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NCRI sez Iran making missiles to hit Europe
Today's Headlines
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Page 1: WoT Operations
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Page 4: Opinion
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Arabia
Four Terror Suspects Held
Arab News
Saudi security forces have arrested four suspects following raids in various parts of the Kingdom, press reports said, adding that seven officers were injured when their vehicle overturned during a chase. "Police arrested two suspects in Artawiya, north of Majmaa," Okaz reported. The Arabic daily said the two men surrendered without putting up any resistance. The remaining two were held in Buraidah and Hafr Al-Baten. Brig. Mansour Al-Turki, a spokesman of the Interior Ministry, confirmed that the seven security personnel were "slightly injured" while they were chasing wanted terrorists in the Dabae area, north of Hafr Al-Baten.
Posted by: Fred || 12/02/2004 9:24:20 PM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Britain
Asylum seeker in missile lorry
Navy officials have launched an inquiry after a suspected asylum seeker was discovered in the back of a lorry full of missile parts at a naval base. The truck had just arrived at HMS Nelson in Portsmouth when the stowaway, thought to be Syrian, jumped out.
"That man! I think he's Syrian!"
He was caught by military police and transferred into the custody of immigration officials at Portsmouth ferry port.
"Here's a nice Syrian for you, Alistaire!"
"Hah! You only think he's Syrian!"
The MoD say there was no danger as the missile parts were packed in boxes.
"It's okay. He wasn't smoking."
HMS Nelson is the Royal Navy's main Portsmouth base, home to the aircraft carrier Invincible. An MoD spokesman said: "We can confirm that Ministry of Defence Police did apprehend a suspected illegal immigrant after he jumped from the back of a lorry in Portsmouth naval base. He was transferred to the custody of the immigration service at Portsmouth continental ferry port. There will be an investigation into the incident to discover the full facts and to see whether procedures need to be improved." He added: "If somebody comes into the base in the back of a truck it's obviously a concern. It was dealt with by security."
Posted by: Howard UK || 12/02/2004 07:32 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  The USN needs to start renaming buildings immediately.
Posted by: Shipman || 12/02/2004 10:40 Comments || Top||

#2  Security? What security? Didn't anybody look in the back of the truck at the main gate?
Posted by: mojo || 12/02/2004 14:22 Comments || Top||

#3  Perhaps he was confused for a practice target.
Posted by: Shipman || 12/02/2004 16:51 Comments || Top||


Caribbean-Latin America
Conviction of American in Peru Upheld
Awwwwwwwwwwwww. Too bad, so sad for Lori.
The Inter-American Court of Human Rights has upheld the conviction of an American woman imprisoned in Peru for terrorist collaboration with Marxist guerrillas, President Alejandro Toledo confirmed Thursday. When asked to comment on news reports of the ruling about Lori Berenson, Toledo told Radioprogramas radio that the court members "have ratified the sentence and I once again salute the court members.It is undoubtedly a great satisfaction and tranquility for Peruvian justice and all Peruvians," Toledo said.

Phone calls to Berenson's family in New York City were not answered, and no spokesman for Peru's court system was available to confirm the news reports. Jose Luis Sandoval, Berenson's lawyer in Peru, told The Associated Press that Berenson's legal team had received no notification from the court. The court, which is affiliated with the Organization of American States, last week debated Berenson's appeal and 20-year sentence. Sandoval said the Costa Rica-based court was expected to notify her family and the Peruvian government on Thursday. Berenson, 35, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology dropout, has spent nine years in Peruvian prisons in a case that has wended through Peru's legal system twice so far. She appealed to the Inter-American court as a last resort after Peru's Supreme Court upheld a June 2001 conviction for "terrorist collaboration" in a civilian retrial.
So what's her next moonbat move?
Her legal team, led by former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark, argued, among other things, that her trial failed to meet international standards for fairness.
Another fine defense job by Ramsey.
Lori forgot to ask Ramsey when the last time was that he actually won a case.
She was improperly tried twice for the same crime, Clark said, and faced hostile judges who relied on coerced testimony and tainted evidence from an earlier military trial. Berenson has denied any wrongdoing.
I'm a victim of coircumstance, judgey-wudgey!
Posted by: tu3031 || 12/02/2004 10:50:02 AM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  ...her trial failed to meet international standards for fairness.

Clark's standard for fairness: any leftist activity is by definition legal and moral
Posted by: Dreadnought || 12/02/2004 11:10 Comments || Top||

#2  So a young college activist goes to Peru on 'vacation' and happens to end up sharing a house (and probably bed) with the local leftist rebels. This is all due to bad luck or maybe bad judgement? Sorry honey I am not squirting any tears over your situation.
Posted by: Cyber Sarge || 12/02/2004 11:38 Comments || Top||

#3  When you run with the dogs, expect to get fleas.
Posted by: Don || 12/02/2004 11:45 Comments || Top||

#4  I think that she has found her niche in life. Works for us. Maybe Ramsey Clark can use his political capital with the MSM to drum this thing up to a great crusade er cause.
---or not.
Posted by: Alaska Paul || 12/02/2004 11:47 Comments || Top||

#5  Sounds like another case of Moonbatus americanus expecting the same kid-glove treatment overseas that they get at home.
Posted by: docob || 12/02/2004 12:00 Comments || Top||

#6  and faced hostile judges who relied on coerced testimony and tainted evidence

Tainted evidence
Ohhh-oh-ohh-oh-ooooooo
tainted evidence
Don't trust me,
I can't stand the way you use me,
I love you but you hurt me so
Posted by: Soft Cell || 12/02/2004 18:35 Comments || Top||

#7  Hey! Don't mess with my wedding song!
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/02/2004 22:56 Comments || Top||


Home Front: WoT
Habib torture claims heard by US court
A US court has been told of claims by Australian terror suspect Mamdouh Habib that evidence about his involvement in terrorism came from statements he was forced to make under torture in US and Egyptian custody. Habib's lawyer, Joe Margulies, revealed the statements, made to a US military panel, during a Washington court hearing into the rights of more than 500 Guantanamo Bay detainees who are attempting to gain access to the US legal system, The Sydney Morning Herald said. Mr Margulies said Habib told the panel the statements he gave were false and "given only because he was tortured".The lawyer said he intended to press the allegations of torture very vigorously, the SMH reported. Habib has been in US custody for more than three years without being charged.
Posted by: God Save The World || 12/02/2004 3:52:52 PM || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:


Islamic charity lawsuit stays dismissed
An appeals court Wednesday upheld the dismissal of an Islamic charity's defamation lawsuit against six news organizations and eight journalists, all of whom had reported the charity was under investigation for possible terrorist ties. The U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals brushed aside claims by Global Relief Foundation that there were serious doubts about whether the government could prove it had ever supported terrorism. The news organizations, including The Associated Press, never wrote Global Relief had ties to terrorism, but that it was under investigation for possible ties. "Whether the government was justified in its probe is irrelevant to the defamation claims when these media defendants accurately reported on the investigation, itself," Judge Ilana Diamond Rovner wrote in her opinion.

In dismissing the suit in February 2003, Judge David Coar cited an affidavit signed by an FBI agent saying the government was investigating Global Relief for "its possible ties to terrorist organizations, including al-Qaida, and its possible support of terrorist activities." He cited a similar statement by an official with the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control, saying Global Relief had been under investigation for possible terrorist ties at least since September 2001. Global Relief attorney Roger Simmons said he hadn't seen the opinion yet, but added: "I am disappointed."
There goes your big payday
Global Relief has consistently denied it supports terrorism, saying that it raises funds for Muslim charities around the world.
That's what they all say, just before they plead guilty
Posted by: Steve || 12/02/2004 1:49:03 PM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Southeast Asia
Bashir addressed JI recruits in Mindanao
Alleged South-East Asian militant chief Abu Bakar Bashir gave a speech to recruits at a southern Philippines terrorist-training camp where Muslim militants learned bombmaking skills, a radical told an Indonesian court. Prosecutors have submitted an indictment alleging that Bashir incited militants to attack Western targets in a speech to recruits at a camp in the Philippines in 2000. He denies visiting the Philippines that year.
"Nope. Nope. Wudn't me."
But prosecution witness Yudi Lukito, an Islamic militant serving a prison term for illegal weapons possession, told the court he had seen a white-robed Bashir at the camp in 2000. "I saw him directly for about five to 10 minutes," Lukito said during Bashir's continuing trial in Jakarta. "He told us that as a Muslim we are brothers and that we have to help Muslims brothers everywhere." Lukito said he learned weapon-handling and bomb-making skills at the camp. Prosecutors did not ask whether Bashir had urged those present to bomb Western targets. Earlier this week, three witnesses - also Islamic militants serving jail time - failed to directly implicate Bashir in any crimes. Authorities are expected to present much of the same evidence at this trial, but they say their case has been strengthened by new witnesses and documents seized during a crackdown on militants.
Posted by: Dan Darling || 12/02/2004 2:51:21 AM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Iraq-Jordan
Iraqi commander says 10 insurgents killed
Ten insurgents were killed in a clash with Iraqi security forces during a raid in the northern city of Mosul, a top commander said today. Maj. Gen. Rasheed Feleih said two rebels were captured during the firefight, which flared overnight when a police special forces unit was conducting a sweep through the city's troubled al-Islah neighbourhood. Mosul's 5,000-member police force disintegrated during an insurgent uprising last month, forcing the US command and the interim government to divert troops from the offensive in Fallujah. Two police officers were injured in yesterday's fighting, said Feleih, who heads the police special forces group in Mosul.
Posted by: God Save The World || 12/02/2004 4:09:20 PM || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Disintegration should be more frequent if this is the result.
Posted by: john || 12/02/2004 20:26 Comments || Top||

#2  Maj. Gen. Rasheed Feleih said two rebels were captured during the firefight,..

Why are these lowlifes still being captured? Save time, money, and trouble by adding them to the insurgent body count.
Posted by: Bomb-a-rama || 12/02/2004 23:35 Comments || Top||


Blasts Hit Central Baghdad, Killing One
Several mortar rounds exploded in central Baghdad on Thursday, including two in the Green Zone, the enclave that houses Iraq's interim administration and several foreign embassies. At least one person was killed. Thick smoke rose from the sites of the Green Zone blasts, and sirens blared across the fortified area. Two U.S. Black Hawk helicopters arrived and landed within minutes of the detonations. A few minutes later, more shells landed on the other side of the Tigris River. One struck near a mobile phone office in the al-Arasat neighborhood, killing one person. A U.S. military spokesman confirmed the Green Zone attack but had no details. U.S. soldiers and Iraqis ran for cover in the compound housing Baghdad's international hotels. Several more blasts from an area west of the Green Zone were heard, but their exact location was not known. Last week, a mortar attack killed four employees of a British security firm and wounded at least 12 in the zone, which houses the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.
Posted by: God Save The World || 12/02/2004 4:07:44 PM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


WoT Futures Results
Event: Giuliani Named to be CIA Director
Group: GWB
Narrative: After winning re-election, Pres Bush will name Rudy Giuliani the new permanent head of the CIA.
Window: 0 Months (12/5/2004)
Probability 75% entered by BigEd on 6/8/2004
Probability 25% entered by Atomic Conspiracy on 6/9/2004
Probability 0% entered by Zpaz on 6/20/2004
Probability 0% entered by tu3031 on 6/26/2004
Overall opinion is Unlikely (25%)
Current opinion is Unlikely (8%)
I don't even think Goss was on the radar back then, or maybe barely. There are big things in Giuliani's future, though...
Posted by: Fred || 12/02/2004 3:38:51 PM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  As the head bonehead of predictors, I now will stick my neck out and say Rudy has a good chance to replace John Danforth as UN Ambassador. Danforth could well go on and be a SURPRISE replacement for Chief Justice Renquist...

Don't bet onit, though....
Posted by: BigEd || 12/02/2004 18:45 Comments || Top||


Afghanistan/South Asia
More on the dead Chechen
A Chechen national, who was believed to have links to al-Qaeda, was killed and 11 policemen were wounded in an operation against a gang of Chechen militants in Killi Paind Khan, in the outskirts of the provincial capital, on Wednesday morning. Meanwhile, a Chechen suspect told investigators that there were about 800 to 900 foreign nationals who had taken shelter in Wana. Police officials said they had "successfully" completed the operation against the Chechen militants, which was launched late on tuesday night and continued till 7am on Wednesday. Police recovered a weapon and explosive devices from the hide-out of the militants.
Along with 800-900 dead furriners?... Hello?
Posted by: Dan Darling || 12/02/2004 2:44:11 PM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Pakistani court orders al-Qaeda doctors sprung
A Pakistani court on Thursday ordered the release on bail of two doctors accused of helping injured Al Qaeda militants and local extremists, court officials said. Heart specialist Akmal Waheed and his brother, orthopaedic surgeon Arshad Waheed, were seized in July in Karachi for alleged ties to Osama bin Laden's network and to a group accused of a deadly attack on a top army general's convoy. The provincial high court in Karachi told the pair to deposit their passports to prevent them fleeing the country, public prosecutor Habib Ahmed told AFP.

"We have opposed their release, but the court ordered their release on bail, if not required in any other case," Ahmed said. The brothers face charges of providing medical aid to militants from the Al Qaeda-linked group Jund Allah, or Army of God, which was blamed for the attack on Lieutenant General Ahsan Saleem Hayat in June. Police said the doctors had also provided medical treatment to two foreign Al Qaeda operatives, Abu Hashim and Abu Mussab. The doctors' bail application had been rejected in October by the anti-terrorism court hearing their case, but they filed an appeal against the decision with the high court of southern Sindh province. Akmal Waheed's wife Fouzia, also a doctor, has denied her husband was involved in any terrorist activities.
Well, that settles it for me...
Posted by: Dan Darling || 12/02/2004 2:31:10 PM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Why bother taking away their passports in Pakistan, world headquarters of document forgery? And why would terrorists need the services of a heart specialist? An orthop[a]edic surgeon can be useful repairing limbs broken in various types of work accidents; but, surely, if the damage reaches the heart, the rest of the patient is very much beyond repair!
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/02/2004 17:38 Comments || Top||


No sign of Binny in Kashmir
"Nope. We asked around. Nobody's seen him."
The Indian Air Force does not have evidence to suggest that Al-Qaeda masterind Osama Bin Laden is in Jammu and Kashmir, a top IAF official said on Thursday. "I have read some of the reports. Right now, the IAF has no idea where Osama Bin Laden is. When I hear about it officially, I will share it with you," IAF Vice Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal S P Tyagi told reporters. "And certainly, there is no evidence to suggest he is in Kashmir," the Air Chief designate said, when asked about recent reports in the American media that IAF had sighted Bin Laden and alerted the FBI.
Posted by: Dan Darling || 12/02/2004 2:34:06 PM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  He should be shot for that so called chair.
Posted by: Shipman || 12/02/2004 16:46 Comments || Top||

#2  He's almost there now Shipman...the only thing he needs now in that chair is a scepter in his right hand and a lightning bolt in the left!
Posted by: smn || 12/02/2004 18:02 Comments || Top||

#3  Wahoe!?

When I hear about it officially, I will share it with you,"
Posted by: 2b || 12/02/2004 18:31 Comments || Top||

#4 


Can't find Binny?
Hire Carmen!

Posted by: BigEd || 12/02/2004 19:17 Comments || Top||


Africa: Horn
'Serious incident' reported between Darfur truce monitors, Sudan army
A "serious incident" has occurred between soldiers from the Sudanese army and members of a commission, led by Chad, monitoring a ceasefire in Sudan's Darfur region, corroborating sources said. A ceasefire commission team had travelled Wednesday to Itou town, north of Nyala in southern Darfur, to investigate accusations made by the rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) that 65 civilians had been killed Tuesday in a bombing raid by the Sudanese air force.
You might think that killing 65 civilians would qualify as a "serious incident". Unless you've been reading Rantburg, that is.
According to the rebels' military spokesman, Colonel Abdallah Abdel Kerim, the ceasefire commission team was attacked by troops from the Sudanese armed forces.
Bomb civilians, no problem. Commit genocide, no problem. Attack the ceasefire team, NOW we've got a problem!
"They set their car on fire and injured a Chadian colonel," Abdel Kerim told AFP by telephone.
Now they've done it!
A source close to the ceasefire commission confirmed that an "incident" had occurred but would not corroborate the rebels' version of the story. The source also confirmed that there had been a bombing raid on Itou on Tuesday, but did not give a casualty figure. "Once again, the Sudanese government is not abiding by its commitments and continues to violate the ceasefire," JEM's Abdel Kerim said. "We are seriously considering pulling out of negotiations in Abuja," the Nigerian capital, where talks between the warring sides in Darfur are due to resume next week.
Posted by: Steve || 12/02/2004 11:58:56 AM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  It'll turn out to be the Ivory Coast Air Force again. Time for another shoot out in Abidjian.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis || 12/02/2004 12:35 Comments || Top||

#2  I think it's time for Khartoum to reap some serious consequences for their arrogance. I'd LOVE to see an arclight on the center of town, and another on a couple of the major Sudanese air force bases and army posts. Maybe one such series of "lessons" will be enough. If not, rinse and repeat as long as necessary. The only thing the arrogant Arab mind understands is force. We need to show a little heavy muscle, so they understand we won't put up with any more of their BS.
Posted by: Old Patriot || 12/02/2004 13:16 Comments || Top||

#3  Can't somebody just destroy their stupid air force?
Posted by: Cleresh Ebbinegum3445 || 12/02/2004 14:12 Comments || Top||

#4  Send in the Jamaican 3rd Ganja Brigade!
Posted by: mojo || 12/02/2004 14:23 Comments || Top||

#5  OP, define "arclight" in this scenario, please. Thanks!
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/02/2004 22:32 Comments || Top||


Afghanistan/South Asia
Spy plane crashes into French school in Kabul
How do you say "Oops" in Pashto?
An unmanned spy plane believed to be operated by a US security firm crashed into a school in the Afghan capital Kabul without causing any casualties, an eyewitness and sources told AFP Thursday. The unmanned 1.5 metre (yard) long drone smashed into a window at the French-funded Istiqlal high school close to President Hamid Karzai's palace, according to a senior official at the school. DynCorp, a private US security company that guards [Karzai], uses drones to survey the grounds around the palace, a source close to Karzai told AFP. "It crashed shortly after 1:00pm (0830 GMT) on a window of the centre which was broken and nobody was injured," said the director of the school's cultural centre Daniel Massat-Bourrat. Two heavily-armed Americans wearing capes in plain clothes jumped the wall of the palace into the school grounds and removed the wreckage, offering to pay for repairs, Massat-Bourrat said. "They presented themselves with a codename: planet," Massat-Bourrat said.
"L'eclair c'est bleu!"
"Ahah! Planet!"
"Cheeze!"
"Frommage!"
"What's all that mean?"
"Nothin'. But it entertains the kiddies."
The drone did not belong to the US military, spokesman Major Mark McCann said. Three US military unmanned craft have crashed in Afghanistan this year, with the last coming down on November 24. DynCorp maintains a heavy presence in Kabul and trains Afghanistan's fledgling police force. In August, a bomb outside the company's office in the capital killed nine people including four of its employees. The Istiqlal school, which has 5,600 pupils, is jointly financed by the Afghan ministry of education and France. Its alumni include Ahmad Shah Masood, the resistance hero killed by suspected Taliban in September 2001.
Posted by: Seafarious || 12/02/2004 11:53:04 AM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Mon Dieu! Unmanned drones--why do zey 'ate us?
Posted by: Dar || 12/02/2004 12:08 Comments || Top||

#2  the French-funded Istiqlal high school

Home of the Fighting Weasels?
Posted by: Mike || 12/02/2004 12:14 Comments || Top||

#3  Getting some close-ups of the enemy, eh?
Posted by: Mrs. Davis || 12/02/2004 12:17 Comments || Top||

#4  AI on board? Briefly self aware, perhaps?
Posted by: Bulldog || 12/02/2004 12:44 Comments || Top||

#5  Mike told

Yhe French-funded Istiqlal high school Home of the Fighting Weasels?

In fact it was there where Commander Massoud went to high school. Commander Massoud was the ablest of the Afghan resoistance leaders againt the Soviets and the one who ever opposed to the Taliban and held them at bay until his assasination two days befotre 9/11.
Posted by: JFM || 12/02/2004 12:48 Comments || Top||

#6  Now that's trivia!
Posted by: Mrs. Davis || 12/02/2004 12:50 Comments || Top||

#7  Sorry, JFM, just having a little fun there. Massoud was one of the good guys, and any institution should be proud to have his like as an alumni.
Posted by: Mike || 12/02/2004 12:53 Comments || Top||

#8  Dang! Intel says that Koran teacher's classroom had the window OPEN!

Those kids will think it was just a metallic bird... Allah Akhbar, Baby!

Posted by: BigEd || 12/02/2004 12:55 Comments || Top||

#9  DynCorp, codename PLANET. Sounds SciFi. Now if only we could contract out a few malnourished ethiopians and paint them grey.
Posted by: Whutch Hupegum7189 || 12/02/2004 13:18 Comments || Top||

#10  My last boss in the Air Force runs the Air Force drone program from Kuwait. He has lots of amusing stories, most of which can't be repeated for security reasons. We had a great gab-fest when he was out at Carson for a demonstration. Predators forever!
Posted by: Old Patriot || 12/02/2004 13:19 Comments || Top||

#11  Actually, he said his name was Captain Planet, but that got lost in translation.
Posted by: Carl in N.H. || 12/02/2004 15:25 Comments || Top||

#12  Picture looks a lot like an old Luftwaffe insignia. What you guys been up to?
Posted by: Weird Al || 12/02/2004 17:10 Comments || Top||

#13  Massoud held the Taliban at bay?!?! He was cornered in the Panjshir mountains and couldn't move until the day the AQ whacked him. Only after the U.S. flooded the place with funds and soldiers did they move out of their redoubt.
Posted by: gromky || 12/02/2004 22:05 Comments || Top||

#14  A little glue, some feathers, and voila!
Posted by: .com || 12/02/2004 22:21 Comments || Top||

#15  Gorgeous picture, .com! Y'know, with the great strides being made in DNA research these days, it may not be long until such a bird actually flies through school windows.... d'you suppose they'll get to have teeny, tiny missiles, too? Imagine how much a raptor would enjoy seeing things go boom ;-)
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/02/2004 22:54 Comments || Top||

#16  Lol! :-) You're right about raptors - I dunno if they'd choose to give up tearing via beak 'n claw, though. When I was a kid, my brother and I rescued 2 baby red-tails who'd fallen out of their nest in a storm. "Mom" raised such a ruckus zooming around squawking that we were able to find them. She almost took my head off on one pass, heh. They were doomed, so we took 'em and raised 'em for about a month. Chopped chicken hearts mixed with Alpo. When they could "perch" and started growing perm feathers, we gave them to the Forest Park Zoo in Ft Worth, TX. They were cool, but shredded your fingers during feeding time - which had to be by hand - swallowing up to the 2nd knuckle - their instincts allowed no other way, heh. I've always loved birds of prey.
Posted by: .com || 12/02/2004 23:08 Comments || Top||


Israel-Palestine
Ten Candidates to Run in Palestinian Election
Ten candidates will run in the Palestinian Authority's presidential election to replace Yasser Arafat, officials said on Thursday after finalizing the list of contenders for the Jan. 9 race. Heading the list was Mahmoud Abbas, Arafat's successor as the head of the Palestine Liberation Organization, as well as Marwan Barghouthi, a leader of the Palestinian uprising, who is serving five life sentences in an Israeli jail.

Abbas, a moderate who will be representing the mainstream Fatah faction, had been seen as the frontrunner in the election until Barghouthi's candidacy was submitted shortly before a deadline on Wednesday night. Barghouthi, the most popular choice among Palestinians to succeed Arafat, told his wife during a prison visit that he wanted to run in the election as an independent candidate.

His candidacy has upset Abbas's chances and thrown the Palestinian political arena into turmoil. Palestinian officials have called on Barghouthi to withdraw his candidacy to maintain unity among Palestinian ranks. "Candidates have until midnight on Dec. 15 to withdraw their candidacy," Rami Hamdullah, Secretary-General of the Central Elections Committee (CEC), told a news conference in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Hamdullah said so far 71 percent of the Palestinian electorate, or 1,282,524 Palestinians, had registered to vote. "The CEC has approved 10 applications and rejected two applications due to ineligibility," he said. The snap election was called to replace Arafat as head of the Palestinian Authority after he died of an undisclosed illness at a French hospital.

The eight other candidates are:
  • Abdel Sattar Qassem - Independent

  • Bassam Salhi - Palestine People Party

  • Tayssir Khaled - Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine

  • Abdel Karim Shbier - Independent

  • Hassan khreisheh - Independent [Gesundheit!]

  • Abdel Halim al-Ashqar - Independent

  • Alsaied Barakah - Independent

  • Mustafa Barghouthi - Independent
Posted by: Steve || 12/02/2004 11:02:36 AM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  apparently Islamic Jihad and the PFLP are also not fielding candidates (we already knew Hamas wouldn't)

I also noticed that Mubarak has essentially endorsed Abbas, criticized Barghouthi (Marwan not Mustafa) at:
http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/508549.html
Posted by: mhw || 12/02/2004 11:46 Comments || Top||

#2  You left Ralph Nader off the list. Doesn't he run every year?
Posted by: Chuck Simmins || 12/02/2004 12:35 Comments || Top||

#3  I nominate Adam Shapiro of ISM. Let him live in the Mukata for the rest of his days.
Posted by: Seafarious || 12/02/2004 12:38 Comments || Top||

#4  The aquarium is part of the prize package? Well, I can see why the long list.
Posted by: Shipman || 12/02/2004 13:20 Comments || Top||

#5  From LGF:

---------
Abdelhalim al-Ashkar, 43: a resident of the United States with a degree in business administration. Al-Ashkar has been arrested twice by U.S. authorities on suspicion of funding radical Islamic groups. His wife and three children are American citizens. Originally from the West Bank, he is running as an independent.
----------------------------
Posted by: mhw || 12/02/2004 19:37 Comments || Top||

#6  You left Ralph Nader off the list.

And if Lyndon LaRouche can run from jail, in Palestine that makes Barghouthi the odds-on favorite.
Posted by: Raj || 12/02/2004 19:41 Comments || Top||

#7  what about Saeb Erefat and Hanan Ashrawi? Just cretinous hangers-on who have no ambition?
Posted by: Frank G || 12/02/2004 20:14 Comments || Top||

#8  Moe Greene? Barzini? The Tattagglias?
Posted by: tu3031 || 12/02/2004 21:08 Comments || Top||

#9  Ten Targets Candidates to Run in Palestinian Election
Posted by: Zenster || 12/02/2004 23:07 Comments || Top||


Iraq-Jordan
Marines: Fallujah Battle a Source of Pride
Maj. Rich Bourgeois says the image of a young Navy medical corpsman rushing to aid a mortally wounded Marine in Fallujah's notorious Jolan district will be forever imprinted in his mind.

"In the middle of a firefight, there was this wounded Marine, his left leg blown off and just the femur sticking out," recounts Bourgeois, 41, of Malden, Mass. "And the young corpsman ran to his side, oblivious to the battle, applying the tourniquet."

More than 50 Marines have died since the Fallujah attack began Nov. 8, and skirmishes still take place in the city. Yet for some Marines, their performance in one of the major battles of the Iraq conflict is a source of pride.

"Fallujah is going to be right up there among the most successful battles in Iraq," said Maj. Tom Davis, 45, of St. Cloud, Minn. "It's where the rubber meets the road. That is where our heroes did their best."

Fighting in Fallujah and elsewhere in Iraq made November one of the bloodiest months for American forces since the war began in March 2003. At least 135 U.S. troops died in November -- the same number as last April, which had been the deadliest month of the conflict.

"Fallujah has been a life-changing event for many of the Marines, fighting in an environment that is just unfathomable to anyone outside," said Bourgeois, an explosives expert who retired from active duty two years ago, but was recalled this year.

During the Fallujah battle, he was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment to study enemy tactics and techniques.

Although the fighting was brutal, Bourgeois believes the Marines' morale was reinforced when they found evidence of atrocities committed by insurgents -- including emaciated hostages chained to the wall and bodies of those killed execution-style.

"When we saw what the enemy did, what they were capable of doing, we were only more eager to do away with this pure evil," Bourgeois added. "Regardless of how many pockets of resistance are still out there, it will not sway our morale. Nothing can."

First Lt. Lyle Gilbert, a spokesman for the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, said morale is high in Fallujah -- despite the ongoing firefights.

"Sure, the Marines are engaging every day. Fallujah is not as cleared as everyone would like it to be," he said. "Some insurgents still lie there in waiting. They get restless, hungry and start shooting at us. But we will chase them. We shall beat them on their turf."

Lt. Col. Dan Wilson said that although major resistance collapsed two weeks ago, Fallujah remains a very dangerous place for American troops because some insurgents are still holding out or have slipped back into the city.

"One minute they (Marines) might be handing out emergency supplies and a couple of steps away, they might be getting shot at by insurgents who are still hiding in some damaged structure," Wilson said.

Some of the Marines echoed those concerns as they patrol Fallujah, its empty streets an apocalyptic landscape of bombed out buildings and debris.

"There is always a moment of uncertainty that some Iraqi would be passing by, giving us the thumbs up and the next minute he'd fire an AK-47 at us," said Sgt. Mike Wagner, 27, of St. Louis. "But you know that your buddy is there, watching your back. If it weren't for my buddies, I wouldn't be here."

Sgt. Wayne Doyle, 23, of Neversink, N.Y., said he naturally misses home.

"But I'd much rather be here with my Marines," he said. "And I'd do Fallujah all over again."
Posted by: tipper || 12/02/2004 9:28:13 AM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Marines: Fallujah Battle a Source of Pride

This is a simple statement of fact. I hope no one thinks this is a controversial idea...

"There is always a moment of uncertainty that some Iraqi would be passing by, giving us the thumbs up and the next minute he’d fire an AK-47 at us,"

And of course, our boys give the scumbag terrorist a one-way trip to see the virgins...
Posted by: BigEd || 12/02/2004 13:00 Comments || Top||

#2  About f**kin' time the MSM showed us an accurate, no-BS picture of the marines and their morale in Fallujah.
Posted by: lex || 12/02/2004 13:17 Comments || Top||

#3  "Major Rich Bourgeois" !

Boy, each part of that officer's name is geared to pissing off the lefties.
Posted by: Carl in N.H. || 12/02/2004 15:37 Comments || Top||

#4  If only his parents had nicknamed him Dick, he could be working any where else in the government.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis || 12/02/2004 15:40 Comments || Top||

#5  Bravery, valor, honor, what else do you expect from America's finest? And the world's very best.
Posted by: Capt America || 12/02/2004 16:33 Comments || Top||

#6  LOL Carl!
Posted by: Shipman || 12/02/2004 17:15 Comments || Top||

#7  "And I’d do Fallujah all over again." I think this says it all. The Marines continue to impress me every single day.
Posted by: Remoteman || 12/02/2004 17:28 Comments || Top||

#8  Is Maj. Bourgeois related to the Col. Bourgeois who headed the US Marine Corps Band in the 1990s? It's an odd coincidence either way.
Posted by: Eric Jablow || 12/02/2004 18:37 Comments || Top||

#9  Semper Fi!...and thank God for these brave young men and women.
Posted by: anymouse || 12/02/2004 18:49 Comments || Top||


IRAQI FORCES TAKE OVER NAJAF
Iraqi security forces have taken over the Shi'ite city of Najaf.
That's usually what happens before the hard boyz coming crawling back out of the rubble to take the city away from them...
Iraqi police and security forces formally assumed responsibility for Najaf, the city torn by a Shi'ite insurgency in August 2004. The U.S. 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit transferred control of Najaf to Iraqi police and security units on Tuesday. The transfer came more than three months after the end of combat operations in Najaf. Since Aug. 28, officials said no major incidents took place in Najaf, which had been the headquarters of the Iranian-backed Mahdi Army. The Marines have steadily reduced their presence in Najaf over the last two months, officials said. They said Iraqi security forces have been conducting limited security operation with little to no U.S. Marine oversight.
Posted by: Fred || 12/02/2004 10:01:12 PM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  I absolutely agree with Tater's indication of a optimal targeting solution for a Marine sniper.
Posted by: Ptah || 12/02/2004 8:48 Comments || Top||

#2  Taters given up the jihad thing, at least for now. Hes trying to get seats on Sistanis joint Shia fundie list, and whining about how few seats Sistani gave him, IIUC. So Najaf should stay plenty safe, even with second tier Iraqi troops (the first tier ones are busy in the triangle, I presume)
Posted by: Liberalhawk || 12/02/2004 9:02 Comments || Top||

#3  This "Michael Moore look-alike" Sadr Asshole should count his blessings! He is still alive, but (hopefully NOT for long).
Posted by: leaddog2 || 12/02/2004 16:02 Comments || Top||

#4  I don't think I've ever seen an Arab leader who isn't in one picture or another stabbing his finger to make his point. I suppose everyone has his gestures, but how interesting the one the raddies seem to like most is the most patronizing and ostracizing of them all. (Except for the "1-fingered wave".)
Posted by: Jules 187 || 12/02/2004 16:11 Comments || Top||



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Two weeks of WOT
Thu 2004-12-02
  NCRI sez Iran making missiles to hit Europe
Wed 2004-12-01
  Barghouti to Seek Palestinian Presidency
Tue 2004-11-30
  Abbas tells Palestinian media to avoid incitement
Mon 2004-11-29
  Sheikh Yousef: Hamas ready for 'hudna'
Sun 2004-11-28
  Abizaid calls for bolder action against Salafism
Sat 2004-11-27
  Palestinians Dismantle Gaza Death Group Militia
Fri 2004-11-26
  Zarqawi hollers for help
Thu 2004-11-25
  Syria ready for unconditional talks with Israel
Wed 2004-11-24
  Saudis arrest killers of French engineer
Tue 2004-11-23
  Mass Offensive Launched South of Baghdad
Mon 2004-11-22
  Association of Muslim Scholars has one less "scholar"
Sun 2004-11-21
  Azam Tariq murder was plotted at Qazi's house
Sat 2004-11-20
  Baath Party sets up in Gay Paree
Fri 2004-11-19
  Commandos set to storm Mosul
Thu 2004-11-18
  Zarqawi's Fallujah Headquarters Found

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