A small explosive device was sent to an office of Prime Minister Tony Blair's governing Labour Party, police in south-east England said today.
The device was found in a package delivered to the office in Cambridge after a member of staff raised the alarm. No one was hurt, police said.
"We analysed the package and discovered that it did contain a small explosive device," a police spokeswoman said.
"Had it gone off, someone would have been hurt," she said.
Police are expected to give more details about the incident at a press briefing in Cambridge tomorrow.
The Federal Government wants to hold illegal fisherman and asylum seekers intercepted in Australia waters for up to a month in a prison ship.
Customs is searching for a vessel that can be converted to hold up 30 detainees and be armed with mounted machine guns.
The move is part of the Government's bid to strengthen Australia's border protection.
A spokesman for Customs Minister Chris Ellison says the ship will have the capability to remain at sea for extended periods of time.
The ship will cost up to $10 million a year to lease.
The Federal Opposition has condemned the plan.
Labor's customs spokesman Joe Ludwig says it is a patchwork approach to protecting Australia's northern waters and he is worried about the rights of those held on board.
"Whether these detainees do have access to all of the rights that you would expect them to have access to, and 30 days is a long time to be held at sea, and then you've got to look at the vessel itself and whether its will be capable of sitting out there for 30 days," he said.
Senator Ludwig says the fishing industry believes a fully fledged coast guard is needed to protect Australia's northern waters.
Twenty-five U.S. Marines and one Navy corpsman recently completed a 10-day desert training course conducted by a French Marine regiment from a neighboring camp.
Marines from the 4th Provisional Security Company here were invited by the 5th French Marine Regiment at Briere de LIsle Barracks to participate in the course.
The goal of the course is to learn basic survival and combat skills in a desert environment. For this type of exercise Djibouti makes a superb training ground, said French Marine Capt. Michel Ladan, chief of the Desert Training School. The training teaches simple things like eating, drinking, orienting with GPS, medical evacuation, and fighting in the desert environment, he said...
What would you do if a lawyer threatened, "Give me a million dollars or my client and I will publicly brand you as a rapist and destroy your life?"
Rope; tree; some assembly required? Not that I would advocate violence or anything.
On July 27, the California Supreme Court expanded the range of choices possible to one man who was presented with that threat.
The dance phenomenon Michael Flatley of Riverdance fame can proceed not only with a lawsuit for defamation against his accuser but also with one for extortion against her lawyer.
The very fact that the attorney faces possible civil liability may impact how aggressively attorneys proceed in lawsuits that allege sexual misconduct. A common reason for settling such suits is fear of publicity.
Scum. Earth. I hope Flatley wins BIG. These clowns give decent lawyers (and I do know some) a bad name.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
08/02/2006
20:39 ||
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You notice they don't try that kind of stuff with the boys in the mob? Doesn't take someone with a college education to figure out why. Its way past time the entire 'legal' establishment get some grounding that they are not our rulers. Government and its law derives its power from the consent of the governed. When government and lawyers become destructive of the basic rights of the people, it is their right to alter the government or law or abolish it. The extortion case should have been handled in criminal not civil court, but then, like sharks I guess they have professional courtesy.
LONDON: A furious political row has erupted over British PM Tony Blair's decision to link the Kashmir dispute and Chechen fighting with the conflict in Iraq, Afghanistan and West Asia which he described as part of an over-arching "arc of (Muslim) extremism" across the world.
Just hours after he called for the West to totally rethink its strategy on the war on terror, Blair's critics said it was wrong to link regional territorial disputes such as Kashmir to global Islamist extremism.
In his speech at the World Affairs Council in Los Angeles on Tuesday, the British PM said: "The fanatics, attached to a completely wrong and reactionary view of Islam, had been engaging in terrorism for years before September 11.
In Chechnya, in India and Pakistan, in Algeria, in many other Muslim countries, atrocities were occurring." He declared that "these acts of terrorism were not isolated incidents. They were part of a growing movement."
Blair said the "movement believed Muslims had departed from their proper faith, were being taken over by Western culture, were being governed treacherously by Muslims complicit in this takeover, whereas the true way to recover not just the true faith, but Muslim confidence and self esteem, was to take on the West and all its works."
In his speech, Blair said that the West had been mistaken in previously failing to link Kashmir and Chechnya-inspired terrorist attacks to a growing baleful Islamism.
"We were not bending our eye or our will to it as we should have... We rather inclined to the view that where there was terrorism, perhaps it was partly the fault of the governments of the countries concerned," he said.
He said it was time to recognize that "whatever the outward manifestation at any one time in Lebanon, in Gaza, in Iraq in Afghanistan, in Kashmir, in a host of other nations including some in Africa now it is a global fight about global values; it is about modernisation, within Islam and outside of it".
Britain's former foreign secretary Malcolm Rifkind said the Kashmir issue was a "matter between India and Pakistan" and it was "silly" for Blair to portray it as a sign of extremist Islam's war on other cultures.
Posted by: john ||
08/02/2006
19:26 ||
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"Master of the Obvious" graphic, please. ;-p
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
08/02/2006 20:31
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Who took away the Clinton's buddy pretty Tony and put the mouthpiece of Americas in his place?
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/02/2006 21:42
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It is wonderful to hear even one western leader finally publicly stating what the MSM and the vast majority of the world's "enlightened" talking heads have failed to articulate.
Mumbai, Aug. 2: Guess what the latest legacy of the Mumbai blasts is? No, not the hundreds of innocents whose worlds have turned upside down, but a breed of pros called the ambulance chasers.
These are lawyers who have been turning up uninvited at the doorsteps of people who have been wounded or have lost a loved one in the blasts. And offering to help them get compensation from the railways in exchange for a percentage of it.
I dont know how they found us out! exclaimed Dilip Rangle whose friend Subhash Sawant died in the blasts.
I was very surprised when a lawyer approached us. He initially asked for a 20 per cent cut, but after much bargaining brought it down to 10 per cent.
Rangle said that given the nature of the tragedy lawyers should help free of cost, but if they wanted a fee, it should be minimal.
Anyway, I think these people are taking money for their knowledge of law something an innocent victim will not understand.
If that is how Rangle put his mind at rest despite being milked by the lawyers, Hitesh Rohit Kaveria, who was injured in the blasts, said it was the entire system of disbursing damages that was to blame.
Most people think that since this is government-initiated, it will take a lot of time and effort. Many might not be in the state of mind to make frequent visits with their documents, so they hire these lawyers, Kaveria said.
A police constable who had come to take a statement from Kaveria tipped him off about the lawyers. I dont know what to say. I feel the cut the lawyer is asking for is too much, but theres nothing common people can do. We are helpless.
The term ambulance chasers comes from the US, where it refers to lawyers or lawyers agents who solicit accident victims to sue for damages.
In the context of the blasts, they would refer to lawyers who hunt out wounded people requiring an ambulance and seek to profit from their injuries. The practice is to claim damages on behalf of the injured for a contingency fee.
Although most of the blasts victims The Telegraph spoke to claimed the lawyers had approached them, high court advocate Deepak Sandvilakar insisted otherwise.
I have been approached by 20-25 people for help to claim compensation from the railway claims tribunal. The process is quite difficult for ordinary people with no knowledge of law.
Sandvilakar said lawyers who specialise in personal injury and claims cases, like himself, would be able to prepare a water-tight petition for clients. Else, they might be caught unawares by the tribunal when the railway presents its defence.
Blasts dont happen everyday. We also work to get others compensation. Many might not know they can get damages if they fall off a train. We trace these people and help them get their due under the railways passenger insurance scheme, he said.
The railway claims tribunal will pay a maximum of Rs 4 lakh to the families of the dead. Earlier, rail officials had said the whole process would take about a year.
Sandvilakar, however, refused to divulge how lawyers tracked down victims. It is a professional secret I cannot reveal.
All I can say is we get their names from websites and newspapers. We look for people and file cases on their behalf, taking a 10-15 per cent cut from their compensation. The amount obviously depends on the kind of injury they have sustained.
No other lawyer was willing to comment, even on condition of anonymity.
Sources, however, said the lawyers had agents in hospitals and police stations. Some even had assistants roaming the streets in search of victims.
Kirit Somaiya, a former MP involved with the claims tribunal, appealed to people to shun such lawyers.
I can only appeal to the families of victims not to waste societys money. It is for their family. We have 11 advocates on the tribunal who will give legal advice if required.
Further, we have free legal cells and special branches for blast victims. The tribunal chairman has assured me that all cases will be over in 3-4 months, except ones that have family dispute involved.
Posted by: john ||
08/02/2006
19:16 ||
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Try to get an American lawyer down to 10%.
Posted by: ed ||
08/02/2006 19:38
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try to sue the Paki-symps who did the actual bombing
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/02/2006 21:00
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Molotov cocktails were thrown at Israeli vehicles in two separate incidents in the West Bank on Wednesday night. One was thrown at a car near Nablus, while in another incident, a bus south of Bethlehem was struck. No one was wounded in either incident, nor was any damage caused.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/02/2006
18:42 ||
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Is it possible to contact the Pope and ask for an armed force to protect the Holy sites of Christianity?
I would prefer something in the version of the Knights Templar if possible.. Thanks in advance...
#2
And Ehud Olmert says that the Lebanon crisis will expedite his plan to give up the West Bank. Look in the dictionary under the word 'idiot' and it says, "See Ehud".
Another nice catch from Eureferendum where they analyze a video of al-Jazeera interviewing Green Helmet and then a focus on a strether arriving with body. What is not said is that the body is being hauled back up to the destroyed building for the benefit of al-Jazeera's audience and Hizb'allah.
The Sri Lankan defence ministry said its forces have repulsed Wednesday's attacks by Tamil Tiger rebels around a strategic northeastern port, killing 40 insurgents and wounding 70 others. The latest fighting raised fears that Sri Lanka was heading for a full-scale war. The rebels said earlier that they had overrun four Sri Lankan army camps around the strategic port of Trincomalee, a day after the guerrillas laid siege to the area, which has seen some of the fiercest fighting in years.
The port is an important lifeline for thousands of troops stationed in the northeast, where the rebels want to carve out a separate homeland for the country's 3.2 million ethnic Tamil minority. Trincomalee, with its natural harbour, is of strategic importance to the army and the rebels. The area falls within the envisioned Tamil homeland. Trincomalee town and surrounding areas are controlled by the government, but the surrounding villages and jungle are under rebel rule.
Meanwhile, there was no independent confirmation of the ministry's claim, but the administration acknowledged that five soldiers were killed in Wednesday's rebel attacks. In a statement, the ministry said troops had inflicted "heavy casualties killing over 40 Tiger cadres and wounding 70 other terrorists". The statement said the insurgents retreated, leaving bodies behind.
Earlier, witnesses in Muttur, near Trincomalee, said they saw the bodies of five rebels. The witnesses spoke on condition that they not be identified out of fear of being victims of violence. If the ministry's claim proves to be true, the death toll in recent days will rise to 128 on both sides.
#2
Hizb'allah hospitals specialize in inserting high speed objects into bodies. Hope the Israelis dropped a few 2000 pounders as they were leaving.
Posted by: ed ||
08/02/2006 17:50
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If the Palestinian and Lebanese people refuse to recognize how Hezbollah places each and every one of them in harm's way, then they are only worthy of becoming the martyrs they so vociferously extoll. It is almost impossible to imagine a more deranged collection of useless f&ckwits than these terrorist supporters.
#7
It was reported somewhere, not sure exactly where, that the "hospital" was nothing more than an outpatient clinic. No patients would have been admitted and there would have been nobody there overnight.
#1
This from the morons who are so eager to expunge any archaeological trace of early Hebrew artifacts from underlying strata that they are structurally destabilizing the Dome of the Rock.
Either Jerusalem needs to be run by a multi-national consortium (like post-war Berlin) or the Israelis should take possession of it. No other solution will ever allow for peace.
#2
"The Supreme Court isn't worthy of deciding on matters pertaining to the Al Aqsa Mosque, because Israel does not have sovereignty over it."
This is a problem for Israel. The only place in their entire country that should be the sovereign domain of another country or religion should be embassies.
All religious sites should be nationalized, and only rented to the religions that want to use them, contingent on their good behavior. And no religion could claim sole use of any facility.
#3
All religious sites should be nationalized, and only rented to the religions that want to use them, contingent on their good behavior. And no religion could claim sole use of any facility.
So, 'moose, yer saying, like, the Pope's gotta kick down some rent on the Vatican?
#5
The VAtican is Soveriegn terrirory, but I am prettyt sure that people are allowed to WALK ON THE SIDEWALK outside , unlike Al Aqsa.
Posted by: J. D. Lux ||
08/02/2006 19:46
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Screw it. Tear down al'Aqsa.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
08/02/2006 20:39
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If al-aqsa falls, look out. It's foretold (many believe) in Revelation as one of the signs of the coming "new Jerusalem." Not to get into a religious spat over this, but I for one say "Bring it on!"
The Paleos have gotta feel some pain for their stupidity and pay a price for their constant Joooo-hatred. Look out for the 3rd temple, I say! Of course, it brings to mind my favorite bumper sticker: "Jesus is coming back, and this time He's gonna be p!ssed"
Posted by: BA ||
08/02/2006 22:07
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Put the Thugee cult in charge of Al'Aqsa.
Their love of Islam or anybody not of their particular Hindu cult is well known.
#1
They are simply wasting their ammo. These missiles will not be easily replaced unless another hapless and dangerous UN ceasefire is implemented replete with unless UN "peace-keepers."
Hezbollah fighters have launched more than 220 rockets into Israel from Lebanon, the biggest single-day barrage since the conflict began. One person was killed and dozens injured as some rockets landed up to 70km inside Israel, the deepest so far. The upsurge came as Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Israel had destroyed Hezbollah's infrastructure. Mr Olmert insisted there would be no ceasefire until an international force is deployed in southern Lebanon. "I said I'd be ready to enter a ceasefire when the international forces, not will be ready, but will be deployed," Mr Olmert said of the timetable for a halt to the violence.
The hail of Hezbollah rockets came after Israeli troops raided Baalbek, a Hezbollah stronghold in north-east Lebanon, seizing five people they said were Hezbollah fighters. Hezbollah said they were civilians. In southern Lebanon, clashes have been continuing between Hezbollah and Israeli troops, now said to number around 12,000. About 750 people - mainly civilians - have been killed by Israeli action in Lebanon, according to the Lebanese health minister. This figure includes unrecovered bodies. A total of 55 Israelis, including at least 19 civilians, are known to have been killed by Hezbollah.
In other developments:
Britain's UN ambassador says agreement on an initial Security Council resolution to end the violence is close
World Food Programme officials say Israel has assured them emergency fuel supplies will be given safe passage into Lebanon
Iran's supreme leader urges the Muslim world to stand up to Israel and the US over their role in the conflict in Lebanon
One of the Hezbollah rockets landed near the town of Nahariya on the west coast, killing one person. Another struck close to the town of Beit Shean on the edge of the West Bank, 70km from the Lebanese border, while another landed in the West Bank - the deepest hit so far. Israeli planes also struck a village near Baalbek, killing several people.
The BBC's Richard Miron in the northern Israeli town of Tiberias said some residents had begun returning home, believing that the Israeli army had dealt with the rocket threat.
Hezbollah militants have claimed they used a new type of rocket for the attack - a Khaibar-1, thought by the Israelis to be a modified Iranian Fajr-5, which has a longer range than the Katyusha rockets they usually fire into Israel. A Hezbollah spokesman, Ghalib Abu Zeinab, said in an interview with the BBC Arabic Service that the latest attacks showed that Hezbollah was unbroken. "The rockets that have been raining down since this morning... and the firing of a missile over a distance of 70km, all this proves that the Lebanese resistance still has a high capability, including a missile capability."
Israeli Interior Minister Avi Dichter told the BBC that although Hezbollah remained active, he was confident Israel would achieve its aims in Lebanon. "Hezbollah is still alive, but the mission of this operation is not to crack down Hezbollah totally." he said. "We're trying to minimise the number of rockets launched towards Israel, and we know that all other targets that we have put right at the beginning of this special operation are going to be fulfilled."
Did the Germans do this poorly with their V-1 and V-2 rockets against London and other UK cities? Does anyone have the data on number of casualties and number of German rockets used?
Hundreds more were launched that blew up in mid-flight, and so never made it into allied statistics. (Final development of the V-2 during the war was in fact to remedy this problem)
The final two exploded on (or near) their targets on 27 March 1945. The last British civilian killed was Mrs Ivy Millichamp, 34, in her home in Orpington. In all, about seven thousand civilians were killed in London by the V-2, an average of over 5 deaths per attack. This, however, understates the potential of the V-2, since many rockets were mis-directed and exploded harmlessly. Accurately targeted missiles were often devastating, causing large numbers of deaths - about 160 in one explosion in Woolwich, south-east London and 567 deaths in a cinema in Antwerp - and significant damage in the critically important Antwerp docks.
So using V2's as a yardstick, 201 missiles should have killed 1005 people.
V1's (again from Wikipedia);
Almost 30,000 V-1s were manufactured. Approximately 10,000 were fired at England up to March 29, 1945. Of these, 2,419 reached Metropolitan London. In the London area, roughly 5,500 persons died as a result of V-1 attacks, with some 16,000 more injured.
So Hizbollocks is doing nowhere near as well as the Germans did (thankfully)
Posted by: Tony (UK) ||
08/02/2006 19:14
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Hezbolloh only thinks they're rocket scientists.
#6
Not quite. I had some direct awareness of the Lavi project, for instance, and there was a fair amount of Israeli tech in that F-16 replacement. Cancelled due to US pressure when the Israelis made it clear they wanted to export the Lavi to pay for their own portion of the program ... the US tech in it was under the ITAR (international traffic in arms regulations) licensing and the US said no to the export, the Lavi was cancelled and they stuck with F-16s.
Much later they exported some of the Lavi tech to China ... 2003 I think it was. The Lavi was back in the mid-late 80s.
Iran has freed a son of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden from house arrest, a German newspaper reported on Wednesday. Die Welt said the Iranian Revolutionary Guard released Saad bin Laden on July 28 with the aim of sending him to the Syria-Lebanon border. It linked the reported move to the outbreak of war between Israel and Lebanese-based Hizbollah. "From the Lebanese border, he has the task of building Islamist terror cells and preparing them to fight together with Hizbollah," Die Welt said, quoting intelligence information. "Apparently Tehran is counting on recruiting Lebanese refugees in Syria for the fight against Israel, using bin Laden's help," it added in a preview of a report to appear in its Thursday edition.
Western intelligence sources have long suspected that Iran is holding a number of al Qaeda figures, possibly including Saad bin Laden and Saif al-Adel, the network's security chief. Kamal Kharrazi, then Iran's foreign minister, said in January 2004 that Tehran had jailed about a dozen al Qaeda suspects and would put them on trial.
"Our general view is Iran certainly does have a few al Qaeda-related figures The general perception is Iran keeps these people as a bargaining chip," said a European counter-terrorism official when asked about the Die Welt report. He said Shia Muslim Iran was not sympathetic to members of Sunni-dominated al Qaeda but "they protect them as long as they think they can make use of them." Al Qaeda's deputy leader Ayman al-Zawahri issued a video message last week in which, while not mentioning Hizbollah by name, he urged Muslims everywhere to "fight and become martyrs" in response to the conflict in Lebanon.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/02/2006
16:24 ||
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Iran's harboring of al Qaeda players is just another button on the coat with respect to overthrowing their government with all possible haste. There is absolutely nothing worse that could take the place of Tehran's mullahs. Any power vacuum will only serve to draw in more radicals (to be disposed of onthe spot) or finally summon forth actual leadership intent on reintegrating Iran with the global community.
The U.S. intelligence community has determined that Beijing has developed and deployed a series of missiles that would give China second-strike nuclear capability in any confrontation with the United States. The determination of a sea-based deterrent is said to have significantly increased Beijing's threat to the United States.
"It is clear to me that China is now embarking on a significant investment in a second-strike capability to ensure the survival and, thus, viability of its nuclear forces," said Richard Fisher, a researcher at the International Assessment and Strategy Center and a leading U.S. expert on China.
In a presentation to the American Enterprise Institute on July 11, Mr. Fisher said China has launched or tested a series of nuclear missiles and platforms.
He said the first Type 94 submarine ballistic nuclear missile has been equipped and launched.
The Type 94, which began construction in 1999, is designed to contain the JL-2 submarine-launched nuclear missiles. Each submarine is meant to contain 16 JL-2s, or DF-31s, with a range of 8,000 kilometers, which would allow Chinese submarines to target portions of the United States from areas near the Chinese coast.
The disclosure of the completion of the Type 94 submarine appeared to mark a significant acceleration in China's nuclear submarine program. As late as May 2004, the Pentagon asserted that the new Chinese missile submarine would not be operational until around 2010.
"The JL-2 SLBM has undergone a series of tests," Mr. Fisher said. "The potential for this to be armed with multiple warheads is there."
U.S. intelligence sources agree with Mr. Fisher's assessment. They said Beijing has made the production of nuclear warheads and launchers a priority, with emphasis on mobility and decoys.
The Pentagon has determined that China plans to deploy the DF-31A, an extended-range variant of the mobile long-range DF-31, in 2007. The sources said the new three-stage, solid-fuel, mobile missile, with a range of 12,000 kilometers, could carry up to three payloads that would separate and overcome existing U.S. missile defenses.
"For China, nuclear weapons largely have four purposes: one, strategic deterrence; two, retaliation; three, counter-coercion; and four, great-power status," Rand Corp. senior analyst Evan Medeiros said.
Another Chinese missile, the DF-5 Mod 2, with a range of 13,000 kilometers, is said to have completed deployment in 2005. The sources said China has developed the two-stage, liquid-fuel missile to carry between five and 10 warheads.
Beijing has also sought to overcome the vulnerability of its fleet by building a huge naval base on Hainan Island in the South China Sea. The sources said the base would contain an underground facility to shelter platforms, such as nuclear submarines, against any potential U.S. attack.
Intelligence sources said Beijing has been developing an anti-ship ballistic missile. They said the weapon could be a sea-based version of the DF-11 Mod 1 land-based missile.
"One could easily imagine that there is a plan to drop, in a surprise manner, 10 to 12 warheads on either side of the continental United States in conjunction with a build-up to rescue Taiwan from whatever kind of attack China seems to be contemplating," Mr. Fisher said. "I can easily imagine, I do not know, President Hillary Clinton sitting in the White House wondering, 'Gee, we could not do anything to stop those 12 warheads that did not explode but landed off of all our major cities on both coasts.' And do we really want to be sending our single carrier that might be deployed with the Seventh Fleet into this maelstrom? That is the kind of coercion potential
that is out there."
#3
Someone needs to produce a Chinese verion of "The Day After" and beam it into China on a weekly basis until outraged mobs descend on the Politburo demanding their money be spent more productively.
#4
Beijing has also sought to overcome the vulnerability of its fleet by building a huge naval base on Hainan Island in the South China Sea. The sources said the base would contain an underground facility to shelter platforms, such as nuclear submarines, against any potential U.S. attack.
Considering the amount of time that Chinese subs spend at sea and the problems they've had in the past with their diesel boats, it's problematic as to whether or not any Chinese subs would make it out of this deathtrap in the actual case of war.
And then there'd be some US hunter-killer boats sitting off outside the inlets aways doing nothing but sitting there, silently, waiting...
"Cap'n, sonar reports definite Chinese contact bearing three zero five coming out of the inlet at 5 knots."
"Sonar, pass firing solution to torpedo room. Ready on two."
"Ready on two, aye."
"Fire two."
"Two away."
"Cap'n, sonar reports definite kill on the lead boat."
"Well, that pretty much bottles them up now doesn;t it. Pass the word to CINCPAC."
#5
Close enuff to TAIWAN, PHILIPPINES, THAILAND, and VIETNAM, etc. for Motherly Commie Gummermint work and hyper-correctness, aka cutting off the Main Line(s) of Reinforcement/Logistics/Commo to WESTPAC-JAPAN. Make sure to order flowers and candies for Mother's day at your local Gulag-Death Camp, you Male brute you.
#6
We have Bill Clinton to thank for this. When the Chinese missle engineers were struggling, he gave them the tools and technology, in exchange for donations to his Presidential campaign.
Undercover investigators entered the United States using fake documents repeatedly this year – including some cases in which Homeland Security Department agents didn't ask for identification.
At nine border crossings on the Mexico and Canadian borders, agents "never questioned the authenticity of the counterfeit documents," according to Government Accountability Office testimony to be released Wednesday. "This vulnerability potentially allows terrorists or others involved in criminal activity to pass freely into the United States from Canada or Mexico with little or no chance of being detected," concluded the GAO, the investigative arm of Congress, in testimony obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press.
The findings, to be presented to the Senate Finance Committee, come as Congress considers delaying a 2007 deadline requiring passports or a small number of previously approved tamperproof ID cards from all who enter the United States.
Homeland Security spokesman Jarrod Agen said agents are trained to identify false birth certificates, driver's licenses and other documents. But he conceded that agents sometimes cannot verify more than 8,000 different kinds of currently acceptable IDs without significantly slowing border traffic. "This creates a security vulnerability we were hoping to close" with the deadline at the end of next year, Agen said.
The GAO probe follows a similar inquiry in 2003 and 2004 when undercover investigators crossed unhindered into the United States at least 14 times using counterfeit drivers' licenses and, in one case, an expired, altered U.S. diplomatic passport. During that investigation, however, border agents in New York and Florida stopped three undercover officials who were using expired and forged passports, drivers' licenses or birth certificates. By comparison, between February and June 2006, 18 GAO investigators breezed by border agents at checkpoints in California, Texas, Michigan, Idaho, Washington state, and twice each in Arizona and New York. In two cases – in Arizona and California – border agents did not ask the undercover investigators for any identification. Hear that, terrorists? In a third case, in Texas, investigators offered to show identification – a counterfeit Virginia drivers' license. The border agent replied, "OK, that would be good," but released the investigators before inspecting it, according to the prepared testimony by GAO investigator Gregory D. Kutz.
Two of the 9/11 hijackers used fake Virginia residency certificates to get valid state ID cards needed to board the planes that flew into the World Trade Center. The 9/11 Commission called for tougher ID card rules at borders to help prevent terrorists from entering the country. Responding, Congress in 2004 approved requirements for all travelers including Americans to show passports or a small number of other approved secure documents before entering the U.S. Those requirements are supposed to take effect Dec. 31, 2007. But lawmakers from states that border Canada have since rebelled, contending the rules could hamper commercial and tourist travel. And forcing hotels in Florida along the shipping lanes to turn out their lights in 1942 would have ruined the tourist season.
They are pushing to delay the rules by 17 months to ensure Homeland Security has proper technology to speed legitimate travel though border checkpoints.
#1
Homeland Security spokesman Jarrod Agen said agents are trained to identify false birth certificates, driver's licenses and other documents. But he conceded that agents sometimes cannot verify more than 8,000 different kinds of currently acceptable IDs without significantly slowing border traffic. "This creates a security vulnerability we were hoping to close" with the deadline at the end of next year, Agen said.
Typical gummit response. "Slowing border traffic".... and THAT'S a bad thing? You have a promising future in "Homeland Security" and gummit service Agent Agen.
#2
No mention that a blonde-haired, blue eyed white family who speak American English with no accent and claim to be from Peoria, probably *are* from Peoria, not Ciudad Obregon.
A French language Lebanese publication, citing an unnamed source in Hezbollah, has claimed that the organization placed a rocket launcher on the roof of the notorious building in Qana to provoke an Israeli attack and brought invalid children inside to serve as victims and blacken Israel's name.
The Lebanese magazine LIBANOSCOPIE, associated with Christian elements which support the anti-Syrian movement called the "March 14 Forces," report that Hizbullah masterminded a plan that would result in the killing of innocents in Qana, in an attempt to foil Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora's "Seven Points Plan" calling for deployment of the Lebanese army in southern Lebanon and the disarming of Hizbullah. The magazine reported:
"We have it from a credible source that Hezbollah, alarmed by Siniora's plan, has concocted an incident that would help thwart the negotiations.... Hezbollah gunmen placed a rocket launcher on the roof in Qana and brought disabled children inside, in a bid to provoke a response by the Israeli Air Force. In this way, they were planning to take advantage of the death of innocents and curtail the diplomatic initiative," the site stated.
The site's editors claimed that Hezbollah staged the event because of Qana's symbolic significance: "They used Qana because the village had already turned into a symbol for massacring innocent civilians, and so they set up 'Qana 2'." The incident has indeed been dubbed "The second Qana massacre" by the Arab media.
The scenario described, which has yet to be confirmed by a named source, would explain the fact that the victims were not residents of the building and also the disproportionate number of small children and the lack of adult males among them.
Meanwhile, the Lebanese Red Cross reported on Monday that only 28 bodies, 19 of them children, were removed from the rubble. The count is half that of the 50-60 bodies still being reported by news agencies, quoting Lebanese security officials.
#2
Me either. But ... the Maronite christian community in Lebanon has historically had contempt for the Shia, so a little salt mnight or might not be in order.
#5
My first observation on this subject was genocide! Whenever an initial report is proffered and such language as "these were handicapped children in this building" and subsequent reports do not include the inflamatory language, you can pretty much bet that the original language was correct and the subsequent language omitting the information is second guessing of an original premise.
Since this event the time line story came out, because israel had called tennents of this building to warn them to get out, these unfortunates were sacrificed as expendable within the context of hezbully social services.
Hezbullies are communists, religion is thier appendage, this is also why the christian president is on thier side, he too is a beneficiary of elitist social regression, as all socialists are. Make no mistake, this is exactly what it appears to be, genocide.
#6
Qana death count dropped from 54 to 28. So what were all those bloodless bodies? Now I don't think anyone would suggest that Hezbos sometimes pose as injured. Nahhh... they'd never do a thing like that!
A high-ranking IAF officer said Wednesday that the military was considering escalating the offensive by stepping up the use of targeted killings in daily operations. "Hizbullah is like a puzzle made up of different pieces," the officer said, "and now we need to begin to knock off each and every piece."
A good behind the scenes look at all the rock throwing and supposed injuries of the poor, innocent Paleos by the Joos. Eighteen minutes of raw footage of what goes on in Palewood, and how most of the MSM footage is staged. Unbelievable how stupid they look when you see the raw footage, as well as truly how restrained the IDF is! Propaganda to the utmost.
Posted by: BA ||
08/02/2006
14:50 ||
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#1
I too can be an actor someday. This has re-kindled my Hollywood dreams.
BONITA SPRINGS, Fla. -- A North Fort Myers man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for his role in harboring a 13-year-old girl kept as a sex slave and housekeeper.
U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington gave Fernando Pascual, 22, what she considered a lenient sentence Tuesday. As part of a plea deal, Pascual pleaded guilty in March to charges of sex trafficking and harboring an illegal immigrant for commercial gain. His sentence of 10 years was in exchange for the victim not having to testify because she was traumatized, Covington said.
"These are truly horrible crimes you have committed and they will not be tolerated in the United States," Covington said.
Pascual, his sister, Matilde Pascual Andres, and Andres' husband, Pascual Miguel Sebastian, were charged in May 2005 with harboring a young girl in a Cape Coral home. Prosecutors said the girl was bought in Guatemala and brought to Cape Coral, where she was raped, beaten and forced to work.
Matilde Pascual Andres also was sentenced Tuesday to 22 months in prison for her role. Pascual Miguel Sebastian was sentenced to 16 months in May on a similar charge.
"This is finally a chance ... to move forward," said Chief Assistant U.S. Attorney Doug Molloy.
NEW YORK A Democratic congresswoman from Georgia is not suing The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for libel, contrary to a report in E&P yesterday.
U.S. Rep. Cynthia McKinney has not in fact filed suit against the Journal-Constitution, according to attorney Tom Clyde, who is representing the paper.
Yesterday, it was incorrectly reported that McKinney filed charges against AJC Editorial Page Editor Cynthia Tucker and Publisher John Mellott for an editorial column that ran in its July 30 edition about the congresswoman's alleged altercation with police.
Rather, McKinney's lawyer, J.M. Raffauf, sent a letter to the newspaper on July 31 saying that the July 30 column by AJC Editorial Page Editor Cynthia Tucker contained material that Raffauf says was "untrue, defamatory and libelous." Raffauf and McKinney have also demanded a retraction, as well as an editorial in which the attorney says the paper should "repudiate its libelous statements."
The letter, obtained by E&P today, details the segments of the AJC column with which McKinney takes issue. In one part, Raffauf says Tucker's suggestion that "When he stopped [McKinney], the officer said, she slugged him with her cellphone" is "a false allegation not supported by any witness or any other evidence," and that Tucker is "maliciously attempting to spin this into a felony by falsely alleging that she assaulted the officer with a deadly weapon."
The letter also refutes the part of Tucker's column that said the congresswoman "suggested that President Bush had known in advance about the Sept. 11 attacks but did nothing to stop them so his friends could profit from the ensuing war." Raffauf states that "The award-winning documentary film 'American Blackout' definitively exposed this statement by Tucker as false, as the Congresswoman never made this statement even though Tucker continues to assert that she did."
#2
Raffauf and McKinney have also demanded a retraction, as well as an editorial in which the attorney says the paper should "repudiate its libelous statements."..... and send Cindy a 2007 X5 from Hank Aaron's BMW at your earliest.
The South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) has rejected as "unjust" a government statement condemning Israeli military actions in Lebanon and Gaza.
What might you expect, coming from a communist regime.
"The SAJBD regards this statement as unjust, highly partisan and wholly unreflective of the realities of the current conflict in the Middle East," said national chairperson Michael Bagraim.
He said the South African government's recent statements on the Middle East had seriously undermined its credentials as a credible international player in the quest to achieve a lasting peace in the region.
Credentials? What credentials? We don't need no stinkin credentials, this is Afrika.
Bagraim said Hamas and Hezbollah were the parties guilty of breaking international law and of war crimes. He said they used their own civilians as human shields from which to launch their attacks and that unlike Israel, they deliberately sought to target civilians.
"The fact that both Palestinian and Lebanese civilians have lost their lives is a direct result of Hamas and Hezbollah basing themselves in civilian areas.
"For this reason, the responsibility for every civilian death, whether on the Israeli or Arab side, should be laid squarely at the door of these two rogue terrorist organisations," Bagraim said.
He said the SAJBD deeply regretted the continued loss of life on both sides in the current conflict and called on South Africa and the international community to condemn Hamas and Hezbollah for initiating it.
"The accusations that have been levelled at Israel, including collective punishment, war crimes and breaches of international law are completely at odds with the reality of a sovereign state conducting a legitimate defensive war against overt acts of aggression against its neighbours," he said. - Sapa
SMS 'mg' to 31883 to surf M&G Online breaking news on your cellphone via GPRS or 3G at only R10 a month plus WAP charges (SA users only)
#1
This post makes me remember a guy I used to work with: He's an Israeli originally from SA, and when he'd get tired his Hebrew would take on a SA accent. It was almost surreal to listen to.
#6
I'm going to ride my llama
from Peru to the Bekka Valley
I'm going to ride him good, in my old neighberhood...
Posted by: neil young ||
08/02/2006 14:16
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#7
Special Forces gardening tips - thanks to Googlamma.
It is true! Your Kosher garden will take on a new lease of long-necked life when you spread your llamas dung and there is no need for it to be rotted down: it is a 'cold' that will not burn plants and the impatient can spread it straight from the dispenser. The manure is rich, high in nitrogen and relatively odourless. Fertiliser
#9
Stool required, not included.
I'd've thought the llamas would (eventually) provide their own stools.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
08/02/2006 15:13
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#10
As long as they aren't Mexican Whooping Llamas ...although from what I understand North Chilean Gauanacos (closely related to the llama) are just fine for covert ops.
...we regret to inform you that the person writing this comment, has been sacked.
Posted by: Vegas Matt ||
08/02/2006 18:37
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SEOUL (AFP) - Up to 10,000 North Koreans were believed dead or missing in what Pyongyang's official media is describing as the worst flooding in a century, an independent South Korean humanitarian group said. "About 4,000 people are now listed as missing, and we expect the final toll of dead and missing to reach 10,000," said the independent aid group Good Friends.
North Korea's official media has admitted that hundreds of people were dead or missing after a severe typhoon followed by heavy rain hit the country on July 10.
Good Friends, a long-term aid partner for North Korea, declined to reveal the sources for its figures. Other international aid agencies have given lower numbers, based on official North Korean statistics.
Serious flooding helped trigger a famine in the mid-1990s in which aid groups claim some two million North Koreans died. A decade later the country is still unable to feed its people and damage to farmland from the latest flooding has sparked concerns that chronic food shortages may worsen again this year.
North Korea's bare hillsides, stripped of tree cover by impoverished residents looking for fuel, are particularly vulnerable to flooding and landslides caused by erosion. Two weeks of heavy rainfall sent rainwater sweeping down deforested hillsides, unleashing rivers of mud on farms and villages.
A South Korean expert said energy and food shortages were behind the deforestation as North Koreans seek firewood and try to farm hillsides.
"North Korea began developing mountainside farming from the 1970s in an effort to boost food production," said Kwon Tae-Jin of the Korea Rural Economic Institute. "But that just aggravated the food shortage and made the country very vulnerable to heavy rains."
Worst-hit areas include Sinyang and other counties along the upstream of the Taedong river which runs through the center of Pyongyang, leaving thousands of people dead or missing, the aid group said.
In Haeju, 105 kilometers (90 miles) south of Pyongyang, witnesses saw 200 bodies fished out of floodwaters, Good Friends said. Malaria was now spreading in southern regions, the group added.
Though a massive relief operation was under way, Good Friends said that North Korea's army was confined to barracks because of tension with the outside world over its recent missile tests. The missiles shot on July 5 triggered condemnation from the international community and weapons-related sanctions from the United Nations.
Angry South Korea suspended rice and other humanitarian aid to the communist North just days before the typhoon hit.
South Korea's former unification minister Jeong Se-Hyun, who is now leading the non-governmental Korean Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation, said North Korea was in crisis but felt it was in no positon to request aid after defying the international community over its missile launches. "It seems that North Korea is saying 'We'll receive things that others give, but we can't tell them to give,'" he said.
Even so, earlier Wednesday the Korea National Red Cross (KNRC) of South Korea said its North Korean counterpart had rejected an offer of help. "We offered them help through the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. They expressed thanks but said they would do it for themselves," KNRC spokesman Kim Hyung-Sup told AFP.
This week, citing flood damage, Pyongyang cancelled a joint celebration with South Korea scheduled for the North Korean capital on August 15, the anniversary of liberation from the 1910-1945 Japanese rule.
It also put off a mass propaganda festival known as the Arirang festival which was scheduled to run from August 15 through October.
#6
Forgive me, but I can't help thinking that no reasonable South Korean would want to saddle themselves with the horror that the North has become, it would bankrupt them for a century.
The time for "Reunification" is long past, cut the ties and move on.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
08/02/2006 19:05
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The anti-Israeli bias in Jimmy Carters op-ed in yesterdays Washington Post could not have been more evident if he had concluded, Allahu akhbar! Unlike Mel Gibson, Carter presumably wrote while sober, but his analysis and demonology barely differed for it.
The moral equivalence that led the worst president of the 20th century to decry our inordinate fear of Communism was on display from his first sentence, in which he took aim at key players on all sides waiting for every opportunity to destroy their enemies. The genocidal intent of Hezbollah, Hamas, and Iran is well known; he failed to indicate their opposite number in the Jewish State of Israel.
Carter indicates the cause of the most recent cycle of terrorism: the fact that Israel jails terrorists. One of the special vulnerabilities of Israel, and a repetitive cause of violence, is the holding of prisoners, he writes. Noting Hezbollah generously offered to exchange the soldier the one they didnt kill for the release of 95 women and 313 children in Israeli prisons, he huffs, this time Israel rejected a swap and attacked Gaza in an attempt to free the soldier and stop rocket fire into Israel.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
08/02/2006 14:19
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#3
Is Jimmuh still giving the Fidel eulogy? Will he by flying out of Hartsfield-Jackson-McKinney-Young International Airport? Have to drop by and wave him off.
#4
Palestinians, he whimpers, are surrounded by a provocative security barrier that fails to bring safety or stability.
How can someone be "surrounded" by something they're outside of?
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
08/02/2006 15:48
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#5
The truly remarkable thing about Jimmy Carter is that over 25 years after being booted out of office, he still recognizes neither his failure to stand up to Iran nor the fact that his failure has spawned most if not all of this Hezbollah problem. In fact, his uselessness may be the single largest contribution to emboldening the Arabs and Iranians aside from the Arab Oil Embargo.
#6
Sometimes, when I look at my children, I say to myself, "Lillian, you should have remained a virgin."
Posted by: Lillian Carter ||
08/02/2006 16:32
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#7
His anti-semitism isn't too surprising given his background of rural southern christian teaching. His twisted logic, on the other hand, is beyond comprehension.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
08/02/2006 16:44
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#8
His anti-semitism isn't too surprising given his background of rural southern christian teaching.
I think his anti-semitism is more aligned with and reflective of the LLL/tranzi type of "anti-zionism" than any Southern evangelical strain.
#11
#10 Darrell - "starting"? Have to disagree.
Jimmuh started making Brother Billy look good by comparison years ago.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
08/02/2006 21:31
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#12
DB: I take issue with your statement. He was raised as a good ol' Southern Baptist (he taught Sunday School in the Baptist Church too). However, the SBC is probably one of Israel's greatest defenders and friends in the Protestant/Evangelical strain. We have no sub-groups within the SBC like the Methodists and even the Presbyterians (think of the whacko Methodists group who wants to boycott all things Israeli). In fact, I'm Southern Baptist and our preacher speaks almost weekly in favor of Israel from the pulpit, has been there numerous times, and even though many don't like him, our biggest representative (Jerry Falwell) would probably pick up a gun himself to defend Jerusalem, if you read his recent columns (unlike Clinton who just says he would, but would probably lick Nasrallah's boots if he asked nicely).
With all that being said, he separated several years ago from the SBC, mostly because of our support for Israel and Joooos.
Posted by: BA ||
08/02/2006 21:48
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#13
just a good ol' toothy dictator-lovin jew-hating jerk. That's his bio
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/02/2006 22:26
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#14
His Op-ed piece > indir admits that the DemoLeft's tactics were wrong, ergo its the GOP-Right's fault, sub-ergo elect a DemoLefty in 2006 and espec 2008 for their acccuracy.
Looking at the situation in Israel and Lebanon, theres a lot of debate as to whether Israel is winning the war, or Hezbollah. At times, the same paper can report the contradictory assessments of each side. . . .
A key question is how many casualties have been inflicted in Hezbollahs ranks. The organization doesnt have unlimited men, endless supplies of Katyusha, Fajr-3 and Fajr-5 rockets. They started with X; while I'm sure Hezbollah will claim that the conflict is giving them many more recruits, they are, most likely, at something lesser than X.
That first Post story quotes the Lebanese Health Ministry as stating that at least 46 Hezbollah guerrillas had been killed in the conflict so far. That number may be significantly higher; still, out of an organization that has thousands of foot soldiers, thousands of rockets and who knows how many launchers, one has to wonder how much Hezbollahs warmaking capabilities have been degraded.
Still, I was reminded of an anecdote by Tony Robbins. (Stay with me here). You have a sculptor or miner who wants to break down a boulder into smaller rocks. He hits the boulder at the top. Nothing happens. He hits it again in the same spot. Nothing happens. He hits it in the same spot, over and over again, 50 times, 100 times. Finally, on the two-hundreth or so strike, the boulder splits. It wasn't the force of that individual blow; it was that the two-hundreth blow was "the straw that broke the camel's back". While the progress wasn't visible, the boulder was being changed, bit by bit, by each successive blow.
Like the sculptor, a military campaign can have no visible signs of progress until there is a sudden change, reflecting the impact of all the accumulated actions. I looked up what the coverage was of the U.S. military operations against the Taliban in the first week of November. Typical was a line in a story by The Christian Science Monitor, November 6, "One month of US-led airstrikes against the Taliban has so far yielded no obvious military gain." The discussion was what the U.S. would be able to accomplish during the long and harsh Afghan winter.
On November 9, the Northern Alliance controlled fifteen percent of Afghanistan; on November 12, they controlled half, and the Taliban were abandoning Kabul. On December 7, Khandahar fell, marking the end of any effective Taliban claim to territory in the country. Hamad Karzai took the oath of office in Kabul on December 22, 102 days after the 9/11 attacks.
So the situation can change, even when it's a rag-tag team of religious extremists fighting on their home turf against a military superpower using advanced weaponry, special forces, air power, and precision bombing. This doesn't guarantee that Israel will mirror the success of the U.S.; only that the situation can change rapidly, even if it seems like a stalemate to our eyes.
Posted by: Mike ||
08/02/2006
10:44 ||
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#1
"Winning" is (individually or in groups) taking out pieces of kak like this lad. The more you take out, the longer you continue to win. Just my two farthings worth.
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi (Arabic: ÃÈæãÕÚÈ ÇáÒÑÞÇæíý) (October 20, 1966 June 7, 2006) was a member of Al-Qaeda in Iraq, a militant group in Iraq. [1]. One or more individuals identifying themselves as Zarqawi took responsibility, on several audiotapes, for numerous acts of violence in Iraq and Jordan. These acts include suicide bombings and the killing of soldiers, police officers, and civilians.
As an Islamist identified with the Salafi movement, Zarqawi opposed the presence of United States and Western military forces in the Islamic world and opposed the West's support for and the existence of Israel. In September 2005, he reportedly declared "all-out war" on Shia Muslims in Iraq [2] and is believed responsible for dispatching numerous Al-Qaeda suicide bombers throughout Iraq, especially to areas with large concentrations of Shia civilians. As the leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq he is suspected of causing thousands of people's deaths many, if not most of them, civilians.
#2
Drip, drip, drip. Maybe Jim Geraghty is just stupid. Maybe he thinks this is a parlor game. Whatever. Go ahead and help the enemy, Jim, if it makes you feel important. Forget about those women and children whose deaths you are encouraging the Jihadis to put before the bombs to further their cause. Imparting your pearls of wisdom is so much more important than them.
Sheesh - what a bunch of fools. This game is for keeps. Bout time these drooling idiots figure that out.
No, he lives in Turkey. He lives among the enemies of civilization and he's starting to go native.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
08/02/2006 11:37
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#5
why are you attacking Geraghty? He seems more optimistic than some. What exactly did he write that was offensive.
Israel has to live in this region. They need to win wars, not just fight them. And by that, I mean they need to win specific wars, not just chalk it some "war of civilizations" in general.
This war is costing Israel in lives, weapons, and money. And possibly, at least in the short term, in political influence among the non-Shia in Lebanon. Its not unreasonable to want them to get the maximum degradation of Hezb capabilities possible for that. And to ask how much theyve gotten.
#6
2b, Rob: Are you sure you read the same article I posted? By the same Jim Geraghty? I mean, I don't intend to get snarky or anything, but your comments don't seem like a response to what Geraghty actually wrote.
Posted by: Mike ||
08/02/2006 11:49
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#8
I have to disagree with your assessment of this particular article, 2b: He's entirely correct that some initial pounding against a determined enemy appears to be fruitless, only to have a breakout occur that radically shifts the situation in a short period of time. The key is recognizing such breakouts and exploiting them, as well as being willing to do the necessary long and hard slogging to create the situation that, in turn, creates the breakout. Patton and Napoleon were good at recognizing these sorts of situations, and I believe that Mohammed was pretty good at this as well.
It's a bit strange to assert that Mr. Geraghty's helping the opposition: he cites the failure of the CSM's "military" "commentator" in the light of subsequent events to prove his case.
If he was addressing this to me, I would believe he was saying "Keep pounding away, and stay prepared to exploit the situation when it breaks."
#9
Any group that engages in war but cannot take casualties, will lose. In a proper attack, every one involved must accept the possibility that he will die trying, or succeed.
Israeli politicians either do not realize the finality of the muslim position, or they do not want to offend their own cowards with open truth about the need for a total offensive.
I agree with disinformation as a useful tool during war times, so the lack of good data coming from Israel is fine by me.
And, I know I speak for a lot of hard asses when I say I hope we can get our dog in this fight.
I don't see anything in this article that's even pessimistic, much less anything that "helps the enemy."
What Geraghty is saying is, "Don't be dismayed by what might appear to be lack of progress on Israel's part: they're prepping the battlefield. Just as with Afghanistan in 2001, we're likely to see little progress right up until the enemy is ready to collapse-- and then they will go in a heap, all at once."
Posted by: Dave D ||
08/02/2006 12:23
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#11
For now Israel seems to be loosing. And that is what i expect to be happening in the end. One exemple: the stupid remarks Olmert made about Judeia Samaria at time of War.
#13
I received orders to move against Colonel Thomas Harris, who was said to be encamped at the town of Florida, some twenty-five miles south of were we then were Harris had been encamped in a creek bottom for the sake of being near water. The hills on either side of the creek extended to a considerable height, possibly more than a hundred feet. As we approached the brow of the hill from which was expected we could see Harris camp, and possibly find his men ready formed to meet us, my heart kept getting higher and higher until it felt to me as though it was in my throat. I would have given anything then to have been back in Illinois, but I had not the moral courage to halt and consider what to do; I kept right on. When we reached a point from which the valley below was in full view I halted. The place where Harris had been encamped a few days before was still there and the marks of recent encampment were plainly visible, but the troops were gone. My heart resumed its place. It occurred to me at once that Harris had been as much afraid of me as I had been of him. This was a view of the question I had never taken before; but it was one I never forgot afterwards. From that event to the close of the war, I never experienced trepidation upon confronting an enemy, though I always felt more or less anxiety. I never forgot that he had as much reason to fear my forces as I had his. I never forgot that lesson. Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant
#14
I think Israel is starting to shape the battlefield. For two weeks now they have been making foray into the Lebanese border region. Hezbollah has dug in and are facing Israel. all of a sudden, the IDF is concetrating its effort in the Bekka. Now Hezbollah at the border has to watch in both directions knowing its supply chain and retreat may be broken. Hezbolah positions are now entirely defensive. Unfortunately, their rockets are offense weapons and are meaningless in the true battle.
Posted by: john ||
08/02/2006 14:59
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#15
Is Israel really focusing on the Bekaa? As far as I can glean all theyve done is a quick commando strike there, while most of their force is focused South of the Litani. Now the Bekaa strike may be good 4th Gen warfare, keeping your adversary off balance, but if its the focus of the fighting, I dont see it.
#17
Last night in the O-Club (22:38 posting), our good friend Old Spook had this to say:
FINALLY! This info is public in multiple sources so I can talk about it.
Israel has turned Syria's flank - they've inserted regular troops and SpecOps units far into the Bekaa (and likely will pull them quickly), and like I said it would, that opens the road to Damascus.
Take a look at the terrain in the region: between Israel and Damascus is the Golan - and its not tanker country - hills, mountains, and decades of Syrian fortifications. Now look to the west of Damascus - much better terrain. Check your history books as well - its the same approach Allenby used in WW1 to take Damascus, flank it from the Levant. with irregualrs along the other routes.
The Israelis, if they want to, are now capable of launching a blitz to Damascus the way the WW2 Germans flanked the Maginot line by way of the low countries and the Ardennes.
This is a very clear signal to the Syrian leadership to shut up and back away. Essentially Israel has put a knife to Assad's throat.
About time.
Its still dangerous out there, there are a lot of bad men doing bad things and bad trends. But the bad guys haven't won them all yet - there have been victories that can't be mentioned, and there are deltas that are changing in the right direction (remember your calculus).
Pray that things hold together, given time we can deal with them properly.
Posted by: Mike ||
08/02/2006 15:35
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#18
I dont understand why some people that enters in whisfull thinking.
So a samll force that was inserted in Balbeek was in the news shortly afterwards. But a bigger force is in secret there. Where are the news of combats?
#19
Why do you think that if you don't have media accounts, no important operations are happening, CU2772? Most reporters couldn't correctly describe a successful engagement if one occurred in front of them.
Besides which, it's a serious mistake to assume that combat is the only sign of military success. Destroying command and control infrastructure, interdicting the Syrian/Iranian rearming of Hezb'Allah,selected capture or killing of key leaders, information gathering ... all of these are legitimate and highly useful outcomes from a surgical insertion (and removal) of forces in an area like the Bekaa.
#20
I dont see any hit or degradation in Hizb command structure. When IAF stopped for 48hr the rockets were few. After Israel raid you have +200 rockets as retaliation. So where are the hits in command structure?
#22
CU2772, it's pretty clear you have no military training. Worse -- you seem to be enmeshed in the sort of fantasy thinking that has caused the Arab world endless poverty and futility.
And that's a shame, because I would be happy to see the muslim world as a whole, including the Arab world from whose culture so much has been absorbed by other muslims, be prosperous, peaceful and contributing to the world.
Instead, despite the vast oil riches of some muslim countries, the muslim world is not only not growing in those aspects, it is declining rapidly.
At some point Muslims and their sympathizers are going to have to give up the Jew/Israel hatred and actually live in the real world, where your choices have had disastrous consequences. And that will mean telling the truth about events and focusing on actual facts, rather than relying on manipulating appearances to create emotional responses. Europe is far down the path of having made the same substitition -- and it is the cause of the erosion and dry rot in European culture over the last 30 years or so.
A propaganda war will succeed, for a while. Ultimately, though, facts have a way of intruding on fantasies.
It is one thing to do barbarian style, destructive raids against Israel and the West. It's quite another thing to create a successful, thriving civilization. The terror cells nurtured in the Islamic world are reasonably good at the former, not surprisingly since it is the way of war embedded in Arab culture for millenia.
After a while, though, the accomplishments of the civilizations they have lived off of fade away. And what is left is, once again, poverty, ignorance and deep inequality. Even if the Islamacists succeed in destroying the West, history shows there is little to no chance that the resulting society will be any better than the mess that currently exists in most Muslim countries. Because what would be needed is to come to grips with facts -- and if the Muslim world in general were doing that, they wouldn't be so focused on Israel and would instead be creating that society right now.
#23
Clerert Uneamp2772, usually it's the un-noticed operations that may have more strategic value.
I consider the raid as serving 3 purposes:
1. It is a good PR.
2. Although the main baddie was not apprehended, some other baddies were. They're an asset in any case, especially if there is a IRG member amongst the captured terrs.
3. Diversion. Nuff said.
To get a bit insight into importance of ops that are out of the public eye, let me introduce you to The Man Who Never Was.
"The Man Who Never Was" Launches Operation Mincemeat (April 30, 1943)
A Spanish fisherman discovered the body of Major William Martin, a British Royal Marines courier. There was a briefcase attached to the dead man's wrist, which contained personal correspondence and documents related to the impending Allied invasion of Sardinia, in Greece. Spanish authorities notified the Germans, who moved quickly to fortify the Greek coast, leaving Sicily almost completely undefended. This was exactly what the Allies had intended.
"Major Martin," also known as "The Man Who Never Was," was an unwitting player in one of the greatest military hoaxes of World War II. The Allies had been planning an invasion of Sicily (and not Sardinia) for some time. Sicily, however, is mountainous, and therefore easier to defend than to attack. It is also so strategically located that the Germans were almost definitely expecting an attempt to dislodge them from it. And the buildup of troops and equipment that would be necessary for the invasion were certain to attract attention. If "Operation Husky," as the invasion was known, was to be a success, rather than a slaughter, the enemy's command must be led astray. Squadron Leader Sir Archibald Cholmondley, of the British Intelligence interservice XX Committee (XX for double cross) suggested that a set of false plans should be planted on a dead man, who would deliver them into the enemy's hands. This obviated any concern that the chosen spy could turn out to be a double agent, as well as ensuring that he wouldn't break under torture and confess whatever he knew about the true nature of his mission. Cholmondley entrusted the details of the mission to Lieutenant Commander Ewen Montagu of Naval Intelligence.
It was Montagu's idea that "Martin" should appear to have drowned, probably after his plane crashed off the coast of Spain. This necessitated finding a corpse whose lungs were already full of fluid, so that any doctors who examined the body would accept that he had been at sea for some time. He found a 34-year-old man who had recently died of pneumonia brought on by ingesting rat poison. The man would have been dead for some time before he fell into enemy hands, but the effects of salt water upon the corpse would disguise the inevitable decomposition. Intelligence secretaries pitched in to write love letters to "Martin," and one of them even donated a picture of herself in a swimsuit--ostensibly a photo of the dead man's fiancee, Pam. Cholmondley carried the letters in his wallet for several weeks, to give them an authentically worn appearance. "Martin's" personality was further enhanced by an irate letter from his bank manager, a stern letter from his father, a few overdue bills, a replacement military I.D. card, matchbooks, theatre tickets, keys... All the personal detritus of a likable young man who might be somewhat careless in his personal affairs (and thus more likely to wind up face-down on a beach in Spain), but who was doubtless quite good at his job. These items went into the briefcase with the documents that told of the Allies' plans to invade Sardinia.
"Operation Mincemeat," as Cholmondley had dubbed his master plan, was well under way. All that remained was to escort poor "Major Martin" into enemy territory. The body was packed in dry ice, and put aboard the British submarine HMS/M Seraph, under the command of Lieutenant Commander N. A. "Bill" Jewell. Just off the port of Huelva, Lt. Jewell said a short prayer, and Seraph gave "Major Martin" into the arms of the sea.
The discovery of the body didn't end the charade. The Allies were well aware that the Abwehr (German intelligence) would be watching them closely. Britain demanded that Spain return "Martin's" briefcase; after the requisite amount of diplomatic posturing, they did. It appeared to be untouched, but microscopic examination of the contents revealed that they had been carefully studied. "Martin" himself was buried in Huelva, with full military honors. His grieving fiancee sent flowers to adorn his grave. (And up until 1994, someone came regularly to lay red carnations there, but no one ever saw who it was.) On June 4, The Times included his name in the casualty lists. The Germans were completely convinced. Within days of "Martin's" appearance on the Spanish coast, Montagu telegraphed Winston Churchill to say "Mincemeat swallowed whole." On May 12, Adolph Hitler sent out an order: "Measures regarding Sardinia and the Peloponnese take precedence over everything else." He sent a Panzer division to Greece from France, ordered two Panzer divisions in Russia to prepare to move to Greece as well (and this just before the great tank battle at Kursk), and moved an extra Waffen SS brigade into the area. He thought he was well-prepared.
On July 9, 1943, the Allies moved. They concentrated their assault on the southern tip of Sicily, well away from the troops massed at the northern end, facing Sardinia. The Italian divisions collapsed almost immediately. The Germans, under Field Marshal Albert Kesselring, fell back to Messina. They resisted as well as they could, but Hitler still had it in his mind that the real attack would be in Greece, so they were not reinforced. On July 23, in fact, Hitler ordered Field Marshal Erwin Rommel to oversee the forces protecting Sardinia. By August 17, General George S. Patton and Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery had taken Sicily, due in large part to the efforts of a man who was dead before his mission even began.
#24
"#22 CU2772, it's pretty clear you have no military training."
It's pretty clear you dont know me. And it's pretty clear you didnt answer anything i said.
Which was there werent any big operation going on in Baalbek
Not you and not twobyfour.
For good news at least somone put a clue in most cluess PM i saw waging a war:
14:46 PDT Ehud Olmert has decided to defer further realignment a phrase for territorial withdrawal for the present. From the conversation I had with the prime minister he will not deal with the realignment plan at all now we will conduct the arguments only after the war. (Ynet)
#25
And it's pretty clear you didnt answer anything i said.
Actually, I did, but you don't seem to have noticed. Gerahty's right when he says, "Like the sculptor, a military campaign can have no visible signs of progress until there is a sudden change, reflecting the impact of all the accumulated actions."
Whether that is happening in Bekaa, remains to be seen. But the point is still valid: it isn't only the "big operations" that matter and are useful.
A Democratic congresswoman from Georgia is suing The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for libel. Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney filed charges against the newspaper's editor Cynthia Tucker and publisher John Mellott for an editorial column that ran in the Sunday July 30 paper about McKinney's alleged altercation with police, according to All Headline News.
McKinney's attorney, J.M. Raffauf, said the column describes McKinney whacking a police officer with her cell phone, a charge McKinney denies. The suit says that other facts were misstated including a reported suggestion by McKinney that President Bush had known about the September 11 terror attacks in advance, and had allowed the plot to unfold so that he and his friends could profit from the resulting wars.
The suits says that McKinney wants an "immediate retraction in writing these false and libelous statements" and "demands that your retraction and correction be accompanied by an editorial in which you specifically repudiate your libelous statements."
Posted by: Fred ||
08/02/2006
10:18 ||
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A public figure suing for defamation is almost always a losing cause.
Posted by: Mike ||
08/02/2006 10:22
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They made a crack about the hair I'll bet, didn't they?
#5
Correction, L.O.D. Down here (at least outside of McKinney's district) in "da ATL," everything's called "Coke." Soda pop sounds so "Yankee". Other than that, carry on, and break out the Coke, Popcorn and Junior Mints (or RC and Moon Pies for those in rural GA, lol!).
Posted by: BA ||
08/02/2006 10:55
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#9
Thanks, Xbalanke! You in the dustbowl of red clay known as South Georgia? Next thing ya know, they'll be bringing back Jolt Cola, lol! Of course, I love Boortz's nickname for her..."the cutest lil' jihadi in Congress."
Posted by: BA ||
08/02/2006 12:54
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#9 Thanks, Xbalanke! You in the dustbowl of red clay known as South Georgia?
Yes indeed, she'd be a real crowd pleaser as a dinner speaker at Bullock's in Warm Springs.
#15
And, leave behind Ted Kennedy and Lurch Kerry? I can see why ya stay up there, lol! No wonder you drop by here...gotta stay sane up in Taxachusetts. Of course, even GA has its moonbats (such as McKinney) lol!
Posted by: BA ||
08/02/2006 21:55
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WASHINGTON, July 30 In addition to lofty issues of war and peace, the Senate is grappling with another urgent matter: the senators-only elevators at the Capitol are being overrun by the unelected. And... and...and.. they smell. I mean really!
I hesitate to say that its a big problem, said Senator Frank R. Lautenberg of New Jersey, shaking his head gravely. There is terrific crowding.
Mr. Lautenberg, a Democrat who has served more than two decades in the Senate, said he had never seen the Capitol so packed with unelected interlopers.
The crowding extends to the elevators, one of the few sanctuaries available to beleaguered lawmakers as they try to navigate between the Senate chamber, various hearing rooms and offices in the Capitol.
Sometimes you have to shove your way through, push people, Mr. Lautenberg said.
Add the elevator problem to the litany of senatorial hardships, somewhere between flying coach and the high costs of barbering.
At times, senators even find themselves on public elevators, an ordeal fraught with the possibility of having to push their own buttons (the senators-only elevators usually have attendants). Do you know who I am?
Worse, senators sometimes share their moving sanctums with staff members, lobbyists and T-shirt-clad tourists who apparently missed (or ignored or cannot read) the senators-only signs.
Or, double-worse, with reporters.
No, no, no, cmon, cmon, Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania complained recently as about 10 reporters trailed his colleague Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York onto a senators-only elevator.
Standing outside the elevator, Mr. Santorum complained that some of the rest of us need to get on board, too. (He eventually squeezed in.)
The essential idea behind the elevators is to allow senators to travel easily to the Senate floor for votes. They are designed, in Mr. Lautenbergs words, to expedite process, although some senators are not so certain. Senator John W. Warner, Republican of Virginia, called the elevators a tradition that has long since outlived its usefulness.
Even so, tradition is a potent conceit on Capitol Hill, especially in the upper crust corridors of the upper chamber.
Members of the House have their own elevators, too, but senators are fewer in number, are more recognizable and tend toward a tall aristocratic archetype. House members blend more seamlessly with the masses and are harder to recognize, which creates its own problems. (Congressional staff members related an incident in 2001, in which they recalled the freshman Representative Melissa Hart of Pennsylvania, who is white, admonishing Representative Julia Carson, who is black, that the elevator they were riding on was members-only. Ms. Carson, of Indiana, proceeded to introduce herself to her new colleague, offense taken.) Was she wearing her pin?
Theres all kinds of lore associated with the Senate elevators, said Charlie Cook, a Senate elevator operator during his college days at Georgetown and now the editor and publisher of the Cook Political Report, an independent newsletter.
Mr. Cook mentioned one episode, which he attributed to accepted lore but did not witness: Senator John Tower, Republican of Texas, was said to throw a volcanic tantrum when an elevator operator did not recognize him and failed to heed his request to take him directly to the basement. Do you know WHO I AM?
Hold onto your hat, cowboy, the attendant is reputed to have told Mr. Tower, who was wearing cowboy boots. Ive got a senator Ive got to pick up.
Mr. Cook remembered Senator Hubert H. Humphrey coming aboard an elevator, saying hello and asking where Mr. Cook was from.
Older, tradition-bound Senate veterans like Ted Stevens of Alaska and Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia have gained a reputation for hostile glares (or grumbles) when confronted by elevator interlopers.
But anyone who concludes that senators are pampered beings of privilege may rest assured that the elevators are sometimes a source of angst.
There are times when I press the senators-only button and there are people waiting for the elevators, and I do feel a little guilty. Mr. Lautenberg admitted.
Sometimes I invite them in, he said, and sometimes I hope they dont recognize me.
The basic rule is this: nonsenators are allowed to ride only if asked by a senator. Such invitations typically occur when a reporter is in mid-interview with a senator walking off the Senate floor.
Mr. Breaux concluded the matter with a nod to the public good: I think the elevators are designed to keep members of the public from having to ride with senators, he said.
F-k em. Make all the elevators public. If they want privacy they can take the stairs. This is america - there are no 'titles' here and they need to be reminded of this - either with a public elevator or a swift, hard, kick in the ass. Personally I prefer the later - but then that's me.
#4
Used to be worse. All the elevators had human operators and when they heard the 3 buzzes of a Senator they went straight to the floor where he was, change vertical directions as necessary and then went directly to the floor the Senator requested. Now that POed people.
DEBKAfiles Update of DEBKA-Net-Weeklys Exclusive Military Analysis of July 28
Israels audacious commando raid of a Hizballah stronghold near Baalbek more than 100 km north of the border recalled the old panache associated with Israeli military feats in the past. However the 22 days of the Lebanon war have shown an army hampered and slowed down by tactical and intelligence deficiencies which showed up in the costly Maroun er-Ras and Bin Jubeil operations in South Lebanon and again this week in the Ayta a-Chaab battle. Those three engagements have claimed 17 lives. Between six and eight thousand troops and reservists are now deployed in South Lebanon fighting in Hizballah village-strongholds and positions along the Israeli border and plunging deeper for the mission assigned this week to push Hizballah out of the south as far as the Litani River. More such battles therefore lie ahead.
It is therefore important to heed the senior Israeli officers who tell DEBKAfile that a single successful commando raid is not going to cure the deficiencies hampering its 22-day Lebanon campaign.
Looks like DEBKA is the place where "senior" (most likely retired) Israeli officers come to bitch about how things are being run. Kind of like CNN and the NYT are full of old generals complaining about Rumsfeld.
The officers direct most of their criticism at the Northern Commands handling of the war, arguing that the IDF should have kicked off the entire campaign with a series of audacious assaults like Tuesdays Baalbek operation so as to catch Hizballah off-balance. Without these tactics, the three battles against a tough enemy which refuses to break under sustained battering were bound to end as they did.
On July 28, DEBKA-Net-Weekly 263 cited its military analysts on the IDFs six principal failings in the Lebanon war:
1. Israeli elected leaders, Olmert and defense minister Peretz, lack military experience and the skills required for managing a war.
2. The military leadership qualities of chief of staff Lt.-General Halutz, former commander of the air force where he grew up, are questionable.
3. Olmerts predecessor left him with a flawed legacy. During his six and-a- half years as premier, Ariel Sharon shook up the top levels of the IDFs general command, military intelligence and the Mossad (although not the Shin Bet) and stuffed them with appointees who subscribed to his political philosophy. Israels top military and security echelons have never before been picked for their political outlook. Sharons axe created a monolithic establishment lacking in the motivation burning in their predecessors for developing brilliantly innovative methods of warfare.
4. In six years of counter-terror warfare against the Palestinians, the IDF focused on perfecting small-time tactics for keeping local terror fires under control, but failed to produce methods applicable to a transition from fighting terrorists to waging war. Hizballah has foisted this transition on the Israeli military.
5. Israeli war planners, like the US army in Iraq, came to rely too heavily on air power, firepower and hi-tech weaponry for combating terror. They neglected to draw the lessons of the three-year Iraq war.
6. Hizballahs tacticians and their Iranian Revolutionary Guards mentors studied every Israeli move in its 2002 Defensive Wall Operation against the Palestinian terrorist stronghold of Jenin, which ended in all the towns of the West Bank falling to the Israeli military. Taking this battle as their master plan, they invented a new war doctrine to fit a Hizballah offensive against an Israeli army which had not revised its doctrines of war in the intervening four years.
The battle fought in Jenins refugee camp on April 14, 2002, was the only engagement in the entire Israel-Palestinian conflict in which Hizballah and al Qaeda terrorists fought Israeli forces face to face.
The Palestinians fielded a small number of fighters. The Israeli army won the day but paid dearly in casualties. Drawing on the Jenin lesson, Iranian and Hizballah war planners are hammering at the Jewish states most vulnerable point - military losses and loss of life in general. By maximizing Israeli casualties, they believe that Hizballah does not have to win the war; it will turn the tables sufficiently to achieve parity with the Israeli army. For a small militia dependent on two outside governments, Iran and Syria, for heavy weapons and permission to use them, this would be no mean feat better in fact that any Arab army has ever achieved in the past.
Nasrallah is fond of boasting that he has surprised Israel and will again. But it must be said that, going back to the Yom Kippur shock, the Israeli army did in fact recover from its early setbacks and turned the tide. It is still early days, and Israel may have surprises of its own up its sleeve. The pressure of war on the countrys borders and their homes under attack has always goaded Israels army into flights of improvisation and stimulated its generals into using the war arena as a testing ground for ingenious new ideas. But much depends on Olmert, Peretz and General Halutz, giving them enough rein to succeed while restraining their own pointless and often damaging statements.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/02/2006
09:19 ||
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better in fact that any Arab army has ever achieved in the past
Wow, that good? Old Groucho Marx line: "I started out without a nickel in my pocket and now, after twenty years of hard work, I've got a nickel in my pocket."
Posted by: Matt ||
08/02/2006 10:02
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Debka, Debka, would you like a saucer of milk? MEEEEOOOOW!
Steve's green comments nailed it. After this pitiful display of envy and spite - the answer to the mysterious question re: WHO IS DEBKA? is finally crystal clear. Not a pretty display.
At least they did manage to rise beyond their petty jealousies over not being in charge and pull it together in the last paragraph, which really should have been the lead. Boys, boys, get pull yourselves together. Maybe they will need you enough to call you back and you can be in the game once again.
#3
Drawing on the Jenin lesson, Iranian and Hizballah war planners are hammering at the Jewish states most vulnerable point - military losses and loss of life in general. By maximizing Israeli casualties, they believe that Hizballah does not have to win the war;
You heard it from me first (not that you didn't know it already) but this belief is, unfortunately, the Iranian and Hizballah Achilles heel of their war.
Sure, we do care about human life. We will give you ample opportunity to surrender so that your hostages will be safe. We'll even let you keep your own people hostage. But when this war comes down to being between our civilians or your civilians you don't have what it takes to win.
It's time all the civilized world leaders made this point very, very, clear so that we can end this thing (more) peacefully.
#4
army hampered and slowed down by tactical and intelligence deficiencies
Most advancing armies are "hampered and slowed down by tactical and intelligence deficiences." It is the nature of modern warfare. I have yet to hear a commander say, "thats it, no more intelligence updates, Class I or Class V, I've got all I need. Unless the enemy advances on-line shoulder to shoulder in mass formations this will always be case.
In case youve overlooked it, Likud is in opposition, and doesnt like the Olmert-Peretz govt (though of course they are supportingthe IDF in the war). Its not at all unlikely they will poke at how the war is being executed, militarily.
#8
Oh no ! 17 soldiers dead....we've lost ! Oh, the horrors.
So what ? 17 honorable deaths is a good thing. The deaths of many more civilians by incoming rockets is a bad thing.
Fight hard and kill the enemy, damnit, now shut up.
#12
Debka ends up siding close to where Ralph Peters and the Israeli citizenry are.
Given the sorry state of which Lebanon exists today, it's time for Israel for overtake the country (vis-a-vis land for peace).
Otherwise, this battle will never end.
Posted by: Captain America ||
08/02/2006 14:48
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#13
This is the first war Israel is fighting against entrenched terrorists instead of national armies in the field. Beyond that, I'll leave commentary to the experts.
#14
With due respect, PLO and Hezbo were not national armies pre-2000 and beyond.
Southern Lebanon is forboding terrain, both for airpower and armor, requiring heavy infantry.
One exceptable reason for going light for the first two weeks was that the Israelis were trying to learn about the tactics being employed by Hezbo. However, to take such tough terrain and move the Hezbos back requires considerable investment in troops.
Posted by: Captain America ||
08/02/2006 21:14
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I thought of those more as an ongoing police action, Captain America. This is a real war... finally!
Israeli commandoes landed by helicopter near Baalbek Tuesday night kill 10 Hizballah operatives, take 5 prisoners and return safely to base. DEBKAfile reports the Israeli force fought its way into the Dar al Hikmeh hospital which Hizballahs Beqaa commander Muhammad Yazbek had converted into his staff headquarters. This was the deepest Israeli incursion in Lebanon so far, 150km from the border. Yazbek, member of Hizballah's high council and close to Tehran, was not there.
DEBKAfiles senior military sources report Israel is going all out in an effort to finally overwhelm Hizballah on all fronts and generate conditions for the deployment of a multinational force in South Lebanon. Overnight, Lebanese witnesses reported an unprecedented number of Israeli warplanes over the Beqaa valley Tuesday night and aerial strikes against five Hizballah positions near Baalbek. From the Mediterranean, Israel naval artillery pounded Hizballah rocket sites on the Lebanese shore.
Hizballah denies losing 240 men in the three-week Lebanon war. Its Al Manar television station claims the prisoners taken in the Israeli commando operation and the Lebanese killed in Israeli air attacks around Baalbek were innocent civilians. This is a routine claim in its propaganda war. Tuesday, Israeli Arabic broadcasts began reading out the names of Hizballah casualties.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/02/2006
09:07 ||
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I would laugh if they caught Iranian soldiers there. Um... Iran, mind explaining what your goons are doing in Lebanon? Really? Aid for civilians, huh? Along with these rockets they were setting up? Those were deserters? We are gonna desert some nukes over your country now.
#4
Hezbollah = fools
Israel catches 10, Hezb says only 6. Therefore, 4 hezbs are expendable. Open the pigpen and torture room, we got 4 live ones for Q & A.
#7
The thing to keep in mind is that this was one of only several such raids Israel has been doing according to IDF sources quoted in the news. Expect more tonite and every night until this is done.
#8
Converting a Hospital to a command center? What is the world missing here.
Hizb'allah violates all the rules and is not held to account by the MSM. Israel must account for every bit of colateral damage and telegraph every punch to "protect inocents" while the MSM waves a blood shirt.
Nato and Afghan forces have killed 18 Taleban militants in a raid in southern Afghanistan, officials say. It took place late on Tuesday in the town of Garmser in Helmand province, which was recaptured from the Taleban last month. It comes a day after three British soldiers were killed in Helmand. Separately, a car has exploded in the capital Kabul, killing its driver and injuring two other people - one of them a passenger - police say. 'We carried out the operation in which 18 Taleban got killed and we recovered a huge amount of ammunitions," provincial police chief, Nabi Mullahkhail, told Reuters.
Killed is good
He said there were no casualties among the Nato or Afghan forces. The Kabul incident happened when police tried to stop the car in the Binay Hisar area of the capital. Police said it was still unclear whether it was a suicide attack or the car was transporting explosives. Bomb blasts in Kabul are rare, although there have been a few suicide bomb attacks on the outskirts the city. Gen Alishah Paktiwal, head of Kabul's criminal investigation department told the BBC that the Toyota Corolla car driving into the city refused to stop when the police flagged it down. "It kept speeding on and then it exploded," he said. The blast badly injured a civilian bystander as well as killing the driver and injuring a passenger, he added.
Nato spokesman Maj Luke Knittig told the Associated Press that it seemed a suicide attacker had detonated his car rigged with bombs after the police tried to stop him. "Someone preparing to deliver a suicide bomb was intercepted by police and prematurely exploded his bomb," he said.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/02/2006
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18? Not 20? The ranks must be thinning....
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/02/2006 9:47
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Iraqi forces will take over the security of the entire country from US-led forces by the end of the year, President Jalal Talabani says.
"Iraqi security forces will gradually take security responsibility by the end of this year for all the provinces of Iraq," he told a news conference. "We are highly optimistic that we will terminate terrorism in this year," Mr Talabani added.
The pledge comes a day after dozens died in attacks across Iraq.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/02/2006
08:58 ||
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Has he started drinking happy juice, or did US give him the word ?
DHS Moves to Reduce the Risk of a Dirty Bomb Entering the U.S. Through Seaports
By Guest Contributor, Jay Fraser
The Department of Homeland Security, under a program called the Advanced Spectroscopic Portal Initiative, recently announced the award of contracts to three companies (Raytheon Company Integrated Defense Systems, Thermo Electron Corporation, and Canberra Industries, Inc.) to install advanced radiation detector systems in some of our countrys ports. The first test installation is slated to be in the Port of Staten Island. These contracts come after months of debate and argument over the issue of this countrys previously (and very publicized) limited ability to inspect more than 5% (some say the percentage is actually closer to 1%) of all cargo containers entering the country. The fear is that dangerous contraband such as a radiological dirty bomb or a chemical-biological weapon might enter through the ports undetected.
Perhaps no one ever thought about this before September 11th, but today, nearly five years following those attacks, port security remains a topic of debate. If you go to any sea port or inland cargo storage facility, you will likely see hundreds if not thousands of cargo containers stacked one on top of the next, lined up for what might seem like football fields on end. Offshore you may see container ships bringing cargo into the port. Entering New York Harbor through the Verrazano Narrows, you might easily see a Hanjin container ship heavily laden with the huge boxes. What is in them? That is the concern of Homeland Security officials and local security professionals.
According to an article appearing in Fleet Owner, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) expects these new radiological detectors to improve the level of inspection up to 90% of all containers by the end of the year, and to nearly 100% by next year. Additionally, the plan is to deploy these detectors at the entry points to major cities to inspect commercial vehicles, regardless of whether the cargo originated domestically or internationally. One of the questions this raises is whether the number of inspected containers can jump from less than 5% to over 90% simply by upgrading the equipment.
The new detection portals will replace the more than 840 radiation detection devices at borders, seaports, and international mail centers purchased by the U.S. since September 11th at a cost of $340 million. Unfortunately, these radiological detectors set off an alarm without identifying the exact isotopic source of the radiation and therefore have been plagued by high levels of false positives (even kitty litter set these devices off), causing major delays and disruptions at ports. Each of these new radiological detectors will cost about $500,000, approximately the price of seven of the old detection machines. DHS plans call for purchasing 1,400 of the new machines by 2011.
In a recent article by the Associated Press, GAO assistant director Jim Shafer noted that the Governmental Accountability Office continues to analyze a Homeland Security cost-benefits plan justifying the expense.
While the new scanners may cut down on false positive rates, these things are marginal gains against extremely high costs, Shafer said in an interview Friday.
Penrose Albright, who led Homeland Securitys border nuclear detection program before leaving the agency a year ago, said the new scanners will dramatically complicate the lives of people who want to smuggle materials.
But Albright noted that the detectors still wont be alerted to uranium or plutonium shielded by thick cases of lead. And installing them above speeding traffic on highways or bridges - as Homeland Security is considering in metropolitan New York - raises questions about how vehicles would then be stopped, he said.
Is it worth the billions of dollars for these new and improved radiation detectors? Yes, for two reasons: 1) there is enough unaccounted for radiological material, especially from the old Soviet Union, to produce a dirty bomb; and 2) while most if not all cargo containers originating overseas are inspected and sealed, there is a possibility that in transit a container could be opened, and a weapon introduced. Perhaps the likelihood of this happening is low. Is it worth taking the risk? Probably not, but clearly, others see this program as problematic.
For more details on the DHS program: Specifications of the Advanced Spectroscopic Portal (ASP) in this January 2005 DHS-ARPA report; see also the Web sites of Canberra Regional and Canberra - Homeland Security; Thermo Electron Corporation; and Raytheon.
Amid the relentless images of the dead extracted from a building in Qana, amid the fiery anger those images generated from Lebanon to Europe and from Egypt to Indonesia - and amid deafening global cries for an immediate ceasefire, a curiously contradictory picture is emerging from the battlefields of Hizballistan: Hizballah is on the ropes, running short of resources and desperate for a ceasefire for its very survival.
While the world has held itself aghast at Israeli aggression, Israel has been relentless in pursuit of what has been described as the fiercest Arab fighting force in the region. Undeterred by global outcry as over two thousand rockets and missiles have rained down upon Israeli cities with relatively little note, Israel has made good on their Prime Ministers declaration of Enough.
Israel is providing a lesson on fighting the war on terror.
The mighty Hizballah, rightfully feared as the most lethally armed terrorist organization on the planet, is now on the ropes. Only their lifeline from Syria sustains them in the midst of devastating strikes from the Israeli Air Force. From the hundreds of rocket launchers in southern Lebanon to weapons depots and infrastructure all the way up the Bekaa Valley in Baalbek, Hizballahs operational headquarters city, the IAF has exacted a heavy toll from Hizballah since the attack in Israel in which Hizballah terrorists killed eight IDF soldiers and abducted the two surviving.
In fact, in a radio interview with John Batchelor, retired Air Force General Tom McInerney detailed a debriefing with a senior IDF official in which he detailed that Israel believes their airstrikes have eliminated 70% of the long-range Iranian ZelZal missile systems in Hizballah hands. McInerney noted that over 1000 Hizballah infrastructure targets have been struck by Israeli air power up and down the Bekaa Valley (once called the most heavily defended air corridor on the planet) and throughout Southern Lebanon, including weapons storage facilities, command and control centers, vehicle repair facilities and 18 Hizballah financial centers which serve in the place of banks.
While sustaining these enormous losses, Hizballah is having difficulty re-supplying across the Syrian border. Convoys from Syria are struck by F-16s and drones once they are within Lebanese borders, often with the massive secondary explosions that indicate arms shipments. The Israelis believe that Bashar Assad is directly involved in the attempts to smuggle rockets, other arms and ammunition to Hizballah, and the release of the results of defense establishment intelligence is Israels way of sending a message to the Syrian president.
In what is likely to be perceived as a potential escalation, Bashar Assad told the Syrian Army to raise its readiness and they have reportedly been sent from their barracks and posts to the field. But this is very unlikely any Syrian attempt to re-enter Lebanon to come to the aid of Hizballah, as the IDF can dispatch of the Syrian military forces with far greater ease than they can Hizballah. Syria wants nothing of Israels IDF/IAF war machine. Thats what Hizballah is for.
As Assad senses Israels growing frustration over the doomed yet constant shipments of arms into Hizballah, the move is most likely to get them spread out in a reflexive and defensive maneuver. To leave them in their barracks is to create a target rich environment under each roof should Israel decide to send a less subtle message to Assad.
Sure, Assad may have sounded tough when he said, The barbaric war of annihilation the Israeli aggression is waging on our people in Lebanon and Palestine is increasing in ferocity, but thats what dictators and state sponsors of terrorism are supposed to say. What likely was in his mind as his message was typed for distribution was far more fearful than fearsome. As they are for Iran, Hizballah is Syrias front-line Special Forces. Behind them, it gets mighty thin mighty fast.
Curiously, Israel also said that, according to their intelligence, Hizballah is not allowed to fire Iranian missiles without Iranian permission and that few have been fired. The most notable was the C-802 Silkworms that put an Israeli frigate out of commission and sunk an Egyptian transport ship. But, after the Hizballah-manned Lebanese Army ground radars were eliminated in short order, the C-802s have been dormant.
Israels intelligence lets out what it wants to let out (fact or fiction) for specific design. So what is the design here? Its simple. Israel is intent on putting its boot squarely on Hizballahs throat, once and for all, and allowing both Iran and Syria to stay clear.
Hizballah is Irans ground force against Israel. Iran has no other offensive capabilities in the Levant aside from missiles launched from their own borders that will likely get shot out of the air. After Hizballah, theyre out of options at the moment. Israel knows this and is giving Iran a face-saving way to quietly back out. After all, Iran never gave permission for Hizballah to fire their weapons. Israel is saying, Take your 60 recently sent jihadists back and go home. If Iran ignores this, there really is little they can do in any event, as the logistical conduit utilized from Syria is increasingly being collapsed under the weight of Israeli air power.
But Hizballah is also Syrias principle ground force against Israel. Syrias shallow army is the one force aside from Hizballah that can muster a fight within the battlespace. It would be a short fight at that. But in any event, for Syria, Israel hands a different message without a face-saving option. By declaring the Assad is directly invovled, Israel is warning him, We know what youre doing and we hold you personally responsible.
Israel does not need to roll tanks on Damascus or even drop a few 2000-pounders on military installations. They simply need to convey that its just as easy to bank east from Baalbek as it is to bank west. Leave the option to Assad. He likes his palaces. Hell make the right self-preserving choice.
And with that, the supply lines are cut off, leaving Hizballah alone with their pride and their banter, backing northward in a battered creep up the Bekaa Valley. It is an unpleasant feeling when your eyes are feeding your brain the images of where youve been rather than where youre going especially in a fight.
So, while the Iranians, the Syrians, the Lebanese, Hizballah and seemingly the entire world demands a ceasefire, Israel knows that a ceasefire is nothing more than a quiet pause for re-arming Hizballah. Theyll have none of it.
Israels inner security cabinet just authorized the widening of the ground offensive. Take that in context with the above messages to all parties involved. While the IDF may not roll Merkavas all the way up to Baalbek, the Hizballah that emerges from a fight they could not finish will be denied southern Lebanese territory and a shell of its former self, requiring years - and much treasure - to reconsitute.
Enough.
Assad loves his palaces and Iran is trapped on the wrong side of the Persian Gulf.
#1
"The mighty Hizballah, rightfully feared as the most lethally armed terrorist organization on the planet, is now on the ropes. Only their lifeline from Syria sustains them in the midst of devastating strikes from the Israeli Air Force. From the hundreds of rocket launchers in southern Lebanon to weapons depots and infrastructure all the way up the Bekaa Valley in Baalbek, Hizballahs operational headquarters city, the IAF has exacted a heavy toll from Hizballah since the attack in Israel in which Hizballah terrorists killed eight IDF soldiers and abducted the two surviving."
#2
The essential problem with the Hezzies is that they don't understand war at all. They understand attacking lone patrols and looking like tough guys. They expected the 13000 missles to be a magic talisman to allow them to continue. When the bluff was called, they have no plan B.
#3
In a grinding down war of attrition, the Hezzies lack logistical depth. Their source of resources can be isolated, interdicted, and are in no position of exposing themselves to direct conflict. Unless Bush and the Reps really want to politically die this November, it is highly unlikely the Israeli support is going to be cut off. Time is on the side of the Israelis. Grind boys, grind.
#5
In an effort to separate what I hope to be true from what actually is, I find myself asking why Israel should be able to degrade or destroy Hizb now when they could not during their near twenty year occupation of Southern Lebanon?
The use of fixed positions may be one distinction, but the Hezzies are venal, not stupid and will surely adjust their tactics. Eventually, will they not inevitably reemerge?
Why should Israel be able to interdict resupply now when they couldn't before? The US hasn't done it effectively in Iraq yet, so what are Israel's chances?
A lot is riding on the Israelis being able to pull off what they've started. They're effectiveness is the leading question of the day.
Posted by: Baba Tutu ||
08/02/2006 15:46
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#6
Illiteracy watch- that would be "their effectiveness..." Its a matter of a gud ejukasion.
Posted by: Baba Tutu ||
08/02/2006 15:49
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#7
From a former Marine pilot with some extensive contacts in Israel (his company does a lot of investment financing with Israeli companies) and
other intelligence sources. He has been very correct in prior analyses he has done. This one is disturbing but seems to be accurate. Especially after the head of Hezbollah, today, on Arab TV is proclaiming victory.
Hezbollah's strategic victory
It's obvious that there were a LOT of rockets stored in southern Lebanon, and somewhat north of the border in staging areas. That represents
substantial preparation that involves time, money, and risk. It's impossible to remain invisible with launchers, support, logistics, etc.
The logistics train seems obvious: from Iran, through Syria, to Lebanon via the Bekaa
Valley, then south. Observers can be reasonably confident that the rockets aren't being manufactured locally.
My first point is that the U.S. and Israel must have known what was there. They must have known how the weaponry got there, where it was made, and how it was built up. The region in which those buildups occurred were largely
occupied by Christian Lebanese, which should have enhanced intelligence quantity and quality. Between satellite, UAV, comint, and humint,
Israel should have had an accurate picture of what was happening across the border.
There was a huge buildup that included manpower, plus large diversified stockpiles of launchers and support for thousands of unguided rockets.
That's a weapon concept that must be understood...
Such rockets are suitable only for area fire. They were first developed by the Chinese, then introduced in western combat by Wellington's forces against Napoleon, and the concept has not evolved significantly up to the Katyusha. Unguided rockets played an important role in WWII, but generally for mass firings against widespread targets. They are so inaccurate
that the statistical probability of hitting even a large building from a few miles away is extremely low, even when firing hundreds of rockets at a time.
In WWII, forces fired many hundreds of rockets at each other either in offense or defense, but concentrated in a few minutes. There were few instances when isolated rockets were used for harrassment. In Vietnam, on the other
hand, incoming Katyusha-like rockets hit our bases frequently. It was a regular occurrence at Marine bases north of Danang, but there was little damage, even to helicopters in the open. It was like Haifa today - two or three
rockets comprised an attack, and most landed in the open. The difference is that the Vietnamese attackers had to carry their rockets within range, and they used field-expedient launcher (think forked stick).
In S Lebanon, it appears that the rockets were emplaced over time, hidden or buried,
awaiting a team to arrive with a mobile launcher. Again, there's evidence of
huge preparation to support this opportunity to provoke Israel - and that's precisely what it is. But my point is that despite Israel's anger at every injury and every damaged building, these rockets are rarely more than an
annoyance, provocation at a higher level.
Such preparation implies a plan, and certainly Hezbollah is working with one. It's a good one, supported by Syria and Iran and perhaps others in the Muslim world. Here's what I think is going on.
This is an asymmetrical battle in more ways than one. There's asymmetry in military power but also in information flow. Israel is "open", with
news media everywhere providing interviews, photography, statistics, and more.
Everything is known, available - there are few secrets. News reports general destruction in Lebanon, and it's sickening because of collateral damage to non-Hezbollah civilians and their homes, and the destruction of Lebanese
infrastructure. But the news does not discuss damage to Hezbollah because that information is simply not available. There are few reports of
casualties and there is little public evidence of destruction of weapon stockpiles or launchers. What the public - including the Arab public - sees is Israeli casualties and damage, an Israeli army that appears to be moving aimlessly in southern Lebanon, destruction of Lebanese infrastructure and resources, dead and injured Lebanese citizens, and an articulate
Nasrallah on television claiming victory and more to come.
The Israeli military knows that Hezbollah is losing big - the Israeli government gets good reports from the battlefield, and it knows the
tactical truth. Even the U.S. military, which is watching closely, knows that tactical truth. There is enormous asymmetry in casualties. Despite discussions with people who have excellent sources, however, I found no
defensible estimates of Hezbollah casualties! Many fighters who began this war against Israel may already be dead, and the casualty rate may be
enormous. Those who are killed are buried on the spot and disappear, and those who are wounded enter the Lebanese civilian medical system, such
as it is. Hezbollah need not bear the burden of a military medical infrastructure, and there's no way the media can report on casualties. Hezbollah leadership probably doesn't know the tactical reality of the battlefield casualty
list, and the constant degradation of its battlefield logistics. But it doesn't
matter...
The strategic truth is something else. The Hezbollah casualty list doesn't matter. The logistical losses do not matter. Strategically, Hezbollah has already won an enormous victory.
Hezbollah has grown in stature, and since Israel's pain is visible to the media but that of Hezbollah is mostly invisible, many Muslim youths see a modern David fighting a mechanized Goliath - successfully. I believe that recruits are racing to join. Despite constant casualties, the size of Hezbollah's "army" is increasing, not decreasing, at the discretion of Hezbollah leadership. Manpower is almost certainly
fltering into the area from other parts of Lebanon, from Syria, and even from other areas in which Hezbollah has established recruiting stations. They don't need uniforms, and to carry rockets they need little training. They will die in the grinder, and every death creates a martyr, plus family and friends that hate
Israel and the U.S. It's a price that Hezbollah is happy to pay because the long-term profit is high. This formula will enable Hezbollah to
protract this battle to gain favorable terms from the west, because the logistics support system and the manpower pool are both infinite.
The tactical equation is simple: Israel is inflicting huge damage against an irregular army that can do no more than send a few relatively
insignificant rockets in response. Strategically however, Hezbollah's manpower and
supplies are constantly replenished, and the longer this war continues the more damage will be done to Israel in the Arab world - including its northern neighbor - and the more credibility Hezbollah will earn.
Hezbollah is defining a set of tactics that can work on any border between an Islamic country and a western country. It requires logistical
support, recruiting of people willing to die for their cause, a couple of years
of planning and preparation, and then provocation. Any border... Nasrallah
and his organization will emerge from this small war a powerful force in Islamic politics. In years to come, this will change the middle-east equation.
But that is not the end of my logic. This small war has already triggered expanded awareness by the west that the problem is not just an
Israeli-Arab conflict. The west recognizes that Iran is the logistics and technology source for Hezbollah, and Syria the channel. As this continues, the western world will understand that if Iran is willing to support a small war so far away, it's only a step to support small wars further away - and then larger wars. Iran is not an Arab nation - it's Aryan, but what it does is in the name of Islam. The current small war along the Lebanese:Israel border changes the future. It's not just Arabs vs. Israel - that's the tactical battle, and it's only 50 years old. The strategic war is Islam vs. the west,
and it's been ongoing for centuries. Lately, it's been hidden behind the rhetoric and platitudes of hopeful politicians, but now that reality is becoming brightly illuminated.
In decades to come, this understanding may make an even bigger difference to the world's quation.
#8
Yes, that appears to be the war that is in its early stages. The first skirmishes were the Palestinian terror acts of the 70s. It will be a long and frustrating war, I suspect. Eye have got to be opened before we fight it fully.
And insofar as that is true, maybe it's not a totally bad thing that Israel is doing so poorly in the media war. For far too long both her friends and her enemies have seen Israel as an all-powerful force able to kill as she pleases with little vulnerability in return. One reason Europe and its ilk have no qualms denouncing Israeli actions while tolerating the ongoing deaths of Israelis through terror is that assertion that Israel is a bully, Israel is the "big one" who should absorb any strikes by those poor little Palestinians and others.
Ahmadinajad has done Israel a favor by ripping off the camoflage and making clear what many Muslims fervently desire: the utter humiliation and destruction of Israel and all Jews. It is more than time for supporters of the 'poor Palestinians' to look at this squarely and realize they are the ones supporting genocide.
#11
A couple of points to make with respect to Hezbollah's strategic victory.
It assumes that ther will be unlimited cannon fodder coming forward to martyr. While that may appear to be the case, much of the arab world appears very uneasy with rise of Iranian power, because their borders are much closer to Iran than ours. Hezbollah and ilk can only continue if the host is compliant. In Lebanon's case, that parasitic mode may not be allowed to continue. The Russians seem to have brought Chechnia under control, the US are working on Iraq, NATO in Afghanistan. As long as we continue in this manner, the legions of martyrs will not reach a critical mass, the process will be messy but manageable.
The elephant in the room is the Iranian nuclear program. If allowed to continue, it will become the umbrella under which Hezbollah can expand without limits.
Posted by: john ||
08/02/2006 20:15
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#12
If that's true why is Israel is always proved wrong. And it's political leadership is changing talking by the day
the wit and wisdom of CU2772. Cassandra couldn't sing any better, loser, not "looser"
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/02/2006 20:20
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#13
In your 'strategic' calculations do you include that the UN and other 'world opinion' are no longer recognized as potent as it was prior to 9/11. As some Arabs have observed about Bush, with him there are no helicopters [in retreat]. They have sold their influence by the obstruction, pandering, and outright intolerance. So, what are they going to do? If the UN was demonstrated to be impotent by the terrorists for years in Lebanon, why should the US or Israel really pay attention to it or other 'leaders'. The US and Israel are the ones making the real key calls.
The Philippine military says five members of the Muslim group the Abu Sayyaf have been killed in fierce fighting in the south of the country. Rockets have been fired and bombs dropped on a base of suspected members of the Abu Sayyaf on Jolo island. The army says five soldiers were wounded and a civilian guide was killed in the clashes, which started on Tuesday. The casualties cannot be independently confirmed.
Heavy fighting broke out on Jolo after soldiers caught up with militants fleeing the air strikes on their camp. The Philippines is trying to stop Abu Sayyaf and members of Jemaah Islamiah, a regional network with alleged links to al-Qaeda, from using Jolo as a base to train militants and plot bomb attacks.
The United States believes two main suspects in the 2002 Bali bombings - Dulmatin and Umar Patek - are also hiding in the south. The Philippine military says it is confident it will flush them and Abu Sayyaf's leader, Khaddafy Janjalani, out of Jolo.
Abu Sayyaf is the smallest of four Muslim rebel groups in the Philippines with around 400 members. Muslim separatists have been fighting in the south since the 1960s for greater independence from the mainly Catholic government in Manila. The conflict has killed over 120,000 people and stunted development in the area, which is rich in natural resources.
The government is in peace talks with the largest rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. But it wants to destroy the Abu Sayyaf, which is blamed for the country's most deadly militant attack - the bombing of a ferry in 2004 that killed more than 100 people.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/02/2006
08:46 ||
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#3
A quiet little fishing island just south of Basilan. The inhabatants are peace loving, but violent codependant, Tausug muslims. Mostly fishermen, pirates, and pearl divers who kidnap and hack westerners to death. Except, of course when Lybia offers to pay them a 25 million ransom, 24.6 million more than they were asking. I think that about sums up Jolo.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
08/02/2006 22:35
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Baghdad, 2 August (AKI) - For the first time since the May 2003 fall of Iraq's former dictator, Saddam Hussein, one of the country's main insurance firms, National Life Insurance Company, is offering Iraqis cover against the risks of terrorist attacks. "We offer total cover for all classes of insurance," said an unnamed senior company official, adding that the firm guarantees to fully reimburse all claims covered by its policies, without recourse to any foreign insurance company.
Things must be improving, I've never seen an insurance company offer to give away money
Posted by: Steve ||
08/02/2006
08:33 ||
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#1
This is really good news. It bodes very well for the future of Iraq.
Posted by: Tony (UK) ||
08/02/2006 13:26
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Interesting perspective on how the Israeli Left has come to support the Lebanon war. Some major lightbulbs going on here for those who appeased in the past.
#1
Lefties anywhere will gener support anything, Right or Left or Center or Independent, that promotes more Government control and Welfarism, but while also minimizing or diverting blame from themselves. Iff one accepts that the War against Islam-based Fascism, or Islamofascism, is also a WAR AGAINST FASCISM/RIGHTIST SOCIALISM in general, then the WOT is also a WAR FOR ANTI-FASCISM ANDOR THE ANTHESIS OF FASCISM = WAR FOR COMMUNISM, amongst others. Thus CLINTONISM > FASCISM > both Hated Nazi + Well-meaning Misguided Limited Communists-Stalinist-Leftist-Marxist, etal. CLINTONIAN SOCIALIST AMERICA = AMERIKA > the choice is between IN-YOUR-FACE, GO-TO-HELL, RAMPAGING HAPPY BARBARIAN, LOWLY MERE AUTHORITARIAN, ANGRY MALE BRUTES GLOBAL SOCIALISTS, versus SHADOW WARRIOR/NINJA, BEHIND-YOUR-BACK, ALL SIDES = NO SIDE, PATRIOTISM = TREASON EVERY TIME AND NO TIME, DIALECTIC PRAGMATIC "JUST I BECUZ I STABBED/POISONED YOU DOESN'T MEAN I'M TRYING TO KILL YOU", HYPER-CORRECT GLOBAL LEFTIST-SOCIALISTS. Progress = Regression, don't ya know. Between those SOCIALISTS whom are loudly angrily yelling they wanna kill you, and kill you NOW, D *** IT, before the world and their pet dog = camel; versus those other SOCIALISTS whom want Peace + YOUR $$$ while silently feeding you Arsenic.
Today
Militants detonated a bomb on a bridge on the main railway line through Thailand's rebellious Muslim south on Wednesday, killing three policemen and stranding thousands of travellers, police and a rail official said. At least five trains, including one from Bangkok and one from the Thai-Malaysian border, had to stop at nearby stations as security officials checked the line for damage and more devices, officials said.
"Police and troops are making sure there are no more bombs hidden on the rails and rail officials are checking if the bridge is physically safe for trains to cross," state rail official Thanongsak Pongprasert told Reuters.
Militants detonated a 5kg bomb placed near the bridge as a car of four rail patrolmen passed by. Three of the officers died instantly, and the other was wounded. "We've found two bodies so far and are still looking for the other," an officer at the local Chana police station said.
The blast followed a night of arson, bombs and shooting across Thailand's three southernmost provinces, where more than 1 300 people have been killed in a two-year Muslim separatist insurgency, officials said.
The Muslim Community Reference Group is considering writing to Prime Minister John Howard asking the Government to reconsider its listing of the militant arm of Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation. The group is meeting tomorrow and will decide whether to put the demand to Mr Howard.
But any call for the government to change its position on Hezbollah, which has been engaged in open warfare with Israel for the past three weeks, would appear to be futile. Mr Howard made it clear today the government had no intention of removing the militant arm of Hezbollah from its official list of terrorist organisations. "No chance, full stop. No chance at all (of removing Hezbollah from the list)," Mr Howard said.
Attorney-General Philip Ruddock said the decision to ban Hezbollah, which was first listed in 2003, had not been made lightly. "They're not decisions which are political," he said.
However, the Government would be willing to consider new information which may cause it to reassess the listing. "Obviously we look at these issues from time to time to see whether circumstances change," Mr Ruddock said. "I'm not aware of any information that would suggest we should reconsider proscription of the military wing of Hezbollah."
But Ameer Ali, chairman of the Muslim advisory group set up last year in the wake of the London terrorist bombings, says Hezbollah should not be lumped in with groups like al-Qaeda. "They should not condemn Hezbollah as a terrorist group," he said. "I don't think they should judge that they are simply a terrorist organisation like al-Qaeda.
"It is part of Lebanese politics."
On its national security website, the Government says that Australian Security Intelligence Organisation believes Hezbollah's military wing is continuing to prepare, plan and foster the commission of acts involving threats to human life and serious damage to property. "Such acts include those made with the intention of advancing a political, religious or ideological cause and with the intention of coercing or influencing by intimidation, US, Israeli and other Western governments."
Dr Ali believes the government's assessment of Hezbollah is clouded by the US and Israel. "We are of the opinion that the Australian government does not have an independent foreign policy with regard to the Middle East," he said to ABC Radio. "We go along with whatever the Americans say and the Americans go along with whatever the Israeli lobby says."
#1
People in hell want Ice Water. Terrorist are terrorists.
If 'muslims' don't like it they are free to join them in the countries terrorts orgs are not considered terrorist in. Those are mostly third world cesspits or first world nations which are soon to become cesspits themselves.
#7
maybe when they are all dead, but until such a time I don't think so. Adding to the list seems apropo I'd start with the membership of cair as the newest arrival.
The first hint of this meme that I noticed was a Powerline post on Sunday about the Condoleeza Rice banner, the one with text referring to the Qana incident, the one that appeared with such suspicious rapidity on the streets of Beirut.
The banner was certainly very timely it was hung on the morning after the massacre, just a couple of hours after the death of the victims in Qana.
And then it turned out that the Israeli airstrike that damaged the building had actually occurred some seven or eight hours prior to the buildings collapse. Curiouser and curiouser.
[Warning: some of the images in posts linked below are graphic.]
Israel Matzav, EU Referendum, and Confederate Yankee have followed up with analyses of the timing of the banner and the sequencing of the Qana photographs. EU Referendum has focused on the suspicious and mysterious Green Helmet and T-shirt, the two supposed rescue workers who changed clothes and positions so many times carrying the same two miraculously clean and un-bloody bodies to the waiting ambulance.
The massacre at Qana may well have been staged. This is not to say that Lebanese children did not die in Israeli airstrikes; they certainly did. This is not to say that the parents of these children do not mourn; I believe that they do.
But this is all very reminscent of Mohammed al-Dura, the boy whose murder by Israeli fire has been conclusively shown to be a hoax arranged by the Palestinians, with the complicity of the France 2 television network. Mohammed al-Dura may have been accidentally killed by Palestinian fire, or he may have been deliberately killed for propaganda purposes, or even not killed at all, but he was most definitely not killed by the Israelis.
Yet his murder attained an iconic truth which has transcended and outlived the mere facts of the situation. He is visual proof of Israeli (and, by implication, Western) brutality and indifference towards Muslims. He has even been made into a postage stamp in Tunisia.
So the truth doesnt really matter.
Qana is the latest in a long series of iconic images, an extensive collection of photos and video that might be entitled The West Always Commits Atrocities Against the Fuzzy-Wuzzies. The first in the series was Eddie Adams famous photo of the the summary execution of Nguyen Van Lem during the Tet offensive in February of 1968. The uses to which the photo was put ignored all context namely, that it was taken in the middle of an enemy offensive in a brutal war, and the victim was identifiably an enemy soldier, and an officer of the Viet Cong. The image was eventually enshrined as the visual symbol of Americas guilt towards the brown people of Vietnam, and was soon joined by other familiar icons such as Kent State and My Lai.
Eddie Adams photo was very disturbing. The newsreel footage of the same incident which I saw in Britain in the late 1960s, when it was aired by the nascently anti-American BBC was even more disturbing. But the film was suppressed in this country for many years, because graphic atrocity images were generally not shown in the media.
Times have changed. The mainstream media are nowadays all too ready to show graphic images. Provided, of course, that they illustrate the dominant paradigm: America, Israel, and other Western nations always behave in a barbaric fashion towards the Third World and people of color.
For guilt-ridden liberal Westerners, looking at such images is a form masochistic voyeurism. Oh, look at that! Were so bad! Were so awful! We deserve whatever we get!
With a ready market like that, the brutal culture of the Arab world has plenty of supply to satisfy the demand. Muslims are the brown people, the victims of the moment, and they obligingly supply the forbidden images that we are so hungry to see.
And doing so suits the strategy of the Islamists, so there is a perfect synergy of effort: We want to hang ourselves; they hand us the rope. What could be better?
Staged or real, the prurient images of victimization are a precision-guided missile that strikes the target perfectly.
The dead bodies of children are props; the rescue workers are actors and stagehands. And the directors of the drama seem to be the media, who have lately become knowingly complicit.
Take a look at the Qana photo at right (to dampen the voyeuristic aspects, I have cropped out the most disturbing parts). See that guy crouching in the background?
Hes not a rescue worker. Hes another photographer. The photographer who took the this photo was not careful enough to keep his colleague out of the picture. Or maybe it didnt matter to him the Potemkin process is so far along that no one really minds if the secret is revealed.
Qana and other similar incidents are, regardless of authenticity, primarily media events. They are managed and delivered as weapons by the enemies of Western Civilization, with the connivance of our own media.
This is War Pornography, delivered to the greedy and guilt-ridden consumers of the West by our ruthless opponents. The couch potatoes of our intelligentsia are sitting here, sweating in a darkened room, with a raincoat over the engorged self-righteousness in their laps.
I may not be able to define it, but I know it when I see it.
#2
About the 30' banner of Condi -- Jonah at National Review drew it out to readers the other day. His answers from readers:
Update: From a reader:
"Do you guys think such a banner could be made in 2-4 hours (particularly in a supposedly war-ravaged area)?"
Heck no. A designer could throw it together in probably 15 minutes or so, but the longest part would be the printing. Notice how deep the reds and blacks are - this means they didn't just bust it out. I wouldnt be surprised if that job itself (requiring special equipment, as it looks to be printed on canvas or nylon, not merely paper) took 6 hours simply to print.
Also, that puppy would be expensive.
Update II: From a reader:
Nope. Not possible in 2 hours to design, typeset, print, assemble and transport to the site. 24 hours if you're really good to do all the above. I say that as an career commercial artist of 18 years now.
Update III: From another reader:
called a close friend who has a very large printing company in NY with the question. he called out to one of his technicians as to how long a color 30 foot banner would take to produce. the response was that it would have to be done by a special machine and that machine would take "5 to 6 hours." by the way, their rather enormous, state of the art (less than 6 months old) facility doesn't even have the equipment necessary to do it. so make a guess as to what's available in a war-ravaged area...
#3
No doubt it was staged and well planned. The media always gets suckered into these. Swaying world opinion is key... so much so that the Bosnians mortored there own people while shopping at a downtown market. That incident was the catalyst for the west to finally get involved.
#1
#1 Unni Wikan, a professor of social anthropology at the University of Oslo, in 2001 said that Norwegian women must take their share of responsibility for these rapes because Muslim men found their manner of dress provocative. The professors conclusion was not that Muslim men living in the West needed to adjust to Western norms, but the exact opposite: Norwegian women must realize that we live in a Multicultural society and adapt themselves to it.
I suspect she should revert to the study of prosimaians. She has obviously lost focus.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/02/2006 8:09
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#2
What is the practical "adaptation" to self-protection that Ms. Wikan suggests-donning a burkha? Or would a simple head veil suffice for convincing "Muslim men living in the West" that I determine what happens with my sex?
Norway-get a clue. If I am covered in a burkha or nude makes no difference-I am not responsible for another's sexual pathologies. There is NEVER a justification for rape.
Sanctioned rape, sanctioned execution for apostasy, and sanctioned martyrdom bombings provide us with the three best reasons why Western ideals must vanquish "Islamic" ideals.
Posted by: Jules in the Hinterlands ||
08/02/2006 9:04
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#3
Google her. She's one of the Norwegian women who've 'gone native' to some degree in studying Arab women - not in her actions, but in the fact that (lacking any other value system she really believes in) she is deeply impressed by the "spirituality" and "family values" and "feminine humor" she discovered when writing "Behind the Veil" and serving with the UN in "Palestine".
#7
The cure is to expel all the Muzzie shitbags from your country. Short of that, allow women to be fully armed and well trained in the fine art of a shootist. A few dead dogs will begin the reformation quickly. This is a mental problem the soft Morwegians must correct. They have faced this before when the Nazis took Norway. The underground was fairly effective. Look back and remember.
Maybe, maybe not. I'd sure like to know the truth, whatever that may be. Anybody know anything about this? If the photographers came from different time zones it might make sense. But even then, the hours should be different but not the minutes for the most part.
By DAVID BAUDER
Associated Press Writer
NEW YORK
Three news agencies on Tuesday rejected challenges to the veracity of photographs of bodies taken in the aftermath of an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon, strongly denying that the images were staged.
"They were not staged. They were fabricated. Hmph."
Photographers from The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France- Presse all covered rescue operations Sunday in Qana, where 56 Lebanese were killed. Many of their photos depicted rescue workers carrying dead children.
A British Web site, the EU Referendum blog, built an argument that chicanery may have been involved by citing time stamps that went with captions of the photographs.
For example, the Web site draws attention to a photo by AP's Lefteris Pitarakis time stamped 7:21 a.m., showing a dead girl in an ambulance. Another picture, stamped 10:25 a.m. and taken by AP's Mohammed Zaatari, shows the same girl being loaded onto the ambulance. In a third, by AP photographer Nasser Nasser and stamped 10:44 a.m., a rescue worker carries the girl with no ambulance nearby.
The site suggests these events were staged for effect, a criticism echoed by talk show host Rush Limbaugh when he directed listeners to the blog on Monday.
"These photographers are obviously willing to participate in propaganda," Limbaugh said. "They know exactly what's being done, all these photos, bringing the bodies out of the rubble, posing them for the cameras, it's all staged. Every bit of it is staged and the still photographers know it."
The AP said information from its photo editors showed the events were not staged, and that the time stamps could be misleading for several reasons, including that web sites can use such stamps to show when pictures are posted, not taken. An AFP executive said he was stunned to be questioned about it. Reuters, in a statement, said it categorically rejects any such suggestion.
Maybe, but you got some explaining to do.
"It's hard to imagine how someone sitting in an air-conditioned office or broadcast studio many thousands of miles from the scene can decide what occurred on the ground with any degree of accuracy," said Kathleen Carroll, AP's senior vice president and executive editor.
Not any harder than it is to imagine the press intentionally slanting the wording or evidence in a story to draw market segment. I see it all the time.
Carroll said in addition to personally speaking with photo editors, "I also know from 30 years of experience in this business that you can't get competitive journalists to participate in the kind of (staging) experience that is being described."
Perhaps other kinds of staging experiences, but not that kind of staging experience. I'll be she said that with a straight face, too!
Photographers are experienced in recognizing when someone is trying to stage something for their benefit, she said.
I'm sure they are.
"Do you really think these people would risk their lives under Israeli shelling to set up a digging ceremony for dead Lebanese kids?" asked Patrick Baz, Mideast photo director for AFP. "I'm totally stunned by first the question, and I can't imagine that somebody would think something like that would have happened."
Do you really want me to answer that?
The AP had three different photographers there who weren't always aware of what the others were doing, and filed their images to editors separately, said Santiago Lyon, director of photography.
Is it standard practice not to set the time on your cameras when you are taking pictures in a war zone that may be used as evidence?
There are also several reasons not to draw conclusions from time stamps, Lyon said. Following a news event like this, the AP does not distribute pictures sequentially; photos are moved based on news value and how quickly they are available for an editor to transmit.
The AP indicates to its members when they are sent on the wire, and member Web sites sometimes use a different time stamp to show when they are posted.
Like who? Is EXIF info embedded in the photos stripped out? Then if the photographer filed several photos, they should all have exactly the same time stamp?
#1
Dead Americans: Cover it up, to keep the people from getting enraged against terrorists.
Dead Muslims: Splash it everywhere; cooperate with staged press events; don't explain why a single guy has been running these photo-ops for a decade -- gotta keep people mad at the Americans and Jews.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
08/02/2006 7:43
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#3
The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France- Presse
Usual MSM suspects. Good reasons to question the veracity of the photographs. Saw Lou Dobbs, very briefly the other day--say I had a weak moment or wanted to know what the enemy was saying. What came across was BLAME Israel for everything. It is there responsibility to do something, etc, ya da ya da ya da, ad nauseum. I had to turn the channel. He is the most sniveling, islamofasicst apologist. He is awful at the reporting (?) game.
#4
"Do you really think these people would risk their lives under Israeli shelling to set up a digging ceremony for dead Lebanese kids?" asked Patrick Baz, Mideast photo director for AFP. "I'm totally stunned by first the question, and I can't imagine that somebody would think something like that would have happened."
Mr Baz, Mr Baz, what did you expect? You've been drinking your own Kool Aid for too long now. You're starting to believe the propaganda yourself. More and more evidence is coming to light about press duplicity with terrorists and apologists for mass murder and you can't escape it, really you can't Mr Baz. You're not the only ones with connections to people's minds now Mr Baz - and guess what, there's a hell of a lot more of us than there are of you, so one slip up - just one, and we're all over you like a rash.
Think on this a moment, a relatively unknown blog notices that there's something strange with the photos the AP has been pumping out (as well as 'Mr Green Helmet') and via linkups through other blogs like our own dear RB and with the help of the Pajamaheddin, Rush Limbaugh gets to hear about it and summons his army of the night (diabolical laugh here) to do his bidding ;)
Then the AP has to issue a rebuttal to say that of course the photos are what they purport to be. Maybe they are, maybe they aren't, but just giving us the tired old line of 'trust us' is a bit weak.
If this doesn't tell the MSM that they have a major problem on their hands, then I wonder what will.
Big high-five to EU Referendum, Rush, the Pajamaheddin and all seekers of truth!
Posted by: Tony (UK) ||
08/02/2006 8:49
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#5
Three news agencies
THREE STOOGE AGENCIES???????
#6
"It's hard to imagine how someone sitting in an air-conditioned office or broadcast studio many thousands of miles from the scene can decide what occurred on the ground with any degree of accuracy," said Kathleen Carroll, AP's senior vice president and executive editor. from her air-conditioned office and broadcast studio many thousands of miles away from the scene....
And what photographer wouldn't set their camera clock to the local time?
And, no, I don't trust you - you traded in any trust we had long, long ago. You have lied before and you will likely lie again. You are a known liar.
#8
We have an expression in Australia - white-anting. It means to slowly nibble away at at some structure and eventually bring it crashing down. We are white-anting the MSM and will bring it down.
#11
And what photographer wouldn't set their camera clock to the local time?
If I were running the photo-handling operaton for an international news agency, I'd require all photogs to set their digital cameras to GMT. And I'd put a visible timestamp (date, time in 24-hour format) on every pic I publish.
But I like the idea of people being able to judge the evidence themselves.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
08/02/2006 9:56
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#12
Thanks phil_b! - and I'll keep 'white-anting' for later...
Posted by: Tony (UK) ||
08/02/2006 11:10
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#14
There is a long history of battle photographers 'improving' their shots via staging. In the American Civil war a study of battle dead photos showed guns being placed onto corpses, and in one case a body being dragged 50 yards or so to a new position for visual effect.
#15
And here's an example of us getting media through sites like YouTube. This is of a Hizbollocks terrorist using a house to fire missiles into Israel, what he doesn't realise is the IDF are watching...
Posted by: Tony (UK) ||
08/02/2006 12:01
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#16
I believe Ms. Michelle Malkin also pointed out evidence that the bodies themselves do not look JUST 3 hours old, freshly dead.
Posted by: john ||
08/02/2006 12:26
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#18
Carroll said in addition to personally speaking with photo editors, "I also know from 30 years of experience in this business that you can't get competitive journalists to participate in the kind of (staging) experience that is being described."
Of course not. So Jason Eason was lying through his teeth when he described CNN's news policy in Saddam's Iraq.
I'm guessing every one of these photographers has a bodyguard supplied by....Hezbollah. And a guide, supplied by....Hezbollah. And got a taxi to Qana supplied by....Hezbollah. And all pictures and editorial content is monitored by ....Hezbollah.
He's right. No participation. Ever. Must be referring to those other guys.
Posted by: john ||
08/02/2006 12:41
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#20
Ho ho ho, looks like this story still has some legs, the Jerusalem Post reports that the IDF are looking into the allegations...
The IDF is looking into allegations raised over the past few days by several pro-Israel, Jewish and conservative Weblogs that Hizbullah may have staged aspects of the Kana tragedy on Sunday, in which some 60 Lebanese bodies were removed from a building that collapsed seven hours after being hit in an Israel Air Force strike.
Posted by: Tony (UK) ||
08/02/2006 13:50
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#21
Easy to check - the digital photos have time stamps right in them. Release the original images.
Well, to be fair, I think Dan just jumped the gun. These guys are seeming to be more and more complicit as time goes on. Huge opportunity here for Israel, huge risk of exposure here for the MSM.
#25
What else can we expect from the anti-semite, anti-US, anti-capitalist news agencies?
Ummm ... how about outright treason? This is essentially fifth estate column activity and our government is far beyond stupid not to expose such flagrant abetting of the enemy.
They are going down, they are begining to realize it and good fucking riddance.
Let's hope so, DV. As with the Internet's role in the Soviet Union's demise, so shall it be with biased media. Proliferation of the cell phone camera will go a long way towards unmasking fraudulent reporting.
The Internet will also prove one of the most valuable tools in unseating terrorist domination of the Arab Muslim autocracies. Free exchange of information is one of the most prominent levers for globalization. Only such freedom of information will overcome the shadow of Islamist mind-control that is currently in vogue. At some point the entire Muslim Middle East will be dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century. Globalization and the Internet (plus a sh!tload of dead jihadists) will be the tools that do it.
We need to continue a two-pronged program of decapping terrorist sponsors and leadership wherever it arises while importing connectivity everywhere possible.
#26
What else can we expect from the anti-semite, anti-US, anti-capitalist news agencies?
Irony is, AP and company are pay per pixel. They run a subscription service, so good pictures are lucrative both to the cameraman and the agency. Pictures that can be splashed across the front pages of every Sunday paper in the world can inspire pure capitalist greed. The anti-semite and anti US bias just add to the incidental value in many parts of the globe.
When tough questions are suddenly asked on Monday with respect to the credibility of the photography, a defense must be released or otherwise a few of those Sunday editors may just think twice before they spend their budget on potential bogus images next week.
Dan Rather did us all a great public service.
Posted by: john ||
08/02/2006 19:56
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A Jewish youth centre in Sydney has been targeted in an attack that community leaders say is clearly linked to the war between Israel and Hezbollah. It is the second anti-Semitic attack in Sydney in four days. NSW Jewish Board of Deputies chief executive Vic Alhadeff said today that attackers had failed in their bid to set fire to the Jewish youth movement centre, adjacent to the Mizrachi Synagogue on Old South Head Road at Bondi. Investigations had shown the assailants had doused wooden blocks inside the building with petrol and tried to set them alight. The building, which is undergoing construction, was vacant at the time. Mr Alhadeff said the incident was clearly linked to tensions in the Middle East. "Whenever there is a rise in tensions in the Middle East, there is a clear increase in the number of anti-Semitic attacks in Australia," Mr Alhadeff said. "Racism has no place in our society." The Parramatta Synagogue, in Sydney's west, was the target of an anti-Semitic attack on Sunday evening when projectiles were hurled at its roof and blocks of concrete were thrown at two cars, smashing windows. NSW Police have responded by stepping up patrols outside Jewish and Islamic sites.
#1
"Whenever there is a rise in tensions in the Middle East, there is a clear increase in the number of anti-Semitic attacks in Australia," Mr Alhadeff said. "Racism has no place in our society."
T'ain't racism. It's jihad. So long as you have Muslims in your society, you'll have jihad.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
08/02/2006 6:22
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#2
"Investigations had shown the assailants had doused wooden blocks inside the building with petrol and tried to set them alight." If you can't even set wood soaked in gasoline on fire, what does that say?
#8
Guess the old adage of "Never mess around with a married woman," never crossed your mind a5089? You deserve what you get when you mess with another man's woman. Of course, only in Western societies is this taboo/shocking. Back in the tribal areas (or even the US back in our infancy) I imagine this went on all the time.
Posted by: BA ||
08/02/2006 12:43
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#9
Dundee: "Ha,you call that 'a cutting implement'?
Now, this is a 'cutting implement'!"
Just doesn't have the same ring to it does it?
A Marine Corps staff sergeant who led the squad accused of killing two dozen civilians in Haditha, Iraq, will file a lawsuit today in federal court in Washington claiming that Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.) defamed him when the congressman made public comments about the incident earlier this year.
Attorneys for Frank D. Wuterich, 26, argue in court papers that Murtha tarnished the Marine's reputation by telling news organizations in May that the Marine unit cracked after a roadside bomb killed one of its members and that the troops "killed innocent civilians in cold blood." Murtha also said repeatedly that the incident was covered up.
Murtha argued that the questionable deaths of 24 civilians were indicative of the difficulties and overpowering stress that U.S. troops are facing. The congressman, a former Marine, has been a leading advocate for withdrawing U.S. forces from Iraq
Posted by: Captain America ||
08/02/2006
02:42 ||
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#1
Good! Nail this bastid. Cut off his cajones, ship them to me. I will wrap them in puff pastry, bake em, and serve em as Escargot en Croute to my LLL coworkers. With a side of au jus of course.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
08/02/2006 2:50
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#3
The move by Wuterich is rare, as statements made by members of Congress generally are protected under the "speech or debate" clause in Article I, Section 6, of the Constitution. But legal experts said the clause grants immunity only for what lawmakers say in legislative proceedings and does not apply to news releases, speeches and other public comments.
Now that's interesting.....
Posted by: Bobby ||
08/02/2006 6:17
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#4
I hope they tak this FOCKER to cleaners!!!!
Also behine this story they're trying to find out who gave SH&*HEAD the information that he based his LIES on!!
#9
At least Murtha will have to deal with the legal system. Maybe he won't have as much time for global warming, i.e. putting out hot air. He is a dangerous fool because his rantings affect the mission in Iraq--possibly having indirectly resulted in the deaths of soldiers.
#10
A non-starter. Don't get me wrong..,I'm glad someone is suing him. But nearly every single dem in Washington defames either the troops, the Republican Party, the American people or the President on a DAILY basis.
#11
It's time to hold these moonbats accountable for their actions. People who make wild accusations that destroy honorable men, their families, their careers and imbarass our nation should be held accountable. This Staff Sergeant was in direct combat for our country, he lost team mates in that fight. He paid a price most cant even imagine. Only to come home to some demented Congressman calling him a baby killer and revenge killer. The Marines family suffered, his parents disgraced and his career is over, no matter what the outcome is. This congressman is a man of power and used that power wrongly and for personal political gain. The Marine may not win this but moonbats in congress beware, you are being held accountable for your retoric.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
08/02/2006 10:32
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#12
I hate to give lawyers any kind of credit, but this is might change my mind about some of them. (Golf Clap)
#13
There is a difference mcsgeek. Unlike the president, this Marine is not a public figure. And Murtha is not a private citizen. Murtha's job is to protect the Marine's rights, not violate them.
#14
Mumra Murtha is a public figure who stated AS A FACT that the marines killed civilians in cold blood on national TV. This was not on the floor (where they have protection) but a news release and public speaking forum.
He should have been censored (and kicked out on his ass) long before this for making such a statement against soldiers of the military who are in harms way.
#16
It will be interesting to see if the Donks rally round him claiming free speech or if the send him to the wolves. My guess is the lower courts will not touch this and it will work it's way as a 1st ammendment issue through the higher courts. Oh its gonna be a fun year.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
08/02/2006 13:32
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#17
Well, I don't live in PA, eLarson, but I checked out her site nonetheless. I particularly liked the section which says "See how John Murtha has lost touch after 32 years in D.C." ;)
Posted by: Tony (UK) ||
08/02/2006 13:33
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#18
I'm no lawyer, but its seems to me that there might be a case to be made that by such an influential public figure prejudging guilt in this case, it might be impossible for the marines to get a fair court-martial. It's at least worth a try.
#19
Murtha's accusation goes beyond slandering real Marines. It's an insult to all of Americans who depend on our armed services for security.
Posted by: Captain America ||
08/02/2006 14:56
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#20
I hope SSgt Wuterich wins his case. Then I think it's high time the rest of us sue John Kerry for being equally as defamatory toward all Vietam veterans. The statute of limitations may have expired, but it would be fun to just pound him constantly for the next four or five years until he runs and hides behind Tayrayza's skirts - again.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/02/2006 20:04
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As Israel steps up its campaign to cripple Hezbollah, it finds itself facing two major threats: the terrorist organization and its state sponsors in Tehran and Damascus, which are feverishly working to resupply it with weapons, and the danger that the United Nations will try to impose an immediate cease-fire that would preserve Hezbollah, which is capable of attacking Israel from Lebanon. Current negotiations at the United Nations and elsewhere are deliberating over the composition of an international "stabilization force" that would maintain security in southern Lebanon and train a Lebanese army capable of policing the southern part of the country.
In these negotiations, the United States right now is the major obstacle in the way of efforts led by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, together with France and Russia, to push through the Security Council a resolution calling for a cease-fire that would do nothing to deal with the root cause of the current violence: Hezbollah's use of Lebanese territory to attack Israel. Mr. Annan, the Russians and the French want an immediate cease-fire -- even if it enables Hezbollah to survive and re-emerge as a more dangerous threat.
Washington wants to ensure that the stabilization force will not be a replica of the U.N. Interim Force presently in Lebanon, which is largely powerless to do anything to stop Hezbollah attacks. Washington is pressing for creation of a force that would have the military capability to stop Hezbollah from being rearmed by Tehran and Damascus (a major assumption being that Israel's current military campaign will be successful in destroying most of Hezbollah's long-range weaponry). Washington and Paris are locked in difficult negotiations over whether a stabilization force can act "aggressively," a Western diplomat told us, to prevent Hezbollah from staging new attacks. France and Russia, in particular, prefer a passive approach to policing Lebanon.
Israel, which ended its 18-year occupation of Lebanon in 2000, has no desire to keep its forces in Lebanon -- hence its support of an international effort to police southern Lebanon and keep Hezbollah's terrorist army out. But before such a force can be deployed, the Security Council needs to answer basic questions, including: How many troops would be required? What countries would be willing to contribute them? Will the coalition soldiers be capable of militarily thwarting Hezbollah? What will members of the force do if they are attacked by Hezbollah (the very terrorist group that drove American and French armed forces out of Lebanon almost 23 years ago)? How will Iran and Syria be prevented from resupplying Hezbollah and triggering a new wave of violence? How long will it take for the stabilization force to train a Lebanese army capable of standing up to Hezbollah?
The answers to such questions will determine whether Lebanon becomes a peaceful nation that is not a threat to its neighbors, or its people continue to be held hostage to the whims of Islamosfascists in Tehran and Damascus.
Posted by: Captain America ||
08/02/2006
01:24 ||
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Stole this right out from under Rich Lowry at National Review online -- found the article written by Krauthammer in 2002. Sure blows away some of that "disinformation" about intel not knowing of the buildup by the Hez in the south
Watch Lebanon. If you want to know where the Israeli-Palestinian war is going, watch Lebanon. If the war goes -- literally -- ballistic, the fuse will have been lit by the Iran-backed Hezbollah guerrillas now firing rockets into Israel from Lebanon.
But did Israel not withdraw from Lebanon almost two years ago? Why is there still a problem with Lebanon?
Indeed, Israel had been in Lebanon for about 20 years. It was a classic defensive occupation. Israel laid claim to not an inch of Lebanese soil. It diverted not a drop of water. It had no interest in staying. It was in there for one reason: to protect Israel's northern frontier from various guerrillas -- first Yasser Arafat's PLO, then the Lebanese Shiite Party of God (Hezbollah) -- using south Lebanon to attack Israel.
Yet for two decades, Israel was hectored to comply with U.N. resolutions demanding Israel's withdrawal. In May 2000, it complied. To ensure that there could be no possible residual territorial dispute, Israel asked the United Nations to draw the line demarcating the true Israeli-Lebanese border -- the so-called Blue Line -- then pulled back behind it.
Israel's reward?
Hezbollah was not mollified. While its ostensible mission was the liberation of Lebanese territory, it did not disband. On the contrary. It occupied south Lebanon, imported huge new supplies of weapons from Iran and began sporadic cross-border attacks on Israel. Remember, this was written in 2002
Hezbollah has killed Israeli soldiers situated in Israeli territory. It kidnapped three soldiers who have never been seen since. Just one month ago, infiltrators from the Hezbollah territory shot and killed seven Israelis on a road in northern Israel. And now, since the end of March, Hezbollah has embarked on a serious and deadly escalation, firing rockets into Israel.
Now we know why Nasrallah was suprised at Israel's response this go around
Hezbollah is armed with 8,000 Katyusha rockets. So much for all these media folks crying about US and Israel intel not knowing about all these Katyusha rockets! Somehow, Krauthammer knew!
Practically all of northern Israel lies under its guns. They are ready for firing. Hezbollah's spiritual leader, Sheikh Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, threatened Monday to hit Haifa with Katyusha rockets if Israel dared to respond to Hezbollah attacks.
Were that to happen, the northern front would explode. Israel has been sending urgent messages through the United Nations and the United States that it would not tolerate such aggression. It would be forced to counterattack -- on Lebanon, on Syrian army positions in Lebanon and possibly on Syria itself, Syria being Hezbollah's boss and patron.
Syria could not withstand such an Israeli attack conventionally. It might then launch its missiles equipped with chemical weapons into Israeli cities. And that could trigger Armageddon. Israel was established so that never again would the gassing of Jews be permitted.
Not only, therefore, is Lebanon the most dangerous piece of tinder in the region. It is the most instructive. The Arabs claim that their grievance is Israel's occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. Give it back and you'll have land for peace. Like the Lebanon peace?
Western observers totally missed the irony of the Arab summit whose "Saudi peace plan" ostensibly offered Israel peace in return for full territorial withdrawal. The offer was made in Beirut, capital of a country from which Israel had done precisely that -- fully withdraw -- and received in return a more entrenched, emboldened, heavily armed enemy ready to trigger a general war.
It gets better. To justify carrying on the war after Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon, Hezbollah concocted a territorial claim on a few acres called the Shebaa Farms. Hezbollah says it is Lebanese territory, and therefore occupied -- a position contrary to the internationally sanctioned Blue Line drawn by the United Nations, hardly a partisan of Israel.
What is the Arab League position on all this? Few Western observers actually read the Saudi peace plan adopted by the Arab League. If they had, they would have seen that the plan demands not just the usual withdrawal from Palestinian and Syrian territory but also from "remaining occupied Lebanese territories."
But there are no remaining occupied Lebanese territories. Thus the Arab League, in precisely the same document -- no, the same breath -- in which it ostensibly offers land for peace, endorses a totally fabricated, post-withdrawal Lebanese land claim that even the United Nations rejects. Why? Because it serves as an excuse for continuing the war against Israel.
Just end the occupation of the West Bank, say the Arabs, and we will guarantee Israel peace. Do you want to see Israel's future if it caves in to that demand? Look at Lebanon, where Israel gave up a defensive occupation and is now looking squarely in the face of Armageddon.
Posted by: Captain America ||
08/02/2006 1:37
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#4
The mods must like you better. My stuff always ends up in the scrap bin.
Posted by: Captain America ||
08/02/2006 1:39
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#5
"So much for all these media folks crying about US and Israel intel not knowing about all these Katyusha rockets! Somehow, Krauthammer knew!"
Everyone that mattered knew and it had been widely reported for a long time. This notion that the number of rockets was unknown and some kind of intelligence failure is just so much propaganda.
#7
Hmmm... I guess this puts the nail in the post by the idiot (Megan Mcardle?) subbing for Instapundit. She was whining about how the rockets didn't start until after the "Israel invasion".
Personally, I've stopped reading Instapundit for the week. May never go back. Letting someone that depraved and ignorant in as a guest poster is a bad sign.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
08/02/2006 6:19
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#8
is this an instapundit thing? I havent been reading Instapundit lately, and i havent heard anyone say there was an Israeli intell failure wrt to the number of Hezb missiles.
Rather what ive gleaned is that Tzahal was not prepared for the Hezb being as strong ON THE GROUND as they proved to be. So well dug in, bunkers, tunnels, etc.
In all likelihood there will be a ceasefire very soon. The big question will then be how much did Tzahal manage to achieve in degrading Hezb capacity - rockets, launchers, "militants", command and control etc. Right now Tzahal is indicating substantial progress, but the number of missiles still being fired is very high. After action reports will be very important.
Israel will face two questions - 1. could Tzahal have done more damage if they were better prepared - that will be a judgement of Halutz primarily (Peretz simply hasnt been office long enough for it to reflect much on him, I think)
2. Was it enough damage to offset the political costs of the sustained campaign - that will be a judgement on Peretz and Olmert.
#9
LH: People who write about "intel failures" know nothing about the fog of war or even business for that matter. I wonder how many of these folks have ever been in a game or a business situation where an opponent has been trying to outmaneuver him?
#10
Let's hope Sir Charles ends up wrong on Syrian chem bombs on Israel.
Posted by: Captain America ||
08/02/2006 14:45
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#11
"People who write about "intel failures" know nothing about the fog of war or even business for that matter. I wonder how many of these folks have ever been in a game or a business situation where an opponent has been trying to outmaneuver him?"
Israel simply cant afford to be outmaneuvered. Its Dan Halutz' job to know what there is on the ground in a situation like this. Certainly the Israeli polity was not forgiving of Dayan, Golda Meir, or Chaim Bar Lev for the intell failures prior to the Yom Kippur war.
Im not saying that will happen to Halutz, who may very well be able, ultimately, to point to good results.
#12
In all likelihood there will be a ceasefire very soon
oh yes. And we'll all have free health care, and poor people will no longer be at a disadvantage because enough money was placed in a social program, conservatives will be eliminated from the planet and there will be no more racism, and everyone will live happily ever after.
#13
"oh yes. And we'll all have free health care, and poor people will no longer be at a disadvantage because enough money was placed in a social program, conservatives will be eliminated from the planet and there will be no more racism, and everyone will live happily ever after"
Huh? what are you getting at? There very likely WILL be a UNSC ceasefire resolution, if not this week, than next week. With a US yes vote. At which point Israel will have no choice but to stop its operation. Which puts time pressure on Tzahal. Thats a reality Israel faces, just as it faced it in 1973 and 1967.
Are you trying to say that Hezb wont stick to the ceasefire? Probably they wont, but thats not relevant to what I was saying.
#14
LH, I don't think there will be an unconditional ceasefire UNSC resolution. GWB has said no return to the pre-war status quo and I believe he will stick to his guns.
What there will be is a conditional ceasefire. Conditional on some international force that may or may not materialize.
Personally, I think this is a masterful strategy. It forces the usual suspects to actually do something substantial and they will be found seriously wanting. It will be fun watching them squirm and wriggle because they can't deliver.
#16
Also don't forget media reports of anywhere between several 00 to several 000's of Iranian fighters and "advisors" in Lebanon or coming into Lebanon, espec during the Clinton years.
Britain launched a new security alert system on Tuesday, ranking the terrorist threat to the country as "severe" and saying an attack was highly likely.
It was the first time the government had published such information. Until now, it has argued that doing so would cause unnecessary alarm.
But faced with growing criticism that it was failing to spell out the threat from groups like al Qaeda, the government has decided to follow the lead of other countries and introduce a graded alert system.
It has five levels ranging from "low" (attack unlikely) to "critical" (attack expected imminently), and is similar to the one used in the United States for the past four years, although, unlike the U.S. model, it is not colour-coded.
"Severe" is the second highest level.
The threat level was posted on a new Web site -- www.intelligence.gov.uk -- and on the Home Office (interior ministry) and security service sites.
Analysts say the decision to publish is part of a concerted effort -- not only by the government but also by the two security services MI5 and MI6 -- to be seen as more accountable.
"I don't think it'll have a massive impact on the public but I do think it might help government, the security services and the police have a clearer idea of where they all stand in their assessment of the threat faced," said Chris Pope, intelligence analyst at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI).
"It might also mean the authorities are less likely to be criticised when things go wrong."
Until now, Britain operated a more complex 7-level system and never told the public what the level was.
The government was heavily criticised for having downgraded the threat level in May 2005, just two months before suicide bombers killed 52 people in London.
However, a parliamentary committee later concluded the downgrade had not meant Britain was any less able to deal with the bombings when they happened.
For decades, Britain's intelligence services have enjoyed -- many would say actively nurtured -- a reputation for extreme secrecy. Countless James Bond movies and spy novels have helped cement that reputation in the popular imagination.
But in recent years, both services have started to emerge from the shadows, launching their own Web sites and even advertising in national newspapers for new recruits.
#6
"It might also mean the authorities are less likely to be criticized when things go wrong."
Normally this could be discounted as the obligatory cynical assessment statement. Unfortunately, given the UKs current political climate, theres probably much truth to that theory.
Chittagong Anchorage Account: Twenty five incidents have been reported since January 28 2006.
Recently reported incidents
July 28 2006 between 2100-2200 LT at Chittagong anchorage 'b', Bangladesh. Three robbers boarded a tanker using long poles with hooks. Alert crew activated fire hoses and repelled boarders. Master reported this was the third attack that night.
July 26 2006 at 0200 LT at Belawan anchorage, Indonesia. Three robbers armed with long knives boarded a tanker at forecastle and stole ship's stores. All crew chased robbers who jumped into water and escaped in a boat waiting with five accomplices.
July 30 2006 at 2115 LT at Chittagong outer anchorage 'b', Bangladesh. Three robbers armed with knives boarded a container ship at poop deck and stole ship's stores. Alert crew raised alarm and robbers jumped overboard and escaped.
July 27 2006, 67 nm from Langkawi, Malacca straits. Five armed pirates attacked two fishing boats and kidnapped four crew members. They are demanding a ransom from the owners for the release of the crew.
(Punta Arenas, Chile) Famed global warming activist James Schneider and a journalist friend were both found frozen to death on Saturday, about 90 miles from South Pole Station, by the pilot of a ski plane practicing emergency evacuation procedures. "I couldn't believe what I was seeing", recounted the pilot, Jimmy Dolittle. "There were two snowmobiles with cargo sleds, a tent, and a bright orange rope that had been laid out on the ice, forming the words, 'HELP-COLD'".
He kept talking about when they 'get down to chili', and I thought they were talking about the order in which they would consume their food supplies...
One friend of Prof. Schneider told ecoEnquirer that he had been planning a trip to an ice sheet to film the devastation brought on by global warming. His wife, Linda, said that she had heard him discussing the trip with his environmental activist friends, but she assumed that he was talking about the Greenland ice sheet, a much smaller ice sheet than Antarctica. "He kept talking about when they 'get down to chili', and I thought they were talking about the order in which they would consume their food supplies", Mrs. Schneider recounted. "I had no idea they were talking about Chile, the country from which you usually fly or sail in order to reach Antarctica".
Apparently, while all of Prof. Schneider's friends were assuming that the July trek would be to Greenland, during Northern Hemisphere summer, his plans were actually to snowmobile to the South Pole - which, in July, is in the dead of winter.
... even if there has been warming in Antarctica, the average temperature at the South Pole in July still runs about 70 degrees F below zero...
Mr. Dolittle related how some people do not realize that, even if there has been warming in Antarctica, the average temperature at the South Pole in July still runs about 70 degrees F below zero. "Some people think that July is warm everywhere on Earth."
"And I was surprised to see how close they got to South Pole Station. They ran through all of their gas supplies for the snowmobiles", explained Doolittle. "They had cold weather gear and clothes, but during this time of year you just don't go outside unless it is an emergency."
"At least James died for something he believed in", said Mrs. Schneider. "He died while trying to raise awareness of the enormous toll that global warming is taking on the Earth."
This line makes me think it's a satire/hoax though:
"At least James died for something he believed in", said Mrs. Schneider. "He died while trying to raise awareness of the enormous toll that global warming is taking on the Earth."
What better way to raise awareness of warming that by freezing?
#2
I am partial to awarding the "dumbest thing ever said" award to the grieving missus: " "He kept talking about when they 'get down to chili', and I thought they were talking about the order in which they would consume their food supplies",
anybody got a picture of her: bet she's a blonde.
#4
Sounds like hims and the missus may have had some personal or communication probs, or she seriously flunked Geography 101, given the overwhelming difficulties in saying "South Pole" or "South Pole Ice Sheet/Cap, Honeymuffin", in the Queen's English. Five-or-less short words, or lack thereof, have officially killed a man.
Posted by: Phil ||
08/02/2006 0:44
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#7
I'm with Angie. This stuff is tongue firmly in cheek.
If you'd like to see how stupid an environmentalist can actually be, check out the documentary "Grizzly Man" from your local Blockbuster. You will not believe it. My wife said it was almost like 'Reno 911' as brilliant satire but it's real!
#8
I saw the headline, Phil, but was disappointed by the article. Not subtle enough. I was hoping that it would be something like: Authentic TANG documents provided by Lucy Ramirez prove that F-102 jets, such as those flown by President Bush in his youth, are the sole source for today's global warming.
#14
"At least James died for something he believed in", said Mrs. Schneider. "He died while trying to raise awareness of the enormous toll that global warming is taking on the Earth."
Activist and Journalist, what no attorney? This really is the stuff of internet humour. Thanks for the insightful message Linda. (why do I have a mental pic of Mother Sheehan right now?). Most of us will eventually "die having done something we believed in." But most of us are not careless and stupid.
#15
If you Google "global warming activist James Schneider," this is the only article about him that comes up.
Posted by: Mike ||
08/02/2006 7:40
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#16
If you look way down at the bottom of the page, you'll find a link to this:
DISCLAIMER
All content on this site, being a mixture of parody, satire, and lame humor, is for entertainment purposes only. If any content is found to be offensive or objectionable in any way, please accept our apologies... but we also suggest that you get a life.
Scrappleface appears to have some competion. I'm going to bookmark it.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/02/2006 8:26
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#17
Well, without Schneider's output of hot air, global warming should now be alleviated. Wait a minute! I've got an idea!
#18
Funny thing is, even though articles from this site have been linked at RB before (and, thus, I knew it was satire), I read the thing and thought, this could be printed in NY Slimes any day now as Gospel Truth(tm).
Posted by: BA ||
08/02/2006 10:29
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#19
Now if he had called it "climate change" instead of "global warming" LIKE THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO NOW, he'd still be dead but he wouldn't look as stupid.(yeah, I know it's fake)
#22
It's a satire, nobody is that stupid. OK, maybe Cynthia McKinney, and Mel Gibson, and Cindy "I gained 5 lbs on my hunger strike" Sheehan ... but not that many people are that stupid.
(KUNA) -- A Security committee in the province of Kirkuk ordered Tuesday an Iraqi military force in Suleimania area to move to southern Kirkuk in northern Iraq. A military senior official told KUNA that this military maneuver was taken to protect southern Kirkuk from insurgents who have increasingly stepped up their attacks in the area. The Iraqi forces and Multi-National force (MNF) previously conducted several operations in the area which resulted in the capture of 169 suspects.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/02/2006
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(Itar-Tass) - Twelve gunmen surrendered voluntarily in Chechnya, the common press center of the regional operational headquarters told Itar-Tass on Tuesday. "A former gunman of Raduyev's gang turned in police in the Kurchaloi region. According to available information, he participated in the capture of the hospital in Kizlyar and the battle near Pervomaiskoye in 1995," the common press center said.
Another 11 gunmen surrendered to police in other five regions of Chechnya. "Most of them surrendered in the Gudermes region. The former commander of militia in Komsomolskoye also turned in. He is known to take part in the clashes with the federal troops in 1995," the common press center said.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/02/2006
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The IDF has warned residents of 10 towns and villages in southern Lebanon presumed to be Hizbullah strongholds to evacuate, Army Radio reported.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/02/2006
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#1
ok I am an official witness to the statement of warning...So when the calls of genocide begin please call me to testify on Isreals behalf.
Im tired of the slant given to the people who live in these towns.. IF your state and local government cared about you they would move you if you cant do it yourself...Ask ole ray, he didnt care He will be able to tell you the deal.
More than 2,000 Palestinians denounced moderate Arab leaders in a march through Ramallah in support of Hizbullah on Tuesday. "Mubarak is a pig," protesters chanted, a reference to the Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, who criticized Hizbullah in the first days of battles between the group and the Israeli army.
'Mubarak is a pig,' protesters chanted...
The protesters also accused Jordan's King Abdullah of being a "collaborator of the Zionists and the Americans." "These days are days of Arab resurrection and days of humiliation for the Israeli military, the military that couldn't proceed (move ahead) into Lebanese land," said Hani Hassan, a leading member of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah Party.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/02/2006
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#1
A whole lotta hatin goin on
Posted by: Captain America ||
08/02/2006 1:56
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#2
Find where the protest is and re-direct artillary!!
#5
Why wasn't this 'demonstration' targeted with a few dozen Mark-82s? That is the only thing that would really do some good. Abbas and the 'palestinians' need to be thoroughly crushed - taken down so badly they couldn't even get enough folks together to play solitaire.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/02/2006 21:48
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Tamil Tiger rebels attacked three army camps near a strategic eastern Sri Lankan port before dawn on Wednesday, military sources said, a day after rebel suicide bombers tried to sink a troop transport ship with 850 aboard. There were no immediate details of any casualties in the attacks in the restive eastern district of Trincomalee, which come as the battle front for control over a water sluice in the restive east widens.
Diplomats and analysts increasingly fear a return to a two-decade civil war that has killed more than 65,000 people since 1983. "The Tigers have fired artillery at three camps," one military source told Reuters. "Communications with one of those camps has been lost."
Nordic truce monitors say a 2002 ceasefire has broken down in all but name and that the foes are locked in a low intensity war. Well over 800 people have died in a series of attacks and military clashes so far this year. On Monday, a senior rebel in the east said an army offensive meant the ceasefire was over and that the war had started. But the government says it remains committed to the ceasefire and the Tigers say they are only acting defensively. "This certainly looks like a war," said one diplomat. "Neither side has shown any sign of wanting to de-escalate this situation and seek peace."
Posted by: Fred ||
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Israeli aircraft on Wednesday bombed buildings in the Gaza Strip used by militants to store and smuggle weapons, the army said. There were no immediate reports of casualties in the air strikes. Palestinian security sources said one of the destroyed buildings was a house in central Gaza owned by a Hamas militant.
"Ahead of the attack, the people in the area were warned to stay away," an army spokesman said. Palestinian security sources said the second building, west of Gaza City, was hit by four missiles. The Israeli army has killed 154 Palestinians, more than half of them civilians, in Gaza since it began an offensive to stop gunmen from firing rockets into Israel and to pressure militants to free a soldier that armed groups captured on June 25. An air strike in northern Gaza on Tuesday killed a Palestinian teenager and a woman.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
Unfortunately, they are not using even one of those.
Bosnian Islamic leaders voiced anger after a local television station aired an episode of the popular US cartoon "South Park" depicting the Muslim Prophet Mohammed. "The broadcast (of the cartoon) is unacceptable and we condemn it and consider it to be a kind of provocation," Enes Ljevakovic, head of a Bosnian Islamic council, said Monday.
The broadcast (of the cartoon) is unacceptable and we condemn it and consider it to be a kind of provocation...
The South Park episode portraying the Muslim prophet, Jesus Christ, Krishna and Buddha as friends who fight against evil was shown on the private Sarajevo-based OBN network early on Saturday morning. "According to Islamic tradition, the presentation of Prophet Mohammed or any other prophet is unacceptable ... even if their presentation is not sarcastic but in positive light," Ljevakovic said. "The cartoon was even censored in the United States ... and that is what the local Bosnian television station should have done as well," he added.
OBN defended its decision to air the show, saying the cartoon presented prophets in a positive light that could be considered as a lesson in morality.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/02/2006
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#1
That particular episode has never been censored in the US. Ljevakovic must be mistaking this episode with the more recent "Cartoon Wars" episode that Viacom censored.
#4
Nope, cf Destro comment; Lancasters over Dresden had this covered in his blog, too lazy to search for the link... wait... I think I'm mustering the will at this very moment... here it is.
As far as I know, the "Superfirends" ep never was censored in any western country, it even aired in France, though I didn't see that one (it was on a paying channel). Remember, it was BEFORE the muslim brotherhood so successfully blackmailed the West with its fabricated "cartoons controversy". Now, I don't think it would be aired without an afterthought, or even aired at all, depending on the PC climate.
The "Superfriends" one was never banned, but apparently a later one that was going to feature old Mo in an episode of "Family Guy" that Cartman was trying to keep from being broadcast kinda/sorta was censored by Comedy Central (at least, that's what they said during the episode, anyway.)
The episode was shown with a black screen saying Comedy Central wouldn't let them depict Mo, along with clips of OBL and Zawahiri (?spelling) getting their noses out of joint about it.
#6
The episode was shown with a black screen saying Comedy Central wouldn't let them depict Mo, along with clips of OBL and Zawahiri (?spelling) getting their noses out of joint about it.
You left out the part about showing Christ crapping on the American flag. While not subtle, Parker and Stone sure as hell showed who you can offend and who you can't.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
08/02/2006 6:21
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#7
Uyp, the article linked in comment above pretty well sums it up.
#11
Yep, the great, peaceful and tolerant mooslimb religion - don't question it, don't even think about it.
The descendants of mohammad (& so-called descendants) have been laughing their way to the bank ever since. Never underestimate the stupidity of those who do not want to think for themselves or take responsiblity for their actions. So let's all sing it together - "Allan hates you this I know because the koran tells me so."
STOCKHOLM: Sweden said on Tuesday that it would recall its ceasefire monitors from Sri Lanka, while fearing the move could increase fighting between the government and Tamil Tiger rebels. Swedish Foreign Minister Jan Eliasson said he regretted the decision, which comes days after similar moves by Finland and Denmark, prompted by a Tamil Tiger demand to remove European Union nationals from the monitoring group. "We regret that we are forced to do this, but the Tamil Tigers stand by their position that they don't want EU nationals represented in the monitoring mission," Eliasson told Swedish radio from Brussels. Eliasson said he hoped that the impact of the pullout would be limited, "but I can't rule out that this could lead to increased fighting". The Swedish observers are to leave Sri Lanka before September 1.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
Send in the bikini team
Posted by: Captain America ||
08/02/2006 1:57
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Coalition forces successfully targeted and detained two senior al-Qaida in Iraq leaders and three other suspected terrorists during multiple raids in central and northern Iraq on the morning of July 29.
A recent detainee provided information that led the security forces to one of the terrorists, a top leader for the Al Dhuluiyah area. The targeted individual was reportedly the main planner for the attack against Peshmerga forces at a checkpoint in Al Dhuluiya in May 2006. Credible intelligence also ties the terrorist leader to other al-Qaida leaders in the area.
In a separate raid, security forces detained a principal financial and logistical coordinator for al-Qaida in the MosulMosul. area. He also was reportedly the leader of a terrorist cell responsible for kidnappings and executing vehicle borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) and IED attacks in
Ground troops discovered a large weapons cache at another target site. The cache included several rocket propelled grenades, multiple launchers, explosives and materials for IEDs, small arms, and ordnance. All of them were destroyed on location.
Coalition forces quickly secured the areas in all of the raids and detained the individuals without incident. These and other recent assaults are helping Coalition forces get a clearer picture of the enemy network in the region, and they continue to methodically degrade the terrorist network.
Multiple women and children were present at the raid sites. None were harmed and all were returned to their homes once the troops ensured the area was secure.
#1
Notes from a a senior leader returning from Iraq.
Hi Gang.
Left Iraq on Saturday, 29 JUL 06, and thought I would share some final observations as I look back on the past 14 months. I'm currently
processing through Ft Bliss, and should be home on Thursday.
Al Qaida is wounded and is lashing out. Although not defeated, our operations have significantly degraded their leadership capability. They are having success in killing Shia civilians, which gives the Shia militias an excuse to murder Sunnis in retaliation. This sectarian militia violence poses the largest threat to the stability of Iraq, and therefore we are focusing much of our effort against the various militias.
Despite the impression given by much of the press, we don't ride and walk around all day waiting to be blown up by an IED. Our intelligence enables us to conduct raids every day and every night to kill or capture specific targets, which in turn leads to more intelligence.
Concurrently we are training the Iraqi Army, which is becoming quite good at accepting battlespace from us and taking the lead in the fight.
We still have a number of challenges training the police. We turned over the security of the first province to the Iraqi security forces,
and will steadily add provinces this fall.
Caught up in the day to day operations, casualties, and events of this fight, it is easy to become mired in the belief that we are not making progress. One has to occasionally step back from the current fight and assess how far we have come. Since my arrival in May 05, the Iraqis have written and ratified a Constitution, elected a government in a free, democratic process, and made significant progress in developing a capable Army. We have inflicted significant damage on Al Qaida and its
leadership, and have prevented them from gaining the initiative.
Much work has been done to rebuild the infrastructure that received no attention during Saddam's regime.
However, we still have a tough fight ahead of us. We are focusing on disarming or destroying the militias and securing Baghdad, while
concurrently continuing to pound Al Qaida. The Government leaders have said the right things, but now need to follow through with action. They must take concrete steps to unify Iraq and eliminate sectarian violence.They have about six months to get it right and show some progress.
Our DOD, DOS, and DOJ advisors are working hard to make it happen.
I think it is important to remember that Al Qaida chose to fight us in Iraq, not the other way around. We are their main effort, and their
senior leadership understands what is at stake in Iraq. It's about defeating the United States and establishing a base of operations in
the Middle East from which to continue their terrorist quest to establish a caliphate that reaches across North Africa and into Europe,increasing their chances for successful strikes against the U.S. homeland. America needs to wake up and understand that we have more at stake as a country in this fight than we did in WW II. Losing Iraq will provide Al Qaida a significant base of operations and the psychological edge to continue to attack America and enlist allies in their cause. Conversely, defeating Al Qaida in Iraq and establishing a democracy with an economy embracing capitalism will start to unravel the repressive regimes of the Middle East that provide the support base
Al Qaida so desperately needs.
As I close out this tour, I would be remiss if I did not mention one of the great Americans carrying this fight to the enemy, GEN George Casey.
In June he began his third year as the overall commander in Iraq. The continuity he provides in both defeating the enemy and building a
democratic Iraq cannot be underestimated. He is shouldering a heavy burden for our country, and America owes him a heavy debt of gratitude.
It was my honor to serve with him on both ends of my career. With him the entire tour has been another outstanding soldier, CSM XXX XXXXXXXXX, an NCO who truly exemplifies the NCO and Ranger Creeds as he moves around Iraq checking on the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines who are doing the heavy lifting.
As I depart, I will miss the great young Americans who do our country's tough work every day and every night. Their selfless service,
dedication, teamwork, camaraderie, and humor in the face of adversity are beacons for all Americans to follow. I will miss the smile on an Iraqi child's face when we open her new school, and the satisfaction our engineers have when they provide potable water to a village. I will miss the determination of the Iraqi people to risk death in order to exercise their right to vote. I will miss the NCO Corps, truly the
backbone of our Army and the single characteristic that distinguishes
our Army from every other army in the world. The NCOs guarantee us victory in every endeavor. I won't miss the rear echelon military bureaucracy we have created to support this operation, despite the valiant efforts of outstanding staff officers and NCOs to fight through it and accomplish the mission. I won't miss performing or attending memorial services. I thought I had attended my last one on Sunday, but we had another Soldier killed by an IED four days before I left. Losing these great young Americans has become progressively harder each
of my 31 years in this business. I guess it has a cumulative effect.
We have made an astounding amount of progress in the past 14 months, and are on the edge of winning this fight. The next six months will be
decisive. We will destroy the militias and continue to decimate Al Qaida.
Our biggest challenge is to get this new Government to step up to the plate, begin cleaning out the corruption, and take decisive steps in securing its people. Concurrently we must help them fight the growing
Iranian influence. It is a tough fight, but the Iraqis can do it as long as America does not lose its resolve. With what is at stake for
us, we cannot afford to.
Thanks for the support and the prayers this past 14 months; they work.
Please keep the kids I left behind in your prayers until we can finish this job and bring them home.
#4
I went ahead and posted the letter on my website, Besoeker. If you know the Officer's name, I'd like to post it as well. If there are objections, I'll remove it.
Posted by: BA ||
08/02/2006 13:04
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#6
For reasons of privacy, rather not divulge without his expressed permission. I will say he was well placed at Multi-National Force Iraq (MNF-I), and that it was passed to me by a GO. Identities produced NVA bounties in the 60's and 70's, especially among folks on rotational tours. Hope you understand.
#1
Hezbollah's leadership is under increasing pressure, well-informed Lebanese sources reported a few days ago. "They only pretend that they are successful, in control, and that everything is going according to plan."
This assessment was correct up to the day the Israel Air Force accidentally bombed a building in Qana and caused the deaths of dozens of people. Although the bombing somewhat boosted support for Hezbollah in Lebanon or, more to the point, somewhat reduced hostility to it, the basic feeling of those in Lebanon who have had enough of Hezbollah remained unchanged. The real sentiments of the majority of Lebanese do not get appropriate coverage in Lebanon, the international media or, to their disappointment, in Israel, said the sources. Fearing for their safety, they asked to remain anonymous. They said that morale among Hezbollah's leadership is low:
"The IAF bombing of the Dahiya neighborhood was a hard and humiliating blow to the Hezbollah leadership," the sources stated. "This is not only because the offices were destroyed. The offices were equipped with command, control and computer systems and valuable intelligence. But the psychological blow was just as important. They were surprised by the attack and by the precise information Israel possessed. The headquarters was their pride and joy. Its destruction served as a painful reminder of the gap, one that no Lebanese can miss, between their pretension of power and the truth."
The sources added that Hezbollah makes use of its security apparatus to terrorize opposing leaders and political activists. In fact, the sources claim, close to 70 percent of the Lebanese opposes Hezbollah and the escapade into which it dragged the country. The Shi'ites, the source of Hezbollah's authority and power, constitute 40 percent to 53 percent of the Lebanese population. But the sources estimate that among them a third does not support the organization, and some even oppose it.
"But Hezbollah threatens people. Their security men wander armed in the streets of Beirut and, in fact, have control over the capital. The opposition ? Saad Hariri's party and other parties ? oppose Hezbollah, and they privately rejoice at the blows Israel gives the organization. But they are afraid to speak out. Only Druze leader Walid Jumblatt has no fear of publicly expressing his opinion."
According to the sources, Hezbollah almost openly promises that after the war it will settle scores with its opposition. This was confirmed in a Saturday article in "The Guardian," whose reporter talked to Hezbollah fighters. "The real battle will be after the conclusion of this war. We will have a score to settle with Lebanese politicians," they said. "We have the best intelligence bodies in the country, and we can reach anyone who opposes. Let us finish with the Israelis, then we will settle the rest of the scores."
The sources claimed that despite IAF success, Israel has still failed to hit any chief Hezbollah leader, especially any of the military command. Israeli sources said last week that Nabil Kauk, the commander of Southern Lebanon, and Nur Shalhob, responsible for rocket supply, were killed by the IAF. But the Lebanese sources said that Kauck escaped and only his bodyguards were killed in the attack. The sources, however, named a few more of the military command that they believed Israel is interested in eliminating, and hoped it will do so. This Hezbollah command has experience both in terrorist activity against Israeli targets abroad and in the '90s guerrilla struggle in South Lebanon with Israel. They were trained by Iranian experts, and are proficient in covert activity. This military command is politically subordinate to Hassan Nasrallah, but also has fast ties with the intelligence apparatus of Iran's Revolutionary Guards. Chief among them is Imad Mugniyeh, "defense minister" of Hezbollah and responsible for its military force, the division of its terrorist operations abroad, its internal security and intelligence units and counter-intelligence operations. Mugniyeh, in his late 40's, is also the key figure in Hezbollah's liaison with Iran's Revolutionary Guards, which have advisers and experts now in Lebanon, although they try to keep a safe distance from IAF bombed areas.
Second to Mugniyeh is the less known Fuad Shukur. He is "chief of staff" of the military force of about 7,000 fighters in regular units assigned to specific roles and duties, such as rocket launchers, radio operators and frontline fighters. These are full-time fighters on salary. Alongside them operates a reserve force, less trained and prepared, but just as determined. Shukur, in his 40's, reportedly injured his left arm a decade ago when fighting the IDF in South Lebanon.
Another key figure is Talal Hamia. Among his other duties, Hamia is in charge of the terrorist operations abroad, which have "sleeper" cells worldwide, mainly in South America, Western Europe and Africa. Since the 1994 bombing of AMIA, the Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, some of these cells have been activated, but their intentions were foiled. According to sources in Lebanon, Hamia was responsible for setting up some of these networks, and operated mainly in the Gulf countries and Africa. His modus operandi relies on sympathetic Shi'ite communities from which collaborators and agents are recruited, and funds are raised. The arsenal is delivered via diplomatic bags to an Iranian embassy nearby. Such was the case in the terrorist attacks on both the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires in 1992 and on AMIA. Hamia has spent the last few months traveling between Beirut and Iraq. Hezbollah sent him there to strengthen ties with Shi'ite militias and coordinate joint operations. The most important contact is with the Mahdi Army of the cleric Moqtada Sadr. It is not clear what exactly Hamia was up to in his sorties to Iraq, but presumably he wanted to recruit volunteers for operations abroad or to coordinate the possibility of dispatching Shi'ite volunteers from Iraq to Lebanon.
Sadr issued an announcement last Friday from his Najaf home, condemning the "Israeli enemy" and expressing support of Hezbollah. One of his men, Abu Mujtaba, said that the Mahdi Army was preparing to send volunteers. "We are choosing the men", he stated, and added that ways are being explored to send the fighters without the knowledge of the Iraqi government.
Incidentally, Sunni clerics ?(opposed to the Shi'ites?) also did not hesitate to condemn Israeli actions. Cleric Abd al-Rahman Duleimi called for volunteers and donations for the war against Israel.
According to the Lebanese sources, another key figure in the Hezbollah military structure, though on a lower rung than the others but also worth mentioning, is Ibrahim Akil, who was in charge of South Lebanon and now operates in counter-intelligence. Israeli intelligence made a failed attempt on his life shortly before the IDF withdrawal in 2000.
Most of Hezbollah's activities are carried out at night, which is when its leaders move about, said the sources. At night hundreds of rockets are moved from hideouts and warehouses to the firing positions while the leaders meet to plan the operations. The sources claimed that Mugniyeh and Shukur spend every night in a different hotel or apartment hideout. They keep switching cars and only a handful of loyalists are aware of their whereabouts. "They suspect everyone", it was stated. Once every few days they arrive at the Iranian embassy in Beirut. The embassy is in a large building with several levels underground. In those underground levels are branches of Iranian intelligence and intelligence units of the Revolutionary Guards.
The sources also claimed that Nasrallah uses the Presidential Palace of his supporter and admirer, President Emil Lahoud, as one of his hideouts. Obviously these claims can not be corroborated. They make sense just as any other assumption made during the fighting as to the hiding places of Hezbollah leaders.
The fact that Israel has failed so far to hit Hezbollah leaders can presumably suggest flawed intelligence, especially by the Mossad. The difficulty shows in the fact that Israel does not even have an updated photo of Mugniyeh. Mossad units face difficulties in obtaining information on targets during combat. Agents are cut off, many have to abandon the villages together with the rest of the population, and Hezbollah leaders have gone underground. In recent cabinet meetings Mossad head Meir Dagan disagreed with the assessments of Military Intelligence chief Amos Yadlin on everything related to Hezbollah's capabilities and resilience. Dagan sees himself as a great authority on Lebanon. During the 1980s, while he was head of the Lebanon Liaison Unit ?(Yakal?), he tried, and failed, to turn it into an intelligence operations unit to compete with the greater intelligence bodies. The unit under his command was involved in several operations. During one of the last cabinet meetings Dagan made several proposals for operations that reporters called "brash" and were rejected by the cabinet members. It is fair to state that during Ephraim Halevy's ?(Dagan's predecessor?) time, the Mossad also scored many important accomplishments in fighting Hezbollah; in thwarting terror attacks abroad; covering the dormant networks abroad; and especially in obtaining information on the Katyusha arsenal and infrastructure in Lebanon. The information obtained in this area contributed to the success of IAF strikes in the first days of the war: the destruction of the Dahiya in Beirut and the strike on secret storages of Katyusha rockets and launchers that Hezbollah set up in careful secrecy, especially those that stored long-range rockets.
So far Hezbollah has fired 3,500 Katyushas. The IAF and the artillery have destroyed 2,500 more. In toto, from 40 percent to 50 percent of Hezbollah's rocket capability has been destroyed. In addition, at least a third of its launchers has been destroyed. As for Hezbollah's attempt at psychological warfare by hitting Israeli urban centers, this too has failed. The Israel rear displayed a resilience it didn't know it had ? and Hezbollah didn't expect.
Damage to the military fighting force is also insubstantial: approximately 300 to 400 of its fighters were killed, and dozens more were injured. Nevertheless the political and civilian leadership of Hezbollah, as far as we know, has not been hurt.
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/02/2006 0:16
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Look, any "sustainable" peace must include getting rid of the Hezbo enablers, like the Lebanese PM and president. Otherwise its just pounding sand.
Posted by: Captain America ||
08/02/2006 1:41
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Media was reporting that a total of 300-500 Hezzies were in Lebanon. Reported numbers must be screwy if 400 have already been iced. There have got to be more than 300-500 Hezbos in Lebanon. Anyone have realistic numbers?
#5
I think it was 500-2000 cadres, or core troops, plus a number of bullyboys more accustomed to lording it over civilians. The dead are likely a mixture of cadres and bullyboys -- very difficult to tell apart without the Eyes Only program, especially when there are an odd number of ears and fingers buried under the rubble.
#6
According to sources in Lebanon, Hamia was responsible for setting up some of these networks, and operated mainly in the Gulf countries and Africa. His modus operandi relies on sympathetic Shi'ite communities from which collaborators and agents are recruited, and funds are raised. The arsenal is delivered via diplomatic bags to an Iranian embassy nearby. Such was the case in the terrorist attacks on both the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires in 1992 and on AMIA.
Yet one more reason to off the Iranian mullahs.
Personally, I wouldn't bet a plug nickel on Nasrallah or any of his cohorts consuming oxygen on a prolonged basis. Each of them may as well have a bulls-eye tattooed on their forehead.
THEY are perhaps one of the largest groups of young people from the United States to visit Cuba this year. They are Chicano, Mexican, Puerto Rican, African-American, Asian, and white, many from working-class families. Coming from nine U.S. states, the 48 members of the Venceremos Brigade traveled to Toronto, Canada to fly together to Cuba, publicly stating their intention of violating the U.S. ban on travel to the island, a component of the imperialist blockade that has been intensified by the Bush administration. I feel very strongly about the right to come here, because its such an amazing place, said brigadista Priscilla Bassett, a 15-year-old high school student from New York. I think its despicable that we call ourselves a democracy and have this blockade.
... coming here would be a very strong act of civil disobedience against the U.S. government, which I do not believe in at all...
Steven Gustavo Emmons, 26, a waiter and radio journalist from New Mexico, commented, I knew that this was the only way for me to understand Cubas reality, to see it with my own eyes, and that coming here would be a very strong act of civil disobedience against the U.S. government, which I do not believe in at all.
The Venceremos (We shall Overcome) Brigade was created in 1969 when radical students in the United States decided to support Cubas Revolution and travel to Cuba, explains Kathe Karlson, 57. A social worker at a New York City public high school, Karlson herself has been on the brigade nine times, one of 9,000 people most of them young who have gone to the island with the group. In the early years it was more about coming to see Cuba; now its about openly and publicly defying the blockade, Karlson explained. Now, even though the government has taken away 90 percent of legal travel, there is increased opposition to the ban, she affirmed.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
08/02/2006
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#1
Same type of radical apologists at Penn State whom argued that becuz there is more enough food for everyone, the reason why ordianry Cuban hosfraus see scarcities in Cuban food markets + need food vouchers to get food is becuz Castro his Govt want to make sure the bounty of the Cuban cornocupia is fairly and equally distributed - you know, why both ordinary Cubans + now the Army are now starving ala North Korea, whilst Castro, etal. and only Castro, etal. has to have expensive hams routinely imported for his own PERSONAL, LIMITED EQUALITY = UNIVERSAL/
POPULAR ANTI-EQUALITY, use. ALL HAMS ARE EQUAL ONLY WHEN THE GREAT LEADER IS THE ONLY ONE EATING IT - SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL WARLORD-MAFIA-BANDIT SLAVER, ETC. D *** YOU, ITS THE WILL OF GOD = THE PEOPLE!
#4
Steven Gustavo Emmons, 26, a waiter and radio journalist from New Mexico, commented, I knew that this was the only way for me to understand Cubas reality, to see it with my own eyes, and that coming here would be a very strong act of civil disobedience against the U.S. government, which I do not believe in at all.
Well, now, Steven, since you don't believe in our government, there's no fucking reason for us to let you back in the fucking country. So fuck off, and enjoy your slave state.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
08/02/2006 6:25
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"a waiter and radio journalist"
"Well, I'm not REALLY a waiter, I'm an actor"
"Well I'm not REALLY a record store clerk, I'm a musician."
"Well, I'm not REALLY a book store clerk, I'm a writer."
Until your making money from being an "artiste" you're a waiter/clerk. Shut your pie hole and get me accurate change.
Posted by: no mo uro ||
08/02/2006 6:44
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#6
I believe people have a human right and a Constitutional right to exercise their freedom to travel and exchange ideas and build friendships with whomever they please,
But only if you are one of the 'elite' like she is of course - can't have the average person able to go on guided tours. They smell bad and would ruin it for everyone else.
Hey - you want to see what Cuba really is like? Go live with one of the farmers or a 'working class family' or out without government support, housing, food, tourguides, and minders for about a year. Then report back ok? Until then you don't know.
BTW: If its so amazing - why'd you come back to the 'evil, imeperialistic' United States?
#12
Ah, yes. To be young and stupid again...
Let's see how many don't come back to evil racist fascist Amerika from the Worker's Paradise.
Over/under=zero.
Real easy to be a revolutionary when there's no revolution to fight...
And I, for one, as an American, want NO part of what "is possible." Just look at the streets of Miami as to what those who are truly free to express their opinions of Castro think of him.
Posted by: BA ||
08/02/2006 12:46
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Must be all those middle class folk from Miami jumping into impromptu raft's and heading towards Havana that are showing them the way.
#18
"One brigadista, Soffiyah Elijah, 51, is a criminal defense lawyer and deputy director of the criminal justice institute at Harvard Law School in Boston."
And dare I suggest, perhaps a beneficiary of our nation's misguided affirmative action admissions' and hiring policies.
#19
Pinhead lawyer can't even read the federal statutes correctly. Yep, there's a reason Soffiyah's not in private practice.....
To wit, if you want to get technical, any American can go to Cuba. It's not the big act of defiance any more. However.....you're not allowed to spend American currency there unless you are part of an officially sponsored group or in a special category (educators, journalists, family reunification kind of thing).
So, if you want to "stick it to da Man" to impress hippie chicks, just be sure to change all your currency into Euros, British pounds, Canadian dollars, etc. Don't use a credit card you will pay in American dollars.
And enjoy your little holiday in the sun while other people suffer under Castro, you pathetic ratbastard. Not that your "minders" will let you see any of them. Oh no. Can't bother to learn the language, can't bother to venture out on your own and see reality for what it is, 'cause that would harsh your mellow.
(Note: Yes, traveled to the USSR when I was younger and did get out and speak to the natives. Socialism didn't look appealing at all after that, no matter how the Intourist guides tried to make it all look rosy. Thanks, Grandma & Grandpa for leaving Lithuania....best present our family ever received!!)
#20
Don't worry Swamp Blonde. I'm sure people like these asshats won't actually see the peasants lining the streets or the slums or sheet-metal housing or starving kids on their way to their state-sponsered parties.
They are immune and have self-imposed blinders.
They can look right at it in plain sight and not see it.
A priest who was at the centre of a furore over homosexuality in the Church of England has entered a civil partnership with his long term partner, another male priest, gay activists said on Tuesday. Conservatives in the Church of England reacted to the news with dismay and said it would aggravate the row over homosexuality in the Anglican Communion, the loose federation of Anglican churches worldwide.
Jeffrey John, dean of St Albans, entered into the civil partnership with Grant Hollings, a Church of England chaplain, in a ceremony at a register office in southern England last week, the activists told Reuters. Britain introduced the partnerships for same-sex couples last December, with the same legal rights as heterosexual marriage. They are widely referred to as "gay marriages" although the law does not call them that. John and Hollings have been together for many years and say their relationship is celibate. Under Church of England rules, clergy are allowed to declare themselves gay and enter a civil partnership, as long as they disavow practising gay sex.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/02/2006
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African Anglican union leaving the "flock" in 4, 3, 2....
Posted by: BA ||
08/02/2006 10:23
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There is no 'furor' over homosexuality in the church. The church is made up of believers. (You know, those backward, ignorant Dinosaurs like me who actually believe God meant what He said and said what he meant in the Bible.) There is a furor, however, among religious people and church-goers. These folks may be many things, but they are not now, nor have they ever been, believers. As such, they are by definition, not the church.
#7
Very well stated, mcsgeek! I, for one, am one of those "dinosaurs" too. Of course, it's all for power, money or politics for those pushing these agendas on the Church.
Posted by: BA ||
08/02/2006 12:39
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#8
I just want to point out to the mods that, sooner or later, they're going to need this pic.
Fred can modify it to the original title of the play, The Gay Divorce. The Hays Office insisted on a name change, since they didn't want it implied that a divorce could be gay. Divorcees, though, could let it all hang out.
Terrific sets in that movie. It's one of those movies which makes it look as if the world was all set to step from the 1930s right into today, but then Hitler intervened and we didn't get around to the bright shiny future until some time in the Seventies.
HAVANA -- Fidel Castro said Tuesday that he was stable and in good spirits after surgery, according to a statement read on state television, as the Communist government tried to impose a sense of normalcy on the island's first day in 47 years without the bearded leader in charge.
...the threat posed to his government by the United States means his health must be treated as 'a state secret.'
Castro, who temporarily handed power to his younger brother Raul on Monday night after undergoing intestinal surgery, indicated the operation was serious when he said: "I can not make up positive news." But he said his health was "stable," and "as for my spirits, I feel perfectly fine," according to the statement read by moderator Randy Alonso on a daily public affairs program. He said it would take some time for doctors "to provide a verdict" on his recovery. Castro apologized for not giving more details, but said the threat posed to his government by the United States means his health must be treated as "a state secret."
Posted by: Fred ||
08/02/2006
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...Let me point something out - as much as I'd like to see El Commandante assume room temperature, the fact is that the majority of the Cuban people still dislike the US more than they dislike Castro. Yes, there are many people who want to leave Cuba, and they should be welcomed. Unfortunately, there's still a lot of Cubans around who remember the Bad Old Days under Batista (which the population THEN blamed on us), and a lot of Cubans believe the propaganda Fidel has been spewing all these years. US Government policy and statements on Cuba for the last 40-something years has been based in great measure on the beliefs of (and political support from) Cuban exile leaders who say that one good push will bring it down, or Castro's death will be the signal for la segunda revolución - but that's not really likely to happen, at least not this time. More likely is after Raul takes power, a quiet struggle will develop between the Party faithful and the military as to who takes over when Raul shuffles off this mortal coil.
All of the above, BTW, comes from a good friend who spent 7 years in Cuba as a missionary before ALL missionaries were expelled a couple years back. (Castro and the Party have been quietly pushing Santeria as an alternative to Christianity.) Don't remember hearing about it? Don't feel bad, it didn't even make a ripple in the MSM. After all, their buddy Fidel MUST have had a good reason for throwing them out, so why make it hard on him? My friend mentioned a conversation he had with a Cuban militiaman who said that El Commandante assured them that the world stood beside them in expelling the missionaries - and bueno, it must be true, not a single news story anywhere.
We will see a state funeral unlike any since the death of Mao, and the tears will be sincere and real...and life in the Socialist Paradise will go on. Sad, depressing, but true.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
08/02/2006 7:55
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I'm feeling better, I think I'll go for a walk ...
#10
the fact is that the majority of the Cuban people still dislike the US more than they dislike Castro
The Cuban feelings towards the U.S. are irrelevant. What's relevant is their feelings on the gap between what their lives are and what their lives could be with a different government.
Cubans may be as happy and content as the media portrays them. Or they could be yearning for a lot more, as indicated by the hundreds of thousands that take to boats and rafts whenever the government communicates that it will hold its fire for a week.
The head of the 56-member Organization of the Islamic Conference on Tuesday called for large-scale aid to help Lebanon and the Palestinians. OIC Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu made the call in Istanbul at the start of a meeting of Muslim countries' humanitarian aid organizations. "There is a need for a large-scale humanitarian aid campaign which would help respond to our Lebanese and Palestinian brothers' unbearable anguish and pain," Ihsanoglu said.
The OIC, the world's largest Muslim political grouping, will hold an emergency meeting in Malaysia later this week to discuss measures to end the war in Lebanon.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/02/2006
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I trust that they are looking for "large scale humanitarian aid" for their "Lebanese and Palestinian brothers" from Islamic countries rather than the West. At this point in time, the only thing that I would contribute to their Palestinian brothers would be tubs of lard.
I think we can now officially write off the Somali interim government. They're toast.
(SomaliNet) Somali's interim government based in the provincial town of Baidoa southwest of Somalia has asked on Tuesday to postpone the talks scheduled to happen in the Sudanese capital Khartoum tomorrow in a bid to solve the political crisis within the government as ministers continue to abandon the cabinet. Prime Minister Ali Gedi who has held today a news conference in Biadoa said his government asked the Arab League to put off the peace talks in Khartoum to have chance to tackle the current political turmoil that over shadowed the government since last week. Mr. Gedi said he had talked the Arab League ambassador to Somalia Abdalla Mubarak about the issues of the meeting to submit the government's request to the organization expressing that the Somali's interim government is not ready to attend the talks right now.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/02/2006
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Skirmishes with Hizbullah guerrillas in the southern Lebanese village of Aita al-Shaab on Tuesday left three soldiers, including an officer, of a Paratrooper Brigade unit dead and at least another 25 wounded. Dozens of Hizbullah gunmen, the IDF said, surprised a force from the brigade's Battalion 101 as it moved through the small town just over the hill from the Israeli community of Shtula, in the central sector. Once home to 5,000 Shi'ites, Aita al-Shaab was believed by the IDF to be a Hizbullah stronghold, one of many in which soldiers were operating on Tuesday as the IDF geared up for an effort to push Hizbullah north to the Litani River.
Led by Lt.-Col. Ariel Yohanon, commander of Battalion 101, the troops moved quietly through the narrow alleys in the small village with some troops taking up positions in homes vacated by their owners who fled north in anticipation of the expected incursion. Suddenly, IDF officers recalled, a wave of anti-tank missiles, RPGs and heavy gunfire hit a group of troops in one of the homes. Two soldiers were killed during the initial clashes and a third was killed in a later rocket attack. The battle lasted for several hours and the wounded soldiers were treated at the scene under heavy gunfire, as an evacuation was deemed almost impossible.
Yohanon and his men fought fiercely, senior officers in the Northern Command said, and succeeded in killing more than 15 Hizbullah guerrillas in the village, which was simultaneously bombarded by missiles fired by attack helicopters providing cover for the ground troops and artillery shells. The idea, a senior officer said, was to stay in the village for up to 24 hours, to kill as many Hizbullah gunmen as possible and then to move on to the next village with the ultimate goal of pushing the Hizbullah as far north as deemed necessary even beyond the Litani. A total of five brigades were operating in the region, and heavy gunfights involving light machine guns and rockets were reported.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/02/2006
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I wonder if the IDF has finally uncovered the MLR.
IDF forces identified several suspicious persons at the Agricultural College in Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip at approximately 3 p.m. Tuesday. The IDF said that the suspects had arrived there in order to pick up Kassam launchers, which had been used to shoot rockets into Israel Tuesday morning. The army opened fire in the direction of the suspects.
Posted by: Fred ||
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The latest cycle of Iraqi troops graduated from the Iraqi Army Noncommissioned Officer Academy here, about 45 miles south of Mosul on July 25.
The class was the last of a series taught by U.S. instructors from the 11th Field Artillery Regiment.
The latest Iraqi NCOs will now return to their units as trained leaders, while Iraqi cadre at the academy prepare to take full responsibility for future training here.
The (Iraqi) cadre are charged with training Iraqi NCOs in the new millennium and beyond, said Staff Sgt. Edwin R. Sanchez, who has taught at the Academy with his fellow Soldiers for the past year.
The instructors, including four Iraqi cadre members, taught a three-week leadership development course which included traffic control point procedures, clearing buildings, drill and ceremony, physical fitness training, hand-to-hand combat, ethics and other skills similar to what American Soldiers learn in their courses.
Sgt. Maj. Walter Murrell, a member of the U.S. training team, gave his last graduation remarks as commandant of the NCO Academy.
Teamwork is fundamental to what this country is trying hard to achieve, he told the graduates.
Murrell asked the Iraqi Soldiers to remember and apply what they learned, especially when leading a team of Iraqi Soldiers into a dangerous area.
You are the lifeblood of your nation, and you must never forget that, said Murrell.
It was an honor to serve side by side with you. When the history books are written, you will be the heroes of the
republic.
Sgt. Maj. Farhan, the new Iraqi commandant with the 2nd Iraqi Army Division, said the graduates will be the foundation from which to protect Iraq's democracy and freedom. He also thanked the academy's instructors for their work.
The role of the instructors is clear as sunshine By doing a great job to train these Soldiers, the instructors deserve to be known as the heroes of the academy, said Farhan.
He told the graduates that their sacrifices will wipe the martyrs mothers tears.
Somalia's newly-powerful Islamists have opened a new Shariah court some 600km north of the capital, local officials said yesterday, extending their influence in the anarchic nation. The Islamists, who control Mogadishu and a large swathe of southern Somalia. have been expanding into more remote areas of in an effort to consolidate control over Horn of African nation after ousting US-backed warlords from the capital in June.
"If the residents of every area in Somalia ask us to... we should go and install Islamic courts," said Mohamed Qoryarey, leader of Islamic Courts' militia in Adaado district, located 120km from the semi-autonomous region of Puntland. The Islamic movement initially put on a moderate face, but the rise of Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys as its leader has fuelled fears they want to establish a Taleban-like state. Aweys, who is on US and UN terrorism lists, arrived in the district on Monday to meet with elders, local media reported.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/02/2006
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Asharq Al-Awsat: Iraqi Member of Parliament Hadi Al-Amiri, is warning of a possible military coup against the government of Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki, Asharq Al-Awsat can reveal. Al-Amiri, who heads the Badr Organization, the military wing of the High Council of the Islamic Revolution said during a speech in the city of Najaf, "There are some who talk about toppling Al-Maliki's government and replacing it with a national rescue government, which we call a military coup government." Such an act, added Al-'Amiri, would mean "the invalidation of the constitution and the results of the elections, as well as returning to the starting point."
So far Al-Maliki's plan to fight terror has not succeeded in bringing down the daily number of casualties in Iraq. Rough estimates indicate that during May and June 2006, more than 6,000 Iraqi were killed in insurgent and sectarian violence. As a result of the increasing violence in Iraq, the U.S. command decided on Saturday to send another 3,700 troops to Baghdad.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/02/2006
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Such a coup would destroy any remaining US credibility and put the troops in a very uncomfortable situation. It would be difficult politically for the US to support such a coup. Without US support it would be virtually impossible for the coup to stand - in fact I suspect the result would be wide-open civil war. With the Kurds standing on the sidelines picking up whatever goodies fell on the ground.
(KUNA) -- Two policemen were killed, another was wounded, on Tuesday in a blast that targeted a police patrol in Kirkuk, northern Iraq. An Iraqi Police source told KUNA that the blast took place near a market area, noting that a lieutenant colonel was wounded in the attack.
In a related incident, a man, a woman, and a child were wounded when an explosive device targeted a Multi-National Force patrol near the Celebrations Square in Kirkuk. The source said a military vehicle was damaged in the blast, but did not touch on any human losses among members of the patrol.
Meanwhile, unknown gunmen opened fire on leader of Al-Abbadi tribe in the area of Domiz in Kirkuk, northern Iraq, killing him instantly. In another development, unknown gunmen abducted 45 civilian passengers on a road between Iraq and Syria.
Governor of Najaf Asaad Abu Kalal said in a press conference that unknown gunmen hijacked six busses transporting 45 residents of Najaf while returning from Syria. The source said the hostages were taken to an unknown destination and their fate remains unknown.
Posted by: Fred ||
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(KUNA) -- The government has disallowed tribal Lashkar (forces) participating in the Lebanon war saying that it is supporting the Lebanese government and people at every level. Federal Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Sherpao, talking to newsmen Monday, warned that the government would not let anyone participate in the war in Lebanon in his personal capacity, said press reports Tuesday.
Maulana Fazlur Rehman and tribal leaders had asked the government to authorize a tribal Lashkar of 100,000 tribesmen to fight in Lebanon against Israel.
Opposition leader in the lower house in parliament and leader of the religious alliance Mutahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) Maulana Fazlur Rehman and tribal leaders had asked the government to authorize a tribal Lashkar of 100,000 tribesmen to fight in Lebanon against Israel.
Sherpao said the government is supporting the Lebanese government and people at every level and is also providing all necessary aid. He said "we have condemned the killing of innocent women and children and are stressing the UN must... call for ceasefire. However, we will not allow anyone to take part in the war on individual capacity."
Posted by: Fred ||
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No fun for youus
Posted by: Captain America ||
08/02/2006 1:32
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Article: Opposition leader in the lower house in parliament and leader of the religious alliance Mutahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) Maulana Fazlur Rehman and tribal leaders had asked the government to authorize a tribal Lashkar of 100,000 tribesmen to fight in Lebanon against Israel.
At $200 per person for chartered flights, this would cost about $20m. Do they have that, and the weapons and ammo needed to fight in Lebanon. Are the Lebanese Shias likely to cotton on to the idea of 100,000 armed Pakistani illegals settling down in their region for good, after the hostilities are over? It's not like Lebanon needs another faction battling over who gets to rule.
#7
The constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is quite clear on the matter of organized armed groups - only the Armed Forces and the Police may bear arms - all other armed groups are prohibited.
Of course it also forbids overthrowing the elected government, so Perv probably hasn't read it recently.
Posted by: john ||
08/02/2006 8:44
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It also forbids the jihadi groups waging war against India and Afghanistan, so I suppose Perv really never got around to reading it
Posted by: john ||
08/02/2006 8:48
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john, I remember an article here mentioning that many Pakistani prison convicts are fully armed.
The constitution must have been referring to a form of Sharia. Only the army and police have the right to body appendages below the shoulder.
Posted by: john ||
08/02/2006 12:12
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#10
I'd say let them go. They'd just be in the way, may lead Israel to some of Hezbollah's hideouts, and make the job of cleaning up packiwackiland easier for the Marines when we get around to it. All they'll do against Israel is make more targets and raise the enemy body count.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/02/2006 15:42
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A woman was sentenced to two months in jail Tuesday for effectively stealing the services of an Indonesian woman who prosecutors said was held as a virtual slave for four years. Sarah Khonaizan, 35, a Saudi citizen who lives in suburban Denver, also was ordered on the theft charge to pay $90,000 in restitution and was ordered not to have any contact with the 24-year-old woman. Last week, a federal judge sentenced Khonaizan to five years' probation and ordered her to pay $26,275 in restitution after pleading guilty to harboring an illegal immigrant. Her attorney, Forrest Lewis, has said she wants to return to Saudi Arabia and will not fight deportation.
Prosecutors and FBI agents accused Khonaizan and her husband, Homaidan Al-Turki, 37, of hiding the woman's passport and forcing her to care for the family for four years. She slept on a mattress on the basement floor and was paid less than $2 a day, according to testimony. Al-Turki was convicted in June of sexually abusing and imprisoning the woman. He faces a federal trial in October on other charges in the case.
#1
More religious discrimination. Can't we just understand the diversity and show tolerance towards others who don't follow our (horrible Western) customs?
#5
Last week, a federal judge sentenced Khonaizan to five years' probation and ordered her to pay $26,275 in restitution after pleading guilty to harboring an illegal immigrant.
And can we establish that a start for each instance of harboring and abetting an illegal for every employer or government official, local-state-federal who do the same. Youre damn right, this is one job an American wouldnt do. Ill repeat again coyotes=slavers.
#6
WOW! Getting nailed on illegal immigration charges of your maid slave, as well as enslaving her to boot? Go get 'em judiciary.
I, for one, would like to see her deported (and her lil dog husband, too!), but first seize all assets to pay the monetary penalties. Living in Saudi is torture enough for her.
Posted by: BA ||
08/02/2006 11:07
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#7
Since folks like these are so enamoured of their 7th century "religion" and culture, I say we should use 7th century technology to deport them. How long would it take to row / sail a dhow to SA from San Fran?
Posted by: Alan C ||
08/02/2006 11:44
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#8
Sounds like we need to use her to find oasises (plural of oasis, whatever that is) in the middle of the AZ desert. Ya know, to help out the illegals and give AI/HRW a poster child.
Posted by: BA ||
08/02/2006 12:57
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"Saudi woman jailed in Denver slavery case"
Where are the protests by Jackson, Sharpton, and the other usual suspects?
Oh, wait - the slaveholder isn't white.
Nevermind.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
08/02/2006 14:12
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#10
The slave isn't black either.
on a related note:
I never could understand how the 'Nation of Islam' can follow a religion which still practices slavery of blacks. Am I missing something here?
Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia yesterday made a fervent call to unlock South Asia's true potential through faster and deeper economic integration so that the region could play its due part in this Asian resurgence in the new era.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/02/2006
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#1
It may belong to parts of Asia, but not their little corner.
#6
Just like Asia was supposed to dominate in the 80s, 90s, etc.
Japan will be a economic and soon to be military power. Tiawan will be a economic power. China might or might not depending on how badly their banking system crashes and if they get in a war.
Vietnam might become semi-prospurous if the new free market reforms work.
The rest of asia will rot just like it always has.
#7
It will - if by 'Asia' you mean the PacRIM, ie. countries that border the Pacific.
Like the US. Australia. Japan.
But the Bangla PM is right that without real economic integration into world markets (with all that implies about cleaning up social and political corruption, and educating women, and such) they're doomed to fall farther and farther behind.
They can't have both.. which is why Pakistan and Bangladesh are screwed
Posted by: john ||
08/02/2006 9:21
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Yet again, we have an example of cargo cult thinking.
"Hey, it's the Asian century, we're in Asia, so we're gonna be rich! - terrific, let's blow off those Indians and their damn steel works, we don't need them, we're all gonna be rich I tell ya, and all because we're in Asia!"
"Err, Mr Zia, we're in the shitty end of Asia, 10% of our country is within a metre of sea level, we have subsistence farming down to an art and we keep telling foreign firms to keep their money. How are we going to get rich?"
"Mahmoud, you dummy, we're in Asia, we're gonna be rich!"
lotp and DarthVader, I couldn't agree with you more, and Seafarious, that's just not nice! ;)
Posted by: Tony (UK) ||
08/02/2006 9:24
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#10
Even Burma is more development oriented.. India has just signed an agreement with them for the building of a gas pipeline to supply SEZs in India.
Bangaldesh opposed the transit so no fees for them, the pipeline will go around Bangladesh.
(hundreds of millions a year in transit fees lost)
Posted by: john ||
08/02/2006 9:29
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Here is a snippet from a NY Times report
Here in Tamil Nadu state, where the changes are briskest, global corporations are already taking advantage of a shift the world has scarcely noticed.
Victoria's Secret already buys 6.5 million bras a year in this city, roughly one-tenth of its global total, from a factory its parent company, Limited Brands, invested in. Nokia just erected a high-volume factory here that it says will produce more than 30 million phones a year and account for at least one-tenth of its global output.
Hyundai Motor, which produces a new car in Tamil Nadu every minute, has made India its global hub for the Santro hatchback; it plans to ship 100,000 India-made cars to 60 nations this year, and 300,000 within two years.
"Geographically, it's close to the market, and the second thing is the very highly educated people in India," said Heung Soo Lheem, chief of India operations for Hyundai, explaining why his company had invested in the country. Thirdly, he said, "the suppliers are here - I do not say better than China, but maybe the same. And the labor costs are less than China."
In a gold rush that evokes the start of China's factory boom, multinationals like Bayerische Motoren Werke, General Motors and Intel are locking down real estate in Tamil Nadu, as are scores of little-known companies from South Korea to Italy. Outside Madras, also known as Chennai, barren grazing land that cost $1,000 an acre, or $2,500 a hectare, 20 years ago sells for up to 65 times as much today.
Within the special zones, foreign managers say, whatever fettered earlier producers is gone. "I don't know why people say it was impossible earlier," said Jukka Lehtela, the Finnish operations manager at Nokia, which operates its own special zone. "I can prove that they are wrong."
As workers nearby planted microscopic components onto circuit boards, zapped them with ion guns and snapped together $60 phones, Lehtela added: "I don't really see anything that can stop volume production here."
Posted by: john ||
08/02/2006 9:32
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#12
Which is probably why India is speeding up the building of the 3000 km border fence to keep out the Bangladeshis
Posted by: john ||
08/02/2006 9:33
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#13
...India is speeding up the building of the 3000 km border fence to keep out the Bangladeshis
#14
Crushing poverty. No infrastructure. Backward religions that value animals over people. Lack of education. Massive overpopulation. Lack of natural resources and raw materials for industry. Yep. Soulds like a recipe for success to me.
#18
Indians are averse to killing of animals so they won't shoot the errant monkeys.
With 8% economic growth sustainable for at least two decades, and 26% annual growth in manufacturing, it will make substantial progress in reducing poverty.
Bangladesh and Pakistan will have to hitch their rides on the Indian economic engine if they hope to progress - but will they ?
Or will the call of islam triumph?
Posted by: john ||
08/02/2006 17:12
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Compare East Bengal (Bangladesh) with West Bengal (India) which has just landed this 20 billion dollar FDI
KOLKATA: In the biggest-ever foreign direct investment in infrastructure development in the country, the West Bengal government on Monday inked a landmark deal worth a whopping Rs 40,000 crore with the Indonesia-based Salim Group.
The deal is a major success for the reforms poster boy, chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya. Under the pact, a 100-km expressway linking Kukrahati in East Midnapore district with Raichak in South 24-Parganas, a clutch of ultra-modern housing schemes, malls, bridges and a knowledge-and-health city will come up.
Conscious of the road bumps ahead, the CM said, "We're committed to arranging for land for these projects to come up. Much of this will have to be converted from agriculture to industrial use. And yet, we know that we'll have to strike the right balance."
By a conservative estimate, the state government will have to hand over 45,000 acres of land to the Salim Group in order to accommodate all the components of this mega project that will take 15 years to complete.
Posted by: john ||
08/02/2006 18:35
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#14: "India is speeding up the building of the 3000 km border fence to keep out the Bangladeshis
Gee, I wish the US had thought of that!"
But a fence won't work, DV!
Just think of all the money the Indians are wasting. Too bad they didn't ask the Dems for advice....
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
08/02/2006 19:23
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#21
the Banglas do the jobs the Indians won't do...
/lying illegal rationalizer
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/02/2006 20:27
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#22
"...the Banglas do the jobs the Indians won't do..."
Actually, that is the case. There are things that middle class Indians will not do, and they hire the uneducated people that flock to the metropolitan areas from the villages, to do these things.
Sorry for the tortured syntax on that last sentence, I was trying to avoid using the term "village people"! Oops.
They can be Banglas, Bongs (Bengalis) etc. Keep in mind, 80% of India's 1+ billion people are uneducated and not really interested in changing that.
#23
#23: "There are things that middle class Indians will not do"
It's probably more the case of there are things they don't have to do - because they're middle class.
There are a great many things that I could do, but hire out instead - now that I can afford to do so. Changing the oil in the car is one of them; I don't care about machinery and don't like getting my hands greasy. I'm happy to give my hard-earned money to those who do.
Technically, I'd do anything I'm physically able to do in order to support myself if I had to. I have education and experience and a great work ethic, and (at least at present) I don't have to do any of a great many things I don't like in order to support myself.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
08/02/2006 21:00
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"It's probably more the case of there are things they don't have to do - because they're middle class."
Uh huh. So, you've lived in a middle class Indian environment? You're married to a middle class Indian and have how many middle class Indian family members? You live in India how many months out of the year?
Indians being far more class aware than we are, there are things a middle class Indian will not do.
#25
I'm aware that Indians are different from Americans, #25 Manolo, and may well not be willing to do some things to support themselves and their families. There are unfortunately too many native-born Americans with that same attitude.
However, Indian or American, if they're middle class, they don't have to do those things.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
08/02/2006 21:42
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#26
I've not lived the middle class Indian life, but I have patronized 7-11's, gas stations, and motels....does that count?
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/02/2006 22:24
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(KUNA) -- Unknown gunmen on Tuesday burst into the residence of Iraqi undersecretary of finance, abducted his guards, and seized some weapons. A Ministry of Interior source told Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) that unknown gunmen stormed into the residence of Karim Hammoud Faraj in the area of Talibiya nearby Al-Sadr City in eastern Baghdad and abducted two of his guards. Iraqi Police forces cordoned off the area, while security sources confirmed that Faraj was not in his residence at the time of the attack, noting that he is abroad on an official mission.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/02/2006
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Anti-American sentiment has been running high in the West Bank and Gaza Strip since the beginning of the Israel-Hizbullah war three weeks ago. Aside from burning US flags and praising the insurgency in Iraq, demonstrators have also been directing much of their criticism toward US Secretary of State Condaleezza Rice, who visited Israel and Ramallah recently in a bid to resolve the crisis in Lebanon.
Rice's visit to Ramallah, where she met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, was accompanied by calls for a general strike in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, as well as articles and cartoons depicting her as a "black raven" and "child murderer." Shortly before Rice's heavily-guarded motorcade entered Ramallah, hundreds of Palestinians marched in the center of the city, calling on Abbas to boycott her and strongly denouncing the US for its bias toward Israel. PA policemen used force to disperse the protesters, some of whom carried placards featuring Rice as a raven preying on the corpse of children.
Fatah officials openly expressed their backing for Hizbullah and urged the Arab countries to join the battle against Israel...
On Tuesday, thousands of Palestinians took to the streets of Ramallah in one of the biggest shows of solidarity with Hizbullah. The rally was organized by Fatah and other factions. During the rally, Fatah officials openly expressed their backing for Hizbullah and urged the Arab countries to join the battle against Israel. Hani al-Hassan, a top Fatah leader closely associated with Abbas, declared that his party had instructed all its armed men to be prepared to fight against Israel. Calling on Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah to bomb Tel Aviv, many protesters also chanted slogans against Rice and the US. "O Condaleezza, you are a condara [shoe]," shouted a group of Fatah activists. An elderly woman yelled: "Shame on you, Condaleezza, your parents were slaves for the whites!"
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
"...many Palestinians are angry with her because they think that all black people should be on their side."
You got your work cut out for you there, shar. I'm sure blacks will prefer your deeply-ingrained notions of dark-skinned people's inferiority rather than modern Western indifference to skin color and commitment to human equality.
After all, Muslims are pulling blacks in by the millions with their PR campaign in Darfur, right?
Posted by: Jules in the Hinterlands ||
08/02/2006 9:29
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especially since the Arab slang for "Black person" = Slave.
Al
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
08/02/2006 11:51
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Last night (July 31) mobile units of Chechen Mujahideen attacked 7 times the positions of Russian invaders and proxies in various districts of the Chechen capital Jokhar. In addition, an enemy patrol was gunned down in Zavodsky district of the capital, killing 2 and wounding 4 invaders and proxies. One humvee was disabled, report the Chechen military sources.
On July 30, a Mujahideen unit attacked a Russian convoy of military vehicles which consisted of 4 heavy and 3 light armored personnel carriers (APC), and some trucks, killing 4 and wounding at least 6 Russian kafirs (infidels). One heavy APC was disabled and one truck damaged. The Mujahideen suffered no casualties. Also on July 30, a mobile group of Mujahideen fired with machine guns on a convoy of several Russian military vehicles in Shelkovskoi district of Chechnya; killing and wounding somel invaders. However, the exact numbers of Russian casualties are unknown to the Chechen military sources.
On July 29, a Russian heavy APC was blown up on a landmine in Vedeno district on the highway Shali -Tovzeni, killing 4 and wounding at least other 4 invaders. The APC was destroyed. In the last 3 days, two Mujahideen martyred (insha Allah) in various firefights against invaders and proxies.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#5
"arabs" seem to be slow learners generally. Memorizing the Koran seems to take up a lot of space that could be utilized for more immediate cognitive activity. I am surprised Microsoft has not come up with a fix for this as of yet.
Posted by: john ||
08/02/2006 12:00
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Hardline Muslims brandishing toy guns and fake explosive belts rallied outside the US Embassy in Indonesia yesterday to protest Israeli attacks on Lebanon. Some protesters said they wanted to travel to the Middle East to fight the Jewish state. "We ask the government to (transport us to Lebanon) so we can help our brothers and sisters there who are being killed and ravaged by Israel and America, the enemies of Islam," said Allawi Usman, one of the leaders of the protest. Police confiscated toys guns and fake explosive belts from several of the protesters.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/02/2006
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What a pity our embassy couldn't issue them plane tickets.
#2
That's a relief, with all those toy guns and fake explosive belts, they could really have tipped the balance of power in favor of the hizballah. That was a close one for Israel.
NARATHIWAT: A wave of 40 coordinated bomb and arson attacks struck government and civilian targets across Thailand's Muslim-majority south late on Tuesday, injuring at least two, officials said. Homemade devices, many triggered by remote-control, hit the homes of police and government officials, karaoke bars and a train station in the three restive provinces along the Malaysian border. It was the largest and best organised attack in more than a month in the south, where 1,400 people have died over the past two years in attacks blamed mainly on Islamic militant separatists.
Posted by: Fred ||
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"...1,400 people have died over the past two years in attacks blamed mainly on Islamic militant separatists."
Oh well, they're certainly not going to blame Franciscan monks.
(SomaliNet) Zimbabwe's Reserve Bank has come to the rescue of Zimbabwean shoppers by slashing three zeros off Zimbabwe's currency. This will help shoppers in Zimbabwe carry less cash on their shopping sprees. "From tomorrow, the 1st of August 2006, three zeroes are being taken off every bearer cheque (bank note) which introduces a new family of bearer cheques. That makes much more sense and I hope dollars as well," Gideon Gono, Zimbabwe National bank's governor said.
Zimbabwe National Bank governor added, "It returns to us stability and convenience and of course this is just one monetary mechanism to help make commerce and everyday life more convenient. Zimbabwe is a victim of the world's highest inflation rate.
Posted by: Fred ||
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Marvelous. Only one wheel-barrow needed, instead of three.
#3
I'm very confused. Was it because they lacked space on the bills to put all the zeros? Couldn't they have made bigger bills? Bigger is better, isn't it? Or perhaps left a blank space to put the desired number of zero, as needed by inflation. It's not like it would have lessened the trust of the people into the currency or something, I mean.
#6
Hint to Gideon Gono: what it says on the piece of paper is NOT what determines the value of cash.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
08/02/2006 6:26
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The UK annexed Southern Rhodesia from the South Africa Company in 1923. A 1961 constitution was formulated that favored whites in power. In 1965 the government unilaterally declared its independence, but the UK did not recognize the act and demanded more complete voting rights for the black African majority in the country (then called Rhodesia). UN sanctions and a guerrilla uprising finally led to free elections in 1979 and independence (as Zimbabwe) in 1980. Robert MUGABE, the nation's first prime minister, has been the country's only ruler (as president since 1987) and has dominated the country's political system since independence.
#12
I'm no accountant, but if the bills have FEWER zeroes, but goods "cost" the same, then wouldn't you have to carry MORE cash? In other words, if all the sudden we didn't have $1,000 bills (but only $1 bills), but a loaf of bread still cost $1,000, then I have to carry around 1,000 $1 bills instead of 1 $1,000 bill!
Posted by: BA ||
08/02/2006 10:45
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(myopic synopsis of Rhodesia culled)
"Thank you Great Britain"
Yes! 75 years of building infrastructure, developing such things as the judiciary, sustainable farming, communications, be PC! hand it over to your commie tribes and within 10 years you too could have a basket case state to rival North Korea.
#16
Are we suggesting that white people organize and operate government and various commerce better than black people ?
Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh. Whoops, there's an elephant in the room.
#18
It takes intelligence, planning, hard work, and a bit of knowledge of how the world works to develop a government that will work. All it takes is one or two a$$hole dictators to screw it up. Zimbabwe is just an extreme example. Take a long look at South Africa, many of the Pacific island nations, the rest of Africa, and many parts of Asia for additional examples.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/02/2006 21:57
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(SomaliNet) Eight South Korean seamen kidnapped on Somali waters were released on Monday, confirmed South Korea's Foreign Ministry. Seventeen others, five from Vietnam, nine Indonesians and three Chinese were also released. Foreign ministry spokesman Choo Kyu-ho said, "The ship Dongwon is now out of Somalian waters and is on a move to a safe area." The ship was escorted by a U.S warship at the request of the Korean government.
The release of the vessel came after an agreement with the owner to pay a certain amount. The fishing company has accepted that they did pay a ransom for the boat but they declined to disclose the amount saying that they would be setting an example to other pirates. The ship owned by Dongwon Fisheries Company was hijacked on April 4 off the Somalian coast. President of the fisheries company said that all the members were unharmed.
Posted by: Fred ||
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Coalition forces announce theyve turned over to the Iraqi government an al-Qaida in Iraq leader that has admitted to conducting terrorist activity since 2004. The terrorist will now be prosecuted by the Iraqi government under the Iraqi justice system.
The terrorist leader held multiple leadership positions within al-Qaida and was appointed by Abu Musab al Zarqawi and Abu Ayyub al Masri to two of the positions he held. At one time, he coordinated and oversaw the operations of five different terrorist cells at one time.
The Iraqi admitted to coordinating over ten death squad attacks, personally participating in several of them, while he was a member of one terrorist cell. The cell targeted several innocent Iraqis including grocery store and butcher store owners. Another of the groups he led coordinated kidnappings and large scale bombings throughout Baghdad.
He was captured in a raid in western Baghdad that resulted from intelligence gathered during the successful targeting of former al-Qaida in Iraq leader Zarqawi in early June.
Iraqi and Coalition officials will continue to work closely to ensure the terrorist receives due process through the Iraqi justice system.
#3
"No, no, kufr wimman, don't tease me with these titties again... I'll speak, damn you, evil-sexy-she-demon! I just can't take it anymore... hand me a gun, for the love of allan, I need to shoot off wildly in the air..."
#6
I always ask myself if we could win even a long drawn out war if we couldn't stop the enemy from full knwoledge of our past and present operations and methods. We couldn't, neither can al Qaeda.
Each time we add another volume of data to the growing al Qaeda ops files, we tighten the rope around their necks. The only real danger is that pacifists will manage to end all hostilities before we mop up the entire spill. Stay the course till the end and several anniversaries thereafter.
Most of the comments your site makes about racism relate to Flanders. I have lived and worked in Flanders without incident. I found the people happy, very outgoing and eager to help.
Taking up the issue of racism in Flanders or Wallonia, I am a resident of Namur. I am a white, English Protestant. My grandparents spent several years in the mud of Flanders in World War II.
I, my wife and son have suffered constant racist abuse for the two years that we have lived in the province of Namur. And I mean blatant racist remarks every time we go out. Our home has been attacked several times and we are verbally abused by people that we have never spoken to.
The police are unconcerned as is the British embassy. The British Consul Michael Kerr stated that we should leave Belgium. When asked if that is the government advice to foreigners, he reconfirmed that it is probably best. The press office at the British embassy made an odd statement that Wallonians are probably rude because they do not understand us. It is not just mindless yobs, it is government officials, bank staff etc.
How can you live in a place where you are hated for displaying your own and Belgium's national flag in respect for those of WWII? How can you live in a place where the first thing they say to you is: 'This is Wallonia, go back to England'?
Yes, I made a big mistake buying here. We will probably lose thousands of euros selling our home. I have lived and worked all over Europe and have never come across this, not even in Ulster.
Australia Donates Thousands of Dollars to MDA
(IsraelNN.com)The Australian government announced on Tuesday that it would donate some $300,000 USD to Israels Magen David Adom rescue organization. Australia stood together with the United States and Britain to block a resolution in the United Nations Security Council last week condemning Israeli operations in southern Lebanon.
Lebanese army and security officials said a major Israeli operation was underway against suspected Hezbollah positions near Baalbeek in eastern Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, with one officer saying the Israeli presence in the air above the ancient city was "unprecedented." The operation began with at least five rapid air strikes above the city.
Posted by: Fred ||
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KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia said an emergency meeting of key Muslim countries this week will call for an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East and discuss a formal United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon.
Like the one they've had for the past 30 years or so.
Malaysia is currently the chair of the 57-nation Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), whose executive committee will meet in the country's administrative centre of Putrajaya on Thursday. "We want a UN peacekeeping force," Malaysia's Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar was quoted as saying by the state Bernama news agency. "We will also urge that such a force include the participation of Islamic nations," he said. Syed Hamid said the meeting would condemn the Israeli offensive in Lebanon and that 10 to 12 countries, mostly represented by their leaders, were expected to attend. Saudi Arabia, Iran, Indonesia, Azerbaijan, Brunei, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Turkey would be among them, he said. "Israel is equally bound by international norms and values. The right of self-defence is not carte blanche for you to do anything you like and to commit mass killings," Syed Hamid said.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
Like the one they've had for the past 30 years or so.
The emergency meeting, the peacekeeping force, or all of the above?
#4
Not like the one they've had for thirty years; this one will be bigger to provide more hiding places for Hizb and additional photogenic casualties when Israel returns fire.
Posted by: Baba Tutu ||
08/02/2006 3:51
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We need an all muslim force, so any counter battery fire won't hit anyone useful.
Militants on Tuesday staged broad daylight attacks in Srinagar killing four security men. In separate incidents four militants and a security jawan were also killed and one Divisional Commander of Hizbul Mujahideen was arrested.
At about 11:35 a.m., two CRPF soldiers were approached near Dalgate by militants from Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), which has claimed responsibility for the attacks. "Militants shot at our jawans at Dalgate by pistols from point blank range," said CRPF Public Relations Officer Dalip Singh Ambesh. Head Constable of 172nd Bn, Mohammad Aziz Khan, died on the spot, while constable Kapil Kumar was rushed to the hospital by his colleagues, but succumbed to his injuries en route. Ambesh confirmed the two killings and said the killed soldiers belonged to Special Operations Group (SOG) of the CRPF.
In a separate but similar incident militants struck at Kak Sarai at around 3:30 p.m., killing two BSF personnel, Head Constable Ram Avtar of 143 Bn and Constable Uday Sanjay of 39 Bn. Police said both incidents involved the use of mouser pistols shot at close range. The two were reportedly purchasing medicines for Sanjay, who was ill, when the armed men fired at them from point blank range, police said. Avtar accompanied his colleague to the hospital from Panthachowk.
Soon after these incidents took place police and security forces cordoned off both areas and launched intense manhunts but the militants managed to escape and no arrests were made. In a call to a local news agency, a spokesperson of Jaish, Abu Qadama claimed responsibility for both the incidents.
Posted by: Fred ||
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(SomaliNet) At least three Burundians were killed and some 10 others injured in a grenade attack in Burundi's capital Bujumbura, the army said on Monday, Sapa-AFP reported. The incident has been blamed on the country's last remaining active rebels, the National Liberation Forces (FNL). According to Burundis Army spokesperson Adolphe Manirakiza, the National Liberation Forces (FNL) insurgents threw grenades into two bars in Bujumbura's north-eastern Gihosha neighbourhood late on Sunday.
Posted by: Fred ||
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Israel Defense Forces commandos reportedly landed by helicopter late Tuesday night near the Hezbollah stronghold of Baalbek in what Lebanese security sources described as a major operation against suspected Hezbollah positions. Lebanese security sources said the troops landed as aircraft launched several strikes near Baalbek, which is located in eastern Lebanon's Bekaa Valley. One Lebanese officer said the Israel Air Force presence in the air above the ancient city was "unprecedented."
The IDF reported at daybreak on Wednesday that its troops returned from the operation to their base in Israel unharmed. IDF also reported that Hezbollah militants sustained some casualties during the fighting and that several militants were captured by the IDF and taken back to Israel.
Lebanese security sources reported at least seven civilians killed in the air strike on a village near Baalbek. They said Israel Air Force planes bombarded the village of Jammaliyeh during clashes nearby in Baalbek. They said five members of the same family were found dead in one house and two more were found dead in another collapsed house.
The operation began with at least five rapid air strikes on Baalbek and its surroundings at 10:20 P.M. - three hours before the end of Israel's self-imposed two-day pause in air attacks. Helicopters fired rockets and heavy machinegun fire at targets near a hospital in Baalbek and other sites in the city, witnesses said. Witnesses in Baalbek said they saw dozens of IAF helicopters hovering over the city.
They said the hospital in Baalbek, filled with patients and wounded people, was bombed by IAF helicopters late Tuesday. Plumes of burning smoke billowed from the hospital after it was directly hit, they said. "The extreme, unprecedented number of aircraft indicates the possibility that the Israelis are planning to land troops, but we cannot yet confirm that," a security official said earlier, on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information.
Flares held aloft by parachutes lighted the night sky to a daytime brilliance, the official said. Four hours into the operation the fighting continued, witnesses said. IAF warplanes staged more than 10 bombing runs at 2.20 A.M. (2320 GMT) Wednesday around the hospital as well as on hills in east and north Baalbek. The planes also dropped flares over the city while the heavy fighting was raging around the hospital, they added. Shortly after the IAF raids began, electricity was cut off, plunging Baalbek and other neighboring villages in total darkness.
IAF helicopters also attacked a target 15 kilometers west of Baalbek, starting a huge fire, witnesses said. It was not immediately known if the target was controlled by Hezbollah or the Lebanese army. Hezbollah claimed that the IDF commandos were trapped inside the hospital and were engaged in fierce fighting with guerilla fighters who surrounded the facility. There was no independent confirmation.
They were. Now they're out, with no losses, according to Fox News...
"A group of Israeli commandos was brought to the hospital by a helicopter. They entered the hospital and are trapped inside as our fighters opened fire on them and fierce fighting is still raging," Hezbollah spokesman Hussein Rahal told AP. Rahal said IAF jets were attacking the surrounding guerillas with rockets. "The units have been surrounded by Hezbollah fighters and heavy fire is covering the area," said a Hezbollah source. "They [the Israelis] are firing everywhere and trying to get out of the area," the source said. Rahal said Hezbollah guerrillas were using automatic rifles and rocket-propelled grenades. He dismissed as "untrue" reports that the commandos managed to snatch some patients from the hospital and spirit them away in helicopters.
IAF helicopters also opened machine-gun fire on Hezbollah fighters entrenched outside the hospital, witnesses said. Repeated telephone calls to the Dar al-Hikma hospital went unanswered. "The battles are fierce... there are casualties among the civilians who live in the area," a Lebanese security source said.
Al-Jazeera reported that the commando force landed at the hospital, in the village of Tel Al-Abayed, in an apparent effort to strike a senior Hezbollah official Israel suspected was hospitalized there. According to the report, the hospital was evacuated prior to the start of the IDF operation. IAF fighter jets returned at 3:35 A.M. Wednesday and fired eight missiles on residential neighborhoods in eastern and northern Baalbek where Hezbollah's Shiite supporters live, witnesses said. There was no immediate word on casualties.
However, fierce fighting around the hospital stopped shortly before 4 A.M. as precarious calm prevailed in Baalbek, residents said. Speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation, the residents said the Dar al-Hikma hospital is financed by an Iranian charity, the Imam Khomeini Charitable Society, which is close to Hezbollah. The hospital is also run by people close to Hezbollah, the residents said. Repeated telephone calls to the Dar al-Hikma hospital went unanswered.
After several hours of intense fighting in and around a hospital in the southern Lebanon town of Baalbek, IDF commando forces on Wednesday morning took a number of Hizbullah officials captive.
#3
I believe I read three different articles today declaring that Israel was in a "quagmire", defined as "not conducting war on the pundit's timetable".
I don't know that they're not in a quagmire, but the timing is amusing, nonetheless. In future, we need to determine the Quagmire Interval, which is the time between simultaneous media eruptions of "Quagmire!", and the re-commencement of vigorous military operations. In this case I think it was about twelve hours.
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/02/2006 0:43
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#7
That operation officially annonced to the world...and more importantly to the Hezzies, Iram and Syria: We can do da** near anything we want if it suits our purpose...and there's not a da** thing you can do about it.
#8
Enjoyed watching Gens Scales and Andrews on Greta tonite, talking about laughing with each other before they came on, about the reporting of the "troops surrounded, heavy fighting", etc. etc. They were actually giggling, saying, "these guys are good. They aren't in trouble."
#20
Finally the IDF of yore. I know this raid was a big success because for the first time in three weeks when Radio Hezb'Allah (NPR) ran their top of the hour headlines there was NO mention of the raid or the increased troops in the south. I love it when they are shut up.
#21
Takes time to plan, to prep the battlefield, insert forward ops people ....
Geez, NS - it isn't a video game! Instantaneous satisfaction isn't always on tap.
Gotta appreciate NS' worrying though. As my mother-in-law says when told she worries too much, "I have to - no one else around here is pulling their worrying weight!" LOL
#28
Where are all the doom-and-gloomers now? IDF mission was spotted in advance by Hezbos, and still managed to land near hospital, check out everybody's IDs, captured five Hezbos, kill another ten in combat, and safely extricate from the area without a single commando even wounded.
#31
I was JUST thinkin' the same, Iblis! They don't know what's gonna hit 'em when they surround us, do they?
Posted by: BA ||
08/02/2006 13:16
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#32
as tasty as lutefisk
Gotta make sure to really, REALLY rinse that lutefisk before you heat it up. The results aren't pretty if you don't do a good job. DAMHIKT...
#34
Lebanese security sources reported at least seven civilians killed in the air strike on a village near Baalbek. They said Israel Air Force planes bombarded the village of Jammaliyeh during clashes nearby in Baalbek. They said five members of the same family were found dead in one house and two more were found dead in another collapsed house.
Sleep with dogs and wake up dead with fleas. Baalbak is a known Hebollah stronghold. Anyone living within 100km of there has to have a death wish.
Personally, even lutefisk probably smells better than any of the prisoners they took. Captured terrorists should be fed it three times a day.
A roadside bomb blew up a bus, killing 24 people in it as gunmen ambushed and shot dead five workers of a power station in a day of widespread violence across Iraq that left 63 people dead on Tuesday. Among the dead was a British soldier who died in a mortar attack in the south, while the US military announced that an American soldier was killed by a roadside bomb on Monday. Also Tuesday, the spokesman of a political coalition was kidnapped.
The worst carnage occurred near the northern industrial city of Beiji where a bus carrying 24 soldiers was hit by a roadside bomb, said Defence Ministry spokesman Mohammed al-Askari. He said all on board died. Following the blast, a curfew was imposed in Beiji. A few hours later, a bomb-laden car blew up near a bank in the once-fashionable Karradah neighborhood of Baghdad, killing at least 14 people and injuring 37, said police Lt Col Abbas Mohammed Salman. He said the target was well chosen because Iraqi security forces draw their salaries from the bank on the first of every month.
Also on Tuesday, unidentified gunmen ambushed a mini-bus, carrying 11 employees of Al-Taji power station in Baghdad. The gunmen opened fire, killing five and injuring the other six, said police Maj Khalil Ibrahim. Separately, 45 Shias from Najaf were kidnapped as they travelled home past the Sunni rebel stronghold of Ramadi on Monday, the Najaf governor said on Tuesday. Police could not immediately confirm the kidnappings
Meanwhile, a car bomb targeting a police patrol killed one policeman and six civilians in Muqdadiyah in northern Iraq, said the joint Iraqi-US military coordination centre.
In other violence Tuesday, 12 people were killed, mostly by bombs. The bodies of two men with bullet wounds were found in different places in Baghdad Tuesday, police said. Gunmen kidnapped Mohammed Shihab al-Dulaimi, the spokesman of MARAM, a coalition of political parties that reject the Dec 15, 2005, parliamentary elections as fraudulent. The kidnappers contacted MARAM officials and demanded a ransom, said Hatam Hattab al-Janabi of MARAM. He did not elaborate.
Meanwhile, a British soldier was killed in a mortar attack on a base in Basra, a spokeswoman of Britains Defence Ministry said. The infantry soldier died after being airlifted from a base in Basra to a field hospital outside the city, said the spokeswoman on customary condition of anonymity in line with ministry policy.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#4
Actually, it sounds like the same "good cop-bad cop" ping pong that has been going on the entire operation...
One day - no ground war, next day IDF in Lebanon, third day Condi to broker peace, next day not, day after that Cabinet may call it all off, no, lets call up 30000 reservists, and so on.
Every day another straw for the Hezzies to grab at, that they may only have to hold out one more day....
Posted by: Captain America ||
08/02/2006 1:54
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#6
I prefer the good-cop, bad-cop routine myself Cap'n A. I don't like the idea of Dr Rice and the Prez disagreeing about anything.
And the idea of Hizbollocks being strung along and strung along, all the while being bled white and looking for anything to save them is sweet sweet music!
Posted by: Tony (UK) ||
08/02/2006 5:44
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#7
I agree Tony. Hizbollocks thought the UN, France and the rest would haul their testicles out of the fire by now. A ceasefire looks farther away than ever.
We are getting to the point where Syria or Iran does something rash to stop the pounding Hez is getting.
#8
A ceasefire is definitely moving further away. France now refuses to take part in a UNSC meeting to discuss the new UN peacekeeping force, even thought apparently they still plan to command it.
#9
And Olmert is saying a cease fire is contingent on an effective peacekeepping force is in place. Who wants to be in that peacekeepping force? I didn't think so.
#10
France now refuses to take part in a UNSC meeting to discuss the new UN peacekeeping force, even thought apparently they still plan to command it.
Ok, seems like my faith in Dr Rice (I'd like to call her Condi, but it seems somewhat disrespectful at the moment - what with those vile posters and cartoons that have been going around) has been confirmed ;)
There is a terrific speculation (prediction? - it was written on 30th July) over at Power and Control, summary;
* The Isrealis have been feigning incompetence and dissent within the cabinet (those sneeeeeky Joooos!)
* They've been rotating ground units into what is effectively a live fire exercise.
* They've got time on their side this time "Condi is making painfully slow progress...
* And my favourite part;
What about American leadership? Bush is telling what is going on:
Bush said Thursday[27 July '06] that Iran is connected to Hizbullah, and now was the "time for the world to confront this danger."
Fortunately he is so stupid no one will believe him.
and
The really interesting thing is that the hizzies, Syria, and Iran are so enmeshed in the Israeli plan that no matter what move they make now it will only give them bad and worse options. At this point you could lay the plan out in front of them and it wouldn't make any difference. They are defeated.
What about the hizzies? The primere rule of guerilla warfare is no fixed positions. Mobility. The typical mistake guerillas make is transitioning to normal military formations before the field is appropriately developed. i.e. the opposition weakened and sufficient recruiting and training is possible. Hizbollah hoped to beat this problem by taking over the Lebanese Army. The Israelis beat them to it and forced them into a war for which they were not prepared. That is called a spoiling attack. The number one mistake that Hizbollah made at the start of all this was that they were a guerilla movement that didn't know where its sanctuary was. They thought it was in Lebanon on the border with Israel. That thinking forced it to fight toe to toe with a regular army that had tanks and an airforce. Almost always the death of guerilla movements. Get out the old vegematic. Slice and dice time.
What has been truly enlightening to me is watching the real story unfold on the Internet; we have the images from the MSM, designed to pull at heart-strings, and then bloggers outed 'Mr Green Helmet'. We have the continual calls for a 'ceasefire' (hudna) from anyone who thinks they're anyone, and then we have Dr Rice dutifully doing her 'best' to get one started (master stroke on her part to get France involved!) I can watch a YouTube video of Hizbollocks firing from behind a residential building, or watch an ice-cool ex-Colonel from the IDF walk to a shelter when he hears the rockets coming in (this was at the train depot where 8 people were killed previously). We have the indepth analysis from people who are in Israel who really do know what a 'low-level' War is like, and outline what the Israelis are doing and finally, I don't have to put up with some smarmy shithead on the BBC telling me how it's all 'Israels fault' that this blew up.
Posted by: Tony (UK) ||
08/02/2006 7:22
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#11
Wasn't the peace keeping force supposed to be from France, Indonesia and Turkey? If I'm right, none of those places consider Hizbollocks to be a terrorist organisation, do they?
Posted by: Tony (UK) ||
08/02/2006 7:23
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#12
Good post Tony and it will take them weeksmonths years to get their multinational force together and on the ground - Masterful.
BTW, thanks for Hizbollocks, I'll continue using it.
#13
"A ceasefire is definitely moving further away. France now refuses to take part in a UNSC meeting to discuss the new UN peacekeeping force, even thought apparently they still plan to command it."
which, oddly enough, gives Tzahal more time to work on Hezbollah.
Now it couldnt be that our Gallic friends are actually interested in taking down Hezbollah (with which they have a long and bitter history - see the Weekly Standard) while LOOKING like theyre taking the anti-Israel stance, so popular in the muslim world? I mean the French are too direct, to above board, to fundamentally honest to be doing that, right?
#14
The entire notion of a ceasefire is laughable.
Who is going to represent the Hezbo's? Hezbo's run Lebanon with a gun, they took Lebanon to war.
Lebanon's PM, president, foreign minister, etc. are all in the Hezbo-Syrian-Iranian pocket.
Moreover, a ceasefire assumes both sides will end hostilities. Does anyone seriously believe the Hezbos will stop firing missiles at Israel from Lebanon?
As for a robust, forceful army to govern southern Lebanon and keep the peace -- a wet dream.
Only solution for a "sustainable" peace is for Israel to overtake the entire Lebanon country. The whole country needs an enema.
Posted by: Captain America ||
08/02/2006 15:13
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#15
Right about now having "backed by Iran" on your resume may not be the smartest thing for Hezbollah. Being seen as an arm of one of the biggest international pariahs is about the worst press you can get.
One can only assume that "appeasement fatigue" (boy howdy that has a nice ring to it!) is finally setting in for the majority of this world as they watch Hezbollah constantly entangle civilians in their web of death and destruction. Israel needs to keep Hezbollah's feet in the fire until their testicles are well done.
You'd think that the casualty ratios would deter further recruitment. In the Palestinian conflict it has been a near-constant 6:1 in favor of Israel. With nearly 500 Hezbollah dead and seven Israeli fatalities, this recent crisis is nothing more than excellent live-fire training for the Israelis and dirt nap time for their foes.
This is also another fine lesson for populations that tolerate or abet terrorists in their midst. I have zer-effing-oh sympathy for these people. All of the bilious hatred they have spewed for decades finally has a price tag attached and the currency is their skin. Tough sh!t.
Five IDF soldiers were wounded, two moderately and the rest lightly, by a mortar shell fired at an IDF troops near the Israel-Lebanon border on Tuesday night. The wounded soldiers were evacuated to the hospital in Nahariya for treatment.
Posted by: Fred ||
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(KUNA) -- Up to 24 armed militants surrendered to government troops after being besieged in the village of Maslmoun in the region of Tibaza 80 kilometers west of the capital, a security source said. The source, quoted by the press on Tuesday, said the gunmen who gave up were affiliated to the "salafi group for daawa and fighting," a hardline group that has refused to join the peace national conciliation pocess.
The gunmen had been surrounded, since last Thursday, by a combined force of the security troops and the anti-terrorism squad, the source said. Several hardline groups have given up arms to the government and taken advantage of a presidential clemency. Internal violence broke out in the early 90s after Islamic groups were barred from taking part in polls. More than 100,000 people have been killed since then.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
Were any of these gunmen among those granted amnesty and released a few months back?
Enraged people went on rampage, burned tires and pelted stones on vehicles in several areas of Karachi as they vent their anger against the record long spell of power outage. The latest rollback left the city without power for nearly 36 hours. The outage followed torrential rains that has mercilessly lashed the city for the last two days. Several areas of this sprawling mega-metropolis city including New Karachi, Buffer Zone, North Karachi, Gulbahar, Liaquatabad, Garden, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Defense and Clifton remained without electricity for the last 36 hours, which also triggered a shortage of water in the areas.
Posted by: Fred ||
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Israel says it will resume full air raids in Lebanon early on Wednesday, at the end of a partial, 48-hour suspension. Brigadier-General Shuki Shahur, a senior Israeli commander, said Israel would resume full air strikes after the partial suspension which Israel said was to give civilians time to leave. The army said on Tuesday that it had warned residents north of Lebanon's Litani river to leave the area, suggesting air raids could target areas further north than most previous strikes. "There are a small number of places north of the Litani river where we know Hezbollah operates, where leaflets were distributed," an army spokeswoman said.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
Shoudn't the headline read something like: "Israel to resume full air onslaught with manned aircraft."?
#2
Yes, but then that would be telling. The Israelis played the Arabs like a cheap violin with this one : reduce the manned aircraft but full ahead with the UAVs. A nice little propaganda move.
#3
Things seem to be coming unravelled for the Hizballah and its Syrian and Iranian backers. Even the UN seems to realize that no one is taking notice of their pointless blather.
The 14-year-old Palestinian killed by the IDF in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday was involved in the launching of Kassam rockets into Israel, the IDF spokesman said.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
Obviously a Work Accident during "take you kid to work" day. reset the 'days worked without an accident counter to zero, please.
Syria would defend itself if "dragged" into a war with Israel, Syrian member of parliament Suleiman Haddad said Tuesday. "We hope not to be dragged by Israel into a position where we have to defend ourselves against any aggression. If we are obliged, we will defend ourselves," Haddad told the Associated Press. "We aim for calm, but if Israel wants escalation, we will not be silent."
Haddad denied Israel's accusation that Syria was supplying Hezbollah with weapons. Haddad's comments came a day after President Bashar Assad called on his army to increase readiness to cope with "regional challenges."
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
Yeah, they won't be silent. Exploding tanks and fleeing troops make all kinds of noise.
#4
If I were you President Assad, I'd put a few slow moving armored divisions on the road to Beriut early tomorrow morning, just as a deterrent, a sign of resolve, a precaution. Space between vehicles? Oh, lets just say a meter or two max.
#5
Bring it on, Syrian pussies. You have no Air Force. Try your tank battle crap without air cover. I fart in your general direction! Your Mother was a hamster, and your Father smelt of Elderberries!
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.
Hezbollah fighters have launched more than 220 rockets into Israel from Lebanon, the biggest single-day barrage since the conflict began. One person was killed and dozens injured as some rockets landed up to 70km inside Israel, the deepest so far. The upsurge came as Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Israel had destroyed Hezbollah's infrastructure. Mr Olmert insisted there would be no ceasefire until an international force is deployed in southern Lebanon. "I said I'd be ready to enter a ceasefire when the international forces, not will be ready, but will be deployed," Mr Olmert said of the timetable for a halt to the violence. 
Iran has freed a son of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden from house arrest, a German newspaper reported on Wednesday. Die Welt said the 
The anti-Israeli bias in Jimmy Carters op-ed in yesterdays Washington Post could not have been more evident if he had concluded, Allahu akhbar! Unlike Mel Gibson, Carter presumably wrote while sober, but his analysis and demonology barely differed for it. 
A Democratic congresswoman from Georgia is suing The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for libel. Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney filed charges against the newspaper's editor Cynthia Tucker and publisher John Mellott for an editorial column that ran in the Sunday July 30 paper about McKinney's alleged altercation with police, according to All Headline News.
Nato and Afghan forces have killed 18 Taleban militants in a raid in southern Afghanistan, officials say. It took place late on Tuesday in the town of Garmser in Helmand province, which was recaptured from the Taleban last month. It comes a day after three British soldiers were killed in Helmand. Separately, a car has exploded in the capital Kabul, killing its driver and injuring two other people - one of them a passenger - police say. 'We carried out the operation in which 18 Taleban got killed and we recovered a huge amount of ammunitions," provincial police chief, Nabi Mullahkhail, told Reuters. 
He said there were no casualties among the Nato or Afghan forces. The Kabul incident happened when police tried to stop the car in the Binay Hisar area of the capital. Police said it was still unclear whether it was a suicide attack or the car was transporting explosives. Bomb blasts in Kabul are rare, although there have been a few suicide bomb attacks on the outskirts the city. Gen Alishah Paktiwal, head of Kabul's criminal investigation department told the BBC that the Toyota Corolla car driving into the city refused to stop when the police flagged it down. "It kept speeding on and then it exploded," he said. The blast badly injured a civilian bystander as well as killing the driver and injuring a passenger, he added. 
Chittagong Anchorage Account: Twenty five incidents have been reported since January 28 2006.
(KUNA) -- A Security committee in the province of Kirkuk ordered Tuesday an Iraqi military force in Suleimania area to move to southern Kirkuk in northern Iraq. A military senior official told KUNA that this military maneuver was taken to protect southern Kirkuk from insurgents who have increasingly stepped up their attacks in the area. The Iraqi forces and Multi-National force (MNF) previously conducted several operations in the area which resulted in the capture of 169 suspects.
(Itar-Tass) - Twelve gunmen surrendered voluntarily in Chechnya, the common press center of the regional operational headquarters told Itar-Tass on Tuesday. "A former gunman of Raduyev's gang turned in police in the Kurchaloi region. According to available information, he participated in the capture of the hospital in Kizlyar and the battle near Pervomaiskoye in 1995," the common press center said. 
Israeli aircraft on Wednesday bombed buildings in the Gaza Strip used by militants to store and smuggle weapons, the army said. There were no immediate reports of casualties in the air strikes. Palestinian security sources said one of the destroyed buildings was a house in central Gaza owned by a Hamas militant.
Bosnian Islamic leaders voiced anger after a local television station aired an episode of the popular US cartoon "
Coalition forces successfully targeted and detained two senior al-Qaida in Iraq leaders and three other suspected terrorists during multiple raids in central and northern Iraq on the morning of July 29.
A priest who was at the centre of a furore over homosexuality in the Church of England has entered a civil partnership with his long term partner, another male priest, gay activists said on Tuesday. Conservatives in the Church of England reacted to the news with dismay and said it would aggravate the row over homosexuality in the Anglican Communion, the loose federation of Anglican churches worldwide.
HAVANA -- Fidel Castro said Tuesday that he was stable and in good spirits after surgery, according to a statement read on state television, as the Communist government tried to impose a sense of normalcy on the island's first day in 47 years without the bearded leader in charge.
(SomaliNet) Somali's interim government based in the provincial town of Baidoa southwest of Somalia has asked on Tuesday to postpone the talks scheduled to happen in the Sudanese capital Khartoum tomorrow in a bid to solve the political crisis within the government as ministers continue to abandon the cabinet. Prime Minister Ali Gedi who has held today a news conference in Biadoa said his government asked the Arab League to put off the peace talks in Khartoum to have chance to tackle the current political turmoil that over shadowed the government since last week. Mr. Gedi said he had talked the Arab League ambassador to Somalia Abdalla Mubarak about the issues of the meeting to submit the government's request to the organization expressing that the Somali's interim government is not ready to attend the talks right now.
Skirmishes with Hizbullah guerrillas in the southern Lebanese village of Aita al-Shaab on Tuesday left three soldiers, including an officer, of a Paratrooper Brigade unit dead and at least another 25 wounded. Dozens of Hizbullah gunmen, the IDF said, surprised a force from the brigade's Battalion 101 as it moved through the small town just over the hill from the Israeli community of Shtula, in the central sector. Once home to 5,000 Shi'ites, Aita al-Shaab was believed by the IDF to be a Hizbullah stronghold, one of many in which soldiers were operating on Tuesday as the IDF geared up for an effort to push Hizbullah north to the Litani River. 
IDF forces identified several suspicious persons at the Agricultural College in Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip at approximately 3 p.m. Tuesday. The IDF said that the suspects had arrived there in order to pick up Kassam launchers, which had been used to shoot rockets into Israel Tuesday morning. The army opened fire in the direction of the suspects.
Somalia's newly-powerful Islamists have opened a new Shariah court some 600km north of the capital, local officials said yesterday, extending their influence in the anarchic nation. The Islamists, who control Mogadishu and a large swathe of southern Somalia. have been expanding into more remote areas of in an effort to consolidate control over Horn of African nation after ousting US-backed warlords from the capital in June. 
(KUNA) -- Two policemen were killed, another was wounded, on Tuesday in a blast that targeted a police patrol in Kirkuk, northern Iraq. An Iraqi Police source told KUNA that the blast took place near a market area, noting that a lieutenant colonel was wounded in the attack.
(KUNA) -- The government has disallowed tribal Lashkar (forces) participating in the Lebanon war saying that it is supporting the Lebanese government and people at every level. Federal Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Sherpao, talking to newsmen Monday, warned that the government would not let anyone participate in the war in Lebanon in his personal capacity, said press reports Tuesday.
(KUNA) -- Unknown gunmen on Tuesday burst into the residence of Iraqi undersecretary of finance, abducted his guards, and seized some weapons. A Ministry of Interior source told Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) that unknown gunmen stormed into the residence of Karim Hammoud Faraj in the area of Talibiya nearby Al-Sadr City in eastern Baghdad and abducted two of his guards. Iraqi Police forces cordoned off the area, while security sources confirmed that Faraj was not in his residence at the time of the attack, noting that he is abroad on an official mission.
Rice's visit to Ramallah, where she met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, was accompanied by calls for a general strike in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, as well as articles and cartoons depicting her as a "black raven" and "child murderer." Shortly before Rice's heavily-guarded motorcade entered Ramallah, hundreds of Palestinians marched in the center of the city, calling on Abbas to boycott her and strongly denouncing the US for its bias toward Israel. PA policemen used force to disperse the protesters, some of whom carried placards featuring Rice as a raven preying on the corpse of children. 
NARATHIWAT: A wave of 40 coordinated bomb and arson attacks struck government and civilian targets across Thailand's Muslim-majority south late on Tuesday, injuring at least two, officials said. Homemade devices, many triggered by remote-control, hit the homes of police and government officials, karaoke bars and a train station in the three restive provinces along the Malaysian border. It was the largest and best organised attack in more than a month in the south, where 1,400 people have died over the past two years in attacks blamed mainly on Islamic militant separatists.
(SomaliNet) Zimbabwe's Reserve Bank has come to the rescue of Zimbabwean shoppers by slashing three zeros off Zimbabwe's currency. This will help shoppers in Zimbabwe carry less cash on their shopping sprees. "From tomorrow, the 1st of August 2006, three zeroes are being taken off every bearer cheque (bank note) which introduces a new family of bearer cheques. That makes much more sense and I hope dollars as well," Gideon Gono, Zimbabwe National bank's governor said. 
(SomaliNet) Eight South Korean seamen kidnapped on Somali waters were released on Monday, confirmed South Korea's Foreign Ministry. Seventeen others, five from Vietnam, nine Indonesians and three Chinese were also released. Foreign ministry spokesman Choo Kyu-ho said, "The ship Dongwon is now out of Somalian waters and is on a move to a safe area." The ship was escorted by a U.S warship at the request of the Korean government. 
Lebanese army and security officials said a major Israeli operation was underway against suspected Hezbollah positions near Baalbeek in eastern Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, with one officer saying the Israeli presence in the air above the ancient city was "unprecedented." The operation began with at least five rapid air strikes above the city.
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia said an emergency meeting of key Muslim countries this week will call for an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East and discuss a formal United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon. 
Militants on Tuesday staged broad daylight attacks in Srinagar killing four security men. In separate incidents four militants and a security jawan were also killed and one Divisional Commander of Hizbul Mujahideen was arrested. 
A roadside bomb blew up a bus, killing 24 people in it as gunmen ambushed and shot dead five workers of a power station in a day of widespread violence across Iraq that left 63 people dead on Tuesday. Among the dead was a British soldier who died in a mortar attack in the south, while the US military announced that an American soldier was killed by a roadside bomb on Monday. Also Tuesday, the spokesman of a political coalition was kidnapped. 
Enraged people went on rampage, burned tires and pelted stones on vehicles in several areas of Karachi as they vent their anger against the record long spell of power outage. The latest rollback left the city without power for nearly 36 hours. The outage followed torrential rains that has mercilessly lashed the city for the last two days. Several areas of this sprawling mega-metropolis city including New Karachi, Buffer Zone, North Karachi, Gulbahar, Liaquatabad, Garden, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Defense and Clifton remained without electricity for the last 36 hours, which also triggered a shortage of water in the areas.
The 14-year-old Palestinian killed by the IDF in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday was involved in the launching of Kassam rockets into Israel, the IDF spokesman said.
Syria would defend itself if "dragged" into a war with Israel, Syrian member of parliament Suleiman Haddad said Tuesday. "We hope not to be dragged by Israel into a position where we have to defend ourselves against any aggression. If we are obliged, we will defend ourselves," Haddad told the Associated Press. "We aim for calm, but if Israel wants escalation, we will not be silent." 
