Posted through from oft-time Rantburger Chuck Simmons' site:
Five things the American public should know about Guantánamo.
• Letting go of detainees is not a good option. Al-Qaeda’s current No. 1 and No. 2 leaders in Yemen were once prisoners at Guantánamo, and the terrorist group’s No. 1 in Libya also came from the prison. In Southern Russia, a number of former detainees went on a rampage, killing more than 100 innocents during a single afternoon of attacks. In fact, these outcomes after detainees are released have become so common, Wikipedia has a page devoted to it: “lists of former Guantanamo Bay detainees alleged to have returned to terrorism.” Detainees should only be released at altitudes over 30,000'.
• The potential for diplomatic chaos. It’s not hard to ruffle the feathers of other world powers, which often compromises U.S. relations globally, as witnessed in the aftermath of Edward Snowden’s leaks of NSA spying and the Syrian crisis. Imagine the blowback onto the United States if one of its military bases frees a detainee that later assassinates another nation’s leader or government official.
• Gitmo: the misinformation campaign. During Wentz’s time at the prison, there was absolutely no indication that torture of any kind ever occurred. “To my knowledge, only four terrorists were ever waterboarded – and that was done by the CIA, and not at Guantánamo,” he says. Yet reporting insinuates that torture is a common occurrence there. “I once read a headline: ‘Guantánamo Detainee, Who Was Waterboarded, Tells Int’l Community ….’ It doesn’t say where the waterboarding occurred, but the insinuation is there.” Such misinformation campaigns are among the tactics outlined in the Manchester Document, also known as the al-Qaeda Handbook.
• The International Red Cross says Gitmo is well run. The prison is well-run and should be a model for the treatment of prisoners worldwide – this is according to an assessment from the International Red Cross. This good news regarding the prison is likely something you’ve never read. Americans have been fed a steady stream of only bad news about the prison, but there are good reasons for its existence.
• Consider the source – the lawyers of detainees and their plea to the public. The only news coming out from Gitmo recently has involved the detainees’ hunger strike, which has had some success in its original purpose: to build sympathy. One of the lawyers for the detainees has also represented, in past decades, members of the Irish Republican Army, who used the same tactic while imprisoned by the British. The hunger strike came shortly after the lawyer’s visit, Wentz says, and it’s not coincidence. Additionally, while the British didn’t use feeding tubes, the U.S. military has, which is something detainees have come to count on, he says. They don't want to eat, they should not be forced to. It's expensive keeping that place open, so let the inmates eliminate themselves so we don't have to.
“Two things are infinite,” Albert Einstein said. “The universe and human stupidity, and I’m not sure about the universe.”
Einstein could have added a third element in endless supply that is a close cousin of the second: the bottomless pit of artist celebrities who feel anointed because of their success or ego to lead foreign affairs debates.
Roger Waters, the bassist and a lyricist for Pink Floyd, one of rocksÂ’ greatest acts, is a high-profile poster child for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel, an organization embraced by the European and American left that advocates boycotting Israeli academics, culture, businesses and institutions.
BDS calls the Israeli government an “apartheid regime.” Far from the mainstream of political thought, the organization doesn’t support a two-state solution with the Palestinians. Its leaders have no time for condemnation of Muslim nations with their gulags and police state apparatus. BDS is bent on Israel not existing as a Jewish state, if at all.
Perhaps Mr. Waters is unaware of the not-so-hidden agenda of the organization and its adherents. After all, it’s been a while since he penned the song “Sheep” in which he sings of people who won’t or can’t think for themselves.
“What do you get for pretending the danger’s not real/
Meek and obedient you follow the leader,” he sings.
And follow the leader is what Mr. Waters has done. He made news when in an open letter in August when he used his pop artistÂ’s platform for renewing BDSÂ’s call on musicians everywhere to boycott Israel.
“Please join me and all our brothers and sisters in global civil society in proclaiming our rejection of Apartheid in Israel and occupied Palestine, by pledging not to perform or exhibit in Israel or accept any award or funding from any institution linked to the government of Israel, until such time as Israel complies with international law and universal principles of human rights,” Waters wrote.
“Occupied Palestine” is longstanding code for the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, in other words, the state of Israel. Even if Mr. Waters didn’t realize what he was saying, his bedfellows certainly did catch its true meaning.
Mr. Waters drew a harsh rebuke from Abe Foxman, National Director of the Anti-Defamation League.
“Your single-minded obsession with trying to convince others to boycott the Jewish state, while ignoring the world’s true human rights violators, must be driven by something other than a guilty conscience,” Foxman wrote.
“Anti-Semitism” as a charge must be judiciously invoked, if for no other reason than it devalues those actual instances. But Mr. Foxman might be on to something.
China oppresses millions. Russia continues on a czarist trajectory. Despotic Arab and Muslim countries for decades have lacked the rule of law, political plurality, and cage and/or murder dissidents while denying women and minorities equal rights (see Egypt, Syria, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, to name a few). Thousands of Syrians and Egyptians are mowed down in the streets, as Christians throughout the Middle East dwindle through murder and forced emigration under threat by the Muslim majority, as Syria commits war crimes by using chemical weapons against its own people.
Several African nations resort to genocidal behavior with alarming regularity. North Korea starves its population, while Iranian leaders call for the annihilation of Israel.
And yet Roger Waters and his colleagues who promote the boycott single out Israel for isolation. This tin ear to the real world parallels the Orwellian politics of the U.N., in which the U.N. Human Rights Council, the globeÂ’s top watchdog for calling out human rights violations, includes many member states with horrific human rights records.
If Mr. Waters and BDS wanted to make a point about supporting “universal principles of human rights,” they should turn their glare to the Muslim world for starters. If Mr. Waters needs inspiration for doing so, he could turn to a number of powerful Pink Floyd songs he wrote in which singling out hypocrisy is a major theme.
All of this doesn’t alleviate Israel of its responsibilities or crimes. But even if the extreme focus on Israel amid the calamity befalling Muslim nations — amid the dearth of human rights around the world — isn’t anti-Semitism, it is certainly curious.
Like Mr. Waters, other artists have ventured into world affairs, often on the wrong side of history and common sense. The gifted filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl was on HitlerÂ’s payroll. Gabriel Garcia Marquez extolled the virtues of a serial human rights abuser, Fidel Castro. Pablo Picasso was an ardent communist and a sometime friend of Moscow in the era of the murderous Stalin, one of the worst mass killers in modern history.
Their lesson for Mr. Waters is that success in the arts usually isnÂ’t a transferable skill and that sometimes, when combined with ego unbound and lack of critical thinking, can make an accomplice of the most well-meaning.
In the Pink Floyd song “Comfortably Numb,” Waters sings a refrain that might be asked of him today:
“Hello, is there anybody in there? Just nod if you can hear me, is there anyone at home?”
As we wrap up September, there have been just two short-lived Category 1 hurricanes in the Atlantic. Yet seasonal forecasts predicted an extremely active season. What's going on? Global Warming!
Before diving into the seasonal forecasts, let's take inventory on where the season stands.
In an average season, 8 tropical storms, 4 hurricanes, and 1 major (category 3 or higher) hurricane form by this date. This year, we've experienced 10 tropical storms, 2 hurricanes, and no major hurricanes. So the numbers are within the confidence intervals of the projections. In other words nothing happened to hurricane season, it's just slightly off the average, nothing more...
Though we've had close to the average number of total storms, most have been short-lived and/or weak. If you went out for a cup of coffee at any time this hurricane season, you would've missed many of them.
After the attack on the Westgate mall in Nairobi, Kenya, substantial attention was given to the some 40 Americans who have traveled to fight for Al-Shabaab in Somalia during the past several years.
But much less attention has focused on Al-Shabaab's supporters in the United States who have helped to fund the terrorist group. Those supporters have funneled tens of thousands of dollars via money transfer businesses to the terrorist organization and have often maintained direct contact with Al-Shabaab leaders and fighters in Somalia.
The were Assad's before Pop's and he was pretty sharp evidently.
In the end, partition, anathema as it may be to those still emotionally attached to the Sykes-Picot order, may end up being the more humane solution to the Syrian crisis.
In fact, Bashar al-Assad's own grandfather, Ali Sulayman al-Assad, was among leading Alawite notables who, until 1944, continued to lobby French Mandatory authorities to resist British and Arab designs aimed at stitching together the States of Aleppo, Damascus, Druze, and Alawite Mountains into a new republic to be christened Syria.
He stressed that "the spirit of hatred and fanaticism imbedded in the hearts of the Arab Muslims against everything that is non-Muslim has been perpetually nurtured by the Islamic religion. There is no hope that the situation will ever change. Therefore, the abolition of the Mandate will expose the minorities in Syria to the dangers of death and annihilation."
A united Syria, concluded Assad's 1936 memo, will only mean the enslavement of the Alawite people; [the French] may think that it is possible to ensure the rights of the Alawites and the minorities by treaty. We assure you that treaties have no value in relation to the Islamic mentality in Syria. [...] The Alawi people appeal to the French government [...] and request [...] a guarantee of their freedom and independence within their small territory," [in the confines of the Alawite Mountain.]
h/t Belmont
The short narrative, compiled by people with even shorter memories, is that the United States government got to the brink of a shutdown because the unreasonable House Republicans refused to get over their obsession with putting an end to Obamacare before it is fully implemented.
The real story is a lot more complicated than that... Belmont's comment ...politicians are like cats. You can't tell from the caterwauling whether they're fighting or mating.
#3
Obama was gun ho for a confrontation on Syria as well. The longer this goes on, even with the sheep of his Propaganda Machine baying "it's the Trunks fault", people will start to blame both sides. Meanwhile the Obama version of MVD on steroids will start to bite even Mr. Low Information in the next couple of months who'll suddenly take notice. Playing for time is not in his favor. People will clearly remember their personal experience over the message.
h/t Instapundit, TaxProf Blog
...Studies have now shown, among other things, the benefits of moderate childhood stress; how praise kills kids' self-esteem; and why grit is a better predictor of success than SAT scores.
All of which flies in the face of the kinder, gentler philosophy that has dominated American education over the past few decades. The conventional wisdom holds that teachers are supposed to tease knowledge out of students, rather than pound it into their heads. Projects and collaborative learning are applauded; traditional methods like lecturing and memorization--derided as "drill and kill"--are frowned upon, dismissed as a surefire way to suck young minds dry of creativity and motivation.
But the conventional wisdom is wrong. And the following eight principles--a manifesto if you will, a battle cry inspired by my old teacher and buttressed by new research--explain why.
#1
I've got to agree with Kupchynsky. Those that master some field of endeavor need discipline and drill (repetition). Whether discipline is self-imposed or imposed from without, it is necessary. Repetition is necessary to transfer information from short term memory to long term memory.
The Knesset must give a sharp response to the High Court of Justice for canceling the Law to Prevent Illegal Migration, MK Ayelet Shaked (Bayit Yehudi) said Monday at a meeting of the Knesset Caucus to Return Infiltrators to their Home Countries.
Shaked called for the Knesset to add a clause to Basic Law: Human Dignity and Freedom that would strengthen the legislature. The dangers of allowing judges---who self-select for idiotism impractical idealism---run things are obvious to anybody who been watching, what used to be, The West.
* BLOOMBERG > BREAKING: US FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OFFCIALLY SHUTS DOWN FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 17 YEARS.
* FREEREPUBLIC > [CBSLocal] WHITE HOUSE ORDERS SHUTDOWN TO GO AHEAD.
versus
* HUFFPO > GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN BLAME WOULD FALL ON REPUBLICANS, GOP SEENS AS "SPOILED CHILDREN":POLL.
It also helps when 9.999 times out of 10 the LeftMedias = MSM criticizes the GOP-n-only-the-GOP, NOT-N-NEVAR! THE DEMS.
* DEMOCRATIC UNDERGROUND > [POLITICSUSA] HARRY REID CALLS HOUSE GOP "INSANE" WHILE DEMOS KILL THEIR THIRD ATTACK ON ACA [aka ObamaCare].
* SAME > WHITE HOUSE PETITION TO DESIGNATE THE GOP AS A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION/GROUP FOR REPEATEDLY THREATENING THE FULL FAITH AND CREDIT OF THE USA.
To rehash what I'd said earlier this year, as per FLOTUS-MICHELLE-VS-BOEHNER = POST-OCTOBER REVOLUTION/1917 BOLSHEVIKS VS. MENSHEVIKS, + WE ALL KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THE MENSHEVIKS.
Totalitarians versus Democratic-Liberal Socialists.
To paraph "THE SIMPSONS" NED FLANDERS = D *** NGED UNITARIANS!
When Unitarians divorce, it taint pretty.
Ditto for "Where Commies go, Radical Islam = Hard Boyz follow", + vicey versey.
#4
..maybe, but if anyone bothered to read real history, not paying the troops usually ends badly (see the long line of Caesars, Cromwell, etc - don't forget the recent turn over in Egypt). The government institution with the highest support of the America public is its military. Reid stripped this from the Trunk package in the last submitted CR and made sure it got done cause he didn't want the rank and file to believe that only the Trunks had their backs covered. Not good if things turn ugly to have alienated the people with the big guns as well.
said Monday he hoped an accord on the future US military presence in Afghanistan would be in place by November, despite President Hamid Maybe I'll join the Taliban Karzai ... A former Baltimore restaurateur, now 12th and current President of Afghanistan, displacing the legitimate president Rabbani in December 2004. He was installed as the dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001 in a vain attempt to put a Pashtun face on the successor state to the Taliban. After the 2004 presidential election, he was declared president regardless of what the actual vote count was. He won a second, even more dubious, five-year-term after the 2009 presidential election. His grip on reality has been slipping steadily since around 2007, probably from heavy drug use... 's refusal to be rushed.
"I hope we'll have that agreement by the end of October, because we just can't move without it," Hagel told US soldiers participating in a live-fire exercise in South Korea.
The United States plans to pull out the bulk of its 57,000 troops in Afghanistan by the end of 2014 and has tentative plans to retain a smaller force of around 10,000 forces after that.
However, denial ain't just a river in Egypt... a new security agreement is needed to allow for the post-2014 presence, including provisions permitting the United States access to various bases.
"We're working with President Karzai and his government to get that bilateral security agreement completed and signed," Hagel said.
"Once we do that, we can and will go forward. That's critically important," he added.
But Karzai has insisted Afghanistan would not be rushed over the negotiations and has even hinted that an agreement might not be finalised before presidential elections in April next year.
"We are not in a hurry, if it happens in my government it will be good, if not, the new president can discuss it and either accept or reject it," Karzai said in August.
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[Dawn] Inspector-General Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... (KP) Nasir Durrani on Monday said a targeted operation will be conducted in Beautiful Downtown Peshawar ...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire. very soon.
Marketplaces and other public areas of the picturesque provincial capital would first be cleared by sniffer dogs and Bomb Disposal Units before being opened for the general public, he said, adding that approval for the measure had already been given by the KP government.
The IG's comments came a day after twin blasts claimed 43 lives in Qissa Khwani Bazaar, one of the oldest market places in Peshawar.
Speaking to news hounds at the site of Sunday's attack, IG Durrani said the explosive used in the boom-mobile targeting Qissa Khwani Bazaar was locally made.
He further stated that the bully boyz had changed their strategy of late, adding that first they were targeting the police, whereas, now they had started targeting markets and other public places.
He also stated that the provincial government had ordered the formation of a new strategy to fight terrorism and said the government would combat the menace with cooperation from the public.
The KP government had decided to launch the targeted operation after more than 140 people were killed in a flurry of suicide kabooms that took place in Peshawar over the past one week. The decision was taken on Sunday in a high level meeting presided over by KP Chief Secretary Arbab Muhammad Shehzad.
While the meeting clearly defined the formation of a special task force which would combat terrorism, with the help of special intelligence organizations, it also decided to spread awareness against terrorism amongst the people.
Posted by: Fred ||
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Through August, 10 months after helping President Obama secure a second term, the DNC owed its various creditors a total of $18.1 million, compared to the $12.5 million cash cushion the Republican National Committee is holding.
Several executives at firms that contract to provide services to the party -- speaking anonymously to avoid antagonizing what remains an important if troubled client -- describe an organization playing for time as they raise alarms about past-due bills falling further behind.
#3
This will only get much worse for them. They cater to the takers not givers. Their loyalty is only as long as money is dolled out. As the middle class disappears so goes the money. So where will they go for money?. Any country who would wish to do us harm. King got money from the Communists for his civil rights movement. That's why the FBI investigated him. Someone in our political wing of government squashed that investigation. So look for more problems. Remember also the Democrats have walked away from their own conservatives. To them they don't exist. This is the heart and core of America. The real core of the tea party. The average true American. Unions, workers, are still here. Love of country is still here. These politicians have destroyed their connection to the Core of America. That is the same situation with our media. The public does only what they can. They don't read or watch this media as it only lies to the American people. Believe me on this. It is not the low information public. It is a turning away in disgust.
#9
The DNC is nearly broke and that seems like a good thing--it limits the money for campaigns. On the other hand, it is Donk news as usual--about everything the Donks touch ends up damaged or broke.
[Dawn] The National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad, has confirmed four more polio cases in Federally Administered Tribal Areas and one in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, officials said on Sunday.
They said that three children from North Waziristan Agency and one each from Khyber Agency and Peshawar had tested positive for poliomyelitis.
They said that with the fresh cases the number of affected children had now climbed to 24 in Fata and seven in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Besides, Sindh has four cases and Punjab one of the nationwide 36 in 2013 so far.
The Taliban's ban on oral polio vaccine since June 2012 has left crippled 17-month-old Nabila, daughter of Sher Khan and resident of village Star Sarobai Mussaki village in Razmak tehsil, as she remained without vaccination.
Another new polio victim 13-month-old Sabila, daughter of Imtiaz, is residing in Alikhel village of Mir Ali tehsil, and she also never received polio vaccine. Seven-month-old Maria, daughter of Matiullah and belonging to Zeraki Dak Khana village in Mir Ali, was also tested positive for polio virus. She also remained unvaccinated due to the Taliban ban. North Waziristan and Khyber Agency each have so far recorded 10 polio cases each.
Posted by: Fred ||
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[Dawn] The Adiala Central Jail currently houses 67 notorious bully boyz of which 14 are convicted of high profile attacks while the remaining are under trial in major terrorist cases, Dawn has learnt.
Of these 14, seven have been awarded the death sentence for various terrorist activities such as the attack on former president Pervez Perv Musharraf ... former dictator of Pakistain, who was less dictatorial and corrupt than any Pak civilian government to date ... , suicide kaboom on Pakistain Ordnance Factories, attack on former governor Punjab Salman Taseer and others.
Due to the presence of high profile prisoners and continuous threats of attack by the proscribed Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain (TTP), army authorities and security agencies are reviewing the security of the jail on a daily basis.
A police official, while citing intelligence agencies, said Adnan Rashid, a Taliban capo who had been freed from the Bannu Jail by snuffies in 2012, had threatened an assault on Adiala jail similar to the one on Dera Ismail Khan ... the Pearl of Pashtunistan ... Prison in July 2013. During the assault, a large number of TTP snuffies had been freed.
This threat has forced the army, district police and prison authorities to hold emergency sessions to review security of the heavily-guarded Adiala jail which houses 67 notorious prisoners in addition to approximately 5,000 others.
A list of the major 14 convicted terrorists, their crimes and their punishments is provided in the table.
The remaining 53 high profile prisoners languishing in Adiala Central Jail are under trial for terrorist activities such as the Mumbai attacks in 2008, liquidation of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto ... 11th Prime Minister of Pakistain in two non-consecutive terms from 1988 until 1990 and 1993 until 1996. She was the daughter of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, founder of the Pakistain People's Party, who was murdered at the instigation of General Ayub Khan. She was murdered in her turn by person or persons unknown while campaigning in late 2007. Suspects include, to note just a few, Baitullah Mehsud, General Pervez Musharraf, the ISI, al-Qaeda in Pakistain, and her husband, Asif Ali Zardari, who shows remarkably little curiosity about who done her in... in 2007, attack on NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Originally it was a mutual defense pact directed against an expansionist Soviet Union. In later years it evolved into a mechanism for picking the American pocket while criticizing the cut of the American pants... oil tankers in March 2010, Inspector Raja Saqlain murder case and recovery of explosives in Rawalpindi and Islamabad between 2008 and 2013.
Similarly, seven prisoners are under trial for the Bhara Kahu suicide attack, one for the murder of FIA prosecutor Chaudhry Zulfiqar and two suspects in the Pir Chumbal blast in Choa Saidan Shah in November 2011.
Among these 53 under-trial prisoners, 34 are being tried inside the jail premises by the Anti-Terrorism Court while the remaining prisoners are being tried by the same court outside the premises.
Posted by: Fred ||
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[Al Ahram] The commander of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards said Monday that President Hasan Rouhani should have refused to take last week's historic telephone call from US counterpart Barack Obama I inhaled. That was the point... It was the first public criticism by a senior Iranian official of Friday's landmark first contact between leaders of the two countries since the rupture of diplomatic relations in the aftermath of the 1979 Islamic revolution.
"The president took a firm and appropriate position during his stay" in New York for the United Nations ...the Oyster Bay money pit... General Assembly, General Mohammad Ali Jafari said in an interview with the Tasnimnews.com website.
"But just as he refused to meet Obama, he should also have refused to speak with him on the telephone and should have waited for concrete action by the United States."
The government can make "tactical errors" but these can be "repaired," said Jafari
"If we see errors being made by officials, the revolutionary forces will issue the necessary warnings," he added.
The public criticism came despite appeals earlier this month by both Rouhani and supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for the Guards, who have long seen themselves as guardians of the values of the revolution, to steer clear of politics.
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#1
The public criticism came despite appeals earlier this month by both Rouhani and supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for the Guards, who have long seen themselves as guardians of the values of the revolution, to steer clear of politics.
[Dawn] The convoy of Balochistan ...the Pak province bordering Kandahar and Uruzgun provinces in Afghanistan and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran. Its native Baloch propulation is being displaced by Pashtuns and Punjabis and they aren't happy about it... Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch came under rocket attack in the province's earthquake-struck Awaran district early on Monday morning.
There were no injuries reported in the incident.
The chief minister was on his way to a camp office in Awaran district, which was set up to carry out relief work in the quake-hit region when a rocket fired by unknown gunnies landed at a distance from the convoy.
Dr Malik Baloch was accompanied by several provincial secretaries at the time of the attack.
A heavy contingent of security personnel reached the site of the attack and cordoned off the area following the incident.
Monday's incident was the fifth attack to take place during the relief activities being carried out in the earthquake-hit region and came days after similar attacks on two military helicopters carrying relief goods in Awaran and previously on a helicopter carrying chairman National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Major General Alam Saeed in the same district.
Awaran is considered one of the most sensitive and troubled districts of Balochistan and is also the hometown of Baloch guerrila commander, Dr Allah Nazar Baloch and Chief Minister Dr Malik Baloch has already made an appeal to Dr Allah Nazar to cooperate with aid agencies in order to provide support to earthquake survivors.
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[Al Ahram] Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Monday Iran must dismantle its "military nuclear program" as a condition for a diplomatic breakthrough that would head off the prospect of military action.
Netanyahu told President Barack Obama Ready to Rule from Day One... in White House talks that such a step was Israel's "bottom line" as hopes rise of a deal to end the nuclear showdown between Washington, world powers and Tehran.
Obama, meanwhile, promised Netanyahu that the United States would be "clear eyed" in talks with Iran but that it had to "test" prospects for a breakthrough, though reserved the right to take military action against nuclear installations in Iran if diplomacy failed.
He's The Smartest Man In The Room, so stop worrying your pretty little head about the first ever nuclear genocide, little Bibi.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
Iran ally Baby Assad has until Summer 2014 to destroy his Chemical Weapons, so IMO its prolly safe to say the Bammer will NOT initiate any sort of milaction agz Iran's NucProg until such time, iff ever.
PLENTY OF TIME FOR IRAN ALLY NORTH KOREA TO FINISH DEV [testing?] ITS ALLEGED "SMALL TACTICAL NUCLEAR WARHEAD" DESIGNS. IMO a small, cheap? tacnuke [read, PLENTIFUL] would be Iran's first choice of selection, wid larger + more potent LR tactical + strategic warheads to come later.
GOOD FOR THE OWG GLOBAL CALIPHATE + GLOBALIST "CO-SUPERPOWERS".
And seems to be quite convinced of it. The problem with thinking you are smart is believing you can't be fooled, tricked, duped or outmaneuvered. After all, you're really really smart.
#5
Who does he think he is, when he says, "clear eyed"? Saul Alinsky? Vladimir Lenin, perhaps?What does he think it means, I wonder?
The dictionary says, "Having or showing an ability to think clearly."
As opposed to - naïve, exploitable, gullible, unperceptive, dim-witted, knuckleheaded, weak-minded, foolish, thoughtless, or uninformed - all of which seem to fit better.
Posted by: Bobby ||
10/01/2013 11:56
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#6
Good luck with that, I doubt he will have any real success; after all, up to this point, everything he has touched in the international arena has turned to sh-t. He will need this
[Al Ahram] Egypt's Suez military court sentenced on Monday Moslem Brüderbund leader Mohammed Mongey to ten years of imprisonment on charges of inciting violence and vandalising military property in August.
Egypt's interim government has launched a crackdown on the 85-year-old Islamist group following the popularly-backed military ouster of Islamist president Mohammed Morsi ...the former president of Egypt. A proponent of the One Man, One Vote, One Time principle, Morsi won election after the deposal of Hosni Mubarak and jumped to the conclusion it was his turn to be dictator... -- who hails from the Brotherhood -- in July.
Hundreds of the group's leaders and members have been nabbed Drop the rosco, Muggsy, or you're one with the ages! since Morsi's ouster.
The arrest campaign widened after 14 August, when security forces forcibly dispersed the two pro-Morsi protest camps in Cairo and Giza, leaving hundreds dead and over a thousand injured.
Many of the incarcerated Don't shoot, coppers! I'm comin' out! Moslem Brüderbund leaders and members face charges of inciting violence during festivities that took place in the months leading up to Morsi's ouster.
Controversial exceptions allowing military trials for civilians have remained a topic of debate during the transitional period.
Earlier in September, a Suez military court handed down a life sentence to a Moslem Brüderbund member and sentenced 50 others to jail on charges of attacking military soldiers.
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#1
Military rule is the best kind one of these countries can have.
[AJC] A two-decade family feud came to a violent end when a man rubbed out the two home invaders that killed his wife and son, not knowing the assailants included his long-estranged daughter, authorities said Sunday.
Though the investigation of Friday's shootings continues, authorities said it appears Josephine and Jeffrey Ruckinger planned to murder her family at their rural central Pennsylvania home -- but it remains unclear what exactly led to the deadly confrontation.
"They parked at the bottom of a long driveway, and walked up, heavily armed," said Cambria County District Attorney Kelly Callihan.
Continued on Page 49
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[Al Ahram] Unidentified gunnies shot at the car transporting the General Bishop of Upper Egypt's Minya governorate on Monday, reported Ahram's Arabic website.
Bishop Makarious' car was shot at while on its way to one of the churches of Abu Qurqas. The Bishop and the driver were both unharmed after the driver managed to speed away to escape the shooting.
In August, sixteen rights groups issued a joint statement expressing "grave concern regarding the increasing sectarian violence which has targeted Christians and their churches since the June 30 uprising," which ousted president Morsi.
While there have been many attacks against churches reported since Morsi's removal from power on 3 July, the most comprehensive wave of attacks was triggered by the dispersal of two main pro-Morsi sit-ins in Cairo and Giza on 14 August, with many of the attacks occurring in Minya in Upper Egypt, where almost 50 percent of the population is Coptic Christian.
The Egyptian Center for Public Policy Studies (ECPPS) stated that in the wave of sectarian violence in August, 28 churches and monasteries were attacked in the governorates of Fayoum, Beni Suef, Minya, Assiut and Sohag, as well as five Christian associations in Minya and Fayoum. Additionally, attacks on Coptic property were estimated to have damaged 122 shops, 51 houses and five schools, according to the NGO's September report.
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[Al Ahram] A senior member of the leftist Tagammu Party has called for rallies on 6 October -- the anniversary of Egypt's victory
Victory!
over Israel in the 1973 war - to stifle protests planned by the Moslem Brüderbund. At the conclusion of the Yom Kippur War, Israeli forces were 40 km from Damascus and 101 km from Cairo. Egypt's Third Army and the city of Suez were both encircled.
Amr Abdel-Rady said the party had received "confirmed information" that the Islamist group planned to "ruin the day by attacking state-owned facilities," Al-Ahram Arabic news website reported on Monday.
Several Brotherhood-aligned Facebook pages have called on supporters to protest on 6 October against the "military coup" which has resulted in a "crumbling economy, failing tourism, corrupt government, lack of security and a constitution-amending committee that doesn't represent Egyptians."
In recent days, protests have taken place on a number of university campuses, a traditional hotbed of Islamist and political activity.
At least 29 people were maimed during festivities on Sunday at three university campuses between supporters and opponents of deposed president Mohammed Morsi ...the former president of Egypt. A proponent of the One Man, One Vote, One Time principle, Morsi won election after the deposal of Hosni Mubarak and jumped to the conclusion it was his turn to be dictator... , some armed with guns and Molotov cocktails, state media and security sources said.
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[Al Ahram] Spanish police detained 18 leaders of an association that aids jailed members of the armed Basque separatist group ETA on Monday and froze its bank accounts, the interior ministry said.
The "top managers" of Herrira were detained in simultaneous raids carried out in the Basque cities of Hernani, Bilbao and Vitoria as well as in Pamplona in the Navarre region, which has a significant Basque-speaking population, it said in a statement.
Police also closed down 38 websites run by Herrira as well as dozens of Facebook and Twitter accounts, and froze the group's bank accounts.
Spanish authorities argue that Herrira, founded in February 2012, has replaced two other groups that provided aid to ETA prisoners, Askatasuna and Gestoras pro Amnistia, which were banned in Spain due to their close links to the armed separatist group.
The interior ministry said Herrira had taken over the task of "organising and supporting demonstrations that praised and exalted ETA prisoners and their ideals", a role once played by Askatasuna and Gestoras pro Amnistia.
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[An Nahar] Afghanistan on Monday began two days of official mourning for people killed by the communist regime in the late 1970s after a list of thousands of the dead was released.
The names of nearly 5,000 Afghans tortured and killed in 1978 and 1979 by Afghan intelligence officials were published this month by the Dutch prosecutor's office as part of a war crimes investigation.
The lists have allowed some to discover the fate of relatives who disappeared decades ago, but thousands of other victims of the Soviet-backed communist government are still unidentified.
Continued on Page 49
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#1
Facebook, Linked, and other social media sites are a no-cost treasure trove for nefarious snoops, criminals, and terrorists. Who could have envisioned systems could be developed to invade the privacy and monitor the activities of hundreds of millions, who would voluntarily and eagerly sign on.
[Al Ahram] Head of Egypt's lawyers' syndicate Sameh Ashour has denied media reports that Egypt's former interim vice president Mohammed ElBaradei had been stripped of his membership, state news agency MENA reported.
The former interim vice president -- who has held a law degree for over four decades but opted to pursue a diplomatic career -- only registered as a syndicate member last year.
Syndicate official Salah Saleh had announced earlier on Monday that the named of both ElBaradei along with Ayman Nour, head of the liberal Ghad Party, were expunged from the list of members.
The measure came as part of a broad move by the syndicate to reset membership list and exclude those who violate the registration requirements, Saleh had said.
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[Al Ahram] Sudanese police fired tear gas Monday into a university campus where female students were protesting, the university head said on the eighth day of demonstrations sparked by rising fuel prices.
Between 150 and 200 Ahfad University for Women students were demonstrating "against the government and things like that," university president Gasim Badri told AFP.
He said police did not enter the campus in Khartoum's twin city Omdurman but fired tear gas from outside.
There were no injuries and the demonstration had already finished, Badri said.
Late Sunday about 1,000 people marched in Khartoum calling for the government's overthrow after a ceremony mourning those bumped off last week during fuel price protests, witnesses said.
The rally began in the wealthy Mansheeya neighbourhood, which was home to Salah Mudathir, 28, a pharmacologist rubbed out during a protest on Friday.
"Freedom! Freedom!" they shouted, according to the witnesses.
"A million Salah for a new dawn!" they called in a reference to the dead man.
They also demanded the fall of the regime, echoing calls made by demonstrators during the Arab Spring revolts of 2011 which toppled a succession of veteran regional leaders.
Authorities say 33 people have died since petrol and diesel prices jumped one week ago, sparking the worst protests in the history of President Omar al-Bashir Head of the National Congress Party. He came to power in 1989 when he, as a brigadier in the Sudanese army, led a group of officers in a bloodless military coup that ousted the government of Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi and eventually appointed himself president-for-life. He has fallen out with his Islamic mentor, Hasan al-Turabi, tried to impose shariah on the Christian and animist south, resulting in its secessesion, and attempted to Arabize Darfur by unleashing the barbaric Janjaweed on it. Sudan's potential prosperity has been pissed away in warfare that has left as many as 400,000 people dead and 2.5 million displaced. Omar has been indicted for genocide by the International Criminal Court but nothing is expected to come of it. 's two-decade rule.
Activists and international human rights ...not to be confused with individual rights, mind you... groups say at least 50 people have been bumped off, most of them in the greater Khartoum area.
The real toll is difficult to determine but "could be as much as 200," a foreign diplomat told AFP Sunday on condition of anonymity.
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#7
Sadly we are not allowed firearms on the offshore platforms in the gulf. However. I have noticed there is a fireaxe in the stairwell right outside my work unit. It's maybe 15' away. Should the need to repel boarders come, we can toss the Hydrochloric acid at them first, then follow it up with the axe for close range. Should that fail, there's always the food from the galley.
#8
Should that fail, there's always the food from the galley Never underestimate boiling water or boiling oil. I don't believe even body armor can protect against them.
#10
Sadly we are not allowed firearms on the offshore platforms in the gulf.
Two words: Armory ship.
Many of the fields off Western Africa and in the Indian Ocean employ them. One ship had the misfortune of being seized by the Nigerians (for failure to pay them off.)
#1
The Israel Navy will receive three new Super Dvora fast patrol boats, used for daily patrols and counter-terrorism missions along the coastline, from Israel Aerospace Industries, the defense company announced on Sunday.
[Shabelle] The authorities in Somalia's semi-autonomous region of Puntland ...a region in northeastern Somalia, centered on Garowe in the Nugaal province. Its leaders declared the territory an autonomous state in 1998. Puntland and the equally autonomous Somaliland seem to have avoided the clan rivalries and warlordism that have typified the rest of Somalia, which puts both places high on the list for Islamic subversion... said its forces fought against Al-Shabaab ... the Islamic version of the old Somali warlord... fighters in Galgala mountains near Bossaso on Sunday.
The battle begun on Sunday morning after the Puntland forces launched raid on terrorist bases in the mountainous area, about 45 km southwest of Bosasso ...Puntland's major (maybe only) port, population about 250,000, most of them shady characters who hang around waterfront dives and carry knives and brass knuckles... town which is the region's port hub.
Puntland security officer in Sugure area, Colonel Jama Sicid said the forces attempted to launch a security operation in the area but the faceless myrmidons fired mortars against the security forces. At least one myrmidon were confirmed dead as the officer said they have destroyed terrorist cells in the area.
There were no independent sources in the area to confirm the claim.
Meanwhile Al-Shabaab media wing reported the battle but did not give any details.
Puntland security forces have been fighting against Al-Shabaab militia in Galgala area since 2010 when the region's forces launched heavy assault against the terrorists. In 2011 Puntland president said his forces completely defeated Al-Shabaab in Galgala and his forces took over the area but since then the faceless myrmidons were still able to attack the security forces bases and the main towns.
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[Ynet] Despite illegality, between 50%-70% of Iranian households have satellite dishes, circumnavigating censorship on some foreign media. New report documents regime's attempt to fight phenomenon
[Dawn] Shemon Masih on Sunday went to the Our Lady of Fatima Church in Sector F-8/4 and was surprised to see the enhanced security arrangements there.
Along the officials of the church, four armed guards were checking every person entering the building. Soon, he came to know that the new guards were former armymen and had been deputed in the church by the Pakistain Ex-Servicemen Association (PESA).
This is not the only church being guarded by the former army officials.
In Islamabad, PESA also arranged security for the Catholic Cathedral and St. Thomas Church.
In Rawalpindi, the association deployed security guards at the St. Joseph's Cathedral, Christ Church and St. John Church.
PESA said it had also arranged bulletproof CIT (cash-in-transit) armoured vehicles to the churches for the security of their priests.
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#1
Some things missing off the Dawn article that may be worth noting :
This was agreed during a meeting with Lt Gen Ali Kuli Khan in the chair.
Vice Admiral Ahmad Tasnim, Lt Gen Naeem Akbar, former ambassador Salim Nawaz Gandapur, Brig Mian Mahmud, Brig Riaz Ahmed, Brig Masud ul Hassan, Major Farouk Hamid Khan, and others were also present in the meeting.
Pretty positive , but I'm tired of hearing Pakistan's smokescreens . They did note , however , it is very sad reflection upon the administration that no one responsible for Gojra massacre or Badami Bagh looting and arson of Christian property has been convicted so far
#2
Good update, Gomez Borgia1808. Thank you. Not surprising that no one was convicted, though, given that even high ranking government officials can be murdered merely for expressing support for beleaguered kuffir.
[Al Ahram] Turkey on Monday announced it would lift a ban on women wearing headscarves in most public offices, following other measures critics say are aimed at Islamising the staunchly secular country.
In a major speech to introduce political reforms, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that, with a few exceptions, civil servants would be allowed to wear headscarves after a long-standing ban is overturned.
However, a poor excuse is better than no excuse at all... the ban will remain in effect for judges, prosecutors, police and military personnel, he added.
The lifting of the ban was part of major political reforms announced by Erdogan in order to enhance the rights of minority groups including Turkey's 15 million Kurds.
The headscarf controversy reveals the rivalry in Turkey between religious conservatives, who form the bulk of Erdogan's Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP), and secular opponents.
Secularists -- particularly those in the army -- see the headscarf as a symbol of defiance against the strict separation of state and religion, a basic tenet of modern Turkey.
Erdogan's government was hit by a wave of nationwide unrest in June that threw up the biggest challenge to his decade-plus rule. Protesters called Erdogan a "dictator", accusing him of Islamising the predominantly Musselmen but staunchly secular country.
Critics say that Erdogan's rule has left Turkish society more polarised than ever, with opponents of the AKP government openly voicing concerns that Turkey is sliding toward conservative Islam.
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Security forces in the Russian republic of Kabardino-Balkaria say they have killed two suspected members of the Islamic insurgency. The Russian National Counterterrorism Committee said on September 30 that the two men killed in a shoot-out in the Baksan district late the day before were members of the so-called Imarat Kavkaz (Caucasus Emirate) terrorist organization.
[Dawn] A US-led drone strike in North Wazoo tribal region's Datta Khel area on Monday killed two persons and injured another, DawnNews reported.
Pakistain's Ministry of Foreign Affiars condemned the US drone strike that took place in North Waziristan today on 30 September 2013 and said in a statement that these unilateral strikes were a violation of Pakistain's illusory sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Pakistain has repeatedly emphasised the importance of bringing an immediate end to drone strikes.
The Government of Pakistain has consistently maintained that drone strikes are counter-productive, entail loss of innocent civilian lives and have human rights One man's rights are another man's existential threat. and humanitarian implications. Such strikes also set dangerous precedents in the inter-state relations, the statement added
These drone strikes have a negative impact on the mutual desire of both countries to forge a cordial and cooperative relationship and to ensure peace and stability in the region.
The drone fired two missiles at a house situated in Mohammad Khel village of Datta Khel tehsil in North Waziristan tribal region.
The number of casualties was expected to rise.
This was the second attack in the region in as many days
The target of the drone strike was a suspected Death Eater compound and the three persons killed were alleged Death Eaters, officials told AFP.
"A US drone fired two missiles on a Death Eater compound, killing three rebels," a security bigshot told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The identities of the victims could not be ascertained till the filing of this report as access to media and journalists is restricted in the area.
This was the second attack in the region in as many days.
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For a map, click here. For a map of Tamaulipas state, click here
A total of 73 migrants were released from captivity by a Policia Federal road patrol Monday, according to Mexican news accounts.
An El Universal wire dispatch posted on the website of Milenio news daily said that a Policia Federal road patrol had observed two individuals in a Ford Grand Marquis on Calle Cerro San Miguel, and gave chase until they arrived at a residence in Las Fuentes colony.
Two suspects were detained at the scene and were identified as Santiago Betancourt Mora, 43, and Daniel Martinez Gonzalez, 25. A third detained suspect, Cristian Josue Galvan Hernandez, 18, was allegedly a lookout for the crew, colloquially known as a halcon.
Elements of the PF patrol heard calls for help from inside the residence. Inside they found 73 migrants. The migrants told PF police they were being held for ransom at the residence by criminal suspects.
Of the 73 released, 37 were Mexican, consisting of 32 men and five woman. A total of 36 were Honduran, consisting of nine men and ten women. A total of 14 were Guatemalan, consisting of 12 men and two women. Three of the rescued were Salvadoran. Additionally, six children were among the released.
The victims had been kidnapped from bus stations and bus stops, and were held for ransom between four days and four months prior to the rescue.
Police also seized 687 rounds of ammunition, a fragmentary hand grenade, six weapons magazines and marijuana weighing a total of 9.912 kilograms.
Local criminal gangs on the northern border of Mexico look for migrants attempting to cross into the US, kidnap them and hold them as they attempt to contact relatives back home for ransom.
Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com and Borderlandbeat.com. His latest work of non-fiction, the Wounded Eagle, Volume 2, can be found at Smashwords and Amazon.com. He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com.
[An Nahar] Turkey's parliament will discuss a government motion authorizing military strikes against Syria on Thursday, the deputy prime minister said.
Bulent Arinc declined to comment on its scope while speaking to news hounds after a weekly cabinet meeting on Monday.
Turkey authorized military action against Syria shortly after a mortar attack fired from the neighboring territory killed five of its civilians in October.
Since then, the Turkish military has retaliated in kind for every Syrian shell that has landed on its soil.
Relations between once close allies Damascus and Ankara have deteriorated since the outbreak of the deadly conflict in Syria in March 2011.
The long and volatile border between the two countries has become increasingly tense with a number of incidents in the area, prompting NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A collection of multinational and multilingual and multicultural armed forces, all of differing capabilities, working toward a common goal by pulling in different directions... to station Patriot missile batteries there for defensive purposes.
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#1
Turkey attacking Syria by itself? IMO, even Erdogan is not that crazy. But one can wish.
[WASHINGTONTIMES] The Senate voted Monday afternoon to kill House Republicans' latest stopgap spending offer, holding firm in their demand that Congress continue to fund Obamacare as part of any government-funding debate.
The 54-46 vote officially tabled both proposals the House GOP passed early Sunday morning, one of which would have funded the government while delaying the health law for a year, and the other of which would have repealed one of the Affordable Care Act's tax increases.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid ... the charismatic senator-for-life from Nevada, currently majority leader ... bundled both of those proposals into a single vote, which made it easier to round up the support to kill them.
Now the measure returns to the House, where Republicans have said they are considering several options to keep the government open past midnight Monday while also making a dent in Obamacare. Earlier in the day Republicans complained that they weren't getting the bill back from the Senate early enough.
"Senate decided not to work yesterday. Well my goodness, if there's such an emergency, where are they?" Speaker John A. Boehner said as he opened Monday's House session.
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#1
Deadlock = Lockout???
In any case, WINNER/ADVANTAGE = IRAN, CHINA + NUCLEAR GLOBAL JIHAD.
#2
Weasel words aside, the Democrats ignored the Republicans entirely.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
10/01/2013 10:30
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#3
Here's hoping my paycheck this friday will NOT have federal withholding on it!
/SARC
That reality ALONE puts the lie to the "shutdown" premise: Government will not shut down, just be trimmed back to a forced balance budget. If Obama is the smartest man in the room, he'll have the wisdom to know where to cut to ensure that the government makes its LEGITIMATE payments.
The last showdown nearly spilled the beans when the TSA shut down the airports because of the Sequester: that was immediately seen as a punitive measure against a public that DARED to tell them to cut back their spending!
[Dawn] Jamaat Ulema-e-Islam ...Assembly of Islamic Clergy, or JUI, is a Pak Deobandi (Hanafi) political party. There are two main branches, one led by Maulana Fazlur Rahman, and one led by Maulana Samiul Haq. Fazl is active in Pak politix and Sami spends more time running his madrassah. Both branches sponsor branches of the Taliban, though with plausible deniability... chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman Deobandi holy man, known as Mullah Diesel during the war against the Soviets, his sympathies for the Taliban have never been tempered by honesty ... has said that there is no harm in convening another All Parties Conference to discuss strategy for controlling the fresh wave of violence in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... particularly in Beautiful Downtown Peshawar ...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire. where over 144 people have been killed in one week.
"If APC is convened for discussing deteriorating security situation then there is no harm," he said while talking to journalists at JUI central secretariat here on Sunday. The APC, he said, did not mean that government should seek permission whether to hold peace talks with Taliban or start military operation.
When asked about Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... statement in New York in which he said that Taliban would have to accept constitution and lay down weapons before starting negotiations, Mr Rehman said that tribal customs and traditions could not be ignored in the overall situation.
He said that without involving tribal elders in the whole process required results could not be achieved. The elders, he said, understood mechanism for maintaining ceasefire between rival parties and could create atmosphere for holding meaningful dialogue. Without engaging tribal elders the government could not achieve the required results, he added.
About the current wave of kabooms including bombing of church and killing of senior military officers in Upper Dir, Mr Rehman blamed government for the current situation, saying government should not ignore Taliban's offer for talks.
"Unfortunately government did not give positive reply to the Taliban's statement," he said. He added that enemies of peace were taking advantage of the uncertainty.
The JUI chief said that confidence building measures were being taken and several kidnapped employees were released to pave way for peace talks with Taliban, but all of a sudden streak of kabooms started. He said that release of Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar had nothing to do with proposed talks with the local Taliban.
Meanwhile, ...back at the Esquimeau village Jack was learning how to rub noses with Nootka's wife...... Mr Rehman in a statement strongly condemned boom-mobileing in Qissa Khwani Bazaar that killed 43 people and maimed 101 others. He said that innocent people were targeted in those attacks.
"If we don't show seriousness then situation can go out of control," he said. The JUI chief expressed solidarity with the bereaved families and urged government to ensure quality treatment of the maimed persons.
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[Dawn] The third terrorist attack in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... in a week brought the Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaf ...a political party in Pakistan. PTI was founded by former Pakistani cricket captain and philanthropist Imran Khan. The party's slogan is Justice, Humanity and Self Esteem, each of which is open to widely divergent interpretations.... , the party leading the ruling coalition in the province, under severe criticism from almost all major political parties, with Jamaat Ulema-e-Islam ...Assembly of Islamic Clergy, or JUI, is a Pak Deobandi (Hanafi) political party. There are two main branches, one led by Maulana Fazlur Rahman, and one led by Maulana Samiul Haq. Fazl is active in Pak politix and Sami spends more time running his madrassah. Both branches sponsor branches of the Taliban, though with plausible deniability... -Fazl demanding removal of the provincial government over its failure to protect citizens.
Condemning Sunday's kaboom in the Qissa Khawani Bazaar in Beautiful Downtown Peshawar ...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire. in which over 40 people were killed, the politicians particularly criticised PTI chief Imran Khan ... aka Taliban Khan, who who convinced himself that playing cricket qualified him to lead a nuclear-armed nation with severe personality problems... for his recent statement in which he had said that the Taliban should be allowed to open their offices in Pakistain.
On the other hand, Mr Khan termed it unfortunate that some parties were using the tragedy for making political gains.
Former president and Peoples Party leader Asif Ali Zardari termed the blast "most barbaric, inhuman and reflecting the depraved mind of the bad boys" and called for "a collective national response to uproot the snuffies from our midst".
"The wages of appeasing the bully boyz by asking for setting up their offices in the country are more than obvious and it is time that the nation and the state rise to give a befitting reply to them. Dithering and procrastination on our part will only further embolden the bad boys," Mr Zardari said in a statement issued by the PPP's media centre.
Mr Zardari's front man Senator Farhatullah Babar, when contacted, regretted that terrorist attacks had increased after the state "abdicated" its authority and declared the bully boyz as "stakeholders" in the grinding of the peace processor.
He criticised the PTI chief's statement regarding opening of Taliban's offices, saying it amounted to equating "the terrorists, murderers, rapists and dacoits with judges, lawyers and other segments of the society".
In reply to a question, Senator Babar said the PPP had supported the government in the all-party conference (APC) believing that the PML-N had been given a mandate by the people in elections and it should be given an opportunity to work for bringing peace to the country. The PPP, he said, believed that any political divide at this stage would only strengthen the hands of bad boys.
Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khurshid Shah in a statement said it appeared that Death Eaters were least interested in peace negotiations. He said it should also be a matter of concern for Mr Khan that his philosophy of negotiations for peace had badly failed.
A former minister and leader of the Awami National Party (ANP), Ghulam Ahmed Bilour said Mr Khan should be held accountable for his failure to protect the people of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman Deobandi holy man, known as Mullah Diesel during the war against the Soviets, his sympathies for the Taliban have never been tempered by honesty ... termed the killing of innocent people in the blast tragic and said enemies of peace could take advantage of the "uncertainty" about the talks with the Taliban.
Commenting on Mr Khan's statement citing an example of the opening of a Taliban office in Qatar, he said the PTI chief should know the difference between Afghan and Pak Taliban. He said opening a Taliban office was an "immature concept" and a "poorly conceived idea".
Talking to Dawn, JUI-F front man Jan Achakzai criticised the government of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa for "not taking steps to protect the citizens" and taking refuge under the excuse of delay in the start of peace talks.
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[Al Ahram] Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras on Monday pledged to eradicate the "shame" of neo-Nazism as judicial authorities prepared sweeping criminal charges against members of the far-right Golden Dawn party.
"We are dedicated in completely eradicating such a 'shame'," Samaras said in a speech to the American Jewish Committee in New York.
"We must do it within the context of our democratic constitution. But we have to go all the way and do whatever it takes," the premier said, according to a text released by his office.
Some two dozen members of the neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn, including six politicians, will appear in court this week after a series of arrests and police raids on party offices at the weekend.
A first wave of suspects, including four Golden Dawn politicians and lower-ranking members, are to be officially charged on Tuesday.
The party's leader Nikos Michaloliakos is set to be charged on Wednesday, followed by deputy leader Christos Pappas on Thursday.
Testimony from former Golden Dawn members and police wiretaps have revealed a series of "criminal acts" by the group including attempted homicide and voluntary homicide, culminating in the murder of anti-fascist musician Pavlos Fyssas by a self-confessed neo-Nazi on September 18.
Golden Dawn regularly organised "assault militias" in which dozens of members would ride the streets on cycle of violences, hitting immigrants with sticks, according to a government report and testimonies cited in the Greek press on Monday.
"I took part several times in activities involving 50 or 60 motorbikes, with two people on each. The one who was sitting behind held a stick with the Greek flag and hit all the Paks he could see," one ex-member said in court testimony.
Golden Dawn has a "strictly hierarchical structure, the leader is all-powerful following the principle used by (Adolf) Hitler," said the report by the deputy prosecutor of the Supreme Court, Charalambos Vourliotis.
The neo-Nazi party started its attacks in 1987, the report said, initially targeting immigrants and then turning against Greeks.
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[Dawn] Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has rejected allegations levelled by the Indian external affairs minister against the Pakistain Army that it was hindering the grinding of the peace processor between the two countries.
In a strongly-worded statement issued through the Press Information Department on Sunday night, he termed the remarks made by Indian Minister for External Affairs Salman Khurshid "unnecessary and against diplomatic norms".
Hours before the meeting between the prime ministers of the two countries in New York, the Indian minister was reported to have alleged in an interview to Voice of America that Pakistain's Inter-Services Intelligence and its military were sabotaging the Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... government's efforts to make peace with India.
Mr Khurshid said while Prime Minister Sharif was saying the right things, it was imperative for the civilian government of Pakistain to find a way to keep the army and the ISI under control. "We've been told that all the government agencies are on the same page," Mr Khurshid said, but added that "if they were, the things that are happening would not be happening".
Referring to the recent violence on the Line of Control, Mr Khurshid said he would not accept the notion that it could be the work of non-state actors without support from the ISI. He said if Pakistain could not control non-state actors on its territory it should seek India's help.
Commenting on the Indian foreign minister's remarks, Chaudhry Nisar said the statements being issued by the Indian rulers and politicians at a time when Pakistain was sincerely trying to improve the atmosphere and end confrontation showed that New Delhi was not serious in pursuing the grinding of the peace processor with Pakistain.
Posted by: Fred ||
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[Nat'lReview] The hysterical fears about the effects of a government "shutdown" being voiced by many in Washington, such as Senator Tom Harkin (D., Iowa), who claims it is "as dangerous as the break-up of the Union before the Civil War," are almost comical.
The truth from the experience of prior shutdowns, applicable federal laws, Justice Department legal opinions, and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) directives, is that crucial government services and benefits would continue without interruption even if Congress fails to agree on a continuing resolution (CR) or President Obama vetoes it. That includes all services essential for national security and public safety -- such as the military and law enforcement -- as well as mandatory government payments such as Social Security and veterans' benefits.
A 1981 memorandum by David Stockman during the Reagan administration that is still relied on by the OMB laid out the services that continue without interruption during any government "shutdown":
o National security, including the conduct of foreign relations essential to the national security or the safety of life and property;
o Benefit payments and the performance of contract obligations under no-year or multi-year appropriations or other funds remaining available for those purposes;
o Medical care of inpatients and emergency outpatient care and activities essential for the safe use of food, drugs, and hazardous materials;
o Air-traffic control and other transportation safety functions;
o Border and coastal protection and surveillance;
o Protection of federal lands, buildings, waterways, and other property of the U.S.;
o Care of prisoners and others in federal custody;
o Law enforcement and criminal investigations;
o Emergency and disaster assistance;
o Activities essential to the preservation of the money and banking system of the U.S., including borrowing and tax collection;
o Production of power and maintenance of the power-distribution system; and
o Protection of research property.
So planes, trains, and automobiles will keep running and TSA will keep patting you down. The president can continue to go on overseas trips to conduct foreign relations. Social Security and Medicaid benefits will keep going out. The Border Patrol will keep patrolling our borders to prevent illegal crossings (at least as much as this administration will let it do that). The Federal Bureau of Prisons will keep convicted criminals in prison and the FBI will continue making arrests and investigating violations of the law.
The FDA and the Department of Agriculture will continue their safety testing and inspection of food and drugs, and medical care of inpatients and emergency outpatient care will keep right on going. The Federal Reserve and the Treasury Department will keep printing and borrowing money and protecting the banking system. Unfortunately, the Internal Revenue Service will continue collecting taxes.
It is certainly true that "nonessential" federal employees will be furloughed. But so many federal employees are considered "essential" that when President Bill Clinton vetoed a CR in November 1995 in a dispute with Newt Gingrich over a balanced budget and welfare reform, only about 800,000 out of a total of almost 4.5 million federal employees were furloughed. In a second funding gap from December 1995 to January 1996, only about 300,000 employees were furloughed. So the vast majority of federal workers will keep right on working.
#3
IOW, this is just the latest in what may prove to be an infinite series of Squirrel!s. Which is good since we were all tired of Benghazi, the IRS, yadda yadda yadda, right?
#5
If the furloughed are 'nonessential' why has the government hired them? If I hire someone to cut the grass I don't hire another to sit on the porch.
#6
If you look at that list, the fundamental theme is 'security'. That was one of the basics put forth in the Federalists Papers justifying a reformed (from the Articles of Confederation) national governing body. Amazing how much the barnacle build up on the 'ship of state' since those writings.
#7
Medi-caid is for people with limited income and assets. If the applicant has assets and bank accounts that have "respectable totals", the applicant probably won't get the benefit. I believe the 2 year window for transfer of assets has now been extended to 5. With eligibility for Obamacare and a future 'single payer' scheme based on assets and income, who will grandma transfer her estate assets to ?
Another door conveniently closed on earners and savers.
#9
Mrs. Ret. was told to come in for 'maybe' 4 hours today, primarily to get the official furlough notification. My task for today is to go to the bank and hit the retirement IRA to make the bills.
Also will be sending Happy Shutdown emails to my two fine Donk WA Senators.
#10
Loans requiring federal signature (FHA etx.) won't be approved. I suspect most permits from regulatory agencies won't be approved, stopping lots of construction projects, etc. It won't take more than a couple of weeks of no new permits to shut down the economy, I suspect.
#11
The answer is again, simple. The law requires a budget. Increase the penalties to the top 10 senior senate members and house members to 50 years in prison. Hold special elections and fill their seats. Continue until you get a budget or a new congress.
Oh and if it goes 3 years and the president has veto'd more than twice, it's an automatic high crimes and he's AUTOMATICALLY impeached.
Hold these morons responsible for their jobs like actual humans are.
I agree with you. Unfortunately, since Congress would have to pass any such laws, and congress never passes a law that hurts members, it ain't gonna happen.
My approach would be to lock them all in the Capitol building. After three days, cut off the water (which would shut off the bathrooms). After another three days, shut off food deliveries. Three days later, cut off the air. Not the air conditioning, the air. After another week or so, call special elections to get replacements. Lather, rinse, repeat as necessary.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
10/01/2013 11:10
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#13
My original idea was burning them on the Mall, but it's a bit rough and my wife always gives me funny looks.
#15
Phase 1: Tar, feathers, rail, politicians; some assembly required.
If that does not produce the desired effect proceed to
Phase 2: Rope, lamppost, politicians; some assembly required.
Historically these have eventually worked to restore respect (or fear, I'm not particular) of the people by the political class.
With the non-essentials now suspended, haven't the Tea Party types actually achieved their goal of smaller government? Given all the waivers for 'essential', they just have to address real issues as they come up individually. Don't throw me into that briar patch!
[Al Ahram] Twelve boom-mobiles, mainly targeting Shia-majority areas of Storied Baghdad ...located along the Tigris River, founded in the 8th century, home of the Abbasid Caliphate... province, killed at least 47 people and maimed more than 140 on Monday, security and medical officials said.
The blasts are the latest in a string of sectarian attacks in central Iraq that have raised the spectre of a return to the all-out Sunni-Shia conflict that peaked in 2006-2007 and killed tens of thousands of people.
The bombs hit nine different areas, six of them Shia-majority, one confessionally mixed and two Sunni-majority.
The deadliest attacks hit Kadhimiyah, a mainly Shia area of north Storied Baghdad, where two boom-mobiles killed at least nine people and maimed at least 19.
In Storied Baghdad Jadida, a bomb went kaboom! in a car park, burning vehicles, destroying a fence and shattering the windows of nearby shops and a women's clinic, an AFP journalist reported.
Security forces deployed to the area, closing off streets and using sniffer dogs to search for more bombs.
Central Iraq has seen a series of sectarian attacks in recent days.
On Sunday, a jacket wallah attacked mourners at a Shia mosque south of Storied Baghdad, collapsing the roof and killing 47 people.
On Friday, bombs went kaboom! near two Sunni mosques in Storied Baghdad as worshippers left after prayers, killing six people.
Another bombing targeted Sunni mourners in Storied Baghdad on 23 September, killing 15 people, while an attack on a Sunni funeral killed 12 the day before.
Bombings targeting Shia mourners killed 73 people in Storied Baghdad on 21 September, and two blasts at a Sunni mosque north of the capital killed 18 a day before that.
The UN refugee agency has said it is "increasingly concerned about the situation in Iraq, where recent waves of sectarian violence threaten to spark new internal displacement of Iraqis fleeing bombings and other attacks."
It said that about 5,000 Iraqis had already been displaced in 2013, joining more than 1.13 million who fled or were forced out of their homes in past years.
Violence in Iraq has reached a level not seen since 2008, when the country was just emerging from its brutal sectarian conflict.
Diplomats and analysts say the Shia-led government's failure to address the grievances of the Sunni Arab minority, who complain of political exclusion and abuses by security forces, has driven the spike in violence.
The authorities have made some concessions aimed at placating anti-government protesters and Sunnis in general, such as freeing prisoners and raising the salaries of Sunni anti-Al-Qaeda gunnies, but underlying issues have yet to be addressed.
The civil war in neighbouring Syria has also fuelled sectarian tensions in Iraq.
Posted by: Fred ||
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[Real Clear Politics] Sen. Barbara Call me Senator! Boxer Senator-for-Life from Caliphornia... (D-CA) says a potential government shutdown would be especially harmful to women. Boxer says Republicans have targeted a part of the Affordable Care Act that benefits women's health.
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#1
Weiner, Filner, Menendez apparently don't count, right Babs?
#4
Much of this over-the-top rhetoric coming from the Demoncrats (sp) and the media are quite similar to the threats, accusations, screaming, and shouting of teenagers being denied the family car for a date or a drug abuser being confronted by a fed-up co-dependent who decided it was time someone went to rehab. The verbal abuse positively identifies who is the juvenile/doper.
She is, of course, referring to the conscience clauses being added to the so-called "ACA" not obligating companies or insurance plans to finance abortifacients and abortions. Pro-life legislators have endured this kind of abuse and false witness for decades to the point of being practically immune to it (in fact, these practices were perfected while attacking pro-lifers to support abortion, and was just extended to everything else when it was noticed there was no push-back). I was wondering where the H*ll they were, and was about to write off the REpubs as nutless f*ckwits no longer deserving our support.
Good to know these guys are in the fight. They'll hold the line, no matter what kind of sh*t is thrown at them by the media and the Donks, because they know their constituency is on to those two and will be checking their voting records.
My worry is that the leadership will cut and run. In that I will be directing my donation money to the National Right To Life PAC, and tell every GOP leadership fundraising caller that they are nutless f*ckwits and to put me on their do-not-call list. I'll toss a few dollars towards Crews, Rand Paul, and the pro-lifers, but not a cent to the "But it't THEIR TURN!" leadership that gave us Dole and McCain.
#5
hyperbole: (/haɪˈpɜrbəliː/ hy-PUR-bə-lee;[1] Greek: ὑπερβολή hyperbolē, "exaggeration") is the use of exaggeration as a rhetorical device or figure of speech. It may be used to evoke strong feelings or to create a strong impression, but is not meant to be taken literally
[Al Ahram] At least 39 are still missing after last week's brutal assault on Nairobi's Westgate mall by Islamist gunnies, the Red Thingy said Monday.
The four-day bloodbath at the upmarket shopping mall, which Kenyan forces brought to an end on Tuesday, left at least 67 people dead.
The 39 still missing was reduced from 61, after bodies were either identified, or those reported to have been missing were found to have not been at the mall.
Continued on Page 49
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Even with sleep disorders, having these fellows manning the perimeter would have been preferable to [frequently TB infiltrated] indigenous contract security firms owned by operated by Karzai pals.
#6
FTA: Gurganus, who was the top American commander in that region of Afghanistan at the time, did not order a formal investigation after the attack. In June, Amos asked U.S. Central Command to investigate, and he said he decided to take action against the two generals after reviewing the results of that investigation.
"While I am mindful of the degree of difficulty the Marines in Afghanistan faced in accomplishing a demanding combat mission with a rapidly declining force, my duty requires me to remain true to the timeless axioms related relating to command responsibility and accountability," Amos said.
Amos added that Gurganus bore "final accountability" for the lives and equipment under his command, and had made "an error in judgment" in underestimating the risk posed by the Taliban in the Bastion area of Helmand province, which included his own headquarters at a sprawling based known as Camp Leatherneck.
So Gurganus didn't even launch an investigation, which (one might think) would be de rigueur.
[Dawn] The city administration had not received a single illegal weapon till Sunday, the third day of a de-weaponisation drive, as no one came forward to voluntarily surrender his illicit firearm, it emerged on Sunday.
The Sindh government had given holders of illicit weapons 15-day time to voluntarily surrender their firearms as part of its de-weaponisation campaign on a directive of the apex court. It also imposed a ban on the issuance of new arms licences in Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... The home department and officials in the five districts of the city confirmed that so far they had received no illegal weapon surrendered voluntarily by any citizen. However, alcohol has never solved anybody's problems. But then, neither has milk... they gave a host of reasons behind the holders' reluctance to surrender their illicit arms to the government and hoped that the campaign would catch up its pace in the week starting on Monday.
"The campaign was officially launched on Friday, which was the last day of the week preceded by weekend. We hope that our campaign will gather pace from Monday," said a bigwig.
The government has fixed Oct 11 as the cut-off date for the holders of illicit weapons to surrender their firearms.
He said that the government would launch a campaign to de-weaponise the city if the deadline was not extended.
The city administration itself and all the five district administrations individually corroborated the fact that no one had come forward as yet to surrender an illegal weapon.
Karachi West, some parts of which are notoriously regarded as Karachi's 'Wazoo', is believed to have far more illicit weapons than the city's other four districts.
"It is the only district where schools have been targeted and polio ...Poliomyelitis is a disease caused by infection with the poliovirus. Between 1840 and the 1950s, polio was a worldwide epidemic. Since the development of polio vaccines the disease has been largely wiped out in the civilized world. However, since the vaccine is known to make Moslem pee-pees shrink and renders females sterile, bookish, and unsubmissive it is not widely used by the turban and automatic weapons set... workers attacked. It is the most dangerous part of Karachi," said another bigwig.
The Karachi West administration too had not received any weapon surrendered forcing it to seek support of the mosques to encourage the holders of illicit weapons to cooperate.
Posted by: Fred ||
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[Shabelle] Security officers involved in the rescue operation at the Westgate mall and those in the ongoing forensic investigations, are on the spot over alleged looting in some of the shops.
When shoppers and merchants returned to the mall over the weekend to sift through the rubble and retrieve what was left of their belongings abandoned during the attack, they found that most of their premises had been vandalised.
The shop owners alleged the forensic investigations were being conducted unprofessionally as it is standard procedure for Sherlocks to record their activities through video and still pictures to preserve evidence, but in this particular case, such basic procedures were shelved.
"There were instructions that we should not record anything as officers moved from shop to shop searching for evidence," said an officer in confidence, as he alluded to officers helping themselves to what's on shop shelves, cash drawers and safes.
Other survivors were in shock after seeing what was left of their property.
Mr Manish Mashru, 43, went with family members to the mall to retrieve his car that was left parked on the rooftop. His 16-year-old daughter Neha was killed in the attack as she participated in a cooking competition on the roof of the mall. His wife, who had accompanied their daughter to the event was shot in the face but survived.
When he went to the Westgate mall yesterday to get the vehicle his wife and daughter drove on that fateful Saturday, he was escorted to the rooftop parking by police.
The back window of his car was totally shattered by bullets and there were bullet holes on doors with shopping bags left untouched in the back seat.
Dr Pushpa Sachdeva, whose dental clinic-The Smile Specialists, was on the fourth floor of the mall, went to the mall with dozens of empty boxes to retrieve whatever she could from her practice
"We are just trying to salvage anything we can," she said.
Mr Sachdeva was with a group of nurses and doctors, but was only allowed into the building with three other people.
Alfred Ng'ang'a, a spokesperson for Nakumatt supermarket, said that it was unlikely that any personal items would be retrieved, as nearly everything in had been destroyed by fire.
"There is not much inside that we can salvage," he said.
"Everything had been destroyed in the attack." Nganga said that assessors where still inside trying to determine the total costs of the damage.
Despite the bleak outlook and the extensive destruction, many store owners and shoppers still returned to Westgate to pick up the pieces of their lives that were left behind.
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[Dawn] Awais Sheikh, the counsel for Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh who was murdered in Lahore's Kot Lakhpat jail in May 2013, has taken permanent refuge in Sweden, the Times of India reported.
Sheikh took refuge in the Scandinavian country following his alleged abduction bid near Lahore a day before Singh's death.
Singh, who was sentenced to death 16 years ago on espionage charges, died at Lahore's Jinnah hospital after lying in a comatose state for five days following an assault on him in Kot Lakhpat jail.
Sheikh and his son Shahrukh were allegedly kidnapped from their Bedian Road farm on May 16 and were released three and half hours later.
Sheikh was known for fighting cases of Indian prisoners in Pak jails and had also written a book on the life of Singh titled 'Mistaken Identity'.
Speaking to the TOI over telephone from Sweden on Monday, Sheikh said: "Sweden has granted me permanent stay along with my family and has also provided me all facilities and security after taking note of my abduction and physical torture."
The lawyer claimed that his life was under constant threat in Pakistain from people and organizations "inimical to India-Pak friendship".
In his interview with the TOI, Sheikh mentioned a letter written by Zohra Yusuf, chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistain, on May 3 to Najam Sethi, who was the caretaker chief minister of Punjab at the time, for providing security to the counsel and his family.
Sheikh claimed that the letter was ignored by the provincial authorities.
Sheikh did not elaborate as to what he was doing in Sweden "except that he was just settling in the new place", adding that however, his family felt secure in the Scandinavian country.
Prisoners of war
During the telephone interview, Sheikh, who also heads an NGO called "Pakistain-India Peace Initiatives", quoted an incident of meeting a 1971 prisoner of war (PoW) Sepoy Mangal Singh of 14 Punjab Regiment in Central Jail, Lahore.
Sheikh said his intention in referring to Mangal Singh's case was not to defame Pakistain but to remind and convince both countries "to realise their moral and international obligations and free all POWs with immediate effect".
Islamabad has always denying the presence of any PoWs in Pak jails.
In 2008, the then federal minister for human rights ...which are usually entirely different from personal liberty... , Ansar Burney, had told news hounds that the Indian High Commissioner had handed him a list of around 100 missing Indian PoWs in Pak jails and that the Pak government was working to resolve the issue.
Also in May this year, Burney had written to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... to conduct a probe on whether there were any Indian PoWs in Pak jails. However, there is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened... no development on the issue has since come to light.
At the end of the 1971 war, New Delhi and Islamabad signed the Simla Agreement under which the countries were obliged to release soldiers that had been taken as PoWs. However, there is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened... to date, there have been reports that both countries continue to hold some PoWs that had not been released.
Posted by: Fred ||
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[An Nahar] Dutch and British police have placed in durance vile Drop the rosco, Muggsy, or you're one with the ages! four suspected human traffickers and rescued four teenage girls hidden in the back of a camping car headed for Britannia, Dutch prosecutors said on Monday.
Two of the suspects and their human cargo were on their way to Rotterdam to catch a ferry to Britannia when Dutch gendarmes searched their camping car at a rest stop near the southern Dutch town of Bergen op Zoom on Thursday.
"The marechaussee (gendarmes) went into action after receiving a British request for help," the Public Prosecutor's office said in a statement.
British police have arrested a man in the northern city of Hull in connection with the case. There is a regular ferry service between Rotterdam and Hull.
A fourth man was arrested on Friday in Beverwijk, northwest of Amsterdam.
Ali Muhammed Raza, 38, appeared Saturday morning in a Hull court, charged with four counts of facilitating illegal entry, plus conspiracy to facilitate illegal entry, Britannia's Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) said in a statement.
The three other suspects, two Iraqi nationals and a man from Turkey, aged between 24 and 34, are expected to be extradited to Britannia soon.
The four teens, believed to be from Syria or Iraq, have requested asylum in the Netherlands.
"We believe those arrested were members of a well-established people-smuggling racket that was preying on vulnerable females in order to line their own pockets," said SOCA spokeswoman Jane Johnson.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#3
After the American initiative (shore of Tripoli), the Euros finally got around to ending the habit of North African muzzies 'pirating' ships in the Med to get white slaves that had gone on for centuries. Old habits die hard. I'm sure some in the Sudan could tell tales about the old slaving route to Cairo, Damascus, and Baghdad not being quite history yet either.
[Al Ahram] A Gay Paree court Monday sentenced eight members of an Islamist bad turban group to prison, giving the Indian-born criminal mastermind Mohammed Niaz Abdul Raseed eight years.
The group was accused of recruiting French citizens for training at bad turban camps in Afghanistan and Pakistain.
The suspects had been tossed in the slammer Book 'im, Mahmoud! and convicted for membership of a criminal gang and for plotting terror strikes.
Two Frenchies -- Charaf-Din Aberouz and Saad Rajraji -- were described as Raseed's "lieutenants" and sentenced to five years each.
Aberouz was arrested on January 25, 2011 along with Pak-born French national Zohab Ifzal at Pakistain's Lahore airport, where an Al-Qaeda operative was supposed to meet and take them to a training camp.
The shortest sentence was 18 months, for one of the eight who was still on the lam and sentenced in absentia.
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[TELEGRAPH.CO.UK] A thief was placed in durance vile Maw! They're comin' to get me, Maw! after being sprayed with invisible ultra violet dye when he broke into a 'trap car' set up by police.
Yafet Askale, 28, denied breaking into the vehicle which had been fitted with a traceable liquid called SmartWater, which contains a dye that becomes visible under ultra violet light.
As he stole items including a laptop he activated a system which sprayed him with the substance and alerted police the car had been broken into. Ultra violet lights showed Askale covered in the spray.
Releasing the images as a warning, Detective Inspector Madeline Ryder, of Brent Police, said: "This is another excellent example of the thorough work completed by Brent Officers. Using the trap car technology we were able to charge Askale and put him before the courts.
"The trap car forms part of an overall crime reduction strategy designed by SmartWater which is an effective weapon in the armoury of tools that we routinely use in Brent. We will continue to target those who are insistent on committing these types of offence.
"Brent Police say very clearly to any would be thieves - don't come to Brent - our trap cars and trap houses are waiting for you."
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
Yafet Askale, 28, AKA "Nigel"
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/01/2013 7:37
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#2
If Jack Webb were alive today, I guess this'd be a pending Dragnet episode with a slapstick element.
[BREITBART] Local police say a middle-aged couple in central Ukraine was run over by a switcher locomotive while having sex on the tracks. According to the country's Interior Ministry, the woman died at the location while the man was hospitalized after losing both his legs. I don't think she had a handle on that concept of "pulling a train." The earth moved. But not for long...
The victims' names were not released, but it was reported that the man was 41 and the woman appeared to be thirty-something.
The ministry cited the surviving victim, who said that he and his girlfriend "failed to overcome their natural passion when walking home... and wanted to experience an extreme sensation near the railroad tracks." I guess you don't get more extreme than death. Losing both legs when a train runs over them would come pretty close, though.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
So The Man in Black got it wrong, when he sang about 'He heard that train a comin'...."
#2
I've had to take railroad safety training/certification to work in their right-of-way. One of the first things they teach you is that you won't hear the train moving at speed until it's too late
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/01/2013 9:34
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#3
And that's assuming, Frank, that your attention is reasonably focused on your surroundings, not your ... well, you know.
Posted by: Bobby ||
10/01/2013 11:59
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[An Nahar] Israeli soldiers shot and "hit" two Paleostinians as they tried to cut through the security fence separating Israel from the Gazoo Strip on Monday, an Israeli army front man said.
But it was not immediately clear if the Paleostinians were maimed or killed in the shooting near the Beit Hanun area of the Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason,-ruled Gazoo Strip, the Israeli official added.
Soldiers had shot up the Paleostinians when they approached the fence and "hit" them when they began to cut the metal barrier.
Paleostinian security sources said ambulances rushed to the area in the Beit Hanun district of Gazoo, but were unable to give further details.
The sources said that the Israeli army had also fired a shell at the district.
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[An Nahar] Unrest erupted in the northern city of Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... on Monday evening as grenades went kaboom! in several neighborhoods and liquor stores were torched in the el-Mina area.
"Two people were maimed as gunshots fired from al-Qobbeh targeted Jabal Mohsen," OTV said.
Quoting the Arab Democratic Party, the main political and armed force in Jabal Mohsen, LBCI television said the civilian Jamil Jammas and army Lieutenant Ali al-Osta were maimed when gunfire targeted the al-Amerkan area.
In a separate incident, a clash erupted on Minot Street in Tripoli's el-Mina after two liquor stores were stormed and vandalized, according to al-Jadeed television.
Three liquor stores were later torched in the area, al-Jadeed said.
The TV network also reported that the sounds of kabooms were heard in Tripoli's al-Mitain Street, el-Mina, Bab al-Tabbaneh and Syria Street.
State-run National News Agency said unknown individuals tossed a stun grenade on Syria Street near the Starco area. The grenade did not cause any casualties or damage and army troops scrambled to the scene, NNA added.
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[Al Ahram] With the popularity of Egypt's armed forces chief General Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi at a peak, speculation is growing about whether the military leader could be the next president. How about "If nominated, I won't run. If elected, I won't serve"?
Talk shows and newspaper columns have, for the past month, been advocating the idea of the general running for president in order to fight the terrorist threat that they say the country is facing. Yeah, yeah. Wasn't Mubarak a general before he became president-for-life?
El-Sisi became a worldwide name in July when he announced that Islamist president Mohammed Morsi ...the former president of Egypt. A proponent of the One Man, One Vote, One Time principle, Morsi won election after the deposal of Hosni Mubarak and jumped to the conclusion it was his turn to be dictator... was being removed from power after mass protests against the unpopular elected leader.
El-Sisi stressed that the action was not a military coup and that the military was merely acting to safeguard the popular revolution. An interim president -- Judge Adly Mansour -- was swiftly appointed.
Recently, a number of campaigns have been launched calling on the general, who is also defence minister, to run for presidency in the elections slated for early next year.
The campaigns are called "Complete your favour," "A nation's demand" and "El-Sisi for president." Those behind them plan to gather signatures in order to press El-Sisi, who has said he has no desire to govern, to run.
The "El-Sisi for president" campaign claims to be the first campaign in Egypt calling for the popular general to become head of state. It also claims that it has printed two million petitions and set up 25 campaign offices in Europe and in Middle Eastern countries.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/01/2013
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A man wanted in connection with a deadly train bombing in Narathiwat province last year was killed during a raid by security forces in Rueso district yesterday.
Combined units raided a house in Bucho Bongo village about 1:25 a.m. They were acting on a report that Abdulloh Buraheng was hiding there. Abdulloh was suspected of being involved in the bombing of the Yala-Sungai Kolok train on Nov 18 last year. The blast caused the train to derail, killing defense volunteer Panakorn Chumkaew and seriously injuring 16 other passengers.
Security forces surrounded the house and ordered Abdulloh to surrender. The suspect refused and opened fire on the officers, who then responded. Abdulloh was shot four times and died at the scene.
Pol Sub Lt Pisith Chatwatanathada said 18 terrorists militants were involved in the train bombing and warrants had been issued for four of them: Abdulloh, Mayuding Haji Sani, Maroning Buraheng and Abdulloh Maero.
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Pracha Promno said yesterday that security agencies will finalize the government's position on the Barisan Revolusi Nasional separatist group's five demands for ongoing peace talks in the deep South within two weeks.
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.
“Two things are infinite,” Albert Einstein said. “The universe and human stupidity, and I’m not sure about the universe.”
[Dawn] Inspector-General 
Through August, 10 months after helping President Obama secure a second term, the DNC owed its various creditors a total of $18.1 million, compared to the $12.5 million cash cushion the Republican National Committee is holding.
[Dawn] The National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad, has confirmed four more polio cases in Federally Administered Tribal Areas and one in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, officials said on Sunday.
Pervez 
[Al Ahram] Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Monday Iran must dismantle its "military nuclear program" as a condition for a diplomatic breakthrough that would head off the prospect of military action.
[Al Ahram] Egypt's Suez military court sentenced on Monday 
[AJC] A two-decade family feud came to a violent end when a man 
[Al Ahram] Unidentified 
[Al Ahram] Spanish police detained 18 leaders of an association that aids jailed members of the armed Basque separatist group ETA on Monday and froze its bank accounts, the interior ministry said.
[An Nahar] Afghanistan on Monday began two days of official mourning for people killed by the communist regime in the late 1970s after a list of thousands of the dead was released.
[Al Ahram] Head of Egypt's lawyers' syndicate Sameh Ashour has denied media reports that Egypt's former interim vice president Mohammed ElBaradei had been stripped of his membership, state news agency MENA reported.
[Ynet] Despite illegality, between 50%-70% of Iranian households have satellite dishes, circumnavigating censorship on some foreign media. New report documents regime's attempt to fight phenomenon
[Dawn] Shemon Masih on Sunday went to the Our Lady of Fatima Church in Sector F-8/4 and was surprised to see the enhanced security arrangements there.
Security forces in the Russian republic of Kabardino-Balkaria say they have killed two suspected members of the Islamic insurgency. The Russian National Counterterrorism Committee said on September 30 that the two men killed in a shoot-out in the Baksan district late the day before were members of the so-called Imarat Kavkaz (Caucasus Emirate) terrorist organization.
Wazoo
[An Nahar] Turkey's parliament will discuss a government motion authorizing military strikes against Syria on Thursday, the deputy prime minister said.
Harry Reid
Maulana Fazlur Rehman
Nawaz Sharif
[Dawn] Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has rejected allegations levelled by the Indian external affairs minister against the Pakistain Army that it was hindering the 
Barbara 
[Al Ahram] A 
[BREITBART] Local police say a middle-aged couple in central Ukraine was run over by a switcher locomotive while having sex on the tracks. According to the country's Interior Ministry, the woman died at the location while the man was hospitalized after losing both his legs. 
[An Nahar] Israeli soldiers shot and "hit" two Paleostinians as they tried to cut through the security fence separating Israel from the 
[An Nahar] Unrest erupted in the northern city of 
