Oh How Ironic in this day and age.
MAY 12--The Pennsylvania woman who alleged that she was fondled by Donald Duck during a visit to Epcot Center in Florida has settled her lawsuit against Disney, federal court records show.
April Magolon's complaint, filed last August against Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, was formally dismissed today by Judge John Padova in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia. The judicial order came a day after lawyers for the parties reported that the matter had been settled. Magolon's attorney, Michael Pansini, sought dismissal of the lawsuit "with prejudice," meaning that the action could not be refiled.
The court filings do not disclose settlement terms, which presumably included a payment to Magolon, a 28-year-old Upper Darby resident. The settlement came prior to Magolon or Disney filing motions or pretrial memorandums in the case, which involved claims of negligence, battery, and infliction of emotional distress Now if Big Sis was his boss, Donald Duck's actions would be considered for the public good.
Posted by: Andy Jiger6835 ||
05/14/2011 00:27 ||
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#2
The US effectively labellebed us useless, and well are navy is (watch Royal Carribean Navy, with the frigate Manchester - we sunk are own boat by leaving the dorrs open!) But its ironic that now you see are battle willingness. The possibilty that the UK might not be able to join in with an occupation and the US might have to go it alone would look very publicly bad for the US.
#3
"There are no problems, only firing solutions." -- military adage
Practically speaking, England has around a 30% unemployment rate. Wave the magic wand, issue them uniforms and rifles, and you have a ginormous army. Put them to train in rural areas, and pay for it by using their welfare checks, remitting them each 50 Pounds a month. 3 rations of oatmeal and some vegetable a day.
If they are washed out, no more welfare at all.
Their first big assignment is to load all illegal aliens aboard ships to take to Africa. And it doesn't matter if they aren't from Africa. Unless they leave the UK on their own, and for good, they are put on the ships.
After that, the ginormous army begins massive national infrastructure projects out in the boonies. Those who show particular skill and enthusiasm might get promoted into the regular army.
Those who are worthless, weak, criminal, etc., get to handle inprocessing of illegal aliens in Africa.
#4
But its ironic that now you see are battle willingness. The possibilty that the UK might not be able to join in with an occupation and the US might have to go it alone
We at Rantburg, and many others, know it's the British politicians who caused the problem, not the fighting spirit of the British troops, devilstoenail. But there's a limit to what Tommy can do when he's not issued enough bullets... or ordered to stay in barracks and not distress the natives by patrolling the neighborhood.
Hopefully the Tories will get the financial situation straightened out post haste, then restore military funding.
The tyre is flat. The EU project has shuddered into crisis. The modernist advance is no more. Whats modern now is the retreat, the longing to get back to the tranquillity of the nation state. Its not just the right-wing parties driving this forward; its almost a consensus. And because the broad undertow of this social mood is entwined with specific problems of the EU, the community project is actually already headed for the rocks. With its announced reintroduction of border controls, Denmark is showing just how its done. And many other member states could probably soon follow suit.
Longings to dismantle the EU are plentiful. In Austria today many want the return of the schilling, which would be immune from the problems in Greece, Portugal and Ireland. Many dream of border controls going back up to put a stop to gangs of burglars, beggars, illegal immigrants and drug traffickers coming into the country. They would approve of no more foreign students taking up seats in overcrowded Austrian universities. They would probably agree unhesitatingly that such a move would mean bringing back restrictions on transit traffic. A majority, we know from surveys, would support reintroducing barriers to our labour markets. And many companies and workers would ultimately not only support but even vehemently insist on import restrictions on all those products that are outcompeting their own domestic products. The dismantling ought to begin.
#4
> companies and workers would ultimately not only support but even vehemently insist on import restrictions on all those products that are outcompeting their own domestic products
This would of course be a disaster as the extra cost and lower quality of the items would be charged to the consumers of the country. In effect a Marxist style reward for inferiority, with all the inevitable effects that this would lead to.
#5
Sort of what Detroit did in the 1970s during the gas crisis - tried to have all the Japanese fuel efficient cars kept out because Detroit was still pushing big metal and muscle cars, and refused to make the fuel efficient cars.
I was surprised to see that the piece was written by Donald Rumsfeld
Osama bin Laden's death at the hands of U.S. special operations forces is a major success in our country's war against al-Qaeda. As a result of the Central Intelligence Agency's interrogation program and the intelligence gained from detainees held in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, a major fraction of al-Qaeda's senior leadership has been captured or killed since 2001.
This conclusion was inadvertently reinforced recently by WikiLeaks' illegal disclosure of more than 700 classified Defense Department files on Guantanamo Bay detainees. Their publication has harmed our security and cemented the impression among allies that America is incapable of keeping secrets. But the material also provides compelling evidence of the effectiveness of Bush administration anti-terror policies after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
#1
If anyone is interested, Donald Rumsfeld was recently interviewed on the Jeff Katz show in Boston on 5/3/2011. http://talk1200.com
The link to the MP3 podcast can be found here. http://bit.ly/lhNgH0
#2
I'm surprised to see such a statement in the WaPo - The classified files from Guantanamo Bay, particularly those on senior operative Abu Faraj al-Libi, contain clues about al-Qaedas courier network and even mention Abbottabad. Had bin Laden closely followed WikiLeaks release of these documents April 25, it is unlikely he would have been there when U.S. Navy SEALs descended into his compound days later.
Posted by: Bobby ||
05/14/2011 12:16 Comments ||
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#3
You won't see this op-ed in the Taliban Al-Qaeda Times, er...NYT...any time soon.
Those dimlight bulbs in the fifth estate prolonged the search for OBL by four years at least.
Posted by: Bill Clinton ||
05/14/2011 12:25 Comments ||
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MUCH of the world's goodwill and patience as regards Pakistain has run out. Let's not kid anyone: for all the bravado being shown by the country's discredited politicians and military brass, Pakistain's reputation has hit rock bottom. It is not going to recover for some time unless the country's leaders agree to make a fresh start.
Those who have got the country in this awful mess will most likely find safe haven elsewhere, leaving behind a nation shattered by the ruling classes' duplicity and/or stupidity in failing to deal with religious extremism and mismanagement of the economy. Ever since the late Osama bin Laden Osama bin Laden is dead.
He took two shots to the head.
That made him frown
and he had to lie down.
Osama bin Laden is dead. was killed, found living practically next door to the military academy in Abbottabad, like many other Pakistain-watchers, I have followed developments in Pakistain with a rising sense of anger, frustration -- and grim amusement.
The Pak political and military establishment's ability to delude themselves over their reputation and the country's role in the world has always amazed me. My columns have often struggled to reflect how people outside Pakistain -- including EU officials, ordinary Europeans and many members of the Pak diaspora -- really view the country, what they actually say when the ministers and diplomats have left the room and they know they can talk freely and off-the-record to a journalist.
I've always believed it counterproductive to live in a state of denial. But that appears to be the permanent state of mind of many in Pakistain, the general belief being that if you say it loudly enough, often enough and to as many possible as possible, somehow an illusion can turn into reality. Unfortunately, the real world does not work like that. So here's my modest attempt to distinguish between myth and reality in an honest worldview of post-Osama Pakistain.
-- The US operation against Osama is an 'embarrassment' for Pakistain. No it isn't: it is a humiliation, a slap in the face for the country's leaders -- civilian and military -- who have been shown to be either duplicitous and/or clueless. I'm frankly not sure what is worse. Instead of trying to strut their stuff, Pak policymakers should be apologising to the nation -- and to the rest of the world -- for having willingly or unwittingly misled everyone for the last 10 years.
-- As in the past, Pakistain will be able to overcome negative world opinion. Not really, not this time. Pakistain's reputation -- not really that bright at the best of times -- has taken a very strong blow. Rebuilding global goodwill will be an uphill struggle for even the best-paid American PR firms, not to mention Pakistain's beleaguered diplomats.
-- People forget. Again, not this time. There have always been suspicions about the Pak security services' ability to 'look two ways': clamp down on the terrorist groups that they do not like while helping and 'nurturing' those they see as 'foreign policy tools' to project Pak influence in Afghanistan and India. The Osama episode proves that global misgivings about Pakistain's double game were right. Good luck to those who try correcting that impression.
-- Pakistain is an important, indispensable nation. Whatever it does, it will be forgiven. After all, the US administration has promised to keep providing aid and the EU has said that the country needs "more support than ever". Yes, some people do believe that Pakistain's help is needed to stabilise Afghanistan, especially in view of US plans to withdraw in 2014. But others in the US and Europe -- especially in Congress and the European Parliament -- disagree with that view and believe it's time to put relations with Islamabad on the back burner. The result of the debate will depend on how Pak leaders conduct themselves in the coming weeks and months.
-- As Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said, this is an "intelligence failure of the world". Well done, Mr Gilani. Passing the buck is an old Pak tactic and the speechwriter who came up with this argument probably deserves a medal. But this is really Pakistain's failure. Mr Gilani and others should take responsibility for it, and do better in dealing with the many terrorist networks still operating inside and outside the country.
-- The Pakistain Army works in the country's national interest. It probably does but I have often wondered when Pakistain would wake up and question the myth that the army and security services are the only stabilising forces in Pakistain. Let's be frank: Pakistain is in this mess over Osama -- and more generally as regards the fragility of its institutions -- because the security forces have played hide-and-seek with Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups and disseminated a fictional narrative of power and authority to Paks and the rest of the world.
-- The civilian leaders deserve world support. Yes, but only to a point. Civilian governments in Pakistain have given democracy a bad name, led a trusting population up the garden path and filled their pockets with ill-gotten gains. If they want public support, Pakistain's civilian leaders must come clean over past mistakes, assert their authority over the military and get the economy in order.
In other words, it's time to wake up and get to work. Pakistain's ruling elite has to stop pretending it can keep living in a twilight world of ambiguity and half-truths. With honest leaders, countries can change their destinies and restore their reputations.
Pakistain's long-suffering population deserves a better future.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/14/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Another country in the very beginnings of going down this path is Britain. Where demonstrations against America for killing mass murderer Osama bin Laden were public, shrill and vocal. The authorities just sat back and did nothing, like what they are doing to militant Imams and other terrorist operations on the isle of Britain.
Posted by: Andy Jiger6835 ||
05/14/2011 0:12 Comments ||
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#2
"...the general belief being that if you say it loudly enough, often enough and to as many possible as possible, somehow an illusion can turn into reality."
Would it be possible for the author of this article to have a long talk with our Socialists? And Climate-Cultists? And Democrats? (... but I repeat myself.)
#4
The problem with cutting Pakistan loose is that it has 177 million people, nuclear weapons, and has started wars with India some three times and one undeclared war.
Its madrassas will continue to crank out jihadis until they are shut down or taken over by the government. And jihadis seem to be their major national export, which makes them everybody's problem.
So this means there are about two choices. Either keep the status quo and hope for gradual improvement, or to wipe out most of their population by some means, hopefully biological instead of nuclear.
#5
And no, I'm not suggesting that *we* do this. Just that the more obnoxious they are, internationally, the more tempted that others will be to put an end to their nonsense.
#6
Pakistain's long-suffering population deserves a better future
the Land Of The Pure is getting the Islamo-chaos it deserves, and that which it has actively and knowingly exported to their neighbors. If the Pak populace is tired of double-dealing and getting blown up in large numbers, they should do something about it. Instead they let Rage Boys chant and march. They let maddrasahs churn out illiterate suicidal nutcases. Fuck em
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/14/2011 9:25 Comments ||
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#7
'moose, it doesn't matter. The era of affluence---when international welfare-ism was perceived (incorrectly) as affordable---is effectively over. Soon Dar will have to learn to live on self-generated income (10% of what they actually need just to eat?). Because attempts to extort Jezia via terrorism will generate cheap WMD, rather than expensive "nation building", responses.
#8
or to wipe out most of their population by some means, hopefully biological instead of nuclear.
How's the polio infection rate among those who believe inoculations are an Israeli/Crusader plot to ruin Muslim male fertility? Nobody will have to do anything to them, they're already doing it to themselves.
[Dawn] The Abbottabad Operation not only ended the American quest for the most wanted runaway in the world, it also exposed the 'incompetence' of Pakistain's military establishment.
For us Paks, the impotency of our security establishment for being unable to intercept the raid within one of the most sensitive military zones is a major shock. Many now seriously doubt the 'sincerity' and 'sanity' of those holding us hostage in the name of our security and national interest.
Initially, some media outlets tried to highlight a tribute to Pakistain in US president Barack B.O. Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's ... sometimes described as the Smartest Woman in the World and at other times as Mrs. Bill, never as Another John Marshall ... speeches which was simply not there -- isolated lines that may have been inserted by the speechwriters, perhaps to lessen the feeling of humiliation back home in Pakistain.
Do people in our country consider the late Osama bin Laden ... who has made the transition back to dust... a hero? Most definitely not. Rather, he was a cause of many deaths and pain amongst Paks. I still remember the day in 1996 when the inauguration for Shaheed-e-Millat Flyover was planned by then PM Benazir Bhutto. The Intelligence Bureau informed us that bin Laden had issued the fatwa for BB's death.
Did people of Pakistain consider Osama someone who rightly or wrongly dared to challenge the writ of the greedy western powers bent upon sucking us dry? I am sure that not only most Paks -- but even many among our next door neighbours -- share that view. However none of this can bring any solace to the grieving nation -- grieving not for bin Laden, but rather for its own state of affairs.
During that night when the operation was carried out, US helicopters may have flown below tree-top level using what is known as the "map of the earth" flying techniques to evade detection. Even if the radars were pointed in their direction, low flying choppers could simply have been confused for fast moving vehicles. As far as the lack of challenge by the military is concerned, remember September 11? The US Forces couldn't react and stop the airplanes from flying into those buildings. Even at Pearl Harbour where Americans lost a complete fleet they failed to detect the attack. One must remember that there is always a lag period for military response during peacetime.
Similarly, the Pak and Indian aircrafts can penetrate into each other's space and get away with murder if the mad military high commands were to so desire. In November 2008 seafaring infiltrators from Pakistain found their way into Mumbai and caused mayhem in a coastal city not much different from Bloody Karachi. What could Indians do to stop them? Or the Kargil ... three months of unprovoked Pak aggression, over 4000 dead Paks, another victory for India ... madness that brought the two sides at the brink of war; it was the fear of military response that gave the two sides sleepless nights and finally helped the grudging peace. The only deterrence to such infiltrations may be the possible reaction in form of a military onslaught, and that must count.
Yet, imagine what would have happened had the Pak military learnt of the raid in time and had scrambled its own F-16s, JF-17s and Mirages' to take down those lightly defended US choppers over Abbotabad. There must be scores of US fighter aircrafts flying just inside Afghanistan waiting to dash in and provide cover to their choppers while their ground operation was taking place. The pilots of these US aircrafts must be itching for an indication from their satellites looking at hangers at Chaklala, Kamra and Beautiful Downtown Peshawar for any fighter push backs onto the tarmacs.
Imagine the uncertainty and confusion in our military chain of command. How could they fashion an adequate response if our poorly equipped fighter aircrafts were blown out of skies while the Chinooks and Black Hawks extricated bin Laden's dead body amidst the falling debris? Think again even if they could be stopped, does anyone in their right mind in our country would believe that a Pak commander would dare to stop them.
Our image is tarnished, and the discovery of bin Laden here is the cherry on top for our critics. In her article published in the New York Review of Books, Elizabeth Rubin, quoted Richard Holbrook's advisor as saying, "We used see Pakistain as a flawed ally and the Afghan Taliban as their enemy. Now we see the truth as the reverse".
All said and done, the American raid may have exposed that Pakistain is militarily helpless and ineffective before a world of powers amassed against it, kicking up some very serious questions about the country's security establishment and its future.
For over 63 years we have been repeatedly told that Pakistain is passing through its most sensitive period of existence. We may have been the only nation in the world where the majority of its population divorced the minority and changed its name. During all this time, there seems to be only two common elements in our country: a powerful establishment and a consistently oppressed lot of people.
Today the world probably views Pakistain, its security establishment, as well as its politicianship, as flawed or even as the enemy. In case another attack comes from the west or the east, what is the response Pakistain is expected to dish-out? If Osama -- who connected with rest of the world through only one messenger -- could be hunted at the cost of just one chopper, we may end-up losing our nukes that have cost us so much in terms of money, sanctions, and human misery.
In the year of the lord 1945, Japan and Germany were both bombed back to the stone-ages thanks to their mad military designs. They took more than 50 years to regain their legitimate position in the comity of nations only after they got rid of their martial dead weights.
We have a president who is seen trying to rewrite 'The Prince', a prime minister who would rather play his flute in Gay Paree than in Multan, an opposition chief who is a bull without horns, and a bunch of generals all looking for Marc Antony's famous sword.
Yet in the wake of the raid over scenic Abbotabad, what devastates the people of Pakistain is that they increasingly have nowhere to go or anyone to lead them out of this certain death. The question is, does Pakistain have to make a quick trip to the stone age for sanity to prevail?
Posted by: Fred ||
05/14/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
How could they fashion an adequate response if our poorly equipped fighter aircrafts were blown out of skies while the Chinooks and Black Hawks extricated bin Laden's dead body amidst the falling debris?
How indeed? More quality soul searching from Pakistan.
#2
Notice they are not asking themselves what will become of them is they really PO the Indians? I'm sure there'd be a couple dozen ignored Security Council resolutions by the time the place was razed.
#4
Notice that nobody in Pakistan comments on the reports that the US and their government had a sranding agreement on this raid, or that paks IB agents were on the helicopters, or Pak troops secured the perimeter.
I.e. What if the US and parts of the Pak government were COOPERATING on this raid.
Al
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
05/14/2011 14:27 Comments ||
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#5
Q: Why aren't there any Muslim characters in Star Trek?
A: Because it's set in the future.
Posted by: Ricky bin Ricardo (Abu Babaloo) ||
05/14/2011 17:53 Comments ||
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#6
#4 Notice that nobody in PakistanIn the Obama Administratin comments on the reports that the US and their government had a standing agreement on this raid........
h/t Instapundit
Theres something particularly poignant about news that at least 80 people were killed in Charsadda, Pakistan, by a Taliban attack on a police training center there. It isnt that the event was so unique except for one feature but it is a suitable symbol of the situation in the Muslim-majority world today and how messed up is the Western perception of that part of the world.
The unique aspect is that the attackers said they are taking revenge for the killing of Usama bin Ladin by the United States.
#3
Most of the victims of terrorism are Muslim but those who proclaim their love of Muslims and of Third World people (the Western left and most Muslim activists there) couldnt care less about these thousands of killings. Their only interest is to blame them on America, Israel, the West, or Islamophobia. In fact, they attempt to interfere with the battle against the terrorists and revolutionary Islamists, thus leading to the deaths of more Muslims.
Substitute "African American" for "Muslim" and "crime" for "terrorism", and "racism" for "Islamophobia".
#1
Read this yesterday....Hope we wake up in time...I fear that Geert will be offed by one of those f*@ckers. Guts galore on this guy...keep going brother..
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.
Hillary Clinton's
