The flash mob is just the latest in a long streak of group hysterias EFL
A crowd of 100 or so suddenly shows up at a designated location. Each person removes one of his or her shoes, and beats it on the ground several times. Then they put their shoes back on and quietly depart.
Reportedly, this stunt, which occurred the first time in Sao Paulo, Brazil, has surfaced in cities such as Vienna, Tokyo and New York, and is being referred to as a "flash mob phenomenon." Evidently these amorphous crowds are organized by Web sites and e-mail lists to stage brief, harmless buffoonery in prearranged public locations. Afterward the performers fade back into the woodwork.
How perfectly pointless and wonderful. At this silly point, nobody seems to know who concocted that prototype stunt in Brazil, or why — or at any of the other sites. Sometimes there just arenât any answers to humankindâs big questions.
Oh, yes, things could be lots worse, folks. Just imagine if one of these mobs hits your town, and they all turn out to be retired streakers from the infamous 1970s. Isnât it all such great fun? Those crazy kids.
Does anyone else see TARGET written all over this?
Why go looking for victims when you can bring them to you ?
Posted by: Anonymous ||
08/26/2003 11:31:23 AM ||
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#1
Why go to all the work of sending e-mails when there is a perfectly good daycare center right down the block?
Posted by: Steve ||
08/26/2003 11:38 Comments ||
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#2
proof that all those time-saving gadgets and appliances have unleashed an easily-led, bored crowd of brainless fools on the Earth with WAY too much time on their hands
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/26/2003 12:15 Comments ||
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#3
Not only does this have TARGET written all over it, but the banging of shoes is a middle-eastern thing, so who thought this up?
Posted by: Tom ||
08/26/2003 12:26 Comments ||
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#4
This is what China is so worried about. If it should spread to the countryside it could be a real headache.
#5
Well flash mobs and organizing one are a bit more advanced than what is written. Personally I thought it was brilliant (or at least the first few times it is). Anyone remember the Falun Gong and how they spooked the chinese government by being able to stage a synchronized demonstration in multiple cities, en masse? Organization and more over flash organization scares people, or at least it scares those people in power. What it does, is demonstrate the lack of intel on movements and plans that any opposing organization has. It's very Sun Tzu really. The problem here is that those people who are doing it haven't really put it to a use that will do anything. What we are seeing is the ability to conduct a "quick strike" protest or demonstration. However, by itself it's not enough, but it is a good tool to have.
IMO.
-DS
"the horns hold up the halo"
P.S. There are also other applications for this ability to coordinate. I'm impressed that it has been done, by normally rag-tag grab-ass people.
#6
I'll be impressed when they don't require days' worth of pre-planning and use teleporters to get to the location.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
08/26/2003 12:51 Comments ||
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#7
Not me. I'll only be impressed when the do that with several thousand people, cause millions in property damage, and everyone gets away without so much as a ticket.
Posted by: Charles ||
08/26/2003 14:19 Comments ||
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#8
"Does anyone else see TARGET written all over this? "
Pfft, as others have said, it's hardly difficult to find crowds. You may not consider yourself an alarmist, but I think you really should so consider it. :-)
This sounds just like fun.
And Tom, the shoes-thing is just one random example. The crowd may a lot of other stuff.
#9
If your coworkers were enlisted in one of these, this would be a useful technique in making sure your favorite stall is free for your morning costitutional.
Posted by: Steve D ||
08/26/2003 14:45 Comments ||
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Fred, feel free to delete this if itâs inappropriate.
This isnât news, but Iâll keep it short. Iâm on vacation at a dude ranch in western Michigan, and last Friday night I attended a rural small town rodeo. Weâve been to this one several times. Attendance is about 800 or so, and theyâre all small town America folks. Itâs a weekly rodeo and the wranglers from the dude ranch help run it, including performing the opening act. Thatâs the reason for this note.
The wranglers, 8 of them in all, come into the ring on horses carrying flags. Itâs usually American flags with one Canadian flag mixed in, and the wranglers ride around in a few patterns to the tune of Tim McGrawâs "Rodeo". Well this time the announcer says, "please stand as we salute Americaâs heroes", and the wranglers come into the ring with only a couple American flags, one Canadian flag -- and a Navy flag, an Army flag, a Marine Corp flag, an Air Force flag, and a flag to represent all the police and firefighters in the country.
And the crowd stops whatever theyâre doing, stand and cheer. For the entire routine. When the wranglers are done one of them sings the "Star Spangled Banner", and everyone -- everyone -- stands, sings and puts a hand over their heart. The opening ends with the Cowboy Prayer, a big cheer, and on with the bull riding.
Just a note from red state land.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/26/2003 1:28:24 AM ||
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Seriously, thanks for a great post about the real America. :-)
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
08/26/2003 13:20 Comments ||
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#9
Um, hate to tell you folks, but Michigan was actually a blue state in the last election (that is, it went for Gore). We also elected a Dem. governor. But west Michigan, where I live, is solidly in red territory.
#10
How did the Democrats become Blue when have of them are Reds. How did they get the term Liberal when the classical version of the term applies to Conservatives far more than the current Democrats. Everything is upside down.
EFL
U.S. and Afghan forces clashed with suspected Taliban in the mountains of southeastern Afghanistan on Tuesday, a day after fighter jets bombarded a camp and killed at least 14 rebels, Afghan officials said. American jets again pounded insurgents Tuesday in Zabul province, said Khalil Hotak, chief of the provincial intelligence service. It was not possible to confirm whether any Taliban were killed, he said. Juma Khan, the police chief of Dai Chupan district where the fighting took place in a mountain pass, said the rebels were putting up resistance, firing back with mortars and heavy machine guns. Thatâs right, boys, hold that pass, just donât look up.
On Monday, U.S. jets destroyed a Taliban mountain hideout in the same district in the deadliest air assault since rebels launched a series of strikes against Afghan government targets in recent weeks.
Hotak said the Taliban were operating with al-Qaida and loyalists of renegade rebel commander Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. He didnât offer evidence for his claim, but he said there were intelligence reports of Pakistanis and Middle Eastern fighters among the Taliban who escaped the bombardment of the camp on Monday. He did not say how he knew this. "I can say no more"
Col. Rodney Davis, spokesman for the U.S. military at coalition headquarters at Bagram Air Base, north of Kabul, said late Monday that 14 "enemy" fighters were killed in two clashes, one of which involved air strikes. "The number (killed) may be higher, and we are still waiting for additional battle damage assessment," he told a news briefing Tuesday. Putting the "pieces" together takes time.
There were no reported casualties among U.S.-led coalition troops, Davis said. He said coalition forces were continuing to operate in the southeastern provinces of Kandahar, Zabul and Uruzgan.
Another Afghan government spokesman, Khalid Pashtun of Kandahar, said two Taliban were captured in Mondayâs operation. The captured men said the Taliban offensive in the Dai Chupan district where the suspected hideout was located was being led by Mullah Kahar and Mullah Abdul Hakim. Hotak said the suspected camp, which was destroyed, comprised an eight-room building, four tents and other cave shelters. Now available for rent.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/26/2003 3:34:13 PM ||
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#1
Hek's not having such a good year, is he? Hope it gets worse...dramatically
btw: kudos for another slip in of Fred's Famousâ¢: "I can say no more"
I'm jealous
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/26/2003 18:44 Comments ||
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Good. We will keep the heat on Hek. If we cannot pursue him, we can attrit his forces and discredit his statements and cause.
Sure would like to make him a grease spot on the L&N, though.........damn....
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
08/26/2003 18:54 Comments ||
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A group calling itself suicide attackers for Islam has vowed there will be no end to violence plaguing Afghanistan until foreign forces leave the war-shattered nation. "We will continue our struggle against the aggressive foreign troops until we compel them to quit from every corner of the country," the group said in a message sent to the private Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) over the weekend. The message was signed by the Fedayeen Islam, which means suicide attackers for Islam, and was written in Pashtu. AIP, a Pakistan-based news agency, said the statement was issued by the groupâs eastern Afghanistan branch.
"Eastern Afghanistan" is also known as western Pakistan...
Pamphlets previously circulated around southern Pakistani-Afghan border areas, where remnants of Afghanistanâs ousted Taliban regime are believed to be regrouping and launching attacks, have purportedly been signed by Taliban commanders calling themselves Fedayeen Islam.
Same guys, different color turban...
A Taliban-signed pamphlet spread around the twin border towns of Spin Boldak and Chaman in June, in the wake of a suicide attack that killed four German peacekeepers, declared that Taliban fighters had formed suicide squads to kill Afghan officials.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/26/2003 00:33 ||
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German officials being mistaken for Afgham officials? They actually did something right for once.
Posted by: Charles ||
08/26/2003 7:37 Comments ||
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All these guys trying to commit suicide. We should cease sending food aid to these countries and send some Zoloft and Prosac instead. There must be some serious underlying metal health issues in the Pan-Islamic movement. There ought to be a 12 step program that can get these guys looking on the bright side.
Posted by: Steve D ||
08/26/2003 8:09 Comments ||
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Rat poison is cheaper and would get them where they wanna go. I see a win-win here.
#6
"Eastern Afghanistan" is also known as western Pakistan...
Kind of like Northern Kurdistan is also known as Turkey.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/26/2003 14:17 Comments ||
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Somewhat like that, except the Kurds are putting up more of a fight.
Posted by: Charles ||
08/26/2003 14:21 Comments ||
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when the hell are we going to treat the paks as an enemy and present them with a two front war! they will cease their activities in afganistan quickly if push the right buttons.
More on yesterday's activity...
Afghan troops backed by US-led forces killed up to 50 suspected Taliban on Monday in ground and air raids in southeastern Afghanistan, a local official said. âIn this operation 40 to 50 Taliban were killed and their bodies are still laying on the ground,â a spokesman for the Zabul provincial government, Ahmadullah Watan Dost, told AFP by satellite telephone. Some 1,000 Afghan soldiers supported by dozens of US-led coalition troops were on the first day of an anti-guerilla operation in Zabulâs Dai Chopan district, 300 kilometres southwest of Kabul. The operation was executed against suspected Taliban and Al Qaeda bases in Dai Chopanâs Dozi mountains. The bases were âsmashed to dustâ by coalition bombing, he said, adding that there were no reported Afghan or coalition casualties. âIn this operation coalition forces helped up with their close air support and they bombed the Taliban bases and smashed them to dust,â he said. Five suspected Taliban were also arrested.
"Smashed to dust." That has a good ring to it...
Meanwhile, about 600 mostly US troops, backed by helicopter gunships, have been searching house-to-house for the past four days in Paktika province and arrested more than 80 people, said Khan Sayed, spokesman for the provincial police chief. Mr Sayed said the operation was centred in Urgun district. Of the arrested suspects, those found to be innocent would be allowed to return home, while those believed guilty would be sent to Kabul, he said.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/26/2003 00:32 ||
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Well, the Taliban say they are fighting for the country. Now they are part of it, literally.
Posted by: Charles ||
08/26/2003 7:39 Comments ||
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Taliban Press Release: Mullah Abdul Jabar, appointed by the Taliban as governor of Zabul province, said four Taliban fighters were killed in the region Monday. He told Reuters by satellite telephone Monday night from an undisclosed location that more than 25 enemy and U.S. agents were killed in the fighting. Davis said there were no casualties among special forces troops. Jabar said the Taliban were still in control of Dai Chopan district. He said around 1,000 Taliban took part in the fighting, led by Mullah Abdul Razzaq Nafees, a member of a 10-member Taliban leadership shura, or council. He added that Taliban commander Mullah Dadullah also took part.
"I am the real governor of Zabul because Mullah Omar is the real ruler of Afghanistan," Jabar said, referring to the one-eyed supreme leader of the Taliban who has evaded U.S. capture.
Kind of like AlGore is the real president.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/26/2003 9:20 Comments ||
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Like many former Navy Surface Warfare Officers, I was concerned that the loss of the bombing ranges in Vieques would impair our readiness. Leave it to Taliban to provide us with a way to keep the skills of our pilots in top-notch condition.
Posted by: Steve D ||
08/26/2003 12:47 Comments ||
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And it's better practice too. Live targets are harder to hit.
Not by much though...
Posted by: Charles ||
08/26/2003 14:23 Comments ||
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EFL
The origin of the disputed 45-minute claim on Iraqi weapons came from a secret intelligence report dated August 30, the Hutton inquiry heard today. The claim that Iraq could deploy "chemical and biological munitions" within 45 minutes was made in a classified email issued by a member of the joint intelligence committee (JIC) - but with both sender and recipient blacked out for security reasons. Standard procedure to black those out, if the judge in charge has a clearance, he can see them in private to verify.
It was distributed to Downing Street and Whitehall staff six days later on September 5 as new drafts of the September 24 dossier were being prepared.
The email stated that "forward deployed storage sites of chemical and biological munitions could be with military units and ready for firing within 45 minutes". Sounds on a par with NATO response time, back in the day when we still fielded chemical weapons.
That revelation, presented on day nine of the inquiry by Sir John Scarlett, the chairman of the JIC, appears to blow out of the water the original suggestion by BBC reporter Andrew Gilligan that the claim was made up. Gilligan, by the way, has been removed from his reporting job by the BBC. The Skipper could not be reached for comment.
Mr Scarlett also denied that it was inserted at the behest of Number 10. Asked if he had sensed any "attitude of pressure" to include specific information in his drafting of the September dossier, Mr Scarlett replied: "That is not a fair analysis." Mr Scarlett also denied that there had been any worries from more junior intelligence officers over the contents of the dossier or No 10âs role in helping with the "presentational side" of it. Mr Scarlett said: "No worries of any kind were expressed to me at any stage about the propriety of this arrangement." He also took issue with the description of the 45-minute intelligence assessment coming from "a single source". Although admitting it came solely from a "senior Iraqi official", Mr Scarlett called this a "misunderstanding of the assessment process", because the information was cross-checked and put in context with other assessments.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/26/2003 9:53:46 AM ||
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Spanish Media Eye Recall Race With Different Lenses
LOS ANGELES â Coverage of the California recall election among Spanish language media would lead some voters to believe that not only are the Spanish networks speaking a different language, but that they are covering a different governorâs race.
When actor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced he was running to replace Democratic Gov. Gray Davis in the Oct. 7 recall election, it led virtually every newscast in the country â every newscast in English, that is.
Los Angelesâ top-rated Spanish-language station did not even mention Schwarzeneggerâs announcement until after its first commercial break.
"There were bigger news items for our community that day," said Jorge Mettey, KMEX-TV news director.
Yet when Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, the son of Mexican immigrants, announced his candidacy a day later, KMEX led with the story.
While English-language media focused on the recallâs carnival atmosphere and Schwarzeneggerâs star power, Spanish outlets began attacking Schwarzenegger for his support of Proposition 187, a 1994 initiative that would have prohibited government from providing benefits and services to illegal immigrants.
Bustamante vociferously campaigned against the measure. Voters passed the proposition by 59 percent, but it was blocked by the courts.
Spanish-language TV stations, of which there are five in southern California alone, also have reported extensively on Schwarzeneggerâs opposition to granting drivers licenses to illegal immigrants, and his choice of former Gov. Pete Wilson, an advocate of Prop 187, to be Schwarzeneggerâs campaign co-chair.
Spanish channels make no bones about the fact that they consider themselves community activists, and that they are willing to focus more on Bustamante, who they say is more interesting to their audience.
"We do, in a way, focus a little bit more on Latino candidates because we have to present to our readers what is the agenda and how do they relate to us," said Jose-Luis Sierra, La Opinion assistant managing editor.
Though Schwarzeneggerâs rags-to-riches story is one that immigrants have aspired to for generations, polls show the Austrian immigrant well behind Bustamante among Hispanic voters.
A Latino Opinions poll conducted shortly after both candidates announced showed that among the 315 Hispanic voters surveyed, 58 percent would support Bustamante compared to 24 percent for Schwarzenegger. Thirteen percent were undecided.
Some observers suggest the Spanish media are just being good stewards to their target audiences.
"They are being much more balanced about looking at Schwarzenegger as a celebrity, yes, who is popular, but who doesnât necessarily click with the broader set of issues that immigrants and working people care about," said Raul Hinojosa-Ojeda, a public policy professor at UCLA.
Spanish language news managers say they are not promoting anyoneâs candidacy, but admit to being more sympathetic to those who are pro-immigrant. And with 20 percent of Latino voters getting their information exclusively in Spanish, a little positive coverage can translate into big numbers at the polls.
I was just wondering if illegals had the right to vote yet in California.
Posted by: Anonymous ||
08/26/2003 11:41:27 AM ||
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#1
They just vote anyways. In my old home town Santa Ana it's as if every Latina is pregnant.
#4
If he has time, Dick Morris should teach Arnold about the art of triangulating on an issue. Arnold should have explained that the real issue was the spiraling cost of health care for undocumented immigrants. His policy should be to require all undocumented immigrants to obtain a full physical before coming to California to reside.
Posted by: Steve D ||
08/26/2003 15:02 Comments ||
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#5
So special-interest media covered the story slanted to its special interest? This is news?
I wasnât sure if this should be Home Front or Fifth Column, because it mentions Chomsky.
Some parents in Farmington, Mich., are crying "anti-Americanism" over a high school international affairs class.
The course is offered to juniors and seniors in the Farmington School District and focuses on Americaâs role in the Middle East. A fairly unbalanced view it appears.
But itâs not the topic thatâs angered some studentsâ parents. Itâs the class readings, many of which come from left-wing Web sites like Alternet.org, Indymedia.org, Progressive.org and War-times.org, that vigorously attack the Bush administration. Great! Public education just got easier. Let websites do the teaching.
This belief that we have to show that every concept out of that society can be understood and excused is really a problem across the country," said Farmington father Don Cohen. "We are bending over backwards and by doing so, weâre misrepresenting and misinforming our children and our society." Yep.
Farmington superintendent of schools, Robert Maxfield, defended the course, saying high school juniors and seniors should be critical thinkers and should be exposed to many points of view. Critical of only one part of the problem. Do they teach them to only look at one part of a math problem?
Pro-Bush materials, such as government Web sites like WhiteHouse.gov, were added to the classâ reading list â only after parents complained that the course was an exercise in political correctness. The extra sources help balance the courseâs curriculum and offer support to President Bushâs policies and Americaâs role in the Middle East. That says it all, doesnât it?
Still, the school board stopped short of removing author Noam Chomskyâs controversial book "9-11" â in which he writes about why he thinks the U.S. is a terrorist state â from the list of course materials. Weâll, thankfully they didnât cut Chomsky, it would have been one sided then.
"Thatâs the bias inbred into this curriculum," Cohen fumed.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
08/26/2003 9:15:39 AM ||
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the school board stopped short of removing author Noam Chomskyâs controversial book "9-11" â in which he writes about why he thinks the U.S. is a terrorist state â from the list of course materials.
Geez... and I thought having to read "Great Expectations" was bad.
#3
I hope that the attendees of these classes will recognize that they are being fed propaganda by the remnants of a dying ideology, or at least consider the viewpoints "uncool" since they "have" to read them (I never picked up wuthering heights again...)
That said...if anyone in MI wishes to register displeasure...I haven't found the email address yet, but.
Farmington Public Schools
Administration Building
(248) 489-3349
#4
.com - you're correct, and this board voted 4-3 to include this crap in the curriculum. I'd like to see a followup story at the next board elections - should be "spirited"?
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/26/2003 10:37 Comments ||
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Hey, how come Rantburg isn't on the list of assigned websites?
But here's an alternative deal: Teach gets to assign any reading he wants; but he has to invite one SEAL, Green Beret, fighter jock or 3ID guy (or girl) to spend a couple of hours with the class. I can't imagine too many kids in the class saying "Dude, that SEAL was a wuss. I want be like Chomsky when I grow up."
Show them a hero.
Posted by: Matt ||
08/26/2003 11:18 Comments ||
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#6
Farmington is a wealthy area, for the most part.
Private schools, and not necessarily parochial schools, are well within the means of many families there.
Apparently the super thinks he has too many students.
Posted by: Richard Aubrey ||
08/26/2003 11:32 Comments ||
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#7
"...saying high school juniors and seniors should be critical thinkers and should be exposed to many points of view."
I beg to differ. "Should be" doesn't hack it. He must teach them to be critical thinkers because many are not. I know from first-hand experience as a father of three. I suspect that the superintendent has not been close to high school students for quite some time, if ever.
Posted by: Tom ||
08/26/2003 12:35 Comments ||
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#8
This just has ACLU written all over it.
Posted by: Charles ||
08/26/2003 14:51 Comments ||
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A man cut off his wifeâs hands over a financial dispute at Cha Sultan in Waris Khan police precincts, said Progressive Woman Association Chairperson Shahnaz Bukhari at a press conference on Monday. She said Gul Mer Jan was a housemaid and her husband was a drug addict. Her husband compelled her to leave her job but there was no other source of income. âMer Jan told us that her husband cut off her hands with a sharp weapon,â Ms Bukhari said. She said Mer Jan was taken to hospital and her husband fled. She said the police detained the accused but did not register a case against him. The police tried to force Mer Jan and her family to reconcile but then registered a case when the association intervened.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/26/2003 01:08 ||
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So to speak...
Hundreds of tribesmen protested against the ban on displaying arms in Mir Ali Bazaar in North Waziristan on Monday. The protestors, belonging to Abba Khel, Hasan Khel, Shahmirman and Toori Khel tribes of Spin Wam, carried weapons in violation of the ban and marched through Mir Ali Bazaar. They danced and fired their Kalashinkovs in the air. Most of the protestors were carrying light machine guns. The protestors blocked the Bannu-Miranshah Road but later departed peacefully.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/26/2003 01:06 ||
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That was after they realized that bullets are affected by the laws of gravity.
Posted by: Charles ||
08/26/2003 7:55 Comments ||
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Pakistani authorities released a former Afghan commander, loyal to Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, after exonerating him of terrorist connections. Haji Jamil was released on Sunday in Peshawar said an intelligence official. âWe interrogated him. He was not involved in any terrorist activities, so we let him go,â the official said, giving no further details.
"Awright, Jamil! What kinda terrorist activity you involved in?"
"Why, none, awficer!"
"Hokay. You can go."
Jamil was detained on August 7 in Miranshah, 270 kilometres southwest of Peshawar. Jamil was picked up because of his ties to Hekmatyar, who is currently living in hiding. During the 1990s Jamil was a representative of Hekmatyarâs Hezb-e-Islami group.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/26/2003 00:49 ||
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Never a sniper around when you need him.
Posted by: Charles ||
08/26/2003 7:56 Comments ||
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#2
Pakistan is part of the problem, not part of the solution. I can hardly wait for GWB's second term.
Posted by: Tom ||
08/26/2003 14:23 Comments ||
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A 574-page report of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) unveiled in court on Monday said that excavations at the site of the destroyed Babri mosque in Ayodhya had found features of a 10th century structure that resemble a temple. Buoyed by the report, Hindu organisations asked for a quick judicial verdict. Muslim groups rejected the report, saying it was âconcocted, vague, contradictory and aimed at reaping a political harvestâ. However, the ASI report does not specifically call the construction a temple.
It just walks like a duck. It quacks sometimes. It has webbed feet. Could be something else. Good Muslims will reject it.
The report said there was âarchaeological evidence of a massive structure just below the disputed structure (Babri mosque) and evidence of continuity in structural activities from the 10th century onwards up to the construction of the disputed structureâ. Among the excavation yields it mentioned were stone and decorated bricks as well as a mutilated sculpture of a divine couple; 50 pillar bases with carvings including foliage patterns, amalaka, kapotapali; a doorjamb with a semi-circular shrine pilaster; a broken octagonal shaft of black schist pillar and lotus motifs; and a circular shrine with a waterchute. These features were âindicative of remains which are distinctive features found associated with the temples of the north,â said the report.
Uhuh. Probably a bath house or a beer joint or something...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/26/2003 00:49 ||
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#1
P.S. Jihad is now transalated to " dead muslim. "
We can work with this. A Rantburg dictionary?
Jihad -- a dead Muslim radical
Fatwa -- a greeting from the "Religion of Peace"
martyr -- teenage rebel, Arab-style
Urat -- a Murat before it takes its morning meds
Turk, Urat variety -- skitzo, EU wannabe / Arab wannabe
#3
Yeah, yeah. Evidence of the last time the RoP went through that area. What's the point? Thay gonna remove the mosque and rebuild the temple? I bet not...
#4
Mojo, that's the point: Hindus believe the site to be the birthplace of their supreme god, Rama, and in 1992 a frenzied mob of Hindu worshippers tore down the famous Babri Mosque that was built there in 1528 after an Islamic invasion. The destruction of the 400-year-old mosque was followed immediately by Muslim-Hindu riots that killed more than 2,000 people. Hundreds more have died over the past decade in clashes linked to the Ayodhya dispute, with Muslims determined to rebuild their mosque and Hindus insistent that ancient ruins of a temple to Rama lie just below ground. The release of the Indian government's final archeological report on Ayodhya -- just hours before yesterday's bombing -- was favourable to Hindu claims and is widely believed to have been the trigger for the attack, which Indian police have blamed on Muslim extremists.
The Hindu's want to rebuild their temple and the Muslims want to rebuild the mosque which was torn down in 1992. Think rivers of blood.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/26/2003 11:55 Comments ||
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#5
Does this place have any connection to the prophet, like did he slay Rama?
#6
This could possibly work to the advantage of the United States. The coming altercation between muslim Pakistan and Hindu India could possible tie up tens of thousands of radical jihadinuts, keeping them from interfering in Afghanistan.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/26/2003 12:52 Comments ||
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#7
Old Patriot, that's superb thinking! Let's contribute towards rebuilding the temple.
Posted by: Tom ||
08/26/2003 14:30 Comments ||
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#8
Sadly, OP, I think there's such a surplus of jihadinuts that they won't even notice. The madrassas appear to live by the motto of "kill all you want -- we'll just make more!"
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
08/26/2003 14:32 Comments ||
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#9
The coming altercation between muslim Pakistan and Hindu India could possible tie up tens of thousands of radical jihadinuts
Only for the ten minutes or so it takes the nuke tipped missiles to go from Point A to Point B. Then India loses a small percentage of it's overpopulation and Pakistan becomes a parking lot.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/26/2003 15:03 Comments ||
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#10
Maybe the Muslims and and Hindus can set up a joint venture and build a common temple, like a zero-lotline model, or maybe a timeshare.
*alarm beeps*
Oops, gotta run and take my meds....
See ya later.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
08/26/2003 17:07 Comments ||
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#11
Sort of like the Taco Bell and Kentucky Fried Chicken in the same restaraunt deal.
Two car bombs killed up to 65 people in the heart of Indiaâs financial capital on Monday, one ripping through a congested bullion market and a second exploding near a popular tourist attraction. Around 150 people were wounded in the coordinated bomb attacks, which killed 42 people at the crowded Zaveri bazaar near Mumbai Devi temple, and a reported 23 at the historic Gateway of India, near the office of the Atomic Energy Department.
Hafiz Saeed must be chuckling and rubbing his hands...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/26/2003 00:33 ||
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Gateway of India, eh?
Wonder if there's a Dell of India. Or an Hewlett-Packard...
Posted by: Ed Becerra ||
08/26/2003 1:28 Comments ||
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ergo the Gateway cow symbol
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/26/2003 11:21 Comments ||
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Sad that Fox News has been calling Mumbai Bombay for the last couple of days. You would think they could purchase a new Atlas. It's been Mumbai for more than a few years now.
#4
They call München Munich, too, and this city hasn't changed its name in about 800 years or so. You don't hear any complaints from Milano, Roma, Athinai, Praha, Warszawa or Moskva either.
#5
Leningrad is called St. Petersburg because it changed is name back to the original - St. Petersburg. During glorious days of Soviet Union a lot of old places were renamed - to commemorate criminals of the Soviet State and obliterate the past.
I will be damned if I call Bombay Mumbai. Every nation has their own names for other nation's places and towns. You know of Auschwitz and Birkenau, but for inhabitants of the existing towns they were always Oswiecim and Treblinka. This is another example of PC run amok. TGA is right.
A popular Iraqi Sunni leader dismissed a press report claiming his grass-roots and financial support to an anti-American Shiite scholar in a rare cooperation across Iraqâs sectarian divide. âIt is ludicrous â and even outlandish â to talk about any of such a cooperation with Moqtada Al-Sadr,â Ahmed Kubeisi told IslamOnline.net of the Washington Post report published last week. Kubeisi, a prominent scholar from a major clan in western Iraq, decried that Arab newspapers published the report and âwere dragged on to these lies which could by no means be believableâ. The report claimed that ties mark one of the first signs of coordination between anti-occupation elements of the Sunni minority, the traditional rulers of the country, and its Shiite majority, seen by U.S. officials as the key to stability in post-invasion Iraq.
Moqtada represents the nutbag-bully boy wing of the Shiites...
Kubeisi also rejected the reportâs claim that the extent of his cooperation with Sadr, the 22 30-year-old son of a revered Shiite ayatollah assassinated in 1999, represents a âconvergence of interests between the two figures who were left out of the Iraqi Governing Councilâ named by the U.S. last month. âI had refused to join the council, as I could not represent the Iraqi people through it, and left space for those who couldâ. But he took aims at the 25-member body for being a forum âexhibiting the viewpoint of the United Statesâ, and cited as ridiculous statements issued by the council thanking the United States for occupation â a situation Kubeisi said the first of its kind in the world.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/26/2003 12:40 ||
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I meant Sadr, but if this guy's supporting then dig him a hole too
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/26/2003 19:15 Comments ||
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An Islamist Internet site issued a statement Monday by a group close to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network which claimed to have carried out a devastating truck bomb attack on the UN headquarters in Baghdad. In the statement, which could not be authenticated, the Brigades of Martyr Abu Hafs al-Masri wrote: "The attack in Iraq was a lesson for the United States," calling the United Nations "a branch of the US State Department."
Gay Paree is a suburb of Washington, too...
"This holy operation killed a number of criminals ... including Sergio Vieira de Mello," the UN's top envoy in Iraq, one of the 23 people killed in the blast, said the text published on the website www.faroq.net/news. The truck bomb targeted the Canal Hotel, which housed the UN offices, and was, according to the statement: "the main centre used to make the Iraqi people hungry, with the participation of murderer Saddam (Hussein) since 1990," when the UN imposed sanctions on Iraq after its invasion of Kuwait. The sanctions were lifted in May following the fall of Saddam's regime. The text violently attacked Vieira de Mello, saying the slain UN envoy was a "friend of criminal (US President George W.) Bush."
"They hung around together! We have witnesses!"
In the name of Jihad, the statement said that "next winter will be full of (acts) of vengeance against the enemies of Islam." The statement was dated Aug 19, the day of the attack. The Brigades of Martyr Abu Hafs al-Masri takes its name from Mohammed Atef, a top al-Qaeda member who was killed in the US-led military campaign on Afghanistan in 2001. The statement's authenticity could not be verified. On Thursday, an Arabic television channel reported a previously unknown Iraqi group had claimed responsibility for the attack. Written in heavily symbolic and oblique language, the latest statement was signed by Brigades of Abu Hafs al-Masri and followed by the words al-Qaeda in parentheses. It referred to a previous warning issued on Aug 15 in which it said it would "exhaust and confuse" America and its "henchmen." "We meant that we would carry out such a lethal and surprising attack that the enemy will not know where, when and how we will strike," the statement said.
"'Cuz we're creatures of the night!"
"The double standard policies of the United Nations are against Arabs and Muslims. This issue does not need to be proved. It is clear like the light of the sun at midday," the statement said. Diaa Rashwan, an expert on Islamic militant groups at the Cairo-based al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, said al-Qaeda had been using Internet discussion boards to distribute statements for about six months. "The language and reference are in line with other al-Qaeda statements," he said.
I actually tend to believe them. The day after the attack, Mullah Omar issued a statement attacking the presence of NGOs â and the Bad Guys had previously expressed the opinion that the UN is a tool of the Merkins and hit at their operations. The Afghan delegation (such as it was) to the UN while the Talibs were in power was from the Northern Alliance. The Baathists might have kinda-sorta motives for a hit on the UN, but they've more reason to pretend to be a legit resistance movement with the (forelorn) hope of eventually taking control of Iraq's UN seat again. It's much more the style of al-Qaeda, its wholly-owned subsidiaries and its allied contractors.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/26/2003 12:08 ||
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Not to mention the East Timor motivation.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
08/26/2003 13:01 Comments ||
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Bomb another UN building, see if we care. You're only digging your own grave.
Posted by: Charles ||
08/26/2003 14:36 Comments ||
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"The attack in Iraq was a lesson for the United States, [he said] calling the United Nations "a branch of the US State Department."
Odd. I thought the State Department was a branch of the U.N.
Posted by: Alan Sullivan ||
08/26/2003 17:53 Comments ||
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The BBC is reporting a unanimous security council resolution that will make killing aid workers a war crime and provide better protection to aid workers.
The Geneva Convention already made killing aid workers a war crime, but I don't expect that UBL plans to sign the Geneva Convention in the near future.
I hope that the resolution will call for aid workers not to refuse security offers, but it will probably just blame America in some fashion. Maybe the resolution will be printed on a roll of Charmin so that it will be of some use.
Posted by: Steve D ||
08/26/2003 21:22 Comments ||
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US Marines handed over control of the central Iraqi city of Karbala to Bulgarian troops in a ceremony Tuesday that the American military governor said offered promise for the future of democracy in Iraq. Outgoing military governor Colonel Matthew Lopes of the 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, passed command over the holy Shiite Muslim city to his Bulgarian counterpart, Colonel Petko Marinov. Some 250 Bulgarian troops will join a multinational task force of US and Polish troops in patrolling the city, 80 kilometres (50 miles) south of Baghdad, which has largely avoided the unrest afflicting the capital and other towns since the fall of Saddam Hussein.
In a two-hour ceremony watched by a dozen troops from each of the three brigades in the city, as well as a handful of local police, Lopes said the handover was very symbolic. "Poland and Bulgaria are two countries that have transformed themselves from dictatorships under the communists to democracies," he said during the ceremony held in the city mayorâs red-carpeted office.
"Both of these countries bring a lot of hope to Iraq."
The Bulgarians will be under the command of the Polish army, which will take control on September 3 of one of the four administrative regions into which the US-led occupying force has divided Iraq. The area under command of the Polish-led multinational force, which will number more than 9,000, stretches just south of Baghdad to the British-run zone around the southern port of Basra. At the handover ceremony in Karbalaâs heavily barricaded city hall, Lopes was visibly moved by the thanks heaped upon him and his men by Mayor Akram al-Yassri. "The people of Karbala, for their people and for their religion, have earned their place in heaven," said Lopes, after receiving gifts of Islamic religious items, including a prayer mat depicting the nearby Mosque of Imam Hussein and Imam Abad and a ritual sword. "I am honoured to have helped Karbala on the road to democracy," Lopes said.
Yassri thanked coalition forces for having begun the "big job" of rebuilding his shattered city. "The coalition forces, with the help of local people and the city council, gave back vital services to the people of Karbala," he said.
"We will continue to work and cooperate as long as the coalitionâs aims are humanitarian and their goals are to help the Iraqi people." Under their control, and that of supporting US Army reservists, the marines claim Karbala was one of the first regions to have a university reopened, a local water system in working order and an established local police force.
Marinov, who has been in the city for two weeks and whose men have been patrolling with their US counterparts over the past month, said he relished picking up from where his predecessors left off. "This is a very important moment for the Bulgarian contingent and for the people of Karbala," said Marinov, who takes over the role of military governor of the city. "We will continue to work with the Iraqi people, who we have found are honest and very friendly, as democracy emerges in Iraq." The commander of Bulgarian troops in Iraq — which number almost 500 with detachments also based in Babil and Baghdad — Colonel Panayot Panayotov said his men faced many challenges in Iraq. "The biggest challenge is making our contribution towards improving security here," Panayotov said after the ceremony. "We not only have to protect the Iraqi people and our people, but also to make our contribution towards democracy in this country." Any one see this covered on CNN yet? Should we hold our breath ?
Posted by: Domingo ||
08/26/2003 9:36:59 AM ||
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There was a long article in the WSJ last week that raised concerns about this hand off. Basically the US commander was briefing the Bulgarian commander about all the things he had to watch -- political positioning among members of the city council, power grab by the sports minister, etc. "Who is going to run the police academy?" asked the Bulgarian. "Well, you are," said the American. The Bulgarian refused and said they were only going to do security and couldn't take part in all these other tasks the Americans were doing to stabilize the town. I am worried about these handoffs.
#3
Am I the only one made nervous by the idea of Orthodox Slavs being put in charge of an Islamic holy city like Karbala? Oh, well. At least it isn't Serbs.
And Karbala had been so quiet...
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
08/26/2003 12:04 Comments ||
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"Am I the only one made nervous by the idea of Orthodox Slavs being put in charge of an Islamic holy city like Karbala? "
Hundreds of U.S. soldiers raided a northern Iraqi town on Tuesday in a bid to smash a crime ring wanted for murder, gunrunning and a terrorist attack on a police station that killed an American soldier earlier this month. Backed by tanks, helicopters and Bradley fighting vehicles, the soldiers stormed Khalis, 42 miles north of Baghdad, hunting for the gangâs notorious leader, Lateef Hamed al Kubaishat - known as Lateef by U.S. forces, said Col. David Hogg, commander of the 4th Infantry Divisionâs 2nd Brigade. The raid, codenamed "Operation Jimmy Hoffa," netted at least 24 members of the "terrorist organization" but Lateef appeared to have eluded capture, Hogg said. They still havenât found Jimmy Hoffa either, maybe you should have picked a better name.
"Their primary focus is probably criminal activity, but they have attacked coalition forces through direct and indirect means," Hogg told The Associated Press. "As long as he (Lateef) is in place we will not be able to establish the conditions for the Iraqi police to establish law and order in the area." Iraqi informants dressed in U.S. Army camouflage uniforms, their faces covered in black balaclavas and their eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses, sat in the back of Humvees helping soldiers identify members of Lateefâs gang. U.S. soldiers with plastic zip-ties - used to handcuff detainees - hanging from their flak jackets combed scores of flat-roofed houses while curious residents watched from the dusty streets. Men and women were ordered to sit against walls as soldiers filtered through their homes looking for weapons and gang members.
"Honey! It's the American army! They want to comb through the house!"
"Oh, damn! Mahmoud, try to stall them! I haven't dusted in weeks!"
Lateefâs gang had claimed responsibility for a bomb that exploded outside the police headquarters in nearby Baqouba on Aug. 10, killing one U.S. military policeman. Lateef is also accused of selling weapons, burning down the Baqouba courthouse to destroy criminal records and murdering a prostitute whom he accused of providing services to U.S. troops in the area. Now thatâs going too far!
Lateef was imprisoned and serving multiple life sentences for murder until Saddam Hussein granted amnesty to all prisoners in October as the United States ratcheted up its case for invading Iraq, according to U.S. intelligence officers. Thatâs one reason for all the crime in Iraq, Sammy let all the thugs out of jail.
U.S. Army officers in the area have said they are being attacked by Baath Party loyalists, Fedayeen Saddam militia fighters and criminal gangs who simply want the region to remain unstable so they can carryout their activities unhindered. "This operation will go a long way to show the Iraqi population that we are doing this for them. Itâs part of our mission to provide a safe and secure environment so they can continue to build government structures and security structures," Hogg said. Untill we get the Iraqi police up and running, this is a job weâll have to do. Making a public show of bagging these thugs is good PR.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/26/2003 9:11:31 AM ||
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Iraqi informants dressed in U.S. Army camouflage uniforms, their faces covered in black balaclavas and their eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses, sat in the back of Humvees helping soldiers identify members of Lateefâs gang.
Approvers -- straight out of Sleeman's anti-Thug playbook. He sent approvers (informants) out with troops to make sure the troops picked up the right people.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
08/26/2003 10:21 Comments ||
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Indonesian police will question terror suspect Mohamad Iqbal A Rahman who was recently released from prison in Malaysia about his possible links to terrorism, Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda said today. Mohamad Iqbal, an Indonesian with permanent residency in Malaysia, was released on Friday after his two-year detention order under that countryâs Internal Security Act expired. He is now awaiting deportation.
"We have an interest in finding out whether (Iqbal) has any links with terrorist attacks in Indonesia," Wirayuda told reporters. "Ahmad, we are expecting a important guest. Break out the good truncheons."
Posted by: Steve ||
08/26/2003 10:07:19 AM ||
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The head of the United Nationsâ nuclear watchdog called on the United States Tuesday to set an example to the rest of the world by cutting its nuclear arsenal and halting research programs. "The U.S. government demands that other nations not possess nuclear weapons. Meanwhile, it is arming itself," Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told Germanyâs Stern weekly. Donât you have some pressing business in Iran, Mohamed?
Criticizing President Bushâs plan for a national missile defense shield, he said: "Then a small number of privileged countries will be under a nuclear protective shield, with the rest of the world outside." Bwahahahaha!
"In truth there are no good or bad nuclear weapons. If we do not stop applying double standards we will end up with more nuclear weapons. We are at a turning point," ElBaradei told Stern in the interview released ahead of publication.
The IAEA director, who has overseen failed inspections of nuclear sites in Iraq, North Korea and Iran over the past year for half a decade said the worldâs five original nuclear powers -- the United States, Russia, Britain, France and China -- should send a clear message to the world that they were disarming. "Otherwise, we must live with the consequences. At the moment we are, at best acting, like the fire brigade. Today Iraq, tomorrow North Korea, the day after Iran. And then?" ElBaradei said. Well, since you oversaw the inspections that were supposed to keep those countries from getting nukes, I guess youâll be looking for work.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/26/2003 4:33:16 PM ||
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Yes, Mo, we will just unilitarally disarm and rely on the good faith of Iran and North Korea to not arm and/or sell nuclear weapons and components to others. And by the way, why don't you take a trip to Moscow and Bejiing and see if you can sell your hairbrained scheme to them, too. After you get the memoranda of understanding from them, we will have a global lovefest, buy the world a Coke or Mecca Cola, and sing Kumbaya, old sport.
Jeeze Louise!
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
08/26/2003 16:41 Comments ||
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Criticizing President Bushâs plan for a national missile defense shield, he said: "Then a small number of privileged countries will be under a nuclear protective shield, with the rest of the world outside."
Tough.
The IAEA director, who has overseen failed inspections of nuclear sites in Iraq, North Korea and Iran over the past year for half a decade said the worldâs five original nuclear powers -- the United States, Russia, Britain, France and China -- should send a clear message to the world that they were disarming.
So just HOW does this induce others not to seek nuclear capability? There is no guarantee whatsoever that the Kim Jong Ils, Saddam Husseins, or the Hashemi Rafsanjanis of the world would be content to walk away from their nuclear aspirations simply because the 800 lb. nuclear gorillas decided to dismantle their atomic arsenals. El Baradei seems to think that these rogue types can be trusted to do the right thing, when there has been plenty of reason to believe otherwise.
#3
How freaking typical. Yes, just focus on the United States and nevermind that dozens of rogue nations would continue to pursue nuclear ability REGARDLESS of what the U.S. does.
How do these freaking losers ever get a paying job with mushy thinking like that???
#4
Why won't we disarm? Because we're the good guys. And we don't trust the bad guys not to pursue secret programs after we have disarmed. We've also had bad experiences with disarmament in the past, first after WWI, then after WWII, and finally, after Vietnam. It is that simple.
#6
Were any of you really surprised by the failure of anything that was spawned by the u.n. Mr. El Baradei probably couldn't find real work so he became a u.n. duplomat. Just another reason why we should tell the whole organization to pack up and leave town. Turn the building into low-income housing (kind of what it is now).
#7
Typical communist propaganda. It is long a goal of the left here and abroad ( very little distinction, were you to ask me) to disarm the United States. Baradai is just repeating the same tired Soviet line popular when Leonid and Konstantin was running the show.
#8
I know just what Mo, Blix, and the rest of the UN really needs. A nice cool jug of Jim Jones Juice.
Posted by: Paul ||
08/26/2003 18:10 Comments ||
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The only people in the UN with real jobs are the poor unfortunate secrataries you have to do all the paperwork, the translators( of course just how do you say blah blah blah in Swahili? )and the janitors who have to shovel all the horseshit.
Posted by: Someone who did NOT vote for William Proxmire ||
08/26/2003 20:14 Comments ||
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"Then a small number of privileged countries will be under a nuclear protective shield, with the rest of the world outside."
And your point is?
Posted by: Matt ||
08/26/2003 20:55 Comments ||
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This is a proposal that should be considered.
First, we are totally superior in personnel and weapons to any foe.
Second, it is difficult to imagine first or second use of nuclear weapons by POTUS other than in response to a multi-target attack by an organized potitical entity, also an unlikely event.
Third, the amount of money spent to keep our nuclear arsenal operational is enormous. That money would make the country much more secure if spent on conventional systems instead.
We could agree to disarm ourselves subject to UN inspection if every other country did the same and the condition that if any country renegged on the agreement, we would consider it an act of war to which we could respond in any way, including the development of a new nuclear arsenal.
Have at it.
Posted by: Mr. Davis ||
08/26/2003 21:16 Comments ||
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Mr. Davis - that nuke capability, and the uncertainty when it would be used - is what keeps Taiwan democratic...small price to pay (for the Taiwanese, not you) - you seem willing to let others pay the price for your moral superiority on weapons...got any buddies in North Korea? Didn't think so...ssoooo STFU
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/26/2003 21:27 Comments ||
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#13
If Baradei wasn't such an abject failure in his line of work, I'd say he was working for the US government. Think about it: the more these sorry asses rave against anything with an American label on it, the more I think America should stay the course. Baradei's comments actually work against his cause. Sucker.
#14
How do these freaking losers ever get a paying job with mushy thinking like that???
They hate the United States. No other qualifications are required. Certainly, intelligent thought, weighing of pros and cons, and gaming the effectiveness (and potential disasters) of decisions are not only not necessary, they are actively frowned upon.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/26/2003 21:36 Comments ||
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Excellent response, Frank G. My experience has been that attacking liberals by questioning their qualifications to be "moral superior", or comparing their moral principles to religious ones, gets the best results.
#16
In truth there are no good or bad nuclear weapons.
Yes there are. Some (let's call them The Good) are owned by countries with strong chains of command and control over them, hopefully preventing their use by some random whacko. Some (The Ugly?) are owned by countries that use them as a last-ditch defense against psychoticly agressive neighbors.
And some are reputedly owned by countries that, for all intents and purposes, *are* random whackos. I'd call that "Bad", myself.
Do you really believe the only way to keep Taiwan democratic is with Nukes? What about enhancing its defence with four times the current number of Patriot batteries, an additional Carrier Battle Group and a new fleet of short range attack subs, all of which could be afforded with the money saved by ditching nukes.
Also, don't forget the Chinese had to de-nuke also under my proposal. How will they threaten Taiwan with conventional weapons? Theirs aren't good enough for anything other than domestic repression and they won't catch up for at least 50 years.
I have no moral position on weapons, only economic. Nukes are now a bad buy because they won't be used and there are no credible threats for them to deter that can't be more cheaply detered with conventional weapons.
Mr. Patriot,
I am not a liberal and I resent your implication that I am. I am a skin flint conservative who doesn't like the government throwing money down ratholes.
Posted by: Mr. Davis ||
08/27/2003 12:16 Comments ||
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Hadnât seen this before:
Libya paid a ransom of five million euros "on its own initiative" to the abductors of 14 European hostages who were released this week after being held for months in the Sahara desert, diplomats said here Thursday. The money passed "neither through Malian nor German hands," the diplomat told AFP on condition of anonymity after the freed hostages returned home safely Wednesday in Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
Another diplomat, who also requested anonymity, confirmed the assertion. The money, the equivalent of 5.5 million dollars, was paid to the abductorsâ leader through an intermediary chosen by Tripoli, the diplomats said, without naming the go-between or stating where or when the transaction took place. Most likely had their phone number on his speed dial.
Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi, looking for "international respectability," probably made the gesture to "settle scores," the second diplomat said. A son of the Libyan leader, Saif al-Islam Khadafi, was quoted Tuesday in the German daily Der Tagesspiegel, as saying that Libya was intervening in the crisis through the Kadhafi Foundation, which he heads.
A spokesman for the Kadhafi Foundationâs office in Berlin told AFP on Tuesday that it had set up a five-strong team in the southwest Libyan town of Ghat on the border with Algeria. Handy, itâs right next door.
He said they made contact with the kidnappers, believed to be the Algerian extremist Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC), and during an August 7 meeting were given a "demand" to pass on to the governments of Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland. In a statement in Berlin, the Kadhafi Foundation said its mediators accompanied German agents to the "final, decisive" talks with the kidnappers. "Our foundation colleagues were able to significantly reduce the ransom and overcome disagreements about its handover," the statement added. Just like they were old friends.
Gert Weisskirchen, a foreign policy spokesman for Chancellor Gerhard Schroederâs ruling Social Democrats, indicated Libya had helped, telling German radio: "Libya is trying to return as a player in the international community." If one had a evil, sneaky mind, one might believe that this whole kidnapping was stage managed from the start.
Last week Libya formally accepted responsibility for the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am jet over the Scottish town of Lockerbie and offered to pay 2.7 billion dollars as compensation to relatives of the 270 people who died. Britain has now put forward a resolution to the UN Security Council calling for the lifting of sanctions against Libya. Hummm...
Posted by: Steve ||
08/26/2003 4:13:11 PM ||
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Outta one pocket and into the other...
Even if legit, Kadaffy is still a loonie tune, a murderer, and someone who could flip yet another page at any time. So he's playng nice lately with the oil money he loots from his dictatorship. That's respectable? Pfeh. He can't buy his way back into respectability just because the Europeans are too broke, weak, (fill in the blank), whatever to deal with a bunch of insane Izzoid Bedu wannabees skulking about in the desert. Another gaggle of dipshit moron tourists fucking with the bull, again, then everyone is so surprised when they get a bit of the horn. Holidays in the Axil of Evil, indeed. Squirrels.
To prove he's repectable, he should be given a gun, one bullet, and 30 minutes to say his RamaLamaDingDongs⢠- or be shot in the head as the rabid dog his whole life attests to.
Then we'll see if Jr is for real by what he does for, say, 20-30 yrs. We'll let you know, don't wait up, sonny.
#2
That's not particularly pragmatic, PD. I'm as much as you are in trying to reclaim Wheelus AFB, but there are different tactics that can be used. Lifting sanctions will hurt Saudi that much more and therefore should be used.
Tangentially, didn't he also intervene in some Phillipeans terror issue last year?
Posted by: Brian ||
08/26/2003 18:28 Comments ||
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That musta got France's panties in a bunch (heh heh) - ON TOP OF their bitching and moaning that they didn't get as much blood money from Libya as the Lockerbie deal, this's gotta really grate....
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/26/2003 18:40 Comments ||
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Yea, he paid ransom to Abu Sayyaf.
Ghaddafi is taking steps to make himself a low-priority target. As long as he is pursuing a course of lowering his profile below our attention threshold, I'm ok with him being alive and even remaining in power.
We can't accept him somehow becoming "indispensable". That's what the Soddis tried for, and it just doesn't work for us. "Irrelevant" is a completely different matter.
#5
Dishman is right. G'Daffy⢠is laying low because he sees what AOE roosters get when they crow too loud. We can deal with him, but we do not have to have a love fest with him, and he will NEVER gain respectability by trying to buy his way in. He is a life-long tyrant, but a useful idiot, and we should keep contacts with him, as they may serve our ends someday. Just do not eneable him, like the Soddis.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
08/26/2003 19:08 Comments ||
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#6
The thing that really galls me about the whole situation is that Libya paid over $5 million to a terrorist organization, which can use the money to kill/capture even more Euro-weenies and other non-muslims, and we're supposed to be happy about it. Never, never, NEVER pay a ransom - it only encourages 'em to hold even MORE hostages and stage even more kidnappings. Hunt the sh$$heads down, strip 'em bare, and stake 'em face up to the highest sand dune in the area, using lightning rods and chains. Either the heat, the wind, or the lightning will get 'em, and it may take a long, painful time about it.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/26/2003 21:25 Comments ||
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#7
I read on a German blog that the Germans want the kidnap victims to reimburse the state.
The bioterrorism expert under scrutiny in the 2001 anthrax attacks filed a lawsuit Tuesday accusing Attorney General John Ashcroft and other government officials of trampling his constitutional rights and using him as a scapegoat for their failure to make an arrest in the case. Dr. Steven J. Hatfill claims that, by labeling him a "person of interest" in the case, Ashcroft and other federal authorities have destroyed his reputation and ruined his job prospects. Does the Atlanta Olympic bombing case come to mind?
"Mr. Ashcroft acted to protect both his departmentâs and his own political future and public image at the expense of Dr. Hatfillâs constitutional rights," said the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court. Iâd say this ball is more in the FBIâs court than Ashcroft, but this will get his attention.
The lawsuit also said Hatfill is under constant surveillance, leaving him unable to freely talk to his girlfriend, family or friends. Hatfill is seeking unspecified damages from Ashcroft, the Justice Department, the FBI and other current and former FBI and Justice Department officials. Including J.Edgar Hoover.
The FBI had no immediate comment. The Washington FBI office is leading the probe of the October 2001 attacks in which anthrax-laced envelopes were sent to government and media offices. Five people died and 17 others sickened. Hatfill has denied any involvement. Law enforcement officials have said he is not a suspect and that no evidence links him to the letters. But he is the only publicly disclosed person of interest in the case. Well, he is a single white male.
Since June 2001, investigators have searched Hatfillâs Frederick apartment multiple times, as well as a storage unit in Florida and his girlfriendâs resident. Nothing linking him to the attacks has been found. Not even in that Maryland pond.
Last May, Hatfill was struck by a vehicle being driven by an FBI employee who was tailing him in Washingtonâs Georgetown neighborhood. Hatfill was not seriously injured. In addition, Hatfill claimed his conversations are monitored. The surveillance is a violation of Hatfillâs privacy rights, according to the lawsuit, which also claims federal officials intentionally leaked false and misleading information about Hatfill to the media. This could be fun, stay tuned.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/26/2003 3:17:09 PM ||
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Sad to say though, that the FBI/Justice Dept. pinheads who seem (willing to wait for more evidence...) to have rushed to finger Hatfill will be getting no reprimands, no firings, no loss of pensions, and no fiscal penalty when he wins his suit. We, the taxpayers will. There has to be accountability along with the responsibility, and don't give me the: "we won't get the qualified candidates without the protection". I'm an engineer for a major city, doing bridges and freeways, and if I FU, my ass could be out the door - no civil service protection for negligence and incompetence
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/26/2003 18:57 Comments ||
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Hatfill should consider himself lucky. So far, the FBI has just harassed him and run over his foot. I mean, it's not like they shot his dog, his son and his wife. Or burned his compound and killed his followers.
#3
Sad to say though, that the FBI/Justice Dept. pinheads who seem (willing to wait for more evidence...) to have rushed to finger Hatfill will be getting no reprimands, no firings, no loss of pensions, and no fiscal penalty when he wins his suit.
Are you kidding? The moronic person who came up with the brainstorm of 'Visa Express' which allowed a bunch of the 9/11 terrorists in without even an interview got a big fat bonus a while back.
Of course these pinheads will not be held accountable. Welcome to Civil Service.
A Comoran suspected to be the leader of a terrorist cell in Kenya has been named as Fazul Abdullah Mohamed. He is also known as Harun Fazul or Abdulkarim, and tops the list of the most wanted terrorists in the country.
The list has nine Kenyans named yesterday by police as Fahid Mohamed Ally alias Abu Usama al-Kini, Ahmed Salim Swedan alias Abu Yayha al-Kini, Mohamed Karama Salim, Harun Abdisheikh Bamusa and Mohammed Swaleh Saliman. Others are Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan, Issa Osman Issa, Fumo Mohamed Fumo and Salim Samir Baamer. The above list will also cause your spellchecker to vomit.
Reports from the National Security Intelligence Service and the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit indicate that Mohammed was believed to be the new local leader of the Osama bin Ladenâs Al Qaeda terrorist network. He assumed the leadership of the cell after Wadi el-Hage was arrested and deported to the US for the role he played in the 1998 bomb attack on the US embassy in Nairobi, which left 213 people dead and 5,000 injured. He reportedly rented a house in Runda Estate where the bomb used to attack the embassy was assembled, and left for Afghanistan after overseeing the attack. Intelligence reports indicate the Comoran left Afghanistan sometime in 2001, sneaked back into Kenya the following year and set up base in Lamu under a pseudonym, Abdulkarim. Another graduate of the Afghan School of Mines and RPGs.
And to entrench himself in the community, he married Miss Amina Kubwa, 14, a few months before last yearâs terror raid on the Israeli-owned Paradise Hotel in Mombasa and the abortive missile attack aimed at an Israeli jet at the Moi International Airport, Mombasa. Miss Amina Kubwa, 14: I see he likes older women.
He then went underground after the attack and his whereabouts are unknown. Kenyan security agents believe he might be holed up in the country plotting another attack with the help of Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan, who is hiding in Mogadishu. Sustained intelligence reports over the past three months has established that there was frequent communication between Nabhan and his associates in Kenya. It was based on this information that five terrorist suspects were recently arrested. One was seized after detectives intercepted e-mail communication between him and Nabhan. They arrested someone? Was this before or after one of their suspects boomed himself and a cop while his buddy slipped out the back door of the police station?
It is believed that planning for a new terrorist atrocity in Kenya by the group had reached an advanced stage before the gang was scattered after the Mombasa raid. Police seized an arms cache that included five shoulder-launched missiles, a hand grenade and ammunition for AK-47 assault rifles from a flat in the townâs Tudor Estate.
One of the Kenyans being sought by the anti-terrorist police - Fahid Mohamed Ally Msalam - is believed to have bought the cars that were used in the 1998 bombings in Kenya and Tanzania. He is also believed to have purchased components of the bomb used in Tanzania. Three others - Mohamed Karama Salim, Harun Abdisheikh Bamusa and Mohammed Swaleh Saliman - are suspected to have been involved in the 1998 attack. Issa Osman Issa, Fumo Mohamed Fumo and Salim Samir Baamer are wanted for the Kikambala attack.
Investigations indicate that only the terrorist cell led by Wadih El-Hage - currently serving life imprisonment in the US together with Mohammed Sadiq Odeh, Mohammed Rashed Daoud al-Owhali and Khalfan Khamis Mohammed over the embassy bombing -was active in Kenya. Iâd look closer if I was you.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/26/2003 2:14:35 PM ||
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(2003-08-27) -- The United States delegation to six-way talks in China about North Korean nuclear weapons is hoping for "some really wacky stuff" from Pyongyang.
"For diplomats, talking with North Korea is like breakfast with Sam Kinnison," said an unnamed envoy. "First they threaten to turn our country into a lake of fire, then they say theyâll get rid of their nukes if we let them take over South Korea. Itâs really a riot. We like to bait them and see if we can get them to say even wackier stuff."
The career diplomat listed some threats and promises North Korea might be expected to make at the talks in Beijing:
-- We will unilaterally disarm, just as soon as we shoot all of our nuclear missiles into the gaping mouth of U.S. Undersecretary of State John Bolton.
-- If you donât let us build nuclear ICBMs, weâll turn New York City into a sea of kimchee.
-- We promise not to invade South Korea if you will appoint Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter as co-Presidents of the United States.
-- Our Dear Leader, Kim Jong-Il, will incinerate Japan with laser beams from his eyeballs unless you give him a 10-year supply of Eskimo Pies.
-- We demand Dennis Kucinich for U.S. President: unconditionally.
by Scott Ott
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/26/2003 1:54:37 PM ||
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GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip â Israel launched two separate strikes on Gaza City targets on Tuesday, killing one and wounding at least 23 people.
An Israeli helicopter fired rockets at a car of a Hamas fugitive driving north of the city, destroying the vehicle. One person died and 16 bystanders were wounded in that strike, doctors said.
The passengers of the car, a small red Renault, apparently escaped. damn
Earlier, an Israeli gunboat shelled an area north of Gaza City, wounding seven people, witnesses said. The target of that attack was not immediately known.
The Israeli military had no immediate comment.
Meanwhile, Israeli soldiers disguised as Arabs raided a West Bank hospital before dawn Tuesday and snatched two wounded Palestinian militants from their beds -- one of them wanted for planning a homicide bombing.
Troops staging an arrest sweep in this Palestinian city jumped from the back of a truck and poured into Raffidiyeh Hospital from two sides. They declared a lock-down, confining nurses and doctors to a few rooms, and broke down an electrically operated door to the Intensive Care Unit.
Soldiers armed with M-16 rifles asked a nurse to lead them to the wounded fugitives. They grabbed the militantsâ medical files and wheeled the men out on their hospital beds to waiting military ambulances. Healing time is over, punk. Itâs hurting time again
The wanted men -- members of the Al Aqsa Martyrsâ Brigades, a militant group loosely affiliated with Yasser Arafatâs Fatah faction -- were driven to Israelâs Beilinson Hospital near Tel Aviv and were being treated for moderate injuries, military sources said.
Israel accuses one of the men -- Othman Younis, 27 -- of helping plan several attacks in which at least 10 people were killed, including an Aug. 12 supermarket bombing that killed a father of two in central Israel. That bombing came in the midst of a cease-fire declared by militant groups on June 29.
The other fugitive, Fahid Bani-Odeh, 25, is wanted for shooting attacks. Both are "hardcore" members of Al Aqsa, said the groupâs spokesman, who goes by the name Abu Mujahed. He confirmed that Younis helped plan the suicide bombing.
A two-month truce, which had reduced three years of violence, collapsed under last weekâs violence. A homicide bomber killed 21 people on a Jerusalem bus on Tuesday, and Israel killed a top-ranking Hamas political leader two days later.
Since the bombing, Israel has killed seven Hamas members, including a senior leader, in missile strikes, which marked the renewal of Israelâs policy to hunt and kill militants. Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Moshe Yaalon has made clear that all members of the militant group are targets for "liquidation."
The latest missile strike, on Gazaâs beach front late Sunday, forced senior Hamas members to go into hiding, while the groupâs spokesmen turned off their cellular phones. Hamas leaders were conspicuously absent from funerals Monday for four men killed in Sundayâs missile strike.
Also Tuesday, Muslim-Jewish friction intensified at a disputed holy site in Jerusalem. Police arrested three Islamic officials after Muslim worshippers scuffled with police officers escorting Jewish visitors. In September 2000, deadly riots erupted at the shrine following a visit by then-opposition leader Ariel Sharon. The unrest escalated into three years of fighting.
After Sharonâs visit, the site -- holy to Muslims as Haram as-Sharif and Jews as the Temple Mount -- was closed to visitors. It was reopened by police last week, with the initial acquiescence of the Islamic Trust, which administers the site.
The shrine is revered by Jews as the site of the biblical Jewish temples and by Muslims as the spot where Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven. It is a potent symbol of rival claims on Jerusalem.
Meanwhile, the U.S.-backed Palestinian prime minister, Mahmoud Abbas (search) -- who is trying to implement the "road map" peace plan to Palestinian statehood -- scheduled a new round of talks with leaders of Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip. It appeared that leaders of Hamas and Islamic Jihad were not invited. Abbas said last week, after the Jerusalem bus bombing, that he is boycotting the militant groups.
Abbasâs advisers have said he is hoping to negotiate a new cease-fire, this time making Israel a party to such a deal. Israel has said the Palestinians must live up to their obligations under the peace plan, including dismantling militant groups, and that it will continue hunting armed men until Palestinian security forces take action.
Brig. Gen. Jibril Rajoub, a former West Bank security chief named by Arafat earlier this week to the vacant post of national security adviser, said Tuesday that both sides must cooperate.
"We have to all think together how we are going to break the tension and put an end to the bloodshed," Rajoub told Israel Army Radio, speaking in Hebrew. "Part of it depends on us and the more important part depends on you and whether you are really willing to end the occupation."
Arafat fired Rajoub from his job as West Bank security chief after a violent argument in July 2002, but apparently brought him back in hopes of sidelining Abbas and his security chief Mohammed Dahlan. Rajoub and Dahlan have been rivals for years.
Secretary of State Colin Powell last week appealed in vain to Arafat to give Abbas full authority over security.
Abbas has been reluctant to crack down on militants, fearing it could spark civil war. He has appealed to Arafat to give him control of the key security branches, something he says is necessary to confront the militant groups.
In the Gaza Strip, Palestinian militants fired homemade Qassam rockets and mortar shells into nearby Israeli towns and Jewish settlements in the coastal strip overnight and early Tuesday, the army said.
Palestinians reported that soldiers were firing from the area where the shells and rockets were landing. Two Palestinians were wounded by gunfire, hospital officials and security sources said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/26/2003 12:32:07 PM ||
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#1
It sounds like the Cluehammer may finally be in motion.
#2
Sigh - you posted while I was still waxing smartass in my comments on a Rooters / MSNBC pair of articles on this. ;-)
I like liquidation. Has the right ring to it - that certain something, y'know? And we're talking about the Israelis, which means that this isn't the hyperventilated hyperbole phantasy common from this part of the mudball. If they say something, you can trot it down to the bank.
One complaint: it seems that Fox can't tell anything without dredging up 500-600 words of pseudo-"background" - spun until it's dizzy - and which only someone like Ted Kaczynsky wouldn't know. The "news" is as clear as mud by the time they get through with it.
Here's the MSNBC link - which quotes RantSissy calling the Israelis "cowards" - so, um, pussyboy, who is it again that's doing the hiding? Too funny.
http://famulus.msnbc.com/FamulusIntl/reuters08-26-054529.asp?reg=MIDEAST
#3
.com, usually it's Steve or Mike posting faster than me, so I can relate lol. I think the gloves are off until at least the terrorists are in disarray or hiding under their daughters' beds crying like little girls. In the meantime, doubletime building the freaking fence!
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/26/2003 13:01 Comments ||
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They missed one of our old friends: Three men were in the car, including Wael Ekalan of the Hamas military wing, witnesses said.
Saw the car on Fox, missile hit front bumper, passenger compartment looked mostly intact. One report was that they saw it coming and bailed out.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/26/2003 13:34 Comments ||
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Frank - I know you're right - the Israelis have been hamstrung for a long time. Paleo Paybackâ¢, now. And spot-on re: The BIG Wall⢠- go at it full-blast while they've got their (shit)heads down. Did you get a kick out of that "message" RantSissy sent his cannon fodder phools "mujahed?" Pretty funny stuff, IMO! ;)
Steve - S'okay on the near-miss. They got more - and we're talking about a little teeny-tiny place and the best intelligence network on the planet. They'll find bunches and take them out of the game, permanently. ;)
I'll bet that:
1) Some of the "leaders" turn up somewhere else - using group funds to smuggle their own precious asses out of harm's way.
2) Soon there will be a full-scale Hue & Cry⢠press campaign claiming 99% or the deaders to be innocent.
Yawn. The "press" doesn't get it even now: the Israelis aren't superhuman, but they know this biz inside out - and the biz will finally get done - if Dubya / Powell don't go soft in the head and undercut Sharon.
#9
Secretary of State Colin Powell last week appealed in vain to Arafat to give Abbas full authority over security.
Abbas has been reluctant to crack down on militants, fearing it could spark civil war. He has appealed to Arafat to give him control of the key security branches, something he says is necessary to confront the militant groups.
#10
I still haven't read a CONVINCING analysis of WHY Sharon hasn't ordered Arafat whacked yet. The so-called "standard" explanations ("Arafat would be seen as a martyr", etc) don't seem to hold any water--its not as if the US wouldn't ultimately back Israel and its not as if Arafat doesn't ALREADY inspire acts of violence.
So I ask the Rantburgers: Why HASN'T Arafat been whacked yet???
#11
RC - aw geez, man, that was my vacation money! ;->
B-A-R - Or a vewy lawge chunk of the pwoblem, anyway. AwaFish should be thrown back onto his Pile of Wubble in Wamallah... whether that's before of after he's shot is irrelevant if you wait and shoot him on the first bounce. ;->
#12
Sword - Gotta be US pressure & threats. Heavy on the threats. And, that was then, so to speak, this is now - perhaps this last full-press attempt, the "Road Map", and its utter failure is one of the apocalyptic things the US req'd before pulling the plug. It's an open secret that the Foggy Bottom guys have protected their little darling all these years. Recall the Powerline story (about a month ago) where they got access to State Dept cables showing Arafat ordered the death of certain diplomats - and that State covered it up...
Maybe now, finally, there is deemed sufficient coverage to push State to the back seat...
And maybe a good whackin' is in the works. Perhaps AraFish's first inevitable misstep during the Israeli campaign to whack the Hamas-type asshats will be the last hoop we make them jump through...
#14
I can think of three reasons Israel hasn't killed Arafat.Remember Arafat has made himself the leader of Palestinians.
1)Since most everybody reports to him,it's easier to keep track of people-watch Arafat and discover who the other leaders are.
2)I dare say most Israelis want peace.There is probably a large group in/out of gov't. who say to negotiate a peace you have to have someone to negotiate with,and only Arafat can sell the deal to Palestinians.
3)Israeli economy relies on great deal of foreign aid.The moment Europe decides to employ economic sanctions on Israel,ala S.Africa,Arafat's gone.
If Israel thinks she is being abandoned by world,I'm willing to bet all gloves will come off and Palestinium delenda est.
Posted by: Stephen ||
08/26/2003 18:56 Comments ||
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Arafatso is the petcock on the tank of blood. At a certain point Isreal will get sick of slow drizzle and will knock the valve completely off the tank with a blunt instrument. We will then discover how much blood is in the tank and hopefully how to install a new valve that doesn't leak after the tank is dry.
I would expect the flow would drain the Beka valley and probably more. Others would know better.
Posted by: Steve D ||
08/26/2003 20:39 Comments ||
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The Zimbabwean government has given an assurance that the World Food Programme (WFP) will remain in control of humanitarian food distribution, despite a controversial new policy directive issued by the government this month, UN Humanitarian Coordinator Victor Angelo told IRIN on Monday. "We were told that we can proceed as we did last year ... We will be implementing the [food distribution] programme this month with no operational change at the ground level. The UN will keep monitoring the situation on the ground," Angelo said.
Bob's regime must be getting weak of he can't even bully the UN anymore...
The ministry of public service, labour and social welfare had issued a new policy guideline altering the memorandum of understanding with WFP, which authorised the agency and its partners to distribute food aid in the country. The new directive allows WFP and its partners to deliver food to distribution points, but the government would then be responsible for the selection and physical distribution of the food to beneficiaries through local government structures and village authorities. NGOs would perform only a monitoring role.
Oh. Maybe not then. For a moment there, I thought the WFP was actually standing its ground instead of saving face...
The directive, the "Policy on Operations of Non-Governmental Organisations in Humanitarian and Developmental Assistance in Zimbabwe", has been condemned as opening the door to the politicisation of WFP-delivered food. "In Zimbabwe the only real currency at the moment is food. The implications of this directive are extremely worrying, as it gives the government free rein over who receives food and who does not. The country really does not need this at this juncture, especially since it is the NGOs who are keeping the most vulnerable communities afloat," spokesman for the opposition Movement for Democratic Change party, Paul Themba Nyathi, told IRIN.
ZANU/PF, on the other hand, thinks starving the uncooperative is just a dandy idea...
He also alleged that Western donors would be unlikely to fund Zimbabwe's food aid appeal if the selection of beneficiaries and distribution was under the control of the government. An estimated 5.5 million Zimbabweans will be in need of food aid by January 2004.
But now the WFP has things obfuscated enough that everybody can kick in and pretend the groceries are actually going to go to the populace...
Explaining the government's position, public service minister July Moyo was quoted as saying: "We appealed for the food aid and we should determine how it is distributed."
"If we want to starve certain segments of our population, that's our business. Just kick in the groceries and shut up..."
On Wednesday last week, Angelo and WFP country representative Kevin Farrell met with Moyo "to ask for clarification" on the new policy. Angelo said he was assured that the government's policy guidelines "do not mean that we as the UN will change the way we operate", adding that if there was any political interference by the authorities, the incident would be reported to the government.
And then they'd be in large trouble, by gum!
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/26/2003 12:27 ||
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Sadaam increased his level of control in Iraq during the 10 years he directly controlled food distribution. He also seemed adept at the identifying extra funds he needed for redecorating projects around the country. Although his catering gig seemed pretty lucrative, I, personally, would have farmed the operation out to Subway. Theyâre proâs and do an excellent job with large orders. One six-foot BMT per day ought to take care of the needs of an average village.
Posted by: Steve D ||
08/26/2003 14:55 Comments ||
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France arrested 11 people at the weekend who were planning to destabilise Cote d'Ivoire with the assistance of mercenaries, an Ivoirian police source said on Monday. He said they included Master Sargent Ibrahim Coulibaly, commonly known in Cote d'Ivoire as "IB", a key figure in the 1999 coup that brought to power the short-lived military government of Colonel Robert Guei. Coulibaly had lived in exile in Burkina Faso since Guei stepped down to make way for the present elected government of President Laurent Gbagbo in 2000. The source said all 11 were arrested on Saturday at a Paris airport under the terms of a new law to combat the activities of mercenaries on French territory, which came into effect on April 15.
If they'd been wearing turbans nobody woulda touched 'em...
In Paris, a French government spokesman confirmed that several people had been arrested for attempting to destabilise Cote d'Ivoire under the terms of the anti-mercenary law, but he declined to give further details. A civil war broke out in Cote d'Ivoire on September 19 last year which led to rebel forces seizing control of the north of the country. Despite the signing of a peace agreement in January and the establishment of a government of national unity in March, the country remains divided. There is still a deep distrust between President Gbagbo and the rebels in the north who have not yet started to disarm or demobilise.
Why even bother having elections?
Heightened security measures were in evidence in the capital Abidjan at the weekend, with more road blocks than usual in the city streets and military helicopters clattering overhead.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/26/2003 12:17 ||
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It's about chocolate.
Posted by: Steve D ||
08/26/2003 20:31 Comments ||
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U.N. inspectors have found traces of highly enriched, weapons-grade uranium at an Iranian nuclear facility, a senior diplomat said Tuesday, citing a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency. The find heightened concerns that Tehran may be running a secret nuclear weapons program. Agency inspectors found ``particlesââ of highly enriched uranium that could be used in a weapons program at the facility at Natanz, said the diplomat, who covers the activities of the U.N. nuclear watchdog and spoke on condition of anonymity. Iranian officials did not contest the finding by the IAEA inspectors but said the equipment was already contaminated by traces of enriched uranium when purchased by Tehran. Thatâs the risk you take when you purchase used nuclear centrifuges and reprocessing equipment on E-Bay.
The diplomat said the report, prepared for a meeting of the U.N. agencyâs board, underlined the need for further inspections of the Natanz facility and Iranâs nuclear programs in general to abolish concerns about the nature of its activities. ``It says that contamination is a possibility,ââ as Iran claims, he said. ``But there is work to be done to determine the plausibility of this.ââ Or to twist the facts to make it plausible.
Suspicion about Iranâs nuclear program prompted Mohamed ElBaradei, director-general of the Vienna-based IAEA, to tour Iranâs nuclear facilities in February. The visit was intended to ensure that Iranâs nuclear program was limited to peaceful, civilian purposes and that the facilities were safe. lBaradeiâs tour included a visit to the incomplete nuclear plant in Natanz, about 320 miles south of Tehran. At the time, diplomats said he was taken aback by the advanced stage of a project using hundreds of centrifuges to enrich uranium. "How am I going to give you a clean bill of health if you show me shit like this? Didnât you get my memo?"
Agency officials declined to comment on the report and what it contained. But IAEA spokesman Mark Gwozdecky said there were ``a number of outstanding issues, particularly with regard to Iranâs enrichment program, which requite urgent resolution.ââ Gwozdecky said the agencyâs inspectors had visited Iran five times since June. ``In particular, we have visited a number of new sites, have the results of previously taken environmental samples and taken many more new samples, and are in receipt of much new information from the Iranian authorities,ââ he said. Analyzing the new material would take ``weeks or months,ââ he added. "Or years, itâs hard to say."
Posted by: Steve ||
08/26/2003 10:35:09 AM ||
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How long before the "human shields" arrive to protect the reactor and assembly areas from attack?
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/26/2003 12:20 Comments ||
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I think the cow has pretty much left the barn with respect to Non-proliferation of WMD. It would be better if the UN refocused its efforts regulating the quality of the weapons and components of weapons that are available on the open market. Whether I was a radical jihadist or a tinhorn dictator, I would have very little confidence that I was going to get the proverbial âbang for the buckâ that I required to extort the free world.
It just shouldnât matter whether I choose to buy my anthrax from Libya or from the Unabomber. The product should be to a worldwide ISO standard. Weapons making facilities should be subject to annual inspections and be required to have an effective system of internal audits. Yemen doesnât have a whole lot of cash to be slinging around on merchandise that wonât perform up to snuff.
A starting point might be in defining terms like âenriched uranium.â As Iran seems to be saying, âenrichedâ uranium can mean different things to different people. "Enriched" could just be a clever marketing technique by Niger or North Korea. If one of them trademarks the word that a dead givaway.
Posted by: Steve D ||
08/26/2003 12:59 Comments ||
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How long before the "human shields" arrive to protect the reactor and assembly areas from attack?
Ah, yes, Darwinism in action. Let the games begin!
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/26/2003 13:05 Comments ||
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#4
Frank G - Oh shit - they will too! Well, they'll get a nasty surprise meeting up with real Islam, Shi'a style. Not the same as that guy they met at the last street demonstration, Hank "Ahmed" Williams...
Steve D - I think enriched means that they added vitamins. Wonder Nukes, Builds Effective Mushroom Clouds 12 Ways...
OP - Amen, bro. Pancake Corrie Redux - only delivered by air this time?
#5
Pancake Corrie Redux - only delivered by air this time?
I'm pretty sure you can't air-drop a Cat D6. At least not one you want to use later.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
08/26/2003 14:32 Comments ||
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Hey, guys, time is ticking. The Iranians have the materials and the means of getting to their goal of having some type of Islamic fission weapon within a year or so. A fission bomb fits the agenda. In the WOT Futures section of Rantburg, I posted the possibility of the US and/or Israel destroying the Iran nuke program because this will have to be addressed soon, and diplomacy is getting nowhere. Pakistan nukes seemed to be able to be managed (for now), but such a weapon in the hands of Iran is unthinkable. They are such theocratic nutcases that they will use it or give/sell it to some other nutjob that will.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
08/26/2003 15:17 Comments ||
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Hat tip to Instapundit - and his note of a French Quagmire
Rebels have shot and killed two French soldiers in Ivory Coast, it was reported today, marking Franceâs first combat deaths in its former colony since the start of a major peacekeeping operation there in January. A third French soldier was wounded in the exchange of gunfire late yesterday, according to Lt Col Jerome Salle, a French military spokesman. He said the French returned fire in the clash, and believed at least one rebel was killed. Rebel spokesman Antoine Beugre said his organisation knew nothing about the incident. "Weâre looking into it," he said. "I can say no more"
France has 4,000 troops in Ivory Coast, where it is leading efforts to restore peace after war broke out last September following a failed coup. The conflict was officially declared over in July, but tensions remain high. Yesterdayâs clash occurred in a buffer zone in the centre of the country, where peacekeeping troops are deployed between rebel forces to the north and government forces to the south. ahhhhh the meat in the sandwich
The French troops were taking part in newly launched patrols to secure Lake Kossou, south of the rebel stronghold of Bouake. They came ashore shortly before sunset in the village of Sakassou, and were talking with villagers when "well-armed rebels" in a pick-up truck pulled up. The rebels appeared to be drunk or on drugs, Lt Col Salle said, as is often case among combatants in West Africa. drunk or on drugs applies to a lot of combatants world-wide
There was a heated exchange and the rebels opened fire as the French prepared to turn and leave the scene, according to the spokesman. One soldier was hit in the head, the other in the chest. The extent of the third soldierâs injuries were not known. Lt Col Salle called the attackers "uncontrolled elements" on the rebel side. The clash "does nothing to change the mission of the French army in Ivory Coast," he said. He also insisted the clash had nothing to do with the arrests in France over the weekend of at least 10 people alleged to have been plotting to destabilise the country. destabilize France? Were they Chirac and De Villepin? Why havenât we heard about this?
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/26/2003 9:52:43 AM ||
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#3
Now the French are screwing up in peacekeeping efforts. Everyone point and laugh!
Posted by: Charles ||
08/26/2003 14:41 Comments ||
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This is why I am pleased that we lifted our marines back onto our amphibious ships. We now are in position to back up both the West Africans and our allies, the French.
Posted by: Steve D ||
08/26/2003 14:58 Comments ||
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#5
There was a heated exchange and the rebels opened fire as the French prepared to turn and leave the scene
They were TRYING to retreat, and f*cked that up too.
#6
the french generally do a good job militarily in these little wars. Theyd be great to have at our side in Iraq, if they werent so friendly with precisely the people who want make Iraq a tyranny again. They do well militarily in Africa - no one can accuse them of imposing democracy there.
#7
The BBC, CNN, and LeMonde are reporting French causalties since the beginning of the deployment at 10,000 (non-combat, mostly heat, related) and 2 (combat related). Military analysts don't know how long the French military can hold out. They had already reached their pain threshold on D + 2 of the deployment when one, Pvt. Pierre Le Pu reported to sick call for a blister on his left foot.
Chirac is calling for an immediate UN Security Council meeting to figure out who will save them this time. A joint US-UK response just released stated "Don't call us, we'll call you."
Meanwhile French field commanders are already drawing up the terms of their surrender as per Chirac's orders.
World opinion stands firmly behind the theory that it's all the fault of President Bush and the people of the United States. Leading this charge is the entire Democratic Party. (who else)
The UN wanted to place sanctions on the US and punish them with "shock and awe" type military strikes. Unfortunately, they can't figure out how to request financial and military support from the US to do so.
In other news, Coffee Ann Ann and the rest of the UN have moved up on the list of spine transplant recipients to numbers 108,573-109,885. Good luck we hope you all recieve one soon.
Posted by: Paul ||
08/26/2003 18:39 Comments ||
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Hat tip to Instapundit
A Chinese scholar who is also a key Communist Party member in Shanghai, has said Chinese President Hu Jintao through his top envoy informed North Korean leader Kim Jong-il of a possible United States invasion. I donât know that weâd invade, SK would have to, to feed the populace after weâd bombed them even furher back towards the stone age Shen Dingli, professor at Hudan University in Shanghai and who was visiting Korea for an international seminar, was quoted by sources as saying that Huâs message was very clear about the possibility of U.S. military action against the communist country that is defying international calls to abandon its nuclear weapons program. Attending a workshop held on the sideline of the 12th Harvard Project for Asian and International Relations last week, the Chinese expert on international relations said, ``Hu told Kim, `If you make a problem, the U.S. will attack you. Donât expect any help from us.âââ "You all are on your own, cya!"
He said that words of advice by the leader of Pyongyangâs only ally apparently scared the North Korean leader into accommodating Beijingâs suggestion that Pyongyang should engage in talks with the U.S. under whatever format. During Pyongyangâs June 25, 1950, invasion of the South and the ensuing three-year war, China sent tens of thousands of soldiers to help the North avoid being overwhelmed by United Nations forces.
This time they might send a sympathy card...
Kim is widely known to be afraid of U.S. military might and an attack on his impoverished country, which, according to some experts, has pushed it to develop nuclear weapons in the first place. nope, it was the hope that they could blackmail aid from Clinton and the South, and it worked...for a while
However, Shen didnât specify who carried the message but said it was delivered by a senior Chinese official about a month ago. At least three senior Chinese officials have recently visited Pyongyang. They are Army Chief Political Commissar Xu Caihou, and Vice Foreign Ministers Dai Bingguo and Wang Yi. Huâs message came at a time when the North apparently underwent a change of heart and became more accommodating to multilateral dialogue involving not only the U.S. and China, but also South Korea, Japan and Russia. In April, Pyongyang and Washington held the first and only round of three-way talks, with Beijing playing host, after the Northâs admission of having a nuclear weapons program.
The NorKs put on a show, doing everything but turning their spaghetti bowls over on their heads...
The negotiations, however, failed to progress as the North demanded that it would conduct direct discussions with the U.S. for a non-aggression pact, while Washington refused. CNN reported in an online report that Hu delivered an ultimatum to the North Korean leader, calling on him to adopt a Chinese-style open-door policy, halt its development of weapons of mass destruction and improve relations with neighbors. Willy Wo-Lap Lam, a CNN analyst, said in the article that Huâs message forced Kim to send a delegation to the first-round of six-way talks that begin in Beijing today. Ahhhhh the "sea of fire" crew shows up. Expect much spittle and venom, and thatâll be concerning who gets served ice water first
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/26/2003 9:47:09 AM ||
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"Don't make us angry. You really wouldn't like us when we're angry..."
Iranâs Intelligence Ministry denied its staff were behind a Canadian photojournalistâs death in July after the judiciary said two ministry officials had been charged with involvement, media reported on Tuesday. The Tehran prosecutorâs office said on Monday that two interrogators from the Intelligence Ministry had been charged with complicity in the "semi-intentional" murder of Zahra Kazemi, 54, a Montreal-based journalist of Iranian descent.
"We wanted to kick her head in, but we didn't know she had a Canuck passport, so it wasn't really intentional, see?"
The death of Kazemi, who Iranian government officials have said was killed by a blow to the head after her arrest for taking photographs outside a Tehran prison, has sparked a diplomatic row between Canada and Iran. "The incident that led to the death of Zahra Kazemi was not at all done by the staff of the Intelligence Ministry," the official news agency IRNA quoted a statement from the Intelligence Ministry as saying.
"They only half killed her. Somebody else musta done the rest..."
"How the incident happened is clearly evident for this ministry and the general public will be informed about it at the proper time," IRNA quoted the statement as saying. "How about right after hell freezes over?"
The reformist newspaper Yas-e No said the Intelligence Ministry statement described the prosecutorâs report, prepared by a criminal investigator, as "sheer lies."
"Lies! All lies!"
"The claims of the investigator that the interrogators were members of the Intelligence Ministry is not realistic," the newspaper quoted the ministry as saying. "And as soon as we get done interrogating the investigator, heâll tell you the same thing. If he doesnât fall down, or something."
"Honest! They weren't with us. Somebody left 'em here..."
Canadian diplomats in Tehran were speechless not available for comment. Busy filling out the paperwork requesting a transfer.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/26/2003 9:30:43 AM ||
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Lucky? Defining black humor...
Steve - I hope so
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/26/2003 19:51 Comments ||
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The body of the Sierra Leonean rebel leader Foday Sankoh who was indicted for war crimes has gone missing from its grave. "Sankohâs body is missing from the grave — the grave has been checked... and the body is no longer to be seen," a police officer told Reuters news agency. You need to drive a stake through the body into the ground to keep guys like Foday down.
Mr Sankoh formed the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), whose 10-year terror campaign included hacking off the hands, feet, lips and ears of Sierra Leoneâs civilians and raping thousands of girls and women. A quaint local tradition.
He had been buried earlier this month in his hometown in Magburaka about 210 kilometres (130 miles) from Freetown after a mysterious death while in custody of the UN-backed war crimes court. Hundreds of angry Sierra Leoneans had turned out to watch the transportation of his body. One police official said the corpse had been burned after its exhumation. Same way you kill a vampire.
Village elders have told the authorities they do not know who was responsible for the removal of the body. Too many suspects, and nobody cares enough to investigate.
Arrested in 2000, Mr Sankoh spent three years in detention and was due to stand trial for alleged crimes against humanity, including murder, sexual slavery and extermination. But his deteriorating health and mental state had made it impossible for him to continue court appearances.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/26/2003 8:53:43 AM ||
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I am hoping that his body is now chilling down in the same meat locker where Ted Williams is hanging. At some time in the future, science might discover a way to cure the physical ailments of this poor excuse for a human being. We could then reanimate him and give him the painful execution that he so richly deserves.
Posted by: Steve D ||
08/26/2003 12:50 Comments ||
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#2
The corpse was burned so I doubt there would be much left to execute.
How about we just throw the body out a airplane at 30,000 ft. and see how long it takes to hit the ground? ( In place of 'ground' insert 'UN'. )
Posted by: Charles ||
08/26/2003 14:45 Comments ||
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#3
Same thing happened with Papa Doc Duvalier - only more people were nervous about that one.
Some possible lessons to be gained from blackout, from NY Times
âAt home when the blackout struck, Canadaâs defense minister, John McCallum, was forced to help manage the crisis with no lights, his cellular phone silenced and his Internet connections interrupted. He quickly found out from the military that the loss of power was not due to a terrorist attack.â He was probably contacted by electronic means, not by a runner
â "Had it been part of a coordinated terrorist effort, the fact that the electricity was off would have provided opportunities for real mischief in other areas," [Canadaâs Deputy Prime Minister John Manley] said in an interview. "I donât want to contemplate the possibilities."â The possibility of "real mischief" by sleepers has not been discussed in the media or on blogs. I hope someone on our side is considering the possibilities
Posted by: Tresho ||
08/26/2003 4:02:18 AM ||
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"I donât want to contemplate the possibilities."
Well of course you don't, you're a Canadian Govt Official and that's only your fucking job. What a flaming dickhead.
#2
Does anyone else get the feeling the US taxpayers are about to get mugged for billions because Dingleberry, Ohio's power is provided by "Randy's Bait & Tackle & 'Lectricalties" ? Hi, Congress, we shouldn't be allowed to run a lemonade stand, but could you send us a couple mil' so we can try this new 'lectricity thing ? Thanks.
#3
Before we start talking a hundred billion dollars to "fix" the system, I'd like to remind everyone that the system does get maintenance and did work relatively well between 1977 and 2003. I see 26 years between blackouts as pretty damned good considering how complicated the system is. I know everybody wants to "help" (politicians, control system manufacturers, etc.), but I'd prefer the utility companies take care of business and bill us for actual costs rather than sticking us with some quagmire $100 billion government program. For goodness sakes, the government can't even keep IRS and Social Security computer systems up to date!
Posted by: Tom ||
08/26/2003 12:47 Comments ||
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#4
Are you talkin 'bout the sacred REA?
Ship - here in Colorado, we have five Rural Electric Associations. All but one of them has shown a net profit for the last 23 years. It's not the REA you need to worry about - it's idiocy like California's 'deregulation', and the regulatory burden on upgrading current infrastructure, that's the major cause of the power blackout.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/26/2003 13:11 Comments ||
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#5
The REA (Rural Electrification Administration) provided the capital so electric lines could be run to rural areas when the electric companies were not so inclined. The capital was in the form of long-term loans. Many of the cooperatives that were formed at the time and took advantage of the loans not only paid them back but also weaned themselves of the REA. I believe many people mistakenly think that the cooperatives are part of the REA because the electric ploes often had "REA" nameplates on them next to the pole numbers.
Posted by: Tom ||
08/26/2003 13:42 Comments ||
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#6
Tom:
Actually it's not the individual co-ops I worry about. It's the Generation & Transmission cooperatives were are way the heck in debt and the debt of course is guaranteed by the Feds. I didn't know that many distribution co-ops had paid back their loans. Altho I do recall a sweetheart deal in the early '90s that temping for some.
Old Patriot: Yeah - they always show a profit. It's easier when there's no corporate income tax to pay. :)
#7
Ship, my wife worked in the bookkeeping department of the Intermountain Rural Electric Association. They cut "dividend" checks to all their customers, dividing up the yearly profit among them, based on usage. The IREA had drawers of unclaimed dividend checks, dating back as much as 40 years.
REA groups usually don't have any generating capacity, buying their electricity on the open market from other electric companies. While they get a better deal than most customers, it's still cheaper to get electricity from the major providers. Local distribution networks, whether commercial, municipal, or REA-type arrangements, aren't the problem. The problem is an aging and inefficient distribution network linking all the power groups together into a "national" grid. That national grid is what needs to be updated. That grid is also about the most expensive and inefficient program to link electrical generating capacity.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/26/2003 14:28 Comments ||
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NIIGATA - A North Korean ferry was stuck in a Japanese port Tuesday after it failed safety inspections imposed as part of a global crackdown on alleged smuggling of drugs and weapons by the communist state. Japanese officials gathered more than 100 inspectors from three different ministries to comb the passenger ferry bow to stern. Nobody does port inspections better than the Japanese. Theyâve had lots of practice stopping American imports from getting off ships for decades!
The Mangyongbong-92 was cited for five violations. Authorities said the ship, scheduled to return to North Korea from this northern Japanese port on Tuesday morning, could not sail until the problems are fixed. ``I canât say for sure, but I think it is probably going to be late,ââ the regional transportation authority chief, Ryoichi Sonoda, told reporters while outlining the violations. Iâm surprised a little juche didnât fix all problems.
The inspectors found the ship was missing several safety features: a fire damper in a kitchen exhaust duct; emergency exits signs meeting height and lighting specifics; a wireless phone for communicating with airplanes in emergencies; and a fire extinguisher that uses sea water. A divider for oil and bilge water was also deemed faulty. My Gawd: improper emergency exit signs? How could such a ship ever sail!
The tough inspections tested relations between the two nations as they prepare for multilateral talks this week in Beijing on North Koreaâs alleged effort to develop nuclear weapons. The United States, Russia, South Korea and China will also participate in the summit. The inspections also come as Japan, Australia and other nations accuse North Korean ships of smuggling weapons and drugs to support its virtually non-existent feeble economy and raise cash for its weapons programs. ``It sends a message to North Korea and the world that Japan sees North Korea as a security threat and a country that needs to be dealt with through special measures,ââ said Brad Glosserman, director of the Pacific Forum in Honolulu, Hawaii. Another message is expected next month, when Japan, the United States and Australia practice maritime interdictions in joint exercises. "Sir, we have another contact."
"Designate that one as âPogey-Bait 3â. Tell me about it."
"Sir, itâs a diesel, woobly screw, erratic course, no reason to be out here, and itâs trailing lines to snag seaweed."
"Okay, itâs a North Korean for sure."
A spokesman for the General Association for Korean Residents in Japan, a pro-Pyongyang group, said ferry operators would try to fix the problems and depart as scheduled. ``Japanese authorities appear intent on suspending the shipâs scheduled departure in one way or another,ââ the spokesman said, speaking on condition of anonymity. ``This is nothing but harassment.ââ Correct you are, pal! Get the message?
About 1,500 police, some brandishing riot shields, helmets and batons, awaited the ship when it pulled into harbor earlier in the day. They stood guard as right-wing extremists and other protesters blasted the incoming ship with chants of ``Go Home!ââ as pro-Pyongyang Japanese goofsnutcasesrustics residents waved North Korean flags. Earlier this year, two alleged North Korean defectors testified to the U.S. Congress that the ferry carried up to 80 percent of the parts used in Pyongyangâs missile program. Not this week! And it does call into question, just where are the parts coming from if theyâre being shipped from Japan to CrazyLand?
North Korea denies the allegations and calls the ship a lifeline of humanitarian contact between North Koreans living in Japan and relatives back home. About 200 people, mostly elderly people or rabble-rousers students, had planned to board early Tuesday.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/26/2003 2:14:00 AM ||
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This was on the news. The Nork expat community living in Japan has funneled cash, intelligence, expertise, technology, and who-knows-what else to the Kim regime for decades. It is one of the most dangerous vectors in the whole saga. Their support is just as critical to Kim and dangerous to us as China's or the S. Korean leftwing and student radicals' role.
I cannot condone anything the Japanese Right-Wing nutters extremists do but I have to confess to a brief moment of forbidden pleasure when the news showed the black loudspeaker van with the imperial flag on the side pull up outside the demonstration blaring "Nihon kara....Dete-ike!!" or "Get the hell out of Japan!!"
Of course most Japanese people despise the Norks and their own extremeists so I think it's ultimately unfortunate if the Right-Wingers can use this event for their own agenda, a chance to angle in on mainstream opinion. They bring potential ill-repute to the worthy cause of bring more scrutiny on this 5th column and the drive to cut off this source of critical support for Juche.
Posted by: Tokyo Taro ||
08/26/2003 3:31 Comments ||
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#2
The captain tried to bribe the inspectors with white slag and an autographed Glo-in-the-Dark-on-Black-Velvet picture of the Dear Leader, but the Japanese weren't biting.
#3
I think there's something on that ship if they have 1,500 police waiting for it. It's time too take a page out of the old 'Hoover' book.
Blackmail.
Posted by: Charles ||
08/26/2003 7:53 Comments ||
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#4
A suspected North Korean smuggling ship set sail from Japan on Tuesday after being detained for safety violations amid a global crackdown on alleged drugs and weapons trafficking by the communist state. Students in black and white school uniforms lined the deck's railing, clapping hands, singing songs and waving giant red and blue North Korean flags as the Mangyongbong-92 eased away from the pier just after sunset. In contrast to the boat's hotly contested arrival, when raucous anti-North Korean protesters swarmed the waterfront, no demonstrators were seen as it set sail.
The Transport Ministry informed the ship's captain Tuesday it would be allowed to leave if four conditions were met, including increasing the number of fire extinguishers to compensate for the lack of a kitchen fire damper and assigning a person to direct passengers to safety in the event of an emergency. Ogawa said the ship was cleared for departure after the captain promised to fix them in Wonsan. He added that a fifth violation - a faulty divider for oil and bilge water - was repaired in Niigata.
By mid-afternoon, about 35 inspectors in helmets and jumpsuits had boarded the ferry to certify the conditions had been met, and deboarded satisfied. Meanwhile, Japanese authorities showed no signs of letting up their tight surveillance, with officials inspecting individual cans of beer before allowing them to be brought on board.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/26/2003 9:04 Comments ||
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#5
The Japanese may have to inspect these ships in full riot gear, if the Norks start including reporters in their crews...
This just might be the "Official Reason for Walking Out of Talks in China", if the NKors walk. Or it might be because theyâre looney.
South Koreaâs navy fired warning shots Tuesday after a North Korean patrol boat entered waters controlled by the South, the military said. The North Korean vessel turned back and there were no further hostile exchanges between the two sides, South Koreaâs Joint Chiefs of Staff said. The patrol boat intruded three-tenths of a mile into southern waters along the disputed western sea border, South Korean officials said. A Southern navy speedboat fired two warning shots and the North Korean boat returned to communist territory three minutes later. 3/10âs of a mile? Not near as precise as the last incident. Guess the reporterâs GPS system wasnât working.
The maritime border between the two Koreas is not clearly marked, and North Korean fishing boats often cross over into South Korean waters to harvest seaweed for the populace. South Korean navy ships occasionally respond with warning shots. The incident came just ahead of the scheduled six-way talks in Beijing this week. Kim to aide: "Did you bring the extra-large bottle of spittle?"
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/26/2003 2:03:07 AM ||
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" Here, we bring you a gift. "
" What is this? "
" Seaweed missles. "
Posted by: Charles ||
08/26/2003 7:44 Comments ||
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Federal agents have intensified a two-year-old anti-terrorism investigation aimed at several Virginia-based Islamic charities suspected of diverting millions of dollars to al Qaeda and other radical groups. Led by agents of the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Internal Revenue Service and the FBI, the task-force probe has targeted a number of people tied to several private companies and interrelated Islamic charities operating out of business fronts in Herndon and Falls Church, according to a report in the Washington Times Monday. A key focus of the investigation is Soliman S Biheiri, an Egyptian national being held on federal immigration charges. He has also been named by the Justice Department as a material witness in ongoing government terrorism investigations. Biheiri operated the now-defunct Secaucus, New Jersey, firm BMI Inc. and was identified last week in an affidavit by ICE agent David Kane, who said investigators had focused on the âfinancial relationship betweenâ BMI and a Herndon corporation known as Sana-Bell Inc. The agency also is looking into two Islamic charities, the Muslim World League (MWL) and the International Islamic Relief Organization (IIRO), both of Falls Church.
Both of those are old friends of ours here...
The newspaper says the investigation has focused on âa group of individualsâ suspected of providing material support to terrorists and of money laundering and income-tax evasion through use of related for-profit companies and ostensibly charitable entities under their control. BMI has been linked by federal authorities to the diversion of millions of dollars in money transfers to suspected terrorist organisations including al Qaeda. Investigators are trying to determine whether the Virginia-based charities illegally diverted as much as $4 million to BMI, cash that eventually was used to fund terrorist activities. In an affidavit, Kane said the MWL and the IIRO operated in separate Falls Church offices but under an umbrella. He said the CIA listed the IIRO as having âextremist connections,â including with the Palestinian group Hamas, Algerian radicals and Al-Gamaa Al-Islamiya, the Egyptian terrorist organization that served as a precursor to al Qaeda. He further said that the CIA report linked the IIRO to Osama bin Laden as well as convicted terrorist Ramzi Yousef, who was sentenced to life in prison for masterminding the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center. According to him, the organisation helped fund six terrorist training camps in Afghanistan.
A worthy use of Islamic charity dollars... Well, the usual use, anyway.
According to the affidavit, the IIRO is believed to have transferred money to certain bank accounts routed through various front organisations, including the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, the largest Muslim charity in the country, with offices in Texas, California, New Jersey and Illinois. Federal law enforcement officials told The Washington Times that the MWL initially was funded by bin Laden and later by the Saudi government, and that Sana-Bell Inc. was established to generate funds for IIRO operations. The officials said several MWL employees are believed to have worked with al Qaeda, and that key bin Laden associates had infiltrated the organisationâs offices worldwide. They also said Sana-Bell Inc. was part of a global effort to manage the IIROâs financial assets through an international endowment fund known as the Sanabil al-Khair. Last year, federal agents raided 14 Islamic businesses in Virginia, seizing two dozen computers and hundreds of bank statements and other documents in an âOperation Green Questâ investigation. In those raids, investigators also focused on several Islamic charities, a network purportedly controlled by the Saar Foundation, an organisation created by Suleiman Abdul Al-Aziz al-Rajhi, a member of one of Saudi Arabiaâs richest families.
That's the obligatory Soddy connection...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/26/2003 00:55 ||
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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.
