Iraqi oil minister Jabar al-Luaibi said he had sought clarifications from Russia's biggest oil company Rosneft about contracts it signed with the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region.
Rosneft "assured that the contracts are preliminary and not ready for implementation," the minister told reporters in Baghdad, giving no further details.
Rosneft agreed on Thursday to take control of Iraqi Kurdistan's main oil pipeline, boosting its investment in the autonomous region to $3.5 billion.
The Iraqi government has warned companies against signing deals with the Kurdistan region and Baghdad's forces this week wrested control of the oil-rich Kirkuk from Kurdish forces.
So Kurds do have a backer.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru ||
10/21/2017
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[National Review] Not only the Clintons are implicated in a uranium deal with the Russians that compromised national-security interests.
Let’s put the Uranium One scandal in perspective: The cool half-million bucks the Putin regime funneled to Bill Clinton was five times the amount it spent on those Facebook ads ‐ the ones the media-Democrat complex ludicrously suggests swung the 2016 presidential election to Donald Trump.
The Facebook-ad buy, which started in June 2015 ‐ before Donald Trump entered the race ‐ was more left-wing agitprop (ads pushing hysteria on racism, immigration, guns, etc.) than electioneering. The Clintons’ own long-time political strategist Mark Penn estimates that just $6,500 went to actual electioneering. (You read that right: 65 hundred dollars.)
By contrast, the staggering $500,000 payday from a Kremlin-tied Russian bank for a single speech was part of a multi-million-dollar influence-peddling scheme to enrich the former president and his wife, then‐secretary of state Hillary Clinton. At the time, Russia was plotting ‐ successfully ‐ to secure U.S. government approval for its acquisition of Uranium One, and with it, tens of billions of dollars in U.S. uranium reserves. Here’s the kicker: The Uranium One scandal is not only, or even principally, a Clinton scandal. It is an Obama-administration scandal. The Clintons were just doing what the Clintons do: cashing in on their "public service." The Obama administration, with Secretary Clinton at the forefront but hardly alone, was knowingly compromising American national-security interests.
The administration green-lighted the transfer of control over one-fifth of American uranium-mining capacity to Russia, a hostile regime ‐ and specifically to Russia’s state-controlled nuclear-energy conglomerate, Rosatom. Worse, at the time the administration approved the transfer, it knew that Rosatom’s American subsidiary was engaged in a lucrative racketeering enterprise that had already committed felony extortion, fraud, and money-laundering offenses.
#2
Based on what the "intelligence community" and "national law enforcement" have been doing to him, I don't think he owes them anything beyond what prudence dictates.
States the CIA isn't really all that bothered with the 50+ year old stuff, but some of the documents generated in 1990 about it they may want to redact. They could explain methods used to gather the data and some of those methods are still in use.
#8
"Remember, it's never the crime, but the cover-up."
Let me explain.
I firmly believe that Lee Oswald killed John Kennedy, end of story. Therefore I don't believe we'll find anything in these papers that say anything else. I also don't believe we'll find anything other than garden-variety Agency stupidity and incompetence in them either.
I do, however, expect them to reveal a lot about JFK's philandering and other Bad Acts, stuff that would have infuriated the voters had they known about it when Bobby and Teddy ran...and may have in fact involved them. Watch for the Kennedy family to make a full-court press to put the kibosh on this, because you know they've known what's in those papers for a very long time.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
10/21/2017 15:57
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#10
The wack jobs are still looking for "the truth" in that the (pick one) CIA, the FBI, Jack Anderson, Tricky Dick, da Mob pulled the trigger. People jast can't accept that a nobody like Lee Harvey could have done it
I am a former enlisted U.S. Army soldier. Between May of 2012 and May of 2013 I was deployed to Kandahar province.
Imagine my surprise when browsing Foreign Policy I stumbled upon this brief piece about how troop rotation is a poor strategic decision. The strain of constant rotation was something I experienced on my own deployment. Somewhat uniquely I was not part of a BCT, but instead deployed as part of a 20-soldier team to fill gaps in intelligence capabilities. I did not do then-standard nine-month deployment, but instead did an off-cycle 12-month deployment.
As a result, I did not see just a single handover, but three different ones. I watched them from the intel perspective. And I saw for myself that constantly cycling soldiers cannot build effectiveness.
My team discussed this, as we saw that at three months in country, the entire mission changed as a new BCT rolled through. Then it changed again six months later as the next handover began. In the last third of my deployment I ended up giving briefings about why the "new" plan hadn’t worked six months prior, the last time it had been tried.
As someone used to filling gaps, I was often sent to work with new platoons and new companies for each mission. Each time I had to prove that I was capable and trustworthy because that is how human relationships work. Each time I wasted precious mission time and goodwill building up a relationship to become effective only to be moved out at the conclusion of a mission ‐ that is, right when my new unit had really begun to trust me. I came away thinking that my individual experience was a microcosm of the entire war in Afghanistan.
This way of operating took a toll on everyone involved, but I think most of all on our Afghan interpreters. These men would spend a year or more integrating themselves into a team, building that essential trust, only to have their friends torn away from them, leaving behind only letters of recommendation or vague promises of future support for a citizenship application. I can’t even imagine the impact on local Afghans, told they can trust the faceless Americans, working hard to build trust and rapport, only to have the soldier mutate into a new, unrecognizable face all over again every six months.
#2
Ignored, of course, is how the rotation strategy of Obama's reign kept the incountry intelligence staff to a minimum maturity and the headcount low.
[City Journal] Twenty-seven years ago, Ken Burns mesmerized American audiences with The Civil War, an 11-hour documentary that took five years to produce. Forty million Americans watched the initial airing, and many more watched reruns or read the companion book. The series rekindled popular interest in the Civil War, stimulating a flood of books and battle reenactments that continues to this day.
Burns and co-director Lynn Novick spent ten years and $30 million producing The Vietnam War, an 18-hour, ten-episode production. Anyone tuning in to media coverage or attending one of the public panels featuring Burns and Novick is likely to conclude that the new documentary has equaled The Civil War in historical and artistic virtuosity. But if one listens to American or South Vietnamese veterans of the conflict‐more easily heard today, thanks to the Internet‐the verdicts are less complimentary.
During the months-long publicity blitz preceding the documentary’s release, Burns and Novick vowed that The Vietnam War would not malign American veterans of Vietnam or blame them for the war, as had happened so often in the past. Instead, the film would portray veterans as patriotic Americans who answered their nation’s call to duty. The documentary would support the troops, without necessarily supporting the war. As for the war itself, the production would not promote a particular viewpoint. "We don’t have an agenda," Burns told the media. "We’re just umpires calling balls and strikes." So why aren’t veterans as enthused about The Vietnam War as they should be?
The foremost reason is that Burns and Novick are not actually impartial referees, but instead use the documentary to promote an agenda, in ways glaringly obvious to veterans though not readily apparent to those too young to have lived through the war. Burns and Novick wish to show that America fought a war that was unnecessary and unwinnable, and that it did so out of national hubris.
#1
I dislike seeing the term "unwinnable" and "unnecessary."
WW2 was unnecessary to us here, what the hell would we care in the US what happens to Britian, or Russia, or France? We got the Atlantic to protect us. And it was only "winnable" because we gave Stalin a fifty year window to remake large chunks of Eurasia in his image. Which may kill us yet.
#2
I watched an episode and a half before the projectile vomiting became uncontrollable. It turns out that kindly Uncle Ho was just like the Founding Fathers, except much nicer. Really more like Mother Theresa, if truth be told.
Posted by: Matt ||
10/21/2017 10:59
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#3
During the months-long publicity blitz preceding the documentary’s release, Burns and Novick vowed that The Vietnam War would not malign American veterans of Vietnam or blame them for the war,
What a crock of shit - Ken Burns is as reliably leftist as they come. I refuse to watch anything this jackoff puts on film.
While I wasn't there, I was here and paying attention from the early '60s on. It was very informative to see WWII in shows like Victory at Sea and the nightly news on VN. The commie loving media was fairly easy to identify even then.
#9
"The Unknown War" Wasn't that the series about what the Russians call "The Great Patriotic War"? Let's face it. The USSR carried the ball to a large amount in Europe as far as WWII goes. The great tragedy of the 20thcentury is the Russian people along with the Poles, Ukrainians, Balts, etc got suffer not only at the hands of Hitler and his vision but Stalin's too.The majority of German losses in terms of men and material happened in der Ost. But one also needs to remember that Burt had a soft spot for some rather unsavory individuals . The Birdman was certainly no saint. But then he did get to roll around in the surf with Deborah Kerr. Nice beach.
Selected excerpt:
[Unz Review] Brennan appears to be the central figure in this political fiasco, the source from which many of the spurious accusations originated. It was Brennan who first intimated that members of the Trump campaign colluded with Russian agents prior to the 2016 elections. Yes, and who is it we've not heard much from lately ?
"I was aware of intelligence and information about contacts between Russian officials and U.S. persons that raised concerns in my mind about whether or not those individuals were cooperating with the Russians, either in a witting or unwitting fashion, and it served as the basis for the FBI investigation to determine whether such collusion [or] cooperation occurred," Brennan stated in testimony before the House Intelligence Committee in May.
This is a deliberate mischaracterization of what Brennan was actually doing. He was spying on the members of the rival party to gain a political advantage. This is how police state operates. How is it that no one in the media or on Capitol Hill has condemned this egregious attack on the democratic process? FISA warrants and 'unmasking' based on a 'think tank' concoction with a mysterious MI6 connection. How convenient.
So far, none of the four investigations on Capitol Hill has produced even a shred of evidence supporting Brennan’s claims. Just last week, during a press conference with the leaders of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Senator Richard Burr bluntly stated,
"The committee continues to look into all evidence to see if there was any hint of collusion. Now, I’m not going to even discuss any initial findings because we haven’t any."
There’s no proof of collusion at all. So what’s Brennan’s real motive here? What’s driving this silly propaganda campaign that has failed to produce any verifiable evidence after a massive 10-month, no-holds-barred investigation involving both Houses of Congress, the establishment media, four intelligence agencies and an Independent Counsel?
Selected Excerpt:
[Unz Review] The lewder, more pornographic, and less talented at their craft popular icons become‐the louder the Left lauds their artistically dodgy output. (The "Right" just keeps moving Left.) "Singer" Miley Cyrus was mocked before she began twerking tush, thrusting pelvis and twirling tongue. Only then had she arrived as an artist, in the eyes of "critics" on the Left. The power of the average pop artist and her products, Miley’s included, lies in the pornography that is her "art," in her hackneyed political posturing, and in the fantastic technology that is Auto-Tune (without which all the sound you’d hear these "singers" emit would be a bedroom whisper).
Liberal women, the majority, go about seriously and studiously cultivating their degeneracy. If "Raising Skirts to Celebrate the Diversity of Vaginas" sounds foul, wait for the accompanying images. These show feral creatures (women, presumably), skirts hoisted, gobs agape, some squatting like farmhands in an outhouse, all yelling about their orifices.
Do you know of a comparable man’s movement? If anything, men are punished when they react normally to women behaving badly.
[The Hill] Financial industry groups and Democratic lawmakers are concerned that Republicans’ forthcoming tax-reform bill could make a big change to the taxing of retirement funds.
Stakeholders say they’ve heard that Republicans are considering significantly lowering the amount of money people can tuck into their traditional 401(k) plans on a pre-tax basis.
Currently, people can contribute up to $18,000 annually to their traditional 401(k) plans. Those contributions are paid before taxes, meaning people don’t pay taxes on the money until they pull it out of their account.
The potential change that people following the tax bill are hearing about would lower the maximum annual contribution to $2,400. Amounts over $2,400 could be put into Roth 401(k)s, where the money is taxed upfront but not when it’s withdrawn.
It’s unclear how seriously lawmakers are considering reducing the cap on pre-tax contributions to 401(ks). But industry groups are worried that dramatically lowering the cap on pre-tax contributions would reduce the amount that people save for their retirement.
#1
Why would a federal government which has absolutely no concept of fiscal accountability, saving money, or thrift encourage it's citizens to save for retirement, or for anything else for that matter ?
#2
If the GIVERnment really wants to do good by the people as it relates to 401k retirement they should encourage wealth building by the working class:
1. Have unlimited tax deferred savings until a maximum level based on year of birth. Get people to the build a sizable nest egg as quickly as possible.
2. Remove the tax deferred benefit once the balance reaches and stays above the max.
3. Place large penalties for early withdraws by not allowing benefit to return if withdraw is post-maximum reached
For example: if born in 1980 you can save up to 1 million. If you withdraw 200k early, pay the penalty and your new max is 800k.
This will encourage saving early and often but also stop taxpayers from subsidizing those that no longer need the tax deferred benefit while building wealth.
#5
But industry groups are worried that dramatically lowering the cap on pre-tax contributions would reduce the amount that people save for their retirement.
[Breitbart] Twenty members of the Moderate Party in Sweden have proposed the government deploys the armed forces in some of the country’s most dangerous no-go zones to combat "gang violence".
Moderate Party politician Mikael Cederbratt made the proposal this week saying: "The situation in our areas of exclusion has deteriorated. The gangs have taken over and the police have had to retreat. Swedish law no longer applies there."
Cederbratt was backed up by 19 other Moderate party members who signed a motion to deploy members of the Swedish armed forces in the heavily migrant populated Stockholm suburbs of Hallunda-Norsborg, Tensta, Rinkeby, and Husby Botkyrka Direct reports.
"It is absolutely necessary to do something, because these gangs are like cancerous tumours in our country, and it is urgent. My absolute belief is that we, the nation of Sweden, must declare war on criminal gangs," Cederbratt said.
"It is the responsibility of the state to maintain the law, especially the police. But the police today do not have the numerical ability to maintain public order," he added.
h/t Instapundit
...According to a Fox News analysis of White House personnel reports, Melania Trump has significantly reduced the number of aides on the first lady's office payroll in comparison to her predecessor, Michelle Obama.
During then-President Barack Obama’s first year in office, 16 people were listed working for Michelle Obama, earning a combined $1.24 million a year.
This year, just four people were listed working for Melania Trump as of June. Their salaries totaled $486,700.
#1
During then-President Barack Obama’s first year in office, 16 people were listed working for Michelle Obama, earning a combined $1.24 million a year.
I believe the number of Mooch courtiers rose to platoon size toward the end of Soetoro's sad tenure.
[AP] WASHINGTON (AP) ‐ Former presidents are shedding a traditional reluctance to criticize their successors, unleashing pointed attacks on the Trump White House and the commander in chief ‐ but without mentioning him by name.
Remarks on the same day by former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama raise the prospect that more dissenters will follow in defiance of President Donald Trump and his policies.
"What they are doing is laying down a marker for acceptable public discourse," said Kathleen Hall Jamieson, a professor of political communication and rhetorical theory at the University of Pennsylvania. "They’re saying, ’We don’t stand for that kind of language and behavior. These are our values, these are our principles.’"
Bush and Obama themselves were preceded by other prominent figures. In recent weeks, Republican Sens. Bob Corker of Tennessee and Arizonans John McCain and Jeff Flake have taken swipes at a president who has pushed the limits of polite political discourse and has seemed to relish public fights over sensitive subjects, including nuclear war, race relations, immigrants and, this week, the war dead.
#3
Obama put us $20 trillion in debt. He also was the most divisive POTUS in recent memory. He participated in the Clinton's corruption by not doing anything to prevent it. He also weaponized the government against citizens. He made the worst deal in history with Iran--Maybe Neville Chamberlain vies for this honor. George W. kept mum for 8 years while Obama hammered him for everything; now he chooses to speak out against Trump. Moreover, the Patriot Act ends up taking away basic rights/freedoms of citizens. WTF?
#5
GWB was a vast disappointment from the time he didn't name the enemy.
I've always thought that the Bushes represented the concept of noblesse oblige as applied to the US. They were the all knowing aristocracy ruling the Plebs for the plebs own good. HW hasn't really dumped on Reagan but I'm sure he wanted to.
Oh, they may want to consider just how wide they want to open the Overton window. Especially Obama. You think criminal prosecutions might rattle a few cages?
#9
Everyone is upset because the formers, left and right, have been shown to be weak, ineffectual and interested only in continuing their own dynasty. I only hope Trump keeps up the fight.
LOS ANGELES (AP) ‐ A judge on Friday tossed out a $417 million jury award to a woman who claimed she developed ovarian cancer by using Johnson & Johnson talc-based baby powder for feminine hygiene.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Maren Nelson granted the company’s request for a new trial, saying there were errors and jury misconduct in the previous trial that ended with the award two months ago.
Nelson also ruled that there wasn’t convincing evidence that Johnson & Johnson acted with malice and the award for damages was excessive.
#6
The only cancer path I can think of is talc irritating lung tissue (as asbestos does), then metastasizing to ovaries. Talc is not a chemically reactive mineral though its small partical size could conceivably make it physically reactive, but how to transport???
#10
Slightly is the key word here. "Exposure to talc is unlikely to be a primary factor in most cases of ovarian cancer," writes John Whysner, MD, PhD, a researcher with the American Health Foundation in Valhalla, N.Y. He says there is not enough information to clearly say whether there is a causal relationship. Whysner reviewed over 50 papers on the subject, written over the past 30 years, for the analysis published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
#11
A lot of gals powder their poozle. If baby powder was a cancer hazard, you would expect a *bleep*load of cases considering how prevalent exposure is.
Same sort of thing with cell phones causing brain cancer. With the number of people exposed, you'd expect an epidemic if there was anything to it.
#12
Always difficult to bring these cases. Courts have standards for evidence, and you must prove your case by a preponderance of the evidence. "Might be possible" doesn't cut it.
#13
Courts have standards for evidence, and you must prove your case by a preponderance of the evidence. "Might be possible" doesn't cut it.
Unless you're trying to overturn constitutional immigration laws, invalidate legal elections, or indict someone of supposed collusion with russkies for something or other.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
10/21/2017 18:31
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[Wash Times] Former President Obama’s Attorney General Loretta Lynch met behind closed doors with a congressional Russian election meddling probe on Friday.
Republicans were eager to question her about an infamous tarmac meeting with former President Bill Clinton in June 2016, a meeting which has triggered suspicions about the Obama Department of Justice’s impartiality toward Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton at the height of the election.
But Mrs. Lynch refused to discuss the meeting before the House Intelligence Committee on Friday, according to Fox News.
Mrs. Lynch has been accused of attempting to influence the FBI’s investigation into Mrs. Clinton’s private email use while secretary of state ‐ and both she and Mr. Clinton say the meeting at the Phoenix airport was a chance social encounter.
In June, during highly anticipated testimony, fired FBI Director James Comey told the Senate Intelligence Committee that the Lynch-Clinton tarmac meeting caused him to hold a press conference on Mrs. Clinton’s email case.
#2
She's running the Clinton playbook to perfection. All you have to do to get away with crimes is stonewall, clam up and most importantly, be a Democrat.
[Townhall] Diversity is a strength" is one of those Orwellian maxims that’s just generally accepted as truth by most Americans despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
Granted, if you’re talking about a DIVERSITY OF IDEAS, you can certainly come up with some situations where it’s a strength. For example, in the movie World War Z, Israel is saved (at least temporarily) by having a "tenth man" whose job is to forcefully argue for the alternative viewpoint to a situation where everyone agrees. So instead of laughing off the idea that Israel might face a zombie invasion, Israelis realized there was merit to it and was prepared in time to protect the country.
Back in the real world, the NFL certainly could have used someone pointing out the potential long-term downsides of allowing players disrespect the flag when just Colin Kaepernick was doing it. Donald Trump might benefit from a diversity of opinions when he’s about to tweet about Rosie O’Donnell or Mark Cuban at 4 AM. The Democrat Party could certainly use the input of a few random white factory workers from flyover country about the latest rhetoric and proposals they’re about to pitch.
On the other hand, even when diversity of thought is useful, it’s only in limited doses. The New York Yankees don’t want players who think the Boston Red Sox should win the pennant. A Republican President doesn’t want a Democrat in his Cabinet who will undermine him at every opportunity. Our military doesn’t want soldiers hoping the other side will defeat us in a war.
All that being said, when most people talk about "diversity," they don’t mean a diversity of ideas. They believe a Hispanic guy, a black guy, a transsexual and a woman bring something to the table just by virtue of their race or gender. This is seldom true.
#3
Diversity is being employed as the antithesis to democracy, employed in extracting submission of the majority in the destruction of their basic civil rights.
#4
Diversity is being employed as the antithesis to democracy, employed in extracting submission of the majority in the destruction of their basic civil rights.
But the 'privileged' should have no 'rights.'
The antithesis trundles on with a full head of steam.
#5
People who don't understand diversity have been laboring under the illusion that words retain their literal meaning. That hasn't been true stateside for many decades. Things become much clearer when they substitute for "diversity" what the word means today, which is "blackness". Thus, a workforce that is 100% black is also 100% diverse. When someone says a workforce isn't diverse enough, he means it's not black enough. Now that Hispanics have horned into the race quota racket with an ever-growing ethnic quota tied to their increased representation in the census, not diverse can also mean not Hispanic enough. So in future, just translate diverse to mean "black and/or Hispanic", and much that was obscure should become crystal.
#8
In terms of diversity of ideas I think it well worthwhile for a conservative or liberal government to have a few outsiders or opposition members around. Even Einstein wasn't always the smartest guy in the room. But the idea that we must have x% of this group, y% of that group etc to truely reflect society is ludicrous. EspeciaLly when it is applied to hiring when you want the best you can get.
[ALMASDARNEWS] The battle for the oasis town of al-Qaryatayn in central Homs province is heating up with besieged 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.... hard boyz now resorting to car kabooms to fend off pro-government forces.
In recent hours, confirmation came in that Syrian Arab Army troops captured the key hilltop of Tel Deker to the northeast of al-Qaryatayn.
However, today is that tomorrow you were thinking about yesterday... despite securing this important high-ground, Syrian forces are currently enduring a powerful ISIS counter-attack spearheaded by boom-mobiles.
According to military-affiliated sources, Islamic State forces employed two car kabooms against pro-government troops near Tel Deker scoring mixed results.
The first boom-mobile was successfully destroyed by pro-government fighters before it reached their lines, however a second ISIS boom-mobile managed to slip past the army’s fire control perimeter and strike a military checkpoint, killing one Syrian Army soldier and wounding 3 others.
At the present time, there are no reports to suggest that pro-government forces have retreated from their new positions on and near Tel Deker, however the battle for the hilltop and the area around it is said to still be raging.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/21/2017
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[ALMASDARNEWS] Despite the heightened state of tensions been the Free Syrian Army ... the more palatable version of the Syrian insurgency, heavily influenced by the Moslem Brüderbund... and Ha’yat Tahrir al-Sham (Syrian al-Qaeda affiliate) in northwestern Syria, some Free Syrian Army sub-factions remain loyal to the jihadist organization and are even assisting it in ongoing battles against ISIS throughout the region.
Several days ago, Jaish al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar (Free Syrian Army-linked group) released footage of its forces battling ISIS in northeast Hama province.
The holy warrior group can be seen employing a range of heavy weaponry including cannon-armed pickups, siege mortars and high-powered anti-materiel sniper rifles.
By this evidence, it appears that whilst leading offensive operations to wipe-out the ISIS presence in northeast Hama, Ha’yat Tahrir al-Sham is by no means alone, with some loyal Free Syrian Army franchises joining the campaign.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/21/2017
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[THESTAR.MY] Venezuelan state elections may be repeated in the five states won by the opposition if the governors-elect continue to refuse to be sworn in by a controversial pro-government legislative superbody, President Nicolas Maduro warned on Friday.
His warning came in a televised speech after the government on Sunday unexpectedly won 18 of 23 states in a vote which the opposition calls fraudulent.
Authorities have mandated that all elected governors participate in a ceremony before the pro-government Constituent Assembly, but the five opposition winners did not take part.
"Anyone who wants to be governor will have to recognise the Constituent National Assembly; otherwise elections will be repeated in states where the Assembly is not recognised," Maduro said at the inauguration of one of the socialist candidates in western Lara state.
The opposition says that by law, the oath must be taken before regional parliaments and not before the Constituent Assembly, but so far none of their candidates have undergone that process and formally assumed their roles. Venezuela's opposition leaders have said they would travel abroad to denounce what they call dirty tricks by the government and outright fraud in the minerals-rich state of Bolivar.
Maduro says the opposition cries fraud whenever it loses elections and that Venezuela's electoral system is the most secure in the world.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
And, oh boy, is Hillary jealous. Do-over on states you lost?? Boy howdy Democrat nirvana.
#2
'And you'll keep voting until you get it right!'
Posted by: ed in texas ||
10/21/2017 11:12
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#3
The most secure ele tions in the world take place in Chicago. Sarcasm aside, even given the problems and inequities that the US can suffer (things such as voter ID laws where some states have closed large numbers of state offices/DMV sites that issue IDs. I have an isue with that) the US, Canada, the UK, Australia and New Zealand pretty much set the gold standard for electoral stability. Add the Swiss, Sweden and a few others in there too. If your country has experienced a coup you do not qualify
Posted by: swiss in there too ||
10/21/2017 18:14
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[REUTERS] 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.... has grabbed credit for an attack on the Imam Zaman mosque in the Kabul’s western Dasht-e-Barchi district, which killed at least 39 people, the group said in a statement on Saturday. The group said in the statement that a jacket wallah had detonated a vest. It did not provide evidence to support its claim.
Posted by: lord garth ||
10/21/2017
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[TRIBUNE.PK] Security has been tightened after intelligence agencies issued a warning of a possible terrorist attack at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) and adjoining National Institute of Child Health (NICH) in Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... According to Express News, police have been warned about the threat through a letter that states that al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) is preparing to attack public hospitals, where snuffies can hold doctors, staff and patients as hostages in coming days.
There is also a possibility of severe destruction through planned kabooms at nuclear plants and oxygen reserves in the vicinity, according to the letter. Lyari ...one of the eighteen constituent towns of the city of Karachi. It is the smallest town by area in the city but also the most densely populated. Lyari has few schools, substandard hospitals, a poor water system, limited infrastructure, and broken roads. It is a stronghold of ruling Pakistan Peoples Party. Ubiquitous gang activity and a thriving narcotics industry make Lyari one of the most disturbed places in Karachi, which is really saying a lot.... gang war commander killed in Karachi encounter
Following the tipoff, Rangers and police personnel have taken over the security responsibilities and increased the number of paramilitary forces deployed at the two hospitals.
Overnight, a search operation was also carried out and special commandos were deployed at key positions.
Jinnah Hospital’s Executive Director Dr Seemi Jamali and NICH Director Prof Jamal Raza have been directed to restrict movement and increase security measures at the hospitals.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/21/2017
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[ALMASDARNEWS] Preliminary reports have come in saying that the forces of the Syrian Arab Army have reached the massive al-Omar Oil Field complex in eastern Deir Ezzor province.
According the one news hound from Russia Today, Syrian Army troops reached the outskirts the al-Omar Oil Field just moments ago after having crossed to the eastern shore of the Euphrates River opposite al-Mayadeen city and capturing the town of Zeban earlier on.
Reports say that Syrian forces have achieved fire control over the huge energy site, enticing 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 to fully withdraw from it.
Whilst yet to be properly confirmed by trusted sources of al-Masdar News, if these early reports are true, then the development is a big one.
Prior to the Syrian War, the al-Omar Oil Field contributed to about one quarter of Syria’s oil production. It was captured by ISIS holy warriors in mid-2014.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/21/2017
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[OANN] Senate Republicans are breathing a sigh of relief after defeating an attempt by Democrats to block oil drilling in Alaska.
The drilling plan put forth by the Trump administration will help pay for proposed tax cuts, and is expected to be a lucrative source of revenue for the country.
Senate Democrats argued the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge was too environmentally sensitive to allow for oil drilling.
However, if you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to be a horrible warning... Senate Republicans prevailed saying the economic benefits outweighed any perceived effects on the environment.
"I think we recognize that responsible development would not only reduce our immediate deficits but its about jobs and job creation... it’s about wealth and wealth creation... about allowing us to build new wealth and create prosperity," said Senator Lisa Daddy, can I be a senator? Murkowski ... representing K Street ... of Alaska.
The Republican victory does not explicitly authorize drilling in the refuge, but it opens up the door.
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10/21/2017
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#1
If you wait too long to find and develop mid-sized accumulations the pipeline will have deteriorated and become unusable, so such accumulations will be uneconomic to ever develop, which is probably the intention.
#4
The dems keep shreaking about it, but in reality the drilling has always planned to be at the edge of the refuge and drill diagonally to the oil. 99% of the refuge wouldn't be touched.
But that doesn't fit the narrative that it will destroy everything so ban it.
[NEWS.SKY] A killer who was pursuing a lawsuit against Alabama's use of the lethal injection has been executed - using his final moments to tell the state "I hate you" and give them the middle finger.
As the procedure began on Thursday night, Torrey McNabb raised both of his middle fingers in a show of defiance.
The 40-year-old was among several inmates involved in an ongoing lawsuit arguing the state's use of midazolam during lethal injections is inhumane and not reliable.
He was convicted of killing Anderson Gordon, an officer with Montgomery Police, in 1997.
A witness had testified that McNabb walked up to Gordon's patrol car and shot him five times.
The officer had just arrived at the scene of a traffic accident caused by McNabb as he tried to escape from a bail bondsman.
Midazolam is administered to sedate the prisoner, before a second drug paralyses them and a final third drug stops their heart.
During an execution in December, an Alabama inmate had coughed and heaved for 13 minutes before dying.
McNabb appeared to be breathing for the first 20 minutes of the 35-minute execution.
He later moved his head, raised his arms and grimaced after two consciousness checks in which a guard pinched his arm, said his name and pulled back his eyelid.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/21/2017
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#1
Bullet to the back of the head. Quick, easy and sure. Why are we still fucking with this shit in this day and age?
#7
Catch, Convict and Release. You commit a capital offense. The State catches you, tries you and convicts you. The state then releases you, at 10,000 feet. If you learn to fly before you hit the ground you are free to go.
[NATION.PK] Pakistain has extended the detention of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa ...the front organization of Lashkar-e-Taiba... (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed ...founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba and its false-mustache offshoot Jamaat-ud-Dawa. The United Nations declared the JuD a terrorist organization in 2008 and Hafiz Saeed a terrorist as its leader. Hafiz, JuD and LeT are wholly-owned subsidiaries of the Pak intel apparatus, so that amounted to squat... by another month yesterday. And no dessert, dammit!
Saeed has a $10 million US bounty on his head and has been under house arrest since January following a government crackdown on the outfit.
"Hafiz Saeed's detention has been extended for a period of one-month," a senior government official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
He said the detention was extended by a three-member review board of Lahore High Court headed by Judge Yawar Ali.
JuD, listed as a terror outfit by the United Nations ...an idea whose time has gone... , is considered by the US and India to be a front for Lashkar-e-Taiba ...the Army of the Pure, an Ahl-e-Hadith terror organization founded by Hafiz Saeed. LeT masquerades behind the Jamaat-ud-Dawa facade within Pakistain and periodically blows things up and kills people in India. Despite the fact that it is banned, always an interesting concept in Pakistain, the organization remains an blatant tool and perhaps an arm of the ISI... (LeT), the krazed killer group blamed for the attack on India's financial capital which killed more than 160 people.
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[DAWN] The US military said on Friday it carried out a dronezap this week against al-Shabaab ... the personification of Somali state failure... in Somalia, shortly after the bully boy group was blamed for the country's deadliest attack.
The strike occurred on Monday about 35 miles southwest of the capital, Mogadishu, the US Africa Command told The News Agency that Dare Not be Named. The US said it was still assessing the results.
Saturday's truck bombing in Mogadishu killed more than 300 people and maimed nearly 400 others, leaving scores missing.
Al-Shabaab has not commented on the bombing, which Somali intelligence officials say was meant to target Mogadishu's heavily fortified international airport.
Several countries have embassies there.
The US has stepped up its military involvement in the Horn of Africa nation since 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... approved expanded military operations against the group early this year.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/21/2017
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[DAWN] Mufti Abdul Qavi, who has been tossed in the slammer Into the paddy wagon wit' yez! by police on Wednesday in the model Qandeel Baloch murder case, was hospitalised on Thursday evening after a judicial magistrate remanded him in police custody for four days
Dr Rana Altaf, Director of the Pervaiz Elahi Institute of Cardiology, told journalists that the holy man was a heart patient and was currently under observation of senior doctors. He said the Mufti had undergone angioplasty some time ago.
Earlier, police produced the suspect before the court of judicial magistrate Muhammad Parvaiz Khan who granted his four-day physical remand, giving him in police custody for interrogation.
The trial court judge/judicial magistrate had issued non-bailable arrest warrants for Mr Qavi on Oct 12 after the court was informed by police that the holy man was not cooperating in investigation into the model’s murder.
Posted by: Fred ||
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[DAWN] A ’commander’ of the Lyari ...one of the eighteen constituent towns of the city of Karachi. It is the smallest town by area in the city but also the most densely populated. Lyari has few schools, substandard hospitals, a poor water system, limited infrastructure, and broken roads. It is a stronghold of ruling Pakistan Peoples Party. Ubiquitous gang activity and a thriving narcotics industry make Lyari one of the most disturbed places in Karachi, which is really saying a lot.... gang warfare allegedly involved in assassination of, among others, three foreigners in the Hub area of Balochistan ...the Pak province bordering Kandahar and Uruzgun provinces in Afghanistan and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran. Its native Baloch propulation is being displaced by Pashtuns and Punjabis and they aren't happy about it... was bumped off in an ’encounter’ in Malir by Rangers in the early hours of Thursday, a spokesperson for the paramilitary force said.
Acting on information, the paramilitary force encircled the hideout in Murad Memon Goth of Malir at around 2am.
On seeing the Rangers’ personnel, the suspects resorted to firing with automatic weapons. Reinforcements were called in by the Rangers and during an intense exchange of fire, one suspect was bumped off while trying to escape in Bachal Goth near Murad Memon Goth. His two accomplices fled taking advantage of darkness, said the Rangers’ official.
The spokesperson identified the dead suspect as Ghafoor alias Chhotu, a ’commander’ of gangsters in the Malir locality.
"He was a close aide of Lyari gang leader Noor Mohammed alias Baba Ladla," said the Rangers’ spokesperson, adding that the dead suspect had established a reign of terror in the Malir area.
Baba Ladla was killed by Rangers in a ’shoot-out’ in Lyari in February. Ladla’s two close associates ‐ Sikandar alias Sikku and Mohammad Yaseen alias Mama ‐ were also killed in the encounter.
According to the Rangers, Baba Ladla was a "most wanted" suspect who had been involved in 74 terrorism incidents and other heinous crimes. Another ringleader of Lyari gang warfare was Uzair Jan Baloch, now facing trial in a military court.
"Ghafoor Chhotu was wanted in more than 20 heinous crimes," said a Rangers’ statement issued to the media.
They included murder of three foreigners, reportedly Chinese nationals, in Hub in 2006. Besides he was also involved in attacks on police and security personnel. Furthermore he had remained involved in extortion, drug trafficking, kidnapping for ransom and other such crimes.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
I miss the crossfires almost as much as the Sufa Arafat stories.
[THESTAR.MY] The death of the Malaysian terrorist has been confirmed, but earlier reports that he could be the next 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.... leader in South-East Asia were likely exaggerated.
"DR Mahmud (pic) dead just now. Don’t ask for details," an intel source told my colleague Muguntan Vanar at 11am on Thursday.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
Seems kind of a mute moot point. He's dead, Jim
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/21/2017 8:29
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[DAWN] At least 12 suspected turbans were allegedly killed in a dronezap in Afghanistan's Paktia province on Friday.
Security sources told DawnNews that a suspected United States (US) drone fired six missiles, killing 12 'militants' and wounding several others.
Earlier this week, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar chief Umar Khalid Khorasani was killed in a strike in Paktia along with nine of his associates.
The recent unprecedented increase dronezaps in the Pak-Afghan border region appears to be reflective of a change in policy in Washington, with at least 70 strikes ─ both drone and ground ─ conducted in Afghanistan in the past three weeks, and over 30 people killed in strikes near the border in the last few days.
The Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif and ISPR, the army's media wing, had both claimed that the strikes had been carried out in Afghan territory and Pakistain's airspace had not been violated, amid speculation that the strikes had targeted turbans inside Pak territory
Posted by: Fred ||
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[ALMASDARNEWS] Rebel forces in southwestern Daraa have finally managed to foil a major counter-offensive that was launched against them by the ISIS-linked Saifullah al-Maslul Army (more commonly called Jaish Khalid ibn al-Walid) jihadist group a few days ago.
The fighting of the last several days has been particularly brutal with ISIS conducting several powerful counter-attacks around the towns of Hayt and Jallayn near the Jordanian border. Many dozens of fighters from both sides perished over the course of the battle in and around these settlements.
According to the ISIS-linked Amaq media center, 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.... aligned forces killed twelve rebel fighters yesterday alone.
In any case, rebel forces have prevented the fall of Hayt to ISIS, recapturing positions around the town that were taken by the jihadist group during its counter-offensive.
Intense festivities between rebel militias and ISIS-linked forces in southwestern Daraa flared up just over a week ago after Free Syrian Army ... the more palatable version of the Syrian insurgency, heavily influenced by the Moslem Brüderbund... combatants attempted the to roll back Islamic State held lines in the much contested Yarmouk Basin area. After the offensive stalled, the Saifullah al-Maslul Army launched a series of counter-attacks which almost led the it capturing Hayt.
Posted by: Fred ||
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[ALMASDARNEWS] Al-Qaeda-linked holy warriors have repelled a major offensive push by Syrian pro-government forces in the countryside of West Ghouta following a recent breakthrough by the latter.
Two days ago, the Syrian pro-government forces scored a major operational victory against al-Qaeda-linked hard boyz of the Ha’yat Tahrir al-Sham jihadist group near the strategic town of Beit Jinn in western Rif Dimashq (Damascus) province, capturing the key hilltop of Tal Bard’ayyah.
However, it's easy to be generous with someone else's money... within 24 hours, jihadist holy warriors near Beit Jinn re-grouped and launched a powerful counter-attack employing anti-tank guided missiles and receiving air support from Israeli warplanes.
After heavy festivities, Ha’yat Tahrir al-Sham managed to drive Syrian forces from Tal Bard’ayyah, effectively reversing all army gains in the region.
Having been so firmly rebuffed and after having endured significant losses in armor, it remains unclear if Syrian pro-government forces will attempt another push on Tal Bard’ayyah which is key to liberating Beit Jinn.
Posted by: Fred ||
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Top|| File under: al-Nusra
I remember Rich Lowry two years ago on the Megyn Kelly show saying, “Last debate, let's be honest, Carly cut his balls off with the precision of a surgeon and he knows it.”
Where is Carly Fiorina today? Where is Donald Trump? Where is Megyn Kelly?
We know where Rich Lowry is. Still on TV. Still editing National Review. Still writing freelance pieces. Still getting President Trump wrong.
No class of losers is paid better and has more job security than these experts on nothing.
Lowry's latest piece is "The Cognitive Dissonance Presidency."
He continues his assumption that President Trump has no training or experience as a chief executive -- despite Trump's degree from the Wharton School of Business and 45 years as a CEO, amassing a multi-billion-dollar fortune.
However, Lowry believes Obama was eminently qualified after Harvard Law, a decade as a back-bencher in the Illinois legislature and part of a term in the Senate.
From Lowry's subheadline:
The Trump administration has formidable obstacles, but none looms quite as large as the fact that Trump himself has no idea how he wants to govern.
The befuddlement is on Lowry's part. Trump is leading. He is winning. He is doing all those things Lowry has claimed to want: conservative judges appointed, regulations stripped, and America as the leader of the free world again.
Trump’s approach keeps everyone guessing and keeps him from getting pinned down, but it is no way to lead a party. This is why Trump’s strong suit is things he can do on his own, namely culture-war battles, fights with the news media and other critics, and executive actions. These don’t involve many moving parts and don’t require much constancy; in fact, Trump’s tendency to fix a target for attack and then move on when he’s bored or it no longer serves his purposes, often works in his favor in his feuds.
For Trump, very little is ever truly ruled out or ruled in, and before long, a bipartisan health care deal will surely again strike his fancy.
In short, President Trump is doing the things a president can do with his limited power.
How do I put this politely?
Oh to hell with comity: Lowry either does not understand the Constitution, or he is dishonest. I suggest the former, although both are possible.
I get Lowry's frustration with the repeal and replacement of Obamacare. But that is the fault of congressional Republicans, who led President Trump and the voters astray by pretending to have a plan in place before the election.
Lowry is superficial when it comes to Trump. Lowry is more concerned with style than substance. That tells me more about Lowry's conservatism than it does about Trump.
There was this nonsense from Lowry.
Trump’s decision to end Obamacare’s cost-sharing reduction payments last week made sense as a political strategy only if he wanted to pressure congressional Republicans into a bipartisan deal. The termination of the payments wasn’t going to discomfit the Democrats, who could scream “sabotage” and blame Trump and Republicans for every failing of Obamacare going forward. It was nervous Republicans who were going to feel compelled to remove the political heat by propping up Obamacare.
This was not Trump's decision. U.S. District Judge Rosemary Collyer ordered it so.
Trump decided not to appeal her decision.
Lowry seems unaware of his own failed leadership at his magazine. He went with Against Trump, as he tried to purge conservatism of its plurality leader, who is now its true leader.
Likely, Lowry saw this as his Buckley Moment, in which the legendary conservative ex-communicated Ayn Rand and the John Birch Society.
Turns out, this time Lowry is Ayn Rand and his cohorts are the John Birch Society.
A wise man would have learned from his error (and rudeness) two years ago when he truly said Fiorina had ended Trump's candidacy.
#1
years ago, I used to subscribe ($) to NRO. Now, I don't even visit online
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/21/2017 8:54
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However, Lowry believes Obama was eminently qualified after Harvard Law, a decade as a back-bencher in the Illinois legislature and part of a term in the Senate.
Lowry is in the Chris Matthews camp of getting that Obama induced warm tingling feeling up his leg. God spare us from these looney word merchants.
[MIDDLEEASTMONITOR] A United States dronezap in Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of. Except for a tiny handfull of Jews everthing there is very Islamic... yesterday killed five al-Qaeda gunnies.
A truck carrying members of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula ...the latest incarnation of various Qaeda and Qaeda-allied groups, including the now-defunct Aden-Abyan Islamic Army that boomed the USS Cole in 2000... was obliterated by the US dronezap, with the five fighters on board, including the commander, killed just before sunset.
Demolinari, an analyst who tracks incidents in Yemen, reported that the following fighters were killed; Nayef al-Damaji Abu Obeidah, Salah Hadi Al Lawdari, Shaib al-Lawdari, Nadaer al-Jaru and Shamil al-Jadani.
The US has not publicly commented on the dronezap or confirmed if there were any civilian casualties.
It has expanded its drone policy in countries where it is not officially at war. 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... has provided the US’ Central Intelligence Agency and Military with broader authority to strike targets inside Yemen, considering parts of the country "temporary battlefields".
US dronezaps in Yemen have killed 1,238 people and injured 300 since 2002, according to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism.
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula operates in several provinces in southern and eastern Yemen, including Shabwa, al-Bayda and Abyan ...a governorate of Yemen. The region was a base to the Aden-Abyan Islamic Army terrorist group until it dropped the name and joined al-Qaeda. Its capital is Zinjibar. In March 2011, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula declared the governate an Islamic Emirate after seizing control of the region. The New York Times fastidiously reported that those in control, while Islamic hard boyz, are not in fact al-Qaeda, but something else that looks, tastes, smells, and acts the same. Yemeni government forces launched an effort to re-establish control of the region when President-for-Life Saleh was tossed and the carnage continues... .
Posted by: Fred ||
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[FREEMALAYSIATODAY] KOTA KINABALU: A teenage boy is fighting alongside his Malaysian krazed killer father, who is believed to be the leader of the remaining forces of Evil in Marawi city, southern Philippines, FMT has learned.
A former hostage, kidnapped in May, told FMT he used to play with the boy and recognised his father.
"I saw him together with his son," said the former hostage.
"I don’t know his age, maybe he’s around 13. He’s small but he’s carrying a gun already. He was involved in fighting the troops.
"I used to play with his son sometimes and they were always together and the authorities here confirmed that the boy was the son of the Malaysian krazed killer."
The exchanges with the Malaysian krazed killer and his son took place before the former hostage was rescued in September.
The teenage boy could very well be the individual Malaysian police earlier told FMT they had nicknamed "Pendek", the Malay word for "short".
Troops were earlier reported to have taken fire from women and kiddies, believed to be family members of local krazed killers.
The teenage boy however would be the first family member of a foreign fighter reported in Marawi.
The Philippine military is currently investigating whether Malaysian krazed killer Mohd Amin Baco is still alive in Marawi which has endured attacks by Islamist radical fighters since May.
A source earlier today told FMT Amin was one of about three Malaysian combatants believed to be still in the southern Philippine city following the reported death of top Malaysian krazed killer Mahmud Ahmad earlier this week.
ABS CBN News today reported Philippine military front man Maj Gen Restituto Padilla Jr describing Amin, who hails from Sabah, as a "prominent terrorist leader" and "commander".
It is understood that remnants of "straggling" 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.... (IS)-linked krazed killers, including Malaysians and Indonesians, are still holed up in the main battle zone in the city with operations underway to flush them out.
Amin was reported to have been a member of the outlawed Darul Islam Sabah group in the state’s coastal district of Tawau.
He and fellow Sabahan Jeknal Adil, who was reportedly killed, have been identified in reports as being bomb makers for the krazed killers.
Amin and Jeknal left Malaysia to join the Abu Sayyaf ...also known as al-Harakat al-Islamiyya, an Islamist terror group based in Jolo, Basilan and Zamboanga. Since its inception in the early 1990s, the group has carried out bombings, kidnappings, murders, head choppings, and extortion in their uniquely Islamic attempt to set up an independent Moslem province in the Philippines. Abu Sayyaf forces probably number less than 300 cadres. The group is closely allied with remnants of Indonesia's Jemaah Islamiya and has loose ties with MILF and MNLF who sometimes provide cannon fodder... terror group, which pledged allegiance to the IS in 2010.
They were reported to have used the Abu Sayyaf’s hideouts in Basilan ...Basilan is a rugged, jungle-covered island in the southern Philippines. It is a known stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf, bandidos, and maybe even orcs. Most people with any sense travel with armed escorts... and Jolo Islands in southern Philippines as bases for IS operations in Southeast Asia.
The source said it would not be surprising if the Philippine military believed Amin was a leader of the remaining fighters in Marawi as he had become accustomed to the region and very likely spoke the local language fluently.
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10/21/2017
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China's problem right now is to go from the guerrilla army it always has been to a conventional military force. They have to develop combat and logistics doctrine to reflect this.
In my mind at some point they will want to test all these new toys against someone. In 2025? The Norks if they survive Trump? Vietnam? India? Anyone?
[DefenceBlog] Xi Jinping said Wednesday the Communist Party of China (CPC) will strive to fully transform the people’s armed forces into world-class military by the mid-21st century.
By the year 2020, mechanization will be basically achieved, with IT application coming a long way and strategic capabilities seeing a big improvement. The modernization of the national defense and armed forces should be basically completed by 2035, Xi said at the opening session of the 19th CPC National Congress.
The CPC will build a powerful and modernized army, navy, air force, rocket force, and strategic support force, develop strong and efficient joint operations commanding institutions for theater commands, and create a modern combat system with distinctive Chinese characteristics, he said.
“A military is built to fight,” he said, stressing combat capability as the criterion to meet.
Technology is the core combat capability, he said, adding the people’s military will be made more innovative.
The CPC will speed up development of intelligent military, and improve combat capabilities for joint operations based on network information system and the ability to fight under multi-dimensional conditions.
Founded in 1927, the People’s Liberation Army now commands about two million service personnel. Since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, the CPC has put forward the goal of building a strong military that follows the Party, fights to win and forges exemplary conduct.
A new military structure has been established with the Central Military Commission exercising overall leadership, the theater commands responsible for military operations, and the services focusing on developing capabilities.
The military has carried out major missions related to the protection of maritime rights, countering terrorism, maintaining stability, disaster rescue and relief, international peacekeeping, escort services in the Gulf of Aden, and humanitarian assistance.
SOURCE: Ministry of National Defense People’s Republic of China
#1
Didn't anybody foresee this when we started exporting jobs to them and importing all their plastic crap?
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
10/21/2017 11:07
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#2
Because they didn;t care for a bunch of 'nobodies' with no money. They catered to the big corporations and the money they donated. They forgot where the money came from in the first place.
They took the short view, and never looked at the long view.
#3
They took the short view, and never looked at the long view.
I keep seeing this said over and over and I'm not sure that is really all that wise.
Yes in some cases where short is today and long is next year, fine. But the problem is that it is based on hubris that you can know what the long view is.
If you only see the forest you wind up eating a lot of bark as you bounce from tree to tree.
#5
In my mind at some point they will want to test all these new toys against someone. In 2025? The Norks if they survive Trump? Vietnam? India? Anyone?
[ALMASDARNEWS] Moments ago, Iraqi pro-government forces commenced their long awaited operation to completely destroy 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.... ’s caliphate in Iraq.
According to reports from military-affiliated sources, the Iraqi Army and the Popular Mobilization Forces have kicked-off their campaign to liberate western Anbar province from ISIS bad boys.
West Anbar is the last region in Iraq where the Islamic State holds contiguous stretches of territory. Most of the jihadist faction’s fighters are most likely stationed throughout the middle Eurphrates valley.
Two key strongholds held by ISIS in western Anbar are the towns of Rawa and al-Qa’im (Iraqi-Syrian border). It is here where ISIS is expected to concentrate its defensive efforts.
Reports say that the Iraqi military operation is one of the largest yet in terms of the amount of manpower and heavy equipment being deployed against ISIS and comes at a time when pro-government forces are also involved in a major campaign against pro-Barzani militias in the country’s northwest.
Posted by: Fred ||
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[NEWSWEEK] The Pentagon is reluctant to attribute the ambush to any specific group, but the Defense Intelligence Agency told ABC News it is "highly likely" a group linked to ISIS is responsible.
The group, known as ISIS in the Greater Sahara (ISGS), has been active in Niger for roughly two years. In 2015, the current leader of the group, Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi, severed ties with an Al Qaeda affiliate and pledged allegiance to 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.... and its leader, His Supreme Immensity, Caliph of the Faithful and Galactic Overlord, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi ...formerly merely the head of ISIL and a veteran of the Bagram jailhouse. Looks like a new messiah to bajillions of Moslems, like just another dead-eyed mass murder to the rest of us... . But ISGS has not been formally recognized as an official branch of ISIS, according to ABC News.
"[ISGS] primarily operates along the Mali-Niger border in Mali's Menaka region, but its reach may extend as far as Niamey, Niger," Robyn Mack, a spokesperson for AFRICOM, tells Newsweek. "The group has conducted small-scale attacks against regional security forces."
AFRICOM is one the Pentagon's six geographic combatant commands and is responsible for military relations with African nations, the African Union ...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful... and African regional security organizations.
ISIS recently suffered a major defeat when it was driven from Raqqa, a Syrian city that became the de facto capital of its self-declared caliphate. But the attack in Niger highlights the terrorist organization's continued global appeal, even as its presence in Iraq and Syria dwindles.
Al Qaeda's presence in the region is much more significant than ISGS.
Other terror organizations are also active in the region where the ambush occurred, including Al Qaeda's rebranded Mali-based affiliate Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Moslemin (JNIM).
"JNIM is an umbrella organization of regionally-focused terrorist groups, including al-Qaeda in the Lands of the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) Sahara Emirate, al-Mourabitoun, and locally-focused groups Macina Liberation Front (MLF) and Ansar al-Din (AAD)," Mack says.
The group has grabbed credit for at least 35 attacks since it formed in early March, "including the June 18 attack on a Western-frequented hotel near Bamako, Mali, and probably are responsible for the August 13 attack on a Western-frequented cafe in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso ...The country in west Africa that they put where Upper Volta used to be. Its capital is Oogadooga, or something like that. Its president is currently Blaise Compaoré, who took office in 1987 and will leave office feet first, one way or the other... ," Mack adds.
Experts were surprised to hear ISGS is being blamed for the ambush.
Jason Warner, an assistant professor at the Combating Terrorism Center and the Department of Social Sciences at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, tells Newsweek he was "surprised" when he heard the October 4 ambush was being blamed on ISGS.
Warner, who's done extensive research on terrorism in Africa, says he "never really heard anyone mention ISGS in a serious way" and the group has "not really ever come up as a real threat" in conversation.
"When it first came out that these four Americans were killed, for most of us who watch this region, it seemed unlikely it was ISGS since they haven’t been so active," Warner adds.
In Warner's view, if the attack is indeed "pinned down to [ISGS], it would be the most ideologically significant" it has been involved in thus far
Posted by: Fred ||
10/21/2017
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[WASHINGTONEXAMINER] Perennial Presidential Campaigner Hillary Crooked Hillary Clinton ... former first lady, former secretary of state, former presidential candidate, Conqueror of Benghazi, Heroine of Tuzla, formerly described by her supporters as the smartest woman in the world, usually described by the rest of us as The Thing That Wouldn't Go Away... didn't win the presidency, but she's in line for something almost as interesting -- the crown of "Wonder Woman."
The Women's Media Center, co-founded by feminist Gloria Steinem, told us that it is giving the latest Democratic presidential candidate its first "Wonder Woman Award" for her "extraordinary accomplishments" and public service.
Hillary Clinton to Receive 2017 WMC Wonder Woman Award Next Week in NYC https://t.co/4tLAKfl8pk‐ Women's Media Center (@womensmediacntr) October 20, 2017
"Like Wonder Woman, she seems to have superhuman strength, resilience, and courage," said the group in a reference to the famous comic and TV character.
"Hillary Clinton's actions have inspired and protected women and men on every continent," said Steinem. "She has battled negative forces and helped to maintain a fragile peace with her negotiating skill on behalf of this country and peace-seekers everywhere. She has handled all this with grace, grit, determination, integrity, humor and fortitude while remaining a steadfast feminist, advocate, activist, sister and tireless leader in the revolution. With this award, the Women's Media Center declares Hillary Clinton our Wonder Woman."
Others being recognized at the October 26 event in New York City include Jane Fonda, Maria Hinojosa, Ashley Judd, White House news hound April Ryan, María Elena Salinas and Gail Tifford.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/21/2017
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#1
It's more like "wonder WTF she thinks she's doing" woman.
[ALMASDARNEWS] The Iraqi forces continued their advance against the Kurdish Peshmerga and PKK, today, seizing a new city near the recently captured historic provincial capital of the Kirkuk Governorate.
Iraqi troops led by the Federal Police launched a big attack on the Peshmerga positions near the city of Altun Kubri (var. Kopri) this morning, scoring an advance after cutting the road from the historic provincial capital.
The Iraqi Armed Forces would finally take control of the city after several minutes of intense fighting with the Kurdish Peshmerga and PKK units.
With Antun Kubri under Iraqi military control, the Kurdish Peshmerga have lost their third major city in Iraq this week.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/21/2017
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Top|| File under: Govt of Iraq
#2
The following Telegraph Site not blocked or restricted by Zim communist nuus cadres:
[Telegraph] Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe has long faced United States sanctions over his government’s human rights abuses. But the World Health Organization’s new chief is making the longtime African leader a "goodwill ambassador."
With Mugabe on hand, WHO director-general Tedros Ghebreyesus told a conference in Uruguay this week on non-communicable diseases that he’d agreed to be a "goodwill ambassador" on the issue.
Tedros, an Ethiopian who became WHO’s first African director-general this year, said Mugabe could use the role "to influence his peers in his region."
A WHO spokeswoman confirmed the comments to The Associated Press on Friday.
In his speech, Tedros described Zimbabwe as "a country that places universal health coverage and health promotion at the center of its policies to provide health care to all."
Two dozen organizations - including the World Heart Federation, Action Against Smoking and Cancer Research U.K. - released a statement slamming the appointment, saying health officials were "shocked and deeply concerned" and citing his "long track record of human rights violations." Link to Telegraph Article
#3
Two dozen organizations - including the World Heart Federation, Action Against Smoking and Cancer Research U.K. - released a statement slamming the appointment, saying health officials were "shocked and deeply concerned" and citing his "long track record of human rights violations."
Short memories? History a bit of a challenge? Can't repeat the term 'Rhodesian Independence.' Your gov't was instrumental in putting him where he is today.
[Al Jazeera] The six years since the Libyan people's successful uprising to end Muammar Qadaffy ...The late megalomaniac dictator of Libya, admired everywhere for his garish costumes, funny hats, harem of cutie bodyguards, and incoherent ravings. As far as is known, he is the only person who's ever declared jihad on Switzerland... 's rule have seen the country divided between rival governments, various gangs, ethnic militias, and a renegade general.
A once united rebel front has now broken into innumerable armed factions loyal to their home cities, political or religious ideology, or foreign backers.
The conflict has claimed the lives of thousands of fighters and civilians alike, slowed the country's economic development, and given space for groups, such as 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.... of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) group, to establish a toehold in the country.
Regional powers, such Egypt and the UAE have become deeply involved in the country's complex conflict by backing renegade General Khalifa Haftar ... served in the Libyan army under Muammar Qadaffy, and took part in the coup that brought Qadaffy to power in 1969. He became a prisoner of war in Chad in 1987. While held prisoner, he and his fellow officers formed a group hoping to overthrow Qadaffy. He was released around 1990 in a deal with the United States government and spent nearly two decades in the United States, gaining US citizenship. In 1993, while living in the United States, he was convicted in absentia of crimes against the Jamahiriya and sentenced to death. Haftar held a senior position in the anti-Qadaffy forces in the 2011 Libyan Civil War. In 2014 he was commander of the Libyan Army when the General National Congress (GNC) refused to give up power in accordance with its term of office. Haftar launched a campaign against the GNC and its Islamic fundamentalist allies. His campaign allowed elections to take place to replace the GNC, but then developed into a civil war. Guess you can't win them all... , and carrying out air raids against his opponents.
The country's deterioration has led many inside and out of the country to question whether the country was better off during Qadaffy's 42-year-long reign.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/21/2017
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#1
...It is worth remembering how Gaddafi Duck met his end - dragged from where he was hiding in a sewer pipe, and then stabbed in the buttocks repeatedly. His last words were, "Do you not know right from wrong???" Clearly, someone did; he was shot seconds later.
And yet someone has the ba11s to suggest that the people of that beknighted land were better off with a man who:
*Executed dissidents, opponents, and anyone else he just didn't like live on television
*Held for ransom/revenge the remains of those who opposed or fought him (including the remains of the F-111 crew lost during Op Eldorado Canyon, and quite possibly the crew of US Sloop Intrepid, lost in the early 1800s - and he ordered on at least one or two occasions a hunt for the missing crew members of the legendary Lady Be Good, after he removed the plane's wreckage from its resting place and put it under armed guard)
*Pranced around with his 'Amazon Virgin Guards', who were noticeably absent when the shiat finally hit the fan
*Stole/wasted billions in oil revenues
*Lost every war he started, including one with Chad, f'r God's sake
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
10/21/2017 13:03
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#2
But now they've a hundred little Gaddafis Mike.
[DAILYCALLER] The number of people who could have provided BuzzFeed News with a copy of the infamous Trump dossier is vanishingly small. Only a few people had access to the full document, which consists of 17 memos dated between June 20, 2016 and Dec. 13.
One person who was provided a copy of the salacious document, written by former British spy Remington Christopher Steele, is Arizona Sen. John Maverick McCain ... the Senator-for-Life from Arizona, former presidential candidate and even more former foot soldier in the Reagan Revolution. As an ordinary citizen he greased the infamous hookers peeing on the Obamabed in Moscow dossier in an attempt to smear President Trump... . But McCain, who has already acknowledged providing an early version of the dossier to former FBI Director James Comey, denied this week that he also gave a version to BuzzFeed, which published it on Jan. 10.
"I gave it to no one except for the director of the FBI. I don’t know why you’re digging this up now," McCain said during a testy exchange with The Daily Caller on Wednesday.
McCain was asked whether he was BuzzFeed’s source after the Republican’s office declined to answer direct questions on the matter.
Only a few people are known to have had possession of the full 35-page document before BuzzFeed obtained its copy.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/21/2017
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#1
Has the tumor grown to totally replace his brain?
[Iraq News] 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.... members executed on Friday three comrades for attempting to escape the group’s last stronghold in Iraq towards Syria, a paramilitary source in Anbar was quoted saying.
Almaalomah quoted the source saying that a firing squad from the Death Eater group rubbed out three senior members for sneaking outside the town of Qaim, along with their families, towards Syria’s Boukamal. The execution was witnessed by a large number of group commanders near the town’s hospital.
Since Islamic State forces of Evil took over large areas of Iraq and Syria to establish a self-styled "caliphate" in 2014, Iraqi government forces, backed paramilitary troops and U.S.-led coalition, launched a wide-scale campaign to retake those regions.
So far, the offensives managed to retake djinn-infested Mosul ... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn... , the group’s former capital, the town of Tal Afar, Kirkuk’s Hawija and Anbar’s Annah. Only Qaim and neighboring Rawa currently remain in IS grip.
Local authorities and human rights ...which are usually entirely different from personal liberty... agencies believe Islamic State members are holding tens of thousands of civilians in western Anbar as future human shields, having killed hundreds for attempting to escape.
A monthly count by the United Nations ...aka the Oyster Bay Chowder and Marching Society... Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI), which excludes security members deaths, said 196 non-combatants were killed, while 381 others were maimed due to violence and armed conflicts during the month of September.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/21/2017
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[Al Jazeera] After a tumultuous marriage of more than 27 years, South Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of. Except for a tiny handfull of Jews everthing there is very Islamic... appears to be edging closer to divorcing the north in a move politically and financially sponsored by the oil-rich United Arab Emirates (UAE).
In the southern coastal city of Aden, unified Yemen's familiar flag of three horizontal bars has all but vanished, replaced by the former Communist nation's emblem of a red star within a sky-blue chevron, while pictures of Emirati royals adorn the hallways of government buildings and ministries.
Military units once loyal to the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi are also distinctly absent. Instead, local militias and Yemeni soldiers are flanked by Emirati troops - tasked with guarding key installations and protecting Aidarous al-Zubaidi - the UAE's 'man in the south' and leader of the southern secessionist movement.
Perceived by some as the only credible rival to Hadi, the 50-year-old militia leader set out his vision for the region on Friday saying an independence referendum would be "held soon."
Speaking to a raucous crowd of southerners hungry for secession, he announced the formation of a new 303-member parliament, a body analysts say will be administered under his presidency.
Mansoor Saleh, a senior member of Zubaidi's Southern Transitional Council (STC), told Al Jazeera that plans to hold a referendum were still under review, but the STC would be willing to push ahead without the approval of Yemen's internationally recognised government.
"The only way to restore our country [south Yemen] is through liberation," Saleh said.
"A referendum will be held on terms set by the STC. Hadi is a partner to us, just like the Arab coalition. But he has never supported the STC and is not playing any role in this process."
Hadi's government, which was forced by Houthi ...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The Yemeni government has accused the Houthis of having ties to the Iranian government, which wouldn't suprise most of us. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews ... rebels to relocate to Riyadh two years ago and has made only sporadic visits to Aden, has yet to comment on the announcement. But sources close to the presidency said they were ready to thwart any effort to divide the country.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/21/2017
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[CATCHNEWS] In a statement fraught with repercussions for militancy in the Kashmire Valley, Pakistain Occupied Kashmire based Death Eater conglomerate United Jihad Council (UJC) has for the first time publicly branded Zakir Musa, the chief of the Al Qaeda affiliate in Kashmire, as an Indian agent. The UJC termed it "a deadly game" geared "to pit Kashmiri against Kashmiri".
Using the facade of Zakir Musa a new Ikhwan (pro-government insurgency group) is being created in the name of ISIS and Al Qaeda for the past several months. Paid Indian agents are being recruited for this brigade. They are being hailed by Indian media and impression is given these paid agents are the real heroes of the Kashmire freedom struggle," UJC front man Syed Sadaqat Hussain said in a statement to a local news agency, CNS.
"Over the past few days, Indian print and electronic media is busy in cooking a cock and bull story claiming Zakir Musa’s meeting with Lions of Islam who had managed to enter into Valley through the Gulmarg route. We appeal to people of Kashmire to be alert and expose such types of conspiracies".
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
10/21/2017
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Top|| File under: Hizbul Mujaheddin
Three weeks after the Las Vegas massacre, I can safely say that whatever else is happening, neither ammunition nor rifle panic buying is taking place. Used rifle prices as a collective whole, however, and in regions other than the east coast appear to be wafting upward slowly. In Arizona and Texas I found only about three rifles total which were sub $500, and those were obviously gun dealers trying to sell their wares as private individuals.
In Pennsylvania, Virginia and Florida I found several rifles for private sale in the sub $500 range. I suspect that in those three states prices will slowly follow the trends set in Texas and Arizona. In other words, if the current trend holds out, rifle prices will recover in the short term to above $500 and may not return to pre August, 2017 levels in what's left of my lifetime.
More importantly and at least as pertinent, ammunition prices for the 5.56mm have returned to pre-July levels of $0.21 per round. A small caveat is that I track cheap ammo, where the Russians are beating everyone. Domestic ammunition may be another story, but as I have learned, even Russia tracks prices in America and adjust their prices accordingly. So, if more expensive domestic ammunition is decreasing, so will the Russian ammunition.
You will notice that under the heading of .223 55 grain ammunition, prices spiked upwards $0.02 per round two weeks ago, ten percent as I pointed out at the time. But what I didn't point out, and subsequently found out, is that the 5.56mm ammo dropped $0.02 the week before the massacre. The price spike in either case may not have anything at all to do with the shooting in Las Vegas.
Also, since the massacre, we have been seeing calls for tighter gun laws, which you would think would affect prices. That is because, as was pointed out by the NRA guy who managed to extract another $50 from me, two thirds of the US Senate were behind a Congressional Ban on slide/bump fire stocks, and in favor of tightening the federal gun laws even more.
If you visit Rantburg very often, you know I have been fisking new calls for more gun laws. Not just here, I have been arguing with Mobys on local Facebook pages claiming to be Life NRA members, that (quoting) "I am a Life Member and even I support more gun control laws."
To one individual, I suggested if he was a Life Member of NRA, he should resign his membership. I told him earlier that he was, in my estimation, a Fake NRA member. He didn't respond, except to tell to to go back to my mother's basement. You have to know me pretty well to understand how funny that was to me.
But that is what you have to do, if you love Liberty. Otherwise the f*ckers who want to transfer even more power to the government will have won.
You know. The Zhukovian Doctrine of Ceaseless Counterattacks.
Pistol ammunition prices were mixed. Rifle ammunition prices were mostly steady.
Prices for used pistols were mixed. Prices for used rifles were mixed.
New Lows:
None
Pistol Ammunition
.45 Caliber, 230 Grain, From Last Week: +.01 Each After Unchanged (3 Weeks)
Cheapest, 50 rounds: Buds Gun Shop, Silver Bear, FMJ, Steel Casing, .22 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 500 rounds: East Carolina Trading, Own Brand, CRN, Brass Casing, Reloads, .21 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (2 Weeks))
.40 Caliber Smith & Wesson, 180 Grain, From Last Week: +.03 each
Cheapest, 50 rounds: Ammo Men, Mag Tech, FMJ, Brass Casing, .21 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 500 rounds: Ammo Valley, Own Brand, RNFP, Brass Casing, Reloads, .18 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (5 Weeks))
9mm Parabellum, 115 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (8 Weeks)
Cheapest, 50 rounds: Extreme Reloading, Own Brand, RN, Brass Casing, Reloads, .14 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 500 rounds: Fedarm, Own brand, RN, Brass Casing, Reloads .13 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (2 Weeks))
.357 Magnum, 158 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (4 Weeks)
Cheapest, 50 rounds: Outdoor Limited, Tulammo, FMJ, Steel Casing, .23 per round
Cheapest Bulk: 1,000 rounds: Outdoor Limited, Tulammo, FMJ, Steel Casing, .23 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (3Q, 2017))
.38 Special, 158 Grain, From Last Week: -.02 Each
Cheapest, 50 rounds: Outdoor Limited, Ten Ring, FMJ, Brass Casing .21 per round
Cheapest Bulk: 500 rounds: Ammo Valley, Own brand, TMJ, Aluminum Casing, Reloads, .23 per round (From Last Week: -.01 Each After Unchanged (9 Weeks))
Rifle Ammunition
.223 Caliber/5.56mm 55 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (2 Weeks)
Cheapest, 20 rounds: Ammo Men, Wolf WPA, FMJ, Steel Casing, .21 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 500 rounds: Outdoor Limited, Wolf WPA, FMJ, Steel Casing, .20 per round (From Last Week: -.01 Each After Unchanged (2 Weeks))
.308 NATO 150 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (3Q, 2017)
Cheapest, 20 rounds: Outdoor Limited, Tulammo, FMJ, Steel Casing, .32 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 500 rounds: Outdoor Limited, Tulammo, FMJ, Steel Casing, .32 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (3Q, 2017))
7.62x39mm AK 123 Grain, From Last Week: -.02 Each
Cheapest, 20 rounds: Outdoor Limited, Wolf WPA, FMJ, Steel Casing, .19 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 1,000 rounds: True Caliber, Wolf WPA, Steel Casing, FMJ, .19 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (3Q, 2017))
.30-06 Springfield 145 Grain. From Last Week: Unchanged (3 Weeks)
Cheapest, 20 rounds: Target Sports USA, Wolf WPA, Steel Casing, FMJ, .60 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 500 rounds: United Nations Ammo, Wolf WPA, Steel Casing, FMJ, .53 per round (From Last week: -.01 Each After Unchanged (1Q, 2017))
.300 Winchester Magnum 150 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (3 Weeks)
Cheapest, 20 rounds: Ammo Liquidator, Winchester, Brass Casing, SP, .84 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 1,000 rounds: Ammo Liquidator, Winchester, Brass Casing, SP, .82 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (7 Weeks))
.338 Lapua Magnum 250 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (2 Weeks)
Cheapest, 20 rounds: Red River Reloading, Federal Eagle, Brass Casing, JSP, 2.41 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 200 rounds (2 cases Max): Wholesale Hunter, Federal, Brass Casing, JSP, 2.51 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (3 Weeks)
.22 LR 40 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (2Q, 2017)
Cheapest, 50 rounds: Ammo King, Aguila, RNL, .04 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 500 rounds: Ammo King, Aguila, RNL, .04 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (2Q, 2017))
#6
Just spent 10 days on Oahu. One thing that surprised me at first was the hawkers drumming up business for at least several private indoor ranges. But then I realized they are probably trolling for customers from Japan, Oz etc.
[Wash Times] The company behind the anti-Trump intelligence dossier that rocked last year’s U.S. election went to federal court Friday to try and block the House Intelligence Committee from getting access to its banking records.
The firm, Fusion GPS, filed a petition in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, according to a source knowledgeable about the situation. Would I be correct in saying an examination of cell phones and laptops would be totally out of the question ?
The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity with The Washington Times, said the House Intelligence Committee had subpoenaed Fusion’s banking records in an effort to determine who financed former British spy Christopher Steele’s work to write the dossier during the summer and fall of 2016.
Little information is known about the subpoena by the House Intelligence Committee, which is investigating Russian interference in last year’s U.S. presidential election.
Fusion, headed by former Wall Street Journal reporter Glenn Simpson, invoked the Fifth Amendment this week rather than testify on Capital Hill about its role in commissioning and compiling the dossier. The company has also refused to hand over certain documents to the Senate Judiciary Committee citing its First Amendment rights.
Wiki: Glenn R. Simpson is an American former journalist with The Wall Street Journal and the co-founder of the Washington-based research firm Fusion GPS.[1] He was a senior fellow at the International Assessment and Strategy Center.
Be sure to check out the 'current and former' staff of the IASC, particularly the bios of Messrs Waldon and Farah. What fascinating fellows. I doubt they'd want to talk about their work or personal finances either.
#5
According to the Congressional Research Service, pp-5-6. : Congress has three formal methods by which it can combat non-compliance with a duly issued subpoena.4 Each of these methods invokes the authority of a separate branch of government. First, the long dormant inherent contempt power permits Congress to rely on its own constitutional authority to detain and imprison a contemnor until the individual complies with congressional demands.5 Because the contemnor is generally released once the terms of the subpoena are met, inherent contempt serves the purposes of encouraging compliance with a congressional directive. Second, the criminal contempt statute6 permits Congress to certify a contempt citation to the executive branch for the criminal prosecution of the contemnor.7 Criminal contempt serves as punishment for non-compliance with a congressional subpoena, but does not necessarily encourage subsequent acquiescence. Once convicted, the contemnor is not excused from criminal liability if he later chooses to comply with the subpoena. Finally, Congress may rely on the judicial branch to enforce a congressional subpoena.8 Under this procedure, Congress may seek a civil judgment from a federal court declaring that the individual in question is legally obligated to comply with the congressional subpoena. If the court finds that the party is legally obligated to comply, continued non-compliance may result in the party being held in contempt of court. Where the target of the subpoena is an executive branch official, civil enforcement may be the only practical means by which Congress can effectively ensure compliance with its own subpoena.
I'd vote for jugging them until they get "cooperative."
[ALMASDARNEWS] ‐ As was predicted by some military analysts at and since the beginning of this year, the operation by the US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces to capture Raqqa from ISIS has resulted in the city’s complete annihilation.
According to the United Nations ...boodling on the grand scale... , the campaign by US-backed, Kurdish-led militias to capture Raqqa 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.... bully boyz resulted in some 80 percent of the city now becoming "uninhabitable."
This statistic is revealed at a time when Kurdish militias pulled a questionable stun in Raqqa’s city center following their clearing the area from ISIS. Here a Kurdish armored fighting vehicle conducted a series of celebratory wheelies in the exact same fashion that the Islamic State had done when it conquered the city.
The statistic might also serve to explain why Kurdish militias are constantly evacuating civilians from the city, even in areas where ISIS mines and traps have been cleared. It appears that there is simply no place left for people to live.
Whilst the general nature of urban warfare is somewhat to blame, there can be no doubt that the Coalition’s relentless aerial bombardment of Raqqa (which was more intense than in the djinn-infested Mosul ... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn... operation) to compensate for the tactical incompetence of its militias on the ground is mostly to blame.
To this effect, the West’s double standard on the morality behind bombing population centers in order to defeat terrorist forces (i.e. ‐ when Assad does it it is bad, when the Coalition does it it is necessary) has been revealed once again for all the world to see and the unfortunate victims have been the city and people of Raqqa.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/21/2017
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[TOWNHALL] Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-FL) is not backing off her claim that President Trump disrespected a fallen soldier's widow earlier this week. Trump phoned Myeshia Johnson to share his condolences for the death of her husband Sgt. La David Johnson, who died during an Islamic State ambush in Niger earlier this month. Wilson says she overheard some of the president's words via speakerphone and swears she heard him insensitively say that Johnson "knew what he signed up for."
President Trump rebuked Wilson on Twitter and called her a liar, but she has not changed her story.
White House Chief of Staff and former Gen. John Kelly, who lost a son in combat, was so distraught by the politicization of the soldiers' deaths in Niger, that he took a somber visit to Arlington Cemetery to collect his thoughts. Once he had, he offered some poignant, yet strong remarks at Thursday's White House press briefing. At one point, he scolded Rep. Wilson for supposedly bragging about getting securing funding for an FBI field office in 2015.
Wilson, after hearing the remarks, said she feels "sympathy" for Gen. Kelly and the loss of his son, but insisted he can't just "go on TV and lie." Somehow, she perceived part of his speech as being "racist."
Democratic Rep. Wilson: "Empty barrel," used by WH Chief of Staff Kelly to describe her, is a "racist term" https://t.co/356W7kIDPJ
— New Day (@NewDay) October 20, 2017
Wilson told CNN's Alisyn Camerota that Kelly's "empty barrel" remark was racist, but didn't explain why.
"We looked it up in the dictionary, because I had never heard of an empty barrel. And I don't like to be dragged into something like that," she said.
Following Kelly's speech and President Trump's tweets calling Wilson a liar, the representative jokingly referred to herself as a "rock star." Yet, on CNN Friday she said her No. 1 concern is the families. She wants answers on the Niger mission and why our troops were there in the first place and what led to the Islamic State attack.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/21/2017
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#1
The empty barrel makes ths most noise.
Against Kelly, I heard Wilson claimed to have a part in naming the FBI building, not acquiring funds for it. This is entirely possible.
#5
Many of these people loath our great country but hold the murderous, tyrannical regimes of darkest Africa in the highest of regard.
Quite incredulous when you consider standards of living and life expectancy in the United States far exceeds the best of their esteemed native homelands.
[DAWN] Iraqi federal and Kurdish forces exchanged fire at their shared border on Friday, capping a dramatic week of manoeuvres that saw the Kurds hand over territory across northern Iraq.
Iraqi forces shelled Kurdish military positions north and south of Altun Kupri, a town of about 9,000 people just outside the country's autonomous Kurdish region, a day after Brigadier Gen Raad Baddai gave warning he was going to enter the town.
Organised Kurdish forces, known as the peshmerga, as well as irregular forces, responded with rocket fire.
By mid-day, Iraq's defence ministry said anti-terrorism forces, the federal police and the country's Iranian-backed Popular Mobilization Front (PMF) militias had taken the town.
But the peshmerga's general command disputed that claim, saying Kurdish fighters fought off the advance and destroyed 10 Humvees and an Abrams tank.
Ercuman Turkmen, a PMF commander, said from inside the town his forces were being targeted by sniper fire.
Speaking to the AP by phone, he said he had no orders to enter the Kurdish autonomous region.
There were no casualty reports but AP news hounds saw ambulances outside the town.
The boundaries of the country's Kurdish region have long been disputed between Baghdad and Irbil, the Kurdish capital, but Kurdish forces this week withdrew in most areas to positions they last held in 2014, effectively restoring the contours of the map to the time before the rise of the Lion of IslamIslamic 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.... (IS) group.
They pulled out of nearby Kirkuk after brief festivities and handed over surrounding oil fields nearly without a fight, but they held on to Altun Kupri, making a symbolic last stand in front of the vastly more powerful Iraqi army.
"The Kurdistan peshmerga forces have resisted heroically in this confrontation and have recorded a great honour," the peshmerga general command said in a statement released mid-day.
Altun Kupri is the last town on the federal side of the border on the road between Kirkuk and Irbil.
Kurdish forces entered Kirkuk in 2014 when Iraq's army melted away ahead of the Islamic IS' blitz across northern and western Iraq.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/21/2017
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[Al Jazeera] Up to 30 Egyptian coppers have been killed in a shoot-out during a raid on a suspected hideout of fighters in the country's Western desert, security sources say.
Rooters news agency quoted sources as saying the deaths occurred on Friday when the officers were following a lead to an apartment thought to house eight suspected members of Hasm.
Hasm is a group that has claimed several attacks around Cairo targeting judges and coppers since last year.
The suspected fighters tried to flee after the exchange of fire there, the sources said, and continued to shoot at a second security unit called in for back-up from atop neighbouring buildings.
The fighters also used bombs in the attack, the sources said, adding that 16 officers died in the shoot-out and the number was expected to rise.
Two security sources said eight security personnel were maimed in the festivities, while another source said that four of the injured were coppers and four others were suspected fighters.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[Breitbart] Twenty members of the Moderate Party in Sweden have proposed the government deploys the armed forces in some of the country’s most dangerous no-go zones to combat "gang violence".
the personification of Somali state failure...
[DAWN] A ’commander’ of the 
[NEWSWEEK] The Pentagon is reluctant to attribute the ambush to any specific group, but the Defense Intelligence Agency told ABC News it is "highly likely" a group linked to ISIS is responsible.
Perennial Presidential Campaigner Hillary 
John 
[Wash Times] The company behind the anti-Trump intelligence dossier that rocked last year’s U.S. election went to federal court Friday to try and block the House Intelligence Committee from getting access to its banking records.
