Al-Qarni: "The uproar and the chaos that we see today in the human race — the killing, the acts of aggression, the rape, the robbery, and the disgrace of honor — what causes this is that the banners which are hoisted high are those of the Jews, the Christians, and other religions and faiths, and not the banner of 'There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is Allah's Messenger.'
"Let's have a look at what is written in the Koran. What position must we adopt towards Allah's enemies? Is it the position we have adopted? First of all, we must be aware of the fact that at present we see that [the West] doesn't want us even to say the words 'Allah's enemies.' They don't want us to say that the Jews and the Christians are Allah's enemies. They don't want us to say that the Jews and the Christians are the enemies of the Muslims and the enemies of Islam.
"This is fixed and established in the Koran and in the traditionâŠ
"If this is so, if this is something fixed, how is it that we find in the things that we say, among our children, our own flesh and blood, among Muslims, people who are in denial of these things, who deny that there is a great enmity between Muslims and non-Muslims? It is true that we say that Islam's fundamental approach is that of mercy, and that the fundamental principle of Islam is [that it is a] mercy for human beings. But [it is for] he who submits to Allah's religion and extends his hand to allow Allah's religion to spread all over the earth and to make Allah's word supreme — it is toward him that religion is merciful. However, whoever fights against Allah's religion, and fights those who love Allah, distorts the image of Islam and the Muslims and does so much to weaken IslamâŠ
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
02/08/2005 1:13:15 AM ||
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Saudi Crown Prince Abdallah's Speech at the Conference
Saudi Crown Prince Abdallah bin Abd Al-Aziz gave a speech at the opening of the counter-terrorism conference. The speech aired on Channel 1 of Saudi TV on February 5, 2005. To view the clip, visit http://memritv.org/Search.asp?ACT=S9&P1=521.
Saudi Cleric Musa Al-Qarni: Spreading Islam by the Sword is, at Times, Justified
An interview with Saudi cleric Musa Al-Qarni was aired on Iqra TV on February 3, 2005. To view the clip, visit http://memritv.org/Search.asp?ACT=S9&P1=523.
Saudi Researcher Suheila Hammad: The Jews and Neo-Cons are Responsible for Terror in Saudi Arabia
Saudi journalist Suheila Hammad was interviewed on Channel 1 of Saudi TV on February 3, 2005. To view the clip, visit http://memritv.org/Search.asp?ACT=S9&P1=522.
More translations at the link.
This article starring:
MUSA AL QARNI
Learned Elders of Islam
Posted by: ed ||
02/08/2005 1:49:03 AM ||
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Delegates from the United States and archfoe Iran engaged in a "heated" exchange at a counter-terrorism conference in Saudi Arabia, the local media reported but a US official insisted the encounter was "professional."
"The exchange that took place in the first general assembly was a professional one reflecting differences in views between the US and Iranian delegations," a US embassy spokesperson in Riyadh told AFP. But the English-daily Saudi Gazette said the Iranian and US delegations at the closed-door conference were reportedly "locked in a heated exchange... when the issue of what constitutes terrorism arose."
Diplomatic sources told AFP that Saturday's address by US Homeland Security Advisor Frances Townsend had prompted the head of the Iranian delegation to give a speech in response. There were no details on the content of his speech. In her address, Townsend said she invoked US President George W. Bush's remarks from his State of the Union speech in which said Iran "remains the world's primary state sponsor of terror." But a member of the Iranian delegation said the US accusations were "baseless," adding that "Iran is a country that has been negatively affected by terrorism throughout the past two decades."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
02/08/2005 1:15:13 AM ||
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#1
Here's an interview of Townsend (several images) with Jim Lehrer from August. I have no doubt that being a woman put the shitheads in the freak-out zone without saying a word. Having the gall to call a spade a spade was prolly too much for the reps for the Mad Mullahs.
#2
Baghdad Bob Syndrome (known in medical circles as BBS) has clearly spread beyond the borders of Iraq into Iran. It has not yet reached epidemic proportions, but all signs are that,given the resistance to treatments of reality, it will soon reach epidemic proportions. "These infidels actually believe they are qualified to define what terrorism is!", seems to be the first sign that the syndrome has set in. There is no know cure for BBS, but there is hope. There are promising developments in experiments where sufferers are force-fed large doses of the golden rule.
Posted by: AMA ||
02/08/2005 9:33 Comments ||
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#3
What the f*ck were official US representatives doing in this, otherwise fully, conference of terrorist nations?
Posted by: ed ||
02/08/2005 9:46 Comments ||
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#5
But the English-daily Saudi Gazette said the Iranian and US delegations at the closed-door conference were reportedly "locked in a heated exchange... when the issue of what constitutes terrorism arose."
Taking pictures! You have to have names and pictures if you want to be able to identify the bodies later . . .
Posted by: Jame Retief ||
02/08/2005 11:39 Comments ||
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#9
Well it's about time.
My favorite:
"Iran has suffered greatly from terrorism over the past 2 decades..."
Precisely how? How many of your busses of children were blown up? How many office buildings were mistaken for airports? How many tankers filled with HE were detonated outside your barracks?
No, jackasses, the Iranian PEOPLE have suffered greatly because your FUNDING it elsewhere has drained the coffers and isolated them from the rest of the civilized world.
Heated exchange...whatever, but for diplomats, that's a VERY good development...Bring it.
The al Qaeda wing in Iraq said a world anti-terror forum in Saudi Arabia amounts to a campaign against Islam, and vowed on Monday that it would continue its Holy War until Islamic law rules.
The international security conference, which began on Saturday, aims to forge common strategies to tackle terror and gives Saudi Arabia a platform to showcase its successes against al Qaeda and its co-operation with the West. "All kinds of infidels and tyrants have gathered to agree on one thing and that is to fight Islam and the mujahideen who are following God's orders to protect this blessed religion...All their plans and deployments are useless ... and this (conference) is proof that they fear the mujahideen and that the enemies, tyrants and their allies have tasted bitter defeat and are facing a big crisis," said the group which is headed by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
Then the group excused itself to go unbunch its collective panties and resume charitable works like renovating ice cream trucks, insh'Allah.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
02/08/2005 12:12:22 AM ||
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#1
who writes zarq's stuff--he's got a sixth grade education before he became a full time thug and jihadi--abdullah's gotta piss of azizi and naif and resurect his padre's old off the ikwahn campaign because nobody believes this camelshit conference except six guys at qorvis
Posted by: SON OF TOLUI ||
02/08/2005 2:39 Comments ||
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#2
a world anti-terror forum in Saudi Arabia amounts to a campaign against Islam
Kuwait said Sunday it has approved a new "strategy" to combat terrorism following gunbattles with Islamist militants and vowed to crush terrorists.
I hope it goes a little beyond arguing with them in chat rooms...
The cabinet reviewed during its weekly session a "strategy to deal with the phenomenon of terrorism and extremist ideology," prepared by Kuwait's National Security Council, an official statement said, without giving details. "The cabinet asked the council to ... coordinate with other concerned authorities to formulate practical programmes necessary to combat the ideology of extremism and violence at all levels with the aim to uproot this scourge." The cabinet also approved the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism and referred it to HH the Amir Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah before sending it to parliament for endorsement. The treaty was adopted by the UN General Assembly in December 1999 in a bid to drain sources of funding terrorists.
Interior Minister Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah said the number of terrorists being hunted by Kuwaiti security forces was "small" and would be crushed. "The gang of terrorists is small and will be wiped out completely ... Criminals and wanted men will not escape the hand of justice," the minister told the state KUNA news agency.
Islamic Affairs Minister Abdullah Al-Maatuk on Sunday formed a panel of religious scholars and academics with a mission to "strengthen moderate (Islamic) ideology and confront extremism". The panel is an offshoot of a government committee formed in August and headed by the minister to combat extremism following a crackdown on a network that was recruiting fighters for neighbouring Iraq. Kuwaiti officials have linked the militants to the al-Qaeda network and counterparts in Saudi Arabia, itself battling a wave of terror attacks. Parliament voted last Tuesday to give security forces tough new powers to search for and confiscate illegal weapons in private hands. The Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Sunday refuted reports that one of its imams was among those arrested by security authorities over the recent security incidents.
"No, no! Certainly not!"
In statements to KUNA, Information and Media Director Adnan Al-Medhahka said the concerned individual has nothing to do with the ministry but used to, voluntarily, lead and preached worshippers in a make-shift shack and not a ministry mosque. The official meanwhile noted, a seminar will be held to awaken youth who are being lured and misled with religious-coated slogans by vested interests. The seminar will be presented by Mohammad Al-Awadi. He urged all those interested to attend.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/08/2005 00:00:00 AM ||
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A group of armed men Saturday chased a Kuwaiti youth from Maidan Hawalli to Al-Nuwaisab checkpost. A security source quoting the youth told the Arab Times he was driving a Jaguar car when some youths driving in a vanette bearing Saudi Arabian number plate chased him and began shooting at him when he entered a highway in an attempt to force him to pull over. The youth kept driving and was unable either to seek help or call the Operations Department of the Interior Ministry because of the close proximity between the two cars until he reached the border post and discovered the suspects sensing police presence had diverted their route. Securitymen have alerted all exit points giving description of the vehicle of the suspects.
"A bunch of the boyz were whooping it up!"
Posted by: Fred ||
02/08/2005 00:00:00 ||
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#1
Prolly some of the same misguided youth from this story on their way to Chechnya. They had to pass through Kuwait to get there and got distracted by the shiny thing, the Jag, as boys often do.
#2
What Would Mohammed Do? Ambush a caravan Jag, of course.
Posted by: ed ||
02/08/2005 5:24 Comments ||
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#3
"A bunch of the boyz were whooping it up!..."
...One night in Maidan Hawalli
The guys that were handling the AKs were only compounding the folly
Back of the mosque in a solo game sat the local holy man
And watching his luck was his light-o'-love, the lady that's known as Umm Lou-am.
(With apologies to Robert Al-Service)
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
02/08/2005 7:32 Comments ||
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EFL....guess he wants to make up for supporting Kofi Iran is a sponsor of terrorism and should realise it must not obstruct progress towards Middle East peace, UK Prime Minister Tony Blair has said. His words to MPs come after President George Bush branded Iran "the world's primary state sponsor of terror". Mr Blair stressed the importance of the European Union's talks with Tehran over its nuclear activities and said it was important it fulfilled its obligations. Iran says its nuclear programme is aimed at generating electricity. "Well, the environmentalists say we're running out of oil!"
The UK premier told the House of Commons liaison committee on Tuesday he agreed with President Bush's criticisms of Iran. "It certainly does sponsor terrorism, there is no doubt about that at all," he said. "I hope very much that if we can make progress in the Middle East that Iran realises it has an obligation to help that, not hinder it."
The US has refused to rule out a military strike on Iran, but has said it will try to resolve the dispute by diplomatic means. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice last week said military action was not on the agenda "at this point". Mr Blair was asked if anybody would believe him were he tell Parliament that action was needed against Iran because it had weapons of mass destruction. He replied: "I'm not saying that and, secondly, it depends what the evidence base is."
He also defended his record before the Iraq war, saying the Iraq Survey Group had reported weapons scientists had been ready to restart work. Mr Blair said it was a good sign that the US and Europe were working together on the issue. And he warned Iran and Syria that they would make a "very severe miscalculation" if they thought they could reduce the chances of an attack on themselves by allow insurgents to cross into Iraq to weaken US troops.
Federal troops cannot catch Shamil Basayev because he is a well-off man. The special services report that ethnic Chechen businessmen from St Petersburg to Tyumen make donations or pay tribute to him. The federals cannot buy Basayev's head even for [the bounty of] 10m dollars because Chechens do not believe a single word of theirs. And no-one in Chechnya will give a penny for the life of the informer who will have guts to do this.
Judging by his interviews to the electronic media, Basayev tries to dissociate himself from Al-Qa'idah whenever he can and says that he does not receive any centralized financial assistance from it and mainly collects money in Russia, from Chechen policemen, businessmen, from robbery and racket. Naturally, he uses different terms such as "trophies", "donations" and "protection money". Of course, one does not feel inclined to believe Basayev's words, especially the electronic ones, but what he says is generally confirmed by special service troops who operate in Chechnya.
"From the point of view of geography of his influence, Basayev is more successful than anyone else," an anonymous high-ranking counterintelligence officer, who has already been mentioned in previous articles, told me. "He used to reach Moscow and send 'producers' to St Petersburg. He does recruiting and financial work in the Diaspora of the central and European regions of Russia. His people travel to Siberia. There is a lot of money there, say in Tyumen Region which is rich in oil and gas. And there are plenty of Chechens in this business there. Basayev takes money precisely from them. Of course, he does this neither personally, nor through people from his entourage, but through a third party. I mean through relatives of Chechens who live in Chechnya but who have relatives in other regions.
Continued on Page 49
This article starring:
SHAMIL BASAIEV
Chechnya
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
02/08/2005 12:45:41 AM ||
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#1
A very old data point, but Solzhenitzyn, writing of a near successful escape from the gulag, relates that his protagonist was ratted out by absolutely everyone he came across during his escape attempt _except_ the Chechens. They have a very strong clan structure and code of silence.
#2
There is a crippling double standard in the chechen sense of honor and fairness ... it will dog and damn them so long as the "he's an animal but our animal and therefore not a mere animal" sort of logic is accepted and taken to it's extremes ... the events at Breslan were criminal and heinously so ... nobody can honestly dispute that ... yet it's OK ... God help them and save them from their self proclaimed leaders and field commanders and assorted thugs/traitors/etc etc.
The ringleaders of bandits in Chechnya plan their confederates to infiltrate the bodies of power and administration of the republic, the press release of the Regional Operational Headquarters (ROH) for controlling the counter terrorist operation in the North Caucasus, received by RIA Novosti on Monday, reads.
As the document says, a participant in the illegal armed formations gave himself up to the law-enforcement bodies the day before, and confessed hat he had been a member of a gang from May 2004.
According to the militant, in his presence several commanders of small bandit groups said that money had to come from abroad. He explained that the matter concerned, in particular, monetary assistance from an Arab country for the needs of the poorest inhabitants of Chechnya. In actual fact, this money got into the hands of the leaders of large bandit formations.
"By the information of the militant who gave himself up, it is planned to spend part of the foreign currency received on implementing the plans of the bandits' ringleaders to include their accomplices in the republic's bodies of power and administration," the document reads.
Furthermore, as it is noted in the document, the bandits intend "to move their people" into the bodies of power by means of bribes during the parliamentary elections scheduled for the end of this year.
"It also ensues from his testimony that a large group of foreign mercenaries, consisting of 30-40 bandits who underwent training at a training camp in one of Arab countries, must shortly arrive in Chechnya," the document goes on to say.
This group is now staying on the territory adjoining Chechnya, and is preparing to cross the border, the press release reads.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
02/08/2005 12:33:23 AM ||
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#1
Guess what foreign Arab country that is? I think I can.
Isn't this a pretty public admission that they're a front?
Kavkaz Center's editors received a statement issued by the Shariah Unit of Dagestani Resistance Forces (Mujahideen). The statement says:
In the name of God, Most Compassionate, Most Gracious. Peace and blessing be to Commander of All Mujahideen Prophet Muhammad, to his family, to his disciples and to all of those who followed them in the Jihad until the Day of Judgment.
Due to the information that was being spread through Dagestani (pro-Russian) mass media, claiming that Dagestani Mujahideen (Resistance Fighters) did not suspend their war operations on the territory of the Republic of Dagestan, which allegedly is a violation of the order of Commander-In-Chief, President Aslan Maskhadov, on unilateral suspension of offensive war operations on the territories of Chechnya and Russia, The Shariah, the Congress of Islamic War Council (Jamaat) of Dagestan hereby clarifies:
The order mentions the unilateral suspension of offensive war operations only on the territories of Chechnya and Russia. No order was received about suspension of any war operations on the territory of Dagestan.
Therefore, The Shariah War Council will continue carrying out its combat operations in accordance with the ratified plan until the next appropriate order comes from Commander-In-Chief, President Maskhadov.
Meanwhile the sources of Russian invaders reported that combat clashes were going on throughout the whole day last Saturday on the outskirts of the city of Makhachkala (capital of Dagestan) in the vicinity of Mount Tarki-Tau. No details of the battle were reported, except for one commando of Russian special forces being killed and several wounded. No information has been available about casualties among Dagestani Armed Forces, against whom the military operation was allegedly being conducted.
The combats stopped in the vicinity of Tarki-Tau by Saturday evening. Sources of the Russian invaders reported that the operation against Dagestani Armed Forces was accomplished, but the armed unit of Dagestanis somehow managed to escape. (Allegedly, Mr. Muslim Makasharipov was spotted in that unit).
This article starring:
ASLAN MASKHADOV
Dagestani Resistance Forces
MUSLIM MAKASHARIPOV
Dagestani Resistance Forces
Dagestani Resistance Forces
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
02/08/2005 12:38:41 AM ||
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Chechen separatist leader Aslan Maskhadov, in a rare interview with a Russian newspaper published on Monday, urged Russian authorities to start peace talks. A government official in Moscow quickly condemned the Kommersant daily for "publishing an interview with a bandit". Maskhadov's offer of peace talks follows his order last week of a ceasefire by his forces in what he called a gesture of good will aimed at ending the decade-old conflict in the North Caucasus province.
I'm cautiously starting to hope that Shamil really is dead...
There has been no official reaction from the Kremlin to the ceasefire offer, but leaders of Chechnya's pro-Moscow government rejected it, calling it is a cynical ploy to stall for time while Maskhadov's forces regroup. "I hope for a reasonable reaction," Maskhadov told Kommersant, just days after Moscow criticised the British government for not blocking the airing on local television of an interview with another Chechen rebel leader, Shamil Basayev.
This article starring:
ASLAN MASKHADOV
Chechnya
Posted by: Fred ||
02/08/2005 00:00:00 ||
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"Nope. We've still got it. Block 14, cell 2. It ain't gettin' out..."
FORMER Guantanamo Bay detainee Mamdouh Habib will seek compensation from the New South Wales Government if he is forced to move after his home address was publicised, his lawyer said today. NSW Police Commissioner Ken Moroney denied police had released Mr Habib's address to the media after a weekend break-in at his Guildford home in western Sydney. But Mr Habib's lawyer Stephen Hopper said police had confirmed to a journalist the location of the break-in was Mr Habib's address. He said the family would first take the matter to the NSW Ombudsman. "We're going to make a formal complaint and we'll see what happens with that complaint," Mr Hopper said today.
"We shall complain to the management!"
Compensation would be sought if privacy concerns forced the Habib family to move to another location, he said. "They don't have to move," he said. "That's a decision to be taken by the family and they're considering their options."
NSW Premier Bob Carr rejected Mr Hopper's request for compensation over the disclosure of Mr Habib's address. "If there is any complaint about the police there's a forum where lawyers can take that complaint and that is the Police Integrity Commission," Mr Carr said. Asked about Mr Carr's suggestion of the PIC, Mr Hopper said: "Bob Carr's not the family's lawyer."
The Premier said he would seek advice from the police about the matter but the Government would not compensate Mr Habib. "Mr Habib's lawyers would have to fight a long battle in the court to make a case for compensation and I don't think they'll be successful," said Mr Carr. "If you opt to operate on the frontier of legal behaviour and have associations with extremist groups, your life may not be the same and you're not going to come to us and seek compensation and have us give in."
Mr Habib, who reportedly made a deal to tell his story to Channel Nine's 60 Minutes program, was held by the US as a suspected terrorist at its military base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He was released without charge and returned to Australia last month, almost three years after his arrest. Prime Minister John Howard has not ruled out charges being laid against Mr Habib under Australian law. Mr Habib also has threatened to sue the federal Government for turning its back on him while he was held by the US. The police investigation into the break-in at Mr Habib's home is continuing.
This article starring:
MAMDUH HABIB
al-Qaeda
Posted by: God Save The World ||
02/08/2005 6:15:56 AM ||
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SYDNEY: Australian Prime Minister John Howard indicated Monday his government could still seek to prosecute terror suspect Mamdouh Habib, who in turn has threatened to sue authorities over his treatment during three years of detention without trial by the US at Guantanamo Bay. Habib, an Egyptian-born resident of Sydney, was arrested in Pakistan in 2001 and held by the US for alleged links to the Al Qaeda terror network.
I've got a great idea. Why not kick him out of the country, so he can be an Egyptian-born resident of Cairo?
He returned home last last month after being released without charge from Guantanamo Bay and has since been trying to recover his passport, which was revoked by authorities on security grounds. Howard said Habib remained of interest to Australia's security services. Asked if the government would seek to charge Habib with a crime, Howard said: "I'm not foreshadowing that, but equally I am careful not to rule that out." "The reason that he has not been charged, as yet, under Australian law is that some of the offences, or the activities, rather, that he's alleged to have undertaken, were not criminal at the time they were undertaken, although similar activities are now crimes under Australian law."
This article starring:
MAMDUH HABIB
al-Qaeda
Posted by: Fred ||
02/08/2005 00:00:00 ||
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#1
In other words Mamdouh STFU and calm down or your ass will be in a cell again.
PARIS (AP) -- Trying to mend fences with Europe, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Tuesday "it is time to turn away from the disagreements of the past" that alienated longtime allies over the U.S. invasion of Iraq.
France was the most vocal opponent of President Bush's handling of the war with Iraq, and the new secretary of state deliberately chose Paris for the major address of her first official tour of Europe.
But Rice did not back down from Bush's pledge to spread freedom across the globe and added a challenge to Europeans.
"America stands ready to work with Europe on our common agenda and Europe must stand ready to work with America," she said in a speech at Paris's Institute of Political Studies.
Following her speech, Rice answered a series of questions, ranging from Iraq's effort to establish a democracy to the development of biological weapons. She told the students and guests that the Iraqis would now engage in a political process to form a government that was not at odds with religion.
"What we must understand there is no inherent conflict between Islam and democracy," she said.
Earlier in Rome, Rice said she is optimistic about the chances for Israel and the Palestinians to reach accommodation, in part because of a new thirst for peace throughout the Middle East. She cautioned that "there is still a long road ahead."
"There seems to be a will in the Middle East because people want to live in a different kind of Middle East," Rice said.
She had harsh words for one neighbor of Israel.
"Syria has been unhelpful in a number of ways," Rice said, adding that Syria knows it must clamp down on terrorism before relations with the United States and the rest of the world can improve.
"I would hope Syria would not want to be isolated and would not want to have bad relations with the United States. ... I would hope Syria would react in a more positive way.
"You cannot on the one hand say you want a process of peace and on the other hand support people who are determined to blow it up."
She also underscored her position that the new Palestinian leadership will need to move resolutely to control violence against Israel by its own people.
She acknowledged limitations of the Palestinian security forces that the United States will work to shore up, but said "there are places where they can act ... and they need to act where they can act."
For example, she said when the Palestinian forces arrest someone, they should hold them, when they see a bomb-making facility they should destroy it and when they see smuggling they should stop it.
The Kh55s sold to Iran and China are 3000km range cruise missiles designed for a 200 kiloton warhead. The naval version is the SS-N-21
KIEV, Ukraine - A government probe into lucrative illicit weapons sales by officials loyal to former President Leonid Kuchma has led to secret indictments or arrests of at least six arms dealers accused of selling nuclear-capable missiles to Iran and China, a high-ranking intelligence official said Friday. The deals with Moscow-allied nations — which violate international nonproliferation treaties — put pressure on Ukraine's new president to halt the country's well-established illegal arms trade as he tries to boosts ties with and join NATO and the European Union.
President Viktor Yushchenko has promised to investigate illicit weapons-dealing, including a U.S. allegation that Kuchma approved the sale of a sophisticated Kolchuga radar system to Iraq despite U.N. sanctions against Saddam Hussein's regime. Kuchma denied the allegations. Ukraine's intelligence agency, the State Security Service, launched its investigation of the case involving Iran and China on Feb. 14, 2004, during Kuchma's presidency. But the probe was not publicized until this week, when lawmaker Hrihoriy Omelchenko — a reserve colonel in the intelligence service — wrote Yushchenko asking him to pursue a full investigation. Omelchenko made his letter available to The Associated Press.
Six missiles purportedly ended up in Iran and another six allegedly went to China, although export documents known as end-user certificates recorded the final recipient of some 20 Kh-55 missiles as "Russia's Defense Ministry," according to Omelchenko's letter. He didn't say what happened to the eight other missiles. The missiles allegedly sold to Iran were unarmed, but are designed to carry 200-kiloton nuclear warheads. Western nations have accused Iran of trying to develop a nuclear weapons program, an allegation Tehran denies. China is a declared nuclear weapons state.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: ed ||
02/08/2005 5:21:26 AM ||
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#2
Merely a scratching of the surface. People have known for a long time the probability of these types of sales from former Soviet satellite countries. Former Soviet=MASS corruption.
Eastern Euro/Russian/Ukrainien corruption is the benchmark for corrupt dealings globally: finesse, secrecy, imagination, gall, absence of ethics, scale.
#3
These sales are the products of unrestricted greed.
The only way to stop them is by killing the dealers by assassination. When these dealers know they will die they won't be tempted to try these sales.
A new CNN/USA Today/Gallup survey shows that President George W. Bush's approval rating has increased to 57%, up from 51% three weeks ago. The approval increase appears to be related to the recent Iraqi elections, which the poll shows went better than most Americans expected. In general, the public is more positive now than it was before the elections about the way Bush has handled the situation in Iraq, as well as how the war is faring for the United States. At the same time, the poll shows little change in Bush's job approval rating on the economy or on Social Security.
The poll, conducted Feb. 4-6, shows that Bush's overall approval rating is the highest it has been in over a year. In fact, his approval rating has not exceeded 55% since a Jan. 9-11, 2004, poll, when 59% of Americans indicated their approval of the way Bush was handling the presidency. In the wake of the Democratic primaries and caucuses that followed, along with troubles in Iraq (such as the Abu Ghraib prison scandal), Bush's rating dropped as low as 46% (in May) and then fluctuated around 50% during the rest of the year. (See poll figures at link)
Posted by: tipper ||
02/08/2005 10:43:20 AM ||
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Not surprised, but I bet a lot of the Liberal will be! Of course this has been surpressed in the MSM.
#2
The approval increase appears to be related to the recent Iraqi elections, which the poll shows went better than most Americans expected.
They expect it to be different based upon the lies and distortions of the MSM. This would have been the margin of the election if we had a truely fair and balanced MSM.
Actual headline featured in Google News' top U.S. stories section: Gonzales confirmed: war criminal to head US Justice Department
On a somewhat related note, I received the following e-mail from Google News recently that might be of interest to other bloggers wondering what the criteria are for inclusion as Google News sources:
Hi Michelle,
Thank you for your note. We have reviewed www.michellemalkin.com but cannot include it in Google News at this time. We do not include news-related blogs or other news-related sites that are written and maintained by a single individual. Similarly, we do not include sites that do not have a formal editorial review process. We appreciate your taking the time to contact us and will log your site for consideration should our requirements change.
Regards,
The Google Team
By coincidence, reader Patsy Griffiths alerts me that Charles Johnson at the indispensable Little Green Footballs received a similar turndown from Google News:
Hi Charles,
Thank you for your note. We reviewed http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog and cannot include it in Google News at this time. We do not include sites that are purely news aggregators, and we were not able to find any stories on your site that were not from outside sources.
We will log your site for consideration should we alter our policy. Thanks again for taking the time to contact us.
Regards,
The Google Team
Glad to know I'm in good company, but as Charles points out, Google News' criteria are rather odd:
I replied, pointing out that LGF has become rather well-known for a story that was not "from an outside source"—Bush Guard Documents: Forged—and offered to give them links to numerous other original pieces we've published. Our first request received a reply in less than an hour. So far there's no response to our second request.
Note that the Google News index now searches quite a few blogs (including Power Line, Polipundit, and Wonkette) and includes other sites with, to say the least, serious credibility problems (including hard-core anarchist site Infoshop, and Justin Raimondo's paleocon antisemitic site antiwar.com). In this context, Google's reply to me seems rather odd.
Yes, and especially so when you see that LGF is excluded from Google News sources while uruknet.info, the nutball news outlet that labeled Alberto Gonzales a "war criminal" and that publishes propaganda reports from Saddam Hussein's legal team, gets top Google News headline treatment.
Something's definitely screwy. In my letter, Google News said "we do not include sites that do not have a formal editorial review process." Is the presumption that group blogs have a formal editorial review process because they are run by more than one person, but that an individual blog is incapable of satisfactory self-editing? If an individual blog does investigative reporting or publishes original documents, as LGF has done and as this blog occasionally does, is the "formal editorial review process" requirement waived?
Why is Democratic Underground a Google News source, but not LGF? Why is a blog that recycles gossip and drinking games a Google News source, but not this blog?
Got something to say about all this? Send your comments to source-suggestions@google.com
Posted by: Anonymoose ||
02/08/2005 8:26:22 AM ||
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#1
It's their inclusion of Wonkette that annoys me. She's a nothing, created out of whole cloth in order to give journalists a "safe" blogger to call upon.
Wonkette is the "Monkees" of blogging.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
02/08/2005 9:00 Comments ||
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#2
Bad business RC, that means the Archies of bloggerdom are right around the corner.
#7
Lol, DB! Wonkette, the #2 skank in America, calling anyone else a skank is waay funny. Her literal butt-buddy Washingtonienne is #1, of course, in case you were wondering...
A federal judge on Monday dismissed a lawsuit challenging the Army's right to force soldiers to serve past the dates of their enlistments, the so-called "stop loss" policy that can keep men and women in uniform during war or national emergencies. Spc. David Qualls had sought a preliminary injunction to prevent the Army from forcing him to remain on active duty, claiming his enlistment contract was misleading. He signed up for a one-year stint in the Arkansas National Guard in July 2003 but was later told he would remain on active duty in Iraq until 2005.
U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth for the District of Columbia said the enlistment contract does notify those who sign up that the government could extend their terms of service. While acknowledging minimal harm to the Army if he ordered Qualls released, Lamberth said similar claims could lead to substantial disruption and diversion of military resources. The enlistments of an estimated 7,000 active-duty soldiers have been extended under the policy, which the Army says is needed to provide experienced soldiers for battle. As many as 40,000 reserve soldiers could be ordered to stay longer. The government maintained that the enlistment contract provided that soldiers may be involuntarily ordered to active duty in case of war, national emergency or any other condition required by law, which the government contended would include extensions of existing contracts. Qualls was ordered in December to return to Iraq while Lamberth reviewed his lawsuit. In January, Qualls volunteered for another six-year stint in the Guard.
#1
The rehash the issue, under Section 8, Article I of the Constitution, Congess by its authority to make the laws of the Army and Navy enacted under Title 10 United States Code :
TITLE 10 > Subtitle A > PART II > CHAPTER 39 > para 671a.Members: service extension during war
"Unless terminated at an earlier date by the Secretary concerned, the period of active service of any member of an armed force is extended for the duration of any war in which the United States may be engaged and for six months thereafter."
#2
Also, no matter how many active years you serve the military has you for 8 years. This is pointed out at least 5 or 6 times before you swear in for the second time and become a full member of the military. They can call your ass back for 8 years after you initialy sign. While it does suck to be called back, that is what you agreed to when you signed the papers. So buck up, shut up and move out private.
The Army's Green Berets, a key weapon in the war on terror, are operating at under their authorized strength because of the high-attrition qualification course and because of the lure of higher-paying security work at private companies, military officials say.
A number of military analysts and politicians have noted the Green Berets' importance in hunting al Qaeda terrorists and called on the Pentagon to increase significantly the Green Berets' ranks. For example, Sen. John Kerry, Massachusetts Democrat, said during the presidential campaign that the number of Green Berets — officially called Special Forces — should double.
But an examination by The Washington Times shows that there has been no budget authorization for significantly more Green Berets because Army Special Operations Command cannot fill all the billets it had before the September 11 attacks.
"Special Forces cannot be mass-produced overnight," said Maj. Robert Gowan, a command spokesman. "We work very hard to maintain our standards." A Green Beret, who asked not to be named, said, "We are always understrength because we cannot find enough qualified candidates. ... The notion of expanding Special Forces was always a pipe dream. Special Forces could never get bigger without the Army getting bigger. The more milk, the more cream."
Elite Green Berets are a perfect fit for the war on terror because they train for the kind of unconventional warfare now going on in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Today, a Green Beret force of five active-duty groups stands at 98 percent of billets. It had been at 94 percent before the September 11 attacks. The soldiers deploy from the 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th and 10th Special Forces groups headquartered at bases in North Carolina, Kentucky, Colorado and Washington state.
The Army is producing slightly more Green Berets as the chiefs of U.S. regional commands, called combatant commanders, place increased mission demands on the commandos. The five groups boast 3,950 Special Forces-qualified soldiers today, compared with 3,850 three years ago. The Army managed the slight increase of 100, not by increased budgets for more billets, but by graduating more soldiers to both meet the mission demand and to cover losses as some soldiers left for higher-paying private-sector jobs. Still, only about one-third of recruits successfully complete the grueling 63-week qualification school and earn the unit's signature green beret. The Army was graduating about 350 soldiers per year in 2002, but last year nearly doubled the number to 620.
"We are slightly understrength, but we are working to fill those shortages," Maj. Gowan said. "The training to become a Special Forces soldier is tough, rigorous and long. To produce the type of warrior we want, it has to be."
The standards helped produced victory for the United States in Afghanistan. Green Beret A Teams infiltrated the country, teamed with local Northern Alliance and other guerrillas and defeated the Taliban with the help of pinpoint air strikes. Green Berets, long kept out of counterterrorism on a large scale, suddenly saw their reputation and popularity skyrocket.
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, very much a fan of what special operations forces can do, further enlisted Special Forces to fight in Iraq, Yemen, the Horn of Africa and the Philippines. Green Berets have even been tapped for clandestine spy missions in some al Qaeda-heavy countries. In Iraq, Green Berets teamed up with Kurdish fighters to destroy the al Qaeda-linked terror camp of Ansar al Islam. It was one of dozens of Special Forces missions, some conducted behind enemy lines.
Mr. Rumsfeld was not the only person who noticed their attributes. Private companies in need of bodyguards and security experts started dangling higher-paying jobs. A senior enlisted Special Forces soldier, who earns $40,000 to $50,000 a year, can double his income performing private security. The Bush administration is asking Congress for bonus money in next year's budget to entice special operations troops to stay.
Army Special Operations Command acknowledged some Green Berets are quitting, but could provide no retention statistics. Figures on Green Beret casualties during the war on terrorism were not immediately available yesterday.
A Special Forces source said the Army designs the long qualification course to weed out the weak — quickly. "What really gets most of the people are the higher reasoning functions that are made even more difficult because they are conducted under stress from a lack of food and sleep," said the source, a graduate of the Berets' Qualification Course at Fort Bragg, N.C. "Many have never been really alone their entire lives. Now they are expected to work alone, in the middle of nowhere for days at a time." The source added, "The most physically rigorous portion of the training is the initial 'selection and assessment.' This is done to weed out the weak by running them hard."
The source, who has been deployed on secret missions overseas, said Mr. Rumsfeld remains popular within the special operations community despite his political problems over Iraq. "He is fully for the transformation of the military to fight the wars to come. That puts Special Forces front and center," the source said. "He is implementing things we've recommended for years. Special Forces has been allowed to do what we've said we could do for 30 years and have now proved it."
#1
I've a question for all you military experts out there.
First, I understand and applaud the high qualifications for SpecOps troops. The question is inherent in this statement "A Special Forces source said the Army designs the long qualification course to weed out the weak â quickly."
Do we need to weed out so many, quickly? Or, is it possible to train some of those who get weeded out quickly into those who would meet the qualifications? I'm thinking of an NFL draftee who doesn't make the team, but, after more training turns into a star. (Think Kurt Warner's trip from being cut through NFL Europe and Arena league)
Granted fast is good and slow probably more expensive, though since the failures are still in the Army, not very. If we need more do we really need a lot more raw material? Or could a different type of training course (think Junior College) serve to bulk up the pool?
#2
Actually, you can reapply for most SpecOps training courses; there are more than a few operators who failed the first time out. But, it would not be a good idea to have a "farm team" for Green Berets. Ideally, the Airborne and Ranger units serve as the break-in units that Green Berets tap in the Army. Also, some guys that make excellent Airborne/Ranger/QRF are just not suited for the demands of A-Teams. That is why there are a variety of elite forces in the military structure, with differing specific requirements.
#4
There's a "recon indoc" that Force Recon does. Series of physical events that you have to pass done in a one day period. If you pass you move on to do the recon program itself. If you fail, you can try again pretty much whenever they do the indoc. I think you have to have a high standard in order to be accepted into the Green Berets, if you want to lower standards you have to accept a lower degree of physical proficiency.
#5
In the vain of the comments, a lot of the train up for the program is done on the individual soldier's time. While there may be some support at the platoon or company level, you will usually not find the brigade or division spending time and resources on 'prep' courses. I suspect if this was really a high priority issue, the message would go out to the divisions and installations to establish such a prep course for potential candidates which gives them the time and prelimiaries in getting ready for right-of-passage portions of the courses.
#6
I'm not sure that would really do what we want to do. Special Forces is a unique and demanding role. When on a mission, these guys are generally out of uniform - and hence not protected by the Geneva Conventions (assuming the GCs would otherwise be honored by the country in question). They learn languages and culture skills and a lot more besides physical fitness things.
Bottom line: you have to really want this and you have to be willing to work without a lot of support structure around you. Those who train up themselves probably have those attributes. Those that need the support of higher command to do it probably don't.
Posted by: too true ||
02/08/2005 18:13 Comments ||
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SwissTex:
Congress sets maximum limits on the size of various forces, as well as component forces. The set the Marines at X, Army at Y, Navy at Z ships, and so on. Whether the services actually can recruit up to those numbers is another matter. In the 1970s [shudder], the military was often well below its maximum strength. Sometimes, the maximum is really meant as a limit, and the military decides that it doesn't really need that many, so doesn't even try to hit the limit. And of course, Congress needs to appropriate the money to fund the force levels it authorizes.
So, in this case, Congress has said that Special Forces shall be no more than XX. Obviously, for this kind of war, you probably really want as many as you can get, so if the military can't have XX, it's probably not because they don't want to, but they can't. Four years ago, we only had 0.94 * XX, while now we have 0.98 * XX. So, we're doing better, but we still are allowed to have more, provided we can find people of the right ability.
There are many possible reasons for the shortfall. One is that perhaps we simply don't have that many people capable of meeting the requirements. Another is that they don't re-enlist, so we have to keep training new ones just to break even, and can't put enough in the pipeline to grow.
#9
Special Forces is a brain outfit. The physical quals are necessary, but this is not a bunch of guys who win by humping 150 pounds faster than the enemy.
They are master linguists and superb cultural anthropologists. That's on top of being first-rate soldiers. The commander of the A team that fought with and brought Karzai to Kabul majored in Arab studies in college.
For hard-hitting firepower, we have....the Army and Marines. Smaller groups within the Army, such as Rangers, are trained to fight as conventional soldiers in more difficult situations. SEALs are commandos. Force Recon in the Marines is a recon unit. Like the SEALs, many of their missions succeed without the enemy knowing they're there, although they can also hit with tremendous force. But, being small units, their ability to sustain a fight is limited.
Different strokes, as they say.
But Special Forces is far more than well-conditioned super soldiers.
Their original mission was to go behind enemy lines and organize resistance, sort of a follow-on from the Jedburg teams of WW II. For that reason, many of the first teams were actually foreign nationals, escapees from the Sovbloc.
Clearly, this is more than a matter of weapons mastery and physical conditioning.
Posted by: Richard Aubrey ||
02/08/2005 20:26 Comments ||
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#10
Mr. Aubrey and too true,
I certainly do not want qualifications dumbed down. But, it seems that if we really want more SpecOps types it would be worth it to have a prep school for them. It's a little much to assume that youngsters (when your over 50 they are depressiningly young) come into the service with enough raw skills to survive the test with no significant support for their training. Languages and cultural skills can be taught as can superior physical skills it a person is willing to learn and the training is available. If we really need more of these folks than are available at this level we can probably develop them with a little more lower level training. Some kids can go right from high-school to the pros, most need the seasoning and training that they get in college.
Do we have that level of training? Doesn't sound like it, and it sounds like it would help.
Shieldwolf, are the Rangers really a "farm team" for the Berets? Sounds like it from your post, but, I could be wrong.
#11
If we would quit paying the contractors three times what we pay the Green Berets then maybe they wouldn't steal our troops by offering them twice their normal pay. Guess who makes out on this deal - the contractor keeping their cut. I know we needed the contractors in the short run, but this is ridiculous. Long term we continue to spend like drunken sailors and pay contactors to steal troops we pay to train and then pay the contractor three times as much for the same soldier - This lies firmly at Rumsfeld's doorstep. He can fix it.
#12
Ship, my understanding is that the third bn = three new LAR companies they want to add to the the 3 existing LAR battalions we have. There's some other little suprises I can't mention yet over a blog until it comes out in the Marine Times.
#13
There is one glaring problem with this entire story, that being that Special Forces are, well, "specialized". They generally do *one* kind of mission, as the Army Rangers do a different kind of mission, as Army helicopter mechanics do their kind of a mission. So, in effect, John Kerry has called for something akin to doubling the number of helicopter mechanics in the Army. But does the Army need twice as many? Have they doubled the number of helicopters? Many people mistakenly assume that the Special Forces are the military equivalent of the CIA. This is not to say that they aren't very, very good at what they do, but if you have personnel who work parallel to the Special Forces, but have a different mission, one that they are specialized for, you have a far better combined operation. And there are lots of other jobs that *do* run parallel to the Special Forces, some military and some not.
For further information: http://www.socom.mil/
via http://www.jihadwatch.org
The details surrounding the murder of four Coptic Christians in New Jersey are so gruesome that even the defenders of radical Muslims are getting fidgety. The Council on American-Islamic Relations went on record asking police officials to investigate the possibility that the killings were motivated by "bias."
"May God give comfort to the family and friends of the victims," the president of CAIR in New Jersey, Magdy Mahmoud, said last month. Despite CAIR's acknowledgment that bias may have played a role in the killings, Coptic Christians, including relatives of the victims, are expressing concern over the ability of law enforcement officials to investigate fully any connections between Muslim extremism and the deaths of Hossam Armanious, 47, his wife, Amal Garas, 37, and their two children, Sylvia, 15, and Monica, 8.
Family members are loath to condemn Muslim extremists for the murders, but say that the details of the killings are similar to murders perpetrated by extremists in Egypt, where Coptic Christians have been bound, gagged and had their throats slit.
Though the results of the autopsies will not be released until March 14, according to the prosecutor's report and death certificates, the preliminary causes of death are "stab wounds to the throat." I have spoken to - and had in-depth interviews with - family members, one of whom viewed the bodies at the Alvarez-Marshello Funeral Home before they were prepared and placed in closed caskets. They told me that the necks of each of the victims were "slit" across the throat. Below the slit of the parents' necks, three holes, about the size of the thumb, were "drilled" or "twisted" into the lower part of their throats. The daughters had two similar holes inflicted on their throats as well. These eyewitnesses say they have evidence of this in photographs taken of the bodies. The photos are said to be gruesome.
A statement from the Hudson county prosecutor, issued January 18, said that evidence of robbery is present in the case. It said that money was not found at the scene, that Armanious's pockets had been turned out and his wallet was emptied. A pocketbook had been emptied, the statement said, and drawers had been rifled in the home. The statement also said, however, that jewelry was present in the apartment. A computer was recovered in the children's bedroom. No signs of desecration of religious artifacts were found. No messages concerning religion were left by the actors, the statement said.
CAIR agrees with police findings that robbery is one possible motive for the crime. The group's Web site says: "Investigators are focusing on robbery as a possible motive because no money or jewels were found in the home."
But the Coptic community remains skeptical. Anies Garas, whose daughter, Amal, was among the victims, told me: "The police have vouchered all of the jewelry," he said. "None of it was taken. In fact, my daughter was still wearing a ring worth $3,500 after she was murdered." Mr. Garas says that though a small amount of money was taken, no valuables were removed from the house.
When Michael Meunier, the president of the U.S. Copts Association, met with the prosecutor last week he expressed serious concerns about the progress of the investigation. "The prosecutor told me that robbery was no longer the focus and acknowledged that this was the worst murder he has ever seen," Mr. Meunier said. "He told me he believes it was a vengeful crime."
Many Copts fear that New Jersey officials are caving in to pressure from Islamic lobby groups and the Egyptian government in order to "whitewash" this investigation. One of them, Rafique Iscandar, told me that he is fearful that investigators will discount the possibility that the murders were committed by radical Islamists who want to intimidate Christians in the United States, as they do in Egypt.
Mr. Iscandar and Hossam Armanious met in 1982 at Luxor, Egypt, where the two worked together in the construction business. They quickly became best friends. Mr. Iscandar even lived with the Armanious family for a time. "We made a lot of money together," he said. "It was easy for Hossam to hire people for construction jobs. Everyone knew and trusted him."
In 1985, Mr. Iscandar began complaining to the Egyptian authorities in Luxor about the increased oppression of Christians in Egypt. He says he spoke out about the forced conversions, the kidnapping of Coptic women by terrorist groups, the beating of Christian women and men in the streets, and the destruction of Christian properties and businesses, which he said he often witnessed.
As he became more vocal about this, Mr. Iscandar said, he received numerous death threats and was forced to go into hiding in 1987. He surfaced in Egypt for the last time in 1988 to attend his mother's funeral, where he met Armanious.
As Muslims began dominating Egyptian tourism, squeezing out Christian businessmen, thousands of Coptic Christians fled Egypt because of a diminishing livelihood and the escalating persecution. Armanious and his family also fled these conditions to settle with Mr. Iscandar in Jersey City. He worked in Mr. Iscandar's convenience store for about eight months, until he was hired by the Marriot Hotel near Princeton.
"Hossam was one of the last people to support me before I fled for my life in Egypt," Iscandar said sadly. "I was a hunted man there, but he gave me money and helped me to disappear to the U.S. He gave me my life and now he is dead."
As the perpetrators of the Armanious murders roam free, members of the Coptic community continue to live in fear of future attacks.
Posted by: ed ||
02/08/2005 1:30:41 AM ||
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#1
CAIR's influence should be removed - they'll be supporting anyone arrested
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/08/2005 10:44 Comments ||
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... or telling them to dispose of the evidence ahead of a search warrant...
... or leave the country ahead of an arrest warrant..
A Yemeni sheik fighting charges that he helped finance Al Qaeda once claimed that a bitter dispute had led Osama bin Laden to issue an edict, or fatwa, to kill him, an F.B.I. agent testified yesterday. But the agent, Brian Murphy, testified in Brooklyn Federal Court that the fatwa remark was made as the sheik and an aide gave accounts of their activities that the agent said included contradictions, falsehoods and claims of failed memory. Mr. Murphy was testifying in the third week of the trial of the sheik, Mohammed Ali Hassan al-Moayad, and the sheik's lover assistant, Mohammed Mohsen Yahya Zayed, who are charged with providing material support to Al Qaeda and to Hamas, a Palestinian group that has been labeled a terrorist organization by the United States government.
He interviewed the sheik and Mr. Zayed on an airplane as they were being extradited to the United States from Germany on Nov. 16, 2003. In those interviews, Mr. Murphy told the jurors, he confronted the men with statements suggesting an interest in financing jihad that both defendants had made during secretly recorded conversations in a Frankfurt hotel the previous January. Mr. Murphy testified that Sheik Moayad had claimed on the plane that because of his diabetes, "he was having a difficult time remembering" details and at times flatly denied statements on the tape about agreeing to give money to Al Qaeda and other groups.
Mr. Murphy, who supervised the entire investigation, said the sheik claimed that he had seen and been frightened by armed soldiers at the Sheraton hotel at the Frankfurt airport and "would say anything" during the meetings, which were recorded on hidden devices in his suite. Prosecutors have suggested that there were no soldiers at the hotel. Mr. Murphy testified that Mr. Zayed was caught separately in a series of contradictions. At first, Mr. Murphy said, Mr. Zayed had claimed that he had not been in the room when jihad was discussed and had been in the bathroom. Mr. Murphy said that when confronted with his statements from the Frankfurt tapes, Mr. Zayed "got extremely angry and said he'd rather die for Allah than cooperate with us."
Continued on Page 49
This article starring:
MOHAMED ALI HASAN AL MOAIAD
Learned Elders of Islam
MOHAMED MOHSEN YAHYA ZAIED
Learned Elders of Islam
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
02/08/2005 12:14:41 AM ||
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Please tell what is the meaning of purity I know but I want to know the full description about this what is written in (Quran). Wudhu and ghusl explained.
Rasulullah (saw) said , Tahoor (to purify oneself) is half of faith. Primarily there are two categories of Hadas impurities). 1- Hadas-e-Akbar (major) 2- Hadas-e-Asghar (minor).
Hadas-e-Akbar is that impurity which requires one to make ghusl (take a bath), for example, after having a wet dream or sexual intercourse with ones wife. There are three requirements in order for the ghusl to be valid.
1. Rinse the mouth.
2. Rinse the nostrils.
3. Wet the entire body.
For more Imam hygiene tips, go to the link.
==== To be continued.
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
02/08/2005 8:48:32 AM ||
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#1
Hygiene? I hope these tips are every bit as 'scientific' and clean as the recommendation that people not cover their nose/mouth area when sneezing. Apparently the great and all knowing (not)prophet mohammed didn't understand the spread of germs from sneezing and coughing. But that doesn't seem to matter since he apparently knew all about how salt water and freash water don't mix together centuries before anyone else. Incredible! I mean, who cares about devout muslims going around spreading sickness and disease and spewing snot into the air we breathe when we can see that mohammed knew so much about the behavior of water long before anyone could possible have known it?!
#3
Thus we can see the difference between a religious system set up by thoughtful, intelligent and forward looking people and one cobbled together out of the detritus of half-remembered stories and superstitions of an uneducated nomadic subsistence culture.
The Jewish laws as written in the Torah are actually quite good at keeping you healthy in a primitive society.
Posted by: Jame Retief ||
02/08/2005 11:32 Comments ||
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And we can see a big difference between the kind of questions asked of imams and rabbis.
I have read ask a rabbi sites on the web before, but for some reason, I dunno, I have never got the impression that the questioners were overly obsessed with bodily discharges and worrying about the most obsessive minutia. Nor did I get the impression that they were ijits.
I think that there is a difference in how average Jews understand ritual purity from the way the average muslim does. There seems to be a different spirit in Judaism from where I stand anyway. While it is very important for observant Jews to observe the law as exactly as possible, nonetheless, the law and its observance seems to have a different end for them. The relationship between Jews and the God of Israel is different in spirit, a covenant relationship, a marraige, a love match and observance of the law is meant to be a vehicle to that end.
I don't presume to be teaching any Jews about this because this is something I know you already know and you probably know it better than I do. I write about it to offer contrast to what muslims believe about their relationship with God which seems much less mature and deep. Ritual purity becomes a much greater obsession with them because in islam, God's love is dependent on whether his creatures please him. If he says to be obsessed with cleanliness, then if the muslim wants God's love then he better obssess with cleanliness. They don't have the concept of a God who loves unconditionally in the sense that while he may punish those who go astray, he does not abandon those to whom he has given his promises. It is not a love relationship, or a covenant relationship with muslims and in fact in several parts of the koran and hadith it is explicitly denied as being such. The muslim conception of God is leagues more distant and remote than the Jewish vision and ritual purity must be maintained in order to appease the great deity and receive success from him in exchange. Its a transaction.
Of course among the folk, God is probably imagined to be much warmer and closer since this is the most natural conception of God among monotheists. But for any of the muslim folk who do have this warmer God in mind, they also are more casual in their observance. For those who really take islam seriously and study the sources and are strictly observant, the cold distant Awesome Terror predominates because that is the God that is derived when the whole text of the koran and hadiths are added up.
Jews on the other hand can be strictly observant and yet the warm, intimate God seems to predominate among them. Strict observance seems to result in something different. Deep study produces something wholly different. The results seem to reflect that the whole Jewish enterprise is based on mutual love between God and his people in which God promises to be with Israel unconditionally and his people promise to keep his law as an expression of their love for Him.
Does that sound about right? I'm sure there are exceptions that can be brought up and schools of thought that might be closer to the islamic way, but by and large, there is a mighty difference in spirit. It comes from the words. The words matter. The specifics matter. The details matter. I don't think its possible to reach more than a superficial resemblence while using different books, divided by gulfs of experience, culture, personality, and habits of religious study. This ask an imam page is an excellent illustration of that.
#5
I have read ask a rabbi sites on the web before, but for some reason, I dunno, I have never got the impression that the questioners were overly obsessed with bodily discharges and worrying about the most obsessive minutia
then you obviously aint read the right rabbis :) First we're notorious for arguing about obsessive minutia - you have spent much time examining any serious discussions of Jewish law. As for the discharges, i suggest you google Niddah on the web. Or Mikveh. Id really rather not discuss this with a woman in public (some Orthodox women have asked for a quasi ordination of women rabbis to cover only this sphere of the law, so they dont have to discuss it with male rabbis)
But the concern with minutae in Judaism IS spiritual - its dedicated to G-d, and is seen as an expression devotion to His word, and making His word permeate our actions and thoughts. I know MUCH less about Islam, but IIUC its at least claimed that something similar happens in Islam.
The main areas of superiority I claim for Judaism is a background thats got more capability of opening to women, and the fact that were NOT proselytizers, which means an entirely different approach to the G-d and the human race. (I would say some things about pluralism and rationalism, except that Judaism hasnt ALWAYS been for those things, nor Islam ALWAYS against, and im not sure how much of that is intrinsic and how much is historical accident). Its NOT that we're less concerned with minutae (Im speaking of traditional Judaism here, not Reform)
To kasher china, earthenware, porcelain, corningware, corrella, pyrex, duralex enamel, and glazed stoneware, put in a self-cleaning oven for a full cycle. Replacing with new dishes might be the best solution as intense heat may damage dishes.
Valuable porcelain dishes which have not been used for one year may be kashered, with a rabbi's permission, by dipping in boiling water 3 times.
Glassware used for cold, or for tea and coffee, may be kashered by soaking in room temperature water for 72 hours, changing the water every 24 hours. "
This is a simple approach. And i would note it takes an Orthodox POV. The Conservative Rabbinate considers Pyrex to be as easily kashered as Glassware, IIUC. ;)
#7
In Islam the Mullahs can and do dictate EVERY aspect of muslim life with the threat of death hanging over every "disobediance". Being on the outside looking in, it doesn't seem to me the Rabbis go to the extreme the Mullahs do. In Islam God has enemies. In Judaism and Christianity God loves everyone. In Both Judaism and Christianity personal choice and personal responsibility for one's actions are paramount. In Islam everything that happens is God's Will so therefore the individual is not personally responsible for what he does. This may be a simplistic view but then again I am a simple person.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
02/08/2005 16:27 Comments ||
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#8
There is a difference in the question one asks a Rabbi.
I asked a Rabbi if I should purchase a 1911A1 or a Browning HighPower. He told me the 1911A1 was a better thing to have if needed. I trusted in his good judgement and bought a 1911A1.
#9
Both Judaism and Christianity personal choice and personal responsibility for one's actions are paramount. In Islam everything that happens is God's Will so therefore the individual is not personally responsible for what he does.
Theres actually a Jewish prayer that asks G-d to scatter his enemies.
For ex, I think youd be hard pressed to find a rabbi who would deny that Hitler was an enemy of G-d. But its not whole groups of unbelievers, youre right.
#11
yah, well, my rabbi is a dedicated Cubs fan, so I dont know Id want to take his judgement about anything secular I wasnt sure we he was well versed in ;)
#14
Please tell what is the meaning of purity I know but I want to know the full description about this what is written in (Quran). Wudhu and ghusl explained.
Explanation (Johnny Carson in his turban):
Quit being such a putz asking God about what is pure and impure. If you are that distressed about sexual fluids, go see a shrink.
#15
Hadas-e-Akbar is that impurity which requires one to make ghusl (take a bath), for example, after having a wet dream or sexual intercourse with ones wife.
Has anyone thought to mention a change of the frickin' sheets on the bed?
#17
"After passing stool I notice some bleeding. Is this blood napaak."
-I wish I could make stuff up this good. If you need an organized religion just to tell you how to wipe your own ass then your already phuked in my book. What's so amusing about this is people actually give up their God given reason and self confidence to be replaced by fear and self doubt. Prolly why I think I'm becoming a deist more and more each day.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
02/08/2005 19:17 Comments ||
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#19
hmmm. wonderin if any yas saw thisn one:
Is Osamah bin Laden is really a hero of Islamic Ummah? Do Taliban government of Afghanistan done right by demolishing the Buddah statues?
1. Usama ibn Laden is a practising Muslim, and thus, our brother in Islam.
He has made many sacrifices for the Deen, in particular, the Jihaad of
Afghanistan. While we respect him for this, we do not raise any person to
any position, except that which Allah Ta'ala wishes.
2. He himself has denied involvement. Why should we then doubt him? Even if
a billion Kuffaar say the opposite, the word of a single practising Muslim
is more acceptable to us.
3. It was an Islamic duty for the Taliban to have destroyed the idols.
#20
does he hunt SPOD? must be Reform, then. an observant O or C Jew cant hunt, except in unusual circumstances. You cant kill an animal for sport, and you cant eat meat that wasnt ritually slaughtered. So you can only hunt if A. youre killing a nuisance animal or B. Youre killing for something useful, but not meat for Jews to eat - you could kill for fur, or I suppose to sell meat to gentiles.
Not sure if Venison for Homeless shelters, or a gift of Venison to your gentile neighbor would count. Of course I could ask my Rabbi :)
Of course if youre talking weapons for selfdefense, thats something else.
#21
does he hunt SPOD? must be Reform, then. an observant O or C Jew cant hunt, except in unusual circumstances. You cant kill an animal for sport, and you cant eat meat that wasnt ritually slaughtered. So you can only hunt if A. youre killing a nuisance animal or B. Youre killing for something useful, but not meat for Jews to eat - you could kill for fur, or I suppose to sell meat to gentiles.
Not sure if Venison for Homeless shelters, or a gift of Venison to your gentile neighbor would count. Of course I could ask my Rabbi :)
Of course if youre talking weapons for selfdefense, thats something else.
#22
does he hunt SPOD? must be Reform, then. an observant Orthodox or Conservative member of my people cant hunt, except in unusual circumstances. You cant kill an animal for sport, and you cant eat meat that wasnt ritually slaughtered. So you can only hunt if A. youre killing a nuisance animal or B. Youre killing for something useful, but not meat for memebers of my people to eat - you could kill for fur, or I suppose to sell meat to gentiles. Not sure if Venison for Homeless shelters, or a gift of Venison to your gentile neighbor would count. Of course I could ask my Rabbi :) Of course if youre talking weapons for selfdefense, thats something else.
#23
does he hunt SPOD? must be Reform, then. an observant Orthodox or Conservative member of my people cant hunt, except in unusual circumstances. You cant kill an animal for sport, and you cant eat meat that wasnt ritually slaughtered. So you can only hunt if A. youre killing a nuisance animal or B. Youre killing for something useful, but not meat for memebers of my people to eat - you could kill for fur, or I suppose to sell meat to gentiles. Not sure if Venison for Homeless shelters, or a gift of Venison to your gentile neighbor would count. Of course I could ask my Rabbi :) Of course if youre talking weapons for selfdefense, thats something else.
Iran's top nuclear negotiator said Tuesday that Tehran wanted to resolve decades of differences with the United States and warned that a U.S. military strike wouldn't destroy all of Iran's nuclear facilities.
Iran's top leaders have tried in recent days to ease increasing tensions with Washington amid a war of words. President Bush last week accused Iran of being "the world's primary state sponsor of terror."
"We are not seeking tension with the United States," negotiator Hasan Rowhani told the state-run television. "We are seeking to resolve our problems with America but it's the Americans who don't want problems be resolved."
"There is no problem in today's world that can't be resolved," said Rowhani, who is secretary of Iran's powerful Supreme National Security Council.
Washington believes Iran is secretly using its civilian nuclear program to build a nuclear bomb. Iran denies the allegation, saying its nuclear activities are geared solely toward generating electricity.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (news - web sites) on Friday said that a military strike against Iran was "simply not on the agenda at this point," but Bush has not ruled out a military strike as an option.
But Rowhani said that a U.S. military strike against Iran's nuclear facilities would fail.
"Iran's nuclear technology is in the hands of its scientists and workshops throughout the country. All of them have the ability to produce centrifuges. Therefore, America will not be able to destroy our nuclear facilities and mines through a military strike," he said.
Israel has warned that it may consider a pre-emptive strike against Iranian nuclear installations along the lines of its 1981 bombing of an unfinished Iraqi nuclear reactor at Osirak near Baghdad but Iranian officials have said any possible attack would fail.
Iran's nuclear facilities are spread throughout the country and partly built under the ground making an aerial attack a possible failure.
The broadcast said Iran began a new round of nuclear talks with the Europeans in Geneva on Monday.
Iran this week called on the Europeans to speed up the talks, reflecting frustration over lack of progress over European insistence that Tehran turn its temporary suspension of nuclear activities into a permanent stop.
Iran suspended uranium enrichment and all related activities in November, hoping to build trust and avoid U.N. Security Council sanctions. The International Atomic Energy Agency has agreed to police the suspension.
Under an agreement reached with the European Union (news - web sites), Iran will continue suspension of its enrichment activities during negotiations with the Europeans about economic, political and technological aid. Iran has said it will decide within three months whether to continue its suspension, which is monitored by U.N. nuclear inspectors.
Rowhani said Iran will never scrap its nuclear program and won't give up its rights under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty which allows Iran access to peaceful nuclear technology.
"Talks can't continue for a long time. The Europeans have been told that the period of negotiations has to be within months not years," he told the television.
"And the condition to continue the talks is progress. Therefore, if by the end of the (Iranian calendar) year (March 20), there is no progress in the talks, we will not be obliged to continue the talks," Rowhani said.
He also insisted that Iran now possesses the technology to control the whole nuclear fuel cycle — from extracting uranium ore to enriching it.
"We have the ability to extract uranium, process it into yellowcake and enrich it and produce fuel. We can claim that we control the nuclear fuel cycle," he said.
Posted by: tipper ||
02/08/2005 10:47:53 AM ||
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#1
We are seeking to resolve our problems with America but itâs the Americans who donât want problems be resolved
Bullsh*t - you just don't like our solutions: stop supporting terrorists, give up your nuke program, give the mullahs the boot. See? That was easy.
#2
We are seeking to resolve our problems with America but itâs the Americans who donât want problems be resolved
Seems like all those magic mullahs have a chioce.
1)Microwave weapon on the Ministry for Maiming and Lashing building*. Lotsa magic mullahs inside getting off on the videos of the punishments meted out to the citizenry.
...or...
2)A few selected mullahs in high positions of authority could receive a cruise missle enema. The cruise missle smeared with LARD!
...or...
3)Or verified dismantlemet of the U-235 and Pu enrichment plant.
*I think this is officially called: Ministry For Promotion Of Virtue And Prevention Of Vice
Iran's powerful former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has called on the United States to make a gesture of goodwill towards Iran as a precursor to reopening dialogue. "We want good relations with the American people," the top cleric said in an exclusive interview published on Monday in leading US daily USA Today. "There has to be a dialogue between the governments, but what can one do when your government has always wronged us? We need to see evidence that this process will be reversed."
This is curious. This is the second time Rafsanjani's made this kind of overture that I can recall. Asefi, Kharrazi, and the other face-makers never seem to bring it up at all, and Khatami's been pretty much non-committal for obvious reasons.
Rafsanjani, Iran's president from 1989 to 1997 said he had not decided whether to run for president in the June presidential election, but could announce a candidacy in two to three months. Rafsanjani, 70, described himself as someone who can improve relations with the United States. "I'm not the only one but I am one of them," he said. But the charismatic cleric insisted Washington had to take the first step, by freeing at least eight billion dollars in Iranian assets frozen in the United States, or some other gesture of goodwill.
Just off the top of my head, I'd say "hell no!"
"When I was the president, several times I mentioned this to the United States, that if they show goodwill we would enter a dialogue with them. And I gave this directive to them, that if they free our assets in the United States, that would be a sign of goodwill. I have the same idea this time. The first step has to be from the US part. They have to show positive signs for us so we can believe they are sincere."
What the hell do you want? They sent you a cake once...
Rafsanjani, now the head of the Expediency Council political arbitration body, said US lawmakers would be welcome to visit Iran. "They can come. We have no objection," he said. But he added that "we do not trust the goodwill of the US", and had withering words for the current US administration by calling recent tough statements from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice "emotional."
Posted by: Fred ||
02/08/2005 00:00:00 ||
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#2
....he then slipped into repeated mumblings of marg bar amerika while choking on a fistful of pistashio nuts grown on his family's [and the country's]only pistacchio farm--freakin' bazaari scum
Posted by: SON OF TOLUI ||
02/08/2005 2:56 Comments ||
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#3
[Off-topic or abusive comments deleted]
Posted by: dog care TROLL ||
02/08/2005 3:19 Comments ||
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#4
I can see returning that money to the Iranian people, in the form of radios, secure crypto gear, small arms...
Is there something we can do about the comment spam? Advocating a DDOS attack would be illegal, of course...
#6
Iranâs powerful former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has called on the United States to make a gesture of goodwill towards Iran as a precursor to reopening dialogue.
Er, no.
Rafsanjani, now the head of the Expediency Council political arbitration body, said US lawmakers would be welcome to visit Iran. âThey can come. We have no objection,â he said. But he added that âwe do not trust the goodwill of the USâ, and had withering words for the current US administration by calling recent tough statements from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice âemotional.â
#7
as a gesture of good will we are equipping all our armaments with JDAM packages so as to minimize collateral damage. happy?
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/08/2005 10:38 Comments ||
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#8
The Iranian gentleman clearly does not understand that Bush, and Americans in general, are results oriented, not process oriented. Until he can offer us solid and acceptable results, what motivation do we have to engage in his little process?
#9
Pets need dental care, too, and this February an increasing number of pet owners are taking the initiative of in-home care. According to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association (APPMA), 15 percent of dog owners get veterinarian dental care for their dogs, 5 percent more than in 1998, while 28 percent of all dog owners own a toothbrush for their dogs.
Taken from http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/050124/245091_1.html
This website provides accurate and reliable basic dog care information.
Posted by: dog care ||
02/08/2005 3:19 Comments ||
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The US official who declared the White House's hunt for illicit weapons in Iraq to be a failure driven by faulty intelligence has warned the Bush administration against repeating its mistakes in the current war of words with arch-foe Iran. "There is an eerie similarity to the events preceding the Iraq war," David Kay, who led the search for banned weapons of mass destruction in postwar Iraq, said on Monday in an opinion piece in The Washington Post.
Yes. Isn't there?
"Nuclear weapons in the hands of Iran would be a grave danger to the world. That is not what is in doubt," he wrote. "What is in doubt is the ability (of) the US government to honestly assess Iran's nuclear status and to craft a set of measures that will cope with that threat short of military action by the United States or Israel," Kay added.
Iran seems to be doing a pretty good job of convincing the rest of the world that it's working real hard to get them, isn't it?
Posted by: Fred ||
02/08/2005 00:00:00 ||
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#2
Boy, it looks like Kay's meltdown last year wasn't a fluke. He exhibited a completely upside-down misunderstanding of the relationship between reliable WMD intelligence and pre-emption (the lack of the former drives, not limits, the latter). Now he falls off several cliffs: (1) nice slimy and unwarranted dig at US "honesty" in assessing life-and-death national security decisions -- and he knows damn well there was no dishonesty in the Iraq round, as of course all investigations have shown (2) implying he or any other government has the ability to "craft" magical non-military measures to stop a nuke program in a recalcitrant ruthless and rich dictatorship.
He of course also completely misstates the basic question (at least this passage seems to leave little chance he addresses it correctly): it's nearly impossible to accurately assess nuclear status of a state like Iran, but it's easy to see that eventually they can easily go nuclear if they try.
You had your moment in the early 90s, Dave. Go away and STFU. You look like a fool -- as does anyone preening for the brain-dead infantile Beltway second-guessing industry.
#3
Hmmm. Excellent points, V-i-Iraq! I wonder if a surreptitious peek at his financials would reveal a current or recently addressed need for funds. I'd hate to believe it, but the Kool Aid is clearly in evidence, as you point out. The Kool Aid Krowd has some deep-pocketed and increasingly desperate wankers who wouldn't hesitate to subvert someone like Kay. Hell, they're probably willing to make alliances of convenience with absolutely anyone...
#4
this is a man tortured by his own failure at predicting iraqi wmd's for years and being bereft because--ta da--he couldn't find them--hint/ speznatz crews to syria duvid--what a dhimmi--you'd think living in arab lands for as long as he did would teach him about their thought processes and paronoidal need for secrecy culture--what a colossal nincompoop he is
Posted by: SON OF TOLUI ||
02/08/2005 3:04 Comments ||
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#5
[Off-topic or abusive comments deleted]
Posted by: dog health information TROLL ||
02/08/2005 3:17 Comments ||
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#7
Perhaps Mr. Kay will explain to us why Iran wants ballistic missles that can reach the heart of Europe?
Posted by: Mark Z. ||
02/08/2005 6:22 Comments ||
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#8
Not just ballistic missiles. Iran recently received 3000km range (if fitted with a 200 kiloton ex-Soviet warhead) air launched cruise missiles from Ukraine.
Posted by: ed ||
02/08/2005 6:26 Comments ||
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#9
.com: 'David Kay' does sound eerily similar to 'on the pay'.
#10
I dunno, Bulldog. I think the Galloway defense might apply for him. He doesn't need a bribe to work against America's interests; he'll do it for free.
#11
Bulldog: .com: 'David Kay' does sound eerily similar to 'on the pay'.
I think it's an ideological thing, just as it is with the media. Why do the media distort and lie? Because they can - it's great when you get paid while disseminating your ideology.
Israeli Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz told US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Monday that Israel favoured diplomatic pressure over military means to prevent Iran obtaining nuclear weapons.
"If that doesn't work, of course, we'll clobber them..."
Speaking to Israel Radio after a meeting with Rice, who was on a two-day visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories, Mofaz said that at the moment the efforts must be diplomatic. "The way to act, the most acceptable way for us and the Americans is to use the diplomatic track to bring this issue to the (United Nations) Security Council and issue sanctions," Mofaz said.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/08/2005 00:00:00 ||
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[Off-topic or abusive comments deleted]
Posted by: about dog products TROLL ||
02/08/2005 3:15 Comments ||
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#2
F'cking spammers. They are on my target list right after jihadis, and before commies and el cubos.
#4
Pets need dental care, too, and this February an increasing number of pet owners are taking the initiative of in-home care. According to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association (APPMA), 15 percent of dog owners get veterinarian dental care for their dogs, 5 percent more than in 1998, while 28 percent of all dog owners own a toothbrush for their dogs.
Taken from http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/050124/245091_1.html
I recently visited this website talking about dog products and find the information very helpful.
Posted by: about dog products ||
02/08/2005 3:15 Comments ||
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Did you hear an outcry? I musta slept through it...
Iran painted the United States as a diplomatically isolated superpower on Monday, saying an international outcry had forced Washington to withdraw a threat of military action against Tehran. "I believe the international community's reaction to the speech by itself meant a lot," Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi said on a visit to Malaysia, referring to U.S. President George W Bush's State of the Union address.
"That's why America has withdrawn from the position and they have stressed that they do not have such plans in their agenda," he said, noting remarks last week by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice who sought to ease fears of a U.S. attack. Those fears were aroused last week when Bush called Iran the "world's primary state sponsor of terror" and accused it of seeking to build atomic weapons. He has also declined to rule out military action against Iran over its nuclear programme. His comments drew criticism from Islamic nations and caused the European Union (EU) to distance itself from Washington's approach to Iran. "That is our right to have nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. We are asking for our right," Kharrazi told reporters. In contrast to his comments on Washington, Kharrazi said Iran would discuss the EU's concerns over the question of suspending its nuclear programme and would look to build up more confidence between the two sides.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/08/2005 00:00:00 ||
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Iran painted the United States as a diplomatically isolated superpower on Monday
Fine by me, if it weren't for the fact that the middle east is such an unruly sh*thole that spews murderers and religious pychopaths who make killing Americans their business, I would revel in isolationism and let the rest of the world rot.
What ever happens to Iran, they are bringing on themselves.
#6
I went to graduate school with a large number of Iranians and many of them spoke excellent English. It's too bad that one of them can't advise Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi that George W. Bush has not "withdrawn from the position". The Foreign Ministry is obviously having problems understanding English.
Posted by: Tom ||
02/08/2005 8:20 Comments ||
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#7
The Foreign Ministry is obviously having problems understanding English.
Or maybe it's like Baghdad Bob's constantly maintaining that our troops were not making headway, that Saddam had nothing to worry about, right until coalition forces marched into Baghdad.
Posted by: Steve from Relto ||
02/08/2005 9:24 Comments ||
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#8
one very good piece of pych ops
Posted by: Dan ||
02/08/2005 12:00 Comments ||
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#9
one very good piece of pych ops
Posted by: Dan ||
02/08/2005 12:00 Comments ||
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#10
Riverwatch Southern Cross, a curly-coated male retriever that answers to Curlew, won four awards last weekend at the American Kennel Club/Eukanuba National Championship in Tampa, Fla. The awards included best of breed and best bred by exhibitor.
Taken from http://www.thehollandsentinel.net/stories/012305/loc_012305010.shtml
I recently visited a website regarding pet dogs and find it very helpful. It provide information on wide varieties of dog breed as well as useful information on dogs.
Posted by: pet dogs ||
02/08/2005 3:13 Comments ||
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Posted by: Fred ||
02/08/2005 00:00:00 ||
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#1
Post-strike cleanup? It would be nice if the MM's used the money they've stolen from the Persian people to pay for it. The Russians can use the work - and they gained valuable experience at Chernobyl. Got win-win written all over it.
It's not often that a professor tells a packed crowd at Columbia University that Edward Said was a political extremist and that faculty members in the school's Middle East studies department encourage Islamic terrorism.
Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz showed up at the intellectual home of Said, a literature professor who was a fierce critic of Israel, to rebuke Columbia's faculty and administration for tolerating an atmosphere on campus that he said promotes the hatred of Israel.
"This is the most unbalanced university that I have come across when it comes to all sides of the Middle East conflict being presented," Mr. Dershowitz told hundreds of students and a smattering of Columbia faculty members. "I have never seen a university with as much faculty silence," he said.
At a campus already divided by a controversy that has flared for months - one that pits a handful of Jewish students against some professors in the Middle East and Asian Languages and Cultures department - the appearance of Mr. Dershowitz was the latest indication that the most serious crisis of President Lee Bollinger's tenure is far from over.
One of the best-known defense attorneys in the country, Mr. Dershowitz, who is 66, said he would help organize an independent committee to look into the student complaints if the faculty committee appointed by Mr. Bollinger came to a "biased" conclusion. Without mentioning names, Mr. Dershowitz said the external committee would include Nobel Prize winners.
Members of the New York City Council, too, have called for an outside investigation of the student complaints.
Drawing a few laughs, Mr. Dershowitz said the prospects of "peace in Israel itself are greater than they would be on this campus." He continued, "The kind of hatred that one hears on campuses like Columbia, and let me say especially Columbia, is a barrier to peace. They are encouraging the terrorists. They tell the terrorists you will have academic support even if you oppose the peace process."
At times he singled out for censure an assistant professor of modern Arab politics, Joseph Massad, who is accused of ordering one of his students to leave his classroom if she continued to deny Israel's alleged atrocities against Palestinian Arabs. Mr. Massad, who denies that the incident took place, is among dozens of Columbia professors who in 2003 called on the university to divest itself of financial holdings in companies that support Israel.
"Anybody who advocates for divesting only from the Jewish state ... at a time when Iraq was posing a great threat to the world, when Iran was posing great threats ... when China is oppressing million of Tibetans, when the Kurds are still denied independence and statehood, to single out only Israel for divestiture at that point in time cannot be explained by neutral political, even ideological consideration," Mr. Dershowitz said.
Mr. Massad, who argues that Israel is a racist state, has publicly urged Palestinian Arabs to continue their resistance against Israel and supports the creation of one binational state containing both Israel and the occupied territories.
"If you were a space alien from a distant planet and your spaceship landed at Columbia University, you wouldn't think necessarily that the reality is a two-state solution," Mr. Dershowitz said. "You would think there is another potential reality - the one-state solution, the secular national state of Palestine."
He said those at Columbia who advocate the end of a Jewish state as a solution to the Middle East conflict "deliberately ignore the lessons of history," adding, "I do not believe that those who advocate it genuinely believe that a one state solution would produce a secular bi-national state."
Mr. Dershowitz said he was struck by the reluctance on the part of faculty members at Columbia to demand publicly more intellectual diversity within the Middle East studies department. Such silence, he said, has turned the controversy at the university into a student-versus-teacher dispute. "Having tenure means you have no excuse for not speaking out," Mr. Dershowitz said. "I'm appalled at how many professors at Columbia University privately support Israel, and privately support many of the students, but are publicly afraid to speak out."
Mr. Dershowitz, a criminal lawyer who has in recent years become one of Israel's most visible public advocates, was invited and paid to speak by the David Project. The Boston-based group was also responsible for producing a documentary video, "Columbia Unbecoming," a compilation of student accounts of classroom experiences, that prompted Columbia last fall to launch the internal investigation into the conduct of professors of the Middle East studies department.
#2
SHALOM to Attorney Dershowitz, I have read all his book's and meet him in person. Alan has always smelled the roses, coffee to full aroma.
He is great at smelling a skunk also, which is what he has done here.
PEACE ***
Andrea
Posted by: Andrea ||
02/08/2005 17:36 Comments ||
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#3
Dershowitz realized sooner than almost anyone that the Left, of which he remains an enthusiastic member, has become so pathologically anti-Israel as to be antisemitic. He has been using his lofty position as a very respected Harvard Law professor to rebut, fisk and attempt to educate those who publicly expose their bigotry on the subject. This lecture at Columbia is part and parcel of his on-going effort. He has also written several useful books on the subject at the popular level -- see Amazon.com and similar sites for the titles.
#4
tw - *applause* Excellent, no - perfect explanation of Alan's recent efforts. He's nailing a lot of hides to the wall. Best of all, he weaves a den Beste style of logic box - impossible to escape. To deny to is admit being a raving moonbat moron. Keep it up, Alan, you're on a roll!
#5
Dershowitz is doing well on this issue. He is however on the wrong side of just about every other issue. I have seen him go frothy all to often. His rabid desire to grab all my guns makes this just too little and too late.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice yesterday tapped an Army general as a Middle East "security coordinator" to assist with Israel's planned withdrawal from Gaza and to help with training and equipping of the Palestinian forces.
Miss Rice, who completed her first trip to the region as America's chief diplomat, invited, on President Bush's behalf, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to visit Washington separately in the spring.
"There are going to be specific things the parties need to do, and we will not hesitate to say to the parties when those obligations are not being met," Miss Rice said. "That is part of our role." She told Mr. Abbas, as she did Mr. Sharon the day before, that Washington is committed to the peace process, but it would step back for the time being and allow moderate Arab states in the region to be the leading mediators.
"Gen. Ward will also work with Egypt, Jordan and others to coordinate assistance to the Palestinian Authority as it rebuilds its security capacity to end violence and terror and restore law and order," he said.
"It is very important that the United States not somehow supplant the bilateral security discussions and cooperation that the Israelis and the Palestinians are involved in," Miss Rice said. "They are going to do even more, I believe, in the future, and the United States does not have to be party to everything that goes on," she said. "In fact, it is a good thing when the parties can resolve problems on their own."
Because of Washington's decision to remain backstage during negotiations, Miss Rice chose not to appoint a special envoy for the peace process.
Gen. Ward is deputy Commander officer of U.S. Army Europe and the 7th Army. Miss Rice, to whom he will report, chose him because of his previous experience as commander of the NATO Stabilization Force in postwar Bosnia-Herzegovina and a recent assignment in Egypt, the senior official said. He also has served in Somalia, Germany and South Korea.
The senior official said Gen. Ward's small staff would include mainly people from the State Department, but employees of the Pentagon and other agencies also are likely to participate.
During a joint press conference with Mr. Abbas, who was elected Jan. 9, the secretary announced that $40 million would be given to the Palestinians within 90 days in a "quick action program" to help with job creation and rebuilding infrastructure. The money will be diverted from the $75 million the United States already had appropriated in this year's budget for projects in Gaza. It will be returned to that account when Congress approves the $350 million in aid Mr. Bush pledged last week.
#3
This really raised my eyebrows. My suspicion is that this 3-star will be "the general of the west", one of four 3-stars who will report to the 4-star head of the Iraq Regional Command. The "west" will include Egypt, Israel, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan. The "east" will be Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. The "north" will be Turkey and the Central Asia states, and the "south" will be all of northern and central Africa. Jokingly, I guess you could then call the 4-star "The Son of Heaven" (ref: Tai-Peng rebellion).
Amid the ruins of Fallujah, white flags are emerging - alerting US and Iraqi forces to the presence of Iraqi families moving back home, clearing the rubble, and trying to renew hope. Residents say that the insurgents who made the city a virtual no-go zone are gone. They were violently cut out of this former stronghold by US forces during a monthlong battle in November - the toughest urban combat for US forces since Vietnam - that pulverized this city of some 300,000. But now, the US Marines and the Iraqi government face a new challenge: convincing Fallujans that the insurgency here is over and that their ravaged homes can and will be rebuilt. "This is probably the safest city in the country," says US Marine Lt. Col. Keil Gentry, executive officer of Regiment Combat Team 1 (RCT1), that controls Fallujah. "Is it blooming everywhere? No. But it's like the beginning of spring, with signs of green emerging here and there."
An unexpected measure of success came on election day last week. Nearly 8,000 people here defied insurgent threats and voted, according to US military officials. That figure accounts for 44 percent of all votes cast in Anbar Province, which includes the Sunni triangle, where antielection feeling was so strong that less than 7 percent voted at all. Iraqis say the result shows how secure Fallujahns are beginning to feel, and note with added surprise that more than a few said their ballot was for Iyad Allawi, the US-backed interim prime minister who ordered the Fallujah invasion. "It's better that the Americans are here," says Abdulrahab Abdulrahman, a teacher who carries a folder containing a compensation claim for the damage to his house. "I have the freedom to be a student, or whatever I want to be." The mujahideen "are gone," he says, clearly pleased, standing on a street strewn with rubble. "They are finished."
Children wave at the Marines, and accept candy that the men keep in cargo pockets, alongside stun grenades and extra rifle magazines. Many adults wave, too, though some look sullenly past. But even as many Fallujans shift from anger to accommodation, there are complaints. There is little electricity and less running water. When Mr. Abdulrahman sees a marine pointing his rifle at pedestrians far down the street to get a better look through his rifle scope, the Iraqi scolds: "Don't do that. You could shoot a child."
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Bobby ||
02/08/2005 11:25:49 AM ||
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February 8, 2005: How can you tell if al Qaeda is winning, or losing, the war on terror? How do you even tell who the major players are in al-Qaeda? Like baseball, one's best bet is to use a scorecard. The scorecard for al-Qaeda ("The Base") is pretty complex.
Al-Qaeda was originally built like a large corporation. It has a board of directors of 24, with Osama bin Laden as the CEO (official title is Emir-General). Bin Laden also has 15 people in what could be described as his "inner circle" of aides. Al-Qaeda also had training camps in six countries in September, 2001 (Afghanistan, Indonesia, Chechnya, Albania, Sudan, and the Philippines), with eight commanders. Al-Qaeda also maintained cells in numerous Arabian and European countries.
Since the September 11, 2001 attacks, the United States and allies have been hunting down the leadership of al-Qaeda. Among the big fish (the "Board of Directors"), seven are dead and ten are in custody. Four members of the "inner circle" are also in custody. This is 53 percent of the senior leadership for al-Qaeda. Osama bin Laden is still at large, along with Ayman al-Zawahiri (the deputy commander of al-Qaeda) and Abu Mohammed al-Masri (the planner of the attacks on the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania). However, five out of the eight training camp commanders are dead or in custody.
Other statistics of note: Eighteen al-Qaeda financiers are dead or in custody. Among those still at large, though, are two of bin Laden's sisters, two of his brothers-in-law, and a Swiss banker by the name of Ahmed Huber. Huber also has extensive connections with neo-Nazis in Europe. The real financial resource for al-Qaeda remains untouched the dozen or so Saudis who are called the "Golden Chain." All are at large, and all can still provide enough resources for bin Laden to regroup and strike again.
Al-Qaeda's military committee has also been decimated. One is dead (killed by a CIA Predator firing Hellfire missiles), fourteen, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and Ramzi Yousef, have been captured. These include the commanders in Singapore, Java, Southern Europe, and Japan. Several are at large, including the operations chiefs in Kosovo, Tunisia, and Somalia.
Subordinate networks in several countries have been rounded up or decimated. In Jordan, five out of the six major al-Qaeda figures are in custody; in Syria, only five major terrorist figures are still at large dozens of al-Qaeda members are currently incarcerated, but three major Hezbollah figures are still on the loose. Syria, however, remains a sponsor of Hezbollah. Egypt has rounded up all of the major al-Qaeda figures, as have Italy, Belgium, Germany. The United Kingdom, Spain, and France have rounded up many al-Qaeda figures as well. Many of the major al-Qaeda figures in Saudi Arabia are dead or apprehended, but a number of figures involved in the Khobar Towers bombing are still at large some with connections to Hizbollah. In Turkey, 75 percent of the big fish connected with al-Qaeda are dead or in custody. Most of the support structure for the 9/11attack, including Mukhabarat agent Ahmad Khalil Ibraham al-Ani (who the Czechs insist met hijacker Mohammed Atta in Prague), are in custody.
But in some places, the network is pretty intact. Many major Taliban figures are still on the loose. So are all three members of al-Qaeda's WMD Committee, and all of those involved in a Bolivian hijacking plot.
Short version, al-Qaeda is on the run throughout most of the globe. Even Abu Musab Zarqawi, in charge of all al-Qaeda elements in Iraq, is on the run as elements of his infrastructure are taken apart. Eight of Zarqawi's top aides are dead. Twenty others have been captured. Zarqawi was unable to disrupt the elections on January 30, a serious loss for the terrorists. Al-Qaeda is still potent, as the attacks in Madrid proved, but they are clearly reacting to the multi-pronged offensive in the United States.
This article starring:
ABU MOHAMED AL MASRI
al-Qaeda
ABU MUSAB ZARQAWI
al-Qaeda
AHMED HUBER
al-Qaeda
AHMED KHALIL IBRAHAM AL ANI
al-Qaeda
AIMAN AL ZAWAHIRI
al-Qaeda
KHALID SHEIKH MOHAMED
al-Qaeda
RAMZI YUSEF
al-Qaeda
Golden Chain
Posted by: Steve ||
02/08/2005 11:09:19 AM ||
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#1
Iknow many would like to see higher numbers, but this was extremely hard to do. Infinite thanks/respect to our green beret's, seals, marines/recon, combat controllers, fighter/bomber pilots, mil. intel, rangers/101st/82nd/10th mtn., and any other tip-of-the-spear units...
#5
The real financial resource for al-Qaeda remains untouched â the dozen or so Saudis who are called the âGolden Chain.â All are at large, and all can still provide enough resources for bin Laden to regroup and strike again.
THERE is where we will get the most bang for the buck. These 12 Saudis need to be taken out by whatever means necessary. That will send a message to other Saudis that feel the need to be pious by being generous givers to terrorist causes.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
02/08/2005 15:59 Comments ||
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The coalition of Iraq's two main Kurdish parties has won about 24 per cent of the vote in Iraq's 30 January general elections, putting the group in second place behind the top Shi'ite coalition, according to partial vote count results. The results put the Kurdish Alliance - comprising the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the Kurdistan Democratic Party - ahead of another Shi'ite bloc, led by interim Iraqi prime minister Iyad Allawi, which is now in third place with around 13 per cent of the vote. The United Iraqi Alliance, sponsored by top Shi'ite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, has so far won more than half of the votes for Iraq's 275-seat National Assembly.
Shi'ites make up about 60 per cent of Iraq's 26 million people, while Kurds make up one-third and Sunnis about 20 per cent. The final vote count is expected on Thursday. At least a two-thirds majority is needed to make key appointments and to approve the constitution. In the meantime, more than 40 people have been killed in two days of violence in Iraq. On Monday, 27 people were killed in suicide bombings targeting Iraqi security forces in Baquba and Mosul, news agencies reported. On Tuesday, at least 13 people were killed and at least 11 others were wounded in an explosion at an Iraqi army-recruiting center in Baghdad, according to agency reports. Also in the capital city, gunmen killed two sons of Iraqi Shi'ite politician Mihal al-Alusi, an outspoken critic of Syria and Iran.
Posted by: Steve ||
02/08/2005 10:32:40 AM ||
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I posted a "commentary" with all the results from the Iraq Election Commission. Here is a more readable list with the top parties only...
About 41% Counted 4,618,417 _ 275
List # Party Total % Reps
169 Unified Iraq Coalition (Sistani) 2,339,755 50.66% 150
130 Kurdistan Alliance List 1,141,016 24.71% 73
285 Iraqi List (Allawi) 620,459 13.43% 40
283 Islamic Group of Kurdistan Iraq 45,212 0.98% 2
352 National Independent Cadres and Elites 43,865 0.95% 2
324 Nation Union (Communist) 43,814 0.95% 2
255 Iraqis List (al-Yawer) 42,156 0.91% 2
204 Al Rafideen National List (Assyrian Christian) 27,404 0.59% 1
111 Islamic Action Organization In Iraq Central Direction 25,477 0.55% 1
258 National Democratic Alliance 19,417 0.42% 1
175 Tukman iraq front 19,103 0.41% 1
All Others 250,739 5.44% 0
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made no acknowledgement of Yasser Arafat's grave when she met the Palestinian Authority leadership in Ramallah on Monday before concluding a whirlwind trip to Israel and the PA.
God, I love this woman.
Unlike a long line of other leaders who paid some kind of homage to Arafat's grave at the entrance to the Mukata, when visiting PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), Rice's car simply pulled into the compound, passed the grave and Rice got out and walked into the building. On the way out, she also made no acknowledgment of the grave, unlike other leaders, like EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana who laid a wreath or British Prime Minister Tony Blair who walked by and nodded. One US official said that the question of how Rice would comport herself around the grave did not come up in preparatory meetings for the visit. "It was not an issue," he said. The PA decided not to make a fuss about the issue to avoid marring relations with the US.
Bwahahahaha!
Posted by: Steve ||
02/08/2005 9:41:38 AM ||
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#1
I don't know diplomatic protocol, but she could have at least spit on it.
Posted by: ed ||
02/08/2005 9:57 Comments ||
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#2
Obviously she didn't have to pee at the time......
#5
Unlike a long line of other leaders who paid some kind of homage to Arafat's grave at the entrance to the Mukata, when visiting PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), Rice's car simply pulled into the compound, passed the grave and Rice got out and walked into the building.
#7
I HAVE NEVER BEEN PROUDER TO BE AN AMERICAN AT THIS POINT! Good call Doctor Rice, Arafat was a long-time terrorist and obstruction to any thing called peace. I agree with Ed that a small gesture (raised middle finger, spitting, or defecation) might have done a lot to bring closure to that chapter of U.S.-Arab relations.
#9
Flipping it the bird, spitting on it, etc., would have given Arafart some recognition. Negative recognition, but recognition nonetheless.
Better to have ignored it completely as Dr Rice did. She made a statement without doing a thing.
#10
Mojo: It's the last word in public facilities.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
02/08/2005 14:46 Comments ||
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#11
Dr. Rice did the right thing. Move forward, no recognition to the Arafish, who did nothing but make Paleo lives miserable and steal their money in the bargain. She is taking the high ground.
While we are discussing Dr. Rice, her approach to France and Germany is good also. Hey, we have some good things going on in Iraq. Come and be part of a good thing. What are they going to say? But NEVER NEVER allow them to profit on our backs. We do not have to advertize this. Make nice window dressing with the EU on Iran. We still make plans for the bad scenario.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
02/08/2005 15:51 Comments ||
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Article deleted. You want attention, Crystle, find it somewhere else, but don't advertise here, or else we'll send 'Boris' your way.
Posted by: Crystal Broyles ||
02/08/2005 8:45:39 AM ||
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Hmm.... Why does the MSM give the people who took that school in russa a pass and refuses to mention that they were all muslim (Islamics)? And also fails to mention that they bayonetted babies and took young girls off to rooms to be gang-raped?
Why did the MSM give Saddam's rape rooms, rape squads, people shreaddrs and mass graves a 'pass' while getting all hell-bent about a few idiots in a prison?
Why does the MSM refuse to have any stories about human rights abuses in Iran - wasn't a 11 year old boy whipped to death for eating during ramada?
Could it be becuse these items are comitted by... Muslim? And in the case of Sudan, Arab Muslims who are oppressing the Black muslims to take their land and because they are 'black' (with a heart like that of a donkey according to the Islamic holy scrptures)? And the MSM is giving them a free pass? When was the last time you saw the MSM go after Muslims states?
#2
Crystal, you are on the right track, but your numbers are out by an order of magnitude. Nobody knows how many have been killed in Sudan over the last twenty years but it is in the millions perhaps as high as 5 million.
I find it striking that regular coverage of Dafur started 6 months ago with '70,000 deaths' that number didn't change for months and was regulary quoted then the media stopped quoting a death figure even though its clear a lot more people have died.
If you genuinely want to solve this problem then start with the media's digraceful coverage of this issue.
#3
Will we wait and only act after hundreds of thousands more Sudanese have been killed,..
Here's a suggestion: get the EU to do something, anything, besides talk about it. After all, it's in their backyard, and we're busy at the moment. When that happens, then start talking about something that "we" can do about the problem.
#4
BAR-Let's call their bluff. We offer to supply x% of the military forces to enforce humane treatment and resettlement of black Sudanese by the Sudanese government, IN CONJUNCTION WITH X% of forces which the EU or AU can supply. Make an offer of military assistance; if the EU shies away, which Euros will no doubt do because they don't believe in military interventions, then it will become one more pony show of international concern, in which case I say, let'm get the limelight and handle it themselves.
[Crickets chirping...is anybody there?}
Posted by: AMA ||
02/08/2005 10:36 Comments ||
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In early 2003, the U.S. bought nine 62 ton D9 armored Caterpillar bulldozers into Kuwait for the Iraq campaign. The D9s, and their Israeli made armor kit, were purchased because of the Israeli success with the dozen in urban warfare against Palestinian terrorists. America had used the D9 during the 1960s in Vietnam, but after that only used the smaller (35 ton, with armor kit) D7. The D9 was not needed for urban fighting in Iraq during 2003, but was found very useful (much more so than the smaller D7) for combat engineering tasks. The D9 quickly cleared highways of debris and built temporary roads for combat vehicles. One D9 was thought to be as useful as four D7s, and there is a lot of enthusiasm among combat engineers to keep the D9s, and get more of them. In 2004, the D9s were used for combat operations in places like Fallujah.
ISRAELI Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas have met for the first top-level summit between the two sides in more than four years.
The two are expected to issue a joint ceasefire declaration at the culmination of the summit hosted by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on the shores of the Red Sea.
Mr Sharon refused to have any contact with the late Palestinian Authority president Yasser Arafat, who died on November 11 and was replaced by Abbas.
Mr Sharon had earlier met Mr Mubarak for the first time at the summit.
Mr Sharon has not visited Egypt since being elected four years ago.
Mr Mubarak has visited Israel only once, for the funeral of assassinated premier Yitzhak Rabin.
Posted by: God Save The World ||
02/08/2005 6:21:18 AM ||
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Iraq's interim Interior Minister Falah al-Naqib said on Monday he believed the country could establish full control of its internal security within 18 months.
But the minister said not all of Iraq's neighbours were fully cooperating in helping to seal its borders against foreign fighters seeking to join an insurgency against the U.S.-backed government, including a significant number from Sudan.
"I would say within 18 months we will be able to have ... full control of our internal security," Naqib told reporters at a counter-terrorism conference in Saudi Arabia.
"But that will depend on a couple of things -- the political situation in Iraq, and then the ministry of defence also have their own schedule," the minister added.
Naqib similarly declined to be drawn on when foreign troops might withdraw. "We have agreed that when we have been able to build up our forces and we are able to protect our country and our internal security, we will ask the foreign forces to leave Iraq," he said.
Naqib said Iraq was working with its neighbours to stop foreign fighters crossing its borders to join an insurgency which has been raging against the American-backed government and U.S.-led troops since the 2003 war that toppled Saddam Hussein.
Without naming any countries, the minister made clear that not all were fully cooperating.
"We are coordinating with neighbouring countries -- most of them, not all of them -- to work out this subject," he said. "Some are in agreement 100 percent. Some of them ... we have to work more with them."
Iraqi and U.S. officials have complained that Iran and Syria are not doing enough to seal their borders against guerrillas seeking to join the Sunni-led insurgency.
Naqib said the largest contingent of foreign fighters taking part in the insurgency was from Sudan, where al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was based for the first half of the 1990s, and were being attracted to Iraq "by money or other reasons."
"Maybe they (Sudanese) are 30 percent of the total numbers we have," the minister said.
He said Iraqi and coalition forces had captured people "very close" to al Qaeda operative Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and voiced hope they were getting closer to the Jordanian militant himself.
"He is running around the country, he is not staying in one place," the minister added.
Naqib said some foreign fighters were just turning up at points along Iraq's thousands of miles (km) of frontiers and attempting to cross, but many were working through contacts inside Iraq who knew routes for smuggling them in.
"Most of our border police stations have been destroyed during the war. We're rebuilding it and hopefully we'll be able to control our borders in a very short period of time," he said.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
02/08/2005 12:26:24 AM ||
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If U.S. foreign policy planners were Machiavellian enough, one could be led to believe that they planned the whole affair surrounding former Pentagon golden boy Ahmed Chalabi, the man most likely to become the new prime minister of Iraq. But their track record -- and history -- has proven otherwise.
Chalabi, a long-time Iraqi exile who initially based himself in London, was at first supported by Richard Perle, a neo-conservative policy-setter.
Chalabi first came into the limelight over his debacle in Jordan in 1992, when his Petra Bank went bust leaving more than $300 million in debts. The Jordanians sentenced him in absentia, and a court in Amman found him guilty of 31 counts of embezzlement and bank fraud. He was given 22 years in hard labor. Chalabi, however, never served any time.
He was helped out of Jordan in a car provided for by Prince Hassan, the brother of then King Hussein. He made his way to London, where he survived on the monthly stipend of $340,000 allocated by the Defense Department's Defense Intelligence Agency. Chalabi claims he is innocent. He says he was framed by Saddam Hussein and King Hussein, who connived to put an end to his anti-Saddam activities. Chalabi maintains that he is in possession of documents proving his innocence.
He founded the Iraqi National Congress -- an opposition group of Iraqi exiles. Chalabi and some of his associates were at times dubbed by their critics as "the Rolex Revolutionaries" due to accusations of extravagant lifestyles.
Chalabi was instrumental in convincing the Bush administration to topple Saddam, prompting one high-ranking American official to say that anyone who can get the United States to invade Iraq on his behalf must be a "very clever politician."
But soon after the fall of the Baathist regime, Chalabi quickly fell out of favor with the Pentagon when it was alleged that he funneled sensitive documents to Iranian intelligence -- an accusation also denied by him. Last May American troops and Iraqi police stormed into his Baghdad home ransacking through his belongings as Chalabi was reported to lament, "Why, Bush? Why? Is this your freedom and democracy for Iraq?"
Since his return to Iraq following the removal of Sadddam, Chalabi had received permission to open an office in Tehran, a country he has visited a number of times. Journalists who traveled with Chalabi to Iran reported that he was received in the Islamic Republic with full honors and given the red carpet treatment -- literally.
Since his fall from favor with the U.S. administration, Chalabi, a Shiite, re-aligned himself with Iraq's most revered Shiite religious authority, the Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani. It was undoubtedly one of his smartest moves. Again, analysts remarked that if U.S. intelligence was Machiavellian enough, they would have orchestrated the whole episode. What better way to give Chalabi credibility among many Iraqis, particularly among those opposed to the U.S. occupation, than to make him appear a pariah to the United States?
Since parting ways with the Pentagon, Chalabi spent time winning favors and cultivating support with Tehran's mullahs and convinced Sistani to include him on his electoral slate.
Iraqis who voted Sunday chose a slate rather than a candidate. Given that the names of most candidates were not revealed due to security concerns, many Iraqis voted for the slate their religious leaders told them to vote for. Chalabi was the lead candidate on Sistani's slate. If Sistani's slate wins, Chalabi will most likely become the next prime minister of Iraq.
Sunday's vote was hailed as historic around the world, as indeed, it was. However, what was largely overlooked in the euphoria of "bringing democracy" to Iraq is the new geo-political reality this vote has created.
President Bush was quick to declare another mission accomplished even though it may be somewhat premature to think that democracy prevailed. The reality of Sunday's election is that it helped create the first Arab Shia state -- something Iran's Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini had tried to do since the 1979 Islamic Revolution but never succeeded.
"I firmly planted the flag of liberty for all to see that the United States of America hears their concerns and believes in their aspirations," said Bush last week.
Iraq's move toward democracy should without the shadow of a doubt be applauded, and it is to be wished that it spreads to the rest of the Middle East. But anyone who has spent any time in the Middle East will counsel extreme caution and tell you that nothing ever goes according to plan.
The elections were a step in the right direction, but they also took Iraq a step closer to Iran. With any luck -- and some U.S. coaching -- the Iraqis will take a good hard look at Iran's theocratic system and shy away.
Sistani has repeatedly voiced his intention not to turn Iraq into another Islamic republic, opting instead for a more secular approach.
Nevertheless, the result of Sunday's election gives the Shiites a second foothold in the Middle East, a move that will encourage their coreligionists in nearby Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar, where they constitute important -- if at times somewhat turbulent -- minorities. Shiites also comprise the majority in Lebanon, and Syria's minority Alawis, though not considered Shiites, originate from Shiism. Syria's ruling Assad family is Alawi.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
02/08/2005 12:59:46 AM ||
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#1
If Sistaniâs slate wins, Chalabi will most likely become the next prime minister of Iraq.
Incorrect. whoever wrote this hasnt been following Iraqi politics too closely.
#4
a move that will encourage their coreligionists in nearby Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar, where they constitute important minorities. The dimwits in the media just don't get it. In the middle east ethnicity trumps religion every time. The people who will be 'encouraged' by a Shiia/Kurdish Iraq are their coethnics across the border in Iran.
If U.S. foreign policy planners were Machiavellian enough, one could be led to believe that they planned the whole affair surrounding former Pentagon golden boy Ahmed Chalabi, the man most likely to become the new prime minister of Iraq. But their track record -- and history -- has proven otherwise.
Sudan refused to arrest those responsible for atrocities in Darfur, and rebels intensified attacks against police forces, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said on Monday.
"Nope. Nope. Ain't gonna do it!"
"Take that, coppers! Hrarrrr!"
In a six-month review of the Darfur crisis, Annan, in a report to the U.N. Security Council, said the government implemented some promised measures but ignored others and instituted a "road-clearance" project that wiped out villages in an attempt to retaliate against armed rebels. The report was issued on the eve of a Security Council meeting on Tuesday at which Ali Osman Mohammed Taha, Sudan's vice president, and John Garang, head of the main southern Sudanese rebel group, are to brief members about their landmark north-south agreement signed last month to end a two-decade old civil war. Annan said he was investigating how a planned U.N. peacekeeping mission in the South could help the African Union, which is monitoring the Darfur crisis. But he stopped short of recommending the peacekeepers go to Darfur, which would require Khartoum's permission.
On the other hand, invading Sudan, chasing the existing government out of the country, pacifying the janjaweed and instituting law and order wouldn't require Khartoum's permission.
"The last six months have seen a substantial increase in lawlessness, in particular banditry and abduction, which have dramatically increased since October," said the report. "Fighting on the ground continues, and those responsible for atrocious crimes on a passive [sic] scale go unpunished. Militias continue to attack, claiming they are not part of any agreement. The government has not stopped them."
All in good time. All the black guys aren't dead yet.
Posted by: ed ||
02/08/2005 05:28 ||
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#1
For a moment there, I thought it was 1) we need a five-star resort for our HQ as we investigate what's going on here, and 2) 24 hr catering with French chefs.
#2
(a) The caviar served to UN commission was of inferior quality.
(b) The female companions provided for the commission members were too old (past 15).
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas says he and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon have declared a truce to end four years of Middle East violence. Mr Abbas said the ceasefire, which starts immediately, would lead to a "new era of peace and hope". The announcement was made at historic talks in Egypt, the highest level since the Palestinian intifada began in 2000.
The talks are also being attended by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Jordan's King Abdullah. TV pictures showed Mr Abbas and Mr Sharon smiling as they shook hands across a table at the talks. The Palestinians, Mr Gissin told Reuters news agency, would effectively announce the "cessation of the... intifada". For its part, Israel would declare it would "refrain from any military action providing there would be peace and quiet on the ground", said Mr Gissin, an adviser to the Israeli prime minister. A package of measures to ease restrictions on the Palestinians would also be revealed, he said.
Saeb Erekat, also speaking to Reuters, said there would be a "mutual declaration of cessation of violence against each other". He anticipated the establishment of joint committees to oversee the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails and the phased withdrawal of Israeli forces from Palestinian areas of the West Bank.
In the Gaza Strip, Hamas spokesman Mahmoud Zahar suggested the organisation would take no decision before hearing from Mr Abbas on the outcome of the summit. "We agreed before with Mahmoud Abbas that if he succeeds to achieve our national goals, he should come back to the Palestinian factions to discuss the issue, and after that we will decide our stand," he said.
Posted by: Bulldog ||
02/08/2005 8:05:52 AM ||
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#1
Looks like our "unqualified" Secretary of State Rice has struck again. Ted Kennedy will no doubt announce that the US must immediately leave Israel and the Palestinian territories or it will cause 50,000 Americans soldiers to be killed and result in "another Vietnam Quagmire".
Posted by: Steve ||
02/08/2005 11:25 Comments ||
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#3
Is it cold today in hell, Yasser?
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/08/2005 11:33 Comments ||
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#4
Good for her! But she did allow herself to be photographed in front of a picture of the Fish, and that has gotten several regular posters at LGF riled up.
#5
1. I was initially skeptical about Condi as Sec of State. I must admit, shes doing well so far.
2. I would like to think Arafat is watching this, and suffering.
3. I wanted to post to LGF and ask them why israel insider no longer posts terr incidents. It relates peripherally to a side bet i had with someone there. It seems unregistered folks cant comment anymore. Theyre fairly morose over there, not surprisingly. But not as morose as the anti-Israel lefties, I think.
#6
This is only a first little baby step - almost microscopic - with thousands of giant steps necessary to follow. Although one cannot say it is meaningless, no one in America should over hype this joint declaration of a truce to end four years of Middle East violence. Rather it is an obvious opportunity to change policy.
Posted by: Rock ||
02/08/2005 16:20 Comments ||
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Mark Bowden, Wall Street JournalEFL. On building Iraq's "New Model Army."
On the 11th anniversary of the Battle of Mogadishu, which I wrote about in "Black Hawk Down," Maj. James Lechner was again fighting an urban battle, this one in Samarra, Iraq. . . . "There must be something about me and the first week in October," Maj. Lechner wrote me in an e-mail shortly after his forces helped retake the city. . . . Maj. Lechner was upbeat after the assault on Samarra: "It was very interesting and a big success," he wrote. "It was the first time an Iraqi Army unit was given its own objective to take and fought side by side with U.S. units (previously in Najaf, infantry assault units came in behind U.S. units). The story details are a combination of modern war and Aladdin." . . . But it had not been easy training the 7th Battalion to perform so well, and the main problem was not with Iraqi soldiers. These he found both in training and battle to be courageous, smart, motivated and willing to endure harsh and difficult conditions to accomplish their missions. "Given time to rehearse and tape drill, there were almost no tasks or complexity of operations the soldiers could not have performed," Maj. Lechner wrote.
No, his problem was not with foot soldiers, it was with their officers. One of the central problems with training up an Iraqi force is a military culture fostered by Saddam. The problem is not lingering loyalty to the toppled tyrant, but loyalty to the way he ran his army. Maj. Lechner noticed that the Iraqi commanders in his battalion tended to equate rank more with privilege than with responsibility. They were reluctant to stay on duty with their units for any length of time without "special passes or extended leaves," he said. The higher up the chain of command, the worse the problem. Just prior to going into action in Samarra, the Iraqi battalion commander took a leave. He didn't return until the city was secured. Up and down the officer ranks Maj. Lechner found a marked propensity to steal from their units, falsifying records, embezzling funds and even extorting money from their own men. . . .
The old Saddam-era officers were both reluctant to assume responsibility and to share authority, so they resisted American efforts to train competent Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs), the experienced sergeants who are the first line of command in today's military. Strong NCO leadership gives units in battle far greater flexibility to respond to unexpected situations and to demonstrate initiative. Under the Saddam model, authority is jealously guarded and reluctantly exercised. Decisions are passed up the chain of command by field officers unwilling to take risks. . . . It has become generally accepted wisdom that it was a mistake for the Coalition Provisional Authority to disband Saddam's army after American forces took Baghdad two years ago. If Maj. Lechner's experience is typical, then retaining the old force would have just created a whole different set of problems, and might well have further set back efforts to create a flexible, effective Iraqi army. Solving the problem in the 7th Battalion ultimately required rooting out nearly all of those officers who had served under the old regime. . . .
Posted by: Mike ||
02/08/2005 5:48:49 AM ||
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#1
As den Beste pointed out long ago, it's not Saddam's legacy but Arab militaries in general. If we get this right the world might actually see the first Arab army that can win something...
#2
Someone asked the other day what the endgame in Iran looked like. IMO it features a professional Iraqi military, in a Shiia/Kurdish run Iraq, redressing the injustices against their bretheren across the Iranian border.
#3
No brainer here. NCOs are the backbone of any army. The "strategic corporal" as we say, that 20 yr old kid that's going to have to make the tough decision that has the chance to make either a good or bad CNN moment. This is proof that we made the right call in disbanding the Iraqi army. The problem was we should've just fired all the senior SNCOs and officers and kept all the non-comm's & non-rates. We should've promoted from within that left over group based on initiative, integrity, intellect, and leadership potential. Seems we are getting on the right track now.
#4
I suspect the legacy is less Saddam's than Soviet. Literally, since the Battleship Potempkin incident, the Soviet Union was terrified of a professional NCO "class" in their military. So NCOs were a rarity, with most forward units being officers and junior enlisted. The concept was that enlisted personnel were just fairly mindless extremeties to the officers, like extra arms. Needless to say, this had myriad problems, especially in routine maitenance and normal operations in peacetime. It was exacerbated by an extreme unwillingness to tolerate initiative below flag officer rank. So a big emphasis, even in WWII, was to take out any C&C headquarters unit--which could, and many times did, neutralize a major unit for 48-72 hours, until a new commander could be sent to them. If a Soviet unit had not been ordered to engage the enemy, unless they were fired on, they would just sit there waiting for further orders, within sight of the enemy--making them a superb target for ToT artillery.
#6
Moose is on the point. When the US sent Military Assistance Groups to the former Soviet colonies of Eastern Europe, the leadership of those militaries were taken aback by the amount of authority and responsibility the Americans placed in their NCOs. The comment I recall from Afghanistan is that the Taliban fighters complained that with the Russians, all they had to do was shot the officer and the troops would retreat, but the Americans would just keep coming.
#8
Moshe Dayan was once asked what the secret of his success was and reputedly replied, "Fight Arab armies."
Even when Arabs have effective NCO corps (Jordanians in the West Bank in 1967) the corruption and incompetence of their officer corps allowed the Israelis to make relatively short work of them, even though some units fought effectively at the platoon and company level. They couldn't coordinate combined arms and between units.
When I was in IOBC, we had perhaps a dozen Arab officers there as part of some military assistance program or another. They were beyond contemptible. Once they realized how physical the training was, most field excercises miraculously began to coincide with "Islamic holy days." Tensions began to rise and the names of several of the Arabs became slang for sloth and incompetence. One of the Arabs finally lost it in the middle of a field problem: "This is fucking bullshit. In my army, private carry fucking rucksack. Officer ride in jeep. Private dig fucking hole. Not officer." Kind of sums it all up, don't it?
#9
There is absolutely a "caste" system in most, if not all, Arab armies. My brother-in-law was with the Marines who went into Kuwait in the first Gulf War. They captured a company, about 150 men, whose achilles tendons had been cut by their CO so they couldn't run then the officers skeedadled.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
02/08/2005 9:50 Comments ||
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#11
When I learned a bit about the American Armed Forces I was surprised by how differnt relations between men and officers were, respective to my experience with the French Army. NCOs didn't get half the reponsabilities and respect from officers (1) they had in America, they had little chances to become officers were limited and only for low rank (Bigeard went from private to four star general but it was the British who made him an officer while in America I know from at least two Chieffs of Staff who started as privates, Gaving being one of them), soldiers were told to obey, not think and in many ways were treated like valets.
It was not as bad as in Arab Armies: our officers ate the same meals, carried their rucksacks, worked harder than men and were expected to preceed men into battle not to trail them like Arab officers but we weren't a band of brothers.
In Napoleonic armies French officers were close to men and privates could hope to become Marshalls. I strongly believe that this was a factor in Napoeleonic victories. I strongly believe that the model of a distant French officer looking to his men with contempt, modelled after 1815, has been a major factor in the mediocre performance of post-Napoleonic French armies: people don't fight well when they think their officers would lose little sleep over useless deaths.
#12
Looking at history, the armies that have outeperfoemd all others are solid at the NCO level. Teh primary history lessons I learned were gleaned from the Germans in WW2 - their NCO corps kept them cohesive and functional far beyond any other nationality's limits. US Units "broke" sooner, but rallied far quicker due to their NCOs.
In the 80's, we tried to incorporate both elements - gaining the staying power and professional cohesion of German NCO's of WW2 and the flexibility and initiative of US NCOs in WW2, in order to take advantage of the resiliance and ingenuity of the "average" US Soldier/Marine.
It's paid off handsomely in 91 in Kuwait, in Haiti, and recently in Afghanistan and in Iraq.
If we teach the Iraqis hw to run squads and platoons well, they will have an enormous impact in the region: not only because they will be the most effective non-Israeli force native to the region, but also because the impact these NCOs will have on their society in terms of breaking social molds and the tacit "caste" system.
#13
Looking at history, the armies that have outeperfoemd all others are solid at the NCO level. Teh primary history lessons I learned were gleaned from the Germans in WW2 - their NCO corps kept them cohesive and functional far beyond any other nationality's limits. US Units "broke" sooner, but rallied far quicker due to their NCOs.
In the 80's, we tried to incorporate both elements - gaining the staying power and professional cohesion of German NCO's of WW2 and the flexibility and initiative of US NCOs in WW2, in order to take advantage of the resiliance and ingenuity of the "average" US Soldier/Marine.
It's paid off handsomely in 91 in Kuwait, in Haiti, and recently in Afghanistan and in Iraq.
If we teach the Iraqis hw to run squads and platoons well, they will have an enormous impact in the region: not only because they will be the most effective non-Israeli force native to the region, but also because the impact these NCOs will have on their society in terms of breaking social molds and the tacit "caste" system.
#14
Looking at history, the armies that have outeperfoemd all others are solid at the NCO level. Teh primary history lessons I learned were gleaned from the Germans in WW2 - their NCO corps kept them cohesive and functional far beyond any other nationality's limits. US Units "broke" sooner, but rallied far quicker due to their NCOs.
In the 80's, we tried to incorporate both elements - gaining the staying power and professional cohesion of German NCO's of WW2 and the flexibility and initiative of US NCOs in WW2, in order to take advantage of the resiliance and ingenuity of the "average" US Soldier/Marine.
It's paid off handsomely in 91 in Kuwait, in Haiti, and recently in Afghanistan and in Iraq.
If we teach the Iraqis hw to run squads and platoons well, they will have an enormous impact in the region: not only because they will be the most effective non-Israeli force native to the region, but also because the impact these NCOs will have on their society in terms of breaking social molds and the tacit "caste" system.
Pakistan has denied allegations that its disgraced nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan may have sold secrets to Saudi Arabia, Egypt and other Arab countries.
"No! Certainly not!"
A Time magazine report that his secret nuclear arms network was broader than initially thought was "baseless and sensationalised", the information minister, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, said. A year ago Dr Khan admitted on television selling nuclear knowledge to Iran, Libya and Iraq. Since then Pakistan has insisted that his international network has been dismantled but had refused to let the International Atomic Energy Agency or foreign intelligence agencies interview him. He denied a specific allegation that 16 cylinders of uranium hexafluoride gas, a critical ingredient in producing weapons-grade uranium, were missing from the Khan Research Laboratories, which are at the heart of Pakistan's nuclear programme.
"The inventory is complete," he said, adding that there was "no way to deliver A Q Khan to anyone". The extent of Dr Khan's arms network may be raised by [Britain's] foreign secretary, Jack Straw, when he visits Islamabad next week.
Pakistan says it is conducting its own investigation of Dr Khan's network, but the US and Britain are worried that the nuclear secrets could end up with al-Qaida or other terrorists. The US ambassador in Islamabad said Pakistan had undertaken to share the results of the investigation. Pakistani nuclear analysts believe the extent of Dr Khan's network suggests that other officials were involved, hence the reluctance to let foreigners question him.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
02/08/2005 12:30:45 AM ||
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their national hero--a thief and a con artist--nice folks
Posted by: SON OF TOLUI ||
02/08/2005 2:27 Comments ||
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Egyptian authorities freed without charge on Monday two women, a Briton and an Egyptian, detained last month after handing out literature opposing a new term for President Hosni Mubarak, judicial officials said. A third activist arrested with them, Egyptian journalist Ibrahim el-Sahhary, will remain in detention for a few days before Egypt's state security prosecutor decides whether to charge or free him, the officials said.
Sahhary, Marwa Farouk and Bahu Bakhsh, a British national of Saudi origin, were detained at a Cairo book fair on Jan. 28. The prosecutor's office ordered their detention for 15 days pending investigation. Human rights groups saw the detentions as part of a government campaign against activists who have become more vocal in criticising Mubarak and the possibility that he will seek a fifth six-year term in office later this year. Over a period of a few days the authorities also detained opposition leader Ayman Nour and nine provincial leaders from the opposition Muslim Brotherhood organisation. Opposition groups are demanding changes to Egypt's constitution, under which parliament nominates a sole presidential candidate — in effect
Posted by: Fred ||
02/08/2005 00:00:00 ||
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Pakistan is "sitting on a cluster of political, demographic and social time bombs," according to Owen Bennet-Jones, a BBC journalist who has served in the region and written a book on Pakistan.
Tell us about it...
The British broadcaster and author believes that beyond the growing appeal of radical Islam, the most glaring threats are posed by the booming population, and, secondly, the "atrocious" education system.
A crummy exclusively religious-based education that involves lotsa time prosyletizing jihad would tend to contribute to the growing appeal of radical Islam, I'd guess...
He points out that Pakistani liberals and Western observers who have warned "for years" that the madrassas are akin to "jihadist production lines" have been ignored. One million Pakistani children now attend these schools where the syllabus consists solely of the Quran, jihad and martyrdom, he adds.
That's what I just said, only a little more polite...
Bennet-Jones's observations form part of a review of Stephen Cohen's new book, The Idea of Pakistan, published in the Washington Post on Sunday. After pointing out that the Pakistan Air Force has been bombing "targets on its own soil" in South Waziristan for the last year, Bennet-Jones wonders "what kind of country needs to bomb its own turf".
A country that doesn't control its own turf. A country where a considerable proportion of the inhabitants haven't quite managed to understand the word "country."
Posted by: Fred ||
02/08/2005 00:00:00 AM ||
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#1
Fred---you put the wrong picture up. Take down Perv and post "Masters of the Obvious." Love that pic...
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
02/08/2005 13:13 Comments ||
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#2
I think Pakland is four or five or possibly six proto-states, teetering on the brink
The punjabis outnumber the others - sindis, baluchis, Pashtuns - by a huge number. The question is will the Punjabis retain the unity ant the will and the political dexterity to hold the country together. Will it split like the USSR or go on like dozens of third world countries. Remember theres a HUGE bias in the international system toward the unity of de jure states. Even Congo has stayed united on paper, not to mention Somalia.
Pakistan denied on Monday that nuclear scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan sold nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries after Time magazine reported that the United States was investigating the matter. AQ Khan admitted last year to leaking nuclear secrets to Iran, Libya and North Korea. The latest edition of Time said US officials were investigating whether Khan also sold sensitive technology to Arab nations, including Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed dismissed the report as "baseless and sensationalised", though a Foreign Office spokesman said the case was not yet closed. "As far as Iran, Libya and North Korea are concerned, there was an admission. But there is no truth as far as Saudi Arabia and other countries are concerned," the minister said. "Nothing has gone (to these countries) from the KRL. Its complete record is available," he told Reuters, referring to the Khan Research Laboratories. Foreign Office spokesman Masood Khan said Pakistan was ready to investigate further if fresh evidence emerged. But, he insisted the government had dismantled Khan's network.
"The international black market network, as far as it is related to Pakistan, has been dismantled. It has been neutralised," he told a weekly news conference. "The allegation has been made several times in the past, but this is part of a disinformation campaign. It is baseless (and) does not have any substance," he added. "It is a rehash of several speculative stories which have appeared in the media in the recent past." Masood Khan said the probe into AQ Khan's nuclear black market was not over and insisted that Islamabad had done its duty to the international community. "We have not closed investigations. If new fresh leads emerge we would like to check them out and if fresh evidence is furnished to us we would like to look into that," he said. "We have done more than any other country in the world. There are other countries... it was alleged that they were involved in the international black market. We are yet to see if they are looking for skeletons in their cupboards." The information minister and the Foreign Office spokesman both denied claims that 16 cylinders of uranium hexafluoride gas used for uranium enrichment were missing from KRL. "Our inventory is complete and nothing is missing from KRL," Rashid said. He added that there is no pressure on Pakistan to hand AQ Khan over to another country or the IAEA for interrogation.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/08/2005 00:00:00 AM ||
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#1
It could be argued that there is a difference between selling (for money) and trading (for equivalent value). I seem to recall that Saudi Arabia hired a number of Pakistani soldiers for their army. Do you suppose the amount paid for the hired troops could possibly be equivalent in value to a certain number of atomic weapons/bombs to be delivered at another time?
#2
Saudi Arabia financed much of the Pakistani nuclear effort. The question is, did SA get a few Paki nuke warheads in exchange, to fit on top of their 3000km range Chinese DF-3A IRBMs? BTW, 3000km range seems to be popular in the Middle East. It's almost if they are targetting all of Europe.
Posted by: ed ||
02/08/2005 7:19 Comments ||
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#3
If SA didn't get nukes (which I think is a reasonable assumption), then they likely got an assurance of some in the future. The Soddies and Paks are entwined like a rope (or like a Mafia family if you prefer Paul Moloney's analogy).
Nepal's newly appointed royalist government will soon appoint negotiators who will seek unconditional peace talks with Maoist rebels, local media reported on Monday. It is the first attempt to find a peaceful end to a bloody Maoist revolt since King Gyanendra seized power a week ago, but is also being twinned with an increased army offensive and an appeal for the guerrillas to give up their weapons. "(The government) is going to form a dialogue committee that will hold a dialogue with the Maoists soon," Culture and Aviation Minister Buddhiraj Bajracharya said, according to the Kathmandu Post. "Now they should come for dialogue without any condition."
The Maoists had maintained they wanted to deal directly with the king rather than a puppet government, but they have also condemned his sudden assumption of power and suspension of democracy as "the last writhing of the feudal autocracy". The rebels have called for an indefinite blockade and traffic strike throughout the country from Feb 13, the ninth anniversary of the beginning of their insurgency. A former mediator close to the Maoists said the confrontational style of the king's statement when he assumed power last week made it very unlikely the rebels would come for talks. Bajracharya, one of the most senior members of Gyanendra's new 10-member cabinet, also said the king did not plan to ban political parties, despite arresting party leaders when he sacked the government last week.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/08/2005 00:00:00 ||
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I still sat this guy looks like Herb from Accounting. Somebody check his wallet. And see if there's anybody tied up in the King's closet...
Former prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif are expected to meet in Jeddah later this week to discuss the political situation back home and review the cooperation of their parties. ARD sources told Daily Times that Bhutto and her husband Asif Zardari had booked Emirates Airline tickets to Saudi Arabia for Wednesday. They will perform umra and also take the chance to visit Nawaz Sharif and condole the death of his father Mian Sharif, the sources said.
Raja Pervez Ashraf, the Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) secretary general, confirmed that Bhutto and Zardari would visit Saudi Arabia in the next few days. Sharif was exiled to Saudi Arabia after General Pervez Musharraf took power in October 1999. Bhutto has been living in self-exile since 1998. "It will be the first meeting between the two former prime ministers during their time in exile," said Siddiqul Farooq, the PML-N information secretary. Bhutto, the PPP chairperson, and Sharif, head of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), were once ardent political rivals. However, they were united by a common foe — Musharraf - and came together at the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD).
Posted by: Fred ||
02/08/2005 00:00:00 ||
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Pilgrimage in Islam going to Mecca, second to the main pilgrimage hajj. Umra is often referred to as the "little pilgrimage", and while the hajj is compulsory to a Muslim, the umra is not. However, the umra it is recommended by the Koran, and is a highly regarded practice in Islam.
KORAN
Chapter 2: 153
Truly, Safa and Marwa are among the landmarks of God, therefore anyone who performs the hajj or the umra he does no harm if he circumambulates them both.
There is a close connection between the rituals of the umra and the hajj, to the extent they are often mingled together. There are only minor differences between the first part of the hajj and the entire umra, and according to some views a hajj automatically include the umra, while according to other views, the umra is only performed when it is as an independent ritual.
The umra which is a strong symbol of Muslim piety, is a highly individual ritual, as there is practically nothing of its acts that requires the presence of other people. The only part which cannot be done all alone, is the shaving after all the other acts. But that is also not really a part of the umra â it only serves as a symbol of leaving the ritual of the umra.
The umra can be performed all through the year, with the exception of the days of the hajj.
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.
Delegates from the United States and archfoe Iran engaged in a "heated" exchange at a counter-terrorism conference in Saudi Arabia, the local media reported but a US official insisted the encounter was "professional."
The al Qaeda wing in Iraq said a world anti-terror forum in Saudi Arabia amounts to a campaign against Islam, and vowed on Monday that it would continue its Holy War until Islamic law rules.
Iran is a sponsor of terrorism and should realise it must not obstruct progress towards Middle East peace, UK Prime Minister Tony Blair has said. His words to MPs come after President George Bush branded Iran "the world's primary state sponsor of terror". Mr Blair stressed the importance of the European Union's talks with Tehran over its nuclear activities and said it was important it fulfilled its obligations. Iran says its nuclear programme is aimed at generating electricity. 
Federal troops cannot catch 
Chechen separatist leader 
SYDNEY: Australian Prime Minister 
A new CNN/USA Today/Gallup survey shows that President George W. Bush's approval rating has increased to 57%, up from 51% three weeks ago. The approval increase appears to be related to the recent Iraqi elections, which the poll shows went better than most Americans expected. In general, the public is more positive now than it was before the elections about the way Bush has handled the situation in Iraq, as well as how the war is faring for the United States. At the same time, the poll shows little change in Bush's job approval rating on the economy or on Social Security.
A Yemeni sheik fighting charges that he helped finance Al Qaeda once claimed that a bitter dispute had led Osama bin Laden to issue an edict, or fatwa, to kill him, an F.B.I. agent testified yesterday. But the agent, Brian Murphy, testified in Brooklyn Federal Court that the fatwa remark was made as the sheik and an aide gave accounts of their activities that the agent said included contradictions, falsehoods and claims of failed memory. Mr. Murphy was testifying in the third week of the trial of the sheik, 
Iran's powerful former president 
The US official who declared the White House's hunt for illicit weapons in Iraq to be a failure driven by faulty intelligence has warned the Bush administration against repeating its mistakes in the current war of words with arch-foe Iran. "There is an eerie similarity to the events preceding the Iraq war," 
Israeli Defence Minister 
Iran painted the United States as a diplomatically isolated superpower on Monday, saying an international outcry had forced Washington to withdraw a threat of military action against Tehran. "I believe the international community's reaction to the speech by itself meant a lot," Iranian Foreign Minister 
Amid the ruins of Fallujah, white flags are emerging - alerting US and Iraqi forces to the presence of Iraqi families moving back home, clearing the rubble, and trying to renew hope. Residents say that the insurgents who made the city a virtual no-go zone are gone. They were violently cut out of this former stronghold by US forces during a monthlong battle in November - the toughest urban combat for US forces since Vietnam - that pulverized this city of some 300,000. But now, the US Marines and the Iraqi government face a new challenge: convincing Fallujans that the insurgency here is over and that their ravaged homes can and will be rebuilt. "This is probably the safest city in the country," says US Marine Lt. Col. Keil Gentry, executive officer of Regiment Combat Team 1 (RCT1), that controls Fallujah. "Is it blooming everywhere? No. But it's like the beginning of spring, with signs of green emerging here and there."
The coalition of Iraq's two main Kurdish parties has won about 24 per cent of the vote in Iraq's 30 January general elections, putting the group in second place behind the top Shi'ite coalition, according to partial vote count results. The results put the Kurdish Alliance - comprising the 
US Secretary of State 
(Machiavelli)
(Rummy)
Pakistan has denied allegations that its disgraced nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan may have sold secrets to Saudi Arabia, Egypt and other Arab countries.
Egyptian authorities freed without charge on Monday two women, a Briton and an Egyptian, detained last month after handing out literature opposing a new term for President Hosni Mubarak, judicial officials said. A third activist arrested with them, Egyptian journalist Ibrahim el-Sahhary, will remain in detention for a few days before Egypt's state security prosecutor decides whether to charge or free him, the officials said. 
Pakistan is "sitting on a cluster of political, demographic and social time bombs," according to Owen Bennet-Jones, a BBC journalist who has served in the region and written a book on Pakistan.
Pakistan denied on Monday that nuclear scientist Dr 
Nepal's newly appointed royalist government will soon appoint negotiators who will seek unconditional peace talks with Maoist rebels, local media reported on Monday. It is the first attempt to find a peaceful end to a bloody Maoist revolt since King Gyanendra seized power a week ago, but is also being twinned with an increased army offensive and an appeal for the guerrillas to give up their weapons. "(The government) is going to form a dialogue committee that will hold a dialogue with the Maoists soon," Culture and Aviation Minister Buddhiraj Bajracharya said, according to the Kathmandu Post. "Now they should come for dialogue without any condition." 
Former prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif are expected to meet in Jeddah later this week to discuss the political situation back home and review the cooperation of their parties. ARD sources told Daily Times that Bhutto and her husband Asif Zardari had booked Emirates Airline tickets to Saudi Arabia for Wednesday. They will perform umra and also take the chance to visit Nawaz Sharif and condole the death of his father Mian Sharif, the sources said.
