(AKI) - An Egyptian rights group has expressed concern about the safey of Soad Saleh, a leading female Islamic cleric who has received death threats after her comments on the use of the veil. The Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights said it was "extremely worried at the violent campaign against professor Saleh, the woman who had declared the niqab (the eyes-only veil) not obligatory according to Islamic doctrine." In a statement it said it was unacceptable that Saleh's thoughts be labelled 'heretical'.
The group went on to warn about the increase in Egypt "of extremist attitudes towards the so-called anti-Islam intellectuals, repeatedly targeted with death threats".
The group went on to warn about the increase in Egypt "of extremist attitudes towards the so-called anti-Islam intellectuals, repeatedly targeted with death threats".
Saleh, a teacher of Islamic Law and the former head of female religious studies at the eminent al-Azhar theological university in Cairo, said in a recent television programme that she was "disgusted" by women wearing the niqab.
Her comments inflamed fundamentalists who swore to take revenge on her.
Her comments inflamed fundamentalists who swore to take revenge on her.
The niqab, the veil covering all of a women's face except her eyes, is according to some a fulfilment of 'Ihtisham' (invitation to female modesty) and according to others an expression of religious extremism.
The general debate on the niqab, which started recently in western countries and in some Arab nations, has been emphasized in Egypt by the controversial decision to ban 'munaqabas' (women wearing the niqab) from entering female dormitories for security reasons.
The general debate on the niqab, which started recently in western countries and in some Arab nations, has been emphasized in Egypt by the controversial decision to ban 'munaqabas' (women wearing the niqab) from entering female dormitories for security reasons, at Helwan University. The most authoritative al-Azhar theologian Shaiek Tantawi himself took a stance in defence of the Helwan decision, arguing that "as long as female students are prevented from wearing niqab and not hijab (the veil covering only the hair), there is no breach of Islamic teachings".
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
11/10/2006 00:00 ||
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DHAKA, Bangladesh: A court in Bangladesh's capital on Thursday sentenced two Islamic militants to death for killing a Muslim convert to Christianity in northern Bangladesh, a prosecutor said. Judge Nur Hossain found Hafez Mahmud and Mohammad Salauddin, both members of the banned Jumatul Mujahedeen Bangladesh group, guilty of killing Abdul Gani Gomes, public prosecutor Abdul Latif Talukder told reporters.
"I am happy with the verdict," Talukder said.
Both defendants had confessed to killing Gomes on orders of their group's leader, Shaikh Abdur Rahman, Taulkder said. They have 30 days to appeal the verdict to the country's High Court. "I am happy that I have killed him," Salauddin told reporters when he came out of the court amid tight security.
Gomes, a chemist, was returning home from work when he was killed in September 2004 in Jamalpur district, 144 kilometers (90 miles) north of Dhaka, according to the verdict.
The banned group has been blamed for a string of bombings that has left at least 26 people dead and scores wounded since August 2005. The group's main targets were courts and government offices. The group wants to replace Muslim-majority Bangladesh's secular laws with harsh Islamic rules. Earlier this year, the High Court confirmed the death sentence for seven senior members of the group, including its top leader Shaikh Abdur Rahman, his deputy Siddiqul Islam, for killing two judges in southern district of Jhalakathi.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/10/2006 00:00 ||
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This poster in the London Underground comes with the caption "Knife Surrender Bins are now in place across Kensington and Chelsea" (click on graphic at link for larger picture).
What's next to sacrifice, Brittania? Rocks? Sharp sticks? Stiff upper lips and spines?
Posted by: Dar ||
11/10/2006 13:10 ||
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#1
But how are ya gonna cut that juicy medium rare sirloin?
#4
I wonder what they would think of that 19" D-guard civil war bowie (closer look)...?
Obviously, not an EDC candidate in today's Britain, and I'm not even asking about the knuckle-knives from the same knifemaker...
#7
For Buying knives online, I'd recommand either Bladematrix (but they do not carry automatics), or Flames 'N' Knives, two good dealers (never had any problem, don't blame me if you have some yourself), and the lowest prices I could find online (but I'd be delighted if someone gave me lower prices...). Discount Cutlery is nice too, but I've never bought from them.
Otherwise, try Knifecenter, reputable dealer, good prices, and the Venerable AG Russel.
#8
And while I am inot knifeporn, a very PC knife which would make a great PC crowd-pleaser in GB : The Sgt. Bob
And I won't even dwell on the reactions the Szabo weird blades would draw (hé hé) if found in the "knife surrender bin"...
Joke and knifeporn aside, what's scary if that most bladed weapons attacks here in France are performed with boxcutters, screwdrivers (B&E tool, not a weapon per se and thus not illegal to carry, stab well) and similar ad hoc procurement (kitchen knives brought from home), not hi-tech tactical folders or outragous custom knives, who are generally bought either by professional/serious users, or hapless collectors like me...
Knives don't kill people, (bad) people kill people.
And besides, the most potent "Youths" street weapon for now is the cellphone, dial your pals numbers, and have them come in in droves to back you off and gang on whoever is p*ssing you off.
#9
I kinda wish they had one of those knife surrender bins around here. I have a lot of those stupid fast food plastic ones I wouldn't mind getting rid of....
#12
What is this world coming to?? The Brits produced most all the bowie knives used all over the world during the 1800's ( when you might actualy use one) to say nothing of being the largest cutlery suppliers to the U.S. and most of the rest of the world up 'till the first WW. Rodger's, Wostenholm and etc. I make my living buying and selling knives and the most damage I have ever seen done with any of the collector's or custom pieces ... or the expensive autos .. has been cutting myself when oiling and cleaning them. Don't ever let a cutthroat razor get caught in a soft buffing wheel! I would think a guy can do a LOT more damage with a brick or a baseball bat than a knife anyday!
Posted by: D & MA ||
11/10/2006 20:36 Comments ||
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A website designer was convicted yesterday of stirring up racial hatred during a protest by Muslims over cartoons of the prophet Muhammad. Mizanur Rahman, of Palmers Green, North London, carried placards that called for non-Muslims to be annihilated and beheaded as he addressed more than 300 protesters outside the Danish Embassy in London on February 3.
Rahman, 23, who wore white robes and a cap throughout the five-day trial, claimed that he had got carried away in front of the crowd and said he was a nobody whose words no one would take seriously, the Old Bailey was told. Rahman was filmed brandishing two placards as the crowd left Regents Park Mosque and made its way through Central London to the Danish Embassy in Sloane Street, Knightsbridge. The placards read Annihilate those who insult Islam and Behead those who insult Islam Members of the angry and volatile crowd of men, women and children also held up other placards.
Outside the Danish Embassy, Rahman was also filmed addressing the crowd through a loudhailer. He made references to the Mujahidin and called for the destruction of British and American forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was heard to say: We dont want to see them in Baghdad, in Iraq any more. We want to see them coming home in body bags.
We want to see their blood running in the streets of Baghdad. We want to see the Mujahidin shoot down their planes like we shoot down birds. He told the crowd: We want to see their tanks burn just like we burn their flags. We want to see them and their freedoms destroyed. We want to see all of them removed from our Muslim lands. He went on: They dont deserve to live, they dont deserve anything in this world. Oh Allah, we want to see another 9/11 in Iraq, another 9/11 in Denmark, another 9/11 in Spain, in France, all over Europe. Oh Allah, destroy all of them. Rahman then ended his speech chanting along with the crowd. There is only one God Allah, Muhammad is his messenger. Bomb bomb France, bomb bomb France, nuke nuke France, nuke nuke France.
David Perry QC, prosecuting, told the court that the right to freedom of speech and expression and to peacefully protest did not stretch to the right to encourage or incite others to murder. He told the jury that it was not a trial of Islam but of the words Rahman had used. The words were unambiguous; they were ordinary English words with ordinary English meaning - kill.
The jury could not agree on a second charge of inciting murder and the Crown Prosecution Service will say on Monday whether it will seek a retrial.
#1
No mention of the penalty for his crime. Should we assume a suspended sentance?
Considering that it seems in the UK a "life" sentance for sadistic murder is only 25 years, I'm thinking the worst this guy faces is a 5 pound fine and 2 hours of sensitivity training.
#4
"Mizanur Rahman, of Palmers Green, North London, carried placards that called for non-Muslims to be annihilated and beheaded".
The jury could not agree on the charge of inciting murder. Aparently calls for beheading is not clear enough. But he was convicted of stirring up racial hatred even though Muslim vs. non-Muslim, at best, is a religious matter and not a racial matter. Unfrigginreal.
#5
Rahman, 23, who wore white robes and a cap throughout the five-day trial, claimed that he had got carried away in front of the crowd and said he was a nobody whose words no one would take seriously
Awwww. He's just an excitable boy.
Horseshit! He did not just get "carried away". It was his exact intention to incite racial hatred and murderous violence. Did he get all "carried away" and make up his placards right there on the sidewalk? No, he carefully constructed them beforehand with full premeditation and transported them to the scene along with his bullhorn for the explicit purpose of inciting murder.
People do take assholes like Rahman "seriously". Just ask Kriss Donald. Oh, sorry, you can't. Kriss was annihilatedburned alive by twisted fucks who actually listen to shitheads like Rahman. His disclaimers are pure taqqiya. I'm now of the mind whereby every single thing I ever hear out of a Muslim's mouth is first and foremost assumed to be taqqiya. All taqqiya, all the time.
Legal advisers and solicitors may wear the Islamic veil in court unless it interferes with the "interests of justice", judges have been told. The judiciary were told to use their discretion to interpret the temporary guidance, which covers all courts.
The advice was issued by immigration tribunals chief Mr Justice Hodge after a case had to be halted when a legal adviser refused to remove her veil. The Lord Chief Justice said full rules on the veils issue were being drawn up.
Earlier this week it emerged legal adviser Shabnam Mughal had refused to remove her headwear during an immigration tribunal in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire. She had been asked to do so by Judge George Glossop, who said he could not hear her properly. Eventually Judge Glossop adjourned the hearing to seek advice from president of the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal (AIT) Mr Justice Hodge. It is understood the hearing will now go ahead next week with a different judge presiding.
Issuing the interim guidance on Thursday, Mr Justice Hodge said: "Immigration judges must exercise discretion on a case-by-case basis where a representative wishes to wear a veil. The presumption is that if a representative before an AIT tribunal wishes to wear a veil, has the agreement of his or her client and can be heard reasonably clearly by all parties to the proceedings, then the representative should be allowed to do so.
"If a judge or other party to the proceedings is unable to hear the representative clearly then the interests of justice are not served and other arrangements will need to be made. Such arrangements will vary from case to case, subject to judicial discretion and the interests of all parties." The guidance applies to all courts.
Lord Chief Justice Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers said he had asked the equal treatment advisory committee of the Judicial Studies Board to develop detailed guidance on the use of veils by all people involved in court cases - including the parties, legal representatives, witnesses, jurors and magistrates.
#5
The earnestness of counsel and their representations made to the court is of equal importance to whatever testimony is or is not provided by their clients. Without seeing an individual's face, no judge can possibly assess a lawyer's veracity with any real accuracy. This is insane.
These are the 1600 they know of; you can guess as to how many more are outside the surveillance network right now.
At least 1600 young British Muslims are under surveillance for plotting terrorist violence against Britain, according to the head of MI5. Eliza Manningham Buller delivered a stark assessment of the threat facing the country from 200 terror networks stretching from the UK to Pakistan, including 30 "Priority 1" plots.
Delivering the Government's latest assessment of the terror threat, the Director General of the Security Service revealed that her agency's caseload has increased by 80 per cent since January. She said: "That threat is serious is growing and will, I believe, be with us for a generation. It is a sustained campaign, not a series of isolated incidents. It aims to wear down our will to resist."
She's beginning to see the top of the iceberg. Does she see the bottom?
Her assessment comes just days before Tony Blair unveils the legislative programme for his final Parliamentary session as Labour leader and Prime Minister. Wednesday's Queen's Speech is widely expected to be dominated by a raft of new security measures. Many will see Dame Eliza's speech as part of a co-ordinated Government publicity offensive to build up the case for new anti-terror legislation.
In remarks to academics this week that were released last night, she described how young Muslims are being radicalised and turned into potential suicide bombers. "More and more people are moving from passive sympathy towards active terrorism through being radicalised or indoctrinated by friends, families, in organised training events here and overseas," she said. "Young teenagers are being groomed to be suicide bombers."
They're controlled by their families, their prospects in Brit society are dim, they're unwilling to integrate themselves, and they live on the government dole. Nope, no surprise there.
She said she was alarmed by the "scale and speed" of the radicalisation, which is said to have intensified since last year's July suicide bombings in London. She said: "It is the youth who are being actively targeted, groomed, radicalised and set on a path that frighteningly quickly could end in their involvement in mass murder of their fellow citizens, or their early death in a suicide attack or on a foreign battlefield.
"Killing oneself and others in response is an attractive option for some citizens of this country and others around the world."
It's sold on the basis of their religion. Wonder if Eliza sees that? And if she does, whether she's willing to say so publicly?
Dame Eliza predicted that terrorists would become more sophisticated in their methods. "Today we see the use of home-made improvised explosive devices. Tomorrow's threat may, and I suggest will, include the use of chemical, bacteriological agents, radioactive materials and even nuclear technology."
She added: "My officers and the police are working to contend with some 200 groupings or networks, totalling over 1600 identified individuals (and there will be many we don't know) who are actively engaged in plotting or facilitating terrorist acts here and overseas."
Some of the networks were directly linked to al-Qa'eda in Pakistan, which used the Pakistani community in Britain to recruit and promote terrorists. Out of the 200 or so groups being watched by MI5, a smaller subset are of the highest priority because its feared that they are plotting actual attacks. "We are aware of numerous plots to kill people and to damage our economy. What do I mean by numerous? Five? Ten? "No, nearer 30 that we currently know of," she said.
MI5 has increased in size by nearly 50% since 9/11 and now stands at roughly 2,800 staff. "I wish life were like Spooks (the TV series) where everything is, a, knowable, and, b, soluble by six people," she explained. "We cannot focus on everything so we have to decide on a daily basis with the police and others where to focus our energies, whom to follow, whose telephone lines need listening to, which seized media needs to go to the top of the analytic pile.
"Because of the sheer scale of what we face - my service has seen an 80% increase in casework since January - the task is daunting.
"We shan't always make the right choices. And we recognise we shall have scarce sympathy if we are unable to prevent one of our targets committing an atrocity."
No, the same Guardian columnists that laugh off all these concerns will demand you be hanged if you fail.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/10/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
What a waste of money. Why not assume that any foreign born person who moved to the West and then began to practise jihad, came West on false pretenses. Finding of immigration fraud, nullifies Citizenship. Unfortunately, current rules allow offenders to claim their last residence as their "country of origin." That is often some European state.
India has detained an empty North Korean cargo ship bound for Iran after it strayed into Indian waters, baffling coast guard officials and police about the purpose of its voyage. MV Omrani-II developed a snag and entered Indian waters on Oct 29 and was towed to the Mumbai Port where the crew was being questioned by Indian intelligence and customs officials. The crew has not been able to explain why they were sailing an empty vessel to Iran, a senior coast guard official told Reuters on condition of anonymity on Thursday.
However a senior official at the DG Shipping said: They have told us that because it is a new ship they were testing it. But it is strange that they should need to sail as far as Iran. Officials said documents for the new 45-metre vessel were in order, although life-saving equipment was found to be deficient.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/10/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
although life-saving equipment was found to be deficient
¿ Our SEALS fouled the prop forcing the ship to seek port?
¿ [MV Omrani-II] The ship's crew wished to defect?
¿ a not to subtle threat? [next time it could be "loaded"]
"Nork Motivations" I'll have to stop right here and leave the serious analysis up to the experts here at Rantburg who can fathom the Maximum crazy wack motivations of the Norks.
#3
Check the interior between the double hulls, go knocking on bulkheads, bring in the geiger counters. Think like a smuggler, for god's sake.
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
11/10/2006 10:11 Comments ||
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#4
Indian IB has a long memory. They'll search that thing top to bottom...
NEW DELHI -- Tae Min Hun, the dour captain of the North Korean
freighter Kuwolsan, glared icily from the bridge as tempers around him
soared in the midday heat. On June 30, 1999, as customs agents in
India's northwestern port city of Kandla waited impatiently to board
the vessel, Tae received urgent instructions from Pyongyang: At all
cost, let no one open the cargo boxes.
The Indians tried to look anyway, and a melee erupted. Tae and his crew
rained blows on inspectors and barricaded the doors with their bodies,
according to witness accounts and video footage of the encounter. A few
agents who managed to slip into the cargo bay were horrified to find
North Koreans sealing the hatches, trapping them inside.
When the ship's doors were finally reopened at gunpoint, the reason for
the extreme secrecy became clear. Hidden inside wooden crates marked
"water refinement equipment" was an assembly line for ballistic
missiles: tips of nose cones, sheet metal for rocket frames, machine
tools, guidance systems and, in smaller crates, ream upon ream of
engineers' drawings labeled "Scud B" and "Scud C." The intended
recipient of the cargo, according to U.S. intelligence officials, was
Libya.
"In the past we had seen missiles or engine parts, but here was an
entire assembly line for missiles offered for sale," said an Indian
government official familiar with the discovery. "This was a complete
technology transfer."
Today, the evidence from the Kuwolsan remains locked in a military
warehouse in the Indian capital, where it has been scrutinized since
being seized four years ago. The results of India's investigation,
shared among a small circle of intelligence and defense analysts, offer
an extraordinary glimpse into the shadowy world of weapons
proliferation, in which missile parts and bomb materials circle the
globe undetected, secreted away in cargo containers and suitcases,
concealed by phony ship manifests and fictitious company names, eluding
customs agents and defying international treaties.
Posted by: john ||
11/10/2006 11:38 Comments ||
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Posted Friday, Nov. 10, 2006
Just days after his resignation, former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is about to face more repercussions for his involvement in the troubled wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. New legal documents, to be filed next week with Germany's top prosecutor, will seek a criminal investigation and prosecution of Rumsfeld, along with Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, former CIA director George Tenet and other senior U.S. civilian and military officers, for their alleged roles in abuses committed at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison and at the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
MERKEL : IF YOU REALLY HAVE GERMANY'S BEST INTEREST AT HEART, CALL OFF YOUR F U C K I N G DOG!
#1
An act of war in my book. Swift and painful retaliation is due just for raising the suggestion. Withdraw remaining US forces in Germany. Put them in Poland.
#4
Better call your doctor, Adam Zagorin. It appears your hardon has lasted for more then four hours.
If I'm Runmsfeld, I more worried about getting my leaves raked up this weekend.
The plaintiffs in the case include 11 Iraqis who were prisoners at Abu Ghraib, as well as Mohammad al-Qahtani, a Saudi held at Guantanamo, whom the U.S. has identified as the so-called "20th hijacker" and a would-be participant in the 9/11 hijackings.
This is a lawsuit filed by assorted terrorists, alleged and otherwise. The article also states that Germany was chosen as the venue because ...
(Excerpt)
Germany was chosen for the court filing because German law provides "universal jurisdiction" allowing for the prosecution of war crimes and related offenses that take place anywhere in the world. Indeed, a similar, but narrower, legal action was brought in Germany in 2004, which also sought the prosecution of Rumsfeld.
The law was passed before Chancellor Merkel took office. "Germany" did not initiate the lawsuit, despite what the misleading headline states. Just another set of thugs determined to divide and subjugate the West.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
11/10/2006 14:35 Comments ||
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#7
Germany is letting this trail go forward. Time to make Germany hurt some more. This equates to a hostile act aginst the US of A. Time to send Germany's trade with the US of A into the krapper.
#10
Plaintiffs to include Mohammad al-Qahtani, the so-called "20th hijacker". Also from the article link: Lawyers for the plaintiffs say that one of the witnesses who will testify on their behalf is former Brig. Gen. Janis Karpinski, the one-time commander of all U.S. military prisons in Iraq. Karpinski who the lawyers say will be in Germany next week to publicly address her accusations in the case has issued a written statement to accompany the legal filing, which says, in part: "It was clear the knowledge and responsibility [for what happened at Abu Ghraib] goes all the way to the top of the chain of command to the Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld ."
#17
If the perpetrators are punished, there is no war crime farther up the chain of command. If Karpinski is claiming it was ordered, then SHE is also guilty of a war crime, as she passed the orders to her subordinates despite it being her duty to refuse illegal orders.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
11/10/2006 15:10 Comments ||
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#18
Yep, nasty stuff when cynical politicians remove national security and foreign policy decisions from the elected officials of nation-states and place them in the hands of non-governmenal tribunals accountable to no one. Chickens coming home to roost and all that.
The Germans signed up for the ICC. We would have, except that a GOP-controlled Senate prevented a Bill Clinton signing ceremony from taking place. Close call, that. Now Germany faces a fork in the road: One path leads to the continuance of the NATO alliance, on the other path - American Isolationism, with all the happy pre-1941 memories that brings.
In 1998, more than 160 nations signed the treaty creating the ICC. Israel has signed it, too.
The Islamists are going to flood the ICC signatories with lawsuits against the US and its allies. This is just the beginning.
#19
Was she commander during the Abu Graib fiasco?
Posted by: Mike N. ||
11/10/2006 15:14 Comments ||
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#20
Of course we could have some horse manure delivered and spread just outside her property line in front of her house. We don't tresspass. we make NO physical threats. We are Americans, and that is the way the rest of the world act. We just find a way to tell her what we think of her sorry fat ass. By spreading horse shit, we are just contributing to the health of the local plant life, you see... Problem is, she might LIKE the smell...
I guess that limits Rummys choice of vacation spots, though I think some of the smaller countries would think twice with a couple of strategically routed B-2s buzzing a presidential palace or parliament building....
#24
I spit when I saw Karpinski making the TV rounds to defend herself. She whined. She said that people didn't obey her because she's a girl. (OK, female, but it was highschool tone and pitch and body language.)
She NEVER once admitted or took responsibility for her failure to establish and enforce appropriate standards in the prison. Instead she was a placeholder, an empty uniform way out of her depth. Of the 4 battalions under her, 1 was strak because of the LtCol in charge. The others were disasters -- no inspections, no enforcement of standards when Karpinski bothered to promulgate any, no disciplinary action when people were caught acting up. And I don't just mean WRT interrogations -- Karpinski's command was full of alchohol, near-public rutting (way beyond sexual fraternization, we're talking verging on orgies) etc.
Karpinski is a poster child for everything that was wrong about the post-Vietnam decision to push critical capabilities into the Reserves and Guard. That was done by the generals to make it really hard for presidents and Congress to go to war. It was a stupid policy when it was adopted and it has had fatal results for us in Iraq. Its chief cheerleader was Colin Powell. He wanted all the glory of being an army general without ever going to war unless there was a black and white situation that rallied 99.99999% of the population behind it.
WWII didn't have 99.99999% support at home. The Powell Doctrine was a recipe for promotions without wartime engagement. It rotted out our military capability and resolve. It was a reaction against Vietnam rather than a forward looking approach and like most reactions, it was incredibly narrow sighted.
A good part of Rumsfeld's push on technology is his recognition that the US has become a fairly decadent, Euro-style culture -- at least to the degree that the cadre of people willing to seriously defend the country is shrinking year by year. His response was to try to equip them with everything we could develop that would leverage each and every warfighter with massive intelligence, data collection and firepower.
He was reportedly reluctant to take on Iraq precisely because this stuff wasn't really in place yet. He was right about the results, I think.
The Dems and the generals won this one. But at a huge huge cost to the country. I don't know if we can recover. But I do know that I and a lot of other researchers are working our tails off to advance some of the technologies for use on our borders and in other operations. We're going to need them -- we will not have the numbers of boots on the ground to do what will need doing over the next 20 years with manpower alone. It's a race against time and I don't know who will win. But some of us are pushing hard for it to be us.
#25
Belgium used to be the preferred site for universal jurisdiction cases, but they changed their laws after the U.S. threatened to move NATO headquarters out of the country.
The German government may not have instituted this action, but it is German law that allows these cases to go forward.
#26
Before you go ballistic on Germany
By Michelle Malkin · November 10, 2006 02:33 PM
Yes, yes, I know, there's a big siren up at Drudge over Time magazine's exclusive on a lawsuit being filed against Don Rumsfeld over "prison abuse."
The German government isn't filing the lawsuit. It's 11 Iraqis and a Saudi who went court-shopping and filed in Germany because the country "provides 'universal jurisdiction' allowing for the prosecution of war crimes and related offenses that take place anywhere in the world." A previous lawsuit was filed on similar grounds and was dismissed. Yes, Germany has its share of weasels. But German Chancellor Angela Merkel isn't one of them and outrage at the country is premature. Calls to close our bases in Germany over this hyped news story are, with all due respect, silly.
The lawsuit hasn't even been filed yet. The Time blurb is a Friday afternoon freebie press release for the left-wing Center for Constitutional Rights--milking Rumsfeld's resignation for all the publicity they can get.
#27
One ammendment to my comment above, re: Rumsfeld's motivation for pushing technology (netcentric warfare, etc.).
I do believe he recognized that we will need to depend on a much smaller pool of warriors to defend us than in past generations. But that's not the only consideration he talks about. He recognizes that info / communications tech WILL have a major role to play in future operations. If we don't maintain and extend our dominance in these areas, someone else will. And we will never have the numbers to compensate for that with bodies, even assuming that more bodies would be effective against an enemy armed that way.
However, German politics is comprised of many extreme left-leaning elements of which Merkel (being in a marginally aligned coalition) has little direct influence.
The Pentagon and Rumsfeld took considerable precaution in 2004 with the yerman loons first tried this shit. Rummy cancelled his trip to a military conference in Germany under the 2004 threat, until the Germany judicary backed off (due to Rumsfeld being in executive office at the time ((think Chirac)).
The terrorists go after the yermans, the yermans go after Rummy, how do you say appeasement in German?
Posted by: Captain America ||
11/10/2006 16:47 Comments ||
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#31
Words written on a lawn with 24D result in 5 years of the words or 5 feet of digging or a lawn replaced with corn.
#32
It's still a good excuse to bring home the troops and high end manufacturing jobs to the US. The $60 billion German trade deficit will directly employ 1 million with very comfortable middle class wages.
Posted by: ed ||
11/10/2006 18:42 Comments ||
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#33
Leave Germany and you accelerate their transfer of military technology to China.
#36
One thing that stuck with me (may have been the novel WW3: August 1985, by Gen. Sir John Hackett) was that when Germans no longer needed Americans to defend her, they would, at best, become a lukewarm rival. It seems to me that we should not love the Germans more than they love us.
The Germans will do what they believe is their interest. If they believe shifting Uncle Sam's forces or making blood money is in their overall interest, they will do it (witness selling chem and nuke tech to the ME). Balancing that is the probability the US will spend untold billions setting up a missile shield for the Europeans, with the Germans a primary beneficiary in both free protection and tech transfer (e.g. MEADS).
If the Germans wish to actively weaken the US, Japan, etc in Asia, then the US is under no obligation to stay with a hands off approach to their little EU project and they can again live with a 5 minute warning before nuclear destruction.
In addition, the US holds the ace card with China since they have a $100 billion trade deficit with the world, sans USA. The $200+ billion income stream from the US can stop in less time than it takes for a container ship to cross the Pacific.
Posted by: ed ||
11/10/2006 19:44 Comments ||
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#37
at best, become a lukewarm friend or rival
Posted by: ed ||
11/10/2006 19:51 Comments ||
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#38
Five years ago, the mere thought of German troops and naval vessels being deployed overseas would have shocked Germans and the world alike. Now, the German Navy is deployed in the Med and around the Horn of Africa, while Germans soldiers participate as part of the ISAF in Afghanistan. These deployments are bitterly opposed by the German Left. This week, the Bundestag (lower house of parliament) renewed Germany's defense committment to the WoT for another year by a vote of 436-101.
The ICC was long in the making, a UN monstrosity composed by resentful states and anti-US NGOs. Its purpose is to dissolve Western alliances and social structures and to make a world safer for tyrants and lethal non-state ideologies. It will take awhile to neuter it, and it will take strong leaders like Angela Merkel to do the thankless work. So this crap about abandoning an ally whose soldiers are in the field with ours is, frankly, crude and short sighted.
BTW, the legal team representing the 11 "plaintiffs" is an American leftist organization. So what can we say to the Germans about their laws, hein?
This posturing gives me a headache. I'm going to
watch this ad a few more times to lower the BP.
#39
This week, the Bundestag (lower house of parliament) renewed Germany's defense committment to the WoT for another year by a vote of 436-101.
mrp, it's possible more people voted for the deployment than were actually deployed. if i had my druthers i'd trade them all in for columbian units, at least they've fought this sort of war effectively in the recent past.
#42
Say karpinski enjoys the limelight. If she chooses to chase cameras via politics, what party would accept her with open arms?
My guess would be the party that includes john "ABSCAM" murtha, john "ouch that sliver really really hurts" kerry and bill "I loath the military" clinton. She'll fit right in.
On numerous occasions, as the war in Iraq got underway, the German navy provided escort protection for American and British warships, German news agency DPA reported.
German involvement in the Iraq war remains a thorny issue. While the German government officially opposed the US-led invasion, the German military appears to have found other ways to support the Iraq war effort. Besides escorting warships, German agents allegedly provided intelligence information as the war got underway.
Germany's parliament voted Friday to continue its military support of "Operation Enduring Freedom," as the US military has named its fight against terror.
Currently, several hundred German soldiers are deployed in Afghanistan and on ships near the Horn of Africa. The maximum number of troops was dropped from 2,800 to 1,800. Germany only has a few hundred soldiers deployed, far fewer than either of the maximums.
The German defense ministry conceded that on more than two dozen occasions the German navy escorted British and US warships and other military vessels through the strait between the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The activity started even before the war officially started on March 20, 2003. It continued during the first weeks after the war began. After US President George W. Bush officially declared the end of the Iraq war in April, 2003, data shows the navy continued escorting military ships, DPA said.
The stated mission of the German navy during Operation Enduring Freedom was to examine suspicious ships at the Horn of Africa in order to prevent possible weapons shipments. Approximately 300 soldiers are deployed on this mission.
Escorting warships through the area was not covered by the German parliament's mandate, said Paul Schäfer of the Left Party. "With these new revelations as a backdrop, the government must immediately terminate the Bundeswehr mission at the Horn of Africa," Schäfer said.
Any other action would further support the occupying forces in Iraq and the violence and chaos there, Shäfer said. The Left Party and the Greens voted against Friday's decision to prolong the German military's involvement in Operation Enduring Freedom.
The German navy has been told to monitor the trade and transport of goods which could be used to support terrorism. They are attempting to prevent drug running and arms shipments in the area. Nice pics. No matter what the DW editors' politics might be, their German Navy images have been generally first rate. In the DW's article devoted to the military extension, the legislation was passed by a vote of 436-101.
The first thing driver Sacha Ristet does upon entering his bus is raise the partition that separates him from his passengers. Ristet works in Seine-Saint-Denis, a depressed region north of Paris that was the epicenter of three weeks of fiery riots that shook France last year. More recently, a spate of bus burnings by disaffected youths have plagued the area home to many Muslim immigrants from Frances former colonies in Africa and their French-born children.
Tempers out here are at the boiling point, said Ristet, whose route takes him through the town of Le Blanc Mesnil, where marauding teens torched two buses last month. Things could explode at any moment. So its with a knot in his stomach that the 41-year-old driver gets behind the wheel, fearing his bus could be next.
Ristet, an immigrant from the former Yugoslavia, considers himself lucky. In his 12 years with Paris public transit authority, hes never been injured despite having been spit on, pelted with rocks and even shot at while on the job.
#2
A single male on French welfare receives over $1000 per month, in addition to free prescriptions, medical care and access to subsidized housing. Many North Africans - Muslims - supplement this state largesse, by peddling drugs or stolen goods. There is no incentive to work, and an ideology that incites war. And the Socialists chose to throw more money at this mess.
Did I mention that welfare assistance is inter-generational in France? And that recipients routinely have 4 or more children of Allah? This is a recipe for social explosion.
#3
#2 A single male on French welfare collecting the jizya receives over $1000 per month, in addition to free prescriptions, medical care and access to subsidized housing.
#4
The first thing driver Sacha Ristet does upon entering his bus is raise the partition that separates him from his passengers.
I ride the bus to work most days. When I get on the bus, I walk right by the bus driver; no partition, no need to provide them with any protection. The same buses are used in what the French press would no doubt term Cincinnati's "riot-scarred" Over-the-Rhine; I've heard that the cameras on the buses actually provide an incredible amount of coverage and evidence in solving crimes.
I can't remember [b]ever[/b] hearing about a Cincinnati bus being attacked.
And the Europeans have the gall (heh) to sneer at the US as "violent"?
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
11/10/2006 7:58 Comments ||
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#5
WTF?? What a worthless attitude.
Lemme see... after the early 2006 CPE debacle, you have our Dear Leader saying the "law will be passed, but not applied"... recently, you have 70 rioters arrested by the police and released by the commissioner (préfet, not sure that's the exact term) so not to "worsen the situation", you have a warranted drug search prevented from being done by a judge for the very same reason...
More generally, you've got about 50% of convicted felons who NEVER serve their time, because they hide in plain sight in the 'hoods, and police can't/won't go after them... you've got 800-1000 (depending on how you count) "no go areas" where the State cannot go into without a major show of force and/or a raid-type tactic (going there discreetly early in the morning, while the Youths ares till sleeping off their night of fun)...
There's a rampant non-enforcement of simple collective rules, for fear of violence... non-payment of bus or train ticket is a given, as described above... driving license test results are now mailed in several french regions, because when the inspector told a negative result to a Youth, he endangered himself (anyway, threats are enough to have the license given anyway)... fines of any sort are never paid by the Youths, because there's no will in making them pay, be it for traffic violations (they don't respect rules there either, there are millions of people driving underage or without license... response from the gvt was to suggest to subsidize driving license fees for the Youths from the 'hood) or as compensation for victims,...
You get the point. There's a general meltdown of french society, and of the State authority (except against law-abiding citizens, of course!).
And since the State has literally phagocyted France, the Republic having killed and replaced the Nation, that means there's a meltdown of France too.
#6
Trying to enforce the rules like making people pay for the ride is the quickest way to find yourself in the hospital
Locally, in London, muslim youths (Somalis) have started this tactic. I was party to an incident the other day where two somalis were chased off a bus by the driver and assorted passengers because they had refused to pay and threatened the driver. Another somali on the bus who sprang to their defence was almost lynched. These twats piss me off - but at least they're uniting the rest of society against them in the process.
Posted by: Howard UK ||
11/10/2006 8:06 Comments ||
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#7
Sounds like the Muslims are starting to feel their oats and assert their "proper" place in Europe.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
11/10/2006 8:35 Comments ||
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#8
Driving a bus through a Muzzy poor neighborhood. It's a dirty job, but somebody has to do it!
Yes, Yugoslavians. Surely not the evolved ecole graduates.
Posted by: ed ||
11/10/2006 9:20 Comments ||
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#10
Anonymous5089 forgets about junior criminals who get caught and released ten or twenty times before they are considered hardened enough to be punished. Then they get... a suspended sentence.
In the meantime French limousine liberals pontificate about the need to "uncrowd" the jails ie liberate prisonners before they fulfill theier entire sentence. Nobody talks about the two alternative methods for uncrowding prisons: build more or, Stalin's patented method at uncrowding.
(AKI) - Muslim hackers allegedly supporting al-Qaeda have announced - for the second time in a month - a planned attack on the Vatican's official website. The assault has been planned by Islamist cyber-rogues for Thursday 9 November at 12 am Mecca time (10 am in Italy). The announcement was made on Wednesday through the creation of an ad hoc site where hackers can download programmes to start the internet attack. "The leadership of the electronic Jihad has decided to undertake a grand attack against the official Vatican site following the insults by the Pope against our Prophet," read a statement.
"With Allah's blessing, the attack will succeed thanks to the help of our brothers if we all attack simultaneously. We ask all our brothers to be present at the hour of the attack for a joint action, because they (Catholics) have struck our religion. They must be fought and deserve to be attacked and not only on their internet site," the statement continued. The programme foresees a series of incursions to be launched not only on Thursday 9 November but also on the 11th and 15th of the month. Even though an internet site has been created specifically to help hackers breach the Vatican's cyber defences, the appeal appears to have garnered little support in the forums that publish the statements of the al-Qaeda terror network, and only two of these sites have themselves posted the appeal.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/10/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Is there anything we have invented that these barbarians will not buy - using our money - and turn against us? This whole conflict is like a '50s sci-fi radio serial.
A federal appellate court reviews the attempt by a Saudi billionaire to intimidate and silence the heroic journalist Rachel Ehrenfeld. By Joseph Goldstein in the New York Sun:
A federal appellate court heard arguments yesterday in the case of a New York-based counterterrorism researcher who was ordered by a British court to pay and apologize to a Saudi billionaire she accused of funding terrorism.
One judge on the three-judge panel yesterday expressed reservations about the British court order. Still the questions from the judges of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals suggested that they had significant doubts that the court has jurisdiction to toss out the British court's judgment in the libel case.
Publishers and news organizations are bound to read the American court's forthcoming decision in the case. The case comes at a time of raised interest in "libel tourism" the phenomenon of foreigners filing libel suits in British courts based on claims that American judges would quickly toss out on First Amendment grounds. Whether American courts can block those judgments, or at least certain of their provisions, is a question none of the judges yesterday appeared especially eager to tackle. And the court expressed little interest in the First Amendment concerns that legal observers say are present in the case.
One judge on the panel, Jose Cabranes, seemed worried that a ruling in the researcher's favor could open up American courts to suits challenging the judgments of other courts across the globe.
The case before the court was brought on behalf of an American researcher, Rachel Ehrenfeld, whose articles have appeared in many publications, including, The New York Sun. It is not her periodical journalism that is at issue in this case but her 2003 book, "Funding Evil: How Terrorism is Financed and How to Stop It," which accuses a Saudi financier, Khalid bin Mahfouz, of backing organizations with alleged ties to terrorism. It is a charge that Mr. Mahfouz denies. Mr. Mahfouz sued Ms. Ehrenfeld and other researchers who made similar accusations against him in court in London. He has also set up an informational Web site to clear his name and to catalogue his growing list of legal victories in British courts against those he said have libeled him.
Ms. Ehrenfeld never appeared before the British court, which last year ordered her to pay 30,000 British pounds, print an apology, and keep her books out of the country. She filed suit in U.S. District Court in Manhattan seeking to block enforcement of the judgment. A judge, Richard Casey, dismissed the suit last year on the grounds that Mr. Mahfouz did not conduct any business here giving the court jurisdiction.
Ms. Ehrenfeld's attorney, Daniel Kornstein, switched strategies yesterday, seeking to convince the court it has jurisdiction because aspects of the British judgment amount to "intrusion into New York."
#1
It is right and proper that the decisions made by courts in other nations are overturned by US courts. This is done with the understanding that their laws are not binding on us, and neither are our laws binding on them.
That being said, this woman should be given legal immunity in the United States if the court finds that by US law she did not commit libel. However, if she returns to Britain, there is no way she will not be under British law.
#2
Pity the truth is not a defense in Britain. The 9/11 commission statement, Part 1 (By Dan Darling for WofC) Bin Laden "only" inherited $30,000,000, but he reaped a tidy profit through a number of shrewd investments and both legitimate and illegitimate businesses. However, the vast majority of al-Qaeda's financing comes from a huge financial network primarily composed of both Wahhabi NGOs and the drug trade. In particular, there are a dozen or so key Saudi magnates that I first noted in my Riyadh bombings retrospective who are the key bankrollers of the network. The top seven are, according to a UN report, Khalid bin Mahfouz, Saleh Abdullah Kamel, Suleiman al-Rajhi, Adel Abdul Jalil Batterjee, Mohammed Hussein al-Amoudi, Wael Hamza Julaidan, and Yasin al-Qadi, all of whom are still free men in the Kingdom. (IIRC, part of the 20 Golden Chain AQ financiers - ed) And according to al-Qaeda documents recovered in Bosnia, members of the very same bin Laden family that the commission consulted are also responsible for bankrolling their alleged black sheep's global jihad.
Posted by: ed ||
11/10/2006 19:07 Comments ||
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#3
Courts going to go back on its previous precedent?
I believe the VII Amendment shoot this one down. In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise reexamined in any court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.
#1
IONews, the movie ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN has wierdly and mysteriously been on TV. Nothing for months, all year, years, or sometimes even decades but 2006 is suddenly "it" > it It IT I-T-T-T, D *** ng IT, I_I_T_T_!?
The Muslim Canadian Congress (MCC) has asked women to reject the niqab as it is not an Islamic requirement and its use will only result in the further economic disempowerment of women.
In a statement on the issue that has triggered a controversy in Europe and across some Muslim countries, the Canadian group which is headed by Farzana Hasan, a Pakistani-Canadian, said the debate on the wearing of the face veil and the status of women in Muslim society is being waged primarily within Muslim society and is part of the battle for the heart and soul of Muslim communities worldwide. It quoted sociologist Mohammad A Qadeer as saying, Concealment of the face is neither religiously necessary nor socially desirable. He asked Muslim communities to reappraise this custom, before a scare about terrorists or a bank hold-up raises a public uproar against the niqab. Also quoted was Dr Yousuf al-Qaradawi of Qatar who said, It is not obligatory for Muslim women to wear the niqab. The majority of Muslim scholars and I do not support the niqab in which women cover their faces.
While acknowledging that women have the right to dress as they please, the MCC pointed out that the rights of the individual have to be balanced with the rights of society. It argued that wearing veils, whether as an expression of religious identity, or as a means of political defiance, is not in the best interest of Canadas Muslim communities. Nor is it a requirement of the Islamic faith. The statement said, Tying religiosity and piety to face coverings is a twentieth-century phenomenon created by the Wahabbis in Saudi Arabia. Today, due to Saudi Arabias oil wealth, and their funding of Islamic schools around the world - including Canada - theyre managing to impose their irrational cult on Muslims in the western world. The Wahabbis are operating in defiance of what Muslims have known, taught and believed for hundreds of years. Theyre ignoring our Muslim heritage. Theyre targeting young Muslim women. The Wahabbis want everyone to believe that women should accept a second-class status. And they want women to believe that this segregationist ideology is something theyve chosen for themselves.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/10/2006 00:00 ||
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#2
The name sounds like it's a woman. Whether true, this person has a pair.
Someone noted here some time ago that the muslim women may be muslim's salvation. That may as well be a valid observation, at least in places where they can express themselves freely.
#4
Another example of Saudi being the Home of terrorism worldwide funded by the Royal Family!!!!
These people need tackling but unfortunately until we stop being dependant on their oil they will continue to fund their evil intolerant brand of Islam!!!!
#5
It should go without saying that Farzana Hasan has already been branded an apostate. The guy she over the job from stepped down due to fearing for his safety.
If we cannot protect liberal Muslims in the West it is no wonder so few speak out, particularly considering half of all Muslims - by definition - have their civil liberties curtailed by family and custom. Even so, a lot more Muslims are going to have to step up. That anvil of fundamentalism they are standing on is going to get twatted by the hammer of civilization as soon as civilization wakes from its decades long fever dream.
Posted by: Media Monkey ||
11/10/2006 01:48 ||
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#1
Didn't take long for them to show their true colors, did it?
Posted by: The Doctor ||
11/10/2006 9:40 Comments ||
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#2
expect the media to hide the increase in rapes, car burnings, anti-semitic attacks and gang violence from "youths" in the area. I wish a blogger could gather the statistics and post them for the internet on a regular basis so that the media can not sheild what is surely going to happen. Welcome to Missouri France.
#3
Ellison looks like a Nation of Islam Fruit of the Loom talib. Look into where Farrakhan was catting around 9 months before baby Keith was born.
Posted by: ed ||
11/10/2006 10:08 Comments ||
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#4
Couldn't get link to work but apparenlty the news anchs bent over backward to spin the "Allan's Snackbar" thing saying...."this isn't about religion". Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight. Keep that spin goin' ...you'll be in a burkha inside of 5 years.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
11/10/2006 11:12 Comments ||
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#5
Welcome to Missouri France.
Someone else -- or maybe you -- did this the other day. Missouri != Minnesota.
QUETTA: Khan of Kalat Mir Suleman Dawood said on Thursday that he had contacted India and the UK for documents that showed the actual free status of the Kalat state before Partition.
Talking to reporters in Kalat after his meeting with veteran Baloch politician Sardar Attaullah Mengal in Wadh, Dawood said he had asked the governments of India and the UK to provide the documents that would strengthen his case against Pakistan in the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Dawood, who is the first Khan of Kalat since 1839 to visit Wadh, said he had given his legal consultants the documents on the free status of Kalat that he already had, for them to move the ICJ soon. Kalat was never a part of the sultanate of Dehli. We joined Pakistan under an agreement that promised us complete autonomy, but that agreement has been violated by Pakistani rulers. We have decided to go to the ICJ as a last resort, he added. He said that since the crown of Britain was a also a custodian to the agreement between Pakistan and Kalat, Britain would also be made a part of the case at the ICJ.
The purpose of moving the ICJ was to remind the international community that the Baloch were free people, he said, adding that the Baloch had always refused to live under the tutelage of Pakistan.
Referring to his meeting with Sardar Attaullah Mengal, he said he had decided to consult all Baloch leaders on the situation in Balochistan following Nawab Akbar Bugtis killing. Because the Baloch are currently facing threats to their identity, we are not talking of provincial autonomy alone we want the rulers of Pakistan to respect the agreement signed by the founder of Pakistan and the Khan of Kalat in 1947. He ridiculed Islamabad over its failure to convene a jirga of Baloch sardars, which was scheduled to take place on November 8. The government had to postpone its jirga because no respectable and loyal Baloch was willing to attend it. Any participant of the official jirga would have been be humiliated by his own people in Balochistan.
Endorsing Dawoods stance, chief of the Mengal tribe Sardar Attaullah Mengal said Pakistan had forcefully and illegally occupied Balochistan.
All the Baloch have now agreed to join the Khan of Kalat in his battle for regaining the sovereignty of the Baloch land by moving the International Court of Justice (ICJ), he said. We are facing a common enemy that is determined to uproot our culture and identity.
Posted by: john ||
11/10/2006 13:20 ||
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#1
This guy needs to fire his lawyers.
ICJ handles cases between sovereign states
Posted by: john ||
11/10/2006 13:40 Comments ||
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Al Qaeda is back in business and has a nexus with the Taliban, who have enlarged their agenda to include what they perceive as Islamic causes beyond the borders of Afghanistan, according to leading terrorism expert Peter Bergen. He told a discussion on Afghanistan at the US Institute of Peace on Wednesday that Al Qaeda had acquired the ability to plan and mount attacks thousands of miles away from its base, as evidenced by the 7/7 attacks in London. Another of its chosen weapons, which it was using effectively, was the Internet.
Al-Sahab, its video-producing arm was putting out a steady supply of videos, some of them for training, others for highlighting the groups successful operations, including suicide bombings. The terrorist group, Bergen noted, is active in Iraq and Afghanistan. Gulbuddin Hekmatyar has himself said that he is a part of Al Qaeda. Well-camouflaged terrorist training camps exist on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, including those in special compounds where recruits are taught bomb-making and other skills. He said that because of Pakistans national elections next year, there is going to be less and less cooperation from Islamabad in the fight against terrorism. He said there are Taliban on both sides of the Pak-Afghan border. The question was: can the Taliban become a drug cartel?
Bergen, who is the CNNs expert on terrorism, suggested that there should be a mini-Marshall Plan for Afghanistan and pressure on Pakistan by the US and coalition countries to curb the Taliban. He noted that the amnesty announced by Kabul for former Taliban elements had been a success. Since the drug trade could not be eliminated, because it would bring about an economic collapse, it should be regularised by the government. A map of suicide bombers should be made so as to trace their origins and identify the clerics who induce them to go on suicide missions, he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/10/2006 00:00 ||
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More on the tape mentioned in the rooters article.
CAIRO, Egypt Al Qaeda in Iraq's purported leader vowed on Friday that his fighters would never rest until they have reached Jerusalem and blown up the White House.
In the audio tape made available on a militant web site, a man introduced as Abu Hamza al-Muhajir said Al Qaeda has 12,000 fighters at the ready in Iraq.
"We will not rest from our Jihad until we are under the olive trees of Rumieh and we have blown up the filthiest house -- which is called the White House," al-Muhajir said.
The "olive trees of Rumieh" appeared to be a reference to the Mount of Olive in Jerusalem, or Christendom in general as a continuation of the Roman empire.
Also known as Abu Ayyub al-Masri, al-Muhajir became the leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq after Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was killed by the U.S. military in June.
Though the voice on the tape identified itself as al-masri, there were no means to independently verify this.
Describing George W. Bush as "the most stupid president" in U.S. history, the Al Qaeda leader reached out to the Muslim world and said his group was winning faster than expected in Iraq.
The U.S. president's policy had enabled the militant group to achieve their goal of fighting more Americans, said the Al Qaeda leader. And the inverse is true too, much to the dismay of the overworked demons from the lower pits of hell sex-slaves of the islamic paradise...
"We call the lame duck (Bush) not to hurry up in escaping the same way the defense minister did," he said, referring to the removal of Donald Rumsfeld as Defense Secretary following the Democrats' victory in Midterm elections.
"They are getting ready to leave, because they are no longer capable of staying," the Al Qaeda leader said.
"Remain steadfast in the battlefield you coward," he called on the U.S president.
#5
I find it a wee bit odd that he is goading the President into staying in Iraq. I was under the impression that the sooner we pulled out, the sooner they could claim victory, making it in their best interest to expedite any pull out.
Perhaps it's just AQ puffery and he's just trying to look tough. Thoughts?
#7
Is it possible to put them in uniforms? We'd hate to kill 12,001 people because we couldn't tell the difference. I'll make a call to the Phoenix AZ sheriff to see if he has some spare pink jumpsuits for ya. Howz about some pink RIT dye for them turbans. Just so's we know, ya know.
#10
Egypt's ALLAWI > iff America is not destroyed, the Radics wanna see America as a de facto WEAK PROXY [read-ISLAMIST-CONTROLLED] STATE UNDER ISLAM. Essentially no different than for the Secular-Global Socialists. For these scenarios to happen, ANARCHIES + WAR, ETC. MUST COME TO US SOIL. NASRALLAH > America to get out of ARAB-MUSLIM/ISLAMIC WORLDS = SURREALLY INCLUDES FROM AMERICA ITSELF???
#2
Al Qaeda might want to think about this. You see, democrats can use brute, unwarranted force, and nobody will complain. They can bomb and take life indescriminately and the press will kiss their ass for it. Remember Kosovo?
Former Presidential Candidate George McGovern to Discuss Iraq Exit Strategy With Democrats
LINCOLN, Nebraska George McGovern, the former senator and 1972 Democratic presidential candidate, said he will meet with more than 60 members of Congress next week to recommend a strategy to remove U.S. troops from Iraq by June. Cut and Run
If Democrats don't take steps to end the war in Iraq soon, they won't be in power very long, McGovern told reporters Thursday before a speech at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. They will be replaced by the Flat Earth Society Continued on Page 49
#3
I thought McGovern was dead. His expiration date was Nov. 5, 1968.
Posted by: ed ||
11/10/2006 9:30 Comments ||
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George McGovern? Goddam!
How far down under the rock did they have to go to dig his irrelevant ass up? Is Jimmy Carter still on his Nicaraguan vacation?
#5
[sarc]If the Democrats have their way, today's generation will soon get to experience the thrill of national pride we oldsters felt on April 30, 1975.[/sarc]
I'm not laughing; these assholes really mean to re-live that moment of national shame.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
11/10/2006 10:07 Comments ||
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#6
"If Democrats don't take steps to end the war in Iraq soon, they won't be in power very long"
I love it, I would add "and if they do force our retreat/defeat (something I doubt they really can do explain later) they will utterly destroy any hope they have of ever being reelected."
The Congress/Senate cannot force Bush to withdrawl the forces he is still the president in charge of the executive branch. The current military budget for this 07' is already done so all they really could do is try to cut off all money to the troops (with them in the field) in 08' months before a ELECTION bahahaha RIIIgghhtttt. Talk about Political Suicide and for a power first Dems aint going to happen.
This show is going to be funny becuase the Dems can't just sit in the middle and cry complain playing both sides no more they have both houses in the Congresstional branch, now the Dems are forced to f*ck someone, is it going to be the LLL radical base or will it be the American people.
Some will say it will be the american people but I would say remember most of these Dems voted for the war before they changed thier mind and most of thier new reps are rather "conservative" who many outright ran on a NO cut and run stradegy. My opinion the Dems are not idealogical they are power first at any cost people. They wont screw their political future on principles "they don't have any".
McCovern, Sheenan, Huffington, Murtha, ect.. are all about to get it raw dog. My popcorn is dusted off and ready I have not had this much expected fun since the first word of the Anbar tribes forming up to kill AQ/Bathist on the Syrian border. whole new meaning to RED on RED.
#7
The current military budget for this 07' is already done so all they really could do is try to cut off all money to the troops (with them in the field) in 08' months before a ELECTION bahahaha RIIIgghhtttt. Talk about Political Suicide and for a power first Dems aint going to happen.
You're overestimating their intelligence. I mean, c'mon, Alcee Hastings for chair of Intel?
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
11/10/2006 10:20 Comments ||
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#12
Among other things, MARY MATALIN > the Dems won only barely, and did so by fielding CONSERVATIVE CANDIDATES. MATALIN > The Dems will not keep in 2008 iff they try to resort to traditional Liberal agendas.
Mark that number well. Killed by insurgents. Not the US Army. Not the Marines. Not the Brits. Civilians killed by insurgents. Ba'athists. Jihadis. Sadrists. Think that will make the Lancet? Think the Dhimmicrats will acknowledge that when they call for their 'summit' with President Bush? Not likely.
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Nearly simultaneous car bombs struck two markets in predominantly Shiite areas of Baghdad on Thursday, killing at least 16 people, and the Iraqi government offered its first overall casualty estimate for the war.
Iraq's Health Minister Ali al-Shemari said about 150,000 Iraqis have been killed by insurgents since the March 2003 U.S.-led invasion. For every person killed about three have been wounded in violence since the war started in March 2003, al-Shemari told reporters during a visit to Vienna. He did not explain how he arrived at the figure, which is three times most other estimates.
The health minister, a senior Shiite official linked to radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, also said the United States should hand Iraqis full control of its army and police force. Doing so, he said, would allow the Iraqi government to bring the violence under control within six months.
``The army of America didn't do its job ... they tie the hands of my government,'' al-Shemari said. ``They should hand us the power, we are a sovereign country,'' he said, adding that as a first step, U.S. soldiers should leave Iraq's cities.
Only problem is, someone then has to deal with the Sadrists.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/10/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
I note they only started differentiating the source of the casulaties now that the Dems have won the congress.
Wanna bet if the Repubs held the congrss, you'd have seen the 150K but not the insurgents tagged for killing them?
#3
Another story destined to fade away in a few hours or less. I give up with this war personally, what ever we do is over hyped and made to look as bad as possible, whatever the savages do is simply brushed under the carpet! Its a no win situation im afraid with our own media against us.
Posted by: Shep UK ||
11/10/2006 5:39 Comments ||
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#4
What a refreshing change in attitude by the press. Last time the Brit med journal Lancet loudly claimed 600,000 dead, there was not a peep that the concensus was near 50,000 from ALL reported sources (Terrorists and Baathists the military kills sporadically reported). Suddenly, the Guardian feels it must be a bit more evenhanded. The world wonders, what changed?
http://www.iraqbodycount.org
Min Max
46863 51968 The count includes civilian deaths caused by coalition military action, insurgent and terrorist attacks and criminal action. Casualty figures are derived from a comprehensive survey of online media reports from recognized sources. Where these sources report differing figures, the range (a minimum and a maximum) are given.
I'd check how much funds Sadr, Minister Shemari and his relatives are siphoning from the health care system.
Posted by: ed ||
11/10/2006 8:04 Comments ||
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#5
`The army of America didn't do its job ... they tie the hands of my government,'' al-Shemari said.
How so? Have we been too soft? Please, give me your lessons learned, infinite knowledge of SASO, and back brief me on how we can better accomodate more jihadis dying faster deaths. I'm all ears. Oh, I see, what you really want is American muscle to expedite your old scores. Believe me, I'd love to cordon and kill whole tribes loyal to the insurgency, including yours. I'd love to go Machiavellian and pit tribe vs. tribe and eventually break the bedouin corner stone of your disgusting & cowardly culture. I'd love nothing better than to have media black outs and really do the dirty work on your collective asses. I'd love to vindicate more than 3,000 dead of my brothers in my own mind. Unfortunately that's way above my pay grade yet.
#7
"#5 `The army of America didn't do its job ... they tie the hands of my government,'' al-Shemari said.
How so? Have we been too soft? Please, give me your lessons learned, infinite knowledge of SASO, and back brief me on how we can better accomodate more jihadis dying faster deaths. I'm all ears. Oh, I see, what you really want is American muscle to expedite your old scores. Believe me, I'd love to cordon and kill whole tribes loyal to the insurgency, including yours. I'd love to go Machiavellian and pit tribe vs. tribe and eventually break the bedouin corner stone of your disgusting & cowardly culture. I'd love nothing better than to have media black outs and really do the dirty work on your collective asses. I'd love to vindicate more than 3,000 dead of my brothers in my own mind. Unfortunately that's way above my pay grade yet." -- Posted by: Broadhead6 2006-11-10 08:07
#8
Unfortunately that's way above my pay grade yet.
If only the Marine Corp consulted Rantburg about promotions, dear Broadhead6. But I've no doubt your abilites and potential are as clear to the key pay grades as they are to us. :-)
The United States Thursday reiterated its sorrow over the deaths of Palestinian civilians in Israeli artillery fire in Gaza. But the State Department ruled U.S. support for what it said is a one-sided draft resolution condemning Israel presented by Arab states in the U.N. Security Council. The Bush administration has gone to great lengths to stress its concern about the Gaza violence and casualties, especially the Israeli artillery fire in Beit Hanoun Wednesday that killed 18 members of a Palestinian family.
However officials here are making clear that the United States will not support what they describe as a one-sided draft resolution in the U.N. Security Council condemning Israel. They say the only real way to escape the cycle of violence is a resumption of Israeli-Palestinian dialogue that stalled with the election of a Hamas-led Palestinian government last January.
Only hours after the incident in Gaza Wednesday, President Bush said in a written statement he was deeply saddened by the deaths and injuries and extended U.S. condolences. Mr. Bush also urged a speedy Israeli investigation of what he called a tragic incident and appropriate steps to avoid any repetition, and he urged all parties to act with care and restraint. Briefing reporters, State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack said Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice followed-up the statement with a condolence telephone call to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and a call to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, whose government has apologized for what it said was errant artillery fire.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
11/10/2006 00:00 ||
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The United States is prepared to offer $30 million in aid to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front after it signs a peace agreement with the Philippine government, an official said yesterday. US Ambassador Kristie Kenney made the statement after President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo ordered an immediate resumption of peace talks with the group, which has been fighting for independence since 1981.
We are absolutely ready to step in again with a strong economic assistance if there is an accord, Kenney told reporters in a chance interview in Malacañang. We really want to help the ex-combatants of the MILF, so we are hoping the peace deal is signed.
The US government first offered the $30 million to the group three years ago, but it diverted the money to other projects after the groups signing of a peace accord with the government was delayed.
Mrs. Arroyo ordered the talks with the MILF resumed after the government dropped its charges against group chairman Ebrahim Murad, who is accused of planning a series of deadly bombings in Mindanao last month. Six people died and 33 others were injured in explosions in Tacurong City in Sultan Kudarat and Makilala in North Cotabato in October.
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said the dropping of the case against Murad on Wednesday was a sign of the governments goodwill. Secretary [Silvestre] Afable, our chief negotiator, has already cleared it with the President that the resumption of the exploratory talks will begin as soon as possible, he said.
Government negotiators failed to sign peace with the MILF two months ago, when the two sides disagreed on the villages to be included in the so-called Bangsamoro territory. But MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu said by telephone that they were willing to take up the governments counter-proposal that only 613 villages be included in the Bangsamoro territory under the ancestral domain agreement.
This is really a hot issue for both parties. The Kuala Lumpur talks failed to come up with a formula acceptable to both sides, Kabalu said. But we are willing to consider the proposal of the government. That is the beauty of negotiations. There will always be bargaining involved.
The MILF had earlier proposed to include more than 1,000 villages in its territory, a number that government negotiators found too high.
The Finnish government said in a statement Friday that its Khiam expert group had no reason to question Israel's explanation that the destruction of the UN observation post in southern Lebanon had been caused by a targeting error. "Nor does the expert group have any evidence that the attack on the UN in Khiam was intentional," the statement added. "But..."
However, the group found the Khiam reports by both Israel and the UN to be "logical but not exhaustive".
"It is not possible to form a full and detailed picture of the destruction of Patrol Base Khiam on the basis of the reports provided," the statement said. "The task is made even more difficult by the fact that the area was not sealed off for investigation directly after the bombing."
The group submitted its report to Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen (centre) on Friday. Four UN observers, including Lieutenant Jarno Mäkinen from Finland, died in the attack in July.
BEIRUT, Nov 10 (Rooters) - A Hezbollah guerrilla was killed in a cluster bomb blast on Friday while clearing unexploded ordnance dropped by Israel during the recent war in Lebanon, a Hezbollah statement said. The statement said the Shi'ite Muslim group had formed units to clear hundreds of thousands of cluster bombs strewn in large areas of south Lebanon. Recycling for Mother Gaia.
The statement, which identified the slain guerrilla as Tayseer Rizk, was the first time that Hezbollah had announced that its guerrillas were taking part in defusing unexploded bombs. It did not say where exactly in south Lebanon the incident happened.
"Hey Mahmoud, hand me that hammer, I need to safe this cluster bomblet ..."
More than 20 people have been killed and 70 wounded, mostly civilians, by cluster bombs since the end of a 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah in mid-August.
#2
Btw, I didn't bylined on that, but the "hundred of thousands" unexploded ordnance claim looks VERY suspicious to; even if there were millions of bomblets fired in all over south lebanon, this would indicates a dud rate over 10% at the very minimum, no way.
So, it's rooters showing its color again.
#3
The statement said the Shi'ite Muslim group had formed units to clear hundreds of thousands of cluster bombs strewn in large areas of south Lebanon.
So we can look forward to more of these heart warming stories?
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.
(AKI) - An Egyptian rights group has expressed concern about the safey of Soad Saleh, a leading female Islamic cleric who has received death threats after her comments on the use of the veil. The Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights said it was "extremely worried at the violent campaign against professor Saleh, the woman who had declared the niqab (the eyes-only veil) not obligatory according to Islamic doctrine." In a statement it said it was unacceptable that Saleh's thoughts be labelled 'heretical'. 
DHAKA, Bangladesh: A court in Bangladesh's capital on Thursday sentenced two Islamic militants to death for killing a Muslim convert to Christianity in northern Bangladesh, a prosecutor said. Judge Nur Hossain found Hafez Mahmud and Mohammad Salauddin, both members of the banned Jumatul Mujahedeen Bangladesh group, guilty of killing Abdul Gani Gomes, public prosecutor Abdul Latif Talukder told reporters.
(AKI) - Muslim hackers allegedly supporting al-Qaeda have announced - for the second time in a month - a planned attack on the Vatican's official website. The assault has been planned by Islamist cyber-rogues for Thursday 9 November at 12 am Mecca time (10 am in Italy). The announcement was made on Wednesday through the creation of an ad hoc site where hackers can download programmes to start the internet attack. "The leadership of the electronic Jihad has decided to undertake a grand attack against the official Vatican site following the insults by the Pope against our Prophet," read a statement. 
The Muslim Canadian Congress (MCC) has asked women to reject the niqab as it is not an Islamic requirement and its use will only result in the further economic disempowerment of women.
Al Qaeda is back in business and has a nexus with the Taliban, who have enlarged their agenda to include what they perceive as Islamic causes beyond the borders of Afghanistan, according to leading terrorism expert Peter Bergen. He told a discussion on Afghanistan at the US Institute of Peace on Wednesday that Al Qaeda had acquired the ability to plan and mount attacks thousands of miles away from its base, as evidenced by the 7/7 attacks in London. Another of its chosen weapons, which it was using effectively, was the Internet. 
LINCOLN, Nebraska George McGovern, the former senator and 1972 Democratic presidential candidate, said he will meet with more than 60 members of Congress next week to recommend a strategy to remove U.S. troops from Iraq by June. 
The United States Thursday reiterated its sorrow over the deaths of Palestinian civilians in Israeli artillery fire in Gaza. But the State Department ruled U.S. support for what it said is a one-sided draft resolution condemning Israel presented by Arab states in the U.N. Security Council. The Bush administration has gone to great lengths to stress its concern about the Gaza violence and casualties, especially the Israeli artillery fire in Beit Hanoun Wednesday that killed 18 members of a Palestinian family.
Cluster bomb kills Hezbollah guerrilla in Lebanon
