, taking them to several states during a Web chat with those who signed up on his site.
Not only was it his first try at a national town hall on the Internet; it is also believed to be the first by a national leader this cycle. A review of the chat found Feingold expressive on several serious issues and funny on others, as when one questioner jokingly asked if the National Security Agency was peeping.
Wrote Feingold, "I'd like to say howdy to all my buddies at the NSA. Quite seriously, I admire and support the work they do to stop terrorism. It's not their fault that the president ordered an illegal version of their otherwise legal and appropriate activities."
#1
I just finished watching his spew about censure. He is SO FULL OF HIMSELF it isn't funny. What unnerves me is that he sounds rational while spewing LLL Moonbat rants and claims to only wanting to bring the President "back to the law." I hope Hillary picks him as a running mate. BTW is he up for election? Are cheesheads that loony?
By John Podhoretz
Can the War on Terror be won? America's inability to secure a victory in Iraq against the insurgency suggests to many people of good will and good sense that it really can't be. They believe the enemies of the United States are motivated by a force more powerful than we reckoned - by a religious ideology that has seduced hundreds of millions of people who prefer its stark certainties to the ambiguities and confusions of Western bourgeois life.
We can't beat it, they say, and we can't join it. So what is left for us? Just to say "the hell with them."
Richard Lowry's very important piece in the new issue of National Review is about the "to-hell-with-them hawks." They are, in Lowry's words, "conservatives who are comfortable using force abroad, but have little patience for a deep entanglement with the Muslim world, which they consider unredeemable, or at least not worth the strenuous effort of trying to redeem."
They look at Iraq's decimated civic culture and they wonder at the naiveté of a president who believed he could bring Western-style liberty to the place. They look at the Muslim world and they see Hamas elected by Palestinians and months of rioting over supposedly offensive cartoons by people who are happy to celebrate suicide bombers.
President Bush's prescription for ultimate victory in the War on Terror was bringing freedom to those who are not free, because the longing for freedom resides in every human heart. Ludicrous sentimentality, say the to-hell-with-them hawks. Muslims don't want it and they don't deserve it and we shouldn't be trying to give it to them.
Lowry's answer is this: "Confident predictions about which cultures are or are not capable of democracy have the aspect of unassailable truth - right up to the point that they don't. Representative Arab government will be impossible until it happens."
The project in Iraq is an effort to change the terms of the discussion in the Arab Muslim world. Lowry has come up with an elegant and original way of putting the visionary aspect of the Bush freedom doctrine in real-world terms: "The contemporary Middle East has featured a competition of radicalisms - who can be religiously purer, and more hostile to the West? The project in Iraq is an attempt to shift the terms of the competition to who can better deliver peace, prosperity and representation."
The to-hell-with-them hawks - among them Lowry's own mentor, William F. Buckley - have found a middle ground between the merely partisan opposition arguments of the Democrats and the poisonous attitudes of the far-right isolationists.
Their argument seems hard-headed and unsentimental. People are trying to murder Americans, and such people ought to die. Kill as many of the bad guys as you can abroad. Strike Iran from the air if you have to. Do whatever you must to secure the homeland. Don't let Arabs run the ports. Racially profile Muslims and Arabs out the wazoo. No crocodile tears for the excesses at Gitmo and Abu Ghraib.
What's missing here is what has been missing from the most hard-headed discussions of Iraq since the end of the 2004 election, and that is an understanding of just why President Bush formulated the freedom doctrine.
The problem is that the policies advocated by the "hell hawks" and by defeatist Democrats offer no real possibility of an end to the war against Islamic radicalism. It will go on forever.
And if it does, it seems certain that at some point in the next few decades, millions of people are going to die in a successful terrorist assault using weapons of mass destruction.
Why? Because there is no way to stop the delivery of such a weapon if the delivery system is a single person willing to die to get it done. The only way to prevent it is to change the terms under which such people live, to offer them something to hope for besides virgins in paradise.
Seen in this light, the Bush freedom doctrine isn't simply a starry-eyed exercise in ludicrous optimism. It's a real-world solution to a real-world problem.
The only real answer to the Bush freedom doctrine is the one posed by those who believe there is no real War on Terror. They range from the Michael Moore, Bush-may-have-been-involved types to ex-neocon Francis Fukuyama, who states plainly that Bush & Co. overestimated the threat from terrorism.
Fukuyama basically believes 9/11 was a fluke, a lucky shot. It would be nice if he were right. But it would be reckless to the point of insanity for any American policymaker to count on it. Just as it would be for any American policymaker to adopt the view of the to-hell-with-them hawks.
#3
The most bitter irony for me of this whole discussion is that, for the first time, an American president is actually trying to address the root causes....and all the bleeding hearts from whom we constantly hear the phrase turn on him like a pack of rabid Pit Bulls.
#4
STRATEGYPAGE.com article, i.e. NORTH KOREA: NUKES? WHAT NUKES", once more makes it clear that it doesn't matter what Iran aor the Norkies, etal. claim they have or want to do. THE BURDEN IS ON THE USA, AND ONLY THE USA, TO PROVE THE ROGUES ARE HAVE OR ARE DOING WHAT THE ROGUES CLAIM TO HAVE OR BE DOING - Iff the USA AND ONLY THE USA fails to prove/"justify", espec and only to the Failed Left-MSM, the USA does not have any justification or base for any GOP-led decision or action. NO matter how many nukes or WMDS Iran and NK, etc. truly have, or proclaim to have before the world, they are not to be held accountable to anyone for anything. The GWOT will NOT go on forever becuz the pre-9-11 STATUS QUO is no acceptable to anyone, either of the Right or the Left or Center or Inependent, and espec for the Failed Left and aligned anti-Americanists - for the flip-flop loving Failed/Angry Left, it ultimately does NOT matter whether America wins or loses as long as the Lefties get their way, i.e. anti-sovereign US, anti-American American Socialism and Socialist-Unitarian NPE, America under OWG, and American interests being controlled by a group of world states, includ Russia-China, where America's agenda is just one of many to be considered. Americans are allowed to unilater modernize the world and create global empire as long as its understood Americans must give up their nation, empire, and wealth-endowments to others, that these will be taken away from Americans either voluntarily or by force.
Hello all, good to see the old crowd here. I've only time to stop by and chat. No time to discuss the impending civil war in Iraq or how the Kurds are the only ones in Iraq smart enough to deserve any more help from old uncle Sam.
But I digress, this article is a clear view into what is likely to be our approach on Iran. Honestly its probably the most realistic approach we have on the table seeing as how we don't have an additional 300K boots to drop into Tehran tomorrow night. The State department is pissing in Rummies' cheerios as we speak, and oil futures are sure to rise very soon.
So where the hell is .com? I want to get your take on this one old man.
csmonitor.com
Tom Regan
The United States may be preparing for a "cold war" with Iran. Paul Reynolds, the world affairs correspondent of the BBC, says that the US is looking at the idea as a 'third way' between trying to engage the hard-line mullahs at the top of the Iranian government, and attacking the country's nuclear facilities. The idea is that "regime or policy change could be effected by the Iranian people themselves." State Department is frothing as we read this!
The idea for this third way is being championed by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. The hope is that it will buy time for Western policy-makers to come up with a way to stop Iran's nuclear program. But the new policy is also born of a disagreement in the White House on how to move forward. Iran gets nuke in 3,2,1
The old policy of engagement with Iran has run into the ground. Even its advocates accept that they cannot get round the problem of Iran's method of government. Senior ayatollahs have a veto on reform and blocked reformist candidates in last year's election.
At the other end of the spectrum, those favouring military strikes against Iranian nuclear installations are having trouble in justifying a policy which would have huge consequences, adding to the problems the US is already facing in Iraq.
But Mr. Reynolds notes that the 'cold war could go hot' if Washington decides that this approach won't stop Iran from building a bomb. Let me decide for you. Fuel up the planes boys, we're going in!
The Washington Post reported Monday that the Bush administration has been "huddling in closed-door meetings on Iran, summoning academics for advice, creating an Iran office in Washington and opening listening posts abroad dedicated to the efforts against Tehran." While the administration is not using the term regime change publicly, that is has become the objective. State department has been harping this same old tired bullshit for 30 years now.
"The message that we received is that they are in favor of separating the Iranian people from the regime," said Esmail Amid-Hozour, an Iranian American businessman who serves on the Hoover Institution's board of overseers. Good luck with that one. Probably not going to happen. But whatever separate as you please.
"The upper hand is with those who are pushing regime change rather than those who are advocating more diplomacy," said Richard N. Haass, who as State Department policy planning director in Bush's first term was among those pushing for engagement. There is no such thing as diplomacy with the Mullahs.
There are numerous signs of the new emphasis on Iran. The State Department has created a full-time Iran desk. From 1/4 time desk to a FTE, I'm gloriously happy, this will solve everything! We're saved! In the past, only two people worked on Iran, but that number has been increased to 10. There will be increased Farsi language training, and the Voice of America has received more money to improve and increase broadcasts into Iran. Currently VOA does only one hour of programming into Iran; that will soon increase to four. Gooooooood Morning Tehran!
The Press Association reports that British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, in a speech to the Center for Strategic International Studies, gave a hint of this new approach when he said that Britain had no objection to Iranians benefiting from "civil nuclear power" and that he wished them a "a freer, more democratic and prosperous future." Sounds like a half ass cop out there Jack.
But he said that the regime of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was leading the country in "the wrong direction" and risked damaging the prospects of its people if it continued on the path of confrontation. OK, let me get this right. He's leading Iran in the wrong direction? Straight to hell seems like the path they've been on the whole time. Yep, the old army compass says due South.
Amnijobbo is a nut, a freggin nut. A lunatic who believes the messiah is taking a train to Tehran next week.
"If the Iranian regime chooses not to heed the concerns of the international community, it will damage the interests of the Iranian people," he warned, in a speech to the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London.
But the Post also reports Wednesday that prominent activists inside Iran say that Washington's plan to promote regime change by the Iranian people themselves is "the kind of help they don't want." These activists say the very act of announcing the program places human rights advocates in danger because it makes them seem to be agents of the US's agenda. Shiites remember how we allowed old Sammy helicopters to put them down in '91, they say no thanky for your help.
"Unfortunately, I've got to say it has a negative effect, not a positive one," said Abdolfattah Soltani, a human rights lawyer recently released from seven months in prison. After writing in a newspaper that his clients were beaten while in jail, Soltani was charged with offenses that included spying for the United States.
"This is something we all know, that a way of dealing with human rights activists is to claim they have secret relations with foreign powers," said Soltani, who co-founded a human rights defense group with Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi. "This very much limits our actions. It is very dangerous to our society."
In Iran, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad vowed once again to resist international pressure on his country's nuclear program. The BBC reports that Mr. Ahmadinejad said no power could take away nuclear technology.
We'd be happy to help you all gain a healthy nuclear glow and a free permanent orange afro! It's your right after all!
"One of them delivered a so-called speech yesterday by saying that not all the Iranian people are pursuing nuclear energy," he said, in what appeared to be a reference to a speech by British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw on Monday.
"I am telling them to open their ears and listen to the cry of the people of Gorgan and Golestan concerning nuclear energy," he told the crowd, which began chanting "Nuclear energy is our absolute right".
The Iranian government continues to say it has a nuclear program in order to provide nuclear energy to the Iranian people, not build a nuclear weapon. We don't need nukes we have the power of Alaah. What's that, no we're just trading missile technology with the North Koreans for our nation's model rocket programs, nothing to hide here, move along.
Finally, it seems as if the issue of a nuclear-free Middle East may soon be on the table. The Jerusalem Post reported Monday that last week Straw also said that the world should turn its attention to the Israeli nuclear program once it finishes dealing with Iran. Bullshit, I call bullshit! The Israeli government did not reply to Straw's statements. Israel has had a nuclear program for years, but has refused to acknowledge that it exists and is not a signatory to the nuclear nonproliferation treaty. No nukes here. We need Israel to keep a few nukes for old Amnijobbo and the Mullahs. Peaceful as the Mulahs are, they need a reminder that we can and will destroy them if they step.
#1
There is no stomach for a confrontation with Iran. The left and the unbalanced domestic media would want everyone in the current administrations head on a pike regardless of the reasons for war, and work doubly hard as they have in Iraq to discredit any action. If an invasion fleet isn't off the coast of the US (and even then I'm not so sure)the media will work overtime to undermine any action however obviously justified to us adults.
#2
Theres a big difference between Iran and the Soviet Union. The Soviets were not looking to export nuclear arms, wipe Israel off the map, was not a radical theocracy, were rational enough to understand the consequences of using them, valued their self-preservation and had enough Western ideology to negotiate and reason with to a stalemate.
Posted by: Yosemite Sam ||
03/14/2006 16:08
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#3
A new cold war?
Doubtful.
The commies, for all their faults (and there are legion), had some ability to reason, and no religious fervor at all. We, of course, also didn't want to go up in a puff of uranium or plutonium.
"MAD" in the case of the US v. Russia cold war meant "mutually assured destruction" - and neither of us wanted our countries destroyed.
"MAD" in the case of the MM™ means they're NUTS, as in certifiably crazy - and religious fanatics to boot. They don't care if their people are totally destroyed, as long as they get to take the hated US and the hated Jooooos with them. They actually think they'll get rewarded by their god for this.
We can't let those nutcases get nukes. They have already publicly stated their intention of nuking Israel as soon as they get nuclear bombs - and the Western world is next.
You'd think that Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt and the paleos would be just a tad worried by the MM's nuke-Israel pronouncement, them being so close to Israel's borders and all.
Unless they truly think dying quick in a burst of nuclear fission or slowly from radiation poisoning is the will of allen.
But then, Ahmadinejad seems to think he's some kind of god already, so who knows....
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
03/14/2006 16:17
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#4
The Cold War ended when the Soviet Union fell apart. The same thing will happen to Iran. The parallels are remarkable.
#5
How so phil, and is .com still around or has he been excommunicated or something??
Posted by: EP ||
03/14/2006 17:03
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#6
The Cold War ended when the Soviet Union fell apart. The same thing will happen to Iran.
Waiting for the Soviet Union to "fall apart" took half a century. In half a decade (or less) Iran will be nuclear armed and its "falling apart" will be more in the form of vaporization.
#7
Poor .com is gone
Poor dot com is gone
All gather round his keyboard now and cry
He had a heart of gold
Even though he'd gotten old
Oh why did such a feller have to go?
Poor .com is gone
Poor dot com is gone
His comments were so peaceful and serene
He's gone of for some rest
With his hands on some babe's chest
His fingernails have never been so clean
Then the preacher'd get up and he'd say
"Folks, we are gathered here to mourn and groan over our brother .com
Who hung hisself up on always having to stomp every troll at the burg"
And then there'd be weepin' an' wailin' --- from some of those women [Gentle, JC]---
Then he'd say, ",com was the most misunderstood man in the blogosphere
People used to think he was a mean ugly fella and called him a dirty skunk and an ornery pig stealer, But
The folks that really knowed him
Knowed that beneath them two dirty shirts he always wore
There beat a heart as big as all outdoors
dot com loved his fellow man
He loved the ma-deuces of the forest
And the M1-A2s of the fields
He loved the mice and the vermin under the barn
And he treated the rats like equals (which was right)
He loved all the little children
He loved everything and everybody in the world
Only . . . only he never let on
And nobody ever knowed it
Poor .com is gone
Poor dot com is gone
His friends are weepin' wail for miles around
The new trolls in the burg
Won't get to hear the gospel word
Because dot com won't be postin' any more
Poor .com is gone
A candle lights his head
He's layin' in a heart-shaped water bed
And folks are feelin' sad
'Cuz they used to treat him bad
But now he's feelin' just a tbit too good.
Poor .com is gone
A candle lights his head
He's lookin' oh so purty and so nice
But his hand's begun to creep
And he'll make a comment here in just a trice.
The Soviet Union fell partly because it was bankrupt. If oil would go down to $40 and stay there for a few months, Iran would be too.
But there are vast differences also. Iran is an advanced kleptocracy with Mullahs and their friends amassing large fortunes and the people with the money are getting frustrated with the ruling clique because of its economic policies and also afraid of the ruling clique for its potential to just execute people.
Iran's military is another question mark. They have a multitude of security forces. Some probably can be assumed to be loyal to the Malarky, others not.
Anyone who thinks they know how this will come out is fooling themselves.
One thing is for sure, if the mooslims ever get the bomb life will be over as we know it. The Soviets never want to use theirs but they were not fueled by hating everything civilized. Time to break out the B-1s for some high altitude bunkerbusters. One good pass would take care of the whole Islam with a bomb mess.
#13
I've covered many of the parallels in the past. Just to highlight two.
The Iranian system deliberately copies the Soviet system with the party (called the Pasadran in Iran) and state having largely duplicate structures. The SU fell apart when the state institutions took full control.
The ethnic layout of Iran is very similar to that of the SU, with a heartland where the main ethnic group dominates and various ethnic minorities dominating regions on the periphery. The main difference is Russians were an absolute majority in the SU, whereas Persians are likely a minority in Iran (there hasn't been a reliable census in 30 years).
#14
Phil you believe that I got a bridge to sell ya.
The Soviets were atheist who feared death. The Mullahs are radical Islamist who believes death while killing infidels is guaranteed access to heaven, milk, honey, and even 72 virgins.
What use is it to threaten death to someone who wants such and is even rewarded by such as long as they get such trying to kill you? The only way to deal with such people is not threats but pre-emption simple kill them first.
As for the political situation saying Bush cant hit Iran, why not? Bush polls are already in the tank, hes on the defensive, CNN is openly saying the so called WOT on their front-page stories about Afghanistan Pakistan. The Repubs in general are looking at getting whipped in the mid terms. The Dems are on full offensive with the media setting the debate. We will see full partisan attacks all the way to November with media overblown scandal after scandal.
How exactly hitting Iran something the majority believe is eminent maybe even with some quite passive support by the EU would hurt? It would switch the debate off the all out attack by the Dems to Iran. The Dems and their pacifist radical anti-war BS just dont sell.
The WOT is Bushs legacy Iran is at a cross roads in this war if we falter here the whole effort up to now was a waste of time its win the damm thing or lose it. You cant just quit in the late 3rd quarter because your tired and beat up and expect to win the game.
Not promoting Iran as a wag the dog scenario Iran is definitely one of those things that must be done and whether good politically or not should be done. After all thats a leaders job to make the hard decisions not the popular ones. But just saying I dont really see the political effects as bad and if things dont go south big time may even be a sweeping benefit.
#17
Actually, the Soviet communists had a near religious zeal in their desire to free us "downtrodden wage slaves" from the shackles of capitalist servitude. Marxism demands the same sort of suspension of disbelief that fundamentalist religion also requires. There was the same obsession with conversion, and a de facto sort of dhimmitude as seen with the satellite countries of the Warsaw pact.
C-Low is correct in that the Soviets were not so insane as to relish death over patient waiting. Mutual Assured Destruction had a definite neutralizing effect over the Soviets. Something that is entirely absent in the Iranian mullahs. Give these loons their wish, pronto.
#18
Ann COulter said it best on FNC yesterday [Guam time], in paraphrase - the Dems prefer to wait until an American city(s) gets blown up vv WMD/Nuke Terror attack(s) before a Dem POTUS-Congress does anything, iff and when it ever does decide to do something, anything, in response, ergo vote for the Dems in 2006 and 2008. IOW, America must be attacked first and 00's, 000's, or Zilyuhns of Americans must be dead first before the Dems decide whether or not to retaliate, iff at all. 9-11 occurred, amongst other reasons, becuz the STATUS QUO IS UNACCEPTABLE TO AMERICA's ENEMIES, INCLUD BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE FAILED/ANGRY LEFT AND COLLUSORY INTERNAT LEFTS AND ANTI-AMERICAN AMERICANS. Any so-called "New Cold War" vv IRAN, etal is at best a short/near-termer in length. Iran's Radical Mullahs want Nukes and Iran-centric EMPIRE, and they are fanatical enough to induce a US-Russia-China geopol- and military confrontation in order to get their way, i.e. ala North Korea are willing to commit national suicide vv regional and global belligerencies. IRAN > "Iran gets Nukes and Empire, or everyone in the ME and World dies".
#19
.com still comes round. Not every day though --- there are lots of pretty girls in Las Vegas, and he's too much of a gentleman to let them languish. ;-)
#20
No where in the Soviet doctrine did it call for everyone else's conversion, death or dhimmitude.
The inevitable triumph of world socialism, victory of the proletariat, etc. Death to the Borugeous revisionists. Change the terms and the rhetoric is identical.
Europe's human rights court on Tuesday threw out a lawsuit filed by Saddam Hussein against 21 European countries whose troops joined the U.S.-led military campaign in Iraq, saying the case fell outside its jurisdiction.
Saddam said his arrest, detention and subsequent handover to the Iraqi authorities and the ongoing trial in Baghdad breached the European Convention on Human Rights.
The former Iraqi president said coalition forces had violated his right to life, liberty and security, and several other articles of Europe's human rights convention. He noted that he could face execution if found guilty in a trial that he claimed lacked even the basic tools for a defense.
He argued that his case fell within the jurisdiction of the European nations that joined the U.S.-led coalition, which he said continued to hold de facto power in Iraq even after the June 2004 transfer of authority to Iraqis. He said that if sentenced to death, the verdict would violate two articles of Europe's human rights treaty: abolition of the death penalty in times of peace, and abolition of the death penalty in all circumstances.
The European Court of Human Rights, which deals with human rights violations on the territory of the 46 member states of the Council of Europe, said Saddam's suit did not fall within the jurisdiction of any of the 21 nations cited.
"The court considered that the applicant had not demonstrated that he fell within the jurisdiction of the respondent states on any of the bases alleged. He did not fall within their jurisdiction on the basis of their control of the territory where the alleged violations took place," the court said in a statement.
"Even if he could have fallen within a state's jurisdiction because of his detention by it, he had not shown that any one of those states had any responsibility for, or any involvement or role in, his arrest and subsequent detention."
The court said the case had been dealt with confidentially to protect Saddam's legal representatives.
#1
Boy, am I relieved, whew! I thought we were going to have a nasty jurisdictional dispute. Thank Allan that the Kangaroo Human Rights court made a sensible ruling. I think, though that they have the anti-death penalty nailed down:
He said that if sentenced to death, the verdict would violate two articles of Europe's human rights treaty: abolition of the death penalty in times of peace, and abolition of the death penalty in all circumstances.
Posted by: Alaska Paul back home again ||
03/14/2006 16:30
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#2
"He said that if sentenced to death, the verdict would violate two articles of Europe's human rights treaty: abolition of the death penalty in times of peace, and abolition of the death penalty in all circumstances."
For that to fly, the EUnichs would have to abolish one more thing: the laugh test.
Saddass Insane's legal pleadings never pass that one. ;-p
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
03/14/2006 16:40
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And yep - Claudia Rosett, along with George Russell, has the goods on this corrupt skunk.
United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan has just tabled ostensibly radical proposals for reform, at a proposed cost of more than $510 million, saying he aims to bring efficiency, high ethical standards and above all, transparency to his scandal-tarnished organization.
One part of the plan calls for clearing out deadwood in the U.N. Secretariat with buyouts costing about $100,000 per person part of a process that Annan calls "investing in change."
Whether Annan's proposals will be adopted by the U.N. General Assembly is far from certain. But the secretary general might be able to make a more inspiring case for change if he started by casting more daylight on the workings and personnel of one of his own pet projects: the Alliance for Civilizations a new U.N. initiative with a nebulous mandate that is now providing berths for an assortment of Annan's old U.N. associates, including his disgraced former chief of staff, Iqbal Riza.
What is the Alliance?
On the surface, it is simply a rarefied U.N. talking shop, which pays an elite panel of globe-trotting members to meet in comfortable locations around the world and deliver opinions on world peace, especially on frictions between the Islamic world and the West. Launched with relatively little fanfare last fall, the Alliance held its first meeting in November, in the Mediterranean resort of Majorca, Spain, with Riza present to deliver an opening message on Annan's behalf. Its first widely publicized session, however, took place in February when Annan himself citing a need to "create dialogue" sped to a meeting of the Alliance in Doha, Qatar, to talk about the Danish cartoons of the prophet Muhammad that have been answered by riots among militant Muslims around the world. (Annan had previously issued his views on the cartoon furor during a Middle-East stopover to collect a $500,000 personal prize from the ruler of Dubai.) The resulting statement made no distinction between embassy-burning militants and media cartoonists calling for restraint from all alike, and promising "concrete suggestions" to come.
Tasked by Annan to convene a series of meetings worldwide, the Alliance fields a staff of about 10, with its own director, working out of a U.N. office in New York. This office supports the part-time intellectual labors of a panel of 20 un-elected "eminent persons," all appointed by the secretary general. Annan has asked the group to come up by late 2006 just before he is due to retire with a "plan of practical action" to "bridge divides," again, apparently, as they exist between Islamic countries and the West.
As it happens, however, the U.N.-appointed Alliance is much less grand than its rhetoric would lead outsiders to believe and much less representative of any international consensus. It is a venture initially generated not by the 191 member states of the U.N. General Assembly, but by just two states, Spain and Turkey, with a handful of other nations Belgium, Luxembourg, Qatar and Syria contributing to its $3.7 million in special funding.
The high-profile personnel involved are equally unrepresentative. In choosing the 20 eminences of the Alliance, Annan leaned heavily toward Islamic dignitaries and U.N. has-beens. On the Islamic side, these include a former president of Iran, Mohamed Khatami, and the president of the Alexandria Library, Ismail Serageldin (whose library in 2003 as part of its rotating collection displayed the slanderous anti-Semitic "Protocols of the Elders of Zion"). Among the U.N. types are a former president of the Inter-American Development Bank, a former head of UNESCO, and a former head of the United Nations Population Fund, or UNFPA, now an adviser to Annan.
Most interesting, perhaps, is the man Annan has chosen as his personal conduit to the Alliance. This person designated as a "special adviser" to Annan with the U.N.'s third-highest rank of undersecretary general is his own former chief of staff, erstwhile retiree Riza.
This is not auspicious. Riza, a Pakistani who served as Annan's chief-of-staff from 1997-2004 and also worked closely with Annan when he served as head of U.N. peacekeeping during the disaster of Rwanda, has been complicit with the secretary general in some of the U.N.'s worst debacles. In the multibillion-dollar Oil-for-Food scandal, Riza was featured as the shredder-in-chief whose office destroyed three year's worth of Annan's executive-suite documents, which Paul Volcker's inquiry had ordered preserved because they were of "potential relevance" to the investigation.
But that may be the least of it.
During the Oil-for-Food program itself, as Volcker reported in September, 2005, "Mr. Riza played a greater role than he was willing to state." According to Volcker, Riza dealt heavily with the graft-riddled program, meeting with Iraqi officials, and routinely handling important Oil-for-Food documents, some pertaining to corruption in the program. During at least the last two years of Oil-for-Food's seven years in operation, Volcker concluded, Riza along with Annan and the now departing deputy secretary-general, Louise Frechette was aware of both the smuggling and kickback schemes of Saddam, but withheld information from the U.N. Security Council.
And in 2003, both Annan and Riza were present at a meeting in which the head of Oil-for-Food, Benon Sevan, suggested falsely to the post-Saddam Iraqi Governing Council that the U.N. had only recently learned of Saddam's 10 percent Oil-for-Food kickback scheme. This falsehood, reports Volcker, "went uncorrected" by Annan and Riza, both of whom had known about the graft for at least two years, or so Volcker concluded from "clear reports" conveyed to their offices on the U.N.'s executive 38th floor.
Riza, along with Annan, was also at the epicenter of the U.N.'s failure in 1994 to stop the Rwandan genocide in which more than 800,000 people were murdered. Annan was then the head of U.N. peacekeeping, and Riza was his deputy. Warned of the impending slaughter by the U.N. peacekeepers on the ground, they told the same U.N. peacekeepers in Rwanda not to raid the weapons caches of the Hutu killers who were preparing for slaughter. When the killings then took place, Annan and Riza failed to raise the alarm. Asked in a 1999 PBS interview about these horrors, Riza took the heat, saying he had sent the initial non-intervention order under his own signature before briefing his boss, Annan. Asked whether the U.N. Secretariat had withheld important information about this from the Security Council, Riza replied: "Possibly we did not give all the details."
That same pattern of omitted details has been a hallmark of the current Alliance of Civilizations, which was shaped quietly last spring by Riza and another of Annan's special advisers, Giandomenico Picco, who has also been embroiled recently in controversy. A star U.N. diplomat of the 1980s and one of the U.N. negotiators during the early attempts to set up the scandal-riven Oil-for-Food program, Picco left the U.N. in 1992 and went into private business, setting up his own consulting firm, New York-based GDP Associates. Picco was brought back to the U.N. by Annan in 1999 as an undersecretary general to set up and lead the precursor of the Alliance of Civilizations, a U.N. venture called the Dialogue of Civilizations, which had been proposed in 1998 by Iran.
When he began work for Annan on the Dialogue in 1999, Picco apparently neglected to disclose a potentially large conflict of interest: He was also serving as chairman of the board of a private company called IHC Services, which at the time was doing millions in business with the U.N. Procurement Division the purchasing department that spends about 85 percent of the U.N.'s core budget, plus billions more on peacekeeping. Picco appears to have resigned his IHC post in early 2000. But his role at IHC, with its potential conflict of interest, was never disclosed by the U.N. It came to light only last year, by way of a FOX News investigation that exposed IHC's close ties to a U.N. procurement officer, Alexander Yakovlev, who has since pleaded guilty in federal court to taking hundreds of thousands worth of bribes on at least scores of millions worth of U.N. contracts.
As for the Dialogue project, it served in 2001 as a vehicle for Picco's high-level U.N.-credentialed meetings around the globe, and about the time of the Sept. 11 attacks on the U.S., clocked in with a banal report which now resides, largely forgotten, in the U.N. library.
Annan continued to retain Picco as a part-time special adviser until early this year, and last spring Picco helped Riza convert the remnants of the Dialogue into the current Alliance. Around the time FOX News broke the U.N. procurement scandal in a story last June mentioning IHC, Picco's direct involvement with the Alliance quietly faded away.
But some interesting ties remain. Among the 20 eminent persons named by Annan to the Alliance is one with close business ties to Picco: former Indonesian Foreign Minister Ali Alatas. As recently as last fall, when the Alliance was being launched, Picco's consulting firm, GDP Associates, listed Alatas as one of the associates (although Alatas' biography, as provided by the U.N. Alliance, does not mention this connection). Since then, the GDP Web site has vanished from public view. GDP did not return a call from FOX News asking whether Alatas is still one of Picco's consulting associates.
Meanwhile, Riza, according to Annan's office, is working not for a U.N. salary, but at the special rate of $1-per-year. (He already has his full U.N. pension.) If that sounds like a good deal for a U.N. where the secretary general is now trying to invest in change, possibly we have not yet heard all the details. For while Riza is virtually unpaid in his latest responsibilities, what he is actually doing on Annan's behalf remains deeply in the shadows.
#4
One part of the plan calls for clearing out deadwood in the U.N. Secretariat with buyouts costing about $100,000 per person part of a process that Annan calls "investing in change."
There's over 30,000 people working for the UN. So at 100G's a whack to get rid of the "deadwood", I figure, what, 3 billion dollars "invested in change" "? No, this does not take Kojo's cut into account.
Of course, this also doesn't factor in what the score would be after they torch the place for the insurance...
#6
The Paelos never miss an opportunity to exercise bad judgment. This would be like victims of Hurrican Katrina looting the Red Cross offices because they were angry at FEMA.
#8
The paleos have become a viral infection, vile and evil, poisoned with hate and consumed by death. I have zero sympathy with them as a people. Cowards when they kill and when they 'fight' (fighting for them being walking on a public bus and esploding themselves just to kill others). Absolutely disgusting.
By Phillip Longman
What's the difference between Seattle and Salt Lake City? There are many differences, of course, but here's one you might not know. In Seattle, there are nearly 45% more dogs than children. In Salt Lake City, there are nearly 19% more kids than dogs.
This curious fact might at first seem trivial, but it reflects a much broader and little-noticed demographic trend that has deep implications for the future of global culture and politics. It's not that people in a progressive city such as Seattle are so much fonder of dogs than are people in a conservative city such as Salt Lake City. It's that progressives are so much less likely to have children.
It's a pattern found throughout the world, and it augers a far more conservative future - one in which patriarchy and other traditional values make a comeback, if only by default. Childlessness and small families are increasingly the norm today among progressive secularists. As a consequence, an increasing share of all children born into the world are descended from a share of the population whose conservative values have led them to raise large families.
Today, fertility correlates strongly with a wide range of political, cultural and religious attitudes. In the USA, for example, 47% of people who attend church weekly say their ideal family size is three or more children. By contrast, 27% of those who seldom attend church want that many kids.
In Utah, where more than two-thirds of residents are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 92 children are born each year for every 1,000 women, the highest fertility rate in the nation. By contrast Vermont - the first to embrace gay unions - has the nation's lowest rate, producing 51 children per 1,000 women.
Similarly, in Europe today, the people least likely to have children are those most likely to hold progressive views of the world. For instance, do you distrust the army and other institutions and are you prone to demonstrate against them? Then, according to polling data assembled by demographers Ron Lesthaeghe and Johan Surkyn, you are less likely to be married and have kids or ever to get married and have kids. Do you find soft drugs, homosexuality and euthanasia acceptable? Do you seldom, if ever, attend church? Europeans who answer affirmatively to such questions are far more likely to live alone or be in childless, cohabiting unions than are those who answer negatively.
This correlation between secularism, individualism and low fertility portends a vast change in modern societies. In the USA, for example, nearly 20% of women born in the late 1950s are reaching the end of their reproductive lives without having children. The greatly expanded childless segment of contemporary society, whose members are drawn disproportionately from the feminist and countercultural movements of the 1960s and '70s, will leave no genetic legacy. Nor will their emotional or psychological influence on the next generation compare with that of people who did raise children. Single-child factor
Meanwhile, single-child families are prone to extinction. A single child replaces one of his or her parents, but not both. Consequently, a segment of society in which single-child families are the norm will decline in population by at least 50% per generation and quite quickly disappear. In the USA, the 17.4% of baby boomer women who had one child account for a mere 9.2% of kids produced by their generation. But among children of the baby boom, nearly a quarter descend from the mere 10% of baby boomer women who had four or more kids.
This dynamic helps explain the gradual drift of American culture toward religious fundamentalism and social conservatism. Among states that voted for President Bush in 2004, the average fertility rate is more than 11% higher than the rate of states for Sen. John Kerry.
It might also help to explain the popular resistance among rank-and-file Europeans to such crown jewels of secular liberalism as the European Union. It turns out that Europeans who are most likely to identify themselves as "world citizens" are also less likely to have children. Rewriting history?
Why couldn't tomorrow's Americans and Europeans, even if they are disproportionately raised in patriarchal, religiously minded households, turn out to be another generation of '68? The key difference is that during the post-World War II era, nearly all segments of society married and had children. Some had more than others, but there was much more conformity in family size between the religious and the secular. Meanwhile, thanks mostly to improvements in social conditions, there is no longer much difference in survival rates for children born into large families and those who have few if any siblings.
Tomorrow's children, therefore, unlike members of the postwar baby boom generation, will be for the most part descendants of a comparatively narrow and culturally conservative segment of society. To be sure, some members of the rising generation may reject their parents' values, as often happens. But when they look for fellow secularists with whom to make common cause, they will find that most of their would-be fellow travelers were quite literally never born.
Many will celebrate these developments. Others will view them as the death of the Enlightenment. Either way, they will find themselves living through another great cycle of history. Phillip Longman is a fellow at the New America Foundation and the author of The Empty Cradle: How Falling Birthrates Threaten World Prosperity and What to Do About It. This essay is adapted from his cover story in the current issue of Foreign Policy magazine.
#1
While stationed at Ft Hood during the late 1990s, the on post church service I attended had two muti-kid families. One was Morman (sic?)and had eight kids, they had a baby boy during this time, so there were three boys and five girls. The other big family was Texas Aggie/Presbe...can't remember how to spell the demonination name... and also had a new baby boy the same year as the Morman(sic)family. They had seven kids, five boys and two girls. Both were neat families with wonderful children. Thus Utah and Texas are destined to rule America......
#3
I think this is a bunch of linear thinking crap.
Is this parody? If not, explain.
Posted by: no mo uro ||
03/14/2006 17:41
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#4
I think this is a bunch of linear thinking crap.
?????????
Insightful? Comment? Shallow?
Posted by: Almost Anonymous5839 ||
03/14/2006 17:43
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#5
I don't question the numbers or any of the particular facts, I question the cause and effect that he implies that the numbers indicate.
I think it is interesting that he compares Salt Lake City and Seattle. Isn't it just as likely that people who choose to live in Seattle will be progressive for two reasons - the culture in Seattle is "progressive" and so those who grew up in it, or who like that culture would flock to or stay in Seattle?
Likewise, Mormons live in Salt Lake City and have large families. Those who aren't Mormon don't flock to Salt Lake City. In fact, I've known many people who have moved to Salt Lake City and moved away cause they didn't like the exclusivity of the Mormon culture. But they were conservative.
It would have been more telling if he had chosen two cities that had similar cultures. Like maybe Boise and Witchita - or something like that. Then compare the large families v/s small families and how they compare in their overall conservative v/s progressive values. I'd wager you wouldn't find such a disparity as he presents.
Besides, people who HAVE large families tend to participate in family friendly activities, like church. Just cause it's true that mormons and catholics and people who tend to be family oriented have more children doesn't necessarily mean that those who choose to have two kids instead of four are proportionately less likely to be conservative. Go to Kansas, I'm sure you'll find many people with 2 kids who are conservative. Go to Massachusetts and I'm sure you'll find many people with lots of kids who are true blue liberals.
#7
one last thought. If the majority of families today have 2 kids. Then that means that there are fewer families that have more or less than that number . So if, for the sake of making my point.. if 100X more people have 2 kids than those who have 4 kids or no kids... and the values of those who have just 2 children (nationwide, not just in Seattle) overall tend to be conservative (or liberal) then that would have far more of an impact than just comparing that larger than average families tend to be more conservative than smaller than average families.
I don't have time to clarify my point - so i hope it's clear enough.
#8
Actually, Boston is, along with San Francisco, one of the most childless large cities in North America, IIRC. This in spite of a large Irish Catholic population.
Posted by: no mo uro ||
03/14/2006 18:34
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#9
Roe effect - read Taranto and Best of teh Web
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/14/2006 19:07
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#10
good point, no mor
I don't understand this baby in arms race. I grasp the importance demographics. But it that is the plan to solve the problem of Muslims inability to adapt to western values - God help us all.
#11
no welfare reward for extra kids is part of teh answer to avoid the Islamization - Europe is a cash cow for Islamic breeders
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/14/2006 19:12
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#12
I think you've come much closer to the heart of the problem Frank. Current welfare actually provide incentives for those least capable of providing for their children to produce the more children. Like feral cats that you feed - it's a nice gesture for awhile - until there are gazillions of them running around and feeding them becomes an impossibility.
#15
Liberalism and feminism are telling econ-vital/competitive males that Government and Women don't need them them for anything, that women no longer need nor care for men to compete over them, and protect them, let alone to spend their wealth on females and any children females may have, be it men's seed or by others. Surprise, surprise, in the long-run birthrates go down becuz many men no longer "feel the need" to chase women, let alone romance and have sex with them.
"You don't need or want us Men, so why should we accept you wojmen's and the State's demand to support you. Its what you and the State said you both wanted both realitically and as the future ideal utopian state of Mankind and all Humanity. IT T'AINT MY FAULT NOR MEN'S FAULT YOU WOMEN AND THE STATE DON'T HAVE THE $$$ TO BACK UP YOUR OWN DEMANDS, AND DON'T CLAIM THAT ITS MEN WHOM ABSOLUTELY MISTOOK AND MISUNDERSTOOD YOUR MESSAGE. YOU GOT WHAT YOU WANTED - NOW YOU DON'T WANT IT, AND ITS MINE AND MEN'S FAULT! NO WAY, JOSE"!?.
(Baghdad, Iraq-AP, Mar. 14, 2006 12;18 PM) _ The interior minister said Tuesday authorities had foiled an al-Qaida plot that would have put hundreds of its men at critical guard posts around Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone, home to the U.S. and other foreign embassies as well as the Iraqi government.
A senior Defense Ministry official said the 421 al-Qaida fighters were actually recruited to storm the U.S. and British embassies and take hostages. Several ranking Defense Ministry officials have been jailed in the plot, the official said on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information.
Interior Minister Bayan Jabr, in an interview with The Associated Press, said the 421 al-Qaida recruits were one bureaucrat's signature away from acceptance into an Iraqi army battalion whose job is to control the gates and main squares in the Green Zone. The plot was discovered three weeks ago.
"You can imagine what could happen to a minister or an ambassador while passing through these gates when those terrorists are there," Jabr said in the interview conducted at his office inside the Green Zone -- a 2-square-mile hunk of prime real estate on the west bank of the Tigris River. The area is a maze of concrete blast walls, concertina wire and checkpoints.
The Defense Ministry official said the plot was uncovered by the military intelligence and the General Intelligence department that works under the government.
The Green Zone has been attacked in the past with mortar rounds and rockets. A number of car bombs driven by suicide attackers have been detonated in the past two years at the entrances, killing scores of people.
On Oct. 14, 2004, two al-Qaida members carried out a suicide attack inside the zone, hitting a market and a cafe. Six people were killed, including four Americans, and 20 people were wounded.
Hopefully this was the big March attack we'd been hearing the 'chatter' about.
#4
Color me skeptical. While all this is certainly possible, it strikes me as equally possible that Jabr is just trying to make himself look good ahead of the next round of government formation negotiations. Show me a trial and execution.
It is interesting that the Interior Minister seems to be crediting Defense Ministry operations with uncovering the plot. How are these people and offices currently aligned politically?
#6
One of the Denmark cartoons cited as one of the more offensive ones was Mohammed telling a bunch of suicide bombers to stop because they were running out of virgins. Not only was that a pointed statement on the REAL motivations of suicide bombers, it was especially insulting of Allah's ability to create anything in limitless quantities, but apparently unable to act against the infidels without any help from believers.
Russia plans to sell India uranium for two nuclear reactors, an official said Tuesday, adding that the United States had turned down a request by New Delhi for the atomic fuel.
Moscow has notified the Nuclear Suppliers Group, an association of nations that export nuclear material, of its plans to send fuel to the Tarapur nuclear facility in western India, Foreign Ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna said.
The issue is expected to be discussed during a visit to India this week by Mikhail Fradkov, the Russian Prime Minister.
Sarna said civilian nuclear cooperation would be on the agenda during Fradkov's Friday-Saturday visit, which also was to include talks on defense, space research, commerce and technology. Fradkov will meet with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other senior leaders.
India has not signed the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. Sarna said the export deal was being made "under the safety exception clause" of the suppliers' group guidelines.
The guidelines permit export to countries such as India that have not submitted their atomic programs to U.N. safeguards, but only to prevent or correct "a radiological hazard to public health and safety which cannot reasonably be met by other means."
Although there's no immediate threat of radiation leaking from the reactors, they would have to be shut down without the fuel from Moscow.
"A shortage of fuel for Tarapur would have affected its continued operation under reliable and safe conditions," Sarna said.
Sarna said the Russian fuel will enable the Tarapur I and Tarapur II plants "to continue to operate at safety and provide much-needed electricity to the western power grid of the country."
The western grid supplies electricity to the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya, Pradesh and Goa, together home to some 210 million people.
A similar request for fuel from the United States was turned down because US law prohibits nuclear materials exports to countries that have not signed the nonproliferation treaty.
But the administration of US President George W. Bush is seeking to change those laws under a landmark civilian nuclear agreement completed by Washington and New Delhi earlier this month.
If finalized, the pact would allow the United States to provide nuclear technology and fuel. In return, India has pledged to separate its programs and open the civilian ones to IAEA inspections.
New Delhi is seeking much-needed uranium even as it develops technology to use another radioactive material, thorium, instead of uranium, in its nuclear plants. India has the world's largest thorium deposits.
India's nuclear dealings have come a long way from 1998, when New Delhi carried out multiple nuclear tests that led to economic sanctions from several countries. India later vowed to never use nuclear weapons unless attacked.
In the years since, India's swiftly globalizing economy has soared at some of the world's fastest rates, led by an information technology boom. With international oil prices rising, India is now looking to other sources, including nuclear power, to support the swift economic growth.
Posted by: john ||
03/14/2006
12:39 ||
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Homosexuality 'thriving' despite strict criminal code
Marriage and cultural factors offer camouflage
A ban on kite-flying failed to dampen the spirits of party-goers in Lahore at the weekend, where hundreds of parties took place to celebrate the age-old Basant festival. But one gathering stood out.
Under a starry sky filled with fireworks, about 150 gay men clambered to the roof of an apartment building for an exuberant party. Bollywood music spilled into the streets as dress-wearing men twisted and whirled flamboyantly.
Some older men with moustaches and wearing traditional shalwar kameez stared silently from the sidelines. But most of the party-goers were in their 20s, dressed in jeans and T-shirts, and looking for a good time. "We just want to have fun," said one of the organisers, known as the "hot boyz".
Homosexuality is taboo in Pakistani society, where sexual orientation is rarely discussed and the gay rights debate is non-existent. Sodomy is punishable by up to life in jail, and religious leaders condemn gay men as an aberration of western corruption.
When President Pervez Musharraf boasted of empowering minorities, during a press conference with George Bush in Islamabad 10 days ago, he was unlikely to have been referring to gay emancipation. Yet many homosexuals say their community is quietly thriving, often with the tacit acceptance of a society which prefers to look the other way. Assaults on gay men are rare; sodomy laws are seldom invoked.
Communities of Hijra - a transsexual group, with roots which stretch back to the Mughal empire - are found in all major cities. "In a bizarre way homosexuality is condemned but not opposed," said a gay man from Karachi. "There is an indulgence here, a cultural ability to live and let live."
Such matters gain little political capital. When Urdu-language newspapers accused a former chief minister of Sindh province of being a cross-dresser two years ago, the storm quickly blew over and the politician kept his job.
The apparent open-mindedness is at odds with Pakistan's austere and socially conservative image abroad. Last year Punjabi authorities briefly banned female participants in marathon races, while sex outside marriage between men and women is punishable by death.
Cultural factors offer one explanation - gay men can easily camouflage their relationships because public displays of affection between men, such as holding hands, are widely accepted. "Western gays are gobsmacked about how easy it is to pick up guys here, how often they are approached," one gay man said.
Nevertheless, homosexuality, like anything related to sex, is practised with great discretion. Internet chat rooms provide a safe and anonymous forum for middle- and upper-class gay men. Cohabiting couples are rare, and most gay men still marry to avoid scandalising their families.
An Afghan refugee sparked controversy in the Khyber tribal agency last September when he was "married" to a 16-year-old boy. A tribal council ordered the pair to leave, or be stoned for breaking religious and tribal values.
And many Pakistanis ignore their existence, seeing homosexuality as an abhorrent, western practice. "It is not allowed in Islam and is surely against the laws of nature; it is one of the signs of the end of the world," a contributor to a BBC Online debate recently wrote.
Unlike vocal gay rights activists in western countries, many Pakistani gay men feel that the lack of debate suits them. "If we were being actively persecuted, then we might fight in public," said a gay man in Islamabad. "But you don't want to pick a fight you can't win."
Posted by: john ||
03/14/2006
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#1
just a little Midterm "blowing off steam" at Madrassah U. It's OK, the holy men are there to keep an eye on the cutest boys
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/14/2006 15:46
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#2
Actually, a "marriage of convenience" could work very well in this society, gay-wise. The gay man can marry, say, two lesbian couples and everyone's covered (as it were).
He gets the cover of an impressive marriage and the ability to stroll the streets, hand in hand, with his his partner.
And the girls, unable to leave the home without him, are quite happy, hidden, pretending "regular house".
Short story: People's Cube got caught for keyword spamming, with tons of hidden text keywords and hidden links. Google no likey keyword spam. If TPC cleans up its pages, Google should relist. Details and screen caps at link.
#1
Gwad keyword spamming is how you get listed in the top of google's list. Mikey unMoored does the same thing and you don't see his site being trashed off the pile.
#2
The linked site is run by one of Google's engineers. He's as unbiased as Dan Rather on the subject of CBS reliability.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
03/14/2006 19:39
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#3
I've never seen a more spectacular self-destruction than Google. These guys seem like a bunch of kids in a basement who think they've got it all figured out. Just like all the other .com geniuses from the late 90's. Worked out so well for them too.
Note to Google. If you don't provide people what they want - someone else will. Good luck with China. Hope they don't just take your technology and then throw you out with tomorrows trash. Not that anyone will ever know or even care - seeing as how it will be censored and all.
North Korea has the right to launch a pre-emptive attack against U.S.-backed South Korean forces because the two Koreas are technically still at war, the communist state's official media said on Tuesday.
The comments came as North Korea shows its displeasure with annual joint South Korean-U.S. military exercises, which Pyongyang has said are a preparation for an invasion of its territory.
A spokesman for the North's Korea People's Army (KPA) said distrust is high between the United States and North Korea, and Pyongyang "will never remain a passive onlooker to the U.S. pre-emptive attack on the DPRK," its official news agency reported.
DPRK is short for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
"The KPA side is of the view that a pre-emptive attack is not (the) monopoly of the U.S. and the DPRK, too, has the right to pre-empt an attack as the most effective and positive act for self-defense in the light of the hard reality that the DPRK and the U.S. sides are still technically at war," the spokesman was cited as saying.
The 1950-1953 Korean War ended in a truce and not a peace treaty meaning that the two Koreas are technically still at war. The United States led U.N. forces in defense of South Korea and signed the armistice agreement in that capacity.
U.S. and South Korean forces will stage annual field exercises from March 25 to March 31 designed to coordinate defenses of the southern half of the peninsula.
"The KPA will follow with a high degree of vigilance the grave situation prevailing on the Korean peninsula due to the projected war maneuvers and keep itself fully ready to go into action to cope with any event on its own initiative," the spokesman said.
North Korea has said the joint drills are an impediment to progress in six-party talks aimed at ending North Korea's nuclear weapons programs.
The last round of the talks among the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the United States was held in November 2005.
The talks have hit a snag over Washington's decision to crack down on firms it suspects of helping North Korea in illicit activity such as counterfeiting.
North Korea has said it is unthinkable for it to return to the talks while Washington is trying to topple its leaders through the financial measures.
Washington, Seoul and others have said the crackdown is a matter for law enforcement and not related to the six-party talks.
In previous years, North Korea has placed its civil defense system on high alert at the time of the joint drills that have been taking place for four decades.
There are about 30,000 U.S. troops in South Korea in support of some 690,000 South Korean troops. The North has about 1.2 million troops.
#7
Read, the Norkies = Iran + Syria, etc > US decisions andor mil actions may result in a "preemptive" North Korea comando-sapper first strike against Dubya, Washington, CONUS and Amer interests - IOW, A NORKIE 9-11!? Spetznatz + North Korea = SpetzNork/SpetzKor??? Whether SpetzLamists or SpetzNorks, HAIL HILLARY AND OWG.
#1
No it isn't. It's partly about the genes. Competition takes place at two levels: genes and individual. Both result in the evolving or extinction of species. Mr. Darwin is a very bright man, perhaps even a genious in his chosen field, but outside that he is very much a rude and self-centered ass. And his contribution to his field is very useful, but not the kind of world-changing event he fancies.
Mr. Dawkins' blather would bore Mr. Darwin. Mr. Dawkins drones on about natural selection as though it is some all-powerful personna like The Grim Reaper, on a mission set in a genetic blueprint. Nonsense.
Natural selection is simply a culling of those who do not successfully adapt to adversity. It can be a culling by almost anything: warfare, climate change, wildlife migration changes, unsuccessful genes, or even a crop fungus.
Evolution is simply mutation that is favorable enough to survive natural selection.
Successful genes are merely the detailed blueprints of those who who survived. They may not have survived by genes but rather by favorable circumstance.
Too many people attempt to anthropomorphize the whole process, Mr. Dawkins included.
#3
from Hogan's Heroes to Family Feud to Geneticist! Whoda thunk it?
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/14/2006 15:28
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#4
IMHO The Selfish Gene is the best scientific book written in modern times, and his other books are seriously good, but TW is right. He's a pompous ass.
#5
Natural selection is simply a culling of those who do not successfully adapt to adversity. It can be a culling by almost anything: warfare, climate change, wildlife migration changes, unsuccessful genes, or even a crop fungus.
Pure luck, too. While luck will, over time, cancel out, there's no doubt that bad luck has culled some pretty good adaptations and good luck has let some poor ones survive.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
03/14/2006 19:52
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"The incarnation of the death drive that runs like a black lace through the fabric of great civilizations, the Left is the originator of our most grievous ills and the gravest danger that we face. It is at the root of the strife and tribulations that are tearing down the edifice of the Western world.
Perhaps this recognition will give us the moral strength to swerve from the road to perdition along which we have been dragged for so long. There is every indication that its terminal point is not too far away. One can almost hear the echo of the abyss as one after another the great pillars of our civilization come crumbling down. Mixed with the doom-bound calls for appeasement in the face of barbarism, it makes for a bloodcurdling sound. If we want to live we must take heed, for the next bend in this road may well be the last."
#1
The Left comes across like the deranged spouse or suitor. You know the type. "If I can't have him/her, then no one can have 'em." First its stalking. Then its threatening words and gestures. Then they off the other party. Of course everyone else watches but does nothing other than urge the object of the party's murderous attention to get a piece of legal paper which does really nothing but gives the appearence that you are doing something.
#2
Remarkable article. Absolute clarity. Thank you, SR-71 - I will share this with everyone I know - even the Lefty fools with whom I maintain tenuous relations. This ought to end that waste of time, LOL.
"The Wests greatest threat is neither Islam nor any other external foe. It is its own political Left. All the great ills and woes under which our civilization so agonizingly belabors and under the weight of which it is slowly sinking have been either brought on or inflamed by it.
By corroding the Wests moral, spiritual, economic and cultural foundation, the Left has wrought incalculable damage on our civilization. The fact that this assault has come from within makes it all the more astounding. The Left is a wholly western child, born and raised within its confines. It is as though the Left somehow embodies the Wests reaction against the West. It is as though under some suicidal impulse the West has turned against itself with a self-destructive intent."
At first glance, this may appear too sweeping a thesis to account for all the complexities of political reality, but there a simple way to test its validity. To prove it incorrect all you need to do is to come up with one counter-example, one single instance from among the Lefts campaigns and advocacies which is not in some way injurious to western civilization. Try as hard as you may, you will not be able to do it.
The Left never errs it always acts against the West. It never stands or fights for anything that may be good for the western world. It cant, because it is a reaction against it. Opposition to the West is the very reason for its existence; it is its nature. A wolf cant act like a hare or a lion like an antelope. The Left can never become the Wests friend, because antipathy towards it actuates its heart and infuses its soul.
#4
A while back Wretchard at Belmont Club had a thread called "The Ichneumon Wasp" which dealt with this parasitic nature of the left.
Get into a discussion with a leftist and see how ignorant they often are of their own history. Often times they believe that they somehow represent the "real" America, but watch their anger when you recall the history of their development as having derived from the French, not American, revolution, and that the American tradition of the Enlightenment is entirely different from and has never included the left (well, until the '30's), and name for true the historical fact that their family tree includes both fascism and communism. Their heads explode.
This past summer I had a guy tell me that big-government socialism was a deeply American tradition that went back to the Founding Fathers. When I asked for proof that it even existed here before 1932, he shook his head, swore at me, and stormed off. Watta maroon. But a typical maroon.
I used to think the left was a cancer. A better analogy is that they are more like a herpes infection - one which can be beaten back by the immune system of the West but which pops up in times of stress.
Either way, they are a disease which would be best eliminated entirely.
Posted by: no mo uro ||
03/14/2006 18:13
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#5
What never ceases to amaze me, is that if the Islamofascists win, the leftists would be the first up against the wall.
#6
We'll never be rid of the left. You try convincing a million ignorant poor people that it's a bad idea to steal money from successful people to keep their sorry asses alive.
#7
Give the ignorant poor people a shot at moving up the economic ladder and most of them will work their ass off to do so. The poor form a power block for the left only as long as there's either no chance economic mobility, or as long as the leaders of the left can convince them that's the case.
#8
During WW2, Korea, and aspects of Vietnam it was called the "Banzai/Human Wave" attack, "hugging the belt/waist", and "attacking where American-Western-UN forces were NOT". IN the WOT, organz traditional linear combat has given sway to nuclear/WMD-potential "People's War", aka form of Asymmetric Warfare, and "franchising", i.e. form of post-modern inter-State tech transfer and proliferation where one state does the silent designing or testing of weapons for another nation. Whatever the intellectuals call it nowadays, in the end it still comes down to the USA running out of beans and bullets before the enemy runs out of bodies. As for the US Left, they'll be amongst the first up against the wall to be executed whether its the Radical Muslims or Secular Commies. The only thing both Spetzies and Comies have to lose are the Milyuhns and Zilyuhns Socialism can't take care of, and Radical Islam and its Mullahs won't care for, anyways, so might as well lose 'em defeating America and the West.
A state appeals court today threw out more than 30 subpoenas requested by Travis County prosecutors building a criminal case against U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay, saying the investigation should have stopped in December when a district judge halted proceedings in his court.
District Attorney Ronnie Earle has been issuing the subpoenas ever since Senior District Judge Pat Priest dismissed all or part of three indictments against DeLay, R-Sugar Land. Earle appealed Priest's ruling, and the judge stayed the case pending a ruling by the Third Court of Appeals.
Most of the subpoenas involved political fund-raising controversies that have involved DeLay, some dating back to 1996.
After Earle subpoenaed records from DeLay's wife, Christine, DeLay's legal team asked Priest to quash the subpoenas. Priest told DeLay lawyer Dick DeGuerin that the case was stayed while on appeal, so he would neither halt Earle from issuing subpoenas nor would he enforce them.
DeGuerin then asked the appeals court to intervene.
"Because the state has obtained a stay in the proceedings ... we hold that subpoenas may not issue compelling witnesses to testify and produce documents at the stayed proceedings," the order by a three-judge panel said.
The panel, which is scheduled to hear Earle's appeal on March 22, said Earle may not issue any more subpoenas while the stay is in effect; ruled all the ones issued after the stay are "null and void;" and any subpoenas issued before the stay are suspended while the appeal is pending.
The unsigned order was issued by Judges Bea A. Smith, David Puryear and Alan Waldrop. Smith is a Democrat. Puryear and Waldrop are Republicans who are up for re-election this year.
DeGuerin was not immediately available for comment, but his law partner Matt Hennessy called it a victory in stopping Earle from running a "political" investigation.
"Congressman DeLay doesn't have anything to fear from whatever evidence might have been produced," Hennessy said. "The point here is Ronnie Earle is abusing his office ... to have a court declare that Ronnie Earle was abusing his office, and that is in effect what the Third Court said."
Earle's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
DeLay originally was indicted last year on charges of conspiring to violate the state's election code in connection with how a political committee he founded raised and spent corporate money.
A second pair of indictments was issued the following week restating the election code conspiracy charge and added charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering and money laundering. DeLay has denied all the charges and accused Earle of conducting an investigation just to knock DeLay out of the U.S. House majority leader's position.
Judge Priest in December dismissed all the charges involving conspiracy to violate the election code. Priest said that was not against the law until 2003, a year after the alleged misconduct by the DeLay-related committee, Texans for a Republican Majority.
#4
So when this is over, will DeLay resume his seat in the Senate? If he needs to run again, is it likely he'll win? This could make for very interesting times in his corner of Texas, and in Washington in the near future. :-)
Also, he still has his seat - he was in DC to vote for renewing the Patriot Act, IIRC.
He just won his primary in Texas by a whopping margin. Makes you think maybe his constituents know a bullshit political witch-hunt when they see it. ;-p
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
03/14/2006 14:35
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#6
be interesting how much this has cost Travis County when all is said an ddone...
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/14/2006 14:59
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Interesting linking of events over at Gateway Pundit.
In an email, Sarah Sands, The TELEGRAPH UK, has informed me that she has been removed as editor at the Telegraph UK apparently, for placing an article of interviews in which a reporter finds, among other too predictable items:
Confirmation of what they believe to be a familiar pattern- if spokesmen for British Muslims threaten what they call 'adverse consequences' - violence to the rest of us - then the British Government will cave in. I think it is a very dangerous precedent."
Dr Sookhdeo adds that he believes that "in a decade, you will see parts of English cities which are controlled by Muslim clerics and which follow, not the common law, but aspects of Muslim sharia law.
"It is already starting to happen - and unless the Government changes the way it treats the so-called leaders of the Islamic community, it will continue."
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
03/14/2006
07:40 ||
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#1
If true, a potentially massive story for the UK... now for the denials from Telegraph Group and a forced denial from Ms Sands - to avoid insulting the muslims y'know.. Must have been quite an article as the Telegraph pulls no punches when dealing with the UK muslim population.
Posted by: Howard UK ||
03/14/2006 8:10
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#2
I'm confused. Was she fired because an article contained the three paragraphs that follow the colon? Cna the article be linked or is this supposed to be from the article that was disappeared from the Tele's website?
#3
The article was good, but not a fire-breathing polemic. The critical bits are quoted above.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
03/14/2006 8:38
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#4
The article had the bits after the colon. I can't remember where there's an archived copy of the original article; I think the Gateway Pundit link has a link to it.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
03/14/2006 8:45
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#5
Mmmmm... blames sales..
Posted by: Howard UK ||
03/14/2006 9:30
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#6
Howard, would you need to import some explosives then ?
#7
I wouldnt have thought it possible, but the British seem to be letting it happen. All for fear of appearing intolerant. If you want to live under sharia law, go to a country that has sharia law. As for the US, there is one law for all the people. I think that is a good policy. We hear little talk of sharia here, and I think if any started it would be quickly stifled.
#11
There are many places in Continental Europe where sharia has already been declared. These are also no go areas for non muslims. The UK is slowly following the pattern as there have been calls for sharia in densely muslim communities made by local imams.
Posted by: SPoD ||
03/14/2006 14:26
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#12
those areas are also heavily welfare-dependent. Cut it off and clean the warren of trash
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/14/2006 15:25
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#13
There ya go, Frank---the answer. It all comes down to the money. Cut off the welfare to these immigrants, and that problem goes away. Also provide trasport for free back to the homeland they came from. Also, in the big picture, get the money out of Saudi and Iran.
Posted by: Alaska Paul back home again ||
03/14/2006 17:35
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#14
Cut off the welfare to these immigrants, and that problem goes away. Also provide trasport for free back to the homeland they came from.
I don't think it would be that clean.
I've said it before -- and the author of "While Europe Slept" backs this up -- that Europe's Muslims view the dole not as the charitable givings of a generous society, but as jizya. They're entitled to it, by virtue of being Muslims -- they've already conquered Europe, and are collecting their rewards from the dhimmi.
Cutting the dole, even reducing it, would be violating the pact. Last time some dhimmis did that, it came to be known as the Armenian Genocide.
Now, clearly the Muslims in Europe wouldn't be able to pull that off. But I don't think it would be for lack of trying.
Cutting off the dole would bring things to a head, certainly. But it wouldn't be bloodless or easy.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
03/14/2006 19:36
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it's already beyond escaping bloodless. The longer it goes on, the bloodier it will become.
#16
The longer it goes on, the bloodier it will become.
Certainly. But I don't think Europe's governments, or people for that matter, will do anything until it gets too bloody for words.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
03/14/2006 19:53
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I have higher hopes RC. That European tendency to backlash may play a part faster than we think, and faster than the Imams have prepared. Bloody, yes, but isn't that the Islamic way?
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/14/2006 21:27
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According to one website, Arab readers of the Koran believe that Muslim torturers are doing surrogate torture (YU'ADHDHIBHUMU)for the Muslim God. I corrected some poorly translated text grammar, and did some editing to make clarify the text.
Muslims are correct when they say that the Koran has to be read in Arabic. If not, it gets "lost in translation."
American hostage Tom Fox was found dead in Iraq on the March 11, 2006. According to CNN, he was "tortured" and murdered with "a shot to the head." If you look for the word "torture" in a translated Koran, you wont find anything. But we know that the Koran incites torture. For anyone who doesn't know, unlike the Scribe' transmitters of Judaism and Christianity, Muslims take the Koran (Recitation) as the direct narration of the word of God, through Angel Gabriel.
But if you look for the word "torture" in the Koran in Arabic, you find it immediately in Koran 9:14.
Translations in French or English are completely distorted!
See some key words necessary to understanding this very important line (from the Koran), that can be heard in many hostage execution videos. This line is highly inspirational to terrorists. This interested me because I had no idea that the be-headers had a particular murder mantra.
- Qatiluhum: Fight to kill. Arabic has many words meaning war or fighting, but this one has the harshest impact. It means fight to kill or to exterminate (massacre). Wouldn't the English term "slaughter" best describe, "fight to kill"?
- "Qatiluhum Yu'Adhdibhumu Allahu Bi'aydikum Wa Yukhzihim Wa Yansurkum Alayhim Wa Yashfi Sudura Qawmin Mu'uminina" (Sura 9, chapter 14). But here is where typical translations are completely distorted! The translation of this line means: "Fight to kill them (or "Massacre them"), Allah is torturing them through your hands and will cover them with ignominy" (9:14). If this is authentic, Muslim terrorists would take their desire to torture as divinely inspired, and claim that their God possessed them during the torture session.
However, the following reveals typical French and English translations, from Arabic.
French translation:
"14. Combattez-les. Dieu, par vos mains, les châtiera, les couvrira d'ignominie, vous donnera la victoire sur eux et guérira les poitrines d'un peuple croyant."
Which translates to English: "Fight them; through your hands, God will inflict very severe and cruel punishment ("chatiera"), degrade them, grant you victory over them, and heal the breasts of a believing people."
Notice the absence of the notion of "massacre" and "torture". The order of words has also changed. In Arabic, the words "torture" immediately follows the word "massacre." Here, the translator has placed it further in the line, and have softened it. Why would translators distort harsh Arabic concepts? The best known English translator, Marmaduke Pickthall, was a Muslim convert. As far as I know, no critic of Islam has translated the Koran.
English translation.
"Fight them; through your hands, God will inflict very severe and cruel punishment ("chatiera"), degrade them, grant you victory over them, and heal the breasts of a believing people."(At-Tawbah 9:14).
This is even softer than the French version. Here they only mention a "punishment" (instead of 'chatier' which is a very severe and cruel punishment). So here, we have something like when you were punished at school because you did not do your homework. So English translations are even weaker than the French.
The Koran most definitely must be read in Arabic. I am not going to study a near dead language, but Westerners need complete knowledge of Arab understanding of a book that is their life-script. If they think torture is normal, then we have to adapt to that.
Posted by: Listen To Dogs ||
03/14/2006
07:07 ||
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#1
Excellent article!
Exactly the point I have been trying to make at my website: we need to know the religion to understand it, and if that means understanding the language, then that is necessary also. Only by understanding what motivates them can we know what they fear.
"For anyone who doesn't know, unlike the Scribe' transmitters of Judaism and Christianity, Muslims take the Koran (Recitation) as the direct narration of the word of God, through Angel Gabriel." This is correct: Christians believe that God inspired all the writers of the old and new testament to write what they did. The Lord aided their recollection, but did not, apart from passages prefixed by "Thus says the Lord", actually dictate the literal words: My description of Creation, in my version of Genesis, would necessarily be different from the actual writer's description because my vocabulary and my training is different from theirs.
#3
Sorry for the typos. I rushed the editing, and it could be a lot better. Sura 9 of the Koran - which includes the "Verse of the Sword" (9:50)-refers to events around the Muslim capture of Mecca, thus is the most violent section of the Koran. Check out Maududi's commentary:
I do not have the background skills to judge if this is serious, or wishful thinking from this euro think thank, but I wanted to post this anyway after having read this entry today ("Arab central banks move assets out of dollar").
This piece has been widely circulated on the french internet (Google found about 235 000 hits, not all related, of course), and I wanted to know what informed people would think of this.
I've actually read many interesting articles about the upcoming megacycles à la Elliott waves, announcing both a corrective trend on the short term (economical crisis looming) and on the long trend (civilitional crisis). Far fetched, but who knows? Qui vivra verra.
The Laboratoire européen dAnticipation Politique Europe 2020 (LEAP/E2020) now estimates to over 80% the probability that the week of March 20-26, 2006 will be the beginning of the most significant political crisis the world has known since the Fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989, together with an economic and financial crisis of a scope comparable with that of 1929. This last week of March 2006 will be the turning-point of a number of critical developments, resulting in an acceleration of all the factors leading to a major crisis, disregard any American or Israeli military intervention against Iran. In case such an intervention is conducted, the probability of a major crisis to start rises up to 100%, according to LEAP/E2020.
#4
Economic cycles certainly exist (for reasons I won't go into). However, I am deeply sceptical they can be used to predict an economic crisis in a particular week.
#5
The loss to us in the US is amplified to other countries whose currency is valued below ours. Russia and China stand to lose a lot more than we do on this sort of thing. Only the EUniks would profit from a euro based market. This makes little sense to me.
#7
Two things have been running around the paranoid circles for a few months. On is the US no longer reporting how much liquidity is being put into the US currency markets and the other is the Iranians creating a new petroleum bourse.
Both of these things, and any other excuse, are being raised to project imminent economic disaster.
All are predicated on dual principals: first, that the governments of the world are blissfully unaware of any radical economic shifts that can be projected; and/or, second, that they either know and can do nothing about it, or they are powerless to do anything about it, no matter how much lead time they have to confront such things.
The bit about the US attacking Iran is based on the delusion that we would do this solely to stop them from creating a new oil market that we could not control.
I am not holding my breath for any of this to happen.
#8
The panic is that the United States is monetizing the debt by printing dollars. The net effect is to reduce the value of the dollar and creates inflation. The panic is based on the decision by the Fed to cease publication of M3. Here are the definitions of the various measures:
"M0 is all coins and paper bills. M1 is M0 plus all checking accounts. M2 is M1 plus savings accounts, money market accounts, and certificates of deposit of less than $100,000. M3 is M2 plus all deposits, euro dollars, and repurchase agreements that are $100,000 and larger."
The concern is that "Big money" manipulates the economy by moving around large dollar amounts exceeding $100,000 (to have a big effect), and thus is tracked by M3 via the repurchase agreements. By eliminating the publication of M3, the conspracists speculate that the Fed is trying to hide transactions intended to artificially boost the stock market. Here be the paranoid.. (A repurchase agreement is when the seller agrees to buy back the stock from the buyer at a later date. It is not really an increase in economic activity, but the speculation is that a massive purchase of a stock may trigger a band-wagon effect in which market watcher may believe that the stock is hot. Based on whats in the repurchase agreement, The buyers can opt to sell the stock on the market for a profit. The seller would be glad if that happens since it would take a loss on the re-purchase if the value of the stock went up.)
The obvious problem with this scenario is that M3 is a gross measure that never specified which stock purchases were based on repurchase agreements. Those "needing" this measure use it as an indication of whether a stock market boom is being fueled by manipulation or by a real growth in the markets.
You can't monetize the debt by printing more money or extending more credit without inflating M0 or M1.
Here's probably the REAL crisis: M3 was the only measure of the number of EUROS in the country, and the Fed is saying that Euros don't count anymore. This is a Euro think tank, so I imagine the panic is all about being regarded by the Fed as a financial non-entity.
The connection they propose is with Iran creating an oil stock market denominated by Euros, and they project an increase in the value of the Euro.
What they DON'T mention is that an increase in the value of the Euro makes exports more expensive relative to the Dollar, and it is EXPORTS that the Euros are counting on to pull themselves out of their economic doldrums.
For all we know, the Feds believe that the Euro may collapse, and are cutting out M3 to mask the effect of that collapse: if that measure goes down, it may casue a panic, and it may be politically unacceptable to state that the Euros f*cked up, and f*cked us up with them (That's State's turf, not the Fed's).
Finally, one has to wonder about what such a group is thinking when they view the Fall of the Iron Curtain and the liberation of hundreds of millions of human being as the second "most significant political crisis the world has ever known", with the position of MOST SIGNIFICANT happening to be reserved for THEIR PREDICTION.
Personally, My concern is that monitoring of repurchase agreements may cease, and we will have stock manipulations a-la Enron. Such purchases should NOT be counted by the Stock Market because it obscures the signals that the market is sending.
#9
We need a picture of a guy in a suit saying the end of the world is near! I was a bit set back that they did not put the whole blame on the US and I hate sharing the blame for the end of the world with some half baked nation like Iran!
With the departure of Mr Greenspan, the economic world is trying to figure out what's next. This reads to me like a poor attempt at fear mongering propaganda. James Ellul would be disapointed in how loose this agruement is. The only people who will believe this is the coffee shop gossipers who hope to see the US fall.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
03/14/2006 10:11
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Thank you for the in-depth analysis, Ptah. Very illuminating.
One question, after Enron, World Crossing and all their ilk, why is it that the Fed is now making it easier for artificial stock run-ups (repurchase agreements) to mask authentic market activity? This would seem to be a return to the bad old days.
"Greetings, my friends. We are all interested in the future, for that is where you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives. And remember my friends, future events such as these will affect you in the future. You are interested in the unknown... the mysterious. The unexplainable. That is why you are here. And now, for the first time, we are bringing to you, the full story of what happened on that fateful day. We are bringing you all the evidence, based only on the secret testimony, of the miserable souls, who survived this terrifying ordeal. The incidents, the places. My friend, we cannot keep this a secret any longer. Let us punish the guilty. Let us reward the innocent. My friend, can your heart stand the shocking facts of grave robbers from outer space?"
It seems to me that records ARE being kept of repurchase agreements: otherwise, how could they be factored in as a part of M3? I think the SEC, not the Federal Reserve, is monitoring that stuff, since preserving the signalling capability of the market is their balliwick.
But you are exactly right: abandoning monitoring of repurchasing agreements and allowing the stock to be factored into total stockmarket sales will create an Enron-style situation for abuse. In Enron, they cooked the books, while in this situation, they're heating and cooling the market. The moonbats I cited believe there is a shadowy government council whose job is to engage in repurchasing agreements to artificially goose the economy for political reasons. The complaint, by the way, was that by eliminating M3, the critic's ability to detect such artifical goosing PREVENTS THEM FROM HITCHING A RIDE ON THE STOCK PRICE RISE. I.e. they do not object to stock market manipulation. They object to losing what they consider an indicator of when its happening so they can take advantage of it well.
Individual Islamists may appear law-abiding and reasonable, but they are part of a totalitarian movement, and as such, all must be considered potential killers. I wrote those words days after 9/11 and have been criticized for them ever since. But an incident on March 3 at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill suggests I did not go far enough. ...
In brief, Taheri-azar represents the ultimate Islamist nightmare: a seemingly well-adjusted Muslim whose religion inspires him, out of the blue, to murder non-Muslims. Taheri-azar acknowledged planning his jihad for over two years, or during his university sojourn. Its not hard to imagine how his ideas developed, given the coherence of Islamist ideology, its immense reach (including a Muslim Student Association at UNC), and its resonance among many Muslims.
Were Taheri-azar unique in his surreptitious adoption of radical Islam, one could ignore his case, but he fits into a widespread pattern of Muslims who lead quiet lives before turning to terrorism. Their number includes the 9/11 hijackers, the London transport bombers, and Maher Hawash, the Intel engineer arrested before he could join the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Mohammed Ali Alayed, the Saudi living in Houston fits, the pattern because he stabbed and murdered Ariel Sellouk, a Jewish man who was his one-time friend. So do some converts to Islam; who suspected Muriel Degauque, a 38-year-old Belgian woman, would turn up in Iraq as a suicide bomber throwing herself against an American military base?
This is what I have dubbed the Sudden Jihad Syndrome, whereby normal-appearing Muslims abruptly become violent. It has the awful but legitimate consequence of casting suspicion on all Muslims. Who knows whence the next jihadi? How can one be confident a law-abiding Muslim will not suddenly erupt in a homicidal rage? Yes, of course, their numbers are very small, but they are disproportionately much higher than among non-Muslims.
This syndrome helps explain the fear of Islam and mistrust of Muslims that polls have shown on the rise since 9/11.
The Muslim response of denouncing these views as bias, as the new anti-Semitism, or Islamophobia is as baseless as accusing anti-Nazis of Germanophobia or anti-Communists of Russophobia. Instead of presenting themselves as victims, Muslims should address this fear by developing a moderate, modern, and good-neighborly version of Islam that rejects radical Islam, jihad, and the subordination of infidels. Rest at link.
Posted by: ed ||
03/14/2006
06:38 ||
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#1
The outbreak of wishful thinking at the end spoils a tolerably good article.
#2
Pipes has a serious Pollyanna complex when it comes to Islam. He keeps clicking his heels together, saying "there ARE moderates, there ARE moderates", and expecting something to happen.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
03/14/2006 7:57
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Lol, RC. Bam!
At some point, most of us will end up on the same page.
Poor li'l Danny's been in the slow lane for years. He may not make it. He has to keep inventing juicy stop-gap rationalizations to ease his way down the mountain of elaborate Muzzy bullshit he's constructed over the years. I can't help but feel a perverse satisfaction reading people who once proudly claimed an imaginary moral high ground now abandoning carefully crafted rhetorical redoubts of feel-good prattle, one after another, to try to accommodate the facts as the farce plays out. Reminds me of institutionalized bad science... here, just one more tweak of the accepted theory, then everything will be okey-dokey. Rinse. Repeat. Yewbetcha.
I love his close. They "should" blah blah blah. Yeah? No shit? Shoulda coulda woulda "Pipe"dream, lol. Follow the evidence, baby. They ain't fucking doing it. Got it? Evidence. Facts. Reality. Everything else is wanking, Dannyboy. You've got Sudden Excuse Syndrome, son. Planning a book, I'll bet.
Another bit of the faux-moral worldview that needs to fall is the AlQ is our only true enemy myth. Truth is, there are 50-100-1000-googleplex insanely Muzzy factions and fuckwits out there, ranging from inept "cells" of one who rent Jeeps and run over people who were recently their classmates to well-meaning but foolish columnists who do us all a disservice by creating fantastical confabulations blunting the facts to suit personal world-views to lying apologist fronts and think-tanks and "charity" organizations to well-funded "pseudo states" which seek the destruction of an entire people. What they have in common is the point, not whether or not they're AlQ members or Hamas members Hezbollah members or any other "officially recognized" group.
Try this out and see which makes more sense, Pipes' latest dilemma explained away, or a simplified evidence-based take:
By their behavior (only the fools still parse their words) they are easily identified by their common goal: destroy anything and everything that isn't Islam by any means available.
Our response should be simple, once that realization takes root: destroy anything and everything that is Islam by any means available.
Duh. My opinion. Yes. I am evil. Patience has expired. My bad.
THE bodies of 15 garrotted men have been found in the back of a pickup truck in Baghdad, bringing the total number of corpses discovered in the Iraqi capital to at least 49 over the past 24 hours.
The 15 men, believed to be aged between 25 and 40, were found in the Al-Khadra district of west Baghdad, an interior ministry official said. Their identities were not immediately known.
On Monday, 13 corpses were found in Baghdad's Shiite poor district of Sadr City, where a series of bombings killed 46 and wounded 200 a day earlier.
Three men, shot through the head, were found tied to electricity pylons.
Four more, also shot to death, bore signs saying "traitor".
Twenty-one other bodies of men who had been shot to death, including some with blindfolds and with their hands bound, were found in other parts of the capital, including eight in the northern district of Shola, the official said.
At least three of the 21 had been tortured, he added.
Many killings appear to be sectarian in nature, but authorities, fearful of fueling mounting anger between majority Shiites and historically-dominant Sunnis, have refused to identify many of the victims.
A wave of sectarian violence swept the country following the bombing on February 22 of a Shiite shrine in Samarra.
Officials admit that over 450 civilians were killed in the fortnight that followed the bombing, while 81 Sunni mosques were attacked.
#1
While some of this may be sectarian, I suspect that acts of vigilantism against both terrorists and known gangsters are starting to happen in earnest.
#7
I think the mosque attacks have been much lower, think the figure of actual attacks is more like 10 nation wide where real damage has been done. Which leads me to doubt any of the numbers in the article.
Sorry, don't remember the source but then again none of us here are,,, over there.
American and Nato forces are following up reports that the Taliban have received vital components for shoulder-fired Stinger missiles from Pakistani officials enabling them to be used against helicopters in Afghanistan.
It is claimed that the missiles have been fitted with new battery packs allegedly provided by the Pakistani intelligence service, ISI, in the past four months.
Western sources say they are not sure whether the supplies, needed to make the US-made missiles operational, were provided by rogue elements within the Pakistani secret service, or approved at a high level.
However, the effect of re-arming the Stingers could be to make Nato aircraft vulnerable while Britain is deployingalmost 6,000 soldiers in southern Afghanistan.
It is believed that the battery packs had been fitted in between 18 and 20 heat-seeking Stingers which can hit targets at around 12,000 feet. They are reported to have been handed over in the Quetta region in Pakistan known to be used by the Taliban to launch attacks in southern Afghanistan.
US and Nato forces have carried out a series of searches along the border areas in the hunt for the missiles, with a large-scale operation a month ago. No British forces were involved. It is not known if Stingers have been recovered.
The Pakistan government yesterday denied the accusation as "baseless". An official spokesman said: "Pakistan has lost more security personnel in the fight against terror than any other country. We make no distinction in this fight between al-Qa'ida and the Taliban. No evidence to the contrary has ever been provided; these are just rumours, unsubstantiated allegations and innuendo."
The Pakistan government also rejected suggestions of involvement by ISI rogue elements. "Our military and security services are disciplined forces," the spokesman said.
Reports that the batteries had been fitted to the missiles surfaced at the end of last year along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. It followed efforts by Afghan officials to buy Stingers which had been supplied to the Afghan Mujahedin by the US during the war against the Russians.
Taliban fighters have yet to successfully use anti-aircraft missiles against US and Nato forces. However, both US and British pilots, who fly Tornados from a base in Kandahar, report that ground-to-air missiles have been fired at them.
Western diplomats and military are extremely sensitive about the Stinger allegations as it comes at a time when Afghanistan and Pakistan are engaged in an escalating feud over insurgent attacks in Afghanistan.
The Afghan government claims Pakistan is doing little to stem the flow of a resurgent Taliban who have launched a new offensive in Afghanistan from Pakistan.
At the weekend the head of the upper house of the Afghan parliament, Sibghatullah Mujaddedi, accused the Pakistani secret service of being behind a suicide bombing which injured him and killed four other people in Kabul.
Pakistan has strenuously denied the charges, accusing elements in the Afghan government of a disinformation campaign.
A resurgent Taliban and their Islamist allies have launched waves of attacks in which 1,500 lives, including 100 Americans, have been lost in the past year.
The director of the US Defence Intelligence Agency, Lieutenant General Michael Maples, recently told the Senate's Armed Forces Committee in Washington that the Taliban and their allies were at their most powerful since the official end of the war five years ago. He and other US and British commanders expect a major Taliban offensive starting in the spring.
Stingers began to be delivered to the Afghan mujahedin by the Reagan administration in 1986. They proved extremely successful against the Russians' main helicopter-gunship, the Hind-D, and were a significant contributory factor in the full Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan three years later.
More than 2,000 Stinger missiles were sent by the US. An effort by the CIA to buy them back after the war was largely a failure. In 2001 Pentagon officials said some of the missiles might have fallen into the hands of the Taliban and al-Qa'ida.
Posted by: john ||
03/14/2006
05:40 ||
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#2
"An official spokesman said: "Pakistan has lost more security personnel in the fight against terror than any other country." Yes, well, we base rewards on OUTPUT, not on INPUT.
#3
You can't buy Stinger battery packs at Radio Shack.
This would not be the first time that the ISI has transferred US supplied equipment to terrorists.
The Indians found timers and detonators used in the Bombay bombings (in the 90s) that were traced to US military stocks transferred to Pakistan as military aid.
Posted by: john ||
03/14/2006 12:46
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#4
These are 20+ year old Stingers according to the article. Is the solid fuel still reliable? Would you want to fire one from your shoulder? And...
IIRC: the IR sensors are supposed to have degraded to uselessness by now without proper repair, or so I recall reading when the subject was mentioned during the original 2001 invasion by the MSM. Anybody know more on this?
#5
Would you want to fire one from your shoulder?
allan needs shaheens of many skillz. More than one way to kill yourself. Of course a death by 2nd degree burn might take the edge off the experience.
#6
SU1984,
I was trained (a LONG time ago) on maintaining and storing Stingers - was also unofficially trained how to use them, but that's another story.
Stinger was designed to be as close as possible to a 'wooden round' - that is, you put it in the box at the factory and never need to touch it again until it's opened. Having said that, Stinger was never intended to sit for 20+ years in storage whose conditions can be best described as 'marginal'. The solid fuel motors have to have suffered some degradation by this point, and it is very likely that there are small, hairline cracks towards the ends of the motors - which will make the life of the shooter both exciting and short. In addition, there are likely problems with the sensor and fuze circuitry at this point as well. In short, the missiles are likely to do more damage to the guy holding it than any aircraft.
Also, the missile is kicked out of the tube by a small booster charge - its really not much worse than catching a good gust of wind in the face.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
03/14/2006 18:36
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#7
thanks ISI!
assholes
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/14/2006 19:29
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Hat tip No Pasaran! good read.
By Andrew G. Bostom
Bruce Bawers 1997 Stealing Jesus decried the claustrophobic narrowness in American fundamentalist Christianitys conception of the spiritual and divine. Bawer further maintained that its votaries breath taking combination of historical ignorance and theological certitude had engendered a reductio ad absurdum literalist understanding of religion, effectively ..dispiriting denying and dispelling lifes mysteries.
By September 1998, Bawer and his male partner decided to relocate permanently to Europe, initially Amsterdam. The Netherlands sociopolitical discourse, Bawer believed, had transcended culture war platitudes and the foolishness of fundamentalism. Bawer recalls candidly his own angry assessment of the contrasting American discourse at the time he departed for Europe:
Yes I loved my country, but I also realized that I wanted to be away from itaway from the idiocy, the intolerance, the Puritanism. More and more, I felt I belonged in Europe.
While Europe Slept chronicles Bawers personal encounter with Europes ongoing Islamization since late 1998. And his riveting narrative is a testament to Bawers intellectual honesty. Shunning glib moral equivalences between Americas Christian fundamentalist movement, and the infinitely more radicalized and destructive Islam rapidly transforming a self-deluded Western Europe into Eurabia, Bawer was acutely aware, even prior to September 1, 2001 that
..Europe was falling prey to an even more alarming fundamentalism whose leaders made their Protestant counterparts look like amateurs Western Europeans had yet to even acknowledge that they had a Religious Right. How could they ignore it? Certainly as a gay man, I couldnt close my eyes to this grim reality. Pat Robertson just wanted to deny me marriage; the imams wanted to drop a wall on me. I wasnt fond of the hypocritical conservative-Christian line about hating the sin and loving the sinner, but it was preferable to the forthright fundamentalist Muslim view that homosexuals merited death.
The book is divided chronologically into three sections: prior to 9/11/01 (Before 9/1: Europe in Denial), in the immediate aftermath of 9/11/01 through March 10, 2004 (9/11 and After: Blaming Americans and Jews); and from the March 11, 2004 Madrid bombings through August 2005 (Europes Weimar Moment: The Liberal Resistance and Its Prospects).
Early in the opening section, Bawers reaction to reading John Espositos transparent apologetic on Western Muslims struck a familiar cordEspositos denial of any threat posed by European Islam (as Bawer aptly observes, a fundamentalist Islam [that] was on the march and wasnt adapting to democratic values) is consistent with the same authors whitewashing of the brutal living legacy of the Islamic jihad conquests. A unique strength of While Europe Slept is that Bawer complements such perspicacious observations with hard data. Thus section one also introduces the reader to important information on Muslim demography and use (and abuse) of the Western European social welfare system. Although Muslims comprise (officially) between 2 and 10% of the population in most West European nations, France is already 12% Muslim and Switzerland 20%. But as Bawer notes, these statistics are merely the tip of the steadily emerging demographic iceberg:
Already, in most of Western Europe, 16 to 20 percent of children are Muslims within a couple of generations many [Western European] countries will have Muslim majorities.
Cognizant of this phenomenon, a Danish Muslim leader, typical of many European imams, declared triumphally in 2000, Muslims have a dream of living in an Islamic society This dream will surely be fulfilled in Denmark We will eventually be a majority. And such demography is already destiny in Islamic satellite colonies interspersed throughout Western Europe where demands for sovereignty began well before the recent Muslim intifada in France this past fall, 2005. Bawer provides these alarming examples from across Western Europe:
In France, a public official met with an imam at the edge of Roubaixs Muslim district out of respect for his declaration of the neighborhood as Islamic territory to which she had no right of access yup, true anecdocte, but in 75%+ islamic Roubaix, the greens and socialists have pactized with the islamofundies, and fund radios, orgs, sue apostate muslims who decry this fait accompli along with the "barbus"... and already in one 1990s book, a Roubaix islamic leader expressed his wish to see the area falls under sharia, complete with dhimmi status for the french minority (!), since it was muslim soil. In Britain, imams have pressed the government to officially designate certain areas of Bradford as being under Muslim, not British, law cf. above. In Denmark, Muslim leaders have sought the same kind of control over parts of Copenhagen. And in Belgium, Muslims living in the Brussels neighborhood of Sint-Jans-Molenbeek already view it not as part of Belgium but as an area under Islamic jurisdiction in which Belgians are not welcome.
These burgeoning Muslim communities are also consuming disproportionate amounts of state sponsored welfare benefits. For example, Danish Muslims comprise 5% of the population, yet they receive 40% of the governmental outlays. And despite this largesse, facilitated by sympathetic social workers, the social workers themselves are often tyrannized by their Muslim clients. Bawer describes the chilling situation in Denmark:
Some clients lay waste to social security offices and hit social workersnot out of frustration, but because theyve learned that such bullying gets them what they want.
Bawer further documents how Norwegian (Oslo) imams preach brazenly that Muslims should expect such welfare benefitsand feel justified in supplementing them by stealing from storesas a form of jizya* extracted from their infidel host societiessocieties that have not yet accepted their requisite subservience to Islamic Law!
The final two sections of While Europe Slept elaborate how even two cataclysmic eventsthe 9/11/01 and 3/11/04 mass murdering acts of jihad terrorismfailed to alter Western Europes self-destructive capitulation to Islamic atavism. Bawer recalls that a mere 36-hours after the devastation of 9/11/01, vitriolic anti-American attacks resumed unabated in the mainstream Western European media. He identifies one plausible source of this ignorant and seemingly implacable contempt:
The intensity of the European establishments anti-Americanism is matched only by the intensity of its nostalgia for the good old days of Soviet Communism. Few politicians, professors, or journalists will admit to missing Communism. But most of them are awfully quick to say that, well, at least when the Soviet Union was around, it provided a counterweight to American power. This despicable, but now standard line, turns Cold War history on its head.
Bawer also describes the resurgence of raw Antisemitic rhetoric, and anti-Jewish violence fomented, in part, by poisonous, fraudulent reportage throughout Western Europe Cf. the ignoble Al durah forgery by gvt-owned France 2 television, a true 21st century bloodlibel. And when blatantly Judenhass crimes committed by Muslims are grudgingly reported by this same media, critical details routinely omitted in such accounts, include:
(a) that Muslims in Europe have not been attacked by Jews; (b) that unlike anti-Semitic acts, which are encouraged and applauded by influential figures within the Muslim community, anti-Muslim attacks are isolated events that no respected person or institution approves of; (c) that the number of anti-Muslim attacks is dwarfed by the number of attacks on Jews
The third (and last) section of While Europe Slept analyzes the moribund responses to the 3/11/04 Madrid bombings, in addition to subsequent lesser traumas such as the murder of Theo Van Gogh and the 7/7/05 London bombings. Bawer excoriates these grossly inadequate reactions as tantamount to a chorus singing hymns of brotherhood and eager to convert the entire world to its religion of eternal peace, concluding,
Its a pretty delusion. In reality, Europe is even now entering another chapter in its long history of violent struggle. The enemy cant be wished or talked away. And whats at stake isnt just sovereignty of one or two nations but modern democratic civilization.
Nearly 30 years ago, in 1978, Charles Emmanuel Dufourcq, the great historian of Medieval European Islam, was concerned (even then) that historical and cultural revisionism might precipitate a recurrence of
the upheaval carried out on our continent (i.e., Europe) by Islamic penetration more than a thousand years ago with other methods
By the early 1990s, Bat Yeor had already observed that European Islam was adhering to its traditional supremacist orthodoxy making no effort to eliminate doctrines incompatible with true ecumenism and core Western Enlightenment values:
I do not see serious signs of a Europeanization of Islam anywhere, a move that would be expressed in a relativization of religion, a self-critical view of the history of Islamic imperialism...we are light years away from such a development...On the contrary, I think that we are participating in the Islamization of Europe, reflected both in daily occurrences and in our way of thinking...All the racist fanaticism that permeates the Arab countries and Iran has been manifested in Europe in recent years...
Bat Yeors seminal 2005 EurabiaThe Euro-Arab Axis (Btw, I pre-ordered the french translation which should have been published 02/23, but still not sign of it being available) elucidated the ideological underpinnings and resultant sociopolitical developments which had transformed Western Europe into a hemi-continent of dhimmitude. The fruition of this hideous utopian contructEurabiais a Western Europe rife with Judenhass Anti-Zionism, Anti-Americanism, and a perverse, self-loathing denigration of its own Western heritage, firmly rooted in both Christianity, and the Enlightenment. Bruce Bawers independent research and keen, unflinching observations put fleshmuch like the tortured flesh of the recently murdered Parisian Jew Ilan Halimion the bones of Bat Yeors Eurabia. Bawers informed and gripping narrative makes clear the disturbing unwillingness of Muslim immigrants en bloc to accept foundational Western principles of equality, and integrate peacefully into their host societies. While Europe Slept demonstrates that continued denial of any Islamic etiology for the major problems confronting Western Europe begets more Islam as the solution, and accelerates the hemi-continents apparently inevitable trajectory towards Lebanonization, and/or complete Islamization, with implementation of the Sharia.
[*Note on jizya : Under the Sharia (Islamic Law) regulations, either the non-Muslim infidels must convert to Islam, or they pay the blood ransom jizyaclassically, in a humiliating public ceremony which often involved blows to the head or neckand their life and belongings are protected. The nature of such protection is clarified in this definition of jizya by the seminal Arabic lexicographer, E.W. Lane, based on a careful analysis of the etymology of the term:
The tax that is taken from the free non-Muslim subjects of a Muslim government whereby they ratify the compact that assures them protection, as though it were compensation for not being slain [An Arabic-English Lexicon (London, 1865), Book I Part II, Jizya, p. 422.]
The contract of the jizya, or dhimma encompassed other obligatory and recommended obligations for the conquered non-Muslim dhimmi peoples. Collectively, these obligations formed the discriminatory system of dhimmitude imposed upon non-Muslims Jews, Christians, Zoroastrians, Hindus, and Buddhists subjugated by jihad. Some of the more salient features of dhimmitude include: the prohibition of arms for the vanquished non-Muslims (dhimmis); the prohibition of church bells; restrictions concerning the building and restoration of churches, synagogues, and temples; inequality between Muslims and non-Muslims with regard to taxes and penal law; the refusal of dhimmi testimony by Muslim courts; a requirement that Jews, Christians, and other non-Muslims, including Zoroastrians and Hindus, wear special clothes; and the overall humiliation and abasement of non-Muslims. It is important to note that these regulations and attitudes were institutionalized as permanent features of the sacred Islamic law, or Sharia. Islam manifests itself as a political ideology, not merely a religion, when its teachings are followed on these and other prominent and enduring features.]
#2
Bawer further documents how Norwegian (Oslo) imams preach brazenly that Muslims should expect such welfare benefitsand feel justified in supplementing them by stealing from storesas a form of jizya* extracted from their infidel host societiessocieties that have not yet accepted their requisite subservience to Islamic Law!
These must be the moderates, since they're not calling for throat-slittings.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
03/14/2006 7:56
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#3
The 60 Minutes story on Al Qaeda's rule in Tal Afar shows what the Euros have to look forward to. Sharia interpreted as random beheadings to keep the populace under control.
"I wasnt fond of the hypocritical conservative-Christian line about hating the sin and loving the sinner, but it was preferable to the forthright fundamentalist Muslim view that homosexuals merited death."
He may not LIKE it, but it IS true: this is exactly what is going on in MY mind, and any attempt to deny it is simply telling me that I am not thinking what I say I am thinking. It is an accusation that I am a liar without either proof that he is right or leaves me any means of proving him wrong. This is the key to demonization, and it should be viewed as such.
#5
Ptah, this guy's problem was he bought into the leftist lie that any show of disapproval means hatred and oppression. It wasn't until he saw what real hatred looks like that he was able to open his eyes.
I suspect that bit was thrown in as a sop to his old mates on the left. In all likelihood, though, now that he's criticized the Oppressed Muslim Masses, he'll be thrown under the bus and declared a fascist.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
03/14/2006 10:01
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#7
and a perverse, self-loathing denigration of its own Western heritage, firmly rooted in both Christianity, and the Enlightenmen
Another wise man who talks of Christianity with absolutely no concept whatsoever of what he is talking about. One of the most fundamental concepts of Christianity is forgiveness. One confesses ones sins, acknowledges them and accepts forgiveness and grace. Only in the mind of a gay man who sees all Christians through the bigoted lens of ALL Christians as an amorphous blob - "they-out-to-get-me" - would think that self-loathing and denigration are rooted in Christianity.
#13
Islam manifests itself as a political ideology, not merely a religion, when its teachings are followed on these and other prominent and enduring features.
Until we see this caveat appended to every article of substance dealing with Islam, the battle will not be won. We are truly in WWIV.
Israeli bulldozer begins breaking into Jericho prison wall after assassins of Israeli minister Rehavam Zeevi refuse calls to surrender. One Palestinian policemen killed, 8 injured in gun battle with Israeli raiders
March 14, 2006, 12:37 PM (GMT+02:00)
Israeli military and police special forces launched the raid Tuesday, March 14, to prevent the assassins escape after the American and British monitors guarding the prison under an international agreement signed by the Palestinian Authority abandoned their watch. The men they were guarding were Ahmed Sadaat, head of the rejectionist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, PFLP who ordered the murder of the Israeli tourism minister in 2001and five terrorists.
In negotiations between IDF and Palestinian officers, 50 of the 200 Palestinian inmates, police and warders in the prison compound, were allowed to leave.
Palestinian crowds are trying to rush the prison and rescue the terrorists.
DEBKAfiles Palestinian sources report that Mahmoud Abbas ordered Sadaat freed before he set out for Europe after nominating him for a senior ministerial post in the next Palestinian government. The Sadaat appointment was the deciding point that broke the standoff in Hamas-Fatah coalition negotiations
A high alert has been declared in all Israel's high-security jails holding Palestinian terrorists
Israel Defense Forces troops on Tuesday surrounded the prison in the West Bank city of Jericho where five Palestinian militants are jailed over the assassination of minister Rehavam Ze'evi in 2001.
IDF sources said the raid was being carried out in order to transfer the prisoners to an Israeli prison.
The five include Ahmed Saadat, the leader of the Popular Front for Liberation of Palestine, believed to have been the one who ordered the killing of Ze'evi in a Jerusalem hotel.
One of the five said Tuesday that the group would not surrender.
"Our prison is surrounded on all sides by Israelis. They are asking us over loudspeaker to come out," Ahed Abu Ghoulmi, one of the targeted prisoners, told The Associated Press by telephone. "We will not come out under any circumstances."
The IDF troops were also demanding the surrender of Fuad Shobaki, the alleged mastermind of an illegal weapons shipment to the Palestinian Authority in 2002.
Dozens of prisoners in their underwear came of the prison building, where they were being searched and blindfolded by IDF troops. Some of them were taken away. None of them appeared to be the six targeted men.
Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas said last week that he was prepared to free Saadat, drawing an angry response from Israel. Abbas also said last year that he planned to release Saadat, but did not.
Saadat and the others, also members of the PFLP, have been held in the jail under international supervision since 2002.
Using a loudspeaker, the troops called on the militants in the jail to come out and surrender themselves.
Sami Musallam, the governor of Jericho, said Tuesday morning that he had been told Saadat was still in his cell and that IDF troops were trying to snatch him.
The IDF troops exchanged limited fire with Palestinian forces at the jail. A large number of Palestinians gathered outside the prison grounds, some throwing Molotov cocktails and stones at the IDF troops. Army vehicles at the scene also came under fire, but no soldiers were hurt.
A senior Palestinian official said that IDF forces had killed a Palestinian guard in clashes around the prison. A Palestinian security source later said that a Palestinian prisoner had also been killed.
Tawfiq Tirawi, head of Palestinian intelligence in the West Bank, told Reuters that IDF bulldozers were trying to tear down the prison walls.
American and British monitors supervising Saadat's detention left the prison before the arrival of the IDF soldiers.
Abbas later said that the British and American monitors bore "full responsibility" for the raid.
Khaleda Jarar, a PFLP legislator, said she was on the phone to one of the inmates, Ahed Abu Ghoulmi, at the time of the IDF operation.
She said Abu Ghoulmi told her all five PFLP prisoners were in their cells when the troops entered. She said the soldiers called on the prisoners over loudspeakers to come out of their cells, and that the line with Abu Ghoulmi
was cut at that time.
The PFLP has Marxist roots and opposes peace talks with Israel. The group, which was at the forefront of air hijackings in the 1960s and 1970s, is part of Abbas' umbrella Palestine Liberation Organization.
The Israel Prison Service raised its level of alert in prisons containing Palestinian prisoners Tuesday, fearing riots in the wake of the Jericho operation.
#3
after the American and British monitors guarding the prison under an international agreement signed by the Palestinian Authority abandoned their watch.
WTF? What happened? Orders from the State Department?
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
03/14/2006 7:31
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#10
British and American monitors bore "full responsibility" for the raid
Blame.. blame.. blame.. nah.. nah.. nah.. and why exactly did they quit? dssatisfied with the levity of the regime perchance? Grow some kahunas you f*cktards..
Posted by: Howard UK ||
03/14/2006 10:39
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British Foreign Minister explained situtaion in Parliament.
Quite outrageous.
Under the Ramallah accord, PA was obliged to let the monitors conduct cell searches. The reality was far from that. The US/UK monitors were confined to the roof of a building where they observed the so called prisoners via binoculars.
The men were not to have cell phones and to have restricted vistors.
Well, one of them ran an election campaign from jail.
PA has been totally dishonest and incompetant in this matter.
Brits ordered observers out when it became clear that Israel was about to strike.
Posted by: john ||
03/14/2006 12:31
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Six Palestinian militants holed up inside a Palestinian prison surrendered to Israeli forces Tuesday, almost 10 hours after soldiers using helicopters, tanks and bulldozers raided the compound to seize militants who killed an Israeli Cabinet minister.
The militants who surrendered included Ahmed Saadat, leader of a radical PLO faction and mastermind of the 2001 assassination of the minister, the Israeli military said.
Israel's West Bank commander, Maj. Gen. Yair Naveh, said 15 other militants also were arrested in the raid.
As the militants surrendered, some 15,000 Palestinians led by dozens of gunmen firing in the air marched in Gaza City to protest the raid. The demonstrators, chanting anti-American and anti-Israeli slogans, marched toward the Palestinian parliament building.
Palestinian security forces rounded up foreigners for their protection throughout the day after Palestinian gunmen kidnapped nine foreigners to protest the raid.
A police-escorted convoy of vans carrying 15 foreigners sped through Gaza City on Tuesday, heading to the Gaza-Israel border crossing.
Some journalists were in the vans, along with an American couple and their three children. Three Palestinian police vehicles led the way.
#22
"Ahed Abu Ghoulmi, one of the targeted prisoners, told The Associated Press by telephone. "We will not come out under any circumstances."
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"Six Palestinian militants holed up inside a Palestinian prison surrendered to Israeli forces"
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You've really got to admire these Brave Lions of Islam™ - living up to their word and martyring themselves for their cause.
Oh, wait....
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
03/14/2006 16:37
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#23
"The only "culture" the paleos have is murder-worship."
Now thats silly. I dont know that theyve invented anything in Pal, since Pal language and customs really arent any different from Syrian - im not arguing for an independent Pal culture in that sense - but they do have music, architecture, etc. They were gonna have a theater festival i think, in Kalkilyah, but Hamas stopped it.
It really isnt necessary to say silly things about the Pals in order to justify Israels right to defend itself from terror. That right is quite strong enough on its own.
#26
As Jack Nicholson said in The Shining, "Here's Yohnny!"
Posted by: Captain America ||
03/14/2006 18:37
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#27
Singing, "and the walls came a tumbling down."
Got to love it. Now if they will only be good enough to drive them through the Iranian nuke plants. I'd pay to see that.
Also, Arab-Israeli Knesset Member Azmi Bishara also slammed the IDF operation. "It's like gang activity and a wanted-dead-or-alive style of operation,"
#28
#25 the only way this would be better is if Rachel Corrie had a twin sister
That's not funny, that's sick. No, wait... that's funny and sick!
Posted by 6 2006-03-14 18:05
hey, I try :-)~
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/14/2006 19:32
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Oh right you are LH, the Paleos are renowned for their innovative architecture, music, theatre and... errr, no they're not!
Barbara is 100% correct and you are completely wrong. The Paleos have contributed absolutely nothing to society at large, unless you consider airline hijacking and suicide attacks against civilians to be "contributions".
In fact, there is no Paleo culture or civilization because the Paleos are not a people. It's just a label made up to mask the fact that they're simply a rabble of Jew-hating sub-human savages used as proxies in the illegal war against Zionism, left over from the tatters of British mandate Trans-Jordan and the previous Arab-Israeli wars (wars of aggression initiated by Muslims *spit*). So-called Palestinians are actually Lebanese, Jordanians, or Egyptians. They should be recognized as such, and deported to their native contries -- or killed wholesale, if they choose to continue their futile agression against Israel.
I have no doubt that there are people living in paleoland who don't want to murder all the Jews in the world, but we never hear from them, do we? (Yeah, I know - they'd like to still be alive tomorrow.)
But since ALL they ever show the world is their love of Jew-murder, I find it really hard to think they might have any other culture.
Maybe if they quit whining and demanding and sucking off everyone else and actually tried to run a real country and WORK for a living instead of expending all their energy thinking of new ways to sneak some clown into Israel to kill another few Jews, I'd be interested in saying something nice about them.
You know, there's a good reason that none of their Arab brethern - who told the paleo Arabs to leave Israel in the first place while the other surrounding arabs killed all the Jews for them, and are therefore equally responsible that the paleo Arabs are "refugee" after more than half a century - refuse to let any of them in any of the surrounding Arab countries.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
03/14/2006 20:16
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#1
Democratic revolutionaries are the oddest lot. They are generally quiet, always determined, and always confident that in the end, democracy will win out.
Unlike the fanatic who is so often fanatical because he himself suffers doubts about his faith, the democrat is calm, convinced beyond any measure that his is the right way, and the better way.
The democrat needs no uniform or banner, some icon to light his way. He neither needs to scream or curse, to threaten or coerce. For his arguments persuade. A child can understand and appreciate what he proposes.
A democrat challenges all authority, because authority not based on democratic grounds is illusion and deception. Only democratic authority can withstand a democratic challenge.
For these reasons, the democrat is the worst, most invisible enemy of the Islamist, and all others who derive their power from other than the governed.
#2
Here's the rub; Violence aside Islamists are not the champions of human kindness that they may have you believe that they are. There are some other important issues we need to consider. Not the least is their treatment of women. Most would be infinitely better off in a bankok brothel. Sharia Law, the goal of all islamists affords little rights to the accused, children, women, "infidels", "apostates", business, science, debate, art, free speech or sexual preference.
YNet
Alan D. Abbey
Hamas platform seems rational, but... Reason? What's that?
Will new Palestinian leaders actually play politics and not war?
Israeli political leaders have been struggling with how to deal with the new Palestinian bosses since the election that brought Hamas a majority in the Palestinian legislature. So far, the general stance has been to say Hamas remains a terrorist group, and we won't deal with them.
Now, Hamas has officially stated a nine-point platform, so we have something to respond to besides the rantings and ravings of its leaders.
Ynetnews was good enough to provide us with a full translation, which you can find here . I'll summarize them below, with my point-by-point response.
1. Expulsion of the occupation and the establishment of a sovereign independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.
- I don't have any real argument with a Palestinian state, although I could cite chapter and verse as to why there is no "occupation" in a truly legal sense. Jerusalem as your capital? It all depends on what you mean by Jerusalem, doesn't it? Would you actually sit on a joint Israeli-Palestinian council that determined such vital issues as garbage collection, community parks and sewage lines, the real tachlis (details) of local government in an expanded, open Jerusalem.
2. A commitment to the right of return of Palestinians to their homes and property.
- Sorry, fellows. You can't have it both ways: if you want a Palestinian state, you can't also have ours. A real "right of return" would mean the swamping and eventual obliteration of the Jewish state. So, take the Palestinian state. Reparations? Sure. We'll get the Quartet to pay. Some family reunifications? Sure. The return of more than a million so-called refugees to their so-called former homes? Not a chance.
3. Resistance in all its forms is a legitimate right of the Palestinian people in its path to put an end to the occupation and the reinstatement of its national rights.
- "In all its forms?" Do you mean in all legal, peaceful forums? Sure. Hell no! With screamers in green garb holding AKs and waving black flags
Do you mean suicide bombings, knifings, terror attacks and the like? Not legitimate. They never were, and will be resisted not only by all Israel, but by all civilized countries (we hope). Occupation? See No. 1 above.
(6 more in link)
Posted by: Listen To Dogs ||
03/14/2006
03:11 ||
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Given that when Hamas says Occupation, they aren't referring to just the West Bank and Gaza, but also to Israel proper, that first point cannot be accepted as it stands. Mr. Abbey refuses to notice that this is not a call for two States, but only one: Jew-free Palestine. Fool or tool? I don't think it really matters.
She'at sources confirmed to Al-Watan that "Al-Hakeem complained to Sistani that he's being under pressure from Iran and has been receiving threats from the Sadr trend of inciting chaos and violence in case Ja'fari was replaced by Adil Abdil Mehdi" Clarifying that "Sadr made direct threats through a phone call to Al-Hakeem that he would kill all women members in the UIA and leaders in the SCIRI if Abdil Mehdi replaced Ja'fari"
According to the same sources "Iran replaced it's strategic alliance with Al-Hakeem by one with Sadr who visited it last month" Announcing "His militias' readiness to defend Iran in case it was attacked by the US" and pointed out that " His supporters started intimidating acts against the British forces in Basra provoked by the Revolutionary Guard intelligence stationed in the city who finance and supervise those militias".
Meanwhile and in response to the attacks in Sadr city yesterday Sadr attacked what he called "Nawasib" which is a term used to describe radical Sunnis but at times of sectarian friction can be used to refer to all Sunnis saying 1st that "I used to trust the Association of Sunnis Scholars but they haven't made a clear stand against the Takfiris yet and anyone who doesn't do that is a Takfiri too" Then adding "I have the ability to fight those Nawasib and there's a legitimate cover from the Marjiya and I can confront them militarily and ideologically but I don't want to be dragged into a civil war" He added " Once they're killed by Saddam (Sadr people residents) and once by the occupier and now by the Nawasib God damn them. I've done what I can and called for peace and even heard hurtful words from my people, the Shiite for praying with the Nawasib but nothing worked" And then blamed the US again and held it responsible for everything and said commenting on Rumsfeld's latest statements about civil war " Ugly and condemned statements. We don't want your interference God damn you. If you don't protect people then why are you here?"
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
03/14/2006
01:47 ||
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Tater has to go. Go as in a sudden and irreversible stop to all life signs.
Posted by: SPoD ||
03/14/2006 3:41
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#2
Agreed. The coalition never should've listened to the political cowards that forced them to stop in Najaf - or Fallujah I, for that matter. This cretin has proven everyone here (who called for his head immediately after the fall of Baghdad) absolutely right. He has been, from the very beginning, not only a murderer of senior Shiite "competition", but a destabilizing force in both Baghdad and Basra. Now? A pogrom on him and his militia forces makes far more sense than this ongoing chaos in which he's been an obvious Iranian agent provocateur.
SCIRI and UIA should be put on notice that he's forfeit, period. They should also be put on notice that we will not support them if they continue to push the sectarian agenda. Either they come to terms with the ideal of the nation-state, or we withdraw to Kurdistan... and covertly support selected Sunni Tribal leaders who get it better than they do, such as those who live in Tal Afar. That would put a knot in it, LOL. Jaafari *spit* is a loser and limp wimp unworthy of cleaning the sump pumps in the sewer system.
God I hate politics and politicians. A pox on all of them.
#5
" Either they come to terms with the ideal of the nation-state, or we withdraw to Kurdistan... and covertly support selected Sunni Tribal leaders who get it better than they do, such as those who live in Tal Afar"
I can understand hating politics, but hating geography is another matter.
Most of our troops, supplies, IIUC, come by land up from Kuwait. You CAN'T withdraw to Kurdistan and stay in supply. (Our troops use a lot more supplies per man month than the Pesh Merga do)
You have three choices - A. you keep at least SOME major Shia group on your side B. You put down all the Shia by force (which would mean more troops than we have there now) C. You do the Murtha thing, and you withdraw to Kuwait, and leave some Spec Ops in Kurdistan.
Posted by: Captain America ||
03/14/2006 10:30
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#7
liberalhawk - There will be other avenues to Kurdistan soon... What you presented is called a False Dilemma (the only choices are among those presented) because it is based upon a limited view using only here and now conditions you've selected. Well, things change... Be more imaginative and creative, LOL.
Senior British diplomatic and military staff gave Tony Blair explicit warnings three years ago that the US was disastrously mishandling the occupation of Iraq, according to leaked memos.
John Sawers, Mr Blair's envoy in Baghdad in the aftermath of the invasion, sent a series of confidential memos to Downing Street in May and June 2003 cataloguing US failures. With unusual frankness, he described the US postwar administration, led by the retired general Jay Garner, as "an unbelievable mess" and said "Garner and his top team of 60-year-old retired generals" were "well-meaning but out of their depth".
That assessment is reinforced by Major General Albert Whitley, the most senior British officer with the US land forces. Gen Whitley, in another memo later that summer, expressed alarm that the US-British coalition was in danger of losing the peace. "We may have been seduced into something we might be inclined to regret. Is strategic failure a possibility? The answer has to be 'yes'," he concluded.
The memos were obtained by Michael Gordon, author, along with General Bernard Trainor, of Cobra II: the Inside Story of the Invasion and Occupation of Iraq, published to coincide with the third anniversary of the invasion.
The British memos identified a series of US failures that contained the seeds of the present insurgency and anarchy.
The mistakes include:
· A lack of interest by the US commander, General Tommy Franks, in the post-invasion phase.
· The presence in the capital of the US Third Infantry Division, which took a heavyhanded approach to security.
· Squandering the initial sympathy of Iraqis.
· Bechtel, the main US civilian contractor, moving too slowly to reconnect basic services, such as electricity and water.
· Failure to deal with health hazards, such as 40% of Baghdad's sewage pouring into the Tigris and rubbish piling up in the streets.
· Sacking of many of Saddam Hussein's Ba'ath party, even though many of them held relatively junior posts.
Mr Sawers, in a memo titled Iraq: What's Going Wrong, written on May 11, four days after he had arrived in Baghdad, is uncompromising about the US administration in Baghdad. He wrote: "No leadership, no strategy, no coordination, no structure and inaccessible to ordinary Iraqis."
He said the US needed to take action in Baghdad urgently. "The clock is ticking." Both Mr Sawers, who is now political director at the Foreign Office, and Gen Whitley see as one of the biggest errors a decision by Donald Rumsfeld, the US defence secretary, and General Tommy Franks, the overall US commander, to cut troops after the invasion.
Mr Sawers advocated sending a British battalion, the 16th Air Assault Brigade, to Baghdad to help fill the gap. Although the US supported the plan, Downing Street rejected it weeks later.
The British diplomat is particularly scathing about the US Third Infantry Division, which he describes as "a big part of the problem" in Baghdad. He accused its troops of being reluctant to leave their heavily armoured vehicles to carry out policing and cites an incident in which British Paras saw them fire three tank rounds into a building in response to harmless rifle fire.
Mr Sawers, who had been British ambassador to Egypt before being sent to Iraq and is at present on a shortlist to be the next ambassador to Washington, sent the memo to Mr Blair's key advisers, including Jonathan Powell, the No 10 chief of staff, and Alastair Campbell, head of the Downing Street press operation at the time.
Mr Sawers, in later memos, welcomed the replacement of Gen Garner with Paul Bremer, a US diplomat. But in a memo written in June 25, Mr Sawyer concluded that, despite Mr Bremer's arrival, the situation was getting worse.
In that memo, Mr Sawers expressed opposition to further troop reductions. "Bremer's main concern is that we must keep in-country sufficient military capability to ensure a security blanket across the country. He has twice said to President Bush that he is concerned that the drawdown of US/UK troops had gone too far, and we cannot afford further reductions," Mr Sawers said.
Throughout his time in Iraq, however, Mr Sawers remained optimistic Mr Bremer would make a difference.
His views in the memo are echoed in a note by Gen Whitley, who says that while Gen Franks took credit for the fall of Baghdad, he showed little interest in the postwar period. "I am quite sure Franks did not want to take ownership of Phase IV," Gen Whitley wrote.
He added that Phase IV "did not work well" because the concentration was on the invasion. "There was a blind faith that Phase IV would work. There was a failure to anticipate the extent of the backlash or mood of Iraqi society."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
03/14/2006
01:35 ||
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Article: His views in the memo are echoed in a note by Gen Whitley, who says that while Gen Franks took credit for the fall of Baghdad, he showed little interest in the postwar period. "I am quite sure Franks did not want to take ownership of Phase IV," Gen Whitley wrote. He added that Phase IV "did not work well" because the concentration was on the invasion. "There was a blind faith that Phase IV would work. There was a failure to anticipate the extent of the backlash or mood of Iraqi society."
I think this reveals that there is blind faith among British diplomats and military officers that *a* strategy would have worked to prevent the current insurgency. Remember - these are the same Brits who got thrown out of Iraq after a decade anti-British guerrilla operations, in the 1920's.
#2
I find it pretty amusing that the Brits are pumping out this manure, when they took a decade to subdue a militarily-insignificant guerrilla force in Malaya, composed of 4000 part-timers and armed with little more than rifles - and that guerrilla force fought for another 25 years after the Brits left. If American planning was abysmal, I wonder how we should characteristic British incompetence planning.
#3
If the UK's diplomatic twits and soft-power generals think Garner was a mess, then he was probably doing things right. That he never really got a chance to get things off the ground may be the saddest legacy of Iraq.
There is always the presumption that someone should've anticipated the unknown unknowns - perfectly. It's the ugly blame game that always lurks in safe places until the shit hits the fan. So, when some clown pops out to say he knew (but did nothing about it) and prattles on about the failings of others, with only the sketchiest details even in perfect hindsight, regards what he would've done had he been Cock of the Walk, sane people know to label it as pissing in the wind by short-dicked sanctimonious morons and wannabe's.
Criticism of Garner, who barely had a chance to catch his breath before being replaced by a bureaucrat, and Franks, who earned his plaudits the hardest way possible: planning on the move after Turkey knocked everything into a cocked hat with perfect timing and perfect perfidy, is perfect sour grapes.
#4
"Garner and his top team of 60-year-old retired generals" were "well-meaning but out of their depth".
"Well-meaning"...but in other words, stupid. One of two leftest handles describing those with whom they do not agree, the other being of course "racist."
#6
seeing how fast the admin moved Garner out of there, Id say they probably saw at least some of what this guy says too be true. Frankly theres little of it that rings false, though how much better it would have been had we done better is a legitimate matter of debate,
#7
First this is NOT a knock on the Bush administration, it is an attempt to put things in perspective.
Why don't these arm chair quaterbacks compare and contrast the state of affairs in the aftermath of Katrina (6 months out) and the Xmas Tsunami (15 months out) with the equivalent times in Iraq? These things take time
And, oh yeah, there was a war (insurrgency, rebellion, terroist campaign, whatever) still going on.
#8
Why don't these arm chair quaterbacks compare and contrast the state of affairs in the aftermath of Katrina (6 months out) and the Xmas Tsunami (15 months out) with the equivalent times in Iraq?
Or Bosnia? Or Haiti? Or France?
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
03/14/2006 10:02
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#9
RC "Or Bosnia? Or Haiti? Or France?"
Those are just iggerant savages who need the TLC of blue helmets so they don't count
#10
ZF: If American planning was abysmal, I wonder how we should characteristic British incompetence planning.
Note that I'm not saying that the British were incompetent. I am saying that they did a reasonable job, under the circumstances. It is this generation of British military and diplomatic leaders that are incompetent - they know nothing of history and have learned nothing from their painfully limited experiences.
#11
Second guessing whether by the MSM, dhimmocrats, Brits, retired generals, or tater and his ilk is a steaming pile of chicken shit. It's fine to discuss after action thoughts, but the blame game stinketh.
In mid-February, Afghan highway police stopped a Toyota Corolla in the northern province of Baghlan. It was loaded with Kalashnikov rifles that police said were destined for the Taleban. Two men were arrested on suspicion of buying the arms for the insurgents in the south.
Over the past few months, anti-government groups in the southern provinces have stepped up their attacks on Afghan army units and police as well as international military forces. Most officials and commentators, including President Hamid Karzai, have said the source of the violence is training camps and bases in Pakistan.
However, a series of arms seizures in the north indicates that logistical support for the Taleban may be coming from an unlikely source: their former foes in the so-called Northern Alliance.
Our information indicates that whenever Taleban attacks increase in the south, the price of arms goes up in the north, said General Abdul Khalil, chief of the northern division of the traffic police, commenting on the latest seizures.
Afghanistans northern provinces remain the stronghold of factional militia commanders, many of them veterans of the mujahedin wars of the Eighties - who forged a precarious alliance in 1996 to battle the Taleban who had surged out of the south on their way to near-total conquest of the country.
These commanders are now the target of determined attempts at disarmament. Over the past two years, the Afghan government has decommissioned more than 60,000 former combatants and collected over 35,000 weapons under the Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration, DDR, programme. A new effort, the Disarmament of Illegal Armed Groups, DIAG, was launched in June 2005, to collect arms still held by private militias.
Military authorities estimate that there are more than a million weapons in the northern provinces alone. Defence ministry spokesman General Zahir Azimi acknowledges that the army and police dont know exactly how many weapons remain or where they are located.
There are armed individuals, and their weapons are not registered with the defence ministry, he said. It is possible that these arms are being sent from one place to another.
While Azimi insisted that the latest disarmament programme was proceeding as planned, local commanders tell a different story.
I regret handing in my weapons, said a former commander who spoke on condition of anonymity. The government plan is just to confiscate arms, but they give nothing in return. Those who have weapons now prefer to sell them rather than just hand them over to the government.
An official with the national intelligence agency confirmed that a large shipment of weapons, including 35 machine guns and ammunition, was recently seized in Balkh. Two people were arrested but the owner of the weapons escaped.
The official, who asked to remain anonymous, said the intelligence services are continuing their efforts to interdict shipments, since they have information indicating that arms transfers from north to south are increasing.
Political analyst Fazel Rahman Oria warns that the flow of weapons will continue unless the government is willing to take on the commanders - something the Karzai administration has been reluctant to do so far.
In fact, the warlords, many of whom oppose the idea of a strong central authority in Kabul, have little incentive to cooperate with it. They may actually prefer to see the Afghan and international forces preoccupied with curbing the violence in the south.
If the government cannot or will not deal with the warlords, there is no way to prevent arms transfers from north to the south, said Oria. Selling arms to the Taleban is a way of using their weapons. It indicates to the government and to NATO that although they are not able to fire the weapons themselves, they can continue the fight through the Taleban.
Political analyst Mohammad Hassan Wolesmal agrees that arms sales are a way for the northern commanders to lash out at the government.
The commanders are under pressure from the government and from the international community to hand in their weapons, he said. They are upset about it, and this has an obvious role in strengthening the Taleban. When these commanders sell their weapons to the Taleban, they are making friends with their former enemies.
Oria said he believes high-level government officials are involved in the weapons transfers.
"Without the involvement of the police and government officials, it would be impossible to shift arms from the north to the south, he said.
Police deny any official involvement, and insist they are doing all they can to stop the trade.
Interior ministry spokesman Yousuf Stanizai told IWPR that his ministry had not received any intelligence about north-south arms smuggling, and was therefore not taking special measures to interdict shipments.
We have no information that this is a regular occurrence, he said. And we can easily deal with occasional smuggling efforts.
But police say the smugglers are able to conceal the weapons so skilfully that they have little chance of catching them. A police official who did not want to be named told IWPR that in addition to using the main roads, the smugglers are also sending weapons through the mountains, where the risk of detection and interdiction is low.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
03/14/2006
01:33 ||
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#1
If I were a Tajik or Uzbek, selling weapons to Pushtun's to kill other Pushtun's would sound like good business.
EFL, and not on the Web yet (my girlfriend is close to the preparations to this first State funeral in the 2nd republic of Estonia (K. Päts got buried in Estonia after his trip to the gulag) ...
EFL ...
He has not endeared himself to everyone, however.
Anatol Lieven recounts how in 1992, when Meri was serving as ambassador to Finland, he crashed a meeting between Baltic leaders and then U.S. President George Bush.
"Addressing him as George, Meri informed [the American president] that his administration possessed neither a Russian nor a Baltic policy. In the words of one diplomat, 'before that Bush hardly remembered that the Balts existed. Now, thanks to Meri, he is furious with them."
Meri is also said to have an unsettling effect on Russian President Boris Yeltsin. Head-to-head talks on troop withdrawals between the two leaders in Moscow in 1994 were reportedly so lively that by the end of the marathon discussions shattered glass littered the floor beneath their negotiating table. (Meri refused to confirm the reports."I was too busy looking into Yeltsin's eyes to notice what was under the table," he said.)
Eighteen top jihadi commanders are staging a hunger strike in Muzaffarabad against "the betrayal of the jihad in Jammu and Kashmir by President Pervez Musharraf," a Hizbul- Mujahideen spokesperson told The Hindu on Sunday. Mohammad Kalimullah, a Muzaffarabad-based spokesperson for the militant group, was responding to reports that at least eight leaders of Pakistanbased groups had been arrested, even as leaders of political organisations from both sides of the Line of Control met at a conference organised by the international science organisation, Pugwash.
Organised by the United Jihad Council (UJC), a Pakistan-based platform for all major groups operating against India, the hunger strike marks the first instance where the jihadi leadership has staged a protest against Pakistan. Interestingly, Pakistanbased groups such as the Lashkar- e-Taiba (LeT) and the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), which were distant from the UJC, have also joined the protests.
Hizb supreme commander Mohammad Yusuf Shah, who operates under the nom de guerreSyed Salahuddin, is leading the protests along with LeT's Mohammad Zaki-ur-Rahman, JeM's Abdul Rahman, the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen's Maulana Farooq Kashmiri, the Al-Umar's Mushtaq Ahmad Zargar, the Jammu and Kashmir Islamic Front's Bilal Ahmad Beig and the Al-Badr's Bakht Zamin Khan.
Kalimullah said the UJC commanders were demanding that General Musharraf reverse policies that "dishonoured a war in which 100,000 Kashmiris have sacrificed their lives." "Until he announces that Pakistan's moral and political support for the mujahideen in Kashmir will continue," he said, "our leaders will remain on hunger strike. We will not back down."
The UJC leaders, the Hizb spokesperson said, had written to General Musharraf 10 days ago, warning that they would stage protests unless he reversed course on Jammu and Kashmir. However, no response was received. "Some people from the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Government have visited us to seek an end to the protests," Kalimullah said, "but we will negotiate only with the President of Pakistan himself."
Newspapers in both India and Pakistan earlier reported that senior UJC members had been arrested because of the threat they posed to politicians from Jammu and Kashmir, who are attending the Pugwash conference. Kalimullah, though, said the reports were untrue. "We regard the people who have come from Jammu and Kashmir as traitors," he said, "but they are guests of Pakistan, and we do not intend to embarrass our hosts.
Informed sources in Islamabad told The Hindu that while no formal arrest orders had been issued against the UJC leaders, their protest was being conducted in an Inter-Services Intelligence- run safe house in Muzaffarabad.
They were not legally under detention, the sources said, but had been denied access to communication services. The Hizb website has not been updated since March 7.
Military officials in New Delhi said there was no evidence of a Pakistan crackdown against terror groups. "Communications traffic between jihadi groups in Jammu and Kashmir and their control stations in Pakistan is at its usual levels," said a senior officer, adding that at least one fire engagement between Hizb terrorists and Indian forces had taken place since Saturday.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
03/14/2006
01:30 ||
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Ooooooh! Another Muslim hunger strike!!
Where's my stopwatch?
The Saudi Academic figure, Dr. Mussa al Qarni gives an important testimony on the "years of Jihad in Afghanistan", and the Arab-Afghan phenomena, as an active player throughout the era, from beginning to end. He entertained close ties with the different parties involved, whether through religious incitement or field military participation. He kept contact and was informed of the Afghani situation after the internal strife broke out in the country. Throughout the five years he spent in the Mujahideen's training camps, he was considered the legal ideologue of the Arab-Afghans and of some of the Afghani factions' leaders as well. Today, he ascertains that Bin Laden viewed him as his personal Mufti in matters of Fiqh (jurisprudence) and Sharia (Islamic Law).
In the testimony published by Al-Hayat, over three episodes, Dr. Al Qarni describes the majority of "Arab Mujahideen" against the Soviet occupation as being chaotic. He adds that they hated Ahmad Shah Massoud for many a reason, including his military discipline. He also observed that many of them were "extremely deviant" prior to their following of the Jihad path, while some "were even ignorant of the prayer and the ablution Fiqh". Al Qarni believes that Ahmad Shah Massoud was "the only one among all Mujahideen leaders to head a well-organized army, and have a clear strategy". Despite all this, Ussama bin Laden took part in his in absentia trial on charges of "servitude to the West and being an infidel". He did not eliminate the possibility of Bin Laden's participation in the plot to assassinate Massoud prior to the September 11 attacks. Given his deep knowledge of Bin Laden's character, he says that the latter "will never surrender, for he seeks death and runs to it". Al Qarni confirms that several attempts have been made to persuade Bin Laden of leaving Sudan and returning to Saudi Arabia, where he would settle down and resume his normal life, but all efforts were fruitless.
He believes that "the Egyptian Jihad" may have been responsible for the assassination of one of the most prominent Arab-Afghan leaders, "Sheikh Abdallah Yusuf Azzam", because the movement "perceived him as an obstacle to the execution of its plans in Afghanistan". He also asserts that Bin Laden is now a part of the "Egyptian Islamic Jihad's" thought, lead by Ayman al Zawahiri, and moves according to its plans.
To Al Qarni, Gulbuddine Hikmatyar is "the one who dispersed the most the gains of the Afghani Jihad ", while the Taliban's rise to power was "a calamity that befell the Afghan people, destroying the last memories of the purity of the anti-Soviet Jihad era". Al Qarni stresses that building schools and institutes was the Arab-Afghans' foremost important achievement, a fact that Afghans attest to according to him.
The legal ideologue of Al Qaeda leader recalls the stages of the rise and fall of the Islamic State dream in Afghanistan Moussa al Qarni: I egged the Arab-Afghans on Bin Laden took part in Massoud's trial and was unable to convict him!
Many perceive the "Afghani experience with its Mujahideen" as a long-gone period that failed to affect anything in our present era. However, the Saudi academic figure Dr. Moussa al Qarni who played a leading role in instigating Jihad on the Saudi front and went to Afghanistan during the first period of Jihad against the Soviets sees otherwise.
Not only is Al Qarni stimulating through his narration of the events related to Jihad leaders, dead or alive, and his testimonies concerning yesterday's "Mujahideen" and today's "Terrorists", but he is similarly interesting through his calm character that enabled him to live contradictory periods simultaneously, and to remove himself of every experience with rare shrewdness.
A friend to all the parties and a promoter of respect to the Islamic governments among the Takfiriyeen [those who tax others of being infidels], Al Qarni was to the Mujahideen a defender of the "Murtaddin" [apostates] like Ahmad Shah Massoud, an opponent of the Taliban state and a personal friend to Bin Laden. He is a legendary character that blended with both the incitation to Jihad and the stagnating "Tadris".
Al Hayat met with Al Qarni and asked him the following:
Al-Hayat: How did you go to Pakistan and then to Afghanistan to work alongside the Mujahideen during the 1980's?
Al Qarni: Some courses were held in Peshawar, Pakistan. I asked the president of the university while I was a lecturer to go with the Peshawar group. I told him that if I went along, I would also investigate the status of the Mujahideen. I mixed work in the training course with the discovery of the fighting fronts where I got to know the conditions and status of the Mujahideen. It was then that I met Sheikhs Abdallah Azzam and Abdul Rasul Sayyaf. At the time, Sheikh Sayyaf owned a university called "Da'wa and Jihad University" in Qaryat al Hijra (the migration village), near Peshawar. Although initially established as a home to the Afghan immigrants, the village attracted the majority of Arabs and their families. Sheikh Sayyaf was elected at the time president of the "Islamic Union among the Mujahideen". When they started their Jihad, the Mujahideen were dispersed in many factions, which made the Muslim Ulemas [clerics] and Preachers call on them to unite in one body: thus was born the Islamic Union, over which Sayyaf was elected president. His election was instigated by his studies in Al Azhar and his good knowledge of the Arabic language. This is why Arabs who went there were naturally attracted to Sayyaf's whereabouts, for he was firstly the head of the Islamic Union, which, to them, conferred legitimacy upon the Mujahideen, and secondly he was well versed in Arabic. Therefore, he had a guesthouse in this village, where I stayed for a long time. This was the beginning. Afterwards, I wished to elongate my stay with the Mujahideen and there were discussions and consultations as to how I could do so. Since Sheikh Sayyaf had the Da'wa and Jihad University, he told me: 'I could request your presence as a teacher there'. He sent a request to the Saudi State asking that professors be sent to his University. The request was referred to the Islamic University of Medina, which sent five professors, myself included, to the Da'wa and Jihad University. We stayed there for two years, but my role in there was different from that of the other brothers' who had been sent with me. They only gave classes in the University.
Al-Hayat: Who were your colleagues in the Da'wa and Jihad University?
Al Qarni: Drs. Hamdan Rajeh Al Sharif, now retired, Ibrahim al Murshid, presently a teacher in Al Kassim, Sheikh Rashid al Ruhaili, now retired from the Islamic University and over eighty years of age, Professor Dakhil Allah al Ruhaili, presently a lecturer at the Islamic University, and myself. As I mentioned earlier, the others' role was simply to teach at the university, while mine was a mixture of teaching there and entering the fronts to preach, give legal and religious lessons to the Mujahideen youth and participate in certain operations, given my knowledge of Sheikh Sayyaf and the Mujahideen.
Al-Hayat: What shape did the Da'wa [call] take then?
Al Qarni: Many of the Arab youths who joined the Jihad had not received any Islamic education. Many of them had been living a life of deviance, and some were only directed to the straight path immediately before they went to wage Jihad. I personally know young men who were deviant or even extremely so, who joined Jihad and were killed, and we ask God that they be martyrs. Some of these men were attracted to the path of Jihad. This fact was in truth very beneficial to me in my Da'wa, because I realized that many of these deviant young men are good people who have not found the right environment that can guide and foster them, and they were therefore compelled to follow the wrong path. When these men came along, they were unaware of the prayer or ablution rules. They only came to fight. My personal conditions were therefore more related to the legal aspects: the conditions of purity, prayer, Jihad, invasions, spoils and fighting; When to fight and when to abstain, etc. These courses were given to young men, naturally, and there were other military training courses from military specialists.
Al-Hayat: Were you present during the military training and what was it based on?
Al Qarni: Yes I was. They were chiefly based on endurance. You know that Afghanistan is a mountainous area with no paved roads and cars. This is why you have to be able to handle hardship, to climb a mountain and walk for 10-12 hours straight carrying your food, arms and clothes on your back and this important aspect is endurance. The second basis was training to use personal weapons. You are in a battle and you must carry a weapon (a Kalashnikov), and know how to use all personal weapons, starting with the small gun. Naturally, people vary in roles and preferences: while some only learn how to use the Kalashnikov, others want to fight with their bodies; others still wish to learn the use of the anti-aircraft cannon, or even the fabrication and dismantling of mines. Courses vary with people, but the majority trained to use the personal arms, i.e. guns and Kalashnikovs.
Al-Hayat: Was there any suicide operation training?
Al Qarni: No, there were no such missions in that period. Young men would attack tanks and planes themselves. The battle was an open field, you had the Russian bases with their tanks and planes and you were facing them alone with your weapon.
Al-Hayat: Did the university you worked in with four of your colleagues really become a place to pass intelligence operations? In other words, was the Hijra village an intelligence passage?
Al Qarni: The presence of intelligence is a must and is only natural. In this atmosphere, it would be incomprehensible that those participating in the Jihad in Afghanistan would not have intelligence agents Any country, whether the United States, Pakistan or even the Russian enemy had intelligence officers there, sometimes even in the midst of the Afghan Mujahideen. This is only normal. However, we never saw these things in truth, for the intelligence were not related to the Mujahideen but to the politicians.
Al-Hayat: Did the Mujahideen kill a group of people working with them, or execute them after they discovered that they had been leaking information to other parties?
Al Qarni: This came along in late phases only. During the first phases, Jihad was a completely open operation and as such, it did not offer the possibility of hiding. Let me give you an example, some States- maybe of the pro-communism States- would send in their intelligence sometimes. We know for a fact that some Arab States sympathized with Russia and therefore sent their intelligence. What was the officer to do then? He is first welcomed, then invited to go to battle. He had no choice then but to join the fighters. Otherwise, if he chose to be an intelligence officer that stays behind in the rear rows, among the immigrants and the civilians, he would either try and fail to move along in the front rows, or be exposed and die. He has no wish to die. You are now in a direct confrontation with the enemy, meaning that you are marching towards death.
Al-Hayat: How many stages did the Jihad in Afghanistan go through in the 1980's?
Al Qarni: I personally believe that the first period extends from the beginning of the Jihad to the fall of communism in Kabul and the entry of the Mujahideen to the city. The second stage was marked by the internal strife among the Mujahideen. During this period, we were completely isolated. Personally, after the Mujahideen entered Kabul and began to inter-fight I came back to my country and refused to participate any further.
Al-Hayat: When was the approximate date of your return?
Al Qarni: The problem is that I have a hard time remembering dates.
Al-Hayat: Was it in the beginning of the nineties?
Al Qarni: Approximately
Al-Hayat: Was it prior to the Taliban era?
Al Qarni: Yes, it was. It was when Ahmad Shah Massoud entered Kabul and Nizam Najibullah's regime fell. I believe that this was in the nineties. During that period, many of the brothers who went to Jihad, apart from myself, returned to our countries.
Al-Hayat: Did Ussama Bin Laden return with you?
Al Qarni: Ussama Bin Laden returned afterwards.
Al-Hayat: Can you recall the date?
Al Qarni: I honestly do not memorize dates.
Al-Hayat: I heard that the Mujahideen refused to memorize the Gregorian calendar.
Al Qarni: I do not belong to this kind of people. Most of those who went to Jihad, per example, were identified as "Abu Such and Such" instead of their real names, whereas I moved in all the Pakistani regions using my real name.
Al-Hayat: Bin Laden's nickname, Abu Abdallah, has not changed since, has it?
Al Qarni: That is true. Bin Laden's nickname has always been Abdullah. He is well known, by all.
Al-Hayat: Suleiman Abu Ghaith was also with you during those days. Do you know him?
Al Qarni: No, I don't.
Al-Hayat: How about Abu Suleiman Al Makki Khaled al Harbi?
Al Qarni: Yes, I got to know al Makki during that period. He was one of the first to wage Jihad, before going to Chechnya.
Al-Hayat: Shall we return to your stay?
Al Qarni: I was there during the first two years of teaching, and when they were over, I was entitled to an academic sabbatical. I took this year, because I wanted to renew my stay at the university. The Saudi University only lent us to the Afghani one for two years, but I was entitled to the academic sabbatical and so I asked for it as soon as my two years were over. Hence, I spent three years, before returning to Afghanistan one more, where I spent five years, in the end.
Al-Hayat: Who was taking care of your family during that period?
Al Qarni: I was receiving my salary from the university. Our relatives were around the family, and every six months approximately during the school year, I would take a couple of weeks to come and stay with them. During the summer vacation, I would come and take them back with me. I had built a house in the Hijra village. The first three years were continuous, then I began to visit them during the summer vacations.
Al-Hayat: Does this university still exist?
Al Qarni: No, it has closed its doors.
Al-Hayat: Did it really incite radicalism?
Al Qarni: It was not called radicalism back then. Fighting communists was the common "air du temps". Now, they call it radicalism, while then they called it Jihad. The university's architecture college was established by a Saudi architect; He is a well-known brother who clearly supported Jihad. A professor at the King Saud University, he was also the owner of an architectural bureau in Medina, and was called Ahmad Farid Mustapha.
Al-Hayat: How did the University function?
Al Qarni: Among the programs of the da'wa and Jihad University were teaching and training students to wage Jihad ( ); They would enter the Afghani territories, because the distance between the Hijra village and the Afghan borders only took two hours to cross from the direction of Jalal Abad. During the Thursday and Friday weekend, groups of college students entered the front and fought with the Mujahideen.
Al-Hayat: Were intelligence officers training them?
Al Qarni: No, there were special trainers. In the Arab camps, there were Arab trainers; some of them retired military men, with a high training level. As for the Afghan camps, they had their own trainers. In addition, the Pakistani army also offered financial and moral support.
Al-Hayat: In that period, Bin Laden followed Abdallah Azzam?
Al Qarni: Yes, he did.
Al-Hayat: Was he entitled to give his opinion?
Al Qarni: His opinion was doubtless well esteemed, but he did not take decisions on his own. There was some sort of council that discussed the Mujahideen's status.
Al-Hayat: How would you describe the relationship between Ahmad Shah Massoud, Abdallah Azzam and Bin Laden?
Al Qarni: To Sheikh Abdallah Azzam, there was no bigger or more esteemed fighter than Massoud. He even called him the Hero of the North. I recall asking him about this once, because Arabs did not like Ahmad Shah Massoud (his right appellation). There were many reasons why they hated him. Most importantly, Hikmatyar influenced the Arabs; he was their host and they trained in his camps. It was a known fact all throughout the Jihad days, and up to the assassination of Massoud that the latter's sworn enemy was Hikmatyar. Arabs were therefore influenced by Hikmatyar's animosity towards Massoud, and they adopted it themselves. Some of them even became more bitter enemies to Massoud that Hikmatyar was.
Al-Hayat: You mean to say that Hikmatyar received the Arabs and egged them on?
Al Qarni: Yes, I do. This fact should be known to all. Massoud lived in northern Afghanistan and not near the border with Pakistan. Should anyone want to reach Massoud, he would need no less than twenty days to cross from the Pakistani borders to the North, where he was staying. Massoud was indeed in an area on the Russian borders, which is why he neither had an office in Peshawar, nor had an information office given his presence on the frontline with the Russians. Hikmatyar and Sayyaf on the other hand had military camps and fronts near Pakistan, in the Pashtun area. The majority of Arabs that came to the country were therefore with them. You can say that over 95% of Arabs who came to join the Jihad were distributed between Hikmatyar and Sayyaf, with a minority that headed in the direction of Sheikh Younes Khalis and Jalal eddine Haqqani. Only a handful of Arabs whom we know well went to Massoud, because of his conflict with Hikmatyar. There was a second factor for the Arabs' animosity towards Massoud, may God rest his soul: The man was organized in his thinking, strategic planning, and fighting, and was never a chaotic person. The majority of Arabs who came to join Jihad did not like military organization and discipline. They were chaotic. Some of them would come in for a week, go on an operation, shoot, fight, invade then return. Some others would come in for a month or two only, and so on. Subsequently, Sayyaf and Hikmatyar's fronts were like open fields.
Al-Hayat: Would that mean that Hikmatyar and Sayyaf's guesthouses were like open cafes?
Al Qarni: Only in the sense that they did not impose on those who joined them a specific program or period that they must abide by. Massoud, on the other hand, would not accept for anyone to come to him, unless he has decided to commit to Jihad, stay with him and obey his orders. No operation can ever be launched without an order from him. On Hikmatyar and Sayyaf's fronts, the Arabs were independent and could wage separate operations and do whatever they wished, without supervision. At the beginning of the Jihad era, a group of Arabs went to join Massoud, bearing the same thought as the one they dealt with on Sayyaf and Hikmatyar's fronts. At Massoud's they arranged for an independent operation, without the man's knowledge, attacking a Muslim convoy instead of a Russian one. When Massoud knew of this, he put them in prison, only liberating them after many a mediation. By the time they returned to Hikmatyar in Peshawar, their animosity of Massoud had reached incredible heights, stimulated by their incarceration and his displeasure with their behavior. Sheikh Abdallah Azzam then visited Massoud, prompted by all the talk- mostly negative- of this person in Peshawar. Some accused him of working for the West since his father had been an army general. The generals' sons would study in Western schools, and since he went to such a school as well, they accused him of being an agent for the West. Some others accused him of having an unethical behavior, which is why there was a big commotion around him in Peshawar, instigated by Arabs; so much so, in fact, that they began to discuss whether he should get financial support or not.
Al-Hayat: It was rumored that Massoud was Shiite
Al Qarni: That is not true, Massoud is Sunni and not Shiite. I remember that when there was a commotion in Peshawar, a court was convened to try him in absentia. Two people were defending him and 21 were against him. One of his defenders was brother Abdallah Anas, Sheikh Abdallah Azzam's son-in-law and a British resident, while the other was an Algerian brother called Qari Abdel Rahim. Both of these men lived with Massoud and knew him intimately. They knew who the real Massoud was. The other 21 people comprised Algerians, Egyptians and Yemenis; there were no Saudis among them at the time. These people believed that Massoud was an infidel. The trial was convened, with Abdallah Azzam, Sheikh Abdel Majid al Zandani and Ussama Bin Laden as members.
Al-Hayat: How long was the trial?
Al Qarni: The trial lasted a whole week. Naturally, they requested my presence but I refused to be part of it. However, I was informed of the events through Sheikhs Abdallah Azzam, Abdel Majid, from Ussama Bin Laden, Abdallah Anas and Qari Abdel Rahim. One peculiar fact was that Qari Abdel Rahim had a brother called Qari Saeed who was a staunch enemy of Massoud's. After Qari Saeed, may God forgive him and rest his soul, returned from Afghanistan he joined the armed factions and was killed in Algeria. In the end, the 21 men could not prove any of the charges that they accused Massoud of. When the committee wanted to reach a decision after the hearings, they found that they could say neither a positive nor a negative word about him.
Al-Hayat: How do you read this result?
Al Qarni: I consider this result unfair: you either prove the charge or refute it. However, given that Ussama Bin Laden and Sheikh Abdel Majid Al Zandani were closer to Hikmatyar than to Massoud, and that the whole congregation did not wish to monopolize the Peshawar Arabs' inclination, this happened. Some said "all Arabs were against Massoud, so how could we praise him?", while Sheikh Abdallah Azzam, may God rest his soul, said "I will praise Massoud, until the last day of my life". Therefore, when he left the meeting, he put down plans in Massoud's praise and wrote a book about him, entitled "Titans of the North". But he could not print it, because the whole of Peshawar was almost Hikmatyar's and Sayyaf's. Massoud had no presence or influence in the land, and Azzam was unable to print the book. I once asked Sheikh Abdallah Azzam, may God rest his soul, "Sheikh Abdallah, do you still believe that Massoud was the Hero of Afghanistan?", he answered me:" He is the Hero of Islam". During this time, brother Abdallah Anas spoke to me of Massoud frequently ( ), and this incited me to visit the latter, to get to know him closely. I also saw in his Jihad a different kind of Jihad. The South Afghanistan Mujahideen were waging a gangster war, where you can neither eliminate your enemy nor lose. That war did not follow a clear strategy, and that is why neither Sheikh Sayyaf, nor Hikmatyar, nor Haqani, nor Younes Khalis, and all the Peshawar-based factions were unable to take over a big city. These parties lived in mountains, valleys and small villages, and waged a hit-and-run war, where they would attack a place, and take spoils of war, before communists would attack in turn and kick them out, and so on. However, Massoud followed a different path. He waged an organized war, had an organized army and a clear strategy.
*Biographical note:
Dr. Mussa bin Muhammad bin Yahya al Qarni.
- Born in 1954 (1374 Hijra) in Jazan, Bish city
- Married with twelve children, six girls and six boys
- Obtained a Doctorate in Fiqh from al Qura University in Mecca
- A former co-professor in Usul al Fiqh at the Islamic University
- Former Dean of student affairs at the Islamic University
- Former head of the Usul el fiqh department in the Islamic University
- Former member of the scientific committee in the Islamic University.
- Former director of the Islamic University in Peshawar
- Founding member of the International Islamic Relief
- Former board member of the International Islamic Relief
- Member of the founding committee of the International Islamic
Teaching body
- Currently works in the legal field, and the Islamic legal consultations, after retirement.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
03/14/2006
01:21 ||
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Norway's oil production slipped to a preliminary 2.46 million barrels per day on average in February from 2.49 million in January, and the tally is a marked drop from previous years. Even if gas production during the same period has shown a steady rise, the decrease in oil production of 500,000 bpd over two years is dramatic. Oil companies predict that the current situation is likely to last through the year.
Actor and recent Oscar winner George Clooney � who says he's proud of being a liberal � used the F-word in a column today to blast Democrats who were reticent to criticize President Bush and question his reasons for invading Iraq in the early days of the operation.
Writing on The Huffington Post, Clooney declared: "I am a liberal. And I make no apologies for it. Hell, I'm proud of it. Too many people run away from the label. They whisper it like you'd whisper 'I'm a Nazi.' Like it's dirty word."
Taking aim at leading Democrats, Clooney writes, "The fear of been criticized can be paralyzing. Just look at the way so many Democrats caved in the run up to the war. In 2003, a lot of us were saying, where is the link between Saddam and bin Laden? What does Iraq have to do with 9-11? We knew it was bulls---. Which is why it drives me crazy to hear all these Democrats saying, 'We were misled.' It makes me want to shout, 'F--- you'; you weren't misled. You were afraid of being called unpatriotic."
The actor says Americans need to united and find things on which to agree.
"One of the things we absolutely need to agree on is the idea that we're all allowed to question authority," Clooney wrote. "We have to agree that it's not unpatriotic to hold our leaders accountable and to speak out."
There have been hundreds of posts in reply to Clooney, most of them supportive.
"Being liberal only means your beliefs are based in reality, not fantasy," wrote seattlepatriot. "Oh, by the way, the best thing about being liberal is the fact you can argue any point, and you never have to lie."
Shockjock opined: "I love you, man. Thanks for having the stones � and I wish this post gets spread throughout the MSM because your voice has clout, even with those who disagree. And the thing is, the conservatives and Republicans are ON THE ROPES. They have put themselves there and WE MUST finish them off. We have to find some Dems with the stones and we must finish them off."
A poster called EZ challenged Clooney: "So, what are you doing to bring the troops home? It is not enough to simply say, 'I am a liberal.' You need to act."
March 5, Clooney won the Academy Award for best actor in a supporting role for his work in "Syriana."
#3
I think Clooney is pointing out the obvious fact that most democrats are so moral-relativistic and pragmatic that they don't stand for anything. Nobody is ever going to vote for a blob for whom "everything is negotiable" and "every argument is reasonable".
From his point of view, those democrats who are just so utterly spineless are like fat that needs to be liposuctioned. He may be right in that.
Since Howard Dean has taken the democrat party into a purely defense mode for the off-year races, all are focusing on the next presidential race.
On one side you have Hillary, the queen of the fat. She has not one single issue she will stand up for and be criticized. She stands for nothing but Hillary.
On the other side is anybody and everybody who will at some point refuse to budge on *something*. Call them the "100 issues" candidates, that is, 100 candidates with one issue each, none overlapping, except an aversion to Hillary.
So, for the next two elections, at least, it will be up to the republicans to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, by making some terrible blunder such as nominating an unpopular candidate solely because he has seniority.
#4
what is most interesting here is the admission that liberals are no longer popular.
If you tune into discussions where dems are talking with other dems about how to mobilize and get the word out, this is becoming a common theme: How to deal with the fact that liberal is now a dirty word.
#5
So, for the next two elections, at least, it will be up to the republicans to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory
I predict that the Repubs will do their best to achieve this by taking this opportunity to push too far to the right - making the mistake that the dems are doing saying, we need to be "more conservative", and move further to the far right. The right's ultra conservative party base will be emboldened by the dems weakness and will demand from the primary candidates a candidate so far to the right that he/she won't be acceptable to the general public in the general election.
#8
If you tune into discussions where dems are talking with other dems about how to mobilize and get the word out, this is becoming a common theme: How to deal with the fact that liberal is now a dirty word.
No doubt the most popular solution involves calling themselves "progressives".
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
03/14/2006 19:44
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#9
"Being liberal only means your beliefs are based in reality, not fantasy," wrote seattlepatriot. "Oh, by the way, the best thing about being liberal is the fact you can argue any point, and you never have to lie."
Nah. More likely it's that sense of childlike wonder at being confronted every day with a brand-new world full of new exciting things to discover-- because you're too fucking stupid to remember that you discovered them yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that...
You know, the Democratic Party better do something about idiots like this guy, AND FAST. If it doesn't, it's going to go the way of the dodo in less than a decade.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
03/14/2006 19:47
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#10
Well, George, let's see how good you are at questioning Islamist authority. Hmmmmmm? Like the idea of four chicks. Hmmmmm?
AN ISLAMIC gunman accused of kidnapping US tourists was arrested in his hideout in Parang town in Mindanao yesterday, the Army chief said.
Alleged Abu Sayyaf member Burham Sali was involved in the kidnapping of the Dos Palmas tourists in 2001, Lt. Gen. Hermogenes Esperon told reporters.
Christian missionary Martin Burnham and fellow US citizen Guillermo Sobero were killed in captivity after Abu Sayyaf bandits raided a resort off Palawan in May 2001 and seized several tourists, including a number of Filipinos.
Burnhams wife and fellow missionary Gracia Burnham was rescued on Mindanao the following year.
Sali was also involved in the kidnapping of several schoolteachers on the southern island of Basilan in 2000, Esperon said.
Sali was captured by policemen and troops from the 6th Infantry Division led by Maj. Gen. Agustin Dimaala, Esperon said.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
03/14/2006
01:17 ||
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#1
Gosh, they sure are effective when they're training with the Americans!
Thailand should consider entering into talks with militants behind the southern insurgency if it wants to avoid the separatist struggle being hijacked by international Jihadists, analysts said yesterday.
A commentary in the pan-Arab Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper last Friday, warned that international Jihadist circles on the internet and in mosques across the world were discussing the possibility of taking their global fight to Thailands Muslim-majority southern border provinces.
The buzz in Islamist circles is that well-funded Jihadist organizations may be preparing a takeover bid for the southern Thailand insurgency, the article by veteran Middle East journalist Amir Taheri said.
Urgent moves must be made to prevent the southern Thailand rebellion from becoming another front in the global war that Islamist terror is waging against many different states, including half a dozen Muslim ones, he said.
Local analysts yesterday agreed that international extremists could try to hijack the southern insurgency.
The possibility of international Jihadists infiltrating the current insurgency any time soon is just that: a possibility. But it is certainly not one that should be discounted, Tony Davis, a security analyst for Janes Information Group said yesterday.
Most analysts agreed however that even though the southern insurgency remained a localized conflict, the Thai government would be wise to act now to prevent it from widening.
Southern Thailand is still a theater of local jihad, said Rohan Gunaratna, a terrorism expert at the Institute of Defense and Strategic Studies in Singapore.
It has still not graduated into the global jihad stage, but certainly we are seeing some indications of interest on the part of Middle Eastern groups and Indonesian groups to take it to a regional and a global level.
Bangkok should seriously consider opening channels of communication with militant groups involved in the violence if it wants to prevent foreign infiltration of the conflict, Gunaratna said.
I think it is critical to act now because every day we are seeing that the groups are becoming more religious. They are losing their national character slowly but steadily, he said.
They are still not radicalized to a high extent and are still open to negotiations.
Experts have highlighted the infiltration of locally based insurgencies in Kashmir, Chechnya and even the Philippines by international Jihadist groups as a warning to the Thai government.
Commentators have suggested Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono invite southern rebel leaders and Thai officials to Jakarta to arrange a cease-fire followed by negotiations. Many analysts agree that such a move is realistic and that Yudhoyono would be an obvious candidate to host the talks.
However, Bangkok has consistently ruled out negotiating with the shadowy insurgent groups behind almost daily attacks in Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat that have claimed more than 1,200 lives since January 2004.
Defense Minister Gen Thammarak Isarangura Na Ayutthaya reiterated yesterday that Bangkok would not negotiate with militants.
It is not right to recognize outlawed organizations. Even the communist party, which was larger in the past, was never recognized by the government, Gen Thammarak told ThaiDay yesterday. If those experts know who the militants are, then just bring them to me or deputy prime minister Chitchai.
No group has ever stepped forward to take responsibility for the violence in the region. However, some analysts believe militant groups may come forward if Bangkok were ready to open to talks.
The Pattani United Liberation Organization (PULO), many of whose leaders live in exile in Sweden, have come forward on several occasions as a front group for the separatist cause in the Muslim border provinces. However, it is unclear how much influence they actually have.
PULO has been fighting for decades for independence in Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat and Satun, which formed part of the independent Sultanate of Patani before it was annexed by Thailand in 1902.
In January, PULO offered to drop long-standing demands for independence in the region if the government agreed to come to the negotiating table. However, the offer was rejected by Bangkok, who reiterated its policy not to negotiate with groups who resorted to violence.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
03/14/2006
01:16 ||
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#1
Article: Southern Thailand is still a theater of local jihad, said Rohan Gunaratna, a terrorism expert at the Institute of Defense and Strategic Studies in Singapore. It has still not graduated into the global jihad stage, but certainly we are seeing some indications of interest on the part of Middle Eastern groups and Indonesian groups to take it to a regional and a global level. Bangkok should seriously consider opening channels of communication with militant groups involved in the violence if it wants to prevent foreign infiltration of the conflict, Gunaratna said. I think it is critical to act now because every day we are seeing that the groups are becoming more religious. They are losing their national character slowly but steadily, he said. They are still not radicalized to a high extent and are still open to negotiations.
You mean like Singapore opened up negotiations with the far more dangerous (and numerous) Communist Party of Malaya? Never happened. Singapore hanged terrorists convicted of murder, tortured members for information and jailed them indefinitely. Some of them are still in jail after four decades of detention without trial.
#2
"Thailand should consider entering into talks with militants behind the southern insurgency if it wants to avoid the separatist struggle being hijacked by international Jihadists."
Contrary to the assertion here, local Islamic militants have already been hijacked by international Jihadists. (by, among others, the Malaysian Kampulan Mujahedin (KMM).) But for the sake of discussion, assume their demands are completely of a regional concern, does logic dictate that capitulation with these thugs would eliminate the threat of infiltration from the Islamists with global aspirations? IMO not a chance. Just a theory here, but I think these so-called analysts have an agenda other then thwarting international terrorism.
Supreme Court justices keep many opinions private but Sandra Day OConnor no longer faces that obligation. Oh joy, here it comes...Yesterday, the retired justice criticized Republicans who criticized the courts. She said they challenge the independence of judges and the freedoms of all Americans. "And they hurt my wittle feewings, too!" OConnors speech at Georgetown University was not available for broadcast but NPRs legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg was there.
Nina Totenberg: In an unusually forceful and forthright speech, translation: What she said! OConnor said that attacks on the judiciary by some Republican leaders pose a direct threat to our constitutional freedoms. OConnor began by conceding that courts do have the power to make presidents or the Congress or governors, as she put it really, really angry. But, she continued, if we dont make them mad some of the time we probably arent doing our jobs as judges, and our effectiveness, she said, is premised on the notion that we wont be subject to answer for really stupid decisions like Kelo retaliation for our judicial acts. The nations founders wrote repeatedly, she said, that without an independent judiciary to protect individual rights from the other branches of government those rights and privileges would amount to nothing. But, said OConnor, as the founding fathers knew statutes and constitutions dont protect judicial independence, people do.
And then she took aim at former House GOP leader Tom DeLay. She didnt name him, but she quoted his attacks on the courts at a meeting of the conservative Christian group Justice Sunday last year when DeLay took out after the courts for rulings on abortions, prayer and the Terri Schiavo case. This, said OConnor, was after the federal courts had applied Congress onetime only statute about Schiavo as it was written. Not, said OConnor, as the congressman might have wished it were written. This response to this flagrant display of judicial restraint, said OConnor, her voice dripping with sarcasm, was that the congressman blasted the courts. How dare a citizen criticize the Supreme Court!
It gets worse, she said, noting that death threats against judges are increasing. It doesnt help, she said, when a high-profile senator suggests there may be a connection between violence against judges and decisions that the senator disagrees with. She didnt name him, but it was Texas senator John Cornyn who made that statement, after a Georgia judge was murdered in the courtroom and the family of a federal judge in Illinois murdered in the judges home. OConnor observed that there have been a lot of suggestions lately for so-called judicial reforms, recommendations for the massive impeachment of judges, stripping the courts of jurisdiction and cutting judicial budgets to punish offending judges. Any of these might be debatable, she said, as long as they are not retaliation for decisions that political leaders disagree with. Thereby demonstrating the sparkling intelligence she has displayed so often over the last few years...
I, said OConnor, am against judicial reforms driven by nakedly partisan reasoning. Pointing to the experiences of developing countries and former communist countries where interference with an independent judiciary has allowed dictatorship to flourish, OConnor said we must be ever-vigilant against those who would strongarm the judiciary into adopting their preferred policies. It takes a lot of degeneration before a country falls into dictatorship, she said, but we should avoid these ends by avoiding these beginnings. Remember, if it can happen in Zaire, it can happen here!
#1
So unless we accept unlimited rule by the judiciary, we're headed for a dictatorship?
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
03/14/2006 7:57
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"I, said OConnor, am against judicial reforms driven by nakedly partisan reasoning."
And we, the majority of Americans, are against judicial activism drive by nakedly partisan reasoning. Go figure, huh? Good God, what a blindly self-absorbed asshole. Leaving the court, in light of this Moonbat outburst, is probably the most honorable thing she has ever done.
Only one "honorable" thing left for her to do - commit Seppuku trash her holiness' critics and collect speaking fees for it.
#3
O'Connor was just "window dressing" when she was appointed, now she will fade into obscurity. Not that there aren't qualified female judges out there. If she is soooo concerned about the judicial system, why is she bugging out at the time of it's crisis?
Typical liberal asshole, bitch and whine, but don't be part of the solution.
Posted by: John Riggins ||
03/14/2006 8:39
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driven by nakedly partisan reasoning
An interesting turn of phrase, since it exactly describes Nina Totenberg's "reporting" on the Alito nomination.
Posted by: Matt ||
03/14/2006 8:42
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#6
After some of my dealings with the federal judiciary in relatively simple civil matters, it is not hard to understand that threats against judges are increasing. The courts are doing a lousy job of adjudicating cases on a timely basis. I'm not complaining about the decisions, but the lack thereof and the time it takes to finally get what appears to be one until it is appealed. Cases probably always have taken longer than litigants would like, but now it seems to have become a racket by attorneys and thier judicial enablers to soak clients. I would imagine defendants become even more surly in criminal cases.
#7
Reading about O'Connors recent Georgetown speech only reminded me of the old Larry Kingston, Ed Nix song that Roy Clark made poplular:
"Oh, thank God and Greyhound you're gone
That load on my mind got lighter when you got on
That shiny old bus is a beautiful sight
With the black smoke a rolling up around the tail lights It may sound kinda cruel but I've been silent too long Thank God and Greyhound you're gone. Thank God and Greyhound you're gone..."
#8
Yesterday, the retired justice criticized Republicans who criticized the courts. She said they challenge the independence of judges and the freedoms of all Americans.
Oh, where should I start. First of all, there is no, and can never be a, "Independent Judiciary"[tm] in a republic. We had something close to that with George the III, but decided to do away with independent non-accountable govenment over two hundred years ago. And how in the hell can you have 'checks and balances' if one branch is independent?
Second, Jefferson wrote in that declaration that "Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the consent of the governed". That is why elected representatives of the people criticize the courts, who may we point out are yet to be held directly accountable by the people.
Third, it has been the court through fiat that has threatened the very foundation of the republic. Laws must have the consent of the governed. They can not be forced upon them without displaying an absolute contempt for the traditional definition of democracy. The powers which the federal judiciary has assumed upon itself since the 60s is something way beyond anything imagined by the founding fathers.
Fourth, before the NEA fealt it necessary to destroy the modern school system, many of us achieved the ability to actually read the Constitution. It was written in contemporary English. How in the hell do you come up with some of your decision when even we can not find justification for your fiats in that document? Either we're equal before the law or we're not. There is no 'gray' area other than through some declaration of authority and power that is not found in said document. And you say others are a threat to freedoms?
Let us indeed preempt the possibility of degenerating the representative republic and its freedoms into a dictatorship. First lets celebrate the 100th anniversary of the direct election of Senators, the XVII Amendment to the Constitution, by making the SCOTUS also a position subject to the direct consent of the governed by Constitutional amendment.
#11
If she's partisan it makes me wonder why she didn't step down while Clinton was in charge, or hang on a bit longer if she's in decent health. Unless she was sure the Democrats would win in 2000 and 2004 and now she's pretty sure they won't win in 2008 and can't hang on until 2012.
#12
The donks inflated ole Sandy's head with donkey gas. Besides, she is "woman" hear her roar.
Posted by: Captain America ||
03/14/2006 10:37
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#13
Redacted by moderator. Comments may be redacted for trolling, violation of standards of good manners, or plain stupidity. Please correct the condition that applies and try again. Contents may be viewed in the sinktrap. Further violations may result in
banning.
#14
It is the duty of congress to re-arrange the courts so that they function. Right now, this would mean creating far more courts, perhaps whole layers of courts, that currently do not exist; and that is just the short-term solution.
From that point on, they need to set strict limitations on the appealate process, which today is far too open to abuse and leads to cherry-picking which denies justice to deserving cases.
And not just tort reform, but criminal legal reform as well.
Posted by: Just Curious ||
03/14/2006 11:45
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#16
The Justices comments certainly do cause you to scratch your head a little. If the court(Judicial Branch) is so mighty and infallible why do we need a Supreme Court?
#19
Maybe former justice S.D. O'Connor is particulary annoyed at right wing conservative
activist groups attempts to force its agenda on the Courts by pressuring the Republican controlled Congress & President Bush to nominate only judges rubberstamped and appproved by them for appointment, with the expectations that they will vote in accordance to their whims on pertinent issues such as abortion.
Posted by: Just Curious ||
03/14/2006 12:48
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#20
Maybe former justice S.D. O'Connor is particulary annoyed at right wing conservative
activist groups attempts to force its agenda on the Courts by pressuring the Republican controlled Congress & President Bush to nominate only judges rubberstamped and appproved by them for appointment, with the expectations that they will vote in accordance to their whims on pertinent issues such as abortion.
Isn't that what we've been saying? She's annoyed about those things called "elections". I mean, how dare the common man have a say in the governance of his home!
It's not that SDO'C doesn't want a dictatorship -- just that she wants it to be wearing black robes and ruling according to her own preferences.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
03/14/2006 12:56
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#21
and she has a point. I mean, the rightwingers are so closed minded they want to limit SCOTUS rulings to the Constitution, ignoring the great insights of international law as evolved by e.g. the UN Human Rights committee.
#23
No, she saying that the right wingers want to take away the choice of a judge to rule on legal matters "independent" of partisan concerns.
Maybe it annoys her that these right wing conservative groups keep pressuring the republican congress & president bush to load the courts with conservative activist judges who have a agenda and are beholding to them for their appointments.
Posted by: Just Curious ||
03/14/2006 13:28
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#24
Unlike, say, the left wing whose agenda has been pretty active for decades?
See JC, the problem is that some of us are old enough to have some perspective on things. We even remember BEFORE the left used the courts to force public policy that the voters rejected again and again.
Hell, some of us used to BE on the left. And left, so to speak, because of this judicial actism.
#25
If O'Connor is so concerned about erosion of the judiciary's role, why did she step down and surrender her seat in the court to a replacement who would be appointed by a president she regards as driving this trend? Cuckoo! Cuckoo!
I dont deny that, it works both ways for left and right. I was just commenting on what's bugging O'Connor in the article.
Youre saying you left the democratic party in part because of judicial activism.
So what do you call it when the right does it and why doesnt it bother you then?
Posted by: Just Curious ||
03/14/2006 13:41
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#28
ltop = let's troll other places. Try it.
Posted by: Ed Grey ||
03/14/2006 13:44
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#29
"So what do you call it when the right does it and why doesnt it bother you then?"
Son, you don't seem to understand what judicial activism is - you've confused it with the mandate given the party in power to choose appointments to the courts. It's in that Constitution thing.
Get your terms and mental processes squared away and make another stab at your inane little game. It's simply fascinating to watch your little gears grind away.
#30
JC: I dont deny that, it works both ways for left and right. I was just commenting on what's bugging O'Connor in the article. Youre saying you left the democratic party in part because of judicial activism. So what do you call it when the right does it and why doesnt it bother you then?
The right hasn't been involved in judicial activism. It is merely trying to reverse six decades of liberal judicial activism. Liberals think that any attempt to reverse liberal judicial activism represents conservative judicial activism. Wrong. It merely represents a return to the status quo ante, before judges took on issues that are no concern of the courts.
#34
o.k. why dont you explain it to me so that my
dense mind will understand.
Posted by: Just Curious ||
03/14/2006 14:23
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#35
An activist is a militant reformer, Just Curious, and a conservative is one who favors traditional views and values, tending to oppose change. So "conservative activist" is an oxymoron -- as opposed to your type of moron.
yes, lets return to the 1950's when everyone
knew their place.
Conservative judicial activism will accomplish that right or wrong?
Posted by: Just Curious ||
03/14/2006 14:33
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#37
Those examples, except for possibly abortion, are not examples of Judicial Activism but of the Courts making decisions based on Constitutional Law. The judges involved didn't take it upon themselves to read things into the constitution that are not there. The recent Kelo decision is, in my opinion, an example of Judicial Activism in that it seems clear to me the Constitution does not give Municipalities the right to seize private property and give it to another private entity soley for the purpose of generating tax revenue. To her credit, Justice O'conner disagreed with this decision but she is definately, to my mind, way out on a limb if she really believes the Judiciary is completely independant of the people and should not answer to them. That's what this whole thread should be discussing. I also believe there is no Constitutional guarentee to abortion. I believe it is morally wrong but none of the Government's busines what a woman does with her own body.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
03/14/2006 14:47
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#38
Cherry-picking "traditional" or anything else in an attempt to prove a point is counterproductive, Just Curious.
The 1950s? Let's return to the Constitution instead of the 1950s. I do believe THAT is the job of the Supreme Court. We have a Bill of Rights, let's use it. We can add new rights if the people choose, but let's have the people choose rather than leftist judicial activists choose. Once the people choose, let's be conservative about their choice until the people decide to choose otherwise.
A court full of leftist judicial activists is little more than dictatorship by committee.
#39
JC, the US Constitution has mandated equal protection under the law since 1868. Unfortunately, the Democrats -- using terrorism committed by the KKK -- imposed and maintained a set of laws mandating racial segregation.
Decisions striking down segregation weren't activism, but rather based on the law of the land. You want an example of judicial activism, look to the courts that uphold race-based preferences under the mealy-mouthed name "Affirmative Action" -- they're clearly in violation of the Constitution, yet judges somehow ignore the 14th Amendment to keep them around.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
03/14/2006 15:19
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Darrell:
I'm not cherry picking. Those are ALL examples of what right wing conservatives call "liberal
judicial activism".
You really need to go back and read how right wing "conservative activst" judges have use the courts to throttle the things I mentioned above and implement their agenda on those and other issues.
btw: here is a recent quote for you from Talk Nation.
"We hear conservatives say that judges should not try to "legislate from the bench" the way
liberal jursist supposedly do. But a recent study
by Gerwitz and Golder of Yale University reveals that conservative justices such as Thomas and Scalia, have a far higher rate of invalidating or reinterpreting Congressional laws than justices more liberal like Byers and Ginsburg.
By this measure, too, the conservatives are more activist.
In sum, the right wing agrrandizers in black robes are neither strict constructionist nor balanced adjudicators. They are unrestrained power hustlers masqerading as as sober defenders of lawful procedure and constitutional intent."
I totally concur: enough said.
Posted by: Just Curious ||
03/14/2006 15:36
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"Thomas and Scalia, have a far higher rate of invalidating or reinterpreting Congressional laws than justices more liberal like Byers and Ginsburg"
Probably some truth there, I mean all they have to do is stay awake and they will have done more than Ginsburg.
#44
Just curious: If you're sincere (and not simply trolling), then you wouldn't mind telling us all (as a mere example) exactly WHERE in the US Constitution the (alleged) right to a Federal law protecting abortion exists? My reading of the Constitution finds the term "abortion" nowhere in the text--thus making abortion a states-rights issue rather than a *Federal* one.
(And please stick to the Constitution--its the only document that can be used to defend the FEDERAL right to abortion.)
It only encourages them and makes them think they actually have something worthwhile to say.
Besides, the stink from the BS is getting unbearable.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
03/14/2006 18:03
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#46
I'm sure that Ruth Gator Bizzberg misses her female sleepover (while hearing testimony) partner.
Posted by: Captain America ||
03/14/2006 18:44
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#47
"America is a Socialist nation moving towards Communism and OWG, and [God help us all], the Amer Lefties and Commies don't know how to stop it". Guess Clintonian Amerika and its LeftSocialist and Commie mainstream will have to help Mother Cindy to purge American Communist Socialism's unruly arrogant dishonest warmongering Male Brute Fascist fraction-minority, and call in the Motherly Commie Airborne Army Group = OWG US-based UNO Peacekeeping Force to save "occupied" Amerika from itself, again.
#49
Sooo... it is a threat to democracy for certain people to criticize a government body.
In other words, "Free speech for me, but not for thee." and "You can say whatever you want as long as it is the party line."
Fuck off O'Connor. Asshats like you move this country towards dictatorships since you don't want people who disagree with you to be able to voice their opinions. I'll say what I want, when I want, however I want and you can kiss my ass. You try to keep me, or anyone else from that right (including people I disagree with) and I will shoot your ass dead.
Fuck you, fuck the horse you rode in on and thank the gods you aren't on the court anymore.
Police found four hanged men dangling from electricity pylons in a Baghdad Shiite slum Monday, hours after car bombs and mortars shells ripped through teeming market streets, killing at least 58 people and wounding more than 200.
Britain, meanwhile, said it was cutting its forces by 10 percent by May or about 800 troops because Iraqi forces are becoming more capable of handling security.
Monday's grim scene of apparent vigilante justice in Sadr City underscored fears that the bloody assault Sunday on the stronghold of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr would plunge Iraq into another frenzy of sectarian killing.
Bomb blasts in Baghdad and north of the capital many of them targeting Iraqi police patrols killed at least 11 more people Monday and wounded more than 40. They included a U.S. soldier killed in a roadside bombing in east Baghdad, the military said. A U.S. Marine was reported killed Sunday in the western insurgent-plagued province of Anbar.
The deaths brought the number of U.S. military members killed to at least 2,308 since the start of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.
"The situation in Iraq is still tense," President Bush said in the first of a new series of speeches aimed at building support for the war.
President Jalal Talabani said terrorists bent on igniting a civil war were taking advantage of a vacuum in authority caused by tangled negotiations to form a new government.
"The way in which this bloody act was conducted leaves us with no doubt that the terrorists have targeted this peaceful neighborhood in order to ignite civil strife and stoke the fire of civil war," Talabani said in a statement. "So, it is the duty of the political groups to accelerate efforts to form the government, and the armed forces and security bodies should act swiftly to eliminate such crimes.
Bush said forming a new government "will demand negotiation and compromise by the Iraqis; it will require patience on the part of America and her allies," he said. "Out of this process, a free government will emerge that represents the will of the Iraqi people instead of the will of one cruel dictator."
In the Shiite holy city of Najaf, al-Sadr avoided blaming Sunni Muslims for the attacks and appealed for unity. The anti-American cleric instead blamed feared terror group Al Qaeda in Iraq and U.S. forces.
"Sunnis and Shiites are not responsible for such acts," al-Sadr said. "National unity is required."
Sunni leaders condemned the attack on Baghdad's Sadr City. Sheik Ahmed Abdul Ghafour al-Samaraie, head of the Sunni Endowment, the state agency responsible for Sunni mosques and shrines, called it "a cowardly and criminal act targeting civilians."
The Iraqi Islamic Party, the country's largest Sunni political group, urged all parties to cooperate "in order to put an end to the bloodshed that has targeted all Iraqis of all religions and sects and to speed the formation of a national unity government that works for the security of citizens."
Members of al-Sadr's Mahdi Army militia had captured the four people found hanged in the Shiite ghetto, according to police and a member of al-Sadr's organization, Sheik Amer al-Husseini. Police collected the bodies early Monday.
"We know nothing about their nationalities but residents reported that they were arrested yesterday by Mahdi Army," said police Lt. Laith Abdul-Aal. "Two of them were wearing explosive belts and two others had mortar tubes."
Al-Husseini identified the men as three Iraqis and a Syrian.
Police manned checkpoints Monday at the entrances to Sadr City, and armed militiamen fanned out inside. Fearful residents stayed home, and many shops were closed.
Abdel Karim al-Bahadli, 42, wept as he hobbled on crutches to survey the devastation at one of the stricken markets. He blamed the extremist Sunni Takfiri sect of terrorist boss Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq.
"This is not resistance (to foreign occupation) because there were no U.S. troops in the markets yesterday," he said. "The Takfiris are only after Shiites. We will not be silent any more."
Young Shiite residents demanded revenge.
"The politicians call upon us to be calm, but we will not be so. Enough is enough," said Alaa Hashim, 34, who owns a neighborhood clothing store.
Iraqis had feared such an attack was coming, especially after al-Sadr's fighters stormed out of the slum to take revenge on Sunni Muslims and their mosques after the Feb. 22 bombing of a revered Shiite shrine in the central city of Samarra.
The attackers struck with car bombs, including a homicide driver, and mortars at the peak shopping time, destroying dozens of market stalls and vehicles as residents were buying food for their evening meals.
The coordinated nature of the attack and its use of a homicide bomber bore the hallmarks of Al Qaeda in Iraq, which has said it hoped to start a Shiite-Sunni civil conflict.
Residents searched for survivors and put charred corpses into ambulances and trucks to be taken away. Smoke billowed into the evening sky and angry young men kicked the decapitated head of the homicide attacker, who appeared to be an African, according to AP Television News video.
The U.S. military said Iraqi police told them 52 residents were killed and 78 injured. But Health Ministry official Ali Mahdi said hospital reports indicated a toll of 58 dead and 206 wounded.
The Iraqi army defused another car bomb and captured a mortar system, likely preventing an even higher toll, the U.S. military said.
About 70 Iraqis in all were killed in violence Sunday and about 385 injured, the Health Ministry reported.
In the worst attack Monday, a roadside bomb exploded as police responded to a false report of bodies inside a store in Tikrit, Saddam's ancestral hometown. Five policemen were killed and 15 injured in the blast, police Capt. Hakim al-Azawi said. A civilian bystander was also killed.
Later, provincial Gov. Hamad Mahmoud al-Qaisi escaped assassination when a car bomb ripped through his convoy in the city 80 miles north of Baghdad, police said. Two bodyguards were injured in the blast.
Three car bombs exploded in the oil rich city of Kirkuk, killing at least one policeman and injuring 13, police said. Police found the bodies of two men, their hands tied and shot in the head, in the sewage system of a southeastern Baghdad suburb.
In Taji, 12 miles north of Baghdad, a roadside bomb killed a minibus passenger and injured six others, police said.
In announcing the troop reduction, British Defense Secretary John Reid told the House of Commons it was "based largely on the ability of the Iraqis themselves to participate and defend themselves against terrorism, but there is a long, long way to go."
"And I have been absolutely clear that we are not yet at the stage where whole provinces could be taken under the responsibility of Iraqi security forces."
Britain had 46,000 military personnel in Iraq during combat operations in March and April 2003. That dropped to 18,000 in May 2004, and to 8,500 at the end of last year.
In October, Reid said there were 190,000 members of the Iraqi security forces trained and equipped. Now the total is 235,000, and 5,000 more join every month, he said.
The Iraqi army has more than 110 operational combat battalions engaged in counterinsurgency operations, Reid said, of which 59 were assessed as being "in the lead" or capable of independent operations. British troops are focused primarily in the south of the country.
Sunday's assault on Sadr City came only minutes after Iraqi political leaders said the new parliament will convene Thursday, three days early, as U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad pushed to break a stalemate over naming a unity government.
The political leaders said they would open marathon meetings Tuesday to try to reach agreement on a broad-based government after the Dec. 15 parliamentary elections.
At stake are how many positions various blocs will get in the new government, who will fill key posts and the government's program of action.
The first parliamentary session sets in motion a 60-day deadline for the legislature to elect a new president, approve the nomination of a prime minister and sign off on his Cabinet.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
03/14/2006
01:00 ||
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#1
Any chance one of them was Sadr?
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
03/14/2006 1:46
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#2
These four were probably just unlucky Sunnis, wrong place and wrong time, handy to mollify the crowds and make Tater look like a man of action - in the particularly idiotic Arab way of things.
Tater should be dead. His militia forces should be dead. That would eliminate one of the most obvious major obstacles to "unity".
Authorities in a Pakistani tribal region troubled by Islamist militants said yesterday that thousands of Afghans thought to be living there must leave and return home.
The North Waziristan tribal area bordering Afghanistan has been the scene of military strikes this month in which officials say nearly 200 pro-Taleban militants have been killed.
Officials have blamed unrest in the region on Afghans, thought to number several thousand, who took up residence there since the Soviet occupation of their country in the 1980s.
Yesterday, local state radio broadcast messages saying the Afghans must go. The top government official in North Waziristan, Political Agent Zaheerul Islam, said Afghans had been given deadlines to leave two or three times last year but had not done so.
Now they are not Afghan refugees but foreigners and must leave North Waziristan immediately, he said.
Severe action will be taken if they dont do so, he said, without elaborating. Many of Afghans in North Waziristan have built homes and set up businesses in the area. Others work as farm labourers.
Yesterday saw a second day of relative peace in Miranshah, capital of North Waziristan, after the military said security forces killed up to 30 pro-Taleban militants and local supporters in a village about 10km to the west on Friday night.
A curfew imposed nine days ago was further relaxed yesterday, allowing people to leave their homes for eight daylight hours to shop for essential provisions, but many shops remained closed.
Many residents who fled their homes after the violence erupted in early March have begun to return since authorities began relaxing the curfew on Friday. We are coming back because it is peaceful now, one said.
Announcements made via loudspeakers on government vehicles and from mosques urged local government employees, school teachers and bank employees to return to their jobs.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
03/14/2006
00:57 ||
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"Thought to be living there"
This will have no effect unless the authorities actualy know just who's a Afgan, and who's not.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
03/14/2006 8:18
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#2
Alas, man has been sent from paradise once again.
Ayodhya, Delhi and now the twin Varanasi blasts. All three terror attacks had one thing in common. They were plotted and executed by the modules of Lashkar-e-Tayyeba (LeT) and Harkat-ul-Jehad-al-Islami (HuJI) based in Bangladesh.
Armed with irrefutable evidence about the involvement of these terrorist groups in fomenting trouble on its soil, the Indian Government will inform Bangladesh Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia about the export of terror from her country when she visits New Delhi on March 20.
India will also provide evidence to Begum Khaleda to back its oft-repeated demand seeking the closure of all Bangladesh-based terror camps, being used by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to carry out subversive activities on Indian soil.
Sources said India will specifically convey its displeasure to Begum Khaleda on the continued presence of over 150 terrorist training camps engaged in supporting terrorist activities in the North Eastern region.
India has already provided evidence to the Americans of the scores of terrorist camps being run in Bangladesh by al Qaeda with the connivance of fundamentalist forces and certain sections of the Bangladesh Government during the recent visit of US President George Bush. The US administration was also informed about the clandestine help being provided to these terrorist groups by Pakistan.
After the disclosures of the Indian Government, the US administration is believed to have applied pressure on Bangladesh leading to the arrest of Siddiq-ul-Islam alias Bangla Bhai of the Jagrata Muslim Janata of Bangladesh (JMJB) by Bangladesh Police.
Some time back, Assam Rifles had made a presentation to Home Minister Shivraj Patil about the subversive activities of ISI and Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI). Indian intelligence agencies have evidence to support their contention that the ISI and DGFI had closed ranks after the decimation of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, and since then were trying to alter the demography of over a dozen districts of Assam and West Bengal sharing borders with Bangladesh by facilitating migration.
The ISI and DGFI nexus has helped HuJI to grow and it has mainly been involved in anti-India activities. Launched with al Qaeda assistance in 1992, HuJI is mainly active in the southeastern coastal belt stretching from Chittagong through Cox Bazar to the Myanmar border. Its cadres allegedly infiltrate frequently into the bordering eastern region of India to co-ordinate with local terrorist outfits.
Another terrorist outfit named Shahadat Al Hiqma is linked with LeT and Nepal-based Maoist organisations. Its leader, Shamim Uddin had once claimed that India's Most Wanted fugitive Dawood Ibrahim was among those who provided him funds. Intelligence sources say this too could not have happened without the approval of ISI.
Islami Biplobi Paarishad, a radical outfit that was launched by Jammat-e-Islami leader Moulana Abdul Jabbar in June 2001, continues to fan anti-India sentiments.
Islami Oikya Jote headed by Fazlul Haq Amini, a hardcore follower of Osama Bin Laden and currently a member of Parliament in Bangladesh is reportedly involved in provided logistics and moral support to those who indulge into anti-India activities.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
03/14/2006
00:55 ||
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India needs to look at irritating Bangla and Paki at the same time. Don't want to get caught in a crossfire.
A roadside bomb killed four US soldiers traveling in an armored vehicle in eastern Afghanistan yesterday, the deadliest attack on coalition forces in a month.
In Kabul, a suicide bombing yesterday killed another four people and narrowly missed the chief of Afghanistans upper house of Parliament, who accused Pakistani intelligence of trying to assassinate him.
The two bombings were the latest in a drumbeat of militant attacks that appear to be gathering intensity, four years after the ouster of the hard-line Taleban regime by US-led forces.
The four US soldiers died when their vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive in the Pech Valley, Kunar province, as they patrolled to keep a road open to civilian and military traffic, military spokesman Col. Jim Yonts said.
Kunar Gov. Asadullah Wafa said the blast went off at 4.15 p.m. as a convoy of six American vehicles was passing.
Yonts accused militants of launching cowardly attacks, placing bombs and detonating them from a distance. He said it would not deter the US-led coalition forces from their mission of defeating the Taleban and Al-Qaeda and establishing enduring security.
Earlier yesterday, a car bombing in the capital targeted Sibghatullah Mujaddedi, a Muslim scholar who briefly served as president in 1992. He is now head of the new Meshrano Jirga, or upper house, and leads a commission that encourages Taleban fighters to reconcile with the government.
Mujaddedi escaped with burns to his hands and face, but two attackers who drove the explosive-laden station wagon into his convoy were killed, along with two bystanders a girl on her way to school and a man on a motorbike. Five others were wounded.
Three bodies could be seen either side of the bloodstained road, which was littered with parts of the attackers car.
The explosion was very strong. For a while I couldnt see anything. I was in the front seat of my car. I saw a big fire came toward me, the white-bearded Mujaddedi told a news conference a few hours later.
His hands were wrapped in bandages burned when he raised them to protect his face from the blast.
President Hamid Karzai condemned it as an attack on the voice of Afghanistan and clerics of Afghanistan. He did not blame anyone outright, but said that he had received information two months ago of a plot to attack important personalities in Afghanistan.
Mujaddedi was more forthright, and directly accused Pakistans Inter-Services Intelligence agency for the bombing. He offered no proof. We have got information that ISI of Pakistan has launched a plan to kill me, he said.
Islamabad dismissed Mujaddedis charges. Pakistan rejects the baseless allegations, Pakistans Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam said. The charges will aggravate deteriorating relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan, two key allies in the US-led war on terror. Ties have been badly strained since Kabul revealed it had shared intelligence with Islamabad that Taleban leader Mullah Omar and top associates were hiding in Pakistan and terrorist training camps on Pakistani soil were churning out suicide attackers. Pakistan dismissed the intelligence as outdated and strongly criticized Afghanistan for publicizing it.
Meanwhile, Haji Asadullah Khalid, governor of the former Taleban stronghold of Kandahar, confirmed that four Albanian and four Afghan employees of a German company, Ecolog, were kidnapped Saturday in neighboring Helmand province. He did not identify the kidnappers.
Qari Mohammed Yousaf, who claims to speak for the Taleban, said in an earlier call to The Associated Press that the militia was responsible but had yet to issue any demands. He said the eight men were OK.
Jalal, an Ecolog official, said the men went missing as they were returning after doing a survey in Helmands Grieshk district for the company, which treats dirty water at US and Afghan Army bases.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
03/14/2006
00:53 ||
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Update to the lead on this story (hope I did it right this time):
MARINES SEIZE 400 POUNDS OF EXPLOSIVES
3/14/2006
FORWARD OPERATING BASE SALERNO , Afghanistan U.S. Marines seized 400 pounds of explosives while conducting searches in Kunar Province on March 13.
Marines discovered the munitions, which included time fuses, not far from where an improvised explosive device strike claimed the lives of four U.S. service members March 12.
During operations March 13, Marines engaged enemy forces attempting to mount an attack from nearby hills. Coalition forces counterattacked with artillery and close-air support, driving the enemy off the mountain.
These extremists are no match for the combined-arms team of ground and air forces from the Army, Air Force and Marines, said Army Col. John Nicholson, commander of the Coalitions Task Force Spartan. The Marines did an excellent job seizing these dangerous munitions and removing the threat they pose to both Coalition forces and the Afghan people, he said.
Leaders of the Palestinian group Hamas were feted at a reception by hardline Saudi clerics during a visit this week to ensure continued financial aid from the wealthy Muslim country, a delegation source said.
The United States and the European Union have threatened to withhold aid to the Palestinian Authority unless Hamas, gearing up to form a government after a surprise win in elections, gives up its armed struggle and recognises the Jewish state.
Members of the five-man delegation, headed by exiled leader Khaled Meshaal, said that Saudi officials had assured them of continuing political and financial aid in private meetings since their arrival on Friday.
A delegation source said they would meet the head of the 57-nation Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), the worlds biggest Islamic body, in Jeddah today, before performing pilgrimage in Makkah. It was not yet clear if they would meet the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, the prime mover behind an Arab peace initiative adopted by an Arab summit in 2002 that proposed a land-for-peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians.
The source said hardline cleric Nasser Al Omar was the host at the reception for the delegation in Riyadh on Sunday evening. A report on Omars website said that the reception included a number of prominent clerics and Islamists, some of whom have been jailed in the past for suspected support for Al Qaeda or criticism of the Saudi government.
Saudi Arabia, which says it funds only the Palestinian Authority, has been under US pressure to cut funding to Hamas. Saudis donate over $500m a year to Palestinians, including $150m from private charities and individuals, a recent Saudi security report said.
Saudi authorities have been tight-lipped about the visit, which highlights the conflicting demands of Saudi Arabias close US alliance and strongly pro-Palestinian public. Foreign Minister Saud Al Faisal publicly spurned a US call to isolate Hamas during a visit by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice last month, but officials have said that Hamas should moderate its stance towards Israel.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
03/14/2006
00:52 ||
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Why hasn't anyone been systematically sanctioning these buggers? I'm talking about good, old-fashioned homicide, disguised as accidents, heart attacks, etc.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice began a trip to Indonesia on Tuesday, seeking closer ties with the moderate Islamic country in a region where China's influence is growing.
Since the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York and Washington, Indonesia has become a firm U.S. ally in fighting terrorism. Security issues are expected to dominate Rice's discussions with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, along with closer military ties between the two nations.
"The Indonesians are making a real effort to rid the region and not just themselves, but in cooperation with the region, of the terrorist threat that has plagued southeast Asia," Rice told reporters traveling with her to Jakarta.
The end of autocratic President Suharto's 32-year rule in 1998 allowed democracy to flourish in Indonesia and encouraged better U.S. relations. Yudhoyono, a former general with U.S. training, became Indonesia's first directly elected president in 2004 on a strong security platform.
Last November, the United States restored military ties with Indonesia as a reward for cooperation against al Qaeda-linked militants and cited reforms in the military and efforts by the government to improve its human rights record.
"Rice has often said that democratization in Indonesia has transformed the degree of the bilateral relationship as well as U.S. appreciation toward Indonesia's role in Southeast Asia and East Asia," Indonesia Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda was quoted by the Jakarta Post as saying ahead of the visit.
Indonesia has seen large anti-American protests over the past few weeks, but Rice said she was not concerned about that during her visit, adding such protests showed democracy was working.
Militant Islamic groups have already announced plans for at least one protest, at midday on Tuesday at the U.S. embassy.
Rice's first appointment was a visit to one of Jakarta's oldest Islamic schools located in a busy area of the city. A small crowd gathered outside the school and about 100 police, some carrying riot shields, fanned out in the neighborhood.
Rice, due to give a speech on democracy on Wednesday before going on to Australia, dismissed criticism from human rights groups that Washington had moved too quickly to restore military relations with Indonesia.
She said it was a better strategy for the United States to have contact with the Indonesian military than to isolate it.
Some human rights groups say progress in reforming Indonesia's military and police has been too slow and that the United States has not paid enough attention to abuses committed by the military, losing important leverage to push for change.
Before U.S. President George W. Bush's administration provided any assistance to the Indonesian military, it should demand to see evidence of real reform, said Lisa Misol of the New York-based Human Rights Watch group.
"(Rice) also should use her trip to announce that the U.S. will refuse to provide them with lethal weapons and will insist on robust monitoring of whatever aid it sends," Misol said.
But the United States sees Indonesia as a voice of moderation in the Islamic world and Rice hopes it might have some influence in the Middle East, particularly over the militant group Hamas, which won Palestinian elections in January.
"Indonesia is home to the world's biggest Muslim population, and is expected to help the peace process there," Wirajuda said. Our stance is that we support the process there, one which is democratic and transparent."
One area where Rice may face prickly questions will be Jakarta's demand for direct access to Indonesian militant Hambali, who has been held by the Americans since 2003.
Hambali is suspected to be the mastermind behind the bombings on Indonesia's holiday island of Bali in 2002 in which more than 200 people were killed.
Wirajuda said Hambali would not be a "central issue" of official meetings but could be mentioned.
Another topic that could have been contentious, a long-running dispute over whether U.S. company Exxon Mobil Corp or Indonesia's state-owned energy firm would operate a promising new oil field, was settled on the eve of Rice's visit with a compromise giving the U.S. firm the dominant role.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
03/14/2006
00:48 ||
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WHY? Post-tsunami anti-American events showed true colors. let em rot!
#2
Post-post-tsunami we got a lot of good press for doing something while the ummah sat around with a thumb up its butt. We need allies, not enemies, so let's cultivate the Indonesians and get them on board while there's good feeling with the government and lots of the people.
#3
Gwad lets just hope she doesn't offer up 22 of our ports to them. This whole relationship BS with our Islamic enemies is nuts. It's like holding hands with Nazis in 1939.
#5
From what I've read, a lot of Indonesia's muslims are pretty easy going. They aren't Arab or middle eastern in culture or outlook and are pretty moderate - often poorly educated, but also easy going.
Of course, there are the groups that would like to change that by blowing things up in Bali etc.
Trade unionists and students protesting against youth unemployment vowed to hold street demonstrations this week after riot police fired teargas and stormed the Sorbonne in Paris at 4am on Saturday, ending a three-day occupation.
The officers dragged out 200 students who had taken over the university for the first time since 1968. The prime minister, Dominique de Villepin, planned to defend his "first employment contract", which gives employers the right to let staff go after two years, and which sparked the protest. The Sorbonne will shut for a week to be cleaned.
#1
It would be nice if P.M. de Villepain shows the steel of his purchased family name and pushes through this initiative. France, even more than Germany, is holding back the EU. And so long as the EU wallows in its self-made economic mess, that long will expansionist plans of the Islamofascists continue with little meaningful opposition, yet another defeat welcomed by the nihilists.
#4
Last Sunday we were listening radio in the car when we heard: "A million demonstrators against the First Employment Contract"
-My better half with an angry voice: "A million for a matter of money and only ten thousand for Illam Halimi" (the Jew who was totured and killed two weeks ago)
President Bush on Monday pushed back at critics on the left and right who had urged that American troops be withdrawn from Iraq before they were caught in a civil war, contending in the first of a new series of speeches that his strategy is working and declaring, "We will not lose our nerve."
Yet Mr. Bush acknowledged that the conflict that began three years ago next week, when he ordered the start of an invasion to topple Saddam Hussein, had taken on a different complexion with the recent acceleration of sectarian violence. Twice he used the words "civil war" in his speech, but only to describe the objectives of Sunnis, Saddamists and members of Al Qaeda seeking to keep a new government from forming, rather than to characterize the current state of events.
"I wish I could tell you that the violence is waning and that the road ahead will be smooth," Mr. Bush said in a speech before the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, an institute created after the Sept. 11 attacks that has been supportive of Mr. Bush's agenda. "It will not. There will be more tough fighting and more days of struggle, and we will see more images of chaos and carnage in the days and months to come."
Mr. Bush's muted tone came less than 10 months after his vice president, Dick Cheney, said, "I think they're in the last throes, if you will, of the insurgency."
Mr. Bush has expressed concern that televised images of the continuing violence in Iraq, especially between Shiite and Sunni Muslims, is further undercutting support for the war. In advance of the speech, one of Mr. Bush's aides said last week that "at various moments, we have had to get the president out there to reassure people, re-explain the strategy, and make it clear that we have a long-term approach."
But the frequency of those presidential messages seems to be increasing as the situation in Iraq grows more volatile. When Mr. Bush last gave a series of speeches on Iraq in December timed with the release of a National Security Council document called "Our National Strategy for Victory in Iraq" the effort temporarily halted a decline in both his approval ratings and support for a short-term exit strategy. Both have fallen in the past month.
Monday's speech was in the same vein, but Mr. Bush was clearly seeking to manage expectations and answer a new group of critics neoconservatives who have said that because Iraq is now liberated, it is up to the Iraqis themselves to defend the country and piece together a government acceptable to all factions. Among them have been William F. Buckley Jr. and Francis Fukuyama, who have expressed doubt about the speed with which the Iraqis will embrace democratic change.
In the speech, Mr. Bush gave no ground on that issue, repeating his conviction that the insurgents will be defeated. But he acknowledged new challenges, describing last month's attack on the Golden Mosque in Samarra as "a clear attempt to ignite a civil war."
"We can expect the enemy will try again, and they will continue to sow violence and destruction designed to stop the emergence of a free and democratic Iraq," Mr. Bush said. "The enemies of a free Iraq are determined, yet so are the Iraqi people, and so are America and coalition partners. We will not lose our nerve."
Mr. Bush also included in his speech a specific accusation against Iran, accusing it of providing technology to improve the lethality of the bombs known as improvised explosive devices, or I.E.D.'s. "Some of the most powerful I.E.D.'s we are seeing in Iraq today include components that came from Iran," he said. "Coalition forces have seized I.E.D.'s and components that were clearly produced in Iran." But he issued no warnings beyond his stock phrase that Iran's intervention in Iraq and its effort to process uranium that the United States contends could be used in a nuclear weapon "are increasingly isolating Iran."
"It was a very deliberate message at a very crucial moment," one of Mr. Bush's senior aides said of the president's comments on Iran. The aide noted that the United Nations Security Council was beginning to debate this week how to respond to the nuclear challenge.
But if Mr. Bush is turning attention to Iran, he seemed aware on Monday that Iraq was what was on American television screens. "Terrorists are losing on the field of battle, so they are fighting this war through the pictures we see on television and in the newspapers every day," he said. "They're hoping to shake our resolve and force us to retreat. They are not going to succeed."
But while he predicted victory, he made clear the consequences of defeat. "The enemy will emerge from Iraq one of two ways: emboldened or defeated," he said, allowing for a possibility he had not before discussed. "The stakes in Iraq are high. By helping Iraqis build a democracy, we will deny the terrorists a safe haven to plan attacks against America. By helping Iraqis build a democracy, we will gain an ally in the war on terror. By helping Iraqis build a democracy, we will inspire reformers across the Middle East. And by helping Iraqis build a democracy, we will bring hope to a troubled region, and this will make America more secure in the long term."
Mr. Bush set a loose goal of training enough Iraqi police and soldiers to control a majority of Iraq's territory by the end of this year. The target could be misleading, however, because the sectarian violence is concentrated in small but strategically crucial parts of the country.
Mr. Bush is using each speech to focus on an element of his strategy. On Monday he focused on reducing the threat of the improvised explosive devices.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
03/14/2006
00:45 ||
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#1
Too little too late. This should have been an ongoing process, not just one when he's feeling the pressure. PR and getting the msg out has always been a huge problem with this admin and even though I'm a supporter I want more reasons more often then just "trust me".
Posted by: Yosemite Sam ||
03/14/2006 11:28
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Excerpted from Washington Post article:
"Bush Sets Timelines On Iraq Takeover"
3-14-06
"President Bush vowed yesterday to turn over most of Iraq to newly trained Iraqi troops by the end of this year, setting a specific benchmark as he kicked off a fresh drive to reassure Americans alarmed by the recent burst of sectarian violence.
Bush, who has largely resisted concrete timelines as the Iraq war dragged on longer than he expected, outlined the target in the first of a series of speeches intended to lay out his strategy for victory. While acknowledging grim developments on the ground, Bush declared "real progress" in standing up Iraqi forces capable of defending their nation."
Question:
"Is Bush now contradicting his former statements on timelines & set benchmark goals for american troops withdrawing from Iraq and is he not acquiescing to Congressional demands, particularly by Democrats by doing so?"
Posted by: Just Curious ||
03/14/2006 14:04
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no
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/14/2006 15:02
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Actually, Cheney is right: the "insurgency" is basically over. The problem isn't so much from local groups as from outside interference - both Al Qaida and Iran. Sooner or later, we're going to have to do something about the source of this continued operation, and that's the flow of money from Iran and Saudi Arabia to fund these nutcases. If the United States destroyed the capabilities of the mullahs (and their government backers) from both countries to fund the continued attacks, they would stop in about six months when the current supply of money ran out. Until we DO cut off the funding, we're going to continue to be attacked.
The entire islamofascist war could be ended in two minutes by nuking Riyadh and Teheran. Of course, millions would seethe, but they're goign to seethe anyway.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
03/14/2006 15:36
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Radical Iraqi cleric, Moqtada al-Sadr, has accused both the terrorists of the al-Qaeda network and the US military of responsibility for the attacks in Baghdad's Sadr City neighbourhood late Sunday, in which 48 people died. During a heated press conference in the Shiite holy city of Najaf, the young imam issued a warning to those who had targeted his followers. "We consider the attack was carried out by groups of Takfir [a derogatory term used to describe terrorists literally meaning 'those who have put themselves outside Islam'] thanks to the cover of American spy aircraft" he said.
Al-Sadr was referring to three seemingly coordinated explosions that took place towards dusk in the rundown Sadr city district, a stronghold of Moqtada al-Sadr and his al-Mahdi militia. Two car bombs went off in a market while a third blew up almost simultaneously at another. A fourth car bomb was discovered and difused by police at another market.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
03/14/2006
00:42 ||
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#1
He forgot to mention the dreaded Zionists and maybe the Danes too. Gotta be sure that they all catch some of the blame. Wouldn't want to misidentify the perpetrators. Gotta remind people so they don't forget to condemn the infidels for every crime, atrocity and injustice.
#2
Did you ever stop to wonder how pathetic one had to be to be a "follower" of Moqtada al-Sadr? If this is whom you look up to, you're just wasting oxygen.
#4
He's still breathing because his execution would make his followers angry, and there are a lot of them (how many? my WAG is around 50,000), with guns and RPGs and such, and with lots of Iranian advisors and logistical support. Neither the US nor the Iraqi government wants to deal with the added chaos of all those followers on a near-random rampage in the streets. It may have to happen eventually, like lancing a boil, but so far they are hoping to co-opt him into the political process. (I wonder if he knows those crispy, greasy snacks clogging his arteries and bloating his waistline are pork rinds - shhh, it's a secret Mossad/CIA plot.)
#5
Why-oh-why is this guy still breathing after all the deaths and destruction he has caused?
Because he's a holy man in the religion of peace.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
03/14/2006 7:28
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He's the Al Sharpton of Islam, crossing the bridge between religion and organized crime.
Sadr's group has become an arm of the MM's lunatic political party. They use totalitarian control and death squads. What's not to like ?
#10
This guys is completely f*cking nuts, and he needs to be dealt with. By dealth with... I mean shot in the head asap. His militia is solely responsible for a lot of these reprisals. He should be blaming al-zarqawi but he is too much of an idiot.
Ijaw militants under the aegis of Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) have denied any link with Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda group.
This is coming on the heels of a declaration by Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Ganiyu Adekeye, that military option may be the last in resolving the Niger Delta crisis should other attempts fail.
But prominent Nigerians have cautioned against use of force in resolving the crises in the region.
Senator Jubril Aminu and Methodist Church Archbishop of Ibadan, Most Reverend Emmanuel Ogunyemi, speaking at different fora, said a military solution will only achieve a fragile peace in the volatile region.
Mend's denial was contained in a press release signed by its spokesperson, Cynthia Whyte and made available to Daily Champion in Port Harcourt.
"Let us also use this medium to renounce any affiliation or association with any terrorist group or network such as al-Qaeda," the statement declared.
MEND, Whyte insisted, owe no allegiance to any terrorist network and does not need the assistance of any terrorist group to carry out its agenda.
The action of MEND, the release explained is in line with the doctrine and belief of its patriotic and esteemed leader, Alhaji Mujahid Dokubo Asari.
It added that the activities of the group is a genuine attempt by a neglected, oppressed and subjugated people to mete out justice to their oppressor.
The campaign, the statement said shall be strategic, hard hitting and vengeance seeking as the anger in their hearts, the loss and theft of their livelihood and resources is a good enough motivation.
On their reaction to the recent occupation of Exxon Mobil facility in Eket, Akwa Ibom by some militants, Whyte stated that if the company refuses to honour its obligation to victims of the 1998 oil spillage, MEND shall unleash a festival of carnage on all their operations in the Niger Delta.
The release described as arrogant and irresponsible, response from officials of Exxon Mobil on the demands of the people as well as their resort to labelling youths from the Niger Delta.
MEND announced that it has launched out a new initiative in the Niger Delta which is all encompassing, community driven and bottom up as the exploited communities now have an open option to resort to strategic military to get their wishes done.
According to the release, nationalist groups in the Niger Delta are building new synergies and working partnership to challenge the old ways of gross neglect and gross exploitation.
The group declared that it has taken its destiny in its hands and shall no more give a free ride to the Nigerian route and her cohorts in the despoliation of the region and continued campaign to destroy the environment and decimate her people.
Warning that MEND would not tolerate any irresponsibility from the Nigerian state or oil companies, the release insisted the group's 21 day deadline will only be waived by the superior directive of Dokubo - Asari.
The CNS however stated that the federal government is applying the options of political and economic solution to resolve the problems but noted that where these fail the last option which is military solution may be adopted.
Admiral Adekeye stated that the Niger Delta crisis is not for the Navy but a national problem which requires the involvement of everybody and contributions to resolve.
The CNS told newsmen in Warri officers and men of the Navy are very much alert to the situation both in the Niger Delta and other areas in the country. He however, could not disclose whether the Navy had recorded any casualty since this present crises began the region.
He said he was in Warri to confer with the officers and men of the NNS Delta, Naval base, Warri over the security situation in the area, and to carry out the routine inspection of their installations.
Present at the briefing were the Flag Officer Commanding FOC Western naval command, Rear Admiral John Kpokpogiri, the commander Naval intelligent; Navy Captain Jacob Ajani, Captain Mufutau Ajibade; commanding officer NNS Delta and other top Naval personnel.
Daily Champion gathered that the presence of the CNS in Warri may not be unconnected with deteriorating security situation in the Warri water ways. Just last week, a vessel conveying about 150,000 metric tonnes of premium motor spirit (PMS) known as petrol was attacked by militants in the water way.
Another barge that was conveying construction material to Focados, an offshore location in the area was also attacked by the militants leaving four soldiers and a mobile police officer dead. A similar incident about forthnight ago resulted in the lost of over N50 million by the crew of vessel and the entire content of the vessel to the militants.
Meanwhile, Senator Aminu who is Chairman, Senate Committee on Foreign Relations advised President Obasanjo to exhaust all available means of political settlement in resolving the crisis.
Senator Aminu who spoke to newsmen in Yola on Sunday stated that any other option outside political solution will not last. "I don't believe in military solution but I believe that political solution has got to be allowed to work. The way to do it is to allow all parties take part in the political solution," he said.
Senator Aminu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Senator, representing Adamawa Central Senatorial District also described the agitation of the Niger-Delta Militants as "genuine" but kicked against harassment of oil workers in the region.
Senator Aminu who spoke after a three day constituency tour of his district in Adamawa also described as "criminal" act by government officials who embezzle the people funds instead of developing their states. The governors have been sharing the funds meant for the development of their state and end up doing nothing for the people" he stated.
Answering questions on the recent adoption of the third term by Senator Ibrahim Mantu-led Constitution Review Committee, Senator Aminu appealed to Nigerians to allow the lawmakers do their job.
"If you believe that you have elected them and they are your representatives I think they should be allowed to do their jobs," he said.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
03/14/2006
00:41 ||
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An armed group created with government backing to drive al-Qaeda fighters out of a restive Iraqi province claimed Monday that it had killed five top members of the terror group.
The claim came in a statement posted on an Islamic Web site and attributed to the Anbar Revenge Brigade, recently formed by tribal leaders of the western Anbar province.
"Your brothers, heroes of the Revenge Brigade, carried out the killing of five important elements of al-Qaeda group, avenging the death of the sons of our Ramadi city," the statement said.
It listed the names of four alleged al-Qaeda leaders. The fifth man, it said, was from Ansar al-Sunnah, a terrorist group affiliated with al-Qaeda.
The claim was the first Internet posting by the Anbar Revenge Brigades and could not be independently verified.
Iraq's insurgents, including al-Qaeda fighters, routinely use the Internet to claim responsibility for attacks or to publicize their ideology.
Tribal and religious leaders, former officers of Saddam Hussein's army as well as hundreds of Anbar residents met last November in the provincial capital of Ramadi with U.S. military commanders to discuss means to speed up a U.S. withdrawal from the city.
News of the meeting appeared to have prompted a spate of killings targeting Iraqis who participated in the talks with the Americans as well as local figures who had urged the province's mostly Sunni residents to vote in the U.S.-backed parliamentary elections on Dec. 15.
Several top clerics and a tribal leader were killed. The deadliest attack a suicide bombing Jan. 5 among a line of police recruits in Ramadi killed at least 58, including U.S. troops.
The killings turned tribal leaders against followers of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the Jordanian-born leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, and the group has since claimed to have killed or detained hundreds of them.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
03/14/2006
00:40 ||
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#1
WHY THE F*CK DOESNT THE ASSSOCIATED PRESS PRINT THESE TYPE ARTICLES!!!! ITS SIMPLY UNFAIR AND WRONG THAT THEY REFUSE TO PRINT GOOD NEWS.
Osama bin Ladens Al Qaeda deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, lived in California in 1998 and 1999, a paid FBI informant testified on Monday in the trial of a Pakistani-American father and son accused of terrorism-related activity.
Naseem Kahn, 32, told a Sacramento jury he frequently saw Zawahri coming and going from the mosque in Lodi, California, south of Sacramento in 1998 and 1999, but never talked to him.
Zawahri, an Egyptian believed hiding somewhere in Pakistan, called on Muslims earlier this month to attack the West.
A spokeswoman for the FBI and an official for the US attorneys office declined to say whether Zawahri had lived there or had just passed through town. He is believed to have raised funds during travels in the United States at the time.
From what I understand ... in terms of his activities in the late 1990s, he really wasnt on the radar then, said Karen Ernst, spokeswoman for the FBI in Sacramento.
I might go visit my sister in the Bay Area and stay for a four-week visit and someone may see me regularly and make the assumption that I am living there, when, in fact, I am just visiting. All this would be speculation.
At the time, informant Khan was not employed by the FBI. He was hired shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks to infiltrate the Pakistani-American community in Lodi where FBI agents suspected there might be a terrorist.
Khan testified on cross-examination he did not know Zawahri was involved with any terrorist activities until after the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York when he saw pictures of Zawahri on television with bin Laden.
Khans testimony is key to the prosecutions case in the trial of Hamid Hayat, charged with lying to the FBI and providing material support to terrorists by attending terrorist training camps in Pakistan.
Hayats father, Umer, 48, is charged with lying to the FBI about his sons suspected attendance at the camps. The federal grand jury indictment in the case says Hamid Hayat intended to wage violent jihad against persons real and personal property in the United States.
Khan secretly recorded conversations with Hamid Hayat, including phone conversations when Hayat was in Pakistan. Hayats attorney says his client was in Pakistan to care for his ill mother. Hayat also was married shortly before his return to the United States in May 2005.
Both men have pleaded not guilty and have been in custody since June 2005.
They were arrested shortly after returning from Pakistan and after giving what the prosecutions says are videotaped confessions. The videotapes have been shown as evidence in court in the past two weeks of the trials.
Defense attorneys say their clients were tired from travel and work and simply told their interrogators what they wanted to hear.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
03/14/2006
00:38 ||
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#1
Abdullah Azzam, co-founder of al-Qaeda certainly visited the US, prior to his death-by-mine in Pakistan. But, Zawahiri was convicted by Egypt of membership in a terrorship organization, after the Sadat murder. He would not be a good candidate for a US visa.
#2
isn't this kinda late? why are we learning this now? did the "moderate muslims" of lodi JUST remember that he was there? did they just recently learn about his involvement with bin laden?
how come every other group polices itself and gives up its baddies quickly? why don't muslims do the same?
#3
Bullpuckys. FBI probably paid Kahn by the revelation.
Posted by: ed ||
03/14/2006 6:48
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But, Zawahiri was convicted by Egypt of membership in a terrorship organization, after the Sadat murder. He would not be a good candidate for a US visa.
Well, that just goes to prove that Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman could never be in the US! They've got the wrong man in that maximum security prison!
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
03/14/2006 7:28
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For Listen To Dogs: read my lips...Fraudulent Documents and Porous Border. Plus, convicted terrorist Ali Mohamed also told the FBI the Zawahiri visted California circa the same time.
"In late 1996 he was detained in Russia for six months by the FSB after he apparently tried to recruit jihadists in Chechnya. According to the FSB spokesman Sergei Ignatchenko, 'He had four passports, in four different names and nationalities. We checked him out in every country, but they could not confirm him. We could not keep him forever, so we took him to the Azerbaijani border and let him go.' In 1997 he was held responsible for the massacre of around sixty foreign tourists in the Egyptian town of Luxor, for which he was sentenced to death in absentia in 1999 by an Egyptian military tribunal."
Posted by: Yosemite Sam ||
03/14/2006 12:05
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Adam Pearlman went to the mosque in Lodi. He's on the FBI's most wanted - at least he was for a long time.
This is feeding into my conspiracy theory about the Yosemite Murders, Polly Klass, Chandra Levy (Gary Condit was a congressman from Lodi). I posted about it some time ago here link
The Bush administration has decided to release most of the documents captured in post-war Afghanistan and Iraq. The details of the document release are still being worked out, according to officials with knowledge of the discussions. Those details are critical. At issue are things like the timeframe for releasing the documents, the mechanism for scrubbing documents for sensitive information, and most important, the criteria for withholding documents from the public. But some of the captured files should be available to the public and journalists within weeks if not days.
President George W. Bush has made clear in recent weeks his displeasure with the delays in getting the information out to the American public. On February 16, one day after ABC News broadcast excerpts of recordings featuring Saddam Hussein and his war cabinet, Bush met with congressional Republicans and several senior national security officials and said three times that the documents should be released. "This stuff ought to be out," he told National Security Adviser, Stephen Hadley. "Put this stuff out." It seems Bush will soon get his wish.
Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-Mich.), who has been steadfast in his resolve to see these documents released, said today that "this is a bold decision in favor of openness that will go a long way towards improving our understanding of prewar Iraq . . . By placing these documents online and allowing the public the opportunity to review them, we can cut years off the time it will take to gain knowledge from this potential treasure trove of information."
Hadley and John Negroponte, the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), informed House Intelligence Committee chairman Pete Hoekstra on Saturday. The three men all attended the white-tie Gridiron Club dinner, a mainstay of the Washington establishment in which journalists and politicians poke fun at one another and themselves in a series of songs and skits.
For months, Negroponte has fought any large-scale release of captured documents, arguing alternately that the documents were only of historical interest and that they contained too much sensitive, "actionable" intelligence to be released publicly. Late last week, after Hoekstra appeared on "Fox & Friends" to renew his call for the release of the documents, Negroponte began to soften his opposition. The two men spoke Wednesday morning, and the DNI told Hoekstra he was open to releasing some of the documents labeled "no intelligence value" as a way to begin the release process. Hoekstra took the offer as a good first step, but in a letter to Negroponte that same day insisted that documents relevant to the war be included in any release. The House Intelligence chairman spoke with White House officials, including Negroponte and Hadley, throughout the day Thursday and Friday, with the hope of securing a deal that would permit the documents to be made public. He left for the weekend without any assurances.
On Saturday night, according to Hoekstra, Negroponte left the head table to deliver the news. "We're going to do it," the DNI told Hoekstra. Hadley told Hoekstra the same thing in a separate conversation.
"This is very, very helpful," said Hoekstra on Sunday. He said that Negroponte proposed first releasing documents labeled by the intelligence community as "NIVs," those documents thought to have "no intelligence value." Hoekstra says that he made clear that he wants to release all the documents, particularly those concerning weapons of mass destruction, links to terrorism, and Saddam's violence against his own people. And he wants those documents released soon.
"I love John Negroponte most of the time, but he's still a bureaucrat," says Hoekstra. "What's fast to him may not be fast to you and me."
Among the items Hoekstra wants released quickly are 68 Iraqi documents that his office requested last fall and recently obtained. Hoekstra says there is "no silver bullet, no smoking gun" in those documents, but that their contents are nonetheless very interesting.
"Saddam Hussein and his henchmen systematically destroyed much of the good stuff," says Hoekstra. "We want to see what he missed." Indeed, in one memo found in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), the director of Iraqi Intelligence commands recipients to burn their offices. Paul Bremer, in his book My Year in Iraq, describes reading a similar memo. He writes: "Operatives were to engage in sabotage and looting."
Michael Tanji worked for four years on media exploitation for the DIA, rising to division chief. He believes that with proper resources devoted to digital media exploitation, even some of the information the Iraqis intended to destroy can be recovered.
"It is the release of captured digital media, more than paper documents, that will likely provide the most comprehensive view on what was going on in Iraq; the state of any WMD programs as well as the true nature of what was on the mind of Saddam's trusted class," says Tanji.
"Even if an order had come down to delete any sensitive data, only the most security conscious bother to go through the time and trouble of erasing digital data in a fashion that would defeat forensic recovery. With the U.S. Army rapidly approaching, the probability that scientists and officers took the appropriate steps to destroy incriminating data drops precipitously. That U.S. military and intelligence forces were able to obtain so much digital media from Iraqi citizens or the few government facilities that were not looted further supports this theory."
Tanji adds: "Interviews and interrogations of former regime leaders can produce meaningful results, but even under the best circumstances, long after the fact, human memory is fallible. A more accurate depiction of pre-war Iraq was put down on paper and in computer files at the time."
No one can say with any certainty what will come from the document release. Intelligence officials with knowledge of the exploitation process estimate that less than 4 percent of the overall document collection has been fully exploited. It's reasonable to assume that documents in the collection will provide support to both supporters of the war in Iraq and critics. Summaries of the exploited materials, listed in a U.S. government database known as HARMONY, suggest that the new material will at least complicate the overly simplified conventional wisdom that the former Iraqi regime posed no real threat.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
03/14/2006
00:35 ||
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Is this where people say that Bush played the nay sayers for the suckers that they chose to be? The contents of these documents, and the Saddam Hussein tapes, need to be trumpeted from the housetops, though, in order for Bush to collect the pot. Far be it for me to tell Karl Rove how to do his job, but he needs to take care of this -- loud, fast and unavoidably everywhere. I want to hear about it from Jay Leno and Jon Stewart, on 60 Minutes and Frontline; see it on the pages of the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and USA Today; big articles in Newsweek and Time, long interviews on various NPR shows. And plenty from the Conservative talk radio. I want Mr. Wife to tell me about it in tones of outrage.
And boy! do I want those whining CIA expellees nailed to the wall on this -- not because they didn't have the proof, which is hard to find in a closed, totalitarian society like Saddam Husssein's Iraq, but because they chose to speak against Bush, in violation of the contract between those in intelligence and the nation that employed them, AND THEY WERE WRONG. And by so speaking out, they deliberately split the nation, which they consciously chose to do out of mere political pique. Although it's possible that last is just me being petty and vindictive.
Your thoughts on this are far from petty and rather than being vindictive, your moral outrage is simply an intelligent response to those who would undermine our civilization for reasons that truly deserve to be called petty. In a more just world, you would be making Maureen Dowd's salary for your words. But because I get to read so many intelligent, witty opinions here for free, I suppose that it's petty on my part to complain about the injustice of the world!
Creator says 'he's cashed plenty of checks with our show making fun of Christians'
Outspoken Scientologist Isaac Hayes, an Oscar-winning singer heard by millions in recent years as the "Chef" character on "South Park," has quit the cartoon four months after an episode spoofing Scientology.
"There is a place in this world for satire, but there is a time when satire ends and intolerance and bigotry towards religious beliefs of others begins," the 63-year-old soul singer said in a statement.
"Religious beliefs are sacred to people, and at all times should be respected and honored," he continued, never mentioning the Scientology episode, but citing the recent controversy over cartoon depictions of the prophet Muhammad. "As a civil-rights activist of the past 40 years, I cannot support a show that disrespects those beliefs and practices."
In an interview with the Associated Press, "South Park" co-creator Matt Stone responded sharply, saying, "This is 100 percent having to do with his faith of Scientology. ... He has no problem and he's cashed plenty of checks with our show making fun of Christians."
He said he and co-creator Trey Parker "never heard a peep out of Isaac in any way until we did Scientology. He wants a different standard for religions other than his own, and to me, that is where intolerance and bigotry begin."
In a previous interview published by ContactMusic.com, Parker said they avoided animated shows about Scientology for years because they didn't wish to upset Hayes, who gained fame in the 1970s with his song, "Shaft," from the movie of the same name.
"To be honest, what kept us from doing it before was Isaac Hayes. We knew he was a Scientologist and he's an awesome guy. We're like, 'Let's just avoid that for now,'" Parker said. "Finally, we just had to tell Isaac, 'Dude, we totally love working with you, and this is nothing personal, it's just we're South Park, and if we don't do this, we're belittling everything else we've ripped on.'"
The episode that focused on Scientology originally aired on Comedy Central in November, and did not include Hayes' name in the end credits.
It featured a cartoon boy on the show being mistaken for L. Ron Hubbard, the science-fiction writer who founded the religion. A portion of the show had Scientologists explaining the basic beliefs of the faith, including aliens populating the Earth, with a statement that flashed on screen reading, "This is what Scientologists actually believe." (Click here to view that portion of the program.)
The faith has been featured prominently in the media in recent years, with high-profile names including John Travolta, Tom Cruise and Fox News Channel host Greta Van Susteren members.
#7
I couldn't stop laughing about how RIGHT that episode was about Scientology. You can make cases for religions being far-our there, but Scientology is one I half expect to announce a comet as "the mothership". You know what happens next.
Posted by: Charles ||
03/14/2006 4:08
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#8
Happy to lampoon everything and everyone else under the sun, but let the same light shine on his "sacred" (LOL) scientology and he gets his shorts in a bunch. If ever there was an equal-opportunity offender, SP was it.
Sorry, Isaac, you were once treated as cool, now treated as just another looney hypocrit fool. Saved from oblivion by the South Park team, now back you go... Don't let the paystubs hit ya in the ass...
#10
Anyone remember if Chef appeared in the episode about the "Holy Writ of Vatican Law"?
Oh well -- I used to respect Hayes.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
03/14/2006 7:20
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#11
Well, Isaac Hayes is such a dynamic force in television that I doubt the industry can survive his leaving. I submit it to you gentlemen, the television is dead!
#12
Among the four black clergy to be honored at Scientology's annual Ebony Awakening awards ceremony is Minister Louis Farrakhan of the Nation of Islam.
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/13696
#17
Such a lovely faith. Invented by a science fiction writer some time after he's published a short story about an science fiction writer who'd invented a religion for the money, L. Ron Hubbard ended up dieing three times -- twice for tax purposes, the third time for real. Yes indeed, that's the kind of faith that calls to me in my nights of doubt and despair.
#21
Yoohoo! Mr. F&ckwit. Yes, you, Mr. Hayes. Remember that little thingy called freedom of speech. You know, that niggling little constitutional amendment that let's you, me and everyone else make fun of whoever in he|| we want to? You know, just like you've spent so many years doing at South Park. I guess it's time you learned that:
SACRED COWS MAKE THE BEST HAMBURGERS
As to the Scientologists and Nation of Islam, just one buncha scam artistes cuddling up with another. Mutual admiration society, I'd say.
#24
try to leave and they treat you like an apostate from Islam...
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/14/2006 19:15
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#25
and rumors were (and they might be totally false) that his yacht that stayed in international waters moved heroin.
Perhaps.
More intriguing to me: Would Zimbabwe be in better or worse shape had Cecil Rhodes accepted Hubbard's offer of assistance?
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
03/14/2006 19:47
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#26
Ah, Isaac, we thought we knew you. You had such fun with every other religion and sacred cow..
I propose that if you can't live with poking fun at the steriotypes that are encompassed in you beliefs, then you belong to a cult.
Healthy cultures and people with beliefs can stand a poking. Indeed, they produce comedians that specialise in just that. It keeps the thinking open to growth.
American and Nato forces are following up reports that the Taliban have received vital components for shoulder-fired Stinger missiles from Pakistani officials enabling them to be used against helicopters in Afghanistan. It is claimed that the missiles have been fitted with new battery packs allegedly provided by the Pakistani intelligence service, ISI, in the past four months. Western sources say they are not sure whether the supplies, needed to make the US-made missiles operational, were provided by rogue elements within the Pakistani secret service, or approved at a high level.
The first meeting of Supreme Council on Iranians Living Abroad was held here Sunday attended by First Vice President Parviz Davoudi and related ministers. In the meeting, vice-president elucidated the policies of the 9th government concerning establishment of appropriate conditions in the related ministries for constructive interaction with Iranians living abroad.
Vice-President Davoudi emphasized the necessity of strengthening the supreme council's secretariat and said all executive bodies of government are responsible for this aim.
In the meeting, Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki clarified activities of Iran's representative offices in foreign countries concerning Iranian expatriates and declared upcoming foreign ministry programs in establishing specialized groups and non-governmental bodies among Iranians living abroad. Ministers of 'Labor and Social Affairs', 'Economics as well as Finance', 'Science, Researches and Technology', 'Foreign Affairs' and representatives of other governmental bodies and ministries expounded their viewpoints on the issue.
Headline slightly misleading, in my uninformed opinion the Arabs are floating a trial balloon to see how the markets react. They prolly don't want to lose *too* much money.
Middle Eastern anger over the decision by the US to block a Dubai company from buying five of its ports hit the dollar yesterday as a number of central banks said they were considering switching reserves into euros. The United Arab Emirates, which includes Dubai, said it was looking to move one-tenth of its dollar reserves into euros, while the governor of the Saudi Arabian central bank condemned the US move as "discrimination".
Separately, Syria responded to US sanctions against two of its banks by confirming plans to use euros instead of dollars for its external transactions. Syria has switched the state's foreign currency transactions to euros from dollars, the head of the state-owned Commercial Bank of Syria, Duraid Durgham, said.
The remarks combined to knock the dollar, which fell against the euro, pound and yen yesterday as analysts warned other central banks might follow suit. The euro rose a quarter of one percentage point against the dollar to a one-week high of $1.1945, although it retreated in later trading.
I'm not an econ expert; I'd appreciate some informed commentary in the comments.
#4
Short term, look for oil prices to rise, and the euro to go up vs the dollar as other players hedge their bets. (Notice these are only plans at this time, they haven't actually done it yet.) Should they follow through, expect a rise in inflation and lending rates here in the US as the money supply tightens a bit.
So, great for the Europeans, right? Not exactly. Their goods become even more expensive vs the dollar. I guarantee Airbus ain't gonna like that, nor will any other European industries that compete directly with us. Fewer American tourist dollars won't make them smile, either.
The real test is whether they do it, and how long they hold onto the euros in the first place. They have had plenty of opportunity in the past to do exactly this and haven't followed through.
Look at it this way. I would be more concerned regarding our economy if they had already accumulated substantial euro reserves and were adding to them. That would be a definite vote of no confidence in our economy. That is not the situation here.
It's more than likely just a way for the Emirates to hit back because their pride has been injured. Think of a kid saying "I'm taking my bat and my ball and going home" when things don't go his way, and you have the general idea. The Saudis and especially the Syrians are just hopping on the bandwagon. (I mean, who really cares what the Syrians do? It's not like they are the big moneybags in the region...)
Bottom line: unless major commodities are priced on the world market in euros, yen, or renminbi, the dollar is still where it's at. Take note and see what they actually do in the next few months. More than likely it's just talk and a way to make our economy catch a minor case of the sniffles.
(Unless you are a NY Times writer, especially Krugman, since of course, this is the most horrible economic news EVER, and proof that cowboy Bush is mismanaging the economy....and we're all gonna DIE, I tell you!!)
#5
This is real bad. The ports deal may have more drastic repercussions than expected if this turns from threat to reality.
The Arabs have a conspiracy that Iraq was invaded in part because they ripped their currency off the dollar and refused to sell oil in dollars anymore. Iran has already said they are going to shift from dollars I believe in their new year and Syria has hinted to such.
The idea is this, the oil being based on the dollar means that if oil gets to expensive the US gov can build up debt then just print out dollars basically reducing the price actually paid. Since the US in the only one to print dollars it gives the US control to a point.
Iran and crew want to end this scenario not that it will help them so much the EU will be as bad or worse than the US, but it will hurt the US because then if the US prints money it will just take more dollars to buy the same EU dollars worth of oil.
This goes with the Arab gold coin idea were you would then have an Arab controlled currency fix and they would have full control.
I am actually surprised by UAE I understand their anger but I am sure they must understand they will get taken care of later on with some payback. They of all people must realize that at this point in history its tread light on America I mean we are at War. Hell any foreign control of our ports right now is bound to get a reaction Arab or not.
I seriously doubt this will pan out to anything real thou, just sounds like a show me the money ploy.
I am not a economics expert just relaying what I have heard and read with some basic economic knowledge.
#6
The move by these banks will have very little effect on the $US.
There are two issues.
First is seignorage. If you go to this location, you will see that US monetary base (ie currency on issue) as at 15 February 2006 is worth US$795,304,000,000.
Assume a nominal interest rate of 5% then we get seignorage of about $40 billion.
A lot of this seignorage will come from the people of the USA so the amount coming from the rest of the world will be a lesser figure, generally around 15-25%
So you are looking at between 6 and 10 billion, which is certainly not the source of US hegemony, as the conspiratorists like to claim.
On the downside for the Arab banks is the fact that they are making it harder for their trade partners to do business with them by demanding that they use a less liquid currency.
Posted by: Rafael ||
03/14/2006 1:06
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#8
There are two separate issues here. One is the currency you trade in and the other is the currency of foreign assets you hold.
The first has a minor impact on the demand for a particular currency. Its easy to explain why. I sell a product for USD. You say I want to pay in Euros. I say fine. You pay me. Ten minutes later I convert the Euros to USD. Net effect zero.
The second has a much greater effect on the demand for a currency, but as someone mentioned, results in liquidity issues and other effects that tend to reduce the effect of selling USD assets.
#11
This is real bad. The ports deal may have more drastic repercussions than expected if this turns from threat to reality.
Uh-huh.
The US refused to let a jihad-financing government invest in US port operations, so they throw even more tantrums in the Middle East. Meanwhile, their Friday prayers are chock-full of calls for our deaths, enslavement, etc. and we don't do anything about it.
the governor of the Saudi Arabian central bank condemned the US move as "discrimination"
How many Bibles in Saudi Arabia? Churches? How many Jews?
Is it possible for someone with an Israeli stamp on their passport to get into Saudi Arabia?
What's being said about the US, England, Australia, India, and Israel in Saudi's government-funded mosques?
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
03/14/2006 7:25
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#12
A real worry here is that this will give impetus to other [real] governments, with assests and tangibles beyond some oil monies, to switch to Euro as well. We could see the doomsday prediction of dollar crash big time, etc.
However, there is one thing backing the dollar that no other currency has going for it ... the United States military. When push comes to shove, it doesn't matter how many meetings and guests you put up at 5 star hotels, it matters how many 5 star hotels you can raze!
Everyone in the world knows, be it concious or sub-concious, that if anything really big goes down, the US will have to solve it. Along for the ride comes the security of our currency.
Further, Eurozone is terrified, absolutley terrified of an even weaker dollor because of the exchange. The companies in our industry, based in the US that sell to Eurozone would be fine with a bit or moderate decrease in dollar.
Now, what we really need, is global supply of Aluminum, Titanium, etc to open up and cheapen up - spot buying at 40 - 50% increased rates is killing us (and everyone else).
#14
Actually, cutting the money supply leads to deflation according to my text books.
Current account is one of those bugbears that the press uses to scare us. You really need to look at the total account. In 2005 it was
Current Account: -$668B
Captital Account: -$5.6B
Financial Account: +$801B
Account surplus: +$127B
There was also a "statistical discrepancy" of $9.6B. This is down considerably from previous years. The statistical discrepancy is believed to reflect drug transactions, money laundering, hawala banking, terror financing, etc. The drastic drop in the statistical discrepancy may indicate that we are actually winning on this front of the war. It's too early to know for sure though.
Without boring everyone here, what this all means is that a lot of foreign countries are underpricing their currency to create manufacturing jobs for their own. Then since their productivity sucks and therefore their jerry-rigged industries are crappy investments, they take their money and invest it right back into the USA. (I'm ignoring rule of law, property rights and transparency issues here for the sake of brevity.)
I'm not saying that this is real healthy for the US long term, but this is why our economy never collapses despite the on-going doom-saying beginning with the petrodollar and Eurodollar "crisis" of the 70's.
Australian soldiers are to step up their duties in Iraq to provide front-line combat support for coalition troops.
Defence Minister Brendan Nelson said Australian forces would move to a new "overwatch" role supporting Iraqi soldiers, in response to a request from Iraq's government.
A spokesman for Dr Nelson said today it would involve stepping up duties for the Australian troops currently on rotation in Iraq as part of Operation Catalyst.
The overwatch duties will be a significant change in operations for Australian troops, who are currently providing support for Japanese engineers in a relatively secure part of southern Iraq.
"It's more than what they're doing with the Japanese engineers," a spokesman for Dr Nelson said today.
Overwatch was "a support program" that involved "providing covering fire to coalition allies in Iraq."
While numbers of troops assigned to overwatch duties are yet to be agreed, those on the new mission are likely to be operating in more hostile environments than their current posting with the Al-Mutthana Task Group.
"Australian troops have done much more than this before," the minister's spokesman said, "but it is a change for the troops that are there at the moment.
"They are stepping up their operations."
Australia has about 450 troops in southern Iraq engaged in training the Iraq military and guarding Japanese military engineers.
"We will move some time over the next three to four months pending the movement of the Japanese to supporting the overwatch program," Dr Nelson said on ABC radio.
"So what we will be doing is we will be supporting the Iraqi security forces, Iraqi police and Iraqi local government in administering and managing their own affairs. And we will respond to requests from the Iraqi government."
It is understood the Federal Government has ruled out sending Australian troops to Basra, where British troops have been stationed since the Iraq war in 2003.
The Australian deployment was initially scheduled to end around mid-year but Dr Nelson foreshadowed the mission would now continue into next year.
Dr Nelson said he had spoken with British Defence Minister John Reid last night about Britain's plan to withdraw about 800 of its forces from southern Iraq.
He said Mr Reid had made the point that Britain was marginally reducing troop numbers and would remain while needed. Australia would do the same, Dr Nelson said.
The timetable for a full withdrawal of US-led troops has been the subject of strong speculation in recent weeks, with some reports suggesting all coalition forces could be out of Iraq by next year.
Islamabad - The visiting US energy secretary Samuel Bodman Monday practically disapproved a proposed multi-billion dollars gas pipeline project that will bring the fuel from Iran to Pakistan. We do not approve this project as Iran is developing nuclear weapons, he told a group of select media in Islamabad after talks with Pakistani leaders including Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmud Kasuri.
"Nope, nope, won't go for it, nope, can't be done."
Bodman was on a day-long visit to discuss Pakistans energy needs and said his country stands ready to assist Islamabad develop sustainable energy options. He said his country also did not encourage contractual obligations by any country with Iran vis-a-vis the pipeline project that could be extended to India.
Pakistani, Iranian and Indian petroleum officials were to begin three-day talks in Teheran on Monday to discuss technical and financial aspects of the project structure ahead of the trilateral ministerial meeting planned in April.
American officials, including Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, have often publicly expressed reservations about the multi-billion-dollar pipeline project, which Pakistan says is essential for its growing energy demands. However, without making any financial commitment, Bodman said his country was ready to help Pakistan explore and exploit its own vast but untapped renewable energy resources such as the coal in central and southern regions.
Posted by: Steve White ||
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#1
Energy is going to be the weapon of the future. I wonder who will try to use it against us first. Irand doesn't sell oil to us, but I expect the Saudis or Venezuelans to pull that shit on us sooner than later.
#2
Bodman really slapped the pakis silly.
They'll remember his visit for some time.
There is no such thing I have discussed here. I told you that I am not here to discuss the issue of offering civilian nuclear cooperation to Pakistan. Let me make it clear to you that nuclear energy is not part of our agenda. Therefore, it did not come up for discussion.
Posted by: john ||
03/14/2006 17:58
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#3
How many nukes did Pakistan hand over to Iran for the gas? Have they agreed on the new borders for the surrounding are and the ME? Pak's still got the big Al Q guys under protection - Mush can't be risking the wrath of the US for nothing by continuing his connection and building masses of terrorists out in the NWFP.
Strange and worriesome bedfellows. Nuts in a jar, with explosives.
An Indian administration official says police and soldiers have reached the scene of a train that went missing overnight in a remote region in eastern India and that all the passengers are safe. Late on Monday, an Indian railway official had announced that communist insurgents attacked two trains, one of them a passenger train with more than 200 people aboard.
Details were scant, but the railway official in the eastern state of Jharkhand said the driver of a cargo train reported that his train and another passenger train had come under attack from Maoist rebels. AK Shukla, the divisional railway manager, said the cargo train had managed to escape but efforts to contact the passenger train had failed.
On Tuesday, KK Sone, the top official in Latehar district, a relatively inaccessible part of India where the seizure occurred, said the rebels had fled by the time authorities arrived at the scene, in an isolated part of Jharkhand state, just after dawn. "It appears that they just wanted to prove a point that they could do such a thing," Sone told The Associated Press. He said there had been no shooting, and that none of the 50 or so passengers on the train had been hurt.
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A short article was posted yesterday; this is from the Guardian/AP and has all the details for those who want them. Take your blood pressure meds first. Bottom lawyer: the lawyer responsible needs to be disbarred.
Posted by: Steve White ||
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#1
So - is this deliberate sabotage by a death penalty opposing lackey? (My first thought.) Or just an unbelievable lapse in judgement?
#3
Just have the fed's report the day, time, and location of M-man's release. Let the public render justice if the system is too full of itself.
Another justification for Gitmo during time of war. Should have gone for little Johnny Taliban's neck too. Just too much concern for the worst of the world.
#4
Carla Martin needs to be disbarred for life (hat tip Frank G), and then jailed hard time for the maximum term possible. How anyone could have defied a judge's direct orders alongside of such dubious conduct as coaching witnesses, especially in such a critical case, demonstrates nothing short of criminality.
#5
Using google *spit* arguments "Carla Martin" and TSA or FAA seems to indicate she's a lawyer with the Dept of Transportation - perhaps recently moved into TSA. Apparently another lawyer acting as self-appointed policymaker (policy-usurper) of the Jamie Gorelick variety.
#8
The question this raises in my mind is what an FAA/TSA lawyer is doing anywhere near the death penalty phase of a major prosecution. The DOJ has lawyers who do this kind of thing for a living and do it damned well.
Posted by: Matt ||
03/14/2006 16:14
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#9
Matt, according to this story she was the liason between FAA and TSA (I think.) So DOJ is probably running the main prosecution. She is not described in a very flattering manner in the article.
#13
Ice, Your right, I'm trying to forget that we can not get this guy convicted of terrorist actions, even though he openly admitted to it!!! It's no wonder DOD won't let anyone into GITMO, They're afraid DOL will call them hero's and our courts will give them monitary rewards!!!
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
03/14/2006 19:46
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#14
oops DOJ
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
03/14/2006 19:47
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AMMAN - Jordans state prosecutor on Monday called for the maximum jail penalty of 15 years for four Jordanians accused of plotting terror attacks on Americans training Iraqi police. The prosecutor wrapped up his case and urged the court to convict the suspects on three counts of plotting to carry out terror acts, possession of an automatic weapon for illicit use and possession of an unlicenced firearm, a judicial source said.
The suspects, who have been under arrest since September 2005, denied any wrongdoing and told the court they were made to testify under duress, the source said.
"Lies! All lies! I got the marks to prove it!"
They are specifically accused of having plotted to attack American nationals training Iraqi policemen in Jordan. Alleged ringleader Moaz Breizat, 19 at the time of his arrest, and co-defendant Obada Hiyari met in August 2005 three men, including a Saudi national, who encouraged them to carry out an attack against the Americans, according to court papers. The other two co-defendants are Ibrahim Jahawshah and Faisal Rweidan.
Strangely, the Saoodi national wasn't indicted and hasn't been found.
The security court, a military tribunal, is due to reconvene on March 22 to hear the defences closing statement.
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A moderate earthquake has shaken parts of northern Pakistan devastated by a catastrophic tremor last October, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties. The 5.2 magnitude quake had its epicentre in the Hindu Kush mountain range in Afghanistan, about 300 kilometres north of the Pakistani city of Peshawar, Pakistan's Meteorological Office says.
The quake was felt in Peshawar, as well as in the towns of Dir, Chitral, Mansehra as well as the capital Islamabad, it says. Mansehra and Islamabad both suffered damage in the catastrophic 7.6 magnitude earthquake that hit northern Pakistan on October 8, killing more than 73,000 people. More than 1,750 aftershocks have been recorded since then and meteorological officials expect more will be felt until May. On Friday, an aftershock measuring 5.2 killed one man and injured 16 people in Pakistani Kashmir, one of the regions worst hit by the October disaster.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
It would be interesting if this long series of earthquakes and the drift adjustment that caused the tsunami were all do the the Pak-Indian underground nuke dual beginning the release of some stuck slipage spots.
Anyway it would make a great novel plot.... oh wait... Lex Luther did it in Superman 1.
Palestinian Prime Minister-designate Ismail Haniya said Monday Hamas would make Islamic Sharia the source of selecting cabinet members. Haniya said in remarks in Gaza he planned to create a post of an advisor for Islamic Sharia affairs to protect the "Islamic Sharia and to prepare all relevant issues in all domains." He said the "next government will resort to the Islamic Sharia in selecting its ministers." On the dialogue with Fatah to forming the government, Haniya said Hamas would continue this dialogue with all parliamentary blocs to reach a compromise. "I hope we finish the government formation on the basis of a wide national coalition," he added.
The US President has embarked on a new public relations blitz in a bid to counter growing American scepticism about the Iraq war. As the third anniversary of the US led invasion of Iraq looms, President George W Bush is pleading with Americans to be patient. He has begun a new series of speeches to try to reassure them that Iraq has avoided a civil war, although he has been careful not to promise the violence is waning. "There will be more tough fighting and more days of struggle and we will see more images of chaos and carnage in the days to come," he told a pro-democracy group in Washington.
During the speech, Mr Bush accused Iran of contributing to the unrest in Iraq, saying some of the homemade bombs that are wreaking havoc in the country came from Iraq's eastern neighbour. Locked in a test of wills with Iran over its nuclear ambitions, Mr Bush said during a speech about the Iraq war that "some of the most powerful IEDs [improvised explosive devices] we are seeing in Iraq today include components that came from Iran." Quoting his national intelligence director, John Negroponte, Mr Bush said Iran has been responsible for at least some of the increasingly deadly attacks in Iraq. "Coalition forces have seized IEDs and components that were clearly produced in Iran," Mr Bush said.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#5
Would someone please please put a bullet in this rice burner. His people are staving and all he can do is come up with lies about how many hole in ones he has gotten playing golf.
DEBKAfile Exclusive: Saudi Arabia promises a Hamas-led Palestinian government will not be short of moneySaudi media kept a tight lid on the visit to Riyadh of a five-man Hamas delegation headed by Damascus-based politburo chief Khaled Meshaal. At the same time, the visitors were given a red carpet welcome by Muslim Brotherhood websites which are popular with the Saudi public. These websites advised all Palestinian organizations and the Palestinian people that if they throw their support behind a Hamas government they will not be short of funds. [...]
Color me skeptical, the Saudis only love their Noble Paleo Brethren(tm) when they are down and out. But if this story is true, I'd rather have Soddy cash going down the rathole.
British forces in Iraq are to be reduced by about 800 to just over 7,000 personnel in the next few months, Defence Secretary John Reid says. Dr Reid told the House of Commons that the forces could be withdrawn in May because many more Iraqi forces were ready to carry out duties performed until now by British troops. Some 235,000 members of the Iraqi security forces are now trained and equipped with 5,000 more signing up each month, he added. British forces will still control operations for both their own troops and Iraqis for the time being, he said. "But let me stress that the significant reductions I have announced are not part of the handover of security responsibilities to the Iraqis themselves," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
Fair enough. Rotate the troops out for rest and refurbishment -- they'll need it before their next assignment.
Leaders of Lebanon's rival factions resumed on Monday talks seeking consensus on the biggest issues that divide the country - the status of the Shebaa Farms, the fate of the pro-Syrian president and the UN call for Hezbollah's disarmament. Aljazeera reported that the national dialogue conference resumed in Beirut after a six-day interruption caused mainly by disagreement over the status of the Shebaa Farms - an Israeli-occupied border area that the Hezbollah says is Lebanese but that the UN says is Syrian unless Beirut and Damascus amend their border.
Monday's discussions focused on the main points of contention, particularly whether the Shebaa Farms belong to Lebanon or Syria. Druze MP Walid Jumblatt and Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah brought to the meeting documents and maps to buttress their respective viewpoints on the Shebaa case, Aljazeera said. The participants reached an initial agreement to work towards establishing full diplomatic ties with Syria and to disarm Palestinian fighters outside the country's 12 refugee camps, political sources told Reuters. They said the leaders, meeting to head off a political crisis, also edged closer to agreeing on how to address the issue of Shebaa Farms. "The issue of Lebanon's relations with Syria is already behind our backs now," one political source told Reuters on condition of anonymity. Another senior politician said a text was being drafted on the issue for the leaders to sign and announce on Tuesday.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
"How ya keep 'em down on the farm,
"After they've seen Tel Aviiiiiiiiv!"
____________________________________
Hizbullah Marching Song
The Kurdistan Workers Party has said that one of its members carried out a suicide bombing in southeast Turkey last week in which two other people were also killed. The PKK said in a statement late on Sunday: "It has been determined that the action in Van on 9 March was undertaken by Devrim Solduk, codenamed Dengtav, on his own initiative and decision." It also said that the explosion had been an "accident".
"In a letter our friend left, he said he would carry out such an action because the Turkish state launched a destructive process against our leader Apo," it said. The PKK statement said Solduk was born in 1977 in the southeastern town of Siverek and had studied at Yildiz Technical University in Istanbul before joining the rebels. Apo is the codename of Abdullah Ocalan, the PKK leader captured by Turkish security forces in 1999 and sentenced to life imprisonment on an island near Istanbul. Ocalan is reviled in much of Turkey as the man responsible for the death of more than 30,000 people since the PKK launched its armed struggle in 1984 for a Kurdish state in southeast Turkey.
As well as the deaths, 19 people were injured in the 9 March blast, which occurred near the Van governor's office. Officials said at the time they believed that it was a suicide bomb.
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BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - The Iraqi Defense and Interior ministries have reached an agreement requiring them to conduct all raids jointly, in a bid to stop the operations of alleged death squads masquerading as police commandos.
Sunni Muslims have complained for months that their community is under attack from death squads operating under the guise of Interior Ministry commandos. Interior Minister Bayan Jabr, who controls Iraq police, is a Shiite.
Defense Minister Saadoun al-Dulaimi is a Sunni Muslim, the country's minority sect that had been dominant under ousted leader Saddam Hussein, himself a Sunni. "Brothers we have to pull out by the roots the evil which is trying to destroy this country," al-Dulaimi said at a news conference after meeting with Jabr at the Interior Ministry.
The agreement the two ministers signed on Sunday further requires them to share intelligence that could lead to any raid before reaching a joint decision to conduct the operation. "We are facing a very tough security situation that requires this kind of joint cooperation against the devils that want Iraqis to fight each other," Jabr said.
U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad had said shortly before the Samarra bombing that the United States would not countenance Iraqi leaders beholden to a sectarian militia. Nearly three months after Dec. 15 parliamentary elections, the legislature still has been unable to meet to approve al-Jaafari's nomination as prime minister. A coalition of Kurdish politicians, including President Jalal Talabani, Sunnis and some sectarian lawmakers was formed recently in an attempt to block al-Jaafari from naming the country's first permanent post-invasion government.
The United States has made that a precondition to its hopes to begin drawing down troops this summer. Parliament has now been ordered into a first session on March 19, but the date has already been called into question. The legislature has 60 days after its first meeting to elect a new president and approve the prime minister and his Cabinet.
Posted by: Steve White ||
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Anybody found to be part of a death squad will immediately be killed by a death squad community outreach group.
Pakistan on Monday angrily denied allegations by Afghanistan's senate chief that President Pervez Musharraf ordered a suicide attack against him, escalating tension between the neighbours. Sebghatullah Mujadidi, also a former Afghan president, made the accusation after he escaped Sunday's bombing with minor injuries. Two attackers and two bystanders were killed. Foreign Office spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam condemned the attack on Mujadidi but rejected his accusation that Pakistan was involved. She pointed out that President Karzai had said that investigations were underway and there was no evidence of who was involved.
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The Mad Mullahs of Iran told their puppet Iraqi Shiite leader Moqtada Al-Sadr [to call] upon all Iraqi parties and classes to join in signing a memorandum calling for peace and calm, and asking the Iraqi Sunni clergies to declare Al-Zarqawi and his followers infidels. Al-Sadr said Monday at a press conference in Al-Najaf that no more families should be forced to leave their homes as is the current case in several Iraqi provinces. He said that the Iraqi people's unity is vital at this time, adding that sectarian actions should be stopped and families who have been forced out of their homes and towns should return to their normal lives.
Al-Sadr condemned American Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld's statements, pointing out that 'We don't want interferences whether or not an Iraqi civil war begins.' Iraqi political parties should cooperate to form a solid government as soon as possible to protect 'Iraqi blood', Al-Sadr said, adding that committees should be formed to organize the protection of Shiite and Sunni areas alike.
Al-Sadr stressed that he prefers peace and calm to violence, pointing out that he has the ability to face all kinds of attacks in Al-Najaf and other areas.
#1
Al-Sadr stressed that he prefers peace and calm to violence, pointing out that he has the ability to face all kinds of attacks in Al-Najaf and other areas.
yeeaahhrriiigghhtt, when facing the US Armed Forces the his Tots tasted overwhelming death and defeat each time.
Peshmerga could drop kick Tater and his Tots all the way back to Tehran.
#2
I never thought I would say it but I actually support old Sadr on this one. It would be a real coup to get the AQ boys declared infidels. And this proposal if it gets some press may actually have legs. Most of the Iraqi nationalist, bathist, and Sunni leaders already have declared open war on Zark so to declare him foreign infidel would be a minor compromise but with some big time PR benefit on all fronts the general Iraqi pop, the Shia, and of course the US.
Kinda makes you wonder if old Sadr really will go to the mat for his handlers in Iran. I remember a day when Sadr declared his alliance with AQ then of course after the US rolled over his crew that all changed real quick.
I would still bet that he jumps when we hit Iran even if it is just a test the waters kind of thing not all out.
#3
Humm -- just thinking out-loud. So Sadr p***s off ZMan by calling him an infidel. Don't we got some guys that can neutralize Sadr, making it look like ZMan did it?
Posted by: Bobby ||
03/14/2006 12:36
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I like the way #4 Sherry thinks.
Getting to the SOB could be hard. He spends the bulk of his time in mosques surrounded by a multitude of Tater's Tots and Iranian spies, together with the appropiate compliment of Islamic Iron Shields: women, children, and baby ducks.
Posted by: Mark Z ||
03/14/2006 15:40
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I'd feel happier if Sadr could declare them "enemies" rather than "infidels". Start to understand that enemies are enemies whether they be muslims or infidels. Not all infidels are enemies, is another lesson. They do seem to be catching on that not all muslims are allies.
Peshawar District Nazim Haji Ghulam Ali put pressure on the local police in order to deprive us of our ancestral lands, Wahid Gul, a resident of Hashtnagri, said on Monday. Addressing a press conference, he alleged that the district nazim had, on a number of occasions, sent proclaimed offenders to force his family members to handover a two-kanal piece of land. He said that the nazim wanted the plot to be handed over to his son in law, who owns a hotel in the vicinity.
Wahid alleged that the Nazim had prepared forged documents of the plot, whereas they possessed the original documents, and appealed to the NWFP chief minister to intervene. He said that the plot belonged to thirteen members of his family and that it was the only asset his family had. He said that Hashtnagri police had raided their house several times in the last week without any court orders, and tried to oust them from the plot. "We raised a commotion, and the residents of the area, who knew the property belonged to us, saved us from the police," he claimed.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/14/2006
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The government has blocked all websites that carry caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad (ptui pbuh) on the Internet, and the attorney general has been asked to explore legal avenues for implementing a global ban on these sites. A three-member bench, consisting of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, Justice Javed Buttar and Justice Mian Shakirullah Jan, issued notices and directed the attorney general to inform the court next Monday as to how it could prevent access to such objectionable material on the internet worldwide.
At which point were Pak primitives put in charge of the internet? Did we miss something?
The bench was jointly hearing the petition of Dr Mohammad Imran Uppal and Maulvi Iqbal Haider, seeking a complete blockage of sites carrying the cartoons and their depictions.
It's their country. They can be as stoopid as they want within their own borders. The caliphate doesn't own the rest of the world, though, regardless of how much they covet it.
Iftikhar Rashid, chairman of the Pakistan Electronic Media and Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) and Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Chairman Shahzada Alam Malik were also present in court. The federal government, the Telecommunications ministry, PEMRA, PTA, Yahoo Incorporated USA and 1&1 Co, the host of websites carrying the cartoons, are respondents in Imran Uppals petition. Advocate Qamar Afzal stated in his arguments that the availability of the caricatures on the Internet, which have hurt the religious sentiments of Muslims worldwide, should be declared intellectual terrorism.
Not unless it causes people's heads to explode. Everybody with a turban is just as eager as can be to redefine terrorism to suit their own preferences, it seems...
Maulvi Iqbal Haider stated that though the site had been blocked, the sacrilegious cartoons could still be accessed through various search engines. Advocate Ibrahim Satti, counsel for Iqbal Haider, also stated that an FIR on the availability of the sacrilegious material under blasphemy laws had not been registered by the concerned police station, despite the courts orders.
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03/14/2006
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#1
At which point were Pak primitives put in charge of the internet?
It seems to be the auto default
Posted by: Jan ||
03/14/2006 0:10
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They're part of the Master Religion, they got sovereignty over all the inferior races, and since theses cave in all the time, why would they hesitate?
The authorities in a Pakistani tribal region are repeating calls for thousands of Afghan refugees to return home. The North Waziristan tribal area bordering Afghanistan has been the scene of military attacks this month in which officials say nearly 200 pro-Taliban fighters have been killed. Officials have blamed unrest in the region on Afghans, thought to number several thousand, who first moved there when the Soviet Union occupied their country in the 1980s. On Monday, local state radio broadcast messages saying the Afghans must go.
Zaheerul Islam, a leading government official in North Waziristan, said Afghans had been given deadlines to leave two or three times last year but had not done so. "Now they are not Afghan refugees but foreigners and must leave North Waziristan immediately," he said. "Severe action will be taken if they don't do so."
Posted by: Fred ||
03/14/2006
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Iran's Parliament has approved spending $13.6 million to counter what it calls "plots and acts of meddling" by the United States. The Parliament's action is in response to the US administration, which has recently set aside $75 million for what it calls "advancing democracy in Iran".
A commentary by Iran's state-run news agency said the US money is for conducting psychological warfare and funding what it calls "tools of espionage" against Iran. The Parliament has now approved a budget of almost $13.6 million in next year's Budget. It said the money will be spent to help foil plots and act of meddling by the US. It is not clear how the money will be spent.
The MM shopping list: shaped charge bombs and personnel for Iraq, holocaust denial conferences, junkets for MSM, cyberwarfare, a job for my nephew Perfez (the lazy bum) .... it adds up quickly, doesn't it.
Posted by: Fred ||
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Don't forget the used Russian submarines Fred, and the 60,000 mile warranty is extra.
Russia said on Monday there was no coherent strategy for dealing with concerns on Iran's nuclear programme within the UN Security Council and implicitly cautioned the United States against using the world body to pursue its own political objectives. "We have an understanding about how to proceed within the IAEA," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview published in the liberal daily Vremya Novostei. "However we do not understand how to proceed outside the IAEA," Lavrov said.
He said the primary issue for the world was to determine with certainty whether or not Iran's civilian nuclear energy programme also posed a threat of nuclear weapons proliferation, as charged by the US which accuses Tehran of trying secretly to build nuclear weapons. "That is the most important question. We want to find the answer to it," he said. However, "we do not agree with those who, as we see it, are trying through their actions to use the situation around Iran in order to achieve some political ends in their relations with the regime currently in power in Tehran," Lavrov added.
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You will someday reap what you have sown Sergei.
#2
It's hard to be totally irrelevant and forced to constantly seek a venue where someone cares what you say and then come up with something to mumble that the "all countries are equal" crowd can pretend is substantial. This is the primary purpose of the UN for history's losers, past and future.
The former head of Iraq's Revolutionary Court has said he issued death warrants for Shia men accused of plotting to assassinate Saddam Hussein. Awad Hamad al-Bandar, who oversaw the trial of 148 Shia men accused of the assassination plot in 1982, said in court on Monday that he personally issued a death warrant for them and insisted that it was legal. "They attacked the president of the republic and they confessed," al-Bandar said in testimony before the judges trying him, Saddam, and six others for crimes against humanity.
Al-Bandar, the first of the four senior defendants to give testimony in his own defence, accused the dead men of being part of a plot by the Iranian-backed Dawa party to kill Saddam during Iraq's war with Iran.
Posted by: Fred ||
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Brazilian police have arrested a Lebanese woman wanted for bank fraud and suspected of links to the assassination of Rafiq al-Hariri, the former Lebanese prime minister, officials said. Acting on an anonymous tip, police arrested Rana Abdel Rahim Koleilat, 39, on Sunday at the Parthenon Accor Hotel in Brazil's Sao Paulo city, police inspector Nicanor Nogueira Branco said in an official statement. Koleilat, who was carrying a false passport identifying her as Rana Klailat of Northern Ireland, offered police up to 200,000 Brazilian reals ($94,000) to release her and was arrested for attempted bribery, the police statement said.
"Faith, an' yez don't look Oirish, lass!... $94,000 to let yez flit? Why, I don't think so, lass!"
The Lebanese consul general in Sao Paulo, Joseph Sayah, said Koleilat was wanted in Lebanon for bank fraud and for questioning by the Independent International Investigation Commission in relation to the truck bombing that killed al-Hariri and 20 other people in central Beirut in February 2005, according to police. "Her questioning is vital to clarify" al-Hariri's assassination, Branco said in the statement.
The commission was created by the UN Security Council in April 2005, soon after al-Hariri's killing. Brazilian authorities were consulting British officials to determine whether Koleilat's passport was legitimate, Branco said. The passport said it had been issued in the Lebanese capital of Beirut by the British Embassy there in 2002, and listed Koleilat as a "British Overseas Citizen".
Posted by: Fred ||
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Not in Argentina?
That's where murdering scum and their cohorts fled to in the mid-1900's.
Guess Argentina's just so last-century.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
03/14/2006 16:02
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MULTAN: A sessions court has ordered the amputation of one hand and one foot each of three people for robbing a bank. Khalid Naveed Dar, the Sahiwal additional district and sessions judge, passed the sentence on Ghulam Nabi, Qalandar Bakhsh and Mumtaz Ahmed, for a Rs 60,000 robbery in which no one was injured. According to the prosecution, the accused raided a National Bank branch in Chichawatni, some 75 miles east of Multan, on July 15, 2002 and made off with cash. Police arrested one of the accused for possessing an illegal weapon and his involvement in the bank robbery was ascertained during the interrogation. He revealed the identity of his other two accomplices who were later arrested as well.
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Don't they have jails over there? Oh, yeah, I forgot, their merciful, loving, peaceful prophet decided the sentence, what, 13 or 14 centuries ago...don't ANYBODY argue with Mo.
Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president, says cutting aid to the Palestinian Authority will encourage terrorism. Speaking after a meeting in Vienna with Heinz Fischer, the Austrian president, Mubarak said: "The aid is used by the man-in-the-street to buy medicine and to send his children to school. If this money is cut, terrorism will grow and all the [Palestinian] people will suffer."
The 25 EU countries had an informal foreign ministers meeting in Salzburg on Friday. They said aid could be cut to the Palestinian Authority if the Hamas organisation, which won Palestinian elections in January, did not give up violence and recognise Israel's right to exist according to the road map for Middle East peace talks. "Hamas was elected by the Palestinian people and Israel must recognise that it can form a new government. The renunciation of Hamas of violence and its recognition of preceding engagements (in peace talks) is for a second stage," Mubarak said.
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says cutting aid to the Palestinian Authority will encourage terrorism
but giving money to terrorists will help curb terrorism. It's logic only a "liberal" could grasp.
#4
"Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president, says cutting aid to the Palestinian Authority will encourage terrorism." I wonder what would happen if you graphed the rate of Palestinian attacks on Israeli civilians as a function of the volume of aid that flows to Palestine.
#5
"Hamas was elected by the Palestinian people and Israel must recognise that it can form a new government. The renunciation of Hamas of violence and its recognition of preceding engagements (in peace talks) is for a second stage," Mubarak said
Well there you go. EU money flows freely to Hamas without any concessions on the part of Hamas. No demand to recognize Israel - just a demand for Israel to recognize Hamas as a "gubermint".
"... is for the second stage>" Sometime, way in the future, maybe, if Israel is still around.
The EU will buy into this. I'm hoping the States won't and Canada will hold fast as well. Sorry, but recognition alone is a two-way street.
Eu is folding on Iran, folding on Hamas, folding on free speech and folding on one-law-for-all. WTF?
Coalition forces backed by attack helicopters and gunships on Monday swept a valley in eastern Afghanistan and detained 11 suspected militants believed responsible for an roadside bombing that killed four American service members. Sunday's bombing in the Pech Valley of Kunar province was the deadliest against U.S. forces in Afghanistan in a month. It came on the same day that two suicide attackers in Kabul narrowly missed the chief of Afghanistan's upper house of parliament but killed themselves and two bystanders.
The U.S. military said in a statement that Marines and soldiers backed by artillery, attack helicopters and AC-130 gunship planes swept the Pech valley after encountering small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades. Abdul Ghaffar Khan, chief of police in Kunar province, said Afghan police and American troops had searched mountains near Sunday's attack in which a homemade explosive hit a U.S. armored vehicle driving in a convoy. That road remained blocked to normal traffic, he said. "The coalition's response has resulted in the detention of 11 insurgents believed responsible" for Sunday's attack, the U.S. statement said, without identifying the detainees.
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"11 Suspected Militants Held in Afghanistan"
Cough, sputter, ya think they ment "muslim terorist"? This PC BS is as close as I want to get to the ankle grabbers for allah and dhimmitude.
Indian troops killed two suspected militants in Kashmir and an alleged informer was beheaded in the state, police said, as militants vowed Monday to continue fighting New Delhi's rule. Troops shot dead two members of the hardline militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba in the southern district of Rajouri late Sunday, a police spokesman said. Indian police have accused Lashkar of carrying out triple bomb attacks in Hinduism's holiest city of Varanasi last week. The group denied involvement.
The police also said suspected militants beheaded an alleged informer in southern Anantnag district late Sunday. On Monday the Pakistan-based United Jehad Council vowed, in a statement via a local news service in the Indian Kashmir summer capital Srinagar, to continue the 16-year insurgency that has claimed at least 44,000 lives. The council said ongoing talks between moderate separatists and New Delhi were "useless."
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WASHINGTON (AP) - Democrats distanced themselves Monday from Wisconsin Sen. Russell Feingold's effort to censure President Bush over domestic spying, preventing a floor vote that could alienate swing voters.
A day of tough, election-year talk between Feingold and Vice President Dick Cheney ended with Senate leaders sending the matter to the Judiciary Committee. ``I look forward to a full hearing, debate and vote in committee on this important matter,'' Feingold said in a statement late Monday. ``If the Committee fails to consider the resolution expeditiously, I will ask that there be a vote in the full Senate.''
You could have had that today.
Republicans dared Democrats to vote for the proposal. ``Some Democrats in Congress have decided the president is the enemy,'' Vice President Dick Cheney told a Republican audience in Feingold's home state.
Feingold, a potential presidential candidate, said on the Senate floor, ``The president has violated the law and Congress must respond.''
I had no idea Karl Rove was this good.
``A formal censure by Congress is an appropriate and responsible first step to assure the public that when the president thinks he can violate the law without consequences, Congress has the will to hold him accountable,'' Feingold said.
Does that work on Senators?
Even as he spoke, Democratic leaders fled held off the immediate vote that Majority Leader Bill Frist requested. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said he didn't know if there ever would be one. The referral averted a debate and a vote that Democrats privately worried would alienate voters who could decide close elections.
Gee, can't imagine why the Dhimmicrats wouldn't want this to come to a vote.
Throughout the day, Feingold's fellow Democrats said they understood his frustration but they held back overt support for the resolution. Several said they wanted first to see the Senate Intelligence Committee finish an investigation of the warrantless wiretapping program that Bush authorized as part of his war on terrorism.
So that they don't look completely stupid. What they really want now is for this to go away since they saw that the public has no problem with reading al-Qaeda communications.
Asked at a news conference whether he would vote for the censure resolution, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada declined to endorse it and said he hadn't read it. Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., said he had not read it either and wasn't inclined simply to scold the president. ``I'd prefer to see us solve the problem,'' Lieberman told reporters.
You're about the only one, Joe.
Across the Capitol, reaction was similar. Feingold's censure resolution drew empathy but no outright support from Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi. Pelosi ``understands Sen. Feingold's frustration that the facts about the NSA domestic surveillance program have not been disclosed appropriately to Congress,'' her office said in a statement. ``Both the House and the Senate must fully investigate the program and assign responsibility for any laws that may have been broken.''
"And if we can't find any broken laws, we'll screech and scream and hold our breath."
Posted by: Steve White ||
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Let's censure f'ing feingold - betcha there'd be more support for that.
Asshole
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
03/14/2006 1:48
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I had no idea Karl Rove was this good.
Neither do the Democrats, but don't tell them that.
Posted by: Charles ||
03/14/2006 3:56
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This kind of shit is why the Republicans don't seem to be that worried about Nov. The funny part is the GOP can let the Dims do all the work.
Feingold SAYS what Bush did was illegal, but what Feingold SAYS and what CONGRESS or a COURT says are three different things.
Feingold, in a sense, loses nothing in this maneuver: If Bush is censured, then he'll say that Congress agreed with him that what Bush did was illegal, and so requires a special prosecutor to pursue the issue, etc., etc..
On the other hand, if the measure is defeated, NO MENTION will be made that Congress AGREED WITH BUSH that what Bush did was LEGAL. It will all be waved away as partisianship, and not that a majority of senators agreed with Bush.
What? there are more Republican senators than Democratic senators in the Senate? Well tough shit, that's called HAVING AND USING A MAJORITY. The dems HAD IT AND USED IT, and now they scream when THEY DON'T HAVE IT AND CAN'T USE IT.
#8
Sen. Feingold is speaking to the radical liberal left at the base of the Democratic Party to
appease and mobilize them for upcoming 2006
mid-term elections. These are the people calling for Bush's impeachment and removal from office. I'm quite sure he knows the censure proposal is more symbolic than realistic. Like Sen. Frist said this is "political gamemanship".
That I agree with in that Republicans consistantly demonized former President Clinton in an effort to motivate their radical rightwing conservative base and even went a step further to actually impeach him and have him removed from office. Even though they failed it gave the radical right the red meat the craved.
Posted by: Just Curious ||
03/14/2006 11:27
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cowards who bray at the President, yet don't have the courage of their convictions (wink wink Mr. Clinton) to put it down in a vote. The Murtha/Feingold party of accusers who slide back in the closet when the light's turned on. Is this the party to lead this country? Platform? We'll show it to ya right before the election.
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/14/2006 13:53
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#11
Murtha/Fiengold speak for themselves, not the
Democratic Party.
Posted by: Just Curious ||
03/14/2006 14:06
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#12
That's right - Dean, Pelosi, and Reid speak for the Dhimmidonks.
#13
I fail to see any humor in that...
I'd say those people have been as effective as
Bush has been ineffective, even in the minority..lmao
Maybe you need to check again Prez Bush latest poll#s and ask yourself why repubs up for election/re-election are getting as far away from him as they can as if he has the plague.
Posted by: Just Curious ||
03/14/2006 14:20
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#14
Poll #'s, even when not rigged, come and go, up and down. What matters is the ONE poll that occurs the first Tuesday of every other November. Your people have made a habit of showing your true selves, and your lack of substantive ideas and solutions, your transparent powerlust, in time for that poll - the one that actually counts - to kick a few more of you out on your asses each time.
You spit in the wind and think it's raining.
Waay too much time and bandwidth has been spent on your inanity.
#15
lack of ideas? Exactly WHAT good ideas have the republicans come up with? Apparently the american public doesnt think youre doing such a good job...
yeah, we'll see you in November.
Posted by: Just Curious ||
03/14/2006 14:39
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#16
Curious you came back to argue more today.
After the Feingold body slam one would think Just Curious would have the good sense to lay there and bleed a while.
Indonesia's Supreme Court has reinstated a 10-year jail term imposed on the former leader of one of the most notorious militias that terrorised East Timor prior to the 1999 United Nations-backed referendum on independence. The court confirmed the conviction of Eurico Guterres for human rights abuses. Guterres was originally sentenced to 10 years in jail for crimes against humanity in 2002 by an ad hoc human rights court set up to try military officers and officials for atrocities committed in East Timor.
That was later reduced to five years on appeal and he has remained at liberty pending the current appeal to Indonesia's highest court. Guterres headed the Aitark Militia one of the most notorious groups the UN says were set up and trained by the Indonesian Military and which killed at least 1,400.
Good deal. It's worthless to the people who get killed at his behest, and it's woefully inadequate in light of the East Timor atrocities, but it's a sign that when the dust dies down governments can and sometimes do go after the bad guyz. Maybe it will give some pause to the current crop — though I doubt it. You don't pause when you think you're on the winning side, and the holy men keep telling them they are.
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Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has written a letter to Nigeria requesting the extradition of former Liberian president Charles Taylor, an aide to Taylor says. Taylor, who is indicted by a United Nations-backed court in Sierra Leone for war crimes, has been living in Nigeria since 2003 when he was offered asylum as part of a deal to end 14 years of civil war in Liberia.
"It is a fact that she (Johnson-Sirleaf) requested the extradition of the former president," Sylvester Paasewe, an aide to Taylor in Nigeria's south-eastern city of Calabar, told Reuters. "I know that a letter has been transmitted here." It was unclear whether the letter requested Taylor be extradited to Liberia or to the tribunal in Sierra Leone. Mr Paasewe says the rules of Taylor's asylum in Nigeria precluded a trial for Taylor and accused the United States of being behind the extradition request.
Any reason why she can't let a sleeping dog lie? Or just kill him instead?
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Well, she has claimed otherwise, and I can't think of any good reason she would be asking for him now. I don't know what to make of Paasewe.
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In which the citizens of New Orleans take matters into their own hands. The Katrina fires will forge some mighty fine steel, in my opinion. Matt and Glenmore are of course free to tell me I am full of it.
Big green spots covering portions of flooded neighborhoods on a map of a rebuilt New Orleans might have discouraged some people. But in the densely built Broadmoor neighborhood, the symbol marking the area for possible new green space lit a fire under its neighborhood group.
"It didn't devastate us; it pissed us off," said Virginia Saussy Bairnsfather, a board member for the Broadmoor Improvement Association.
Within weeks of the map's unveiling in January by Mayor Ray Nagin's Bring New Orleans Back Commission, membership in the neighborhood group jumped 400 percent.
The January rollout of the commission's land-use plan set a clock ticking that gave sections of the city four months to establish their viability. But weeks have passed and the city's formal process for helping about 80 neighborhoods chart a new future has yet to begin. Professional disagreements over differing visions of the city's future are one snag. Another has been a lack of money to finance the planning process, a problem that may have been alleviated Friday with members of the Louisiana Recovery Authority pledging to help find $7.5 million needed to get the process moving.
But Broadmoor residents, like grass-roots community groups all across the city, are moving ahead on their own without waiting for the expert-laced planning exercise promised by Nagin's commission. They are polling residents, creating planning committees and enlisting the help of an unnamed Ivy League university in writing a redevelopment plan.
Fearing they may lose control of what happens to their communities -- especially with some areas at risk of being declared no longer viable, and subject to clearing -- activists in Lakeview, Gentilly and eastern New Orleans are calling meetings, mulling issues, debating what kinds of changes they will favor or oppose. Much of the work is brainstorming and data-gathering. In some cases it has taken a sophisticated turn, involving architects or planners who donate their time. "There has been no direction given (from City Hall), so neighborhoods have to fend for themselves," said Latoya Cantrell, president of the Broadmoor group. "We're on our own." Snipped the bits about FEMA and state authorities not knowing a** from elbow; we knew that already.
#2
Em, thanks for posting. So far the steeliest group to emerge is called "Women of the Storm", an eclectic group of about 150 women that includes Olivia Manning (if you watch professional football you may have heard of her sons.) "Women of the Storm" is to public officials what Jack Bauer is to terrorists.
When you think of New Orleans (or the Missisippi Gulf Coast, which has gotten a lot less publicity, or the coastal parishes of Louisiana) the image you should have is of a couple hundred thousand women working their fingers to the bone day and night to put homes back together for their families. (Osama thinks he's going to put burqas on American women? Good luck with that, pal.)
Posted by: Matt ||
03/14/2006 7:24
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#3
I read that the Vietnameese community is doing their usual bootstrapping number.
#4
"We were sold a bill of goods by the federal government," Manning said."
All due sympathies to the folks on the Gulf coast but at some point they have to realize the Federal government is tertiary behind state and local entities when it comes to solving local issues. FEMA is correct to deny the multi-million dollar request to pay for the extremely ambiguous technical assistance program. Hats off to the people that have taken the responsibility to move the process along in lieu of government ineptitude. Government (at all levels) struggles to meet the needs of people even in the best of times, it is delusional to believe it would be otherwise during and after a crisis.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
03/14/2006 8:38
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#5
DMFD-right here. I am a feminist, and I denounce what the Pakistanis are doing to their women. I wish I could click my feminist heels together to make Pakistani men stop, but unfortunately, all I can do is fight with words and ideas against the misogyny called Islam.
#6
Same here, Jules. But I think what DFMD is referring to are the leadership of the different
"feminist organizations", especially the old guard from the 60's and 70's. They are either silent, or they issue unbelievable apologies for the misogynist behavior that seems to go hand in hand with Islam.
When they care as much about the plight of brown and black women as they do about getting the "right" white woman on a corporate board, maybe they'll stop being so irrelevant.
#7
DB-True enough. Even yesterday, on Bill Mahr (which I watch when I want to increase my blood pressure) had Gloria Steinem announcing a new rule, prefering the actions of a woman-hating, serial philanderer, Bill Clinton, to the actions of our military in Iraq: "Make love, not war." I was disgusted to hear that come out of her mouth. Gloria, you have sunk low.
Back to Pakistan-where does one even begin to fight against domestic violence when the women under Islam submit so easily and even believe they "have it coming"? Remember the story last year (or was it the year before) about Turkish women believing they merited beatings?
Reduction in domestic violence under Islam could come from the women in those societies-there is power in numbers-but I don't believe it will be reduced, because THEY don't believe it SHOULD be reduced. I have been wracking by brain trying to figure out how to encourage them to pressure the "men" in their families to start acting like human beings with hearts, but can't figure out how that could happen when the Koran authorizes the men to beat their wives. No answers yet...
#8
This should come as no surprise to anyone who has even lightly studied islam.
From the Quran from chapter 4, called Nisa (Women), verse 34: "Men are in charge of women, because Allah has made the one of them to excel the other, and because they spend of their property (for the support of women). So good women are the obedient, guarding in secret that which Allah has guarded. As for those from whom you fear rebellion, admonish them and banish them to beds apart, and scourge them...
#9
Beating of women is not just encouraged under sharia, it is enforced.
Once again, the problem is islam. Women cannot protest or fight back, not yet: the law is against them, every man is against them, every mosque, every muttawa, every vigilante, every teenager with a woody....
Women would simply be killed in large numbers if they protested before some inkling of equal rights can be pounded into the men's brains.
Won't happen with Islam as fast as it did (2,000 years and counting) for christianity. May never come to pass.
And don't smirk. Domestic violence in North America approaches 20%. And keep in mind, 1 in 3 women over the age of 14 has been raped or sexually abused.
You can speak out, but in some cultures, the behaviour is, at worst excused, and at best ignored.
SPIN BOLDAK, Afghanistan - A Taleban spokesman said on Monday four kidnapped foreigners had been executed on the orders of Taleban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar. The reported killing of the four comes during a wave of Taleban violence aimed at overthrowing President Hamid Karzais Western-backed government and forcing out foreign troops.
The Taleban said they kidnapped the four in the Afghan south on Saturday. The Taleban said three were Albanian and one was German. An official at the Ecolog services company in Kabul said four of its workers had gone missing but said they were all Albanian.
Taleban spokesman Qari Mohammad Yousuf said the four had been killed and their bodies had been dumped in the Kandahar-Helmand area of the south. There was no independent confirmation of the claim.
In other news, Mr. Yousuf has been accepted to the School of International Relations at Yale University.
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Turkmen border guards seized more than one ton of drugs from smugglers on the Iranian border, official newspapers said Monday. The smugglers, who attempted to cross into Turkmenistan with 830 kilograms of opium and 203 kilograms of hashish, were detained, the Neutral Turkmenistan newspaper said. It gave no other details, including the number and nationalities of the smugglers and when they were detained. The ex-Soviet republic, which also borders Afghanistan, is one of major drug trafficking routes in Central Asia.
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#1
Dumping narcotics, counterfeit currency, precious stones etc. could be a sign of impeding activity. Any wierd short-selling going on in world currency and stock markets? Gotta love that newspaper name.
(2006-03-13) Sen. Russ Feingold today introduced a measure in the Senate to censure President George Bush for his conduct surrounding what the Wisconsin Democrat calls an illegal eavesdropping program run by the National Security Agency (NSA).
Sen. Feingolds bill calls for the president to receive a verbal reprimand from the Senate for violating the U.S. Constitution, as well as a period of time out in which Mr. Bush will be required to sit in the corner of the Oval Office and to think about what he has done.
According to the text of the legislation, the president will have one minute of time out for each patriotic American whose civil rights were violated when the NSA tapped terrorist communications.
Sen. Feingold, a likely 2008 presidential candidate who co-sponsored the landmark Campaign Finance Reform Act, said hes taking this aggressive step so that in the future Americans will be able to say Feingold without saying McCain first.
The McCain-Feingold measure eliminated the corrupting influence of big money from political campaigns.
A rival version of the censure bill, backed by moderate Republicans, calls for a one-week disciplinary period during which Air Force One, the presidents plane, would be grounded.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Europe's human rights court on Tuesday threw out a lawsuit filed by Saddam Hussein against 21 European countries whose troops joined the U.S.-led military campaign in Iraq, saying the case fell outside its jurisdiction. 
(Baghdad, Iraq-AP, Mar. 14, 2006 12;18 PM) _ The interior minister said Tuesday authorities had foiled an al-Qaida plot that would have put hundreds of its men at critical guard posts around Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone, home to the U.S. and other foreign embassies as well as the Iraqi government.
Eighteen top jihadi commanders are staging a hunger strike in Muzaffarabad against "the betrayal of the jihad in Jammu and Kashmir by President Pervez Musharraf," a Hizbul- Mujahideen spokesperson told The Hindu on Sunday. Mohammad Kalimullah, a Muzaffarabad-based spokesperson for the militant group, was responding to reports that at least eight leaders of Pakistanbased groups had been arrested, even as leaders of political organisations from both sides of the Line of Control met at a conference organised by the international science organisation, Pugwash.
Trade unionists and students protesting against youth unemployment vowed to hold street demonstrations this week after riot police fired teargas and stormed the Sorbonne in Paris at 4am on Saturday, ending a three-day occupation.
Creator says 'he's cashed plenty of checks with our show making fun of Christians'
Islamabad - The visiting US energy secretary 
An Indian administration official says police and soldiers have reached the scene of a train that went missing overnight in a remote region in eastern India and that all the passengers are safe. Late on Monday, an Indian railway official had announced that communist insurgents attacked two trains, one of them a passenger train with more than 200 people aboard.
AMMAN - Jordans state prosecutor on Monday called for the maximum jail penalty of 15 years for four Jordanians accused of plotting terror attacks on Americans training Iraqi police. The prosecutor wrapped up his case and urged the court to convict the suspects on three counts of plotting to carry out terror acts, possession of an automatic weapon for illicit use and possession of an unlicenced firearm, a judicial source said.
A moderate earthquake has shaken parts of northern Pakistan devastated by a catastrophic tremor last October, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties. The 5.2 magnitude quake had its epicentre in the Hindu Kush mountain range in Afghanistan, about 300 kilometres north of the Pakistani city of Peshawar, Pakistan's Meteorological Office says. 
Palestinian Prime Minister-designate Ismail Haniya said Monday Hamas would make Islamic Sharia the source of selecting cabinet members. Haniya said in remarks in Gaza he planned to create a post of an advisor for Islamic Sharia affairs to protect the "Islamic Sharia and to prepare all relevant issues in all domains." He said the "next government will resort to the Islamic Sharia in selecting its ministers." On the dialogue with Fatah to forming the government, Haniya said Hamas would continue this dialogue with all parliamentary blocs to reach a compromise. "I hope we finish the government formation on the basis of a wide national coalition," he added.
The US President has embarked on a new public relations blitz in a bid to counter growing American scepticism about the Iraq war. As the third anniversary of the US led invasion of Iraq looms, President George W Bush is pleading with Americans to be patient. He has begun a new series of speeches to try to reassure them that Iraq has avoided a civil war, although he has been careful not to promise the violence is waning. "There will be more tough fighting and more days of struggle and we will see more images of chaos and carnage in the days to come," he told a pro-democracy group in Washington.
DEBKAfile Exclusive: Saudi Arabia promises a Hamas-led Palestinian government will not be short of moneySaudi media kept a tight lid on the visit to Riyadh of a five-man Hamas delegation headed by Damascus-based politburo chief Khaled Meshaal. At the same time, the visitors were given a red carpet welcome by Muslim Brotherhood websites which are popular with the Saudi public. These websites advised all Palestinian organizations and the Palestinian people that if they throw their support behind a Hamas government they will not be short of funds. [...]
British forces in Iraq are to be reduced by about 800 to just over 7,000 personnel in the next few months, Defence Secretary John Reid says. Dr Reid told the House of Commons that the forces could be withdrawn in May because many more Iraqi forces were ready to carry out duties performed until now by British troops. Some 235,000 members of the Iraqi security forces are now trained and equipped with 5,000 more signing up each month, he added. British forces will still control operations for both their own troops and Iraqis for the time being, he said. "But let me stress that the significant reductions I have announced are not part of the handover of security responsibilities to the Iraqis themselves," he said.
Leaders of Lebanon's rival factions resumed on Monday talks seeking consensus on the biggest issues that divide the country - the status of the 
The Kurdistan Workers Party has said that one of its members carried out a suicide bombing in southeast Turkey last week in which two other people were also killed. The PKK said in a statement late on Sunday: "It has been determined that the action in Van on 9 March was undertaken by Devrim Solduk, codenamed Dengtav, on his own initiative and decision." It also said that the explosion had been an "accident".
Pakistan on Monday angrily denied allegations by Afghanistan's senate chief that President Pervez Musharraf ordered a suicide attack against him, escalating tension between the neighbours. Sebghatullah Mujadidi, also a former Afghan president, made the accusation after he escaped Sunday's bombing with minor injuries. Two attackers and two bystanders were killed. Foreign Office spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam condemned the attack on Mujadidi but rejected his accusation that Pakistan was involved. She pointed out that President Karzai had said that investigations were underway and there was no evidence of who was involved.
Peshawar District Nazim Haji Ghulam Ali put pressure on the local police in order to deprive us of our ancestral lands, Wahid Gul, a resident of Hashtnagri, said on Monday. Addressing a press conference, he alleged that the district nazim had, on a number of occasions, sent proclaimed offenders to force his family members to handover a two-kanal piece of land. He said that the nazim wanted the plot to be handed over to his son in law, who owns a hotel in the vicinity. 
The government has blocked all websites that carry caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad (
The authorities in a Pakistani tribal region are repeating calls for thousands of Afghan refugees to return home. The North Waziristan tribal area bordering Afghanistan has been the scene of military attacks this month in which officials say nearly 200 pro-Taliban fighters have been killed. Officials have blamed unrest in the region on Afghans, thought to number several thousand, who first moved there when the Soviet Union occupied their country in the 1980s. On Monday, local state radio broadcast messages saying the Afghans must go.
Russia said on Monday there was no coherent strategy for dealing with concerns on Iran's nuclear programme within the UN Security Council and implicitly cautioned the United States against using the world body to pursue its own political objectives. "We have an understanding about how to proceed within the IAEA," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview published in the liberal daily Vremya Novostei. "However we do not understand how to proceed outside the IAEA," Lavrov said.
MULTAN: A sessions court has ordered the amputation of one hand and one foot each of three people for robbing a bank. Khalid Naveed Dar, the Sahiwal additional district and sessions judge, passed the sentence on Ghulam Nabi, Qalandar Bakhsh and Mumtaz Ahmed, for a Rs 60,000 robbery in which no one was injured. According to the prosecution, the accused raided a National Bank branch in Chichawatni, some 75 miles east of Multan, on July 15, 2002 and made off with cash. Police arrested one of the accused for possessing an illegal weapon and his involvement in the bank robbery was ascertained during the interrogation. He revealed the identity of his other two accomplices who were later arrested as well.
Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president, says cutting aid to the Palestinian Authority will encourage terrorism. Speaking after a meeting in Vienna with Heinz Fischer, the Austrian president, Mubarak said: "The aid is used by the man-in-the-street to buy medicine and to send his children to school. If this money is cut, terrorism will grow and all the [Palestinian] people will suffer." 
Coalition forces backed by attack helicopters and gunships on Monday swept a valley in eastern Afghanistan and detained 11 suspected militants believed responsible for an roadside bombing that killed four American service members. Sunday's bombing in the Pech Valley of Kunar province was the deadliest against U.S. forces in Afghanistan in a month. It came on the same day that two suicide attackers in Kabul narrowly missed the chief of Afghanistan's upper house of parliament but killed themselves and two bystanders.
Indian troops killed two suspected militants in Kashmir and an alleged informer was beheaded in the state, police said, as militants vowed Monday to continue fighting New Delhi's rule. Troops shot dead two members of the hardline militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba in the southern district of Rajouri late Sunday, a police spokesman said. Indian police have accused Lashkar of carrying out triple bomb attacks in Hinduism's holiest city of Varanasi last week. The group denied involvement. 
WASHINGTON (AP) - Democrats distanced themselves Monday from Wisconsin Sen. Russell Feingold's effort to censure President Bush over domestic spying, preventing a floor vote that could alienate swing voters.
Indonesia's Supreme Court has reinstated a 10-year jail term imposed on the former leader of one of the most notorious militias that terrorised East Timor prior to the 1999 United Nations-backed referendum on independence. The court confirmed the conviction of Eurico Guterres for human rights abuses. Guterres was originally sentenced to 10 years in jail for crimes against humanity in 2002 by an ad hoc human rights court set up to try military officers and officials for atrocities committed in East Timor. 
Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has written a letter to Nigeria requesting the extradition of former Liberian president Charles Taylor, an aide to Taylor says. Taylor, who is indicted by a United Nations-backed court in Sierra Leone for war crimes, has been living in Nigeria since 2003 when he was offered asylum as part of a deal to end 14 years of civil war in Liberia. 
