Posted by: Super Hose ||
07/21/2004 23:15 ||
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Bruguière described radical Islamism as built on three circles: an inner core that is Al-Qaeda proper; a tier of radical groups with regional agendas that moved into Al-Qaeda's orbit after September 11; and a loose outer ring of "shifting, polymorphous movements, pursuing their own goals and with their own memberships."
"When you have a three-level structure like this, the almost random interaction between them makes it extremely hard to draw up a precise model of the threat. No one can draw up a clear analytical picture. It is too complex," he said.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
07/22/2004 1:41 Comments ||
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Under intense pressure from the United States, Greece will allow 400 American Special Forces soldiers to be present at the Olympic Games next month under NATO auspices and will also permit American, Israeli and possibly British security officers to carry weapons, Greek and American officials said. Seems like a lot of troops, unless they have reason to suspect something. How many carriers do we have in the Med within strike distance of Athens?
Not really, 3 shifts, 24/7 coverage, lots of venues, lots of atheletes, 400 is kind of light.
The delicate arrangements, which the officials say will not be formally acknowledged for fear of roiling anti-American sentiment, represent a significant departure from Olympic tradition, as well as from Greek law, which prohibits foreign personnel from carrying weapons within the country. Until now, the only nation known to have armed its security forces at the Olympics is Israel, whose agents have been carrying arms largely without prior approval from host countries since 1972, when Black September, a Palestinian group, killed Israeli athletes and officials in the Olympic Village in Munich. But wait, there's more!
Posted by: Mr. Davis ||
07/21/2004 9:01:33 AM ||
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BBC has a different story: Greece says national Olympic teams will not be allowed to bring their own armed security guards to the Games. The country's public order minister said state leaders could take armed guards but Greece alone would protect international athletes.
"Leaders, presidents, kings are one thing and athletes are another," George Voulgarakis said.
"Greece is exclusively responsible for the protection and guarding of the athletes."
A report by the New York Times suggested Greece had reached a tacit agreement with the US to allow armed American agents to act as bodyguards for their athletes. But Mr Voulgarakis denied this.
Posted by: Steve ||
07/21/2004 9:15 Comments ||
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"Several NATO countries were opposed". Hmmmm...could I guess - France! and associated foreign satellites of Belgium and Luxemburg?
Posted by: Don ||
07/21/2004 9:16 Comments ||
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Article: The official Greek position is that no foreign police or security forces will be allowed to carry weapons because it is forbidden by the Greek Constitution
Do they also have something in there about letting terrorists roam free, as long as they only attack foreigners?
#4
Only the times wqould characterize the protection of our people as an 'invasion.' When did the editor of Pravda get hired on as the editor? Thank you to the Greek Goverment for allowing us to provide the extra need protection. Efkaristo, Feelos. God help them if they try to pull some Munich type raid.
Credit me with going overboard on the headline, not the Times.
Posted by: Mr. Davis ||
07/21/2004 10:27 Comments ||
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W/deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan still going on,400 SF troops sounds a bit high.400 may be the "official" negotiated figure for all armed Americans based IN Greece-FBI,Secret Service,etc.(A ship 15 miles off coast could have as many as US-or others-wanted.) And the potential for chaos does seem high.(Suppose-bus w/American,British,Canadian athletes gets hi-jacked near Piraeus.Delta,Seals and FBI HRT are all going to fight over who has right to attempt hostage rescue,even as Greece,US,Brits and Canada argue over negotiating or rescue and if rescue,who should make attempt-a 6 ring free-for-all between Greek military,Greek police,the 3 US groups and Brits' SAS team that"just happened to have its eqipment at Embassy".I have a hunch French,German,Brit and Aussie Embassies have all received several large crates recently,along w/alot of healthy temp workers.)I get the feeling US protection is going to just be for dignitaries and the mens' basketball team.
And before we jump on Greece and her security problem,would there be any differ if Olympics were being held in Spain,France,Belgium,Italy,Egypt,Mexico,etc.?Still haven't decided if Islamic nuts are going to strike at Olympics.
Posted by: Stephen ||
07/21/2004 11:03 Comments ||
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Related article I saw last night noted that virtually no country, including the US, allows foreign agents on its soil to be armed. For the Atlanta Olympics the Israelis had armed guards protecting their atheletes -- strictly illegal in the US, but we looked the other way. Ditto for the Sydney Olympics.
I suspect this is exactly the situation in Athens -- the Greeks understand that certain countries are at increased risk and will allow those countries to provide extra, armed protection, but no one's supposed to acknowledge it or talk about it. That way everyone saves face.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/21/2004 11:06 Comments ||
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If so, Steve, should we forgive Greek "recalcitrance" on the subject?
Posted by: Edward Yee ||
07/21/2004 12:51 Comments ||
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And before we jump on Greece and her security problem,would there be any differ if Olympics were being held in Spain,France,Belgium,Italy,Egypt,Mexico,etc.?
Actually, I always felt WAY safer in Spain, than I did in Greece. The Guadia Civil is not a police force to be messed with, not if you want to live long and die of old age in bed.
There is no nice way to say this--- Greek law enforcement made the Keystone Cops look like Scotland yard. Perhaps they have gotten better since 1984, but I wouldn't bet my life on it.
#10
They're not armed troops, they're armed driving instructors. You Greeks be sure to drive under the speed limit and wave real friendly when you pass, ya hear now?
Posted by: ed ||
07/21/2004 14:05 Comments ||
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I think this is asking for trouble. Let the Greek security aparati deal with this.... it'll be way easier to deal with any outcome.
#12
The official Greek position is that no foreign police or security forces will be allowed to carry weapons because it is forbidden by the Greek Constitution
I think that's incorrect. There's a provision in the Constitution that foreign troops can't pass through Greece without the Parliament voting in a law giving them permission -- but I don't believe there's anything forbidding presence of armed personnel in general.
#13
Let the Greek security aparati deal with this.... it'll be way easier to deal with any outcome.
Yes, much easier on diplomatic relations having the body-bags loaded on the plane with 'Deep Regret' by the host nation, instead of them being po'ed because no one with experience trusts them to keep the athletes safe.
#14
Related article I saw last night noted that virtually no country, including the US, allows foreign agents on its soil to be armed
Tell that to Kofi Anan, who for years flouted US and NY law to keep armed guards of his own in NYC. After 9/11 that finally got squelched, but it went on for a good while ....
#15
Related article I saw last night noted that virtually no country, including the US, allows foreign agents on its soil to be armed
Tell that to Kofi Anan, who for years flouted US and NY law to keep armed guards of his own in NYC. After 9/11 that finally got squelched, but it went on for a good while ....
Excerpted from Monday's breifing. I saw the festivities on CSPAN. I felt for poor Scott. He looked as if just calling on her now gives him a migraine.
Two Bagger: Prime Minister Blair took full personal responsibility for taking his nation into war under falsehoods -- under reasons that have been determined now to be false. Is President Bush also willing to take full, personal responsibility -- I guess I missed that statement by Tony.
MR. McCLELLAN: I think Prime Minister Blair said that it was the right thing to do; that Saddam Hussein's regime was a threat.
TB: Those were not the reasons he took his country into war. It turned out to be untrue, and the same is true for us. Does the President take full, personal responsibility for this war? At this point of the breifing I began to wonder whether Helen's entire cerebral activity could be simulated with less than 100 lines of code - maybe 50 to cover activities not related to essential bodily activities.
MR. McCLELLAN: The issue here is what do you to with a threat in a post-September 11th world? Either you live with a threat, or you confront the threat.
TB: There was no threat. Helen consides this to be axiomatic. I wonder how her brain reconciles the necessity fo having 150K troops on the borders to encourage Sadaam to accept inspectors.
MR. McCLELLAN: The President made the decision to confront the threat.
TB: Saddam Hussein did not threaten this country. I'm sure that statements by Sadaam to the contrary are just a googgle away, but her naked stupidity doesn't inspire action on my part. - note: sorry for using the ajective naked to modify Helen even though I used the word to describe her mentality.
MR. McCLELLAN: The world -- the world, the Congress and the administration all disagree. They all recognized that there was a threat posed by Saddam Hussein. When it came to September 11th, that changed the equation. It taught us, as I said --
TB: The Intelligence Committee said there was no threat. Note to Helen - any show hosted by Bill Moyers fails to qualify as an intelligence committee. In fact, Moyers and intelligence form an oxymoron (Moyers takes care of the moron part of the oxymoron.)
MR. McCLELLAN: As I said, it taught us that we must confront threats before it's too late.
TB: So the President doesn't take full responsibility? Here, Helen is admitting that her brain operates as a very simple receptor kind of like the square hole. I have searched the web in a vain search for a descriptive nickname for Helen Thomas as a journalist The name I was looking for belongs to the Playskool toy for shape matching that has two hemispheres (one red and one blue) and 12 faces. In each face there is a cutout for the insertion of a yellow plastic geometric shape. This toy describes Helen because she only accepts responses that fit nicely into the holes that she has already fashioned for them. These days I think she writes here editorials before the press briefings. Maybe she always has. (Note the closest name that I found of my search was the Klackeroo, which is a different shape matching toy that Hasbro has been forced to recall because the geometrically shaped button fall off leaving a dangerous plastic-knobbed toy resembling a WWII contact mine or the head of the villain in Hellraiser.
MR. McCLELLAN: The President already talked about the responsibility for the decisions he's made. He talked about that with Prime Minister Blair.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
07/21/2004 2:04:52 PM ||
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"Remember, Helen - you can be replaced by a small perl script."
#2
Did this DB buy a lifetime bus pass to the whitehouse? Kick her sorry ass out all the way back to Lebanon. Give the whitehouse Marine guards something to do.
Posted by: ed ||
07/21/2004 14:23 Comments ||
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LOL!
Lemme program it with a database. Have key word table named Bush with any number of direct objects and a standard moonbat question.
Such as ( and I am still pretty much a perl beginner:) if ($directobject eq "Iraq" or $directobject eq "Afghanistan") {
$sth->("select * from bush where directobject like '$directobject'");
print "Isn't it true, Mr. $interviewee , that Bush $questionphrase[$level]
";
}
#question phrase under the direct object could be any number of phrases: such $questionphrase eq "ordered all baby ducks destroyed by the US Air Force?"
#4
badanov, please do not use Helen Thomas and the word 'naked' (however used) in the same Rant EVER again. I had a hard time keeping breakfast down while I was reading. I think Helen should interview Saddam in prison, what a love fest that would be!
Justice Department prosecutors reportedly have rejected several offers from former National Security Advisor Sandy Berger's lawyer to resolve the department's eight-month-long investigation into his illegal removal of top secret documents from the 9/11 Commission's reading room.
Two sources associated with the investigation told CNN that lawyer Lanny Breuer made a detailed statement of Berger's view of the facts at issue several months ago. According to the unnamed sources, Berger has offered to talk to the Justice Department about a resolution to the probe.
In the intervening months, Breuer has renewed Berger's offer to come clean several times. (I thought he was just sloppy not dirty.)
But in a bad omen for the former top Clinton national security official, the Justice Department has rebuffed the offer repeatedly and refused to enter into any discussions. Instead, Deputy Attorney General James Comey warned Tuesday that Berger - who resigned hours ago as a top campaign adviser to presidential candidate John Kerry - could face jail time.
"It is against the law for anyone to intentionally mishandle classified information, either by taking it to give to somebody else, or by mishandling in a way that is outside the regulations of government information," Comey told reporters in Washington. "We take issues of classified information very, very seriously," he added.
"It's our lifeblood to keep secrets. All felonies in the federal system bring with them the promise of jail time," Comey stressed, adding cryptically, "That's all I can say about that." As U.S. Attorney for New York's Southern District, Comey oversaw the indictment of Martha Stewart for lying to federal investigators. Stewart was sentenced to five months in jail last week.
Clinton may be the first president to claim "executive privelidge" after leaving office.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
07/21/2004 11:26:33 PM ||
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July 21, 2004 — An airport surveillance tape obtained by ABC News shows the five hijackers of American Airlines Flight 77 easily passing through security at Dulles International Airport outside Washington, D.C., in the hour before the flight took off on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001.
Flight 77, one of four planes hijacked by al Qaeda terrorists that day, would slam into the Pentagon later that morning — about half an hour after the second plane hit the World Trade Center in New York.
All 64 people on board Flight 77 and another 125 at the Pentagon were killed.
The surveillance tape shows the first two of the five hijackers — Majed Moqed and Khalid Almihdhar — as they enter one of the security screening areas, place their carry-on bags on the X-ray machine belt and proceed through the first metal detector. Both men set off the alarm and are subsequently directed to a second detector. Almihdhar does not set off the second detector and is permitted to go through the checkpoint, but Moqed fails once more and is then subjected to a personal screening with a metal detection hand wand. He appears to pass the inspection and is allowed to pass through the checkpoint.
About 17 minutes later, Hani Hanjour — who is believed to have been piloting the plane in its final moments — places two carry-on bags on the X-ray belt at the checkpoint, and proceeds, without setting off the alarm, through the detector. He picks up his carry-on bags and passes through the screening area.
One minute later, as seen on tape, Nawaf Alhazmi and Salem Alhazmi enter the same checkpoint. Salem Alhazmi successfully clears the detector and is permitted through the checkpoint. Nawaf Alhazmi sets off the alarms for both the first and second detectors and is then screened with a hand wand before being cleared.
Posted by: Mr. Davis ||
07/21/2004 7:57:57 PM ||
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Suppose there would have been a pat-down. Would that have detected the infamous box cutters? I still have to wonder if those weren't placed aboard by confederates. (/speculation)
Would the security man at the check point have questioned the box cutters if they had been carrying them. I don't believe they were the type of thing normally confiscated in those days.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
07/21/2004 14:36 ||
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The US Air Force plans to launch a project later this year to develop an experimental ultra-large 30,000lb (13,608kg) penetrating munition, according to service officials.
It will be optimised against hardened and deeply buried targets that existing air-delivered weapons cannot destroy, they say.
I recommend the name "PFunk" for the new weapon, Tali-whacker is too dated.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
07/21/2004 21:26 Comments ||
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Anybody read the subscribers-only report on this site about "losing a city"? We supposedly recently foiled a nuke attack. I don't buy it, but am still curious about what the article says.
#2
How reliable is this site? I've looked it over before but it's always seemed a little odd to me. Kind of like Debka on booze binge or something.
Posted by: Laurence of the Rats ||
07/21/2004 9:31 Comments ||
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No comment or info on this site's reliability.
However, the Islamacist networks have been using steganography (embedding hidden info in digitized pictures, music and video) for several years, courtesy of tools available from hacker bulletin boards if you know where to look and can get hold of a password.
The way steganography works is that slight modifications are made to the numbers that represent colored dots in the pictures. The human eye won't notice the slightly different look of the picture, but someone who knows they're there can use the same or another steganography tool to read the code.
In this case, the code that NIN claims to have found does look like a digital encryption key, needed to decrypt other info (like attack or coordination instructions) sent by another file. This is a more sophisticated use of steganography, as anyone who intercepts the code still needs the other file to find out just what was being communicated.
Steganography and similar technologies have become an operational reality in the GWOT .....
#4
If anyone does get the report, please print it. I too would be interested in this.
How reliable is this site? I'm not sure yet. They were the first to report that the NYC Times Square backpack bomb was not filled with fireworks, (first report on news). There were right on the contents of it, pipebomb, ball bearings, gun powder residue.
Posted by: jawa ||
07/21/2004 10:11 Comments ||
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My gut instinct is the terrorists are a lot less advanced in this sort of thing than we give them credit for. Pre-9/11 Atta threatened to cut a government officials throat, hardly laying low, hardly the brainiac, yet he led the 9/11 attacks.
The Soviets used all sorts of encryption. They were advanced. My guess is the Jihadists work in four ways: (1) Word of mouth (2) Pre arranged code words on Al Queda broadcasts (3) bulletan boards, and email accounts (email drafts are not sent, but accessed by other members) (4) Not at all, cells are now operating independently because Al Queda is headless.
Personally I'm betting on a combination but primarily (4) at this point.
#7
Somewhere within the NSA there must be a gallery of stegged jihadi photos. I wonder what kind of photos the boyz swap. Tourist pix of prominent landmarks? wildlife photos? kiddie porn?
#9
Yank, I taught the required freshman IT class at West Point for several years and all my cadets got a chance to play with steganography tools.
Didn't get to take them with LOL but they're not hard to find. Notice the al-Q types don't need to be able to MAKE them, just to USE a mouse and standard Windows interface.
The encryption in question would be for electronic transfer or for documents on a CD-ROM. No sophistication needed, standard public key cryptography built into Windows ... the stuff that gets applied to your credit card when you shop at Amazon.
There have been organized hacker rings attacking US and Israeli systems for years. Not hard to imagine a member or two helping the bros along.
The Palestinian parliament has urged President Yasir Arafat to accept his prime minister's resignation and appoint a government empowered to carry out reforms and halt a descent into anarchy. Unprecedented street unrest against a Palestinian Authority widely seen as corrupt, resistant to reform and out of touch spurred Prime Minister Ahmad Quraya to resign, touching off a leadership crisis that some fear could turn into civil war.
We're hoping...
Lawmakers at a crisis session voted 43-4 for a resolution calling on Arafat to accept Quraya's resignation, which would dissolve his cabinet, and appoint a government "capable of carrying out its responsibilities" - a veiled demand to endow it with powers to impose law and order. Quraya had grown frustrated with his lack of power to make Palestinian institutions, above all a muddle of security agencies plagued by feuding and cronyism, more democratic and accountable. He submitted his resignation on Saturday only to be refused by Arafat. International mediators regard such reforms as critical to reducing violence in the Palestinian conflict with Israel and salvaging a "road map" peace plan.
Meanwhile, a vocal pro-reform critic of Arafat was shot and wounded by men firing into his Rama Allah home on Tuesday in what seemed to be part of a chaotic power struggle. The shooting followed a weekend of fighting between security forces loyal to Arafat and young fighters within his Fatah movement demanding sweeping reforms and a clean-up of graft.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/21/2004 10:22:26 PM ||
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A "Palestinian" MP? About as empowered as a NAZI MP in the Reichstag methinks...
I think we can safely trace back this newfound desire to the following statements by Qorei of late:
After his Cabinet meeting, Qorei said, "Who is corrupt and who isn't corrupt? These are the questions that are being raised, but this is not how corruption is solved."
He called on all Palestinians to "put an end to chaos and violence" as a way to "achieve our national goals."
"How joyful the Israelis are these days," Qorei said. "The only winners are our enemies."
[Foghorn Leghorn]
Any of this penetrating that pretty little bonnet of yours?
Iraq's neighbors agreed Wednesday to hold a high-level security meeting and share intelligence about cross-border infiltration, answering the war-ravaged nation's plea for assistance. Facing almost daily car bombings and firefights, Iraq accuses foreign Muslim infiltrators of being behind some of the deadliest attacks and says neighboring countries are either facilitating or turning a blind eye to infiltration across borders. After a day of long-winded deliberations and minor disagreements, Arab foreign ministers welcomed the proposal of Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari to convene interior ministers and security officials to discuss how to "eliminate all terrorist and other armed groups present and emanating from Iraqi territory which constitute a danger to Iraq and neighboring states," the final statement of the meeting said.
The date of the meeting, to be hosted by Iran, has not yet been decided. But delegates at the sixth regional meeting of Iraq's neighbors said the meeting will mean intelligence sharing, and possibly reinforcement of border patrols. "All of them accepted to work with us on this issue," Zebari told The Associated Press, saying he was pleased with the meeting's outcome. Wednesday's gathering was the first by the neighbors since sovereignty was returned to the Iraqis last month, a fact that likely translated into the delegates' readiness to act on their words of support. "Just as neighboring countries affect the situation in Iraq, they are affected by it," Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said. Saudi Foreign Minister Saud Al Faisal said the gathering approved all of Iraq's proposals. "These countries want to be of help to Iraq in facing crises," he said. "All the proposals presented by Iraq to the meeting were welcome."
Posted by: Fred ||
07/21/2004 9:47:11 PM ||
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When Reinhard Heydrich headed INTERPOL, he, too, improved security.
__________________Inmates running their respective asylums, methinks...
A pro-Palestinian American activist will be allowed to enter Israel after a month in detention, a court decided Thursday, overruling the country's main security service. Ann Petter, 44, a graphic designer from New York City, arrived at Israel's international airport on June 23 but was refused entry because of her association with the International Solidarity Movement, a group that tries to stop Israeli military operations in the West Bank and Gaza. Israel has in the past rounded up and deported goofy, hare-brained ISM activists. Israel's Shin-Bet security service said that Petter presented a threat to Israeli security and refused entry. Petter appealed the ruling, and the court decided that she should be allowed to enter Israel with a set of limitations. According to her lawyer, Yael Berda, Petter will not be allowed to be within a half mile of Israel's West Bank separation barrier, nor is she authorized to participate in demonstrations that could result in violence. "The conditions are very difficult," Berda said, "and if she violates them, she will be deported."
"Fire up the D-9, Avi!"
Berda said Petter planned to take part in a march this month against the separation barrier. She participated in a similar demonstration a year ago but was not arrested. During Petter's court hearing, the judge said Israel unfortunately does not have a policy of barring ISM activists, but the group's history makes it a den of vipors suspect. Jewish American ISM idiot activist Jamie Spector was denied entry into Israel on July 10 and is appealing the order.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/21/2004 2:27:09 PM ||
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So what is the bitch going to do if she can't stir up the natives? When they deport her (and they will) they should send her to Cuba or Iran.
The U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly adopted a resolution Tuesday demanding that Israel comply with a world court decision and tear down the barrier it is building to seal off the West Bank. A sensible defiant Israel vowed to continue construction. The 150-6 vote was opposed by Israel and the United States, which argued that the resolution was unbalanced. Ten countries abstained. The four other countries that opposed the resolution were Australia, Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau. The assembly's vote, like the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, is not legally binding as evidenced by the countless toothless resolutions and condemnations regarding Irag and a host of other despotic regimes. But both have symbolic value as international statements of condemnation of the barrier. Surely you jest, nothing that comes out of the UN has any value. Unless its truckloads of stolen US taxpayer money of course.
Only the Security Council can order the barrier to be torn down or impose sanctions, and the United States -- Israel's closest ally -- would without a doubtalmost certainly use its veto power to block any such resolution. The 191-member world body voted after lengthy negotiations between the Arab League and the European Union. Otherwise known as the anti-semite club.
The talks resulted in a revised text accepted by both groups. The new text added language reaffirming Israel's right to self-defense and called on the Palestinians to arrest would-be attackers and on Israel to stop attacking Palestinian civilians. By civilians they mean the guys with the nail bombs strapped to them. Continued on Page 49
Posted by: JerseyMike ||
07/21/2004 7:55:49 AM ||
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Uh,excuse me U.N.Does the acronym B.O.Y.A. mean anything to you.
blow-it out your ass.
Posted by: Scott R ||
07/21/2004 14:03 Comments ||
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I demand the Israelis tear down the barrier and drive the palis into the Jordan river. Into the water, Arafat.
Posted by: ed ||
07/21/2004 14:09 Comments ||
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#4
I demand that Israel provide me with the recipe for Orange Julius. Anybody else got some gratuitously stupid demands? Let's make a list.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
07/21/2004 14:17 Comments ||
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I am sure Sharon rushed engineers and troops to the 'wall' to begin tearing it down. In a related story people began to complain about hte frost forming in Hades. PLEASE, PLEASE somebody get up the Cajones and tell this bunch of human scum (the un) to GO HOME!
#6
I demand that the UN pick a side and stick with it. Are they a real partner in the 4-party Peace Plan, the Plan that insists security failures of the Palestinians must be corrected for the negotiations of the two-state solution to proceed? Yes? Then UN: STFU about the wall, get off your lazy, hypocritical a**es and do something that actually helps people instead of grandstanding at the tea party.
#11
I demand the UN to get it's headquarters the hell out of my country, it ain't about to happen.
Kofi! S*%# in one hand and wish in the other and see which one fills up first.
Three Americans accused of torturing Afghans in a private jail during a freelance counterterror mission went on trial Wednesday, with their ringleader denying any wrongdoing and claiming U.S. government support. Jonathan K. Idema, Brett Bennett and Edward Caraballo were arrested when Afghan security forces raided their makeshift jail in a house in Kabul on July 5. American and Afghan authorities say they were vigilantes posing as U.S. special forces and had no official backing. Appearing before a three-judge panel in a national security court, the trio listened quietly to the charges - including hostage-taking and torture, and as three of their ex-detainees described how they were beaten, doused with boiling water and deprived of food. The Americans didn't testify. But Idema said afterward that the abuse allegations were invented. He also said he was in regular phone and e-mail contact with Pentagon officials "at the highest level."
In which case there'll be evidence...
... except that Sandy Berger was rummaging around in the files, and ...
"In the event your IMF team is caught or killed, the Secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions."
Idema named a Pentagon official who allegedly asked the group to go "under contract" - an offer they refused. "The American authorities absolutely condoned what we did, they absolutely supported what we did," he told reporters crowding round the dock.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/21/2004 7:53:53 AM ||
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Idema named a Pentagon official who allegedly asked the group to go "under contract" - an offer they refused. "The American authorities absolutely condoned what we did, they absolutely supported what we did," he told reporters crowding round the dock.
Well if these guys weren't under contract (assuming I understand its application here), the Pentagon isn't really responsible for what they did, regardless of whether U.S. government officials supported them or not. ("support" in this case would probably mean verbal, which probably isn't going to amount to much)
#2
He also said he was in regular phone and e-mail contact with Pentagon officials "at the highest level."
I have a lot of people that send e-mails to me as well. I don't think that the term frequent contact applies if the e-mail is only opened for the purpose of deletion.
"an offer they refused." So they had no orders or purpose in their actions. Somebody better pass out some Cliff Notes to Heart of Darkness before allowing screening Apocolypse Now for the mentally deranged. Kurtz was supposed to be an abomination not a role model.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
07/21/2004 21:18 Comments ||
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Sounds like some useless bounty hunting operation by some knob wankers. I hope they get anything that might be comming to them.
#4
I went to school with one of these kids. You all are making comments about things you have no clue about. It's unbelieveable. It wouldn't be the first time our twisted government denied the truth. You all act as if our government is a honest group of people, who never lie or break the law. This wouldn't be the first time our government denied the truth
Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said his country was ready to mobilize an international Muslim force to rehabilitate war-torn Iraq. "We are prepared to rally support among the Organisation of the Islamic Conference [OIC] to rebuild Iraq and strengthen its institutions of governance and its economic system," Abdullah said late Monday after talks with US President George W. Bush in the Oval Office. Abdullah, chairman of the 57-member OIC, said the world would risk another failure in nation-building if Iraq was left in the cold at this juncture, rendering the region politically unstable and economically stagnant. "We should no longer stand on the sidelines and merely watch Iraq struggle to find its feet after years of dictatorship and a recent invasion," he said at a dinner in Washington hosted by the US-ASEAN Business Council. Malaysia, for its part, was ready to send a "sizeable" medical team to Iraq and participate in the reconstruction of Iraq, Abdullah said. He warned that if the reconstruction of Iraq failed, the entire Muslim world would blame the US-led invasion for setting off a chain of events that led to sustained misery for ordinary Iraqis and a clash between the West and the Muslim world. Abdullah pointed out that the Muslim world still needed some demonstration of good faith from the US in addressing the root causes of terrorism, in particular the unresolved question of Palestine.
We in turn need some demonstration of good faith from the Muslim world, such as capturing and beheading the jihadis. You first.
He said he suggested and Bush agreed that a "capacity-building" program be undertaken in poor Muslim countries as part of efforts to demonstrate such good faith. Bush said: "We talked about Iraq, and I told him I was pleased with the progress being made in Iraq, and the prime minister had some helpful suggestions. "So, all in all, it's been a very constructive meeting," Bush said.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
07/21/2004 12:12:13 AM ||
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#1
Now that things are going well, Muslim countries want to join in - just to make sure that Iraqi Muslims don't stray too far off the reservation. Of course, there's nothing wrong with PR, and the cordial first official meeting between GWB and Malaysia's new prime minister is definitely a good thing. Of course, Malaysia's also looking to mend fences after Mahathir brought relations with the US to the lowest point in a while.
The irony is that politics aside, Malaysia is one country that has seen significant inroads by American multinationals. On my last visit there, I noticed that American fast food chains are represented in strip malls on the outskirts of town - where in other countries in Asia, they are not particularly commonplace - much like hothouse plants - and mostly located in city centers. American brands and retail outlets are all over the place. And yet the government keeps up a steady drumbeat of anti-Americanism in the government-controlled press, abetted by the slanted newswire items from Reuters, AP and AFP that don't even need editing to achieve the desired effect.
#2
There are a lot of people in Iraq who are angry at the decades long hug that the OIC had with Saddam. If the OIC does not make good on their pledge to help Iraq, this anger will get worse.
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