A provincial governor in southern Afghanistan said Sunday that police have arrested three suspected Taliban fighters who allegedly planned to kill him by blowing up his vehicle. Police seized four explosive devices that the men on Saturday were trying to plant on a road close to the official governor's residence in Uruzgan province, said Haji Jan Mohammed. "There is no doubt that they wanted to kill me," Mohammed told The Associated Press from Kandahar. The suspects â Maulvi Noman, Shah Mohamemd and Mullah Abdul Ghafoor â were arrested Saturday in Tareen Kot, Uruzgan's capital, about 115 miles north of Kandahar, Mohammed said.
Wonder if they'll get the usual Good Talking To⢠or if they'll actually get the high jump?
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/03/2003 14:10 ||
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Fred - I'm sure it will depend upon what tribe(s) they're from. Little has changed out in the stix - except now there is Int'l coverage of it - and it's our fault, of course, that it's not Sausalito, yet.
#4
you're cracking me up lol...speaking of cracking up, ÿà how you doing?
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/03/2003 21:02 Comments ||
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just asking ☻
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/03/2003 21:05 Comments ||
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Frank G - I've finally broken silence over at Daily Pundit (where I read your posts and know to put down my coffee cup first) - that Veit weenie's attempt to monoplize it finally pissed me off. I may not go back.
Otherwise, I found the Reporters Without Borders thing to be deliciously ironic. They're not as bad as many (e.g. AI), but to have the Libyan-run UN commish ban them for a year - how much proof does LH (our resident - captive? - intelligent and reasonable Lefty) or anyone else need regards the UN's demise? Sucker's DEAD, IMHO. D.E.A.D.
#7
lol my trail's long... my wife's an ex, and I raise my 3 on my own - Bill Quick (DP), Instapundit, and LGF are my favs with RB homepaged, also Cold Fury, Mark Steyn (in any paper he services), and Lileks. Getting tired of Andrew Sullivan's focus on gay marriage. I get around, ask Alaska Paul
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/03/2003 22:24 Comments ||
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so, are you Dot.com? ;-)
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/03/2003 22:26 Comments ||
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Re: Ex's - I always refer to mine as the cure for The Man Who Has Everything - she can disabuse him of that little problem in no time. ;-)
I don't even try to comment at Instapundit - waay too many people to actually achieve any meeting of minds, IMHO. LGF is almost as bad, but I always enjoy the comments there - esp when a troll inevitably appears. Dunno Cold Fury! Steyn is a good read, but the papers make it hard to respond or it's only one-way, in my experience... I'll look again. Lileks is like Reynold's blog - bizzy. And I stopped even reading Mr SIG Sullivan. Not my bag. I'll pay more attention to the comment posters, now, and look for you & AP! Sometimes I comment at BuzzMachine - but it's usually a more liberal crowd than I care to debate at 50 on 1 for the hotter topics - I'm not a troll.
Re: dot.com thing - Yup. TGA baited me yesterday with that jibe about how the Phrench would pronounce "PD" - disgusting, so I bailed. I don't even know what absurdity their Ministry of Culture (a misnomer if there ever was one) has substituted for the anglo phrase "dot com" - but the fact that they must have one, and consequently won't mangle dot com was why I chose it.
#10
I always refer to mine as the cure for The Man Who Has Everything - she can disabuse him of that little problem in no time. ;-)
MAN! we have WAY too much in common lol. Mine is on her 4th husband - poor bastard - he seems like a really good guy..musta missed the PD/TGA thing..too bad - half the enjoyment/learning is when people you think you know, change tacts....makes you think. I like that...and AP has seen my family pics/work email enough to know who I am....
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/03/2003 23:32 Comments ||
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"Mine is on her 4th husband..."
Too much, indeed! Mine's on her 5th! We were married 11+ yrs - in the 20 since divorcing, she's gone thru 3 and working on her 4th, and Royal Princess sez that he's on the rocks. Too funny! Prolly should've killed it at about year 3 but a drop-dead gorgeous woman who can suck the chrome off of... oops, sorry. Let's just say there were a couple of mitigating circumstances that kept me around waaay too long. Ahem.
You should come check out Thailand. It is the cure for the man who has been cured by the bitch from, uh, Texas. When you get past that, it's got some other very nice aspects, as well. Good King. Corrupt Govt. Situation normal - except the people are truly the nicest on the planet. And if there are any indignant femalian Rantburgers out there, well, just remember that a few of you have fleas, too.
Senior members of Afghanistan's Northern Alliance faction have met to patch up differences and discuss forming a new party, a move seen as an attempt to prevent their possible marginalisation in the U.S.-backed government. The meeting held on Friday in Kabul was the largest gathering of alliance members since it captured Kabul from the former Taliban regime in late 2001. Mohammad Fahim Qasim, defence minister and military leader of the alliance, Vice President Abdul Karim Khalili, Foreign Minister Dr. Abdullah, Education Minister Yunis Qanouni and former Mujahideen leader Abdul Rabb Al-Rasoul Sayyaf all took part. Burhanuddin Rabbani, a former president and symbolic ex- political leader of the alliance, was not present, the official told Reuters. He said the meeting discussed plans to establish a new party ahead of elections due to be held in the middle of next year and to confront any move to restrict the influence of the alliance in favour of Western-educated Afghans.
It'd make more sense to ally with them. There are enough nutbag Islamorrhoids running around trying to counterbalance them, and it's not like the Pashtun Talibs and Hek's boyz are going to accept them...
The move coincides with efforts by President Hamid Karzai to introduce reforms expected to shake up the powerful Defence Ministry, an alliance bastion dominated by Fahim's supporters. Another alliance member said he believed the United States was pushing the reforms to reduce the power of the alliance and change public opinion in America about the weakness of Karzai's government.
The NA is feeling screwed, since they did the fighting, and they were. Rabbani in charge would have produced a different Afghanistan — just as crummy as this one, but different...
The Northern Alliance, a patchwork of former Mujahideen (holy warrior) factions, still forms the backbone of Karzai's government, but it has been weakened by disputes over power-sharing since the fall of the Taliban. Last week, Fahim, Qanouni, Sayyaf and Rabbani were all implicated in rights abuses in a Human Rights Watch report. "The meeting was held to unite and react to recent developments," a third alliance official said. "The rights report is seen as the start of a campaign to get rid of some personalities later and there are efforts at home and abroad to exclude the mujahideen one after another."
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/03/2003 10:56 ||
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A Saudi man wanted for questioning by U.S. officials about his links to two Sept. 11 hijackers said Sunday he is ready to talk, but only in his homeland and in the presence of officials from his government. In his first interview since his name was raised in a U.S. congressional report that questioned Saudi Arabia's commitment to the war on terror, Omar al-Bayoumi told Al-Arabiya television Sunday that he had done nothing wrong. "I am ready to sit with American investigators, whether from the FBI or the CIA, in the presence of Saudi investigators and on Saudi land," he said. Al-Bayoumi said he wrote to the Saudi interior minister, Prince Nayef, telling him he was ready for questioning.
Wonder who wrote whom first?
The Saudi government said last week it had authorized FBI and CIA agents in Saudi Arabia to question al-Bayoumi after the congressional report recounted findings that he befriended and helped two of the hijackers, Khalid al-Mihdhar and Nawaf al-Hazmi, who helped crash an airliner into the Pentagon. In the interview, al-Bayoumi said claims that he aided the two shortly after they arrived in the United States were "pure fabrication."
"Nope. Wudn't me. Wudn't them, neither..."
"People or forces who have vested interests in trying to tarnish the image of the kingdom" were behind the report, he said.
Musta been them You-know-hews...
The report said the three met in Los Angeles and al-Mihdhar and al-Hazmi later moved into the same San Diego housing complex where al-Bayoumi lived. Al-Bayoumi studied in the United States on a Saudi government scholarship from 1994 to 2000. The report said "al-Bayoumi gave them considerable assistance." The FBI, according to the congressional report, found the connection "somewhat suspicious."
Didn't they say that about Capone, too?
Al-Bayoumi, identified by the Americans as a Saudi civil aviation worker, worked with a Saudi government aviation official whose son's picture was found on a computer disk along with pictures of many of the 19 hijackers, most of whom came from Saudi Arabia, the report also said. In addition, al-Bayoumi indirectly received money from Princess Haifa al-Faisal, the wife of the Saudi ambassador in Washington Bandar bin Sultan, according to the report. Al-Bayoumi challenged the U.S. authorities to produce evidence.
"Yeah. The witnesses are all dead!"
Al-Bayoumi left the United States two months before the Sept. 11, 2001, suicide hijackings to study in Britain. Al-Bayoumi said British and U.S. officials investigated him immediately after the terrorist attacks and released him.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/03/2003 21:02 ||
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Hmm.. He's willing to talk as long as Saudi authorities are present...
That sounds like what Iraqi scientists were saying just 6 months ago.
RIYADH: Saudi security forces have arrested three fugitive militants in the northern Qassim province, the scene of last weekâs shootout that left two policemen and six nationals with links to Al Qaeda dead. The authorities did not identify the three detained men, all Saudi nationals, who are currently undergoing police interrogation. Since the May 12 suicide bombings of Western residential compounds in Riyadh that left 35 people dead, including several bombers, Saudi Arabia has arrested 144 people with suspected ties to Islamic militants. This is in addition to more than 300 arrests of suspected militants following the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz said the majority of those arrested since 9/11 had received training at Al Qaeda camps in Afghanistan, while a minority had been trained on terrorist camps farms in Saudi Arabia.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/03/2003 15:00 ||
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A new poll of citizens in Saudi Arabia reveals that they reject the international acts of terror claimed by Osama bin Laden as not being consistent with the values of the Saudi people, nor with the values of Islam.
Sounds like a whole-cloth propaganda piece to me...
The survey of 600 Saudi citizens was commissioned by the Arab American Institute of Washington, DC, as part of an on-going study of Saudi attitudes. The survey was conducted by in-person interviews in the principal areas of Riyadh, Jeddah, and Damman. Saudis are nearly unanimous (95 percent) in their belief that Osamaâs claimed actions are not consistent with their values, and 88 percent say the actions are not consistent with the values of Islam. More than nine in ten feel the actions have harmed both the Kingdom and the people of Saudi Arabia. Nearly all (99 percent) agree that the May 12, 2003 terrorist attacks on the expatriate compound in Riyadh are not consistent with the values of Saudis or with the values of Islam, and 93 percent agree that the attacks have harmed the Kingdom and its people.
The numbers are out of line. For believable propaganda, you've got to have a healthy majority but not unanimity, and you've got to be able to plot your trend even if it's phony. 99 percent is way too high. If you ask a representative sample of Americans if 9-11 represented a sneak attack by bloodthirsty Islamists on our country, 80 percent will say yes, 10 percent will say no, it was something else, and 10 percent will ask if today's Thursday.
More than eight in ten say Osama does not speak for them or their family. They are unanimous (100 percent) in their belief in respect for human life, and more than nine in 10 say innocent citizens did not deserve to die in the World Trade Centre attack.
Nope. Doesn't jibe with what we've seen before. Gotta tone it down. Gotta be more subtle, showing improvement over the past glee at the attacks on the WTC, but nothing close to 90 percent yet. Save that for a year or two from now...
More than nine in 10 say the people of Saudi Arabia have no quarrel with the people of the US, yet their overall impression of the American people is 70 percent unfavourable, 24 percent favourable. Last year, the sentiment was 51 percent unfavourable and 43 percent favourable.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/03/2003 14:47 ||
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I just can't tell you how much better this poll makes me feel.
#3
What a load of twaddle. Let's make some numbers up to make those stupid Americans think we care.
They are bottling it big time - US forces leaving, and *not* because they were forced out by bin Laden, means far fewer hostages for one thing - but mainly that the US has got a clue about who its real friends are.
Those 28 pages must have something really scary and dangerous for 'our friends the Saudis' (not).
Good.
Let those bastards sweat....
Arthur 'Bomber' Harris (RAF): "The Nazis entered this war under the rather childish delusion that they were going to bomb everyone else, and nobody was going to bomb them. At Rotterdam, London, Warsaw, and half a dozen other places, they put their rather naive theory into operation. They sowed the wind, and now they are going to reap the whirlwind."
Faster please...
Posted by: Tony ||
08/03/2003 19:02 Comments ||
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BERLIN: German secret services have been conducting surveillance of Saudi diplomatic missions and other Saudi interests in the country amid suspicions that the rich Gulf Arab kingdom is supporting terrorist networks such as Al Qaeda, newspaper Der Spiegel said.
Oh, really? Wonder why they'd ever do a thing like that?
The revelation comes after a US congressional report last month that raised questions about Saudi Arabiaâs role in the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, which were blamed on Al Qaeda. Previously, such missions were not monitored because Saudi Arabia was considered a partner of Germany, the magazine added in its edition due to appear on Monday. But Berlin now ranks Saudi Arabia along with Syria as among the countries considered to present a militant Islamic threat, it said.
See that? "European" isn't a synonym for "dumbass."
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/03/2003 14:58 ||
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If only they would give rational stiff sentences for murderous asshats, I would be more enthusiastic. Close, but no cigar for their UltraPC EUish legal system.
#2
Yeah and where was Mohammed Atta and his buddies living? Hamburg! Screw the Germans and their half assed Euro polizei! They did jack shit to help us until Condi crawled up their ass! So continue the anti-Phrawnce rants morons--at least they didn't harbor these terrorists like Germany did!
Posted by: Not Mike Moore ||
08/04/2003 1:20 Comments ||
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And where did Atta & Co learn to fly planes without the landing part?
Posted by: True German Ally sinisterly laughing at Trademarks ||
08/04/2003 6:55 Comments ||
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Last weekâs Ghatkopar bomb blast in Mumbai is an indicator of how terrorist networks are tightening their noose around the city. The police claim the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) is now working in tandem with the Lashkar-e-Taiba to spread instability across the country.
The police says it now has information:
That most of these operations are controlled by Dubai based mafia don Abu Hamza, who is also the chief of the Muslim Defence Force.
Recruitment operations under Hamza have reportedly spread to Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra where young boys are being lured into the business with easy money.
They are then trained abroad and armed by the Lashkar-e-Taiba. SIMI gives them local support to carry out operations within the country.
"They have established links with the Hizbul Mujahideen and the LeT. Here in Delhi, after the grenade attack on the CGO complex, we had traced their links with the Hizb. The Mumbai police have also unearthed their links with the LeT," said Ashok Chand, DCP, Special Cell, Delhi.
The police suspect SIMI was involved in the last four bomb blasts in Mumbai, in which 16 people died and close to 160 were injured. Twenty eight SIMI activists have been arrested so far and six are missing.
Intelligence agencies believe SIMI has now forged links with terrorist organistaions in other countries as well. "The training and funding happens in foreign countries and is controlled by the ISI, which looks after the network," said Nikhil Kumar, Advisor, Home Ministry. Some believe the blasts may be in retaliation to last yearâs violence in Gujarat with three blasts in areas, which have a sizeable Gujarati population.
Posted by: Paul Moloney ||
08/03/2003 8:26:53 PM ||
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So why hasn't Indian services taken this asshole out yet? Black Cats? Clancy lol?
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/03/2003 20:29 Comments ||
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I gotta admit I keep getting confused by the "mafia" references in Indian press accounts of terrorism. I'm starting to suspect that this is some sort of coded language like "alky smugglers" in Saudi or the Russkies calling terrorists "bandits."
#3
11A5S - the Thai papers use the "bandits" euphemism, too - but I've asked around among local Thai friends and they all know it's Islam they're referring to down South.
The judge of the Anti-Terrorism Court, Haq Nawaz Baloch, on Saturday pronounced double death sentence on Kashif Azizi and Mohamad Zahid who, together with accomplices, attacked a police station on Jan. 13 with hand grenades. Constable Mehboob Ali was killed and sub-inspector Abdur Rauf and head constable Mohammed Rafique were injured in the attack on the Saudabad police compound. One death sentence if for the killing of the police constable and the other under the Anti-Terrorism Act. In addition, the convicts received life imprisonments for the attack on the police station with hand grenades, and 17 years for injuring the two policemen. He also ordered confiscation of all their properties. Kashif also received seven yearsâ imprisonment for keeping illegal weapons.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/03/2003 14:55 ||
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"Double! Double! We're gonna kill ya twice! And then we're gonna t'row ya in stir!"
A man shot dead his former brother-in-law and the latterâs parents on Saturday in the Kahna police precinct to avenge sisterâs divorce. Ghulam Mustafa from Kahna married Muhammad Sabbirâs daughter Shabana Bibi two years ago. He divorced Shabana three months ago. To avenge on Mustafaâs family, Shabanaâs brother Imran entered Mustafaâs house and started firing with a pistol. Mustafaâs father Muhammad Rehmat alias Foji and mother Munawwar Bibi were shot and both died on the spot. Mustafa, who was sleeping in his room, came out and was also shot dead. Mustafaâs brother Muhammad Sadiq tried to catch the assailant but he managed to escape from the scene. Police arrested the accused after registering a case on Sadiqâs complaint.
Ahhh! Where would the world be without Dire Revenge™?
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/03/2003 14:53 ||
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Three people killed because of a divorce. Now there will be Dire Revenge to avenge the killings, and maybe another three or four nutcases killed. After awhile, you wonder how these nations continue to function.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/03/2003 15:23 Comments ||
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But prolly just peachey-keen under Shari'a Law. so whut's the fuss, eh?
For Dire Revengeâ¢, Mustafa will need a fatwa. That will fix everything. Then Imran will need and Anti-Fatwa Fatwaâ¢. Then Mustafa will need an Anti-Anti-Fatwa Fatwaâ¢. Then Imram will need...
Bernard Kerik was dubbed the "Baghdad Terminator" after he summarily dismissed a newly reinstated Iraqi official who turned out to be a member of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party. A British journalist happened to be there and the ex-New York police commissioner had a new unofficial title. "If you're going to criticize me for terminating Baath Party members go ahead. I like that," Kerik tells an Associated Press reporter accompanying him on his day's rounds. "You can't please everyone. We're in Iraq; this is a war zone. Perhaps you can do things nicely, but there's times you can't."
"So shut your fudge up."
Kerik's brusque manner, rarely mincing words and speaking directly to the point, can be grating for many Middle Easterners, but he also listens, both to subordinates and people on the street.
On the other hand, he doesn't tell lies habitually, like many Middle Easterners, which we find grating. Guess you hve to give a little, take a little, huh?
Kerik says he is unfazed by the magnitude of problems facing the U.S.-led interim administration: sabotage, guerrilla attacks, the heat, decrepit electric and water systems — and the impatience of Iraqis and the rest of the world. When he was police commissioner in New York, he and his team turned it into one of the world's safest cities, and that will happen in Iraq, too, he says. "It took eight years and I had every resource available — information technology, a readymade staff — I had everything you could imagine and it took eight years. We've only been here for 100 days and you want what? Come on!"
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/03/2003 14:33 ||
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Exactly the kind of guy we need there. Bitch slap a coupla nancy-boy journalists for me, huh Bernard?
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/03/2003 15:41 Comments ||
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"Bitch slap a coupla nancy-boy journalists..."
COFFEE ALERT!
Regards Kerik, the guy just drips class. This is the kind of guy we need running Homeland Security, FBI, CIA, TIA, DARPA, NSC, shit - everything. No bullshit, no favorites, no coddling, no ass-kissing, and no hesitation when something is obvious - but he knows that you have to ask the guys doing the work and listen to what they say so you can make intelligent decisions. What a concept.
Bernie Kerik in 2008! But he wouldn't take such a shitty job...
#3
A guy as competent as Kerik needs to look out for the Iraqi rumor machine started by Saddam's elements for slurs questioning his sexual practices and money he's taking from Israel, some nice stuff like that. But you can only do so much to fight that practice, so he's not waiting around, but taking the bull by the horns. Keep it up. You'd be welcome in Chicago, Kerik.
Posted by: michael ||
08/03/2003 22:56 Comments ||
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The head of the Arab League is willing to meet with representatives of Iraq's Governing Council if they approach him, the league's spokesman said Saturday.
"But first y'gotta kiss my pan-Arab ring... No tongues!"
Secretary-General Amr Moussa had previously shown little enthusiasm for the U.S.-appointed council, saying it would have had more credibility if elected by the Iraqi people.
Like Sammy was...
But Saturday's comments showed the Arab League accepts the 25-member council and is willing to work with it. "If the Iraqi Governing Council wants to meet with the secretary-general, the secretary-general will be welcoming that," spokesman Hisham Youssef said. "The secretary-general assured them more than once that the door of the Arab League is open to any Iraqi interested in the future of Iraq." Youssef said nobody has yet asked for a meeting.
"Amr who? Do we know anybody named Amr?"
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/03/2003 14:27 ||
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"But first y'gotta kiss my pan-Arab ring... No tongues!"
thanks Fred.
Anybody know how to get Merlot off wallpaper?
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/03/2003 15:45 Comments ||
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Frank, if you get to it quick, soda water should do it. The Iraqi Leadership should tell these despots to pound sand (they have plenty). What in the name of Gods/Alah/etc do they Iraqi people owe the Arab League? If it were up to them, they would be lead by the Saddam family. Iraq and Kuwait might want to start an Arab Democracy League? An organization that supports Arab democracies and counters Arab despots/dictators/theocracies
#5
AL's been reluctant to meet the Iraqi group since Iraqis are going to be scolding them for a whole session...then there's the next day's meeting. Al needs to have it's furniture shaken so that it doesn't just remain a culture whose foundation has been created by retired Egyptian diplomats. Go for it Iraqis; I'll be watching my Arab TV dish for sure to see the fireworks.
Posted by: michael ||
08/03/2003 23:01 Comments ||
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U.S. soldiers raided homes and farmhouses in the hostile Sunni heartland around Baghdad on Sunday, detaining dozens of suspected Saddam Hussein loyalists and saying the net was closing on the deposed dictator himself. Soldiers from the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, based in the restive towns of Falluja and Ramadi west of the capital in the ''Sunni triangle,'' mounted a series of raids, the army said. ''Twenty former regime loyalists, including a targeted leader, were captured,'' a U.S. military statement said. Locals said 70-year-old farmer Hamad Antar was killed and three of his sons wounded by troops who opened fire on his car during one raid as he drove between his home and nearby fields. The U.S. army said it had no information on the incident.
I don't imagine they opened fire for no reason...
The military said the 4th Infantry Division, which polices a tense region north of Baghdad including Saddam's home town of Tikrit, also staged several raids, capturing 26 detainees including two suspected ''mid-level former regime loyalists.'' Troops from the 4th Infantry also seized 162 hand grenades, nine rocket-propelled grenades, 10 AK-47 assault rifles, four blocks of dynamite and a heavy machinegun. U.S. officials blame die-hard Saddam loyalists and foreign Arab fighters for a guerrilla campaign against American troops that has killed 53 soldiers since Washington declared major combat over on May 1. They say attacks are becoming increasingly sophisticated â and increasingly deadly. U.S. soldiers in Tikrit said that if they tracked down Saddam they wanted to capture him alive. ''Clearly we'll be going in to take him alive to extract the maximum intelligence,'' Lieutenant Jason Price of the 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, told Reuters in Tikrit. Colonel James Hickey, the pugnacious cavalry officer who commands the 4th Infantry's 1st Brigade, said the fugitive former president was being forced into a corner. ''If he stays stationary we'll find him,'' Hickey said in Tikrit. ''If they try to move, they run the risk of running into one of our patrols.''
Bingo. We've only got to get lucky once. He has to be lucky every time...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/03/2003 14:00 ||
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ahah one loyalist gone 3 million to go..... what a waste of time.And when the Fourth Id leaves Iraq later this year...some rookies from some national guard will replace them..and it will be duck season all over again.
#4
Fred--you need a Rantburg Gift Shop link, where I can buy an Official Rantburg TruncheonTM--and how about some lead-lined leather gloves, too? Then I'll give "Stevey" the attitude adjustment he so richly deserves.
Posted by: Dar ||
08/03/2003 16:58 Comments ||
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Dar - s'okay, stevey's just a zoned-out pussyboy. He'll never actually get off his ass to vote, do menial work his whole miserable pointless scummy life, and die just as stupid, bitter, and foolish as he is today. He will, in other words, reward himself for his sloth and mindless tool mentality with the appropriate just desserts.
#6
After seeing Stevey boy's website (thanx to the referrers), I'd say the young lad needs a three year hitch in the Army. I think a drill instructor would straighten him out pretty quick. Along with some good PT (note to Stevey: if you're going to make with those girls on your website, start getting some exercise, eat better and learn to speak decent English).
I realize that a DI isn't a miracle worker, but stevey doesn't yet require a miracle. :-)
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/03/2003 21:32 Comments ||
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If you've seen the website, it looks like Stevey loves his "just desserts". Come to think of it, he looks like he just loves desserts period.
#8
Just saw a report(day ain't over yet)2 days and no troops killed.Bet that just irratates hell out poor little Stevey.
Don't knock the NG,Stevey Boy(I know you do not have a clue).The U.S.N.G is at least as well trained and equiped as most armies in the world.
Wonder what we are going to do with all the Bathists we have(that name always bothered me.Does it mean they take baths or give baths).
Dar that is the best discription yet of Pilsbury Stevey Boy(PSB).
Steve W.,he could not join,the military would not have him.
Debka Alert - take with a grain of salt, but.... caught this via LGF. EFL - read it all, as they say
US President George W. Bush, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Australian Prime Minister John Howard are preparing a rejoinder to quell the domestic credibility crises Iraqi WMD skeptics have whipped up in their countries, with the help of anti-American, anti-war factions in politics and foreign intelligence services — particularly in some parts of Europe, such as Russia, Netherlands, France, Germany, Denmark and even the UK. That rejoinder will draw on the paper and on-the-ground evidence amassed day by day by a new coalition intelligence research project launched a month ago under Dr. David Kay, a former UN weapons inspector, to winkle out hard evidence of Saddam Husseinâs proscribed weapons programs. Thursday, July 31, Dr. Kay reported to the US Senate Intelligence Committee that his 1,400-strong team of American, British and Australian researchers had found in just over a monthâs operation physical evidence of Iraqi activity on weapons of mass destruction. Without going into detail, Kay told the senators that the most progress had been made on biological weapons.
I'd guess that a lot of that evidence was built on evidence that briefly appeared, then was pooh-poohed and dropped from sight...
He was responding to the concern voiced by Senator Jay Rockefeller (Dem.-West Virginia) that the searches were being diverted away from finding the actual weapons. âSigns of a weapons program are very different from the stockpiles of biological and chemical weapons that were a certainty before the war,â said Rockefeller. âWe did not go to war to disrupt Saddamâs weapons program, we went to war to disarm him.â
Now he's disarmed, ain't he?
The Kay team spent the first month of its mission sorting into three batches what he described as âan estimated seven and-a-half miles of documentsâ, many of them collected by US military from Iraqi official buildings, but many others handed over by Iraqi civilians. The data yielded is substantial:
Batch One: Records of Saddamâs chemical, biological and nuclear programming with notes on budgets, manpower and procurement requirements. Detailed are the Saddam regimeâs plans, productions processes and timetables for WMD development as well as special programs for concealing it all from UN inspectors for twelve years. Saddamâs officials hid these thousands of documents from the United Nations Blix-ElBarardei inspection team and left them out of the voluminous âfull accountingâ Baghdad submitted to the UN Security Council before the war.
Batch Two: This group, which also consists of many thousands of pieces of paper, tracks the implementation of the WMD programs with time schedules and assessments of progress made in each category and inventories the stocks building up in the illegal arsenal. Scientists or engineers would often win bonuses for notable progress in their work.
Batch Three: This pile offers leads to locations where forbidden weapons may have been concealed when the records were drawn up and ways to access them, including the evidence of the transfer to Syria by Saddamâs agents of large parts of the forbidden program.
If that's true, Syria's next on the list...
After talking in secret to the Senate Armed Services Committee, Kay declared there was a âtruly amazingâ deception program to throw UN weapons off the trail. We have people who participated in deceiving UN inspectors now telling us how they did it.â
Now that they don't have to worry so much about being bumped off or having their families bumped off...
The public remarks made by the three coalition leaders Bush, Blair and Howard will soon bear the imprint of these findings and their expert evaluation by CIA analysts. General elections are very much on the minds of all three and their campaign managers. The Australian prime minister, for instance — DEBKA-Net-Weeklyâs sources in Canberra have learned — is thinking of calling a snap election at yearâs end to catch his Labor Party rivals off guard, confident that the proof of Saddamâs weapons of mass destruction will come to light in time for him to pull off a victory at the polls.
In addition to sifting through and collating mountains of paper, Kay team scouts are also crisscrossing Iraq to examine sites and test tips received from local âhuman intelligenceâ, which has proliferated since the deaths of Uday and Qusay Hussein in Mosul on July 22. They are pinpointing unmarked mass graves scattered around Iraq from which more than 300,000 bodies of Saddamâs victims have thus far been disinterred. One of the most horrendous discoveries so far is the secret graveyard of convicts abused as human guinea pigs of Saddamâs illegal programs. Kay sent a special team out to Baquba, northeast of Baghdad after a collection of videotapes was discovered in Iraqi central intelligence archives, on some of which Iraqi officers talked freely with dates and locations about prisoners and detainees subjected to biological and chemical weapons experiments. Some involved toxic chemicals or gases; others were infected with germs in varying quantities, their symptoms recorded from stage to stage until their death. At Baguba, the burial site most frequently mentione, Kayâs scouts uncovered the remains of 3,000 men and women who had succumbed to mysterious causes of death. Autopsies and forensic examinations are in progress to establish these causes. Ahhh another reference to Syria having much of the WMD transferred... moving on up on the "next" list, along with Iran and Soddy
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/03/2003 10:20:24 AM ||
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I heard this story on Fox and CNN last week about the guy testifying. They are sitting on tons of documents, have the key scientist, but still lack physical proof of the WMDs (or where they are now). The libs will NOT be statisfied that the WMDs were simply sent to Syria or Iran. So my guess is that they are looking for the last hiding places and testing for risidual. This is probably ALL we are going to see at this point.
#2
Even if they did find physical evidence, everyone would say it was planted, so what's the point in revealing it? I would hold off until there is a more substantial case built that shows the whole picture: scientists, paperwork that hasn't been destroyed yet, etc. And this will take years.
#3
Ya always gotta wonder about Debka. They have made a number of matter-of-fact references to Saddam's "underground complexes", where he is evidently hiding. Yet the boys Eek and Meek were caught out shacking up in some guy's house up north. Why weren't they in these extensive underground complexes? Lost the key?
Posted by: John ||
08/03/2003 22:05 Comments ||
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This ainât good - seems thereâs more discontent than was first let on?
Support units have been pouring into the Philippine military headquarters in Manila amid continuing threats to President Gloria Arroyoâs presidency, officials said on Sunday. Camp commander Commodore Tirso Danga said troops were prepared and the camp was on the second tier of a three-step alert level, despite the fact there have so far been no reports of specific threats. "All measures are in place for any eventuality. All is well. Our troops can sleep, but are on the alert always," Danga said. "Nothing to see here. All is well. Go about your business..."
At least two battallions of support troops from nearby camps were seen trucked into the Camp Aguinaldo, in suburban Quezon city north of Manila. They were fully armed with assault rifles and other high-calibre weapons. "all is well"
An official with the unit, who declined to be named, said the troops came from a neighbouring camp and were told to be prepared for possible threats. On Saturday, President Arroyo said a "state of rebellion" she declared at the height of a 22-hour uprising by some 300 rebel soldiers on July 27 would not yet be lifted. She said there remained "residual threats" to her government, confirming statements made by military officials earlier that the mutineers still had unnamed military and civilian conspirators at large. During congressional inquiries last week, military officials accused the rebel soldiers of planning to create a 15-man military junta to rule the country if Arroyo had been ousted. Five junior military officers who allegedly led the rebellion were detained at the military intelligence headquarters, but have been prevented by the military leadership from testifying before congress for security reasons.
Don't want any names named — yet...
In a statement obtained by AFP from the five through their lawyer on Sunday, the five maintained they were not "rogue soldiers" who committed any crime and that the brief uprising was a means to air their grievance. They called on government to allow them to testify in Congress, warning that any attempt by authorities to cover up alleged corruption in the military would lead to public disapproval. "Why canât we be allowed to speak before the committees of Congress? What is the government afraid of? Of course, the government is afraid of the truth. But only the truth can set us free," the statement said. The rebel soldiers also dismissed as a "blatant lie" statements by the military that there were threats against their lives. "We are willing to risk it, just so the people will know the truth."
"The TRVTH™ is out there..."
Arroyo in her statement on Saturday assured the public the government "will punish the plotters" although it would also look into the soldiersâ accusations of corruption within the military. The Philippines endured a spate of rightist military coup attempts in the late-1980s that damaged the economy, leaving the country lagging far behind its neighbours. Took em a while to get back to the corruption of the Marcos days huh? Sounds like a real house-cleaning is in order.
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/03/2003 9:30:37 AM ||
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...Starting my stopwatch to see how long it takes before we start hearing the calls that we 'must' intervene in the PI.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
08/03/2003 10:54 Comments ||
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Took em a while to get back to the corruption of the Marcos days huh? Sounds like a real house-cleaning is in order.
Only if Bush's Carlyle Group buddy Fidel Ramos tells him its a good idea.
I forgot to mention the Abu Sayyaf rebels,who were initially recruited by the Central Intelligence Agency as mujahideens to fight the U.S. proxy war in Afghanistan in the â80s.
Wanting to tie down the Soviets to their own little Vietnam war, the CIA recruited and trained thousands of Islamic militants to support the Afghan resistance against the Soviet invasion forces.
The American quarterly Foreign Affairs reported that some 35,000 Muslim militants from 40 countries -- including the Philippines -- took part in the Afghan jihad. Related historical accounts said among the recruits was Osama bin Laden, now the U.S.âs No. 1 âterrorist enemy.â
The mujahideens, freshly trained by the U.S and armed with U.S. weapons,returned to Mindanao after the Afghan war to form the core of the resitance that Arro yoyo is afraid of.
Rats in the attic, rats in the basement, rats in the yard.
#7
Wanting to tie down the Soviets to their own little Vietnam war, the CIA recruited and trained thousands of Islamic militants to support the Afghan resistance against the Soviet invasion forces.
Worked pretty good - the Soviets are out of Afghanistan, aren't they? Killed two birds with one stone - the war sapped Russian strength and reduced the number of Islamic crazies. Of course, the anti-American squad will say that the Islamic crazies existed because of us. Trust me - Islamic crazies and would-be Mahdis (Muslim Messiahs) pre-exist the founding of the Republic and, like roaches, may even outlive the Republic.
The countries of origin of the nutjobs were glad to see them go to Afghanistan. For every jihadi who left, there was one less internal security problem to worry about.
Note that we also supplied the Soviets through their darkest days in WWII. Khrushchev himself acknowledged they could not have survived the Nazi onslaught without massive shipments of American supplies. In the postwar period, the Soviet not only showed no gratitude, they began a covert onslaught against our allies that lasted 50 years.
Our experience with the Islamic crazies, as with the Soviets, is that no good deed goes unpunished. But that's the nature of geopolitics - gratitude is a vanishingly rare commodity - both Muslim fanatics and the Soviets took the view that they have no permanent friends, only permanent interests.
A new audiotape purportedly from Osama bin Laden's top deputy warns the United States that it will pay dearly if it harms detainees at Guantanamo Bay. The tape, broadcast Sunday, urges Muslims everywhere to avenge the prisoners. The Arab satellite station Al-Arabiya said the tape was from Ayman Al-Zawahri. According to the tape, the threat was a response to Washington's announcement that it will start putting the detainees on military trials that could result in death sentences. "I swear by the almighty God ... that crusader America will pay dearly for any harm done to any of the Muslim prisoners it is holding," the recording said. The Arabic recording said every prisoner held by the "infidels" should know that his release is a "debt hanging from the neck of every" Muslim fighter and that "his brothers have not forgotten that they will avenge him from the new crusaders. "But we tell America one thing: what you have seen so far is nothing but the first skirmishes. The real battle hasn't started yet."
We know that. Question is, does Ayman know he hasn't lost his last battle yet?
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/03/2003 13:55 ||
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Time to start the napalm factory again.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/03/2003 15:54 Comments ||
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Must mean we're doing things right. Start the Tibunals and grease the rope for that satisfying "snap!"
"The real battle hasn't started yet."
He got that right. I can't help but wonder when the avg person in the West, excluding those internally compromised countries like Phrawnce, will start to "get it" and see this is the first of 2 global wars of ideology (the first is dressed in a threadbare joke religion) versus freedom. The second war will come very shortly thereafter - and the opponent will be China. I marvel at the self-delusions that people can sell themselves. Sad.
#3
I find it interesting that the audiotape was from
"Ayman" instead of "Osama".
Perhaps I'm reading too much into this, but...
Is it possible that al-Qaida has been so attrited that they can't even fake
Osama Been-A-Red-Smear-For-Awhile-Now's voice anymore?
#4
Oops - my bad. 2 corrections:
1) Tribunals, not Tibunals
2) I didn't mean to imply that the defunctization of Commieism wasn't a global war of ideology vs freedom. Obviously it was precisely that. Forgive me. Correction:
Since the inauguration of the first and still one and only true democratic Constitutional Republic in the World designed to be such that actually works (don't agree? prove I'm wrong - meanwhile piss off) there are 3 apparent global conflicts between asshat ideologies and freedom. Here's the bracket, for you sports fans:
More Science HS vs Commie Martyrs HS (MSHS won in overtime)
More Science HS vs Islamic Jihad HS (tied, 1st Qtr)
Winner to face Golden Dragon HS in the *finals.
* Other tournaments will be scheduled, as needed. The the world has no shortage of petty local tyrant asshats who wish to become important global tyrant asshats.
#5
Ayman, your room at Club Gitmo's all ready for you. We'll crank up the AC so you got something to bitch about. And move it along in the buffet line, okay? But if your bullet riddled corpse turns up and you gotta cancel, that's okay too.
#6
More Science HS vs Commie Martyrs HS (MSHS won in overtime)
...When I start seeing Firesign Theatre references in here, I know I am among friends.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
08/03/2003 23:07 Comments ||
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Mike - I had to make up the IJHS and GDHS monikers, since they predate the Boyz... I hope I did OK by 'em! Edits and additions welcomed! Amazing how many FS references are still spot-on for geopolitics 30 yrs hence!
#8
Ayman, your room at Club Gitmo's all ready for you.
Screw that; Gitmo's too damn good for his ass. A bullet between his eyes is all that is necessary, which assures U.S. taxpayer money from being wasted on keeping him alive.
Palestinian gunmen wounded four Israelis in a shooting on their car near a West Bank Jewish settlement, denting a militant cease-fire which is vital to a U.S.-backed peace plan.
Do you get the impression there's a ceasefire only because they were running low on ammunition?
The al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades claimed the attack in which an Israeli woman and her three children were wounded in the shooting near the Jewish settlement of Har Gilo Sunday.
Oh, a woman and kiddies. Well, they couldn't be expected to pass up an opportunity like that, could they?
The incident dented a three-month cease-fire declared by Palestinian militants on June 29 and overshadowed fresh progress on a U.S-backed "road map" to peace, including a decision by Israel to release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners this week.
So they can shoot more women and kiddies...
Israeli officials said the attack underscored the need for moderate Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas to disarm militants rather than cut deals with them to temporarily halt attacks in a 34-month-old uprising for statehood. "Tonight's terrorist attack is another grim reminder, and a bloody one, that there is no substitute...for sustained targeted and effective operations against those involved in terrorism," Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's spokesman Raanan Gissin said. The proximity of the attack to Bethlehem, from where Israeli forces pulled out a month ago as part of the road map, could complicate negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian officials over which West Bank cities Israel would withdraw from next. Palestinian Security Affairs Minister Mohammad Dahlan wants Israeli forces to withdraw from Ramallah, the West Bank's commercial capital and home to Arafat's headquarters. To that end, Palestinian police confined 20 militants from the al-Aqsa brigades who had been sheltered in Arafat's "muqata" compound to a single room to stave off a threat by the brigades to pull out of the cease-fire if they were transferred.
To pull out of a ceasefire that doesn't appear to exist? Who's kidding whom?
Palestinian officials said Israel had been pressing Arafat to send the men to the West Bank desert city of Jericho as a precondition for an Israeli pullback from Ramallah that would ease his own confinement. The involvement of the al-Aqsa brigades in Sunday's shooting and the group's vow to carry out more attacks was an embarrassment to Abbas's administration which has failed to fully curtail attacks by the brigades since the truce began.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/03/2003 21:10 ||
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I said back on Sept 12 to friends of mine that Bush should have the Warheads taken off of two Trident misslies and replaced with test packages. Have the sub stand out to sea and shoot the damned things at any number of targets in the mideast. And at the same time state unequivically that if there was one more instance of any terrorist action against any ANYONE, ANYWHERE those spots would be absolutetly and completely obltiterated.
Posted by: Someone who did NOT vote for William Proxmire ||
08/03/2003 21:56 Comments ||
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Not a bad idea! Get some really accurate GPS coords, such as the large parade grounds invariably located just outside the doors of a number of Palaces in Arabia, and fill the pkg with IOU's or other symbolic message. Then watch the incredible hue and cry fest that would follow. We'd be excoriated by the world press, I'm sure, but considering the message sent - it might just be a trigger event (read: emphatic wake-up call) for those on the receiving end.
Someday sooner that most think, there will be open war and running street battles - and not in comfortably far-away easily dismissed places, but in the US, Zerope, and anywhere else that freedom allows them to build recruiting & indoctrination centers (read: mosques) and allows them their Friday Spew. Then such a demonstration would not seem extreme - but it would not have the same effect as it would today. An interesting and intriguing idea! Nothing like proof of vulnerability to get a Royal's attention.
#3
Good idea. Fire one off to land in front of Yasshole's front door. When it hits, one of those "BANG!" flags shoots out of the nose. He'll feel like Wile E. Coyote and smell even worse then he does now.
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Palestinian gunmen wounded four Israelis in a shooting on their car near a West Bank Jewish settlement, denting a militant cease-fire which is vital to a U.S.-backed peace plan. denting? How about frigginâ breaking their lying little Paleo promises? Nice job Rooters - a "news" service
The al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, an armed group linked to President Yasser Arafatâs Fatah faction, claimed the attack in which an Israeli woman and her three children were wounded in the shooting near the Jewish settlement of Har Gilo Sunday. the evil Jooess and her brood deserved it! on behalf of ..uh...the oppressed Paleo breeders and their broods
The incident dented a three-month cease-fire declared by Palestinian militants on June 29 and overshadowed fresh progress on a U.S-backed "road map" to peace, including a decision by Israel to release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners this week. dented again? get a thesaurus...look up "broke"
Israeli officials said the attack underscored the need for moderate Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas to disarm militants rather than cut deals with them to temporarily halt attacks in a 34-month-old uprising for statehood.
"Tonightâs terrorist attack is another grim reminder, and a bloody one, that there is no substitute...for sustained targeted and effective operations against those involved in terrorism," Prime Minister Ariel Sharonâs spokesman Raanan Gissin said.
The proximity of the attack to Bethlehem, from where Israeli forces pulled out a month ago as part of the road map, could complicate negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian officials over which West Bank cities Israel would withdraw from next.
Palestinian Security Affairs Minister Mohammad Dahlan wants Israeli forces to withdraw from Ramallah, the West Bankâs commercial capital and home to Arafatâs headquarters.
To that end, Palestinian police confined 20 militants from the al-Aqsa brigades who had been sheltered in Arafatâs "muqata" compound to a single room to stave off a threat by the brigades to pull out of the cease-fire if they were transferred.
Palestinian officials said Israel had been pressing Arafat to send the men to the West Bank desert city of Jericho as a precondition for an Israeli pullback from Ramallah that would ease his own confinement.
The involvement of the al-Aqsa brigades in Sundayâs shooting and the groupâs vow to carry out more attacks was an embarrassment to Abbasâs administration which has failed to fully curtail attacks by the brigades since the truce began.
ISRAEL TO FREE PRISONERS THIS WEEK
Meanwhile, an Israeli ministerial committee on prisoners announced that several hundred Palestinian prisoners would be released later in the week as a goodwill gesture to strengthen the hand of Abbas, who is also known as Abu Mazen.
Officials declined to give details of the exact number of prisoners earmarked for release, but Israel Radio said a ministerial committee had compiled a list of 443 Palestinian prisoners who would be freed as early as Wednesday.
"Israel decided to free a few hundred prisoners that have no blood on their hands as a show of good will to Abu Mazenâs government," Justice Minister Tommy Lapid said after the meeting.
Militant groups, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, have said they may dissolve the truce if Israel fails to free all 6,000 Palestinian prisoners held in its jails.
Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom rejected an offer by his Palestinian counterpart Nabil Shaath to extend the truce with militants if Israel carried out troop withdrawals in the West Bank and other steps mandated by the road map. Time to clean out the roaches? soon.....
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/03/2003 8:23:08 PM ||
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And if the Israeli women with here IDF training had access to an UZI or M-16 could she of hosed the bastards.
Hat Tip: a chain of tips leading to InstaPundit
The sham UN Commission, led by Libya, punishes the organization. A prime example of why the UN has lost any claim to mete out legitimacy or define morality. When Libya gained the chairmanship of the commission, it became a bad joke. Now this position has been used to throttle a group that calls a spade a spade. Sham. Mob rule describes the UN, today, no matter how desperately one may want to justify its continued relevance.
Reporters Without Borders suspended for one year from UN commission on human rights
The organisation publishes a report on the commissionâs accelerating decline, entitled Wheeling and dealing, incompetence and "non-action," in which it recommends a radical overhaul
United Nations 24 July 2003
Reporters Without Bordersâs consultative status with the United Nations commission on human rights was suspended on July 24 for one year at the request of Libya and Cuba because activists with the organisation staged a protest during the inauguration of the commissionâs last session in March against the decision to let Libya chair the commission.
Reporters Without Borders insists that granting the chair to Col. Gaddafiâs regime has been a disgrace to the commission.
The UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the body that took this decision, never invited Reporters Without Borders to explain its action. The failure to respect sanction procedures has been criticised by the French government, which lodged a request for a postponement of any decision to suspend the organisation. This suspension of one of the few press freedom organisations to have consultative status with ECOSOC is farce of the kind that increasingly characterizes the commission on human rights.
Reporters Without Borders today publishes a report which details the excesses, shortcomings and accelerating decline of this commission, which dictatorships such as Cuba and China have taken over in order to strip it of all substance.
The reports proposes a series of reforms that are essential if the commission is to be rescued : limiting the right to vote to those states that have ratified the main international human rights covenants, naming an independent human rights expert to chair the commission, and abolishing the so-called "non-action" motions that have repeatedly been used to block debates.
The results of the vote on the suspension of the consultative status of Reporters without borders :
In favour (27) : Azerbaijan, Benin, Bhutan, Brazil, Burundi, China, Congo, Cuba, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Iran, Jamaica, Kenya, Libya, Malaysia, Mozambique, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Qatar, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.
Against (23) : Andorra, Australia, Chile, El Salvador, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Peru, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Romania, Sweden, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and United States.
Abstentions (4) : Argentina, Ecuador, Japan, and Senegal.
Just check the list for and against to grasp the essence of why millions in the West believe the UN has been hijacked and is now an active adversary of free people everywhere. The Rogueâs Gallery of countries voting against features many repressive regimes as well as those who apparently have an active grudge against RWB for previous disclosures of their less-than-honorable behavior. I find Japanâs abstention the only obviously surprising vote. So, uh Koizumi - whatâs up with that, Bro???
One thing is certain, itâs useful to have such obvious issues voted upon (and perhaps the only thing the UN is good for nowadays) as it offers you a rare view of who is who... To quote a John Huston line from 3 Days of The Condor" - "What I miss (referring to WWII) is the clarity."
#2
11A5S - "the guys who rated the US and UK press as being less free..."
Yeah - isn't that just precious? I couldn't pass up such a sweet piece of irony.
#3
Wow, look at the countries against. Some of them tell us they're in this terrorism war with us, but are all against us when it comes against freedom of speech. Maybe our esteemed Dept of State can do a good job of asking those against to communicate as to why. If the answers aren't good enough, then we should reconsider our relationships with these "allies"
Posted by: michael ||
08/03/2003 22:40 Comments ||
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Iran wants the United States to hand over members of an Iranian opposition movement in return for any al Qaeda figures it extradites to Washington, the New York Times said on Saturday.
Hokay. You got first.
The newspaper quoted a US official as saying Washington had approached Tehran with a request for the handover of Al Qaeda members in Iranian custody. But the approach, relayed through the Swiss embassy that handles US interests in Tehran, did not include any proposed swap and the US âdid not receive a positive responseâ, the Times quoted the official as saying. A senior Bush administration official said the US would reject any kind of swap for members of the Mujahideen Khalq.
Dump them if the trade's good. No skin off our collective fore. That's one of the risks of being in the Armed Struggle™ business, innit?
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/03/2003 14:50 ||
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Finesse a few smallfish members of MK willing to get out of a dead-end organization, to go to Iran, with cooperation of some Iranian helpers in govt. civil or mil. Let's hope CIA has people on ground in Iran who would know which Iranians would be helpful. If this is not the case, then it's a scandal, and someone should get fired. Anyway, these would not be big characters, and would be allowed to lead peaceful lives in Iran, but be ready to consult Iranian intel on a need basis. In return, they spill their guts to us on all they know re MK activities before they go to Iran, some of which we give to Iran. Iran gives us AQ members in return. Win-win.
Posted by: michael ||
08/03/2003 22:49 Comments ||
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A bomb exploded in a car south of Beirut on Saturday, killing at least two people in the vehicle and wounding passers-by. The explosion occurred on Hadi Nasrallah highway in Beirut's southern suburbs during the morning rush hour. The explosion tore apart the parked car, killing at least two people inside the vehicle and wounding an unknown number of passers-by. The officials identified one of the two victims as Ali Hussein Saleh, the car's driver, whose body was mutilated and charred by the explosion. Saleh was apparently heading to the Iranian Embassy, where he worked as a security official. The bomb, placed in the car's back seat, detonated after Saleh switched on the ignition and drove about 100 yards. The reason for the bombing, which occurred along a bustling street lined with shops, was not immediately clear.
My guess is that somebody wanted to kill him. What's yours?
Beirut's southern suburbs are a stronghold of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group. Lebanese policemen and soldiers sealed off the area and began searching for other possible booby-trapped cars. Bearded Hezbollah security agents were seen inspecting the bomb scene. A Hezbollah spokesman declined to comment immediately on the incident, saying the group will issue a statement later.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/03/2003 14:37 ||
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Security official for the Iranians? Hezbollah security agents actively involved? Nahhhh. Salt of the Earth kinda guy....probably driving a Pinto and was rear-ended
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/03/2003 16:38 Comments ||
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"My guess is that somebody wanted to kill him. What's yours?"
Since this is Beirut and we're talking about Hezbollah / Hizbollah and Iranians - do we get a mulligan?
Pyongyang called a U.S. State Department official "human scum" for his criticism of North Korea's leader. North Korea said Saturday that it won't deal with U.S. Undersecretary of State John Bolton because he described Kim Jong Il as a "tyrannical dictator" and said "life is a hellish nightmare" for many North Koreans.
Well, damn him! Why'd he want to say something true like that?
Bolton had made the remarks during a visit to South Korea last week. "Such human scum and bloodsucker is not entitled to take part in the talks," a North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman said, according to the North's official KCNA news agency. "We have decided not to consider him as an official of the U.S. administration any longer nor to deal with him."
Temper, temper! Careful! Nobody wants to see you pop a vein and... Never mind.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/03/2003 14:22 ||
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Hey Bolton can't say those things! They've just had an election so how could Kim be a tyrannical dictator?
Only the Norks are allowed to use derogatory language to describe other countries when they're threatening to turn them into a sea of fire.
Posted by: Tokyo Taro ||
08/03/2003 19:52 Comments ||
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I think that Bolton should be named head talks for the U.S. Sounds like he knows what what. But maybe he needs a little diplomacy class?
Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi said the U.S.-led war on terror has strengthened al-Qaida because Muslims have perceived the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq as aggression against Islam and attempts to spread American influence.
Guess they're gonna have to recruit some Buddhists and Zoroastrians to fix that, huh?
In an interview aired Sunday on ABC's "This Week," Gadhafi stressed that Libya was cooperating with the United States to fight terrorism and the "common enemy" of al-Qaida. But he criticized America's foreign policy as colonialist and controlled by Jewish groups. He also said America's targeting of al-Qaida's leader â Saudi-born dissident Osama bin Laden â has transformed him into "a symbol for defending the Islamic world." He did not elaborate.
Didn't have to. That's the whole thrust of Binny's propaganda machine...
"As long as America (is) approaching (the war on terror) in such a method ... together with the Israelis ... the more they do that, the more they create an environment or atmosphere for the development of al-Qaida," Gadhafi said, according to a transcript received by The Associated Press office in Egypt. Gadhafi's interview with George Stephanopoulos took place Wednesday in Al-Bayda, on the Mediterranean coast about 450 miles east of the LIbyan capital of Tripoli. Gadhafi described al-Qaida terrorists as "crazy and insensible people" who have committed attacks on America, Egypt, Nigeria, Sudan, Saudi Arabia and other countries. "So all these countries are fighting one common enemy," he said.
Not very enthusiastically, in some cases...
Gadhafi, who has been in power for 34 years, said his country has exchanged information with the Americans and arrested some suspected terrorists who entered Libya after the war in Afghanistan. "There is an exchange of information and an exchange of persons between these respective countries," Gadhafi said.
Toldja Muammar's trying to change sides...
The Libyan leader also blamed Saudi Arabia's Wahhabi sect of Islam for being behind the emergence of al-Qaida and other extremist groups and accused "the regime or the system in Saudi Arabia (as being) based on fundamentalism."
Yep. I like him even more, despite his funny hats...
Gadhafi said Libya opposed all extremist and radical Islamic movements and invited Western countries to talk with his World Islamic Leadership, which he said he formed to demonstrate "the civilized aspect of Islam."
A counterweight to the Soddies' conspiracy. Not a bad idea. Wonder who thought that up?
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/03/2003 14:07 ||
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There is absolutely nothing like the F-111 Cluebringer.
uh huh - same as the 105% turnout for Sammyâs "reelection"?
Ahhh the Sydney Morning Diktat Herald
North Koreans went to the polls yesterday, but as all the candidates ran unopposed there will be no electoral surprises. no shit?
Even so, North Korea watchers say that the parliamentary election could be a prelude to political and economic changes. democracy coming? how about breakfast, can we at least get sumpthin to eat? Weâre STARVING!
Kim Jong-il, who took over the countryâs leadership when his father, Kim Il-sung, died in 1994, is expected to use the election to consolidate his hold over the political apparatus.
Analysts said Mr Kim, 61, would bring a new generation into the government and move away from the rigid socialism espoused by his father in favour of market reforms.
"This election will officially mark the beginning of the Kim Jong-il era," said Koh Yu-hwan, a North Korea specialist at Dongkuk University, Seoul
Kim Young-su, a North Korea scholar with Sogang University, also in Seoul, said: "They need to effect a generational change; they need modern educated young representatives."
North Korea holds elections to the 687-strong Supreme Peopleâs Assembly - which meets infrequently, mainly to rubber stamp the annual budget - about every five years. North Koreans also cast ballots for candidates for thousands of seats on local ruling committees. There was little suspense, because the unopposed candidates had already been selected by the nationâs Socialist Youth Alliance.
There is speculation in Seoul that Mr Kim might have himself named as North Koreaâs president at the first meeting of the newly elected assembly, which is expected to take place on September 9. The post of president has been vacant since Kim Il-sungâs death. Kim Jong-il holds the titles of chairman of the national defence committee, commander of the military and secretary-general of the ruling workersâ party.
North Korea watchers also say Mr Kim might use the post-election period to change the constitution - along the same lines as constitutional changes enacted in China under Deng Xiaoping in 1982 to provide a legal framework for economic changes.
Mr Koh said: "Up until now Kim Jong-il was continuing what his father left behind - but they are realising that they canât cope with the changing world environment."
Mr Kim may also want what will look like a resounding endorsement of his leadership as the country is locked in a high-stakes showdown with the United States over nuclear weapons. that way he gets credit in the history books for turning his hellhole into a smokinâ hole in the ground: "See? We cured hunger. All the dead peasants are no longer hungry"
Pyongyang yesterday described the US undersecretary of state John Bolton as "human scum" for criticising Mr Kim, although it will still join US-proposed multilateral talks on its suspected development of nuclear weapons. The North said it would not deal with Mr Bolton. He also called Mr Kim a "tyrannical dictator" and said life was "a hellish nightmare" for many North Koreans.
The Northâs official news agency KCNA quoted a Foreign Ministry spokesman as saying: "Such human scum and bloodsucker is not entitled to take part in the talks." But Pyongyangâs decision to hold six-country talks on the nuclear issue was unchanged.
Kewl...spittle and venom I give it a 6 only because it was so short
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/03/2003 12:46:40 PM ||
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Wow, I bet Mr. Bolton will never recover from that.
Posted by: Matt ||
08/03/2003 13:24 Comments ||
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Let's drop a million Pizza Hut coupons in North Korea - buy one, get one free, large mushroom, black olive, and white slag. Only available in Chinatown, USA. Don't be late, offer expires when the mushroom cloud appears...
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/03/2003 15:46 Comments ||
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Notice how good the paleo PR machine is with the press? The Paleos havenât met one promise made in the Roadmapâ¢, yet now the release of all paleo terrorists/prisoners, a condition found no-where in the Roadmap⢠is "key" to peace. So itâs still the Jooooosâ fault
Since Haifa Jawat Amasi married her husband in 1986, she figures he has been picked up and imprisoned by Israeli security officers at least 15 times, usually for four to six months. He has never been charged with a crime, she said, nor has he ever been accused of participating in any violence.
But her husband, Ismail Mohammed Amasi, 41, is a senior political officer in the radical Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a militant group that, during the 34-month Palestinian uprising, has participated in 20 attacks in which 28 Israelis have been killed, according to Israeli, Palestinian and media accounts. part of the political wing is he? whatâs the diff? none
The political wing picks the targets, the military wing puts together the attacks...
On June 24, 2002, Israeli soldiers went to the familyâs house and detained Amasi. He was not charged with a crime, nor was he allowed to see any of the evidence against him. In a secret proceeding, a military judge ruled that, under Israeli law, Amasi was a security risk to Israel and ordered him held in a process known as "administrative detention" for the maximum period of six months. The detention has been extended twice, for six months each time, and comes up for review again on Dec. 24. Israeli officials said they could not answer specific questions about the case, but they confirmed that Amasi had been in detention since June. "Heâs always been imprisoned or detained administratively," without being charged and without a trial, said his wife. "They are all political accusations. Heâs a PFLP official, and they say heâs dangerous to the security of Israel when heâs outside of prison."
Don't suppose he'd consider getting an honest job?... No. That'd never work...
Amasi is one of the thousands of Palestinians being held in Israeli jails who have become a central stumbling block in negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. Palestinian officials maintain that virtually all of the people being held — their numbers range from about 5,900 to 7,500, depending on who is counted and who does the counting — are political prisoners who should be freed, even those charged with murder. Israeli officials say that many are terrorists who present a security risk or who have "blood on their hands," meaning those who have been involved in a violent attack. even those charged with murder? I thought they were all innocent political prisoners who loved kittens, puppies and baby ducks...just not Jooooish ones
The Palestinian minister for prisoner affairs, Hisham Abdel-Razek, has rejected the "blood on their hands" standard, saying in a state of war, even Palestinians locked up for violent crimes should be released because "they did what they did in the framework of the conflict and our peopleâs resistance of the occupation. Whoever they view as a murderer is viewed by the Palestinian people as a hero, and vice-versa."
But the Paleos aren't the ones who have them locked up. And the Israelis don't want them to be "heroic" again...
But a senior Israeli military attorney said that in any type of conflict, "a person who intentionally targets civilians is a war criminal. International law in no way condones the intentional targeting of noncombatants. No one gets a reprieve for that. Thatâs why we feel very comfortable that people who are terrorists — we donât release them very easily."
And shouldn't, as a matter of self-preservation...
The prisoners have become an issue as both sides wrangle over a U.S.-backed peace initiative called the "road map." The initiative — drafted by the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations — does not specifically address the prisoners, but their release has been demanded by the government of Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas as a confidence-building gesture from Israel. More importantly, Palestinian militant groups have demanded a mass release of prisoners in return for the three-month cease-fire they declared on June 29. "does not specifically address the prisoners" = they arenât mentioned at all. Nice spin. Wearing a keffiyah while writing this dreck?
Seems pretty important to them for a mere "confidence building" measure.
So far, according to Palestinian officials, Israel has released one batch of 135 prisoners — on the day before the June 4 summit meeting in Jordan among Abbas, President Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Israeli officials say they have released 250 Palestinian prisoners. The discrepancy between the two figures could not immediately be reconciled. Three weeks ago, the Israeli cabinet approved the release of 400 more prisoners, but none was set free, Israeli and Palestinian officials agree. On Sunday, the cabinet revisited the issue and decided to release a total of 540 prisoners, including about 210 from the radical group Islamic Jihad and the Islamic Resistance Movement, known as Hamas. It was unclear when the group would be freed. About 120 of the prisoners slated for release are common criminals who are being included just to boost the total, Palestinian officials charge.
Don't want 'em? No problem...
Palestinians say the releases, assuming they happen, are inadequate. According to statistics compiled by Abdel-Razekâs office, more than 4,400 of the Palestinians being held by Israel have not been put on trial, including more than 700 being held, like Amasi, in administrative detention. Furthermore, Palestinians officials say, only 330 Palestinians being held have been convicted of violent crimes. Of 2,668 Palestinians currently in the custody of the Israel Prisons Service, 1,715 were incarcerated for violent crimes, including 589 on charges of killing Israelis, a prisons service spokeswoman said. She was unable to provide statistics on how many had been convicted and how many were awaiting trial.
So find out.
Israeli government and military officials acknowledge the importance of releasing Palestinian prisoners to nurture the peace process and boost the standing of Abbas and his three-month-old, appointed government. But Israeli officials say they will not approve a wholesale release, arguing that doing so would reverse the results of more than two years of capturing Palestinian militants and terrorists, which they say has improved Israelâs security. Pointing out that the Israeli casualties include many civilians who were killed in suicide bombings, the Israeli government has argued that the conflict is a fight against terrorism that requires tough security measures.
And the incarceration of the men behind the boomers. They can't do anything to the boomers — they're rotting in hell with their 72-year-old virgin. But the controllers are even more guilty than the cannon fodder...
Administrative detention allows Israeli military judges to detain a person for up to six months, with an unlimited number of extensions, if there are "reasonable grounds to presume that the security of the area or public security require the detention," according to excerpts of the law translated by the Israeli human rights organization BâTselem. According to a report by the group, Israeli authorities "use administrative detention as a quick and efficient alternative to criminal trial, primarily when they do not have sufficient evidence to charge the individual, or when they do not want to reveal their evidence."
A system of court martials would make more sense — with an active firing squad. But they're squeamish, so it's being used against them...
The senior Israeli military attorney said that administrative detention — which has been used to hold Israelis as well as Palestinians — is an effort to strike "a very difficult balance between human rights and military necessity." The problem, he said, was that few Palestinians ever agree to testify against another Palestinian, and "in many cases thereâs no public evidence, but we do have secret evidence" based on witness or intelligence sources that cannot be revealed. In the course of an investigation, he said, the Israelis hope that public evidence comes to light, but if it doesnât, the next best option is to take the suspect into administrative detention. "We prefer a public trial. It looks better and it is better," he said. "Administrative detention is a very bad compromise."
The solution to that would be closed and classified trials, which would cause further bitching and moaning...
The case of Asma Abu Heija is the sort that stirs passions on both sides and illustrates the difficulty of trying to satisfy Israelâs security concerns and Palestinian demands for transparency and fairness. Asmaâs husband, Jamal Abu Heija, is a senior Hamas leader in the West Bank town of Jenin, about 45 miles north of Jerusalem. He was arrested 11 months ago. Israeli security officials said Jamal Abu Heija was the head of the military wing of Hamas in Jenin and was behind an Aug. 4, 2002, suicide bombing of a bus in northern Israel that killed nine people. Security officials say he was also a mastermind of the August 2001 Sbarro restaurant bombing in Jerusalem, in which 15 Israelis were killed. But Jamal Abu Heija has not been charged or brought to trial, according to his family, who assert that he is a political leader of Hamas. They say Israeli prosecutors have neither evidence nor witnesses who can testify against him. Israeli officials would not say whether he has been charged or why he is being held.
Yep. The witnesses are all dead. Or can be made so...
On Feb. 11, Jamal Abu Heijaâs family said, Israeli security forces detained his wife. The family says that the Israelis continue to hold her without charges as an administrative detainee to pressure her husband to talk. Five of their children between ages 7 and 18 have been left at home under the revolving-door care of various relatives. "They arrested the wife just to exert pressure on the father," said Khaled Ghanem, 22, one of the relatives who helps care for the children. But releasing her would not create goodwill toward Israel or help the fledgling peace process, he said. "No matter what I tell these children, their experiences will stay with them," he said. "Even if I wanted to talk to them about peace, how could I dare to?"
"And certainly I'd talk to them about Peace™! We all yearn for Peace™. We want it for The Children™..."
Israeli officials denied the familyâs accusations. A senior security source said the wife was arrested based on evidence that she was involved in "accepting and passing" terrorist money and knowingly using a bank account in her name for terrorist funds. Iâve got an idea: finish the wall, and release all these bastards into the new Paleo hellholes in the Gaza, West Bank enclosures. Iâm sure the Paleo people want these gangsters, thugs, murderers, terrorists released back into their midst. I expected a little bit less bias from the WaPost...boy am I naive
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/03/2003 9:13:29 AM ||
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The "human" interest premise of this article is a fatuous inanity. Oh, he is a member of the political wing of the party. I suppose he is in charge of approving ethanol subsidies and NEA grants. Bet he's never ordered or directed attacks on civilians. My heart goes out to his poor wife. Let's take up the collection plate so that she can get a pocket rocket good legal representation for her cuddly hubby.
And as far as the scornful, reproving tone of the portions that describe Israel's tardiness in getting these people trials, keep in mind the similar tact of the United States in dealing with to its terror prisoners at Gitmo as well as the al-Hamdi and Garcia (AKA abu-Dirty Bomb).
Posted by: af ||
08/03/2003 10:10 Comments ||
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The funding of the political 'wing' and the terrorist 'wings' are intermingled. The Administration knows this, the Congress knows this. The Israeli govt knows this. Even the Wa Post knows this. All of them pretend otherwise because they think they are helping the road map. Very risky.
#3
The Paleos havenât met one promise made in the Roadmapâ¢, yet now the release of all paleo terrorists/prisoners, a condition found no-where in the Roadmap⢠is "key" to peace.
The problem is that no one is calling them on it. GWB isn't calling them on it, and Ariel Sharon isn't calling them on it. And I think I know why: the fear of the likely resumption (as if it wasn't going to be resumed anyway at some point in time) of suicide/murder bombings in the aftermath of abandonment of the "roadmap". Well screw the Palestinians. Having a knife at your throat constantly is no way to live, so when these bastards start their suicide/murder bombing campaign again in earnest, the IDF should simply invade en masse and kill every single terrorist they can get their hands on, including Arafart.
#4
Don't discount the value of momentum in warfare. Once you stop, you have to get started again. Even a three-month break in the Bad Guys' activity has value. And don't forget that a certain number of people -- on both sides -- are going to live three months longer.
Before you can move on to step 4, you've got to take steps 1, 2, and 3. The diplowars going on at the moment are fascinating -- they're just not as comprehensible as the shooting war was four months ago.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/03/2003 15:19 Comments ||
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Beeb spin alert!
Palestinian authorities have agreed to allow a group of arrested militants to remain inside Yasser Arafatâs Ramallah compound instead of transferring them to a prison. The deal was reached after the faction to which the men belong threatened to abandon a ceasefire and renew attacks on Israel. Arrested? They were allowed to keep their guns, their freedom, and family members can come and go to visit them. Whatâs different than before? Arafatâs hand is clearly visible here, so why not say so?
The 17 men, who are wanted by Israel, were arrested by Palestinian security forces on Saturday, months after they took shelter in the compound, known as the Muqata. Israel has refused to withdraw its troops from around the Palestinian leaderâs headquarters while the men remain inside. The Palestinians earlier agreed to transfer the men — members of al-Aqsa Martyrsâ Brigades — to a prison in the West Bank town of Jericho, but most of the group refused to be moved.
"Nope. Nope. Ain't goin'. Don't have to. Yasser sez I don't."
One of the detained men, Kamal Ghanam, said Yasser Arafat had asked the men to move because "the world has changed". The US reportedly brokered a deal under which they would have been moved to a Palestinian prison in Jericho, where they would be under international supervision. But the al-Aqsa Martyrsâ Brigade members in Jenin issued an angry statement saying those who had arrested the men would be held responsible for their safety. They threatened to continue attacks against Israelis and fight what they called collaborators who conspire with Israel.
Demonstrating once again that the Paleos will simply refuse to adhere to any agreement that doesn't give them their way — all of it.
Our correspondent says it appears the Palestinian authorities have compromised, allowing the men to keep their guns and to be visited by family members while they remain inside the compound. Thatâs not a compromise Beeb! Thatâs called taking no action against armed known terrorists in a publicly broadcast location. The Roadmap⢠is dead, hope Arafat joins it. Soon. Along with the rest of these "militants". And the Beeb. And....
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/03/2003 8:59:09 AM ||
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Why blogs exist and why I'm 24-hours ahead of periodic plain bad journalism in Chi. Trib articles re Iraq/ME.
Posted by: michael ||
08/03/2003 23:16 Comments ||
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Michael - that's why I got hooked on Fred's site in the first plave - Fred, then Steve and Steve White guest-posting told me more than I got anywhere else. Thks All!
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/03/2003 23:47 Comments ||
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EFL - Of course thereâs a new date, and now he sez he might not leave the country, yadda yadda..... kill.him.now.please.
Liberian President Charles Taylor for the first time set a precise date for stepping down but pointedly declined to say today whether he would leave the country.
"Nope. Nope. I'd rather stay and destablize any subsequent government..."
Taylor said he would leave office Aug. 11, after West African peacekeepers have arrived in force. His aides, however, laid down new conditions for his departure, including the dismissal of a war crimes indictment by a U.N.-backed court. riiggghhhtt
Forces loyal to Taylor mounted a zealous counterattack today against the rebels who have laid siege to this shattered capital for two weeks. The government forces aimed to take decisive control of two bridges that lead into downtown Monrovia and capture the adjoining seaport before Nigerian peacekeepers arrive on Monday. The governmentâs surge appeared desperate and ragtag, led by pickups mounted with .50-caliber guns and pushed from behind by commanders holding AK-47s to the heads of young fighters reluctant to advance. "volunteers"
Firing wildly, the government forces took lashing fire from the rebels but held the bridges for several hours. At dusk, as the skies released a tropical downpour, Taylorâs forces were back where they had begun the day, sprinting from the downtown side of the bridges to fire their rifles from the hump at the middle, then scampering back for cover. saw a clip of this on Fox — these guys were so scared, theyâd run up, take a shot (at mostly the sky), then run back and tell the others "hey! did you see me?" — didnât hit anything
At John F. Kennedy Hospital, where the International Committee of the Red Cross maintains the cityâs only trauma ward, doctors reported at least seven dead and 70 wounded by late afternoon. "We are quite worried," said Dominique Liengme, head of the Red Cross delegation here. "I think tomorrow is going to be a very bad day, because both sides want to do as much as possible before [peacekeepers] arrive on Monday." The day highlighted the most treacherous of the elements that have drawn the worldâs attention to Liberia, a nation of 3 million that was founded for freed American slaves not for freed slaves - by freed slaves. the distinction is a fine one, and carries no moral imperative to intervene. Nice spin journalism
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/03/2003 8:51:05 AM ||
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I play "Battlefield 1942" occasionally (Occasionally? That means not more than three hours a night after you post on Rantburg, right? Ed. -- Hey, get back to Kaus Files where you belong!), and one map requires one to assault or defend a couple of bridges. I see what must be the Taylor forces practicing in these games, since the manner of assault is the same. I generally take a button-down, well entrenched position with an automatic rifle and clear the bridge whenever they run up. It's too bad that the game won't depict them in their proper uniform of bustiers and wigs!
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/03/2003 13:55 Comments ||
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EFL
Zimbabweâs economic disaster is horrifyingly evident in the morgue at Harare Central Hospital, packed to more than three times capacity with the dead that relatives canât afford to bury. The morgue, designed for 164 corpses, holds nearly 600. Trays in the morgue often hold more than one adult body, along with the tiny corpses of infants. Others, shrouded in canvas and cotton sheets, lie in gurneys or on the floors of the refrigerated corridors. Some of the unclaimed cadavers are those of vagrants found dead on the streets. Others are the victims of violence kept for as long as three years during police investigations, often delayed by fuel shortages and logistics problems amid Zimbabweâs worst political and economic crisis since independence in 1980. Many of the corpses are awaiting collection by impoverished relatives, including some who ``just disappear and abandon themââ in hopes they will be given decent ``paupersâ burialsââ by the city, said Dr. Chris Tapfumaneyi, the hospitalâs medical superintendent.
A routine burial â including cemetery and grave fees, a casket and transportation â costs at least $120 at the official exchange rate or less than $40 at the black market rate. Thatâs twice what the average Zimbabweanâs annual income and is well out of reach of the 70 percent of people here living in poverty. Most rural poor bury their dead on family plots in the bush, following African spiritual traditions. As the Harare municipal cemeteries filled with AIDS victims in recent years, a raft of suggestions â for mass graves, for bodies to be buried vertically, and for cremation â were met with outcry by political and tribal leaders. Vertical? How is that less work and expense?
Less land price. Remember, the labor cost is almost non-existent...
White Zimbabweans of Indian descent favor cremation, but in June, Harareâs cash-strapped city council ran out of imported gas for the furnaces at its only crematorium. Since, private funeral homes have accumulated nearly 100 bodies due for cremation. A few bodies have been taken to the second city of Bulawayoâs diesel-fired crematorium. But diesel fuel, like regular gasoline, is also in short supply, and Bulawayoâs ordinances make it difficult to cremate a person who did not live there. Leaders of Harareâs tiny Hindu community, meanwhile, have said they are considering waiving strict religious rules to allow non-Hindus to be cremated in their small diesel-fired crematorium here. Things start to improve the day after Bob leaves.
Sadly untrue. When Bob leaves, I'd guess things'll actually get worse, if that's possible, as his cronies grab off what they can on their way out of the country. Those who remain will be fighting each other for power and we'll see at least six months of anarchy and high death tolls before things stabilize. This being Africa, they'll probably stabilize under another kleptocrat or somebody who thinks he's God...
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/03/2003 12:43:37 AM ||
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Vertical? How is that less work and expense?
You use a large auger to drill a hole slightly larger than the casket, then slide the casket into the hole and backfill. Takes less time to drill than to dig, and takes up a lot less room. Most VA cemetaries are beginning to opt for vertical burial, due to lack of space.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/03/2003 9:36 Comments ||
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OP -- if you have the fuel to run the auger, that is, and that's one of Bob-Land's biggest problems. I see the point though, and thanks for the info.
Fred -- you're right about the cronies; my excuse (as always :-) is that I post these very early in the morning. Yes, they'll make things worse for a while. Wonder, however, if the South Africans might intervene the day after Bob leaves -- they sure don't want anarchy up there, might give certain South Africans ideas ...
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/03/2003 13:50 Comments ||
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Still in the blanket grouping of "evil-colonnial-aggressors-deserving-to-lose-their-farm-to-my-next-favorite-buddy" as designated by Bob and Grace. It's a fluid thang
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/03/2003 20:42 Comments ||
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Iâm sure this reads better at KCNA. EFL.
North Korea on Saturday warned that any moves to discuss its suspected nuclear weapons programs at the United Nations would ``hamstringââ efforts for dialogue and be a ``prelude to war.ââ
Yeah. Everything's a "prelude to war"...
The warning came a day after the communist country agreed to multilateral talks over the nuclear standoff. North Korea, fearful the United Nations may impose economic sanctions, has accused the world body of siding with the United States. Heck, everyone knows what a silly accusation THAT is!
``The U.S. intention to bring up the nuclear issue ... at the U.N. at any cost is a grave criminal act to hamstringââ North Koreaâs efforts at opening a dialogue, the official KCNA news agency said. ``Any move to discuss the nuclear issue at the U.N. Security Council is little short of a prelude to a war,ââ it said, reiterating past comments. Weâre up to, what, 867 preludes now?
Meanwhile, the United States and Japan are discussing forming a multinational inspection team to ensure North Korea eliminates its nuclear weapons development program, the Yomiuri Shimbun, Japanâs largest circulation daily, reported Sunday. That team would include Russia and China. This is rather, multilateral, of us.
U.S. Undersecretary of State John Bolton began working on the details of the plan with senior Japanese officials Friday after receiving word North Korea had agreed to six-way talks, the paper reported. On Thursday, Bolton criticized the Security Council, saying its credibility was at stake because it had failed to take up the North Korean nuclear issue. China, the Northâs closest ally and a permanent member of the Security Council, had thwarted previous U.S. attempts to have the council condemn the North over its nuclear ambitions. An early U.N. discussion of North Korea seems unlikely. Even South Korea, a U.S. ally, has said all diplomatic options should be exhausted before the Security Council considers the issue. South is still weak in the knees, I see.
Washington long has pushed for multilateral talks on the issue, saying it wants Pyongyang to end its nuclear programs. North Korea has insisted on one-on-one talks with the United States, through which it hopes to win a security guarantee. But North Korea on Friday agreed to multilateral talks, saying it would push for direct talks with the United States on the side. Washington said bilateral talks were a possibility. The acceptance of an American proposal for a broader discussion involving the two Koreas, the United States, China, Japan and Russia was seen as a concession. Steve DenBeste says that this is the crucial concession and that the NKors are done for.
Australian Prime Minister John Howard said Saturday that Beijing was key to resolving the dispute. ``China more than any other country can exert long-term influence and long-term pressure on North Korea,ââ he said. As in, turn off the oil and watch the NKors squeal like a pig.
On Friday, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Pyongyang might consider freezing its nuclear programs if multilateral talks go well and if it receives an assurance from the United States that it will not be attacked. Kofi is hopelessly behind, as usual.
No date has been set for the talks, which are expected to be held in China, and no decision has been made on the level of the officials who will attend. An unidentified official at South Koreaâs presidential office said talks could open ``late this month or early next month,ââ according to Seoulâs Yonhap news agency. The last time the United States and North Korea had official talks was in April in Beijing, but they have had unofficial talks in New York since then, via North Korean diplomats at the United Nations. No, we had no official talks in April, we had shuttle talks with the Chinese getting covered with spittle, not us. And then we walked out.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/03/2003 12:38:23 AM ||
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Is it just me or did things start to change when Japan announced it might have to get medieval on N.Korea if provoked by them?
#2
Now NK sez Bolton ain't welcome. Seems in a SK visit last week he referred to a puffy-haired little geek in jumpsuits as a "tyrannical dictator", and said living conditions in the North were "a hellish nightmare".
Anybody here think that's not true? ...Anybody? ...Bueller?
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/03/2003 9:24 Comments ||
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Is it just me or did things start to change when Japan announced it might have to get medieval on N.Korea if provoked by them?
That could have had something to do with it, but so could the announcement that Russia was studying the option of a preemptive nuclear strike in order to avert disaster to its Far East center, Vladivostok.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/03/2003 9:43 Comments ||
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Meanwhile, a KCNA employee who also works for the state security apparatus (I realize that is redundant, but...) was surfing the net and saw this post. The post and all comments have duly been listed as "preludes to war, numbers 1,754,039 to 1,754,042". Informed source tell us when the preludes reach 2,000,000 the Nork government will switch to quaaludes.
#5
Send him anyway. They don't want to talk to him, that's their problem. But they do NOT dictate personnel to the US. He can talk to the Chinese and Russians and Japanese and South Koreans while the Norks sulk.
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/03/2003 21:17 Comments ||
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Frank G - Man you're fast! Okay, reading the story... when he tossed in this little disingenuous little jewel: "Clinton confined his remarks to biological and chemical weapons, and did not say whether he would consider credible any report that Saddam had wanted to build a nuclear weapons program."
He firmly rooted the pudgy little suckers back on the ground. He knows better and couldn't resist, I guess, tossing a bone to himself / Donks. The Powerline article yesterday made it very clear what was afoot, as if we needed more quacking = duck info. If we ever decide to put the lie to the SyrLeb joke, we'll prolly give David Kay what he really needs, eh?
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.
