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Syrian force a ‘few weeks’ from Raqqa, U.S. Marines deployed
Today's Headlines
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Syria-Lebanon-Iran
The Coming U.S.-Turkey Collision Course over Syria
[The National Interest] On the plane trip back from a meeting in Pakistan on March 2, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to expand Turkey’s role in the Syrian conflict. "After the liberation of al-Bab from Daesh [ISIS] terrorists, Turkey’s new target in Syria is Manbij. Manbij is a city which belongs to Arabs, and the Syrian Democratic Forces [SDF] must also not be in Raqqa," he told reporters, referring to ISIS by its Arabic acronym.

The statement represents a challenge to American policy in Syria, and indirectly to American special forces, who are deployed with the SDF in combat operations against ISIS. Since last year, the United States has committed dozens of special operations forces to bolster Kurdish fighters and their Arab allies in eastern Syria. This is the second time Erdogan has threatened to expand Turkey’s role in Syria, which has been aiding mostly Sunni Arab rebel forces that oppose the regime of Bashar al-Assad. Before leaving for Pakistan he also threatened the Kurds, saying Turkey would move towards Manbij.

His comments came after Turkey’s Daily Sabah claimed on February 25 that Gen. Joseph Votel, commander of U.S. Central Command, made a "secret trip to northern Syria." Votel also told U.S. reporters that he was "very concerned about maintaining momentum in Syria" and that "it could be that we take on a larger burden ourselves." Read between the lines, and this means more U.S. ground troops. Americans have already upped the tempo in Iraq’s Mosul offensive, moving troops closer to the front than at any time during the two-year war on ISIS.
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/11/2017 08:27 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [1 views] Top|| File under: Sublime Porte

#1  Incirlik should be about empty now. No nukes. Skeleton crew.
Posted by: Frank G || 03/11/2017 11:57 Comments || Top||

#2  ...if it isn't, some GOs need early retirement.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 03/11/2017 15:29 Comments || Top||

#3  Oh yeah, trust the Turks. Always a winner.
Posted by: BrerRabbit || 03/11/2017 16:49 Comments || Top||

#4  Let Turk have it.
Posted by: Skidmark || 03/11/2017 21:59 Comments || Top||


Government
Energy Sec. Rick Perry spotted reading Drudge Report at airport
[The Hill] Energy Secretary Rick Perry was spotted Friday reading the Drudge Report at an airport while waiting for a flight to Texas.

A reporter who said he was on the same flight as Perry tweeted photos of Perry, one of which shows the former Texas governor reading the conservative news site run by Matt Drudge.

The front page story on the site viewed by Perry appeared to be "GREAT AGAIN: +235,000," which links to a story about the latest jobs report that President Trump shared earlier in the day on Twitter.
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/11/2017 08:12 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  And? And aggregator of news is wrong to read, why?
Posted by: Frank G || 03/11/2017 11:55 Comments || Top||

#2  Reading Drudge is a capital offense in the Beltway, Frank...
Posted by: Raj || 03/11/2017 11:59 Comments || Top||

#3  Reject the Main Stream Media at your own peril. This is your last warning.
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/11/2017 12:15 Comments || Top||

#4  The beltway crowd hates Drudge but they all read him. You can tell by how they react to his releases. They only wish they could get control of his site.
Posted by: Jeasing Creque5352 || 03/11/2017 12:20 Comments || Top||

#5  How do you "read" Drudge? I go there often and all I see is a list of links to other outlets for particular stories.

Isn't this what any MSM outlet does? Package a bunch of stories from elsewhere? They certainly don't do any reporting themselves anymore.


/sarc.
Posted by: AlanC || 03/11/2017 13:45 Comments || Top||

#6  Drudge made a business out of giving the world the news the main stream media chooses to ignore. He does a little packaging with a catchy or puny headline and will group related stories together.
Posted by: Airandee || 03/11/2017 16:04 Comments || Top||

#7  The MSM thinks it is their right to decide what is and isn't news. Drudge broke that, and that is why they are so hated.
Posted by: phil_b || 03/11/2017 19:29 Comments || Top||


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
At least 30 killed in Damascus bomb targeting pilgrims
At least 40 people were killed and dozens more wounded in an attack by two suicide bombers in Damascus on Saturday, Hezbollah's al-Manar TV reported, in an attack the Syrian Observatory said targeted Shi'ite pilgrims.
that's what I'd do - congregate for easier targetting
The attack took place near the Old City of Damascus. Al-Mayadeen, a Lebanon-based TV station, said the bombings targeted buses transporting pilgrims to the Bab al-Saghir cemetery near one of the seven gates of the Old City of Damascus.

Syrian state news agency SANA said the attack had caused fatalities but gave no toll. It said the explosions were caused by "two terrorist bombs".
Posted by: Frank G || 03/11/2017 06:54 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [1 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State

#1  I guess I will never understand religious pilgrimage. Why would a person go on a pilgrimage in the middle of an anarchistical war zone?
Posted by: 3dc || 03/11/2017 10:36 Comments || Top||

#2  Good question, 3dc.

Goes along with 'Why fly on an Arab airliner'. You can come back to earth in one of three ways. An actual landing, a bomb on board, or crappy maintenance.

Their whole culture is like throwing the dice, but that's what they're taught.

Inshallah.
Posted by: Mullah Richard || 03/11/2017 16:26 Comments || Top||

#3  In the Orient, life is plentiful; life is cheap.
Posted by: Pappy || 03/11/2017 18:48 Comments || Top||


-Lurid Crime Tales-
Captain Curtis Reeves: Turn that damn thing off or we're going to open fire !
[Wash Times] A retired police captain accused of fatally shooting another moviegoer inside a Florida cinema can’t defend himself using the state’s controversial "Stand Your Ground" law, a circuit judge ruled Friday.

Curtis Reeves, 74, argued he acted in self-defense when he opened fire inside a Wesley Chapel movie theater in 2014, killing Chad Oulson, 43.

Pasco-Pinellas Circuit Judge Susan Barthle disagreed in a two-page court order, denying his motion to dismiss the case in accordance with the state’s "Stand Your Ground" law -- a statute that gained relevance following the 2013 slaying of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin.

"Because the defendant’s testimony was significantly at odds with the physical evidence and other witness testimony, this court has considerable doubts about his credibility, and is not willing to come to the conclusion that these circumstances are those envisioned by the legislature when the ’stand your ground’ law was enacted," the judge ruled.

"After careful consideration of all of the evidence provided in this case, this court finds that the defendant did not credibly demonstrate that he reasonably believed it was necessary for him to use deadly force in this situation," she said.
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/11/2017 05:43 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:


Government
CNN: Anger mounts over handling of US attorney firings
Funny, no one got angry when Champ cleaned out all of Bush's appointees...
Who is angry about standard change-of-government behaviour? Other than fake news presenter CNN and the newly unemployed appointees, I mean.
Posted by: Skidmark || 03/11/2017 05:11 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Who? Two "sources" and Senator Dianne Feinstein.

Isn't that enough?
Posted by: Bobby || 03/11/2017 10:07 Comments || Top||

#2  Anger? I'm all smiles, myself. Pravda The MFM is trying (lamely) to reprise what they did to AG Gonzales. Eff 'em.
Posted by: PBMcL || 03/11/2017 10:40 Comments || Top||

#3  I think if you asked a bunch of front line prosecutors -- the folks who actually prosecute criminals in court-- who in their office they could most easily dispense with, the answer would be pretty uniform.
Posted by: Matt || 03/11/2017 11:49 Comments || Top||

#4  Making the 'right' enemies is a sure sign of success.
Posted by: Iblis || 03/11/2017 12:41 Comments || Top||

#5  CNN: Anger mounts over handling of US attorney firings. Dianne Feinstein is concerned about the firings?

The MSM and Democrats are out of touch with the American people. As the result, the Democrats continue to lose elections.
Posted by: JohnQC || 03/11/2017 16:47 Comments || Top||

#6  Hit the road, Preet
And don't cha come back
No more no more no more no more
Posted by: Zhang Fei || 03/11/2017 18:35 Comments || Top||

#7  Making the 'right' enemies is a sure sign of success.

Early in the campaign that was one of the first things I noticed about Trump: He was pissing off all the right people.
Posted by: Abu Uluque || 03/11/2017 19:58 Comments || Top||


-Short Attention Span Theater-
Muhammad Ali's son says he was detained at airport again
Posted by: Skidmark || 03/11/2017 05:02 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Ima thinkrn he's an attention whore demanding his 15 minutes of attention
Posted by: Frank G || 03/11/2017 11:54 Comments || Top||

#2  Convenient that Debby just happened to be on the flight, no?
Posted by: Pappy || 03/11/2017 14:15 Comments || Top||

#3  Little Miss Debbie is hoping for a thorough groping by the TSA. Desire for cheap thrills ima thinking.
Posted by: JohnQC || 03/11/2017 14:55 Comments || Top||

#4  Maybe he's just a jerk every time.
Posted by: Mullah Richard || 03/11/2017 16:27 Comments || Top||

#5  I am voting for a database that can't remove bad entries.

This where I still get letters (gov and party junk mail) for my dad who died a long time ago. I even told my congress critter to demand the pub party delete him from the roles pointing out I had provided his death certificate and the pubs are not supposed to believe in allowing the dead to vote.
Posted by: 3dc || 03/11/2017 19:46 Comments || Top||

#6  Reminds me of the 90s joke...
"What's yellow and lives on dead beetles?"
"I don't know. What?"
"Yoko Ono"
Posted by: Skidmark || 03/11/2017 21:41 Comments || Top||

#7  Heh.

Resisting the system (litigiously?)
Which profiled Muhammad (religiously!),
His sister, a Jewess,
Condemns, truly clueless,
What Muslims must do most prodigiously!
Posted by: Zenobia Floger6220 || 03/11/2017 23:37 Comments || Top||


Home Front: Politix
Hit the road Jack
h/t Instapundit
Attorney General Jeff Sessions has asked the remaining Obama-appointed U.S. attorneys - 46 in all - to hand in their resignation. As he notes in his request, this is standard procedure when a new administration takes office.
You wanna represent "refugees" & "undocumented immigrants" - do it from outside DoJ!
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 03/11/2017 04:19 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Birds will sing and the rocks will rejoice.
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/11/2017 8:01 Comments || Top||

#2  I agree that he should keep Preet in NY
Posted by: Frank G || 03/11/2017 8:10 Comments || Top||

#3  Mr. Preet can always be rehired.
Posted by: trailing wife || 03/11/2017 10:20 Comments || Top||


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Iranian Revolutionary Guards opposite IS troops on Golan Heights as tensions mount
[Independent] Benjamin Netanyahu has accused Iran of using the Syrian civil war to "gain a foothold to fight Israel" amid fears over Iranian troops stationed along the border with the occupied Golan Heights.

Tehran is supporting Bashar al-Assad with deployments of the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), Basij militia and funding to allied militias including Hezbollah.

The IRGC are now reported to be present in Syrian-government controlled territory along the 1967 ceasefire line in the Golan Heights, which has seen months of Israeli air strikes met with rockets fired towards the Israel Defence Forces (IDF).
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/11/2017 02:57 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran

#1  a good chance to prevent any IRGC presence on Golan. Unmarked artillery and mortars
Posted by: Frank G || 03/11/2017 6:34 Comments || Top||

#2  Israeli air strikes met with rockets fired towards the Israel Defence Forces

Correct me if I'm wrong but I was under the impression that the air strikes were in response to the rockets and other provocations. This makes it sound like the Israelis are starting the fights.
Posted by: AlanC || 03/11/2017 6:59 Comments || Top||

#3  Lucky we didn't do "land for peace" with Syria a decade ago.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 03/11/2017 13:37 Comments || Top||

#4  Correct me if I'm wrong but I was under the impression that the air strikes were in response to the rockets and other provocations. This makes it sound like the Israelis are starting the fights.

This is the Independent, written for readers who think the Guardian is too right-wing.
Posted by: Zhang Fei || 03/11/2017 18:21 Comments || Top||

#5  Hear, hear ZF!
Posted by: Whiskey Mike || 03/11/2017 20:07 Comments || Top||

#6  I actually subscribed to The Guardian just so I could be a pain in the ass to their lockstep leftardisms. They had a few good articles, so I said what the hell, maybe they are trying. Got the "g" bag and everything, even though I asked TWICE that they not spend their money on such BS swaggery. They said they would not send it, TWICE, but I got it anyway. Look for 'Soulless' comments, if they don't get disappeared.
Barbara S. and I seem to have similar views. Sorry Barb, no offense intended.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike || 03/11/2017 20:17 Comments || Top||


-Short Attention Span Theater-
Megyn Kelly Wants New NBC Show to ‘Help People the Way Oprah Did'
[Free Beacon] Former Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly is looking to move away from hard news reporting with hopes "to help people the way Oprah did" on her new NBC show.

A source told Page Six on Thursday that Kelly is looking to move her new show in a different direction from "combative interviewing."

"There was a lot of tough news to report on her show at Fox News. A lot of combative interviewing, going after people. Doing that every night was difficult. Megyn feels she has more to offer," the source said.

The source added that Kelly will host "real people" and "celebrities" on her NBC show.

"She wants to help people the way Oprah did, and do something more positive. She’ll be focusing on issues and bringing in real people as well as celebrities," the source continued. "Plus, she has a sense of humor and she wants to use that."

Kelly signed a deal with NBC in January worth between $12 million and $15 million. But she is still under contract with Fox until July 1, so she cannot sit in production meetings for the NBC show.

NBC president Noah Oppenheim is currently interviewing executive producers to help produce Kelly's show, and is hopeful that the show will debut during the 9 AM or 10 AM hour sometime in September.
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/11/2017 02:51 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Me-Again Who?
Posted by: Frank G || 03/11/2017 7:11 Comments || Top||

#2  Megyn can combat interview me any time!
Posted by: texhooey || 03/11/2017 11:47 Comments || Top||

#3  Oprah has melanin - Ellen has gayness - both have backwards gorp.

Megyn had better come up with a "hook." Brains alone don't cut it anymore. Style is transitory, and you can fake sincerity for only so long.

Posted by: Blossom Unains5562 || 03/11/2017 11:58 Comments || Top||

#4  So, she wants to avoid heavy lifting the rest of her career.
Posted by: Raj || 03/11/2017 12:02 Comments || Top||

#5  Another time burner that people don't want to watch. The public is getting intensely ambivalent about this.
Posted by: Alaska Paul || 03/11/2017 12:36 Comments || Top||

#6  She's going to buy her studio audience cars?
Posted by: charger || 03/11/2017 12:45 Comments || Top||

#7  Give away stuff in exchange for ratings. Sad.
Posted by: rjschwarz || 03/11/2017 13:56 Comments || Top||

#8  She should be careful with her career choices--she's a little too old to fall back on pole-dancing if the NBC gig doesn't work out.
Posted by: Crusader || 03/11/2017 15:52 Comments || Top||

#9  Megyn, some might disagree that Oprah helped people. Afterall, she did support Obama for the past 8 years.
Posted by: JohnQC || 03/11/2017 16:33 Comments || Top||


Home Front: Politix
Hawaii Hires Al Qaeda's Best Lawyer to Lead Suit Against Trump
[Free Beacon] The lead attorney for the latest legal challenge to President Trump's executive order implementing a 90-day suspension on visa issuance to U.S.-bound travelers from six countries where terrorism remains a heightened concern, also volunteered to serve as legal counsel for Osama bin Laden's bodyguard, Samir Hamdan on a pro-bono basis.

On Tuesday, Neal Katyal, a former acting solicitor general of the United States during the Obama administration, filed suit on behalf of the state of Hawaii against the Trump administration, seeking to block the president's latest executive order.

Katyal, whose name was once floated as a possible Obama Supreme Court nominee, but whose consideration was ultimately withdrawn due to perceived trouble that his nomination would encounter in the Senate, argues in Hawaii's filing that this new executive order suffers from the same legal problems of the original order.

Neal Katyal sued the U.S. government in 2006 on behalf of Osama Bin Laden's bodyguard, Samir Hamdan in the landmark legal case Hamdan v. Rumsfeld. In his arguments however, Katyal made several questionable arguments, including equating the criminal justice rights of legal U.S. green card holders to captured foreign al Qaeda terrorists under the military commission system at the time.

In addition to his success as an attorney for terrorists suing the United States, Katyal is also an accomplished actor, having appeared as a lawyer in one episode of the Netflix series House of Cards.
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/11/2017 02:49 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [2 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Apparently Hawaii has an overabundance of funds available and could use a cutback of Federal reimbursement
Posted by: Frank G || 03/11/2017 7:30 Comments || Top||

#2  This country seems to have an abundance of lawmakers who have very little concern with the safety of American citizens. I call such people (and the others that act in concert with them) "the enemy", though I understand its not yet fashionable to do so. To them, its as if 9/11 never happened.
Posted by: Crusader || 03/11/2017 21:21 Comments || Top||


Europe
Saudi UN Chief Compares Hungary to Nazis for Controlling Their Borders
[Breitbart IS] Attacking European politicians who he accused of failing to show migrants a sufficiently warm welcome, the United Nations (UN) human rights chief compared the rhetoric of Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to that of Nazi Germany.

Speaking in Geneva on Wednesday, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein also slammed "false claims that migrants commit more crimes" and claimed that Europeans welcome mass migration.

"Many ordinary people in Europe have welcomed and supported migrants, but political leaders increasingly demonstrate a chilling indifference to their fate.

"I am particularly disturbed by lurid public narratives which appear deliberately aimed at stirring up public fear and panic, by depicting these vulnerable people as criminal invading hordes," he told a meeting of the UN human rights council.

The Saudi Arabian prince blasted "increasing calls" by politicians in Europe to work with African nations in an attempt to slow the migrant tide.
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/11/2017 02:42 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Moslem Colonists

#1  IMO, in the future there will be a lot of PhD theses in history, as well as popular history books, seeking an answer to a single question "Why didn't USA nuke Saudi Arabia after 9/11?".
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 03/11/2017 4:05 Comments || Top||

#2  The hallowed halls of government have polished floors. Incautious missteps can lead to a fall, Grom.
I think it was easier for them to swallow their national pride and take the money than set the world on fire.
Posted by: Skidmark || 03/11/2017 4:55 Comments || Top||

#3  Who'd object to nuking Saudia?
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 03/11/2017 5:00 Comments || Top||

#4  Saudi accepted ZERO refugees.

Taquiya spouting hypocritical Saudi shite.
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 03/11/2017 6:09 Comments || Top||

#5  The glass manufacturers objected to nuking KSA cause they didn't want to glut the market.

When KSA starts allowing anyone into Meccca then I'll start thinking about anything they say.
Posted by: AlanC || 03/11/2017 7:48 Comments || Top||

#6  Treaty banning open air nuclear testing clause?
Posted by: Procopius2k || 03/11/2017 9:37 Comments || Top||

#7  Saud Off, Swampy

Dirty fingers wag
A whiff of crap in the air
Do as we say, slave
Posted by: JHH || 03/11/2017 12:22 Comments || Top||

#8  That is a good one JHH!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Alaska Paul || 03/11/2017 12:28 Comments || Top||


Paris Bans Foreign Languages At Construction Sites To Protect Local Workers
[Daily Caller] The Paris region passed a law Thursday that bans foreign languages at construction sites to stop foreign labor.

The "Small Business Act" wants to promote more public contracts for local businesses in the Ile de France region, which includes Paris. It includes a clause that makes it mandatory to use French as the working language at publicly-funded building projects.

"This clause is necessary and targets foreign companies who come with their teams, without any of them speaking French," Jerome Chartier, the region’s vice president, told AFP. "These companies need to improve."

Several French regions have already imposed similar language restrictions to promote local labor.
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/11/2017 02:12 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  This certainly is a safety precaution.

"Hey Juan, look out for the rock!"
"¿Qué?"

Posted by: Skidmark || 03/11/2017 3:49 Comments || Top||

#2  This is illegal under EUSSR law.
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 03/11/2017 6:07 Comments || Top||

#3  The safety aspect is why we require all workers on our jobsites to speak English.

We don't want to spend 45 seconds telling folks to 'Get OUT!' in fifteen languages if a gas leak, a fire or explosion are imminent.
Posted by: Mullah Richard || 03/11/2017 8:29 Comments || Top||

#4  It's not just Moslem colonists, but workers from Eastern Europe as well. In Britain half of the problems that led to Brexit were due to migrants from EU countries taking jobs and welfare.
Posted by: trailing wife || 03/11/2017 10:08 Comments || Top||


Home Front: Politix
Media's Trump Apocalypse Narrative Disconnected From Americans' Growing Confidence
[LI] If you only read the mainstream, openly left-wing, and establishment Republican media, you’d think it was Apocalypse Now in America.

Paraphrasing Pauline Kael’s alleged statement about how she didn’t see Nixon’s win coming because she didn’t know anyone who voted for him: The doom and gloom media doesn’t know anyone who doesn’t hate Trump and who isn’t despondent, or if they do know such people, they discount them as imbeciles.

But that’s not what is reflected in the American spirit, as numerous polls have recently shown.

Optimism is rising, as we noted in an earlier post.

Bloomberg just released its findings, on Consumer Comfort, and it is soaring, U.S. Consumer Comfort Just Reached Its Highest Level in a Decade:
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/11/2017 02:02 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1 
Posted by: Skidmark || 03/11/2017 4:03 Comments || Top||

#2  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I'm glad they weren't!
Posted by: AlmostAnonymous5839 || 03/11/2017 9:06 Comments || Top||


-Lurid Crime Tales-
Julian Assange: CIA's ‘devastating incompetence' led to latest leak
[Wash Times] WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange blamed the CIA’s "devastating incompetence" Thursday for allowing his website to acquire a trove of information involving the agency’s vast hacking capabilities, drawing fire from the U.S. intelligence community following its release this week of the so-called "Year Zero" files.

Mr. Assange credited the agency’s own ineptitude with causing details about its hacking techniques to recently become compromised during his first press conference since WikiLeaks’ disclosure Tuesday of previously unpublished documents devoted to the CIA’s stockpiling of computer exploits and cyberweapons.

"This is a historic act of devastating incompetence, to have created such an arsenal and then stored it all in one place and not secured it," Mr. Assange said during an online press conference streamed live from his residence with the Ecuadorian Embassy in London.

"It is impossible to keep effective control of cyberweapons," he said. "If you build them, eventually you will lose them."

Mr. Assange added that WikiLeaks has only published a portion of the documents it’s obtained from the CIA’s Center for Cyber Intelligence, the likes of which has resulted in the release of thousands of files this week related to the agency’s ability to compromise and commandeer the world’s most widely-used electronic devices.
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/11/2017 01:52 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  But I thought it was contractors and millennials ?
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/11/2017 1:57 Comments || Top||

#2  I thought it was Putin.

p.s. There's a point about all this which keeps puzzling me - how come nobody blames you know who?
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 03/11/2017 4:10 Comments || Top||

#3  Booosh?
Posted by: Frank G || 03/11/2017 7:32 Comments || Top||

#4  Perhaps they should establish a 'Leaks Section.' Oh wait.......
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/11/2017 7:47 Comments || Top||

#5  We just get to know now. The Russians have been reading it for years/decades.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 03/11/2017 9:35 Comments || Top||


Home Front: Politix
Former Klingon and NSA Director General Mike Hayden: Breitbart News ‘Illegitimate'
[Breitbart] Former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and National Security Agency (NSA) director Michael Hayden did his best in 2016 to elect Hillary Clinton. Worse, Hayden made the inflammatory and frightening claim on CNN at the time that Donald Trump was a "clear and present danger" to the country.

Given his background, those words carried weight and contributed to the climate of fear and division that burdens our democracy today, including within the intelligence agencies.

Hayden also signed a letter last August urging Americans to vote against Donald Trump. Anything Hayden says about politics today must therefore be interpreted in that context. He is hardly a disinterested observer, and clearly resents the fact that the American people ignored his unsolicited advice.
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/11/2017 01:44 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Thank you for your most recent 'unsolicited advice' General Hayden, but if it's all the same to you, I'll make up my own mind regarding legitimate news.
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/11/2017 1:51 Comments || Top||

#2  I talked to Breitbart, did you?
Posted by: newc || 03/11/2017 2:03 Comments || Top||

#3 
Posted by: Skidmark || 03/11/2017 4:05 Comments || Top||

#4  How should Trump go about replacing the failed CIA?
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 03/11/2017 6:13 Comments || Top||

#5  Just fire everybody & reestablish the OSS.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 03/11/2017 7:14 Comments || Top||

#6  How should Trump go about replacing the failed CIA? Posted by Bright Pebbles

Early retirement or transfer to EPA of everyone in the leadership tiers of GG-15 or higher, (Chief of Station, Deputy Chief of Station and frequent deployer personnel excluded). Discontinue their offensive military capability to include private air force. Full congressional disclosure of budget. Insist they return to their former mission of intelligence collection, analysis, and dissemination with emphasis on WMD Counterproliferation. Some improvement should be seen in six months, or in as little as three days.
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/11/2017 7:34 Comments || Top||

#7  You are referring to the people who failed to predict the collapse of the Soviet Empire?
Posted by: Procopius2k || 03/11/2017 8:22 Comments || Top||

#8  As I recall, the CIA was supposed to be the central clearing house for all the disparate intelligence agencies of the DoD etc. Now that role is called Homeland security or DNI. I'd like to see a total reorg of the intelligence community to streamline the function and make sure responsibility goes with authority and Congress knows all the players and their roles.
Posted by: AlanC || 03/11/2017 8:26 Comments || Top||

#9  Hayden's comments provide a clear and unobstructed view of the attitudes and 'group think' of the beltway ruling oligarchy.
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/11/2017 8:36 Comments || Top||

#10  Most of the intel services need to be completely disbanded and just start over with what we actually need.

Dipshit Hayden is a typical fucktard from those departments.
Posted by: DarthVader || 03/11/2017 9:06 Comments || Top||

#11  Insist they return to their former mission of intelligence collection, analysis, and dissemination with emphasis on WMD Counterproliferation.

But Sir, all that stuff is hard. And like work and stuff. Can't we just stir up shit and run drugs and guns to finance the aforementioned pot-stirring? Also, please sign my expense report. (oh gawd, please don't let him bring up that Fall of the Soviet Union thing again)
Posted by: SteveS || 03/11/2017 9:35 Comments || Top||

#12  CIA/NSA/FBI doesn't need to tap Trump; just ask the Brits to do it. Commonwealth except New Zealand (the self righteous pricks). That is what 8 years of lawlessness gets you.
Posted by: Threck Mussolini1887 || 03/11/2017 9:57 Comments || Top||

#13  CIA/NSA/FBI doesn't need to tap Trump; just ask the Brits to do it. Commonwealth except New Zealand

Yes, we really all should work together. I can recommend some discreet UK firms with contract 'past performance' in Benghazi.... if that helps.
Posted by: Phock and Company5007 || 03/11/2017 11:17 Comments || Top||

#14  Hayden has been having weird things coming out of his pie hole lately.
Posted by: JohnQC || 03/11/2017 14:56 Comments || Top||

#15  Hayden is really saying the CIA is not actively influencing or employed at Breitbart.
Posted by: Airandee || 03/11/2017 16:10 Comments || Top||

#16  Hayden has been having weird things coming out of his pie hole lately.

Not weird at all. Hayden was a Clinton holdover. You think Bill Clinton picked people for their ability? One thing I've learned from Bush II's tenure is his remarkable ability to pick the least competent, least trustworthy people to hold important offices. Case in point - Maliki and Karzai. Bush himself was a lousy pol - if being a good pol means having the ability to influence public opinion. Instead of combating the media narrative about Katrina, he hid from it. He also did the "Mission Accomplished" thing way too early. Yes - it related to the aircraft carrier's mission, but he should have stayed away from it, given the fact that it fed into a larger narrative.
Posted by: Zhang Fei || 03/11/2017 22:21 Comments || Top||


-Lurid Crime Tales-
Homeland Security Chief: Illegal Border Crossings Down 40 Percent
[PJ] Remember how the Obama administration was always claiming that "the border has never been more secure than it is now"? And you didn't believe it because you knew Border Patrol agents were suffering from low morale because they weren't allowed to do their jobs?

Now you can believe it.

The number of people illegally crossing the U.S. southern border has dropped 40 percent since the inauguration of President Donald Trump, Secretary of Homeland Security John F. Kelly announced late Wednesday.

The Homeland Security chief said that the drop represents "an unprecedented decline in traffic" and that it coincides with Trump's new executive orders dealing with immigration laws.

January and February are usually busy months for illegal border crossings, but since Trump's inauguration, border jumping is significantly down.

It looks like the president's "controversial" immigration policies are working.

Kelly said in a statement at the DHS website:
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/11/2017 01:41 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Afraid their coyote fees would be a poor investment?
Posted by: Glenmore || 03/11/2017 14:30 Comments || Top||

#2  Start busting business' for employing illegals and the number of border jumpers will drop even more.
Posted by: Airandee || 03/11/2017 16:07 Comments || Top||


Economy
Lincoln, NE doctor opens insurance-free practice
[Wash Times] LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - Dr. Todd Johnson of Lincoln is a modern-day pioneer, starting the first membership-based, insurance-free medical practice in Nebraska.

Access Family Medicine opened in mid-July and provides what is called direct primary care, the Lincoln Journal Star (http://bit.ly/2byOOXg ) reported.

His patients pay a monthly membership fee for an old-fashioned relationship with their family doctor - undiluted by insurance rules and paperwork.

Many of his patients have insurance, but Johnson does not do the paperwork or collect payments from insurance companies.

That gives him the freedom to focus on his clients, he said.
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/11/2017 01:36 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Insurance-free practice sounds a lot like "concierge medicine."
Posted by: JohnQC || 03/11/2017 15:11 Comments || Top||

#2  I think its enlightening to the public to deal with insurance companies like docs have for decades now. Maybe it will catalyze change. and if "concierge medicine" decreases hospitalizations by 75%, that's a bad thing?
Posted by: Clusonter Bumble5632 || 03/11/2017 16:10 Comments || Top||

#3  Also, Hospital owned medical practices are reimbursed 1.5 x what private docs are. That's a level playing field?
Posted by: Clusonter Bumble5632 || 03/11/2017 16:12 Comments || Top||

#4  For many years my wife's Gyn refused to accept insurance. His cash charges for all-but-major things was about the same as the insurance co-pay, so she just kept going to him. Didn't run into any major things those years, so it was good. Eventually he was forced to give in though. Then he retired rather than deal with ACA.
Posted by: Glenmore || 03/11/2017 20:58 Comments || Top||


Home Front: Culture Wars
Credit Suisse Says Plan to Hire 10,000 Muslim Refugees Is Hurting Starbucks' Brand and Sales
[Breitbart] Swiss financial services company Credit Suisse is warning that coffee giant Starbucks’ announcement of a plan to hire 10,000 Muslim refugees has clearly hurt the company by negatively impacting sales and damaging the company’s brand.

"Our work shows a sudden drop in brand sentiment following announcement of the refugee hiring initiative on Jan. 29th, to flattish from a run-rate of ~+80 (on an index of -100 to +100). Net sentiment has since recovered, but has seen significant volatility in recent weeks," equity analyst Jason West said, according to CNBC.

At the end of February, it was reported that the Starbucks Coffee brand took a major hit after its Muslim "refugee" announcement made in January in response to President Donald Trump’s temporary travel moratorium.
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/11/2017 01:29 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Unde et actiones
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/11/2017 1:33 Comments || Top||

#2  Yeah, I don't know.
I stopped Starbucking because I wouldn't wait in line like a drone. It seems my local has become a last bastion for the "Legions of the Left".
Posted by: Skidmark || 03/11/2017 4:08 Comments || Top||

#3  People don't like decapitation with their soy latte?
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 03/11/2017 4:14 Comments || Top||

#4  People don't
a) want to catch disease from their coffee
b) don't want politics with a hot drink
c) don't want to be patronized
d) don't want to possibly fund terrorism.
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 03/11/2017 6:17 Comments || Top||

#5  e) Don't want to be lectured on tolerance by intolerant ignorant PC assholes
Posted by: Frank G || 03/11/2017 7:35 Comments || Top||

#6  I believe that's a number four.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 03/11/2017 8:20 Comments || Top||

#7  Plus their coffee sucks
Posted by: DarthVader || 03/11/2017 9:01 Comments || Top||

#8  What Frank G said.
Posted by: Threck Mussolini1887 || 03/11/2017 9:50 Comments || Top||

#9  Darwin at work in the marketplace. The "Virtue signalling/SJW" mutation (Starbucks, ESPN, etc.) degrades survivability.
Posted by: PBMcL || 03/11/2017 10:56 Comments || Top||

#10  Good place to meet women where I live.

Otherwise, meh.
Posted by: charger || 03/11/2017 12:44 Comments || Top||

#11  Refugees don't want to work. At least the ones in Europe.
Posted by: rjschwarz || 03/11/2017 13:54 Comments || Top||


Home Front: Politix
Madison, WI Judge: Revised Trump ban cannot be enforced on Syrian family
[AP] MADISON, Wis. - A federal judge on Friday blocked President Donald Trump's administration from enforcing his new travel ban against a Syrian family looking to escape their war-torn homeland by fleeing to Wisconsin.

The ruling likely is the first by a judge since Trump issued a revised travel ban on Monday, according to a spokesman for the Washington state attorney general, who has led states challenging the ban.

A Syrian Muslim man who was granted asylum and settled in Wisconsin has been working since last year to win U.S. government approval for his wife and 3-year-old daughter to leave the devastated city of Aleppo and join him here. The man, who is not identified because of fears for his family's safety, filed a federal lawsuit in Madison in February alleging Trump's first travel ban had wrongly stopped the visa process for his family. U.S. District Judge William Conley set that challenge aside after a federal judge in Washington state blocked the entire Trump travel order.

Trump signed a new executive order on Monday. The Syrian man filed a new complaint on Friday afternoon, alleging the new order is still an anti-Muslim ban that violates his freedom of religion and right to due process. He asked Conley to block its enforcement against his family.

Judge Conley granted that request, saying there were daily threats to the Syrian man's wife and child that could cause "irreparable harm." He issued a temporary restraining order barring enforcement against the family. The order doesn't block the entire travel ban. It simply prevents Trump's administration from enforcing it against this family pending a March 21 hearing.

After the Trump ban was blocked the first time, the approval process restarted for the Syrian family and they're now preparing to travel to Jordan for visa interviews at the U.S. embassy, the last step before U.S. customs officials decide whether to issue them visas. But the family doesn't have dates for the interviews yet and Trump's new travel ban goes into effect March 16, stirring fears that the process could halt again before visas are issued, according to the Syrian man's attorneys.
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/11/2017 01:21 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Moslem Colonists

#1  very simply - "your interviews are scheduled for March 10, 2020"
Posted by: Frank G || 03/11/2017 6:49 Comments || Top||

#2  That may be why AG Sessions asks remaining 46 US attorneys to resign. We need attorneys who can make effective arguments, instead of wimpy arguments like the former administration attorneys are wont to do.
Posted by: Seeking cure for ignorance || 03/11/2017 6:51 Comments || Top||

#3  Actually, Trump should imitate Andrew Jackson.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 03/11/2017 7:16 Comments || Top||

#4  No one in a republic or a democracy should be able to sit in a public office for life.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 03/11/2017 8:31 Comments || Top||

#5  Not sure why the ban would be applied to someone who is already here. I'm sure the judge knows.
Posted by: Bobby || 03/11/2017 10:48 Comments || Top||

#6  Bobby, the ban doesn't apply to the guy, it's for his wife and child who he hope to have come and join him in America.
Posted by: Seeking cure for ignorance || 03/11/2017 11:53 Comments || Top||

#7  A Syrian Muslim man who was granted asylum and settled in Wisconsin has been working since last year (to win U.S. government approval for his wife and 3-year-old daughter)

Almost had me there, AP - I thought this guy had a job!
Posted by: Raj || 03/11/2017 11:56 Comments || Top||

#8  Obama selected Judge Conley has been the lawfare 'go to guy' for many liberal causes, including a major Planned Parenthood ruling.

In that one, he struck down the new Wisconsin law requiring doctors who perform abortions have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of their clinic.

Plus, he was a long-time member (maybe still is) of the Southern Poverty Law Institute.

No more need be said.
Posted by: Mullah Richard || 03/11/2017 16:16 Comments || Top||


Africa North
Two police officers killed by IED in North Sinai
[AlAhram] Two coppers were killed and four maimed after an IED went kaboom! near a security convoy in North Sinai's capital city of Arish on Thursday.

A statement by Egypt's interior ministry identified the victims as a lieutenant colonel and a captain.

The attack comes one day after a police colonel was killed in a kaboom on a security checkpoint in the same city.
Posted by: trailing wife || 03/11/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis (IS)


Africa Horn
Somalia receives over $121m in Turkish aid
Sultan Recep Tayip Erdogan I "the much beloved" is finding uses for that which was confiscated from all those accused of being horrible Gulenists.
[ShabelleNews] Turkey has provided Somalia with humanitarian aid worth 456 million Turkish liras ($121.9 million) since 2011, Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) said Thursday.
How much of it was spent to benefit the ordinary people there?
AFAD contributed 255 million liras ($68.1 million) worth of aid while the Turkish Red Crescent provided 176 million liras ($47 million) and the Religious Affairs Directorate gave 25 million liras ($6.7 million).

The aid was made up of 43,946 tons of food, 10,320 tons of clothes, 48 prefabricated homes, 12,400 blankets and 649 tons of medical supplies. Mogadishu airport, water projects, hospitals, schools and mosques benefited from the aid, AFAD added.

According to the annual Global Humanitarian Assistance report, Turkey was the second-largest donor of humanitarian assistance last year.
Posted by: Steve White || 03/11/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Sublime Porte


-Short Attention Span Theater-
Combat-hardened WWII PT boat makes triumphant return to the water
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/11/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  I love this thing.
Posted by: Skidmark || 03/11/2017 5:00 Comments || Top||


Home Front: Culture Wars
Air Force troops are warned not to use words including 'boy', 'girl' and 'blackmail' because they could be seen as offensive
It took eight years to develop enthusiasm for such nonsense. It will take at least a few months to reorient the enthusiasts toward a focus on efficiently killing bad guys and breaking their things.
[DailyMail] - An email outlining the ban was sent to Airmen at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas

- They were advised to study the list and refrain from using the words outlined

- A
sacrificial 0-2
spokesman for the Air Base denied that the ban was an official edict
Uh, OK, uh, sir.
Also on the list were the words 'colonial' and 'blacklist' and the phrase 'blondes have more fun'.
WTF, over?
They were advised to study the list and refrain from using the words outlined on the attachment.

The email read: 'Please be cognizant that such conduct is 100 per cent zero tolerance in or outside of the work climate.
Sure glad it isn't an "official edict."
'Let's capitalize on our richly diverse climate, and help others seek assistance if they are struggling with compliance.'
I wonder what they are showing at the base theatres these days?
Posted by: Blossom Unains5562 || 03/11/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [2 views] Top|| File under:

#1  'Please be cognizant that such conduct is 100 per cent zero tolerance

Please be cognizant that such sentence is 100% grammerly not.

Recently, I watched two different movies that involved Air Force drone pilots. In both cases, the airmen (airpersons?) seemed a rather weepy about the fact that their job was whacking bad guys. At the time, this struck me as unrealistic. Perhaps not.
Posted by: SteveS || 03/11/2017 0:25 Comments || Top||

#2  and then we ask these people to die to protect free speech...
Posted by: Chuckles Craise3702 || 03/11/2017 1:10 Comments || Top||

#3  ...With stunning and commendable speed, the Air Force has swatted this down hard.

Times have indeed changed.

Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski || 03/11/2017 4:47 Comments || Top||

#4  I can think of some cut-backs to the military that wouldn't lower (quite the contrary) the fighting ability.
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 03/11/2017 6:14 Comments || Top||

#5  re #3:

"Recently, a former leader within the command sent an email to airmen discouraging the use of certain words and phrases because they might be found offensive by some. The list included terms that are not offensive in their ordinary meaning, but might become offensive if used in certain ways or contexts. 2.

The email is to be disregarded in its entirety. Airmen are expected to treat one another with dignity and respect. That is all that needs to be said on the subject."


Time to weed these PC assholes out
Posted by: Frank G || 03/11/2017 7:15 Comments || Top||

#6  Said leader needs to be reassigned to a post at the farthest north radar station....counting nuts & bolts in the store room.
Posted by: AlanC || 03/11/2017 7:34 Comments || Top||

#7  The email is to be disregarded in its entirety. Airmen are expected to treat one another with dignity and respect. That is all that needs to be said on the subject."

tl;dr: Act like effing grownups

I like this. Simple and to the point. All to often, progressives deal with problems by creating ever-more-complicated rulesets. As anyone who has ever built software, written specifications or drafted laws knows, the more complicated you make it, the more likely your system leaks and has unforeseen consequences. Yes, ObamaCare is a fine example.

In other news, someone's career prospects just took a nosedive.
Posted by: SteveS || 03/11/2017 9:25 Comments || Top||

#8  SteveS, Obamacare is a double plus fine example; both the Law side and the Software side.
Posted by: AlanC || 03/11/2017 10:11 Comments || Top||

#9  Good find, Mike. I particularly like paragraph 3, with its blunt warning that censorship will not be tolerated and in future will be punished. Stunning speed, indeed -- it's not even two months since President Trump was sworn in.
Posted by: trailing wife || 03/11/2017 10:19 Comments || Top||

#10  Unfortunately, based on the comments at JQP, the smackdown on this PC shit may not be real.

Meanwhile, here'a bio of the base commander:

Heather L. Pringle


Posted by: charger || 03/11/2017 12:56 Comments || Top||

#11  Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Air Force Achievement Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Joint Meritorious Unit Award
Air Force Organizational Excellence Award with two oak leaf clusters


And I look down at my three campaign awards, and quietly cry.
Posted by: Pappy || 03/11/2017 14:28 Comments || Top||

#12  'help others seek assistance if they are struggling with compliance.'

Does that 'help' include a stay in joycamp for stubborn oldthinkers?
Posted by: Elmerert Hupens2660 || 03/11/2017 14:50 Comments || Top||

#13  Can we still use the word manhole? Can Santa still say Ho Ho Ho?
Posted by: JohnQC || 03/11/2017 15:09 Comments || Top||

#14  Sorry JQC, you now have to say "Vagina" and Santa says "He He Hee".
Posted by: AlanC || 03/11/2017 16:38 Comments || Top||


-Short Attention Span Theater-
Pants on Fire
It seemed like a set up to a tired joke: A lawyer's pants caught on fire in court.
I thought Hot Pants went out in the 70's.
But on Wednesday, it was Stephen Gutierrez's reality when the Florida defense attorney's pants began smoking during an arson trial, Eleventh Circuit Court Public Relations Director Eunice Sigler confirmed to NBC News Thursday.
Is that a fire in your pants or are you just happy to see me?
Gutierrez, 28, was in the in the Miami-Dade county courtroom defending 49-year-old Claudy Charles, who was accused of setting his car alight.
My car spontaneously combussed once. It was a short in the wiring.
But During his closing argument, Gutierrez began to feel heat coming from his pocket where he had several electric cigarette batteries, he told NBC News in an email.

Gutierrez argued Charles' car had merely spontaneously combusted, the lawyer's pants seemed to do the same.

Witnesses in the courtroom told the Miami Herald the moment was "surreal," as Gutierrez rushed out of the courtroom while smoke billowed from his pocket.
A scene from the Three Stooges?
Gutierrez said as the heat intensified, he hurried into the bathroom where he tossed the battery in water. He was able to return to the courtroom with a singed pocket.

"This was not staged," Gutierrez said. "No one thinks that a battery left in their pocket is somehow going to 'explode. After careful research, I now know this can happen. I am not the only one this has happened to, but I am in a position to shed light on the situation."

Reports of electronic cigarette batteries exploding have been documented across the country. Battery malfunctions have been known to cause burns on the hands and face, fractured bones and even loss of eyesight.

In 2016, a 19-year-old's e-cigarette exploded in his pants pocket, setting his pants on fire and causing serious burns on his upper thigh.

But because e-cigarettes aren't regulated, there's no record of how many faulty devices have exploded or injured people.

Luckily, it seems Gutierrez came away from the explosion unscathed.

"The dangers of these devices, and accessories, have led me to quit using e-cigarette products," Gutierrez said.

A Florida State Attorney's Office spokesman said he could neither confirm or deny an investigation was ongoing into the incident, but said no arrest had been made.
Posted by: Deacon Blues || 03/11/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  "This was not staged," Gutierrez said.

Sure. Pull the other one
Posted by: Frank G || 03/11/2017 0:30 Comments || Top||

#2  Karma
Posted by: Procopius2k || 03/11/2017 9:42 Comments || Top||


Bangladesh
Hefazat renews threat to besiege Dhaka
[Dhaka Tribune] Radical Islamist platform Hefazat-e-Islam has renewed its threats to besiege Dhaka if the Greek “idol” was not removed from the Supreme Court premises immediately.

Leaders and supporters demonstrated over the issue in different districts including Dhaka, Chittagong and Narayanganj after the Jumma prayers Friday.

The Chittagong chapter of Hefazat organised a rally on the Anderkilla Shahi Mosque premises, protesting the installation of the Lady Justice statue. They also demanded withdrawal of the case in which a court recently issued arrest warrants against 25 leaders and activists of the platform.

Islamist pressure group Hefazat-e-Islam's Chittagong faction orgainsed a rally after Jum'ma prayers at the city's Andarkilla Shahi Mosque square on Friday; March 10, 2017 to press home their demand of removing "Themis," the idol of justice, from in front of Bangladesh Supreme Court premises in Dhaka Rabin Chowdhury/Dhaka Tribune

Islamist pressure group Hefazat-e-Islam’s Chittagong faction orgainsed a rally after Jum’ma prayers at the city’s Andarkilla Shahi Mosque square on Friday; March 10, 2017 to press home their demand of removing “Themis,” the idol of justice, from in front of Bangladesh Supreme Court premises in Dhaka Rabin Chowdhury/Dhaka Tribune

The Qawmi madrasa-based group that eyes Sharia law in the country has been actively campaigning to remove the sculpture that represents justice, claiming it an idol and branding the installation anti-Islamic.

They also threatened to assemble thousands of people and hold another rally at Shapla Chattar in Dhaka’s Motijheel, if necessary, like they did in 2013.

Alleging that “atheists” were campaigning in favour of the idol, the leaders said that Prophet Muhammad (SM) had been sent by Allah to demolish idols and therefore the idol on the Supreme Court premises must be removed.

Supporters of Islamist pressure group Hefazat-e-Islam attempted to organise a rally in front of Baitul Mukarram mosque in Motijheel, Dhaka on Friday; March 10, 2017 Mahmud Hossain Opu/Dhaka Tribune

Supporters of Islamist pressure group Hefazat-e-Islam attempted to organise a rally in front of Baitul Mukarram mosque in Motijheel, Dhaka on Friday; March 10, 2017 Mahmud Hossain Opu/Dhaka Tribune

With central leader Mozammel Haque in the chair, the rally was addressed by central joint secretary generals Moinudin Ruhi, Mubinul Hoque and ANM Ahmadullah, among others.

Meanwhile, Hefazat’s Narayanganj chapter warned the government of creating another Shapla Chhattar rally if it delayed removing the “idol.”

Narayanganj unit Ameer Mawlana Abdul Awal issued the threat from a rally organised after Jum’ma prayers on Railway Jam-e Masjid premises in the city’s DIT commercial area.

A portion of the crowd the Hefazat-e-Islam rally drew in Narayanganj on Friday, March 10, 2017; after Jum'ma prayer. The pressure group is trying to to press home their demand of removing "Themis," the idol of justice, from in front of Bangladesh Supreme Court premises in Dhaka Dhaka Tribune

A portion of the crowd the Hefazat-e-Islam rally drew in Narayanganj on Friday, March 10, 2017; after Jum’ma prayer. The pressure group is trying to press home their demand of removing “Themis,” the idol of justice, from in front of Bangladesh Supreme Court premises in Dhaka Dhaka Tribune

He said that the Hefazat activists were not afraid of facing cases.

The sculpture in question portrays ancient Greek Goddess Themis, holding a scale and a sword to represent the law and undisputed order.
Posted by: Fred || 03/11/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Hefajat-e-Islam

#1  "WE don't need equal justice. We got Sharia and Islam"
Posted by: Frank G || 03/11/2017 6:51 Comments || Top||


China-Japan-Koreas
N.Korea Tried to Sell H-Bomb Material Online
North Korea last year tried to sell lithium-6, a core material for the production of hydrogen bombs, on an open website, a report by a UN Security Council panel said Thursday.

If the North had enough lithium-6 to sell overseas, it also seems more likely that it really tested a so-called boosted fission nuclear weapon, a precursor to a hydrogen bomb, in tests last year. Making nuclear weapons with tritiated water using lithium-6 would also make it easier to miniaturize nuclear warheads so they fit on a missile.

The UNSC panel of experts last summer discovered a lithium-6 sales ad on Global Companies, a website that introduces businesses around the world. The ad said, "We are General Precious Metal Complex (GPM) based in Beijing, China. We can offer 10 kilograms of the lithium metal..." It adds it can ship out the material from Dandong within a month.

The sale of lithium-6 is banned around the world.

The UNSC panel soon found out that GPM is an alias for Chongsong Yonhap, a North Korean arms exporter. Chongsong Yonhap was sanctioned by the U.S. in 2010 over its sales of the CHT-02D torpedo, the model that sank the South Korean Navy corvette Cheonan in March that year. It has been under fresh sanctions imposed by the UNSC since 2012.
Posted by: Steve White || 03/11/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Commies


-Signs, Portents, and the Weather-
Fukushima residents boared with radiation
Hundreds of boars
... one of them 182 feet tall...
carrying highly radioactive material are reportedly stalking residents hoping [to come home to] the Japanese town of Fukushima six years after the meltdown of the nuclear plant.

The New York Times reported that city officials are working to clear out the contaminated boar population in the area. Japan is set to allow residents to return to their homes in some areas near the plant. These city officials worry that these boars will attack returning residents. Some of these animals are reportedly living in abandoned homes.

“We need a strong hunting plan,” Hidekiyo Tachiya, the mayor of a nearby town called Soma. “I wish for the day to come when we can eat wild game again.”

Hunters have been reportedly hired and have so far killed about 800.

The report points out that boar meat is a delicacy in northern Japan, but the animals in the area are considered too toxic to eat.

The country is working to stabilize the region in general. Most residents in Fukushima say they will not return to their homes due to fear of radiation. What’s more, it will take 40 years to dismantle to plant.

Posted by: Skidmark || 03/11/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  The report points out that boar meat is a delicacy in northern Japan, but the animals in the area are considered too toxic to eat.

Open some offshore fronts and sell them to China which doesn't appear to have strict Quality Control for foods. If nothing else, transship the meat to the Norks who are even less concerned about QA.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 03/11/2017 9:41 Comments || Top||

#2  Market it as "irradiated meat". Good preservative.
Posted by: Seeking cure for ignorance || 03/11/2017 10:53 Comments || Top||

#3  Organic and Gluten Free™
Posted by: Frank G || 03/11/2017 11:52 Comments || Top||

#4  Free range, pre-cooked bacon!
Posted by: Raj || 03/11/2017 12:04 Comments || Top||

#5  Easily seen in the refrigerator or freezer, even during a power outage.
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/11/2017 12:16 Comments || Top||

#6  In Texas, we just shoot 'em.
Posted by: Iblis || 03/11/2017 12:43 Comments || Top||

#7  David Warren: Think environmentally
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 03/11/2017 13:29 Comments || Top||


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Syrian force a ‘few weeks’ from Raqqa, U.S. Marines deployed
[Iraq News] U.S.-backed Syrian forces said on Thursday they were closing in on Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
-held Raqqa and expected to reach the city outskirts in a few weeks, as a U.S. Marines artillery unit deployed to help the campaign.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a militia alliance including the Kurdish YPG, is the main U.S. partner in the war against Islamic State in Syria. Since November it has been working with the U.S.-led coalition to encircle Raqqa.

SDF front man Talal Silo said: "We expect that within a few weeks there will be a siege of the city."

Coalition front man U.S. Air Force Colonel John Dorrian said the additional U.S. forces would be working with local partners in Syria ‐ the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Syrian Arab Coalition ‐ and would not have a front line role.

Some 500 U.S. personnel are already in Syria to help the fight against IS. A 400-strong additional deployment which arrived in recent days comprised both Marines and Army Rangers, Dorrian said, adding they were there temporarily.

Coalition Arclight airstrikes killed 23 civilians, including eight children, in the countryside north of Raqqa on Thursday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britannia-based war monitor said. The coalition said it was investigating the incident.

Posted by: Fred || 03/11/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [1 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Iraq
One killed, 5 wounded in 2 blasts south of Baghdad
[Iraq News] One civilian was killed and five others were maimed on Friday in two separate bombings that hit two neighborhoods south of Baghdad, according to security sources.

Alghad Press website quoted security sources saying that one person was killed and three others were maimed when an bomb went off near a popular marketplace in Suweib district, south of the capital. Another bomb went kaboom! near a fish market in Madaen region, also in the south, leaving two people maimed.

Nobody has grabbed credit for the bombings, but Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
Death Eaters have said they had been responsible for several bloody kabooms and attacks that hit the capital in the past months.

The United Nations
...an organization conceived in the belief that we're just one big happy world, with the sort of results you'd expect from such nonsense...
Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) says violence in the country left nearly 392 dead and 613 injured, excluding security members, during February. Baghdad was the second most affected province with 120 deaths and 300 injuries, according to the organization’s monthly casualty count.

Posted by: Fred || 03/11/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Iraqi forces recapture western Mosul’s Aamel, hold off attack on Tal Afar airport
[Iraq News] Iraqi special forces recaptured Friday another district in western djinn-infested Mosul
... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn...
as operations against the Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
continue, also foiling an attack on a major military airport, according to security sources.

The Joint Operations Command said government forces recaptured al-Aamel district in southwest Mosul amid resistance from IS myrmidons.

Shafaaq news website had also quoted sources saying that the army’s 92nd brigade foiled an attack by IS on the Tal Afar military airport, a facility which al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Units) took over previously late 2016.

The Joint Operations Command said earlier on Friday that the government forces recaptured had the Nabi Sheet and Okaidat districts, both adjacent to the Old City, a major target for Iraqi troops leading the offensive against IS in western Mosul.

Sputnik News agency also quoted an Iraqi security source Friday saying that members from the Interior Ministry’s Rapid Response forces raised the Iraqi flag above the Paleostine Hotel.

Posted by: Fred || 03/11/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Clashes renew in western Anbar, 9 militants killed
[Iraq News] Iraqi security and allied militias clashed Friday with Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
Death Eaters near Anbar province’s borders with Syria, with nine Death Eaters left dead according to militia sources.

Border guards, backed by al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Units) rebuffed an attack by IS Death Eaters from several directions on a checkpoint in Okashat, west of Anbar, according to PMU local leader Wathiq al-Fartousi.

In a separate incident, nine Islamic State fighters were killed when security and militia troops detected their convoy near the borders with Syria, according to Shaker al-Rishawi, a commander of a so-called, pro-government "Desert Eagles Brigade".

According to Rishawi, who was quoted by al-Journal News website, the forces detected the group near al-Waleed border crossing with Syria. They were trying to pass to IS-held town of al-Qaem, according to Rishawi.

He said attempts by IS Death Eaters to sneak into Iraqi soil from Syria have receded by 60 percent due to losses they have been facing in djinn-infested Mosul
... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn...
. Is fighters currently have no other route except between Syria’s Boukamal region and Qaem.

Anbar’s western towns of Annah, Rawa and Qaem have been under Islamic State control since the group’s emergence in 2014, and thousands of civilians are said to be held as potential human shields, according to local officials.

Posted by: Fred || 03/11/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Iraqi forces recapture more villages at western Mosul town
[Iraq News] Iraqi government forces have become in control over the western bank of the Tigris River as they recaptured more villages around a strategic town in western djinn-infested Mosul
... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn...
, with operations continuing to clear the region from Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
holy warriors.

The Defense Ministry’s War Media Cell said Friday the forces took over the villages of Hamidat and Gammasa near the town of Badush. The outlet said the forces have become in full control over the western bank of the Tigris River.

Government troops and allied al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Units) have been liberating areas around the town and recently took over its infamous prison.

The Iraqi government launched a major offensive in February to retake western Mosul from Islamic State holy warriors. The forces recaptured the eastern side of the city late January after three months of fighting.

In the western region, Iraqi forces have made remarkable gains, taking over a government complex last week that hosts the governor’s office, a main central bank branch, a police department, a courthouse and other public facilities. The forces had earlier retaken the city’s airport and biggest military camp.

Posted by: Fred || 03/11/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


25 IS militants killed in central Mosul offensive
[Iraq News] The Iraqi Federal Police service said it killed 25 Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
bully boyz in central djinn-infested Mosul
... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn...
as joint forces proceed to clear the city’s western side from bully boys.

The service’s chief, Lt. Gen. Shaker Jawdat, said police commandos and Rapd Response forces members launched attacks from three axes on Bab al-Toub district, killing 25 bully boys, including three jacket wallahs, and destroyed nine booby-trapped vehicles belonging to the murderous Moslem group.

Jawdat added that his forces continue to evacuate migrant families from battlefields to camps in Khazer and Hammam al-Alil, both in Mosul.

The Iraqi government launched a major offensive in February to retake western Mosul from Islamic State bully boys. The forces recaptured the eastern side of the city late January after three months of fighting.

In the western region, Iraqi forces have made remarkable gains, taking over a government complex last week that hosts the governor’s office, a main central bank branch, a police department, a courthouse and other public facilities. The forces had earlier retaken the city’s airport and biggest military camp.

The army’s Counter-Terrorism Service said last week government forces had become in control over 60 percent of the western side. Generals from the Iraqi side and the allied U.S.-led coalition had estimated six months needed to fully liberate the city which fell to the murderous Moslem group in 2014.

Posted by: Fred || 03/11/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Britain
ISIS fanatic, 22, who plotted UK terror attack with undercover officer at British Library jailed nine years
Very known wolf exceeds British tolerance, is sent to jail.
[DailyMail]
  • Bangladesh-born Jaded Hussain, 22, could barely contain his glee as he talked of 'big ops' in UK

  • Planned to get together 'bunch of brothers' and to 'pop it off,' referring to bomb

  • Huge stash of IS propaganda found on Hussain's devices after he was arrested

  • Detained at An Noor Cultural and Community Centre on Church Road in Acton, west London in sting operation on April 28 2016 and faces being jailed at Old Bailey

  • Previously arrested at the Syrian border in 2015 by Turkey and sent back
Posted by: trailing wife || 03/11/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Could ISIS draw Israel in by threatening Jordan?
[GeopoliticalFutures]
Posted by: ryuge || 03/11/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State

#1  No.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 03/11/2017 4:07 Comments || Top||

#2  Could Iran draw Israel in by occupying the Golan Heights with Hezzies?

This seems to be happening now. How will/should Israel respond?

Thank goodness it's now President Trump not Obastard.
Posted by: AlanC || 03/11/2017 8:30 Comments || Top||

#3  If ISIS goes up against Israel they will quickly be destroyed, I think. Israelis fight like Western professional armies, not like Arabs. A few days ago the IDF released a brief video of a strike on IS in the Golan last year.
Posted by: trailing wife || 03/11/2017 10:43 Comments || Top||

#4  #3  If ISIS goes up against Israel they will quickly be destroyed, Our ISIS problem would be quickly solved.
Posted by: JohnQC || 03/11/2017 15:05 Comments || Top||

#5  Could Iran draw Israel in by occupying the Golan Heights with Hezzies?

Not happening. They're barely beating the rebels. Estimates are of 2000 KIA, accompanied by a lot of breast-beating and sackcloth and ashes. Another major clash with Israel would be much higher casualty. The Iranians want to keep Hezbollah alive, not cripple it with mass desertions.
Posted by: Zhang Fei || 03/11/2017 22:25 Comments || Top||


Home Front: WoT
Iraqi insurgent fighter allegedly lied about identity, got through 'extreme' vetting
[FoxNews] "When [Joint Terrorism Task Force] and the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Western District of Texas sought to prosecute this refugee, the local law enforcement and prosecutors allegedly ’met resistance’ from officials within the National Security Division’s Counter Terrorism section in Washington DC," Committee chairman Ron Johnson, R-Wis., said in a March 6 letter to U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

"The ’resistance’ allegedly occurred a few weeks before the 2016 election, and local authorities believed the lack of progress in this case was handled inadequately," Johnson wrote.

At some point, the Iraqi entered the U.S. through the refugee program. His activities
"Activities," you say.
in the U.S. triggered an investigation by JTTF members, who planned to charge him with visa fraud while they investigated possible further charges.
Posted by: Blossom Unains5562 || 03/11/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda

#1  It happened on President Obama's watch, but until the rules are changed, could easily be happening now. More from the article:

The suspect is an Iraqi man who had entered the U.S. under a false name. His real name was not released.

Fox News has learned the JTTF confirmed through U.S. Special Forces who encountered the suspect during operations that he claimed to have participated in attacks against American troops as an insurgent.

U.S. officials said earlier this week that nearly a third of the FBI’S 1,000 ongoing domestic terrorism investigations involve those admitted to the U.S. as refugees.

“Refugees are admitted to the U.S. based on the story they tell of persecution, and they are not required to produce identity documentation or other types of documentation,” Arnold said. “If the person seeking entry is a persecutor, he would have specificity in his story that matches information obtained by U.S. Customs and Immigration Services personnel adjudicating the events.”
Posted by: trailing wife || 03/11/2017 10:30 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
US lawmaker for declaring Pak ‘state sponsor of terror’
[Daily Excelsior] An influential US politician has sought a "radical reset" of ties with Islamabad and introduced a bill in the Congress that pushes the American government to declare Pakistain a "state sponsor of terrorism".

Congressman Ted Poe, Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Terrorism, introduced the Pakistain State Sponsor of Terrorism Act (HR 1449) in the US House of Representatives yesterday.

Introducing the bill, Poe said, "not only is Pakistain an untrustworthy ally, Islamabad has also aided and abetted enemies of the United States for years."

"From harbouring the late Osama bin Laden
... who doesn't live anywhere anymore...
to its cozy relationship with the Haqqani network, there is more than enough evidence to determine whose side Pakistain is on in the War on Terror. And it’s not America’s," he said.

"It is time we stop paying Pakistain for its betrayal and designate it for what it is: a state sponsor of terrorism," the Texas politician said.

The bill requires US President Donald Trump
...New York real estate developer, described by Dems as illiterate, racist, misogynistic, and what ever other unpleasant descriptions they can think of, elected by the rest of us as 45th President of the United States...
to issue a report within 90 days, detailing whether Pakistain has provided support for international terrorism.

Thirty days after that, the Secretary of State is required to a submit a follow-up report containing either a determination that Pakistain is a "state sponsor of terrorism", or a detailed justification why it does not meet the legal criteria for such a designation.

Separately in a joint piece in The National Interest magazine with James Clad, who was US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence for Asia in the George W Bush administration, Poe called for a "radical reset" of ties with Pakistain.

Arguing that all efforts to change Pakistain’s behaviour have failed, they said it was time that the US "sets, unilaterally, the limits of its indulgence".

They urged the US Government not to let the next crisis in South or Southwest Asia deflect America’s focus. "Don’t rush to shore up Pakistain’s balance of payments via the IMF or other intermediaries, as we’ve done in the past," they said.

"Let China pay that, if the Paks wish to mortgage their future in that way. (China’s ’One Belt, One Road’ infrastructure plans for Pakistain are running into big problems)," the two said in the piece.

They said, "something must change in US dealings with a terrorist-supporting, irresponsible nuclear-weapons state, and it must change soon." "Acquiescing in the current trends is not an option."

"Changing our reactive accommodating stance vis-a-vis Pakistain won’t come quickly. But it must change--irrespective of trends in US-India relations, which have steadily come to be on a sounder footing since the George W Bush administration. There’s a tendency to think of Pakistain as part of a troubling duality, with India and Pakistain in a death spiral. That’s out of date--and we have our issues with India too," Poe and Clad wrote.
Posted by: Fred || 03/11/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan


Great White North
Canada Province Appeals for Help with Asylum Seekers from US
[AnNahar] The leader of Canada's Manitoba province on Thursday appealed to Ottawa for help and additional resources amid a spike in the number of asylum seekers flowing in from the United States.

According to Premier Brian Pallister, the number of migrants colonists who have crossed the border between Canada and the United States in Manitoba has "more than doubled" in recent weeks, with related costs for the government more than doubling as well.

"This significant increase in demand is placing extreme pressure on those who deliver our services and on the resources that we have available to address the situation," the conservative leader said.

"We are proud to be part of team Canada but we need the federal government to step up and do its job."

US Homeland Security chief John Kelly is set to meet Friday with his Canadian counterpart Ralph Goodale and Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen to discuss the issue.

The uptick of asylum seekers seeking refuge in Canada comes as US President Donald Trump
...New York real estate developer, described by Dems as illiterate, racist, misogynistic, and what ever other unpleasant descriptions they can think of, elected by the rest of us as 45th President of the United States...
pledges to round up and deport undocumented immigrants colonists, as well as impose "extreme vetting" on travelers from several Moslem-majority countries.

From January 1 to February 21 about 4,000 people filed refugee claims in Canada, up from 2,500 during the same period last year, the Canada Border Services Agency said earlier this month.

The figure includes border jumpers and those arriving from the United States at border checkpoints.

Canadian authorities said some of the migrants colonists appeared to have intended from the start to come to Canada after flying to the United States on a visitor visa, while others came after being denied asylum south of the border or because they feared deportation.

Under a bilateral agreement, asylum-seekers from the United States are usually turned back at Canada's border crossings. But this does not apply to those crossing the border illegally in other places.

Manitoba shares a mostly non-existent border with the US states of North Dakota and Minnesota.
Update from An Nahar at 12:15 p.m. ET, after Secretary Kelly met with his Canadian counterparts yesterday:
Canada and the United States on Friday pledged to cooperate to determine why migrants are increasingly attempting to cross the border illegally into America's northern neighbor.

The pledge came after talks between Canadian Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale and visiting US Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly.

"No one is suggesting the construction of a wall along the Canadian border," Goodale told a news conference, referring to US President Donald Trump's plan to do just that on the Mexican border.

The "biographical and biometric data" of those who arrive in Canada seeking asylum will be further analyzed to try to understand how they got there, and to rule out "any concerns about terrorism," he added.

Kelly met with Goodale and other Canadian ministers away from the glare of the media's cameras.

In an interview with CBC public television, Kelly said he was "undecided" as to whether the flow of migrants into Canada was linked to Trump's revamped travel ban targeting refugees and citizens from six mainly-Muslim countries.

Most of those entering Canada illegally were legally in the United States, and "many of them have only been in the United States for a very short period of time -- days -- before they come over," Kelly said.
Posted by: trailing wife || 03/11/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Moslem Colonists

#1  Sorting out the border would be cheaper.

P.S. Asylum seekers have to claim in the first safe country so this article is #FakeNews from the title down.
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 03/11/2017 6:11 Comments || Top||

#2  Just think of it like (and the result of) Mexico's treatment of its border with the US.
Posted by: Pappy || 03/11/2017 14:18 Comments || Top||

#3  biometric data

Would that be to determine their ethnicity and country of origin?
Posted by: phil_b || 03/11/2017 19:38 Comments || Top||


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Syrian government urges U.N. to make Turkey withdraw from Syria
[Iraq News] The Syrian government has called on the United Nations
...the Oyster Bay money pit...
to force The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire....
to pull "its invasion forces" out of Syria, state media said on Friday.

Turkey’s military shelled Syrian government forces and their allies in northern Syria on Thursday, causing deaths and injuries, state-run SANA news agency reported.

Turkey launched its first major military incursion into Syria in August, deploying tanks and air power in support of rebel groups opposed to Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad
Leveler of Latakia...
Turkey’s operation aims to drive Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
from the border and stop Kurdish militias from gaining ground in their wake.

Syria’s foreign ministry urged the U.N. secretary general and security council to "force Turkey to withdraw its invasion forces from Syrian land and stop the attacks", SANA said.

The Syrian government blames Turkey for "killing tens of thousands of its innocent sons and destroying Syrian infrastructure", it added.

Posted by: Fred || 03/11/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Syria

#1  The UN?
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 03/11/2017 14:41 Comments || Top||


Iraq
Former Yadizi sex slave fears plea for help ignored by world
[Iraq News] An Iraqi Yazidi woman held as a sex slave by Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
forces of Evil says her advocacy for other victims has left her completely exhausted and frustrated that her captors have not faced justice.

Nadia Murad and her attorney Amal Clooney appeared at a United Nations
...boodling on the grand scale...
event on Thursday to ask that the crimes of Islamic State forces of Evil be investigated and prosecuted, and they criticized the international body for inaction.

Murad, who turned 24 on Friday, was among thousands of women and girls kidnapped, tortured and sexually abused by myrmidon fighters in northwest Iraq in 2014.

She first spoke before the U.N. Security Council in 2015 and has become an advocate for the Yazidi, speaking to governments and appealing to the international community to act.

"It is very hard to come here every time, and nothing tangible takes place," Murad told the Thomson Rooters Foundation after her appearance at the United Nations. "It’s very hard for the victims as well to hear there is no progress."

Murad said she was kidnapped from her village in Iraq and taken to the Islamic State stronghold of djinn-infested Mosul
... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn...
. She was tortured and repeatedly raped before she escaped three months later.

The Yazidi, a religious sect whose beliefs combine elements of ancient Middle Eastern religions, are regarded by Islamic State as devil-worshippers.

In her speech at the U.N. event on accountability for crimes committed by Islamic State, the slight, soft-spoken Murad said: "I am physically and emotionally exhausted.... I have put my personal life aside to seek justice, rather than focusing on my own healing."

Six of Murad’s family members, including a toddler not yet 3 years old, remain captives of Islamic State, and her sister-in-law escaped after nearly 30 months.

Murad said her advocacy has put others in her family in danger.

Posted by: Fred || 03/11/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State

#1  It's not that we don;t care, it's what can we do? It's not like the cops can simply go in, investigate and arrest the perpetrators.
Posted by: Seeking cure for ignorance || 03/11/2017 10:49 Comments || Top||

#2  That and it being a matter of demographics, the 'wrong' ones in particular.
Posted by: Pappy || 03/11/2017 14:20 Comments || Top||


Olde Tyme Religion
Couple arrested in the United Arab Emirates for 'having sex outside marriage'
[Independent] Woman detained for further examination after doctor discovered she is pregnant

A couple have been detained in the United Arab Emirates for having sex outside of marriage, according to a relative.

The South African man and his Ukranian fiancee were reportedly arrested after a doctor in Abu Dhabi
Wonder how their recognition of "Day Without a Woman" went...
who treated Ms Nohai for stomach cramps discovered she was pregnant.

Emlyn Culverwell‚ 29, and Iryna Nohai, 27, have not yet been charged by authorities in the Islamic country, who are reportedly still turning diplomatic screws investigating.

"The South African Government is aware of the case, but unfortunately cannot provide legal assistance. As [the] department all we can do is monitor the situation and try to ensure that they are fairly treated."

In 2008, a British couple, Vince Acors and Michelle Palmer, were given jail sentences for having sex in public in the UAE after they were caught together on a Dubai beach ‐ although they had their sentences suspended when they signed a court document agreeing to marry on their return to England.

The promised marriage did not happen, not least because Mr Acors had a wife already.
Well, I guess UAE has taken the "fool me once..." position. Gotta be some kind of Karmic timing for the couple. Bummer.
Posted by: Blossom Unains5562 || 03/11/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:


Southeast Asia
Fatal shooting linked to 21 other attacks in Thai south
[The Nation] Ten people were apprehended over the March 2 fatal shooting of four people, including assistant village chief Somchai Thongchan and an eight-year-old boy, in Narathiwat province. A 12-year-old girl was also injured in the shooting.

A police forensic investigation found that five rifles and one pistol were used in the assault, which they linked to 21 other violent attacks in the region, including the July 6, 2015 attack that killed one man and injured three others in Yala's Raman district, the July 31, 2015 assault of a military outpost in Yaha district and an October 17, 2015 shooting that wounded four people in Reu So district.
Posted by: ryuge || 03/11/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:


-Obits-
Air Force Sergeant Cradles Dead Military Dog Draped In US Flag After Heartbreaking Decision To Put Him Down
If dogs don't go to Heaven, no one does.
Posted by: charger || 03/11/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Had to put down 4 dogs, 4 cats and a horse in the last 40 years. It sucked everytime despite the fact that it was always the right thing to do.

My heart goes out to him.
Posted by: AlanC || 03/11/2017 17:32 Comments || Top||


Home Front: Culture Wars
Taking Back the Rainbow
[Moonbattery] The unidentified 16-year-old posted "Straight Pride" posters at Jasper High School last week, and the hilarious notices are not going over so well with school officials, the Dubois County Herald reports.

"Celebrate being straight at JHS by not annoying the heck out of everyone about your sexual orientation!" read the flyers, posted in the school’s hallways after classes last Thursday. "It’s easy! Just come to the JHS, then you go about your day without telling everyone about how ’different’ and ’special’ you are!" ...

Principal Brian Wilson told the news site the posters were tacked up on hallway display areas throughout the school but removed before students returned for class on Friday. School officials identified the student responsible for putting them up, but Wilson refused to say whether the student will be punished for the stunt.
Posted by: Blossom Unains5562 || 03/11/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  "Celebrate being straight at JHS by not annoying the heck out of everyone about your sexual orientation!" read the flyers, posted in the school’s hallways after classes last Thursday. "It’s easy! Just come to the JHS, then you go about your day without telling everyone about how ’different’ and ’special’ you are!" ...
What a great idea. Could we extend this concept to other "special group" too?
Posted by: JohnQC || 03/11/2017 15:14 Comments || Top||


Africa Horn
AMISOM takes stock of its operations in Somalia
[ShabelleNews] AMISOM is seeking a new approach to bringing peace and stability to Somalia.

The AU Special Representative for Somalia and Head of AMISOM Ambassador Francisco Caetano Madeira told a high-level meeting of AU officials, donors and other stakeholders, that the current arrangement that relies on military onslaught against the Al Shabaab militants may not achieve its desired goals, of delivering sustainable stability in the Horn of Africa country.

Ambassador Madeira is asking for a surge in AMISOM troops, to help the new Somalia government and its security forces exercise authority over areas already liberated by the Mission.

“We are now ten years, we have achieved a lot (in the past ten years); we are keeping the government in place; nobody can question that. We are keeping the regional governments in place; we supported the two elections, the latest one, we secured that election; and the president was elected in a very consensual way; we did all these things,” Madeira observed.

AMISOM has been in Somalia for exactly a decade this week. Thus, the two-day meeting in the outskirts of Kenya’s capital Nairobi, is taking stock of the Mission’s performance within that period and charting the next way forward. The meeting is part of events that culminate in May, to mark ten years of the Mission’s presence in Somalia.

Ambassador Madeira said the Somalia security forces in their current state cannot adequately exercise authority on areas liberated by AMISOM. “The way we handled it militarily is that we’d go there, flash out Al Shabaab and protect the government. We then started training Somalis to take over. We were to liberate Mogadishu (Somali Capital). We felt that we’d do it and the Somalia National Army (SNA) would come in later.”

He stated that SNA has its inadequacies and has not been able to take full charge of Somalia’s security, as it should. “Those who should be fighting expect us to protect them,” he said, adding that AMISOM was fighting Al Shabaab and protecting the Federal Government of Somalia, at the same time.

“It’s time we made it known that AMISOM is not going to stay forever,” he noted.

Pertinent, is to form a full functional national Army, have government exercise authority and address the problems facing the population – historical clan rivalry, land ownership and sharing, cattle rustling, power sharing, and stealing wimmin reasons that attract the youth to the Al Shabaab, the Head of AMISOM advised.

“They (Somalis) have to have an army. And how will that be done? I think again we have identified; these things must be done concomitantly, and what are the things that need to be done concomitantly? We have to form the army, we have to help the government to exercise its authority all throughout the country and we have to have the government address the real problems that are dividing the people of Somalia.”

He drew parallels between the Somalia strife and the terrorism conflict that almost tore apart Algeria and said it was possible to bring peace to the former.

“Algeria succeeded in ending the conflict. They trained their forces.”
Those forces then killed a lot of people...
“What we are doing in Lower Jubba is what we should have done from the beginning,” he explained, in apparent reference to a region in South Central Somalia, where the SNA and AMISOM troops have actively encountered Al Shabaab.

He urged donors to stay with Somalia at this critical hour, when the country has a promising and forward-looking federal government. Apart from additional troops, the Mission also requires more funds for Land Cruisers and houseboys to engage in a comprehensive approach to peace, which involves not just military response, but also mediation, negotiation and engaging an all-inclusive mechanism to conflict resolution.

“It is also clear that as the mission moves into the next challenging phase of security transition, it should engage with the diverse range of distinguished experts as represented here to ensure the best practise is understood and a clear way forward identified,” Colonel Richard Leakey, the Commander of the British Peace Support Team in Eastern African (BPST-EA) told the meeting.

He described the meeting in Nairobi as critical because its outcome would be a “stepping stone” to talks scheduled May in London, United Kingdom, expected to draw a comprehensive architecture for peace in Somalia. Britain is sponsoring and facilitating the Nairobi meeting.

“London is very interested in these talks,” he said, expressing his gratitude to the African Union Commission for taking up the idea to stabilize Somalia. He added to say that the people in Somalia deserve a chance for a new beginning.

Maj. Gen. Francis Okello, AMISOM former Force Commander, is representing the African Union Commission (AU Commission) at the meeting. He said the outcome of the deliberations would “provide basis for strategic engagement and future of AMISOM”.

The Commission “expects frank, critical, forward-looking and constructive engagement (at the meeting),” Maj. Gen Okello said.
Posted by: Steve White || 03/11/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Shabaab (AQ)

#1  Whatever you folks come up with will be fine with me. Please keep us posted. Afri Solutions to Afri Problems (ASAP)
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/11/2017 2:23 Comments || Top||

#2  Beats Chinese solution to African problems?
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 03/11/2017 3:55 Comments || Top||

#3  Get Planned Parenthood to set up in Somalia, problem solved!
Posted by: Seeking cure for ignorance || 03/11/2017 6:55 Comments || Top||

#4  Yeah, I don't think they'd go much for the candlelight vigils and pink P-Hats, SCFI
Posted by: Mullah Richard || 03/11/2017 16:31 Comments || Top||


China-Japan-Koreas
Over 90 U.S. congressmen sign THAAD resolution
More than 90 U.S. congressmen have signed a latest congressional resolution calling for the swift deployment of an advanced anti-missile system in South Korea to counter North Koran threats since its proposal early last month, a U.S. broadcaster reported Friday.

As of Thursday, a total of 93 Democratic and Republican congressmen have signed the H. Res. 92 since it was proposed by Rep. Joe Wison on Dec. 7, Voice of America (VOA) said. In particular, 16 legislators left their signature on Monday alone, one day after the North test-fired four Scud-ER missiles with a range of 500-700 kilometers, the broadcaster said.

Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, the resolution condemns the North's development of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), and urges the prompt deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in South Korea to counter the North's nuclear threat.

The resolution also reaffirms the U.S. support of a layered, interoperable, multi-tier missile defense system to protect Americans and allies on the Korean Peninsula.

In a separate statement on Wednesday, Wilson welcomed the recent start of the South Korea-U.S. THAAD installation, saying the deployment will counter the North's offensive acts, and realize peace on the Korean Peninsula via power.
Posted by: Steve White || 03/11/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [1 views] Top|| File under: Commies

#1  Thanks!
Posted by: newc || 03/11/2017 1:56 Comments || Top||


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Turkey: 71 Syrian Kurdish fighters killed in northern Syria
[AlAhram] The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire....
's military says Turkish troops and Turkey-backed Syrian opposition forces have killed -- or "neutralized" -- 71 Syrian Kurdish fighters in northern Syria this week.

The operations are part of Turkey's months-long incursion into its war-torn neighbor in a push against the Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
group but also in an effort to restrict U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish militias, which Ankara has declared a terrorist organization and which it considers to be linked to its home-grown Kurdish insurgency.

Friday's military statement says that since the Turkish operation started in August, the joint Turkish and Syrian opposition forces killed as many as 2,647 IS Lions of Islam and 425 Syrian Kurdish fighters in Syria.

It says that more than 2,000 square kilometers (772 square miles) in northern Syria are now under control of the Turkish-backed forces.
Posted by: trailing wife || 03/11/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Sublime Porte


Home Front: WoT
Latest bomb scare hits Jewish senior center in Brooklyn
[IsraelTimes] Brooklyn Jewish senior center received a bomb threat on Friday, in the latest scare this month, coming a day after the Jewish Children’s Museum in the same New York borough was evacuated due to a similar threat.

According to local reports, the Jasa Senior Citizen Center on Coney Island Avenue in Brooklyn received the threat in the form of a text message at 8:45 a.m. local time. It was not clear if the center was evacuated.
Posted by: trailing wife || 03/11/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:


Orlando judge revokes bond for widow of Pulse nightclub shooter who will now stay in jail until her trial
- Noor Salman was ordered released on $500,000 bond last week by a
Caliphornia magistrate
judge

- But a federal
US District
judge reversed the decision and ordered her to stay in jail

- She faces charges of aiding and abetting her husband, Omar Mateen

- Last year, Mateen committed deadliest mass shooting in US history

- Forty-nine people died and dozens were wounded at Pulse nightclub in Orlando
The speed of unstupid is approximately 55 days?



This article starring:
Noor Salman
Posted by: Blossom Unains5562 || 03/11/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State

#1  Public: "Good"
Posted by: Frank G || 03/11/2017 0:23 Comments || Top||

#2  Wow, a reasonable precaution from a Federal court!
What's this world coming to?
Posted by: Skidmark || 03/11/2017 3:35 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
No lasting actions taken by Pakistani military against Haqqani network: Gen. Votel
[Khaama (Afghanistan)] The commander of the United States Central Command General Joseph L. Votel has said the Pak military and security services have not taken lasting actions against the notorious Haqqani terrorist network inside its soil so far.

In his statement before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Gen. Votel said "Pakistain remains a critical partner in the counter-terrorism fight. Twenty U.S-designated terrorist organizations operate in the Afghanistan-Pakistain sub-region; seven of the 20 organizations are in Pakistain."

Gen. Votel further added "So long as these groups maintain safe haven inside of Pakistain they will threaten long-term stability in Afghanistan. Of particular concern to us is the Haqqani Network (HQN) which poses the greatest threat to coalition forces operating in Afghanistan."

"To date, the Pakistain military and security services have not taken lasting actions against HQN. We have consistently called upon the Paks to take the necessary actions to deny turbans safe haven and improve security in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) along the Afghanistan-Pakistain border region," he added.

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...
he said "We have seen some promising coordination between the Pakistain and Afghanistan militaries aimed at addressing instability in the Afghanistan-Pakistain border region. The Pakistain military in particular continues to conduct counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations in the FATA and facilitate, via ground and air lines of communication, the sustainment of coalition operations in Afghanistan."

Posted by: Fred || 03/11/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistain Proxies

#1  "Well, of course not. He's our tool"
Posted by: Frank G || 03/11/2017 1:40 Comments || Top||

#2  If your actions won't be lasting, why take them at all?


Oh, right, PR.
Posted by: AlanC || 03/11/2017 7:22 Comments || Top||


Economy
Huge New Oil Discovery near NorthSlope Alaska
[CNN] Some 1.2 billion barrels of oil have been discovered in Alaska, marking the biggest onshore discovery in the U.S. in three decades.

The massive find of conventional oil on state land could bring relief to budget pains in Alaska brought on by slumping production in the state and the crash in oil prices.

The new discovery was made in just the past few days in Alaska's North Slope, which was previously viewed as an aging oil basin.

Spanish oil giant Repsol (REPYY) and its privately-held U.S. partner Armstrong Energy announced the find on Thursday, predicting production could begin as soon as 2021 and lead to as much as 120,000 barrels of output per day.
winners: Armstrong, Reposol, the Alaska Pipeline, Alaska sovereign fund, US Economy

losers: Mid East producers, peak oil theory
Posted by: lord garth || 03/11/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [2 views] Top|| File under:

#1  All the protesters from pipeline now on their way to Alaska?
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 03/11/2017 3:59 Comments || Top||

#2  If all the oil was made millions of years ago from rotting dinosaurs, where is all this new oil coming from?

Somehow I think the geology might be as well understood as climate change.
Posted by: AlanC || 03/11/2017 7:43 Comments || Top||

#3  All the protesters from pipeline now on their way to Alaska?

They'll love the 'balmy' 0-degree (F) average temp for this time of year, and there's usually a nice breeze to go along with it.

Still better than 'mosquito weather' there that occurs during July-August. (Doesn't really matter what the weather is doing, there will be many many mosquitoes)
Posted by: Mullah Richard || 03/11/2017 8:35 Comments || Top||

#4  Alan, a lot of geologists now think that oil and gas are produced naturally by the planet itself. They have found hydrocarbons in asteroids and planets as well as organic molecules. When the earth came together the heat and pressure forced them out and it collects together under faults according to the theory.
There is a limited amount true, but oil and gas could be still be produced this very day by the planet itself.
Posted by: DarthVader || 03/11/2017 9:04 Comments || Top||

#5  About 30 years ago (not in dog years either) it was surmised that the oil today is from the original material that formed the Earth. It keeps seeping up through the crust and collects in pockets.
[boring geekasm off]
Posted by: AlmostAnonymous5839 || 03/11/2017 9:11 Comments || Top||

#6  The planet (maybe all planets to a degree) are chemical reactors. Pressure, temperature and time and source materials (CHO(N)) are all there in yuge amounts.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike || 03/11/2017 10:02 Comments || Top||

#7  Peak what?
Posted by: no mo uro || 03/11/2017 10:06 Comments || Top||

#8  Wait, Whiskey, Almost, darth......are you saying the science ISN'T settled???

Imagine that.

/sarc
Posted by: AlanC || 03/11/2017 10:15 Comments || Top||

#9  I number of years ago. I attended an American Petroleum Institute presentation with my Dad. The presenter was up in arms over ANWR and Clinton's decision to forbid drilling.

He said the Clinton Administration DELIBERATELY (Imagine that) understated the amount of oil reserves in ANWR by a factor of more than 10. The amount of oil in ANWR alone is enough to meet the petroleum needs of the ENTIRE US for approximately 100 years according to this guy...vast, I mean freaking vast amounts of oil up there. This is almost old news to me.
Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom || 03/11/2017 14:01 Comments || Top||

#10  You never really know how much oil there is until you pump it out of the ground.
Posted by: Glenmore || 03/11/2017 14:29 Comments || Top||

#11  Of course, the Greens will soon be shouting "Keep the oil in the ground where it belongs. We don't need oil. We use unicorn farts and pixie dust."
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia || 03/11/2017 17:59 Comments || Top||

#12  So Sarah's "bridge to nowhere" ends in a pool of oil?
Posted by: Skidmark || 03/11/2017 21:56 Comments || Top||


Britain
UK can deny Sudan-born terror suspect’s citizenship, court rules
[ShabelleNews] A terror suspect has lost a human rights fight against a decision to bar him from returning to Britain and strip him of his UK citizenship.
Go to Sudan, stay in Sudan. Seems to be ample punishment...
The Sudanese national was suspected of taking part in terrorism-related activities linked to the extremist group al Shabaab.

In 2010, the British Government deprived him of his UK citizenship and barred him from re-entering the country.

The man, who has not been named, brought a case against the measures at the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). He claimed they violated his right to respect for private and family life, and had been discriminatory.

But judges at the Strasbourg court unanimously declared the application inadmissible.

The man, referred to as K2, was born in Sudan in 1982 and arrived in Britain as a child. He became a naturalised UK citizen in 2000. Nine years later he left the country after being arrested and charged with a public order offence arising out his participation in protests against Israeli military action in Gaza.

He says he went directly to Sudan, where he currently lives. But UK authorities assessed he first travelled with two extremist associates to Somalia, where he engaged in terrorism-related activities linked to al Shabaab.

In June 2010, then home secretary Theresa May made an order depriving him of his UK citizenship. She also notified K2 of her decision to exclude him from the UK on the ground he was “involved in terrorism-related activities” and had “links to a number of Islamic extremists”.

K2 fought the moves in the UK courts, saying he could rebut the terrorism allegations but was unable to do so while he remained in Sudan. He claimed he feared his communications were subject to surveillance and communicating about his case would expose him to a risk of harm.

This argument was rejected by British judges, who also went on to dismiss his appeal against the decision to deprive him of his UK citizenship.

The man’s complaint at the ECtHR centres on Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The clause states everyone has a right to respect for their private and family life.
Which means whatever the elites want it to mean...
In its decision, the court said it accepted an “arbitrary” denial of citizenship may, in certain circumstances, raise an issue under Article 8. But it found no such issue arose in this case, and concluded the claim that deprivation of citizenship breached Article 8 was “manifestly ill-founded”.

Judges also concluded the decision to exclude the man from the UK was not disproportionate with the legitimate aim of protecting the public from the threat of terrorism.
Posted by: Steve White || 03/11/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Moslem Colonists

#1  Huh, another reasonable measure by a state to protect it's citizens.

Did I fall asleep and wake up in Wonderland?
Posted by: Skidmark || 03/11/2017 3:37 Comments || Top||

#2  It's only Wonderland, Skid, when this becomes unremarkable behavior.

Now this is no different that a warm day in January.
Posted by: AlanC || 03/11/2017 7:20 Comments || Top||


-Land of the Free
This Week in Guns, March 11th, 2017


By Chris Covert
Rantburg.com

Some pro gun people say that gun control laws are about control. Seeing the laws being considered recently, I would have to say that gun control laws are intended to use the law against political opponents, under the guise of public safety. That is not control. That is an assault by one political group against another using the apparatus of the state.

Hawaii is about to become another gun control basket case. The new law will weaponize interpersonal relationships against gun owners.

Brushbeater has compiled a list on assembling a combat rifle, which is helpful in states where those firearms are banned.

I don't have the link, but over the last 10 days I have been reading that the left is warning its members about arming up against their political opponents. That would be the grand majority of regulars in Rantburg. Nothing good can come of this, but it appears to be unstoppable. See the item above for more information.

Loads.

Rantburg's summary for arms and ammunition:

Prices for pistol ammunition were mostly steady. Prices for rifle ammunition were mostly steady.

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

New Lows:

Arizona: .223/5.56mm (AR Pattern Semiautomatic): Palmetto State Armory: $450

Pistol Ammunition

.45 Caliber, 230 Grain, From Last Week: -.01 Each After Unchanged (4Q, 2016)
Cheapest, 50 rounds: Outdoor Limited, Tulammo, FMJ, Steel Casing, .23 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 500 rounds: FedArm, Own Brand, TMJ, Brass Casing, Reloads, .23 per round (From Last week: Unchanged (7 Weeks))

.40 Caliber Smith & Wesson, 180 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (4 Weeks)
Cheapest, 50 rounds: Freedom Munitions, Own Brand, FMJ, Brass Casing, Reloads, .21 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 500 rounds: Ammunition 2 Go, Tulammo, Steel Casing, FMJ, .21 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (4 Weeks)

9mm Parabellum, 115 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (4Q, 2016)
Cheapest, 50 rounds: Outdoor Limited, Tulammo, FMJ, Steel Casing, .15 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 500 rounds: Outdoor Limited, Tulammo, FMJ, Steel Casing, .15 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (5 Weeks))

.357 Magnum, 158 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (7 Weeks)
Cheapest, 50 rounds: Outdoor Limited, Tulammo, FMJ, Steel Casing, .24 per round
Cheapest Bulk: 1,000 rounds: Outdoor Limited, Tulammo, FMJ, Steel casing, .24 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (7 Weeks))

.38 Special, 158 Grain, From Last Week: -.01 Each After Unchanged (2 Weeks)
Cheapest, 50 rounds: AmmoValley, Own Brand, FP, Brass Casing, Reloads .24 per round
Cheapest Bulk: 500 rounds: Hyperion Munitions, Own Brand, RN, Brass casing, Reloads .25 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (2 Weeks))

Rifle Ammunition

.223 Caliber/5.56mm 55 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (5 Weeks)
Cheapest, 20 rounds: Outdoor Unlimited, Wolf WPA, FMJ, Steel Casing, .21 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 1,000 rounds: SG Supply, Wolf WPA, FMJ, Steel Casing, .21 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (2 Weeks)

.308 NATO 150 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (7 Weeks)
Cheapest, 20 rounds: Alamo Ammo, Tulammo, FMJ, Steel Casing, .31 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 500 rounds: LAX Ammunition, Tulammo, FMJ, Steel Casing, .32 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (7 Weeks)

7.62x39mm AK 123 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (5 Weeks)
Cheapest, 20 rounds: Ammo King, Wolf WPA, Steel Case, FMJ, .20 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 1,000 rounds: SG Ammo, Wolf WPA, Steel Case, FMJ, .21 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (2 Weeks))

.30-06 Springfield 145 Grain. From Last Week: -.11 Each After Unchanged (7 Weeks)
Cheapest, 20 rounds: Outdoor Unlimited, Wolf WPA, Steel Case, FMJ, .54 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 500 rounds: United Nations Ammo, Wolf WPA, Steel Case, FMJ, .54 per round (From Last week: Unchanged (3 Weeks))

.300 Winchester Magnum 150 Grain, From Last Week: +.02 Each After Unchanged (2 Weeks)
Cheapest, 20 rounds: Ammunition Depot, Prvi Partizan, Brass Case, SP, .95 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 1,000 rounds: Ammo Liquidator, Hornady Whitetail, Brass Case, SP, 1.04 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (6 Weeks))

.338 Lapua Magnum 250 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (2 Weeks)
Cheapest, 20 rounds: Selway Armory, Prvi Partizan, Brass Case, JSP, 2.38 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 200 rounds: Target Sports USA, Prvi Partizan, Brass Case, FMJ, 2.40 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (8 Weeks)

.22 LR 40 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (4 Weeks)
Cheapest, 50 rounds: Ammomen, Federal, RNL, .05 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 325 rounds: Ammomen, Federal Champion, RNL, .05 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (2 Weeks))

Guns for Private Sale
Rifles


.223/5.56mm (AR Pattern Semiautomatic) Average Price: $496 Last Week Avg: $502(-) ($616 (2Q, 2015), $468 (13 Weeks))
Arizona (139, 136): Palmetto State Armory: $450 ($600 (8 Weeks), $450 (CA:$500 (9 Weeks)))
Texas (348, 359): DPMS: $500 ($700 (1Q, 2015), $350 (2Q, 2015))
Pennsylvania (180, 172): Palmetto State Armory: $500 ($700 (2Q, 2015), $300 (3Q, 2015))
Virginia (215, 215): Mixed Build: $550 ($750 (1Q, 2015), $415 (13 Weeks))
Florida (453, 441): Mixed Build: $480 ($650 (2Q, 2015), $380 (1Q, 2015))

.308 NATO (AR-10 Pattern Semiautomatic) Average Price: $878 Last Week Avg: $970(-) ($1,359 (2Q, 2015), $820 (3Q, 2015))
Arizona (36, 32): Armalite: $1,000 ($1,350 (4 Weeks)), $650 (9 Weeks))
Texas (121, 121): DPMS Oracle LR308: $850 ($1,500 (4Q, 2014), $700 (32 Weeks))
Pennsylvania (43, 39): DPMS: $890 ($1,600 (17 Weeks), $700 (3Q, 2015))
Virginia (61, 60): DPMS Oracle LR-308: $800 ($2,750 (1Q, 2016), $750 (4 Weeks))
Florida (77, 73): Mixed Build: $850 ($1,950 (44 Weeks), $500 (3Q, 2015))

7.62x39mm (AK Pattern Semiautomatic) Average Price: $606 Last Week Avg: $575(+) ($668 (26 Weeks)), $450 (3Q, 2015))
Arizona (29, 27): CAI C39v2: $650 ($650 (10 Weeks)), $500 (9 Weeks))
Texas (95, 88): Century Arms RAS 47: $550 ($800 (1Q, 2016, $350 (3Q, 2014))
Pennsylvania (47, 49): M-70AB-2 Underfolder: $600 ($750 (1Q, 2015), $375 (1Q, 2015))
Virginia (44, 36): ROMAK: $700 ($700 (39 Weeks), $350 (1Q, 2015))
Florida (134, 139): IO: $530 ($700 (1Q, 2016), $300 (4Q, 2014))

30-30 Winchester Lever Action Average Price: $360 Last Week Avg: $375(-) ($495 (22 Weeks), $296 (3Q, 2015))
Arizona (6, 7): Winchester Ranger: $450 ($500 (8 Weeks), $450 (2 Weeks))
Texas (14, 17): Winchester 94: $300 ($550 (1Q, 2015), $300 (1Q, 2015))
Pennsylvania (12, 14): Marlin: $300 ($450 (1Q, 2015), $250 (4Q, 2014))
Virginia (18, 17): Marlin: $350 ($670 (42 Weeks)), $250 (4Q, 2015))
Florida (22, 19): Winchester 94: $400 ($500 (1Q, 2015), $250 (2Q, 2015))

Pistols

.45 caliber ACP (M1911 Pattern Semiautomatic Pistol) Average Price: $404 Last Week Avg: $460(-) ($515 (31 Weeks)), $350 (4Q, 2015))
Arizona (78, 88): Tanfoglio 1911: $500 ($600 (6 Weeks), $400 (10 Weeks))
Texas (280, 259): Kimber: $300 ($600 (4Q, 2014), $300 (14 Weeks))
Pennsylvania (147, 146): Israel Arms LTD 1911: $500 ($575 (9 Weeks), $300 (2Q, 2015))
Virginia (138, 149): Rock Island Armory: $425 ($600 (6 Weeks)), $250 (4Q, 2014))
Florida (336, 343): Llama 1911: $300 ($500 (1Q, 2016), $250 (1Q, 2015))

9mm (Beretta 92FS or other Semiautomatic) Average Price: $254 Last Week Avg: $246(+) ($358 (1Q, 2016), $231 (10 Weeks))
Arizona (137, 129): Smith & Wesson SD9VE: $300 ($320 (6 Weeks), $275 (10 Weeks))
Texas (358, 359): Taurus Slim 709: $225 ($355 (1Q, 2015), $200 (3Q, 2015))
Pennsylvania (299, 294): Smith & Wesson SW9VE: $250 ($350 (4Q 2014), $150 (3 Weeks))
Virginia (236, 242): Diamondback DB9FS: $299 ($425 (4Q, 2016), $189 (49 Weeks))
Florida (514, 526): Keltec P11: $200 ($400 (51 Weeks), $190 (31 Weeks))

.40 caliber S&W (Glock or other semiautomatic) Average Price: $339 Last Week Avg: $325(+) ($399 (1Q, 2016), $262 (39 Weeks))
Arizona (33, 37): Glock 35: $400 ($500 (9 Weeks)), $300 (7 Weeks)
Texas (125, 125): Smith & Wesson SD40: $275 ($425 (4Q, 2014), ($210 (24 Weeks))
Pennsylvania (93, 95): Springfield XD40: $350 ($450 (47 Weeks), $200 (27 Weeks))
Virginia (85, 90): Smith & Wesson SD40VE: $320 ($450 (2Q, 2015), $275 (1Q, 2015))
Florida (146, 159): Smith & Wesson SW40V: $350 ($400 (1Q, 2015), $199 (4Q, 2015))

Used Gun of the Week: (Tennessee)
Tavor Sar Bullpup rifle chambered in 5.56x45 NATO
Posted by: badanov || 03/11/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1 
Posted by: Skidmark || 03/11/2017 4:13 Comments || Top||

#2  I like Brushbeater. He reads well but sometimes I just can't parse the words he strings together.
"The maximum barrel length needed on a fighting 5.56 is 16 inches- there’s nothing a longer barrel will do for 5.56 that stepping up in caliber would do better."

I think he's suggesting long barrel advocates seeking more energy/accuracy should get a bigger bullet.

Or, he means the 5.56 CAN be juiced up with a longer barrel. I've found a fluted 20" stainless gives me just a little more reach. I offset the added carry weight with 5 round mags instead of 15. I'm not fighting, I'm shooting.
Posted by: Skidmark || 03/11/2017 4:47 Comments || Top||

#3  The Russian produce the RPK-74, an AK-74 variant, which has a 23 inch barrel instead of a 16 inch barrel. Used as a light machine gun. The extra barrel length doubles its effective range to 1,000 meters.
Posted by: badanov || 03/11/2017 10:32 Comments || Top||

#4  From the Brushbeater link;
This is the major qualm I have with homebuilt guns - if they're sourced from a variety of makers, then there's no established standard.

This may have been true at one time but it's essentially a myth still held by the purists. Many gun makers parts come from the same OEM's just with their unique badges. That said, there's still a fair amount of less than quality parts around. But you can weed out the inferior stuff with even a casual amount of research. Now, to insure proper headspace (out of the box) it's not a bad idea to buy barrels and BCG's from the same quality mfg. Not mandatory, of course, but the ole 'Buy once cry once' certainly can apply.
Posted by: DepotGuy || 03/11/2017 13:08 Comments || Top||

#5  Hawaii is about to become another gun control basket case. Perhaps Trump's EO should be extended to keeping Hawaiians out of mainland U.S.--too lefty; they are a danger to the rest of us.
Posted by: JohnQC || 03/11/2017 14:59 Comments || Top||

#6  WRT laws: the Sullivan Act history
Posted by: james || 03/11/2017 17:28 Comments || Top||


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Turkey seeks to build Syrian military cooperation with Russia
[Iraq News] President Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan the First
... Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him...
sought to build cooperation with Russian leader Vladimir Putin
...Second and fourth President and sixth of the Russian Federation and the first to remain sober. Putin is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law, which occasionally results in somebody dropping dead from polonium poisoning. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to Putin. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile or dead...
on Friday over military operations in Syria, as The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire....
attempts to create a border "safe zone" free of Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
and the Kurdish YPG militia.

Erdogan, referring to Islamic State’s remaining stronghold, told a joint Moscow news conference with the Russian President "Of course, the real target now is Raqqa".

Turkey is seeking a role for its military in the advance on Raqqa, but the United States is veering towards enlisting the Kurdish YPG militia ‐ something contrary to Ankara’s aim of banishing Kurdish fighters eastwards across the Euphrates river.

Turkey considers the YPG the Syrian arm of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) that has been fighting an insurrection on Turkish soil for 30 years. Washington, like Ankara, considers the PKK a terrorist group, but it backs the YPG.

Russian-backed forces of Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad
Lord of the Baath...
are also operating in the north of the country, close to Turkish borders. Washington and Moscow are concerned fast-moving military developments could lead to serious festivities between Turkish forces and the YPG.

"It should now be accepted that a terrorist organization cannot be defeated with another one," Erdogan said, referring to the enlistment of YPG by the United States to fight Islamic State.

"As a country that has been battling terror for 35 years, terrorist organizations like ISIS (Islamic State), the YPG, Nusra front and others are organizations we face at all times."

Posted by: Fred || 03/11/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Sublime Porte



Who's in the News
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1al-Qaeda
1Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis (IS)

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Two weeks of WOT
Sat 2017-03-11
  Syrian force a ‘few weeks’ from Raqqa, U.S. Marines deployed
Fri 2017-03-10
   Ax attacker at Düsseldorf main train station arrested
Thu 2017-03-09
  Baghdadi abandons Mosul fight to field commanders
Wed 2017-03-08
  IS gunmen dressed as medics kill 30 at Kabul military hospital
Tue 2017-03-07
  Mufti Hannan jailbreak attempt fails
Mon 2017-03-06
  New wave of US air raids on Qaeda in Yemen
Sun 2017-03-05
  Jordan hangs 15 death row prisoners at dawn in further break from moratorium on executions
Sat 2017-03-04
  Kurdish YPG fighters repel treacherous Turkish attack near Syria’s Afrin
Fri 2017-03-03
  Syrian Army recaptures Palmyra, aided by Russian Air Force: Kremlin
Thu 2017-03-02
  Islamic State supreme leader’s speech admits defeat in Mosul
Wed 2017-03-01
  Two women in nerve agent attack on Kim Jong-nam charged with murder
Tue 2017-02-28
  Islamic State claims attempted bombing in Algeria -AMAQ
Mon 2017-02-27
  Taliban shadow governor among 21 killed in counter-terrorism operations
Sun 2017-02-26
  Hamas Diggers Dead in Gaza Tunnel ‘Work Accident'
Sat 2017-02-25
  Iraq Forces Enter First West Mosul Neighborhood

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