The UN envoy in Afghanistan, Tom Koenigs, urged talks with all forces in Afghanistan, including the Taliban, to stanch the bloodshed in the country, in an interview published on Friday.
Most of the blood is being shed by the Taliban, and they're mostly Paks.
If there is to be a chance for peace, we must talk to everyone, including alleged war criminals. The aim is to stabilise Afghanistan, Koenigs told the German daily Berliner Zeitung.
I'm sure the Berliner Zeitung can remember the discussions we had with the war criminals in 1945 that ended that war.
He said this included the Taliban, which he described as a movement that includes terrorists and uses terrorist methods but that also has a political foundation.
Terrorism isn't an end in itself. It's a tool to achieve an end, which is political. The target population is given the choice of giving in to the demands for power of the terror wielders or continuing to endure mindless and unpredictable violence with no end in sight. There will always be a certain number of invertebrates like Tom who're willing to give up without a fight, especially if it's somebody else's country and they don't have to live with the consequences. Normal people are for the most part less closely related to the Nudibranches but time and unrelenting pressure can be counted upon to move a certain proportion toward surrender. If the terrs can move enough of them quick enough they'll win; otherwise, it will be the terrs who're hunted down and killed like dogs when the patience of the targeted population is used up. Resistance is a military act, while surrender is a political act.
Koenigs said the hardline movement also comprised young fighters who often just need money and people who feel discriminated against by corrupt or partisan government officials as well as drug dealers and fundamentalists.
I'm still trying to figure where "young fighters who often just need money" gain any political legitimacy. The "corrupt and partisan government officials" were elected not that long ago, and if they're truly corrupt and overly partisan they can be voted out come next election. It's not the province of the UN envoy to dispose of elected governments - though they do seem a lot more willing to dispose of elected governments than they are to dispose of unelected and even genocidal governments like Sudan or Zim-bob-we. I'm not too sure why that is.
The idea that you have to kill all of them to win the conflict is nonsense, he said.
It's patently not nonsense. If we kill them all then we've won by definition. Being civilized - unlike our enemy, I might add - we're trying to keep the bloodshd to a minimum rather than committing genocide.
Of course there have to be talks with various groups. The answer to the conflict cannot only be based on the military or development policy but must be comprehensively political.
He must be good friends with Nancy Pelosi. That's the same sort of po-mo nonsense that led her to talk with Assad. When you sit down with thugs, what exactly do you talk about?
He said the United Nations was trying to integrate all conflicting parties with a negotiated truce. In the end, reconciliation has to come from the Afghans themselves, he said.
It's for damned sure that nothing substantive is going to come from UN envoys.
I disagree. UN envoys produce substantives at least once a day whilst perusing The Economist, sometimes twice if they've had the stewed prune compote at last night's banquet.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/14/2007 00:00 ||
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I can't decide which is a better contrarian indicator: Carter or the UN?
When your only tool is talk, everything begins to look like dialogue.
The idea that you have to kill all of them to win the conflict is nonsense, he said.
What a lovely sentiment. Please be sure to come back and remind me about it after Islamic intransigence has forced us to turn the entire MME (Muslim Middle East) into smoking glass.
I've got something to say to them: "Stand real close to each other so we can use fewer bombs to kill you. We don't want to damage the environment any more than necessary."
The beauty is that the statement can apply to both the Tallibunnies and the UN.
#2 Z: "When your only tool is talk, everything begins to look like dialogue."
I am so stealing that. ;-p
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
04/14/2007 1:36 Comments ||
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#4
Anti-God Secular Commie-Socialist marries God-based Camelkaze Socialist - no article in PEOPLE, VH1 + other Tabloids yet on how long the love's gonna last. OTOH, SAM NUNN > WE'RE MOVING CLOSER TO NUCLEAR WAR.
#10
Talking is not a problem; I am sure we could talk, if we could agree to allow the Taliban to rule Afghanistan and kill at whim. It appears the Taliban sate their appetite for killing by sending poorly trained kids to face American jets, cannon fire, and world class soldiers, with predictable results.
#11
Well, he's right in a way. We don't have to kill all of them. The younger children who haven't been infected with the Islamic virus could be saved and Saved, or convert to some other non=Satanic religion. Heck, Satanism would be OK.
But killing them all works. And killing 95% of the UN works, too.
Former Pakistani Defence Attaché to Kabul Brigadier (r) Saad Muhammad said on Friday that there was no immediate strategic threat to the US and NATO presence in Afghanistan because of taliban movement in the Afghan provinces bordering Pakistan.
He was delivering a lecture on Afghanistan at the Peshawar Universitys Area Study Centre for Russia, China and Central Asia. Former Peshawar University vice chancellor and ex-director of the ASC Professor Dr Muhammad Anwar Khan, Dr Sarfaraz Khan, Dr Zahid Anwar, Dr Shabbir Ahmad Khan and some students participated in the discussion.
Saad Muhammad concentrated on the period from 2003-06, the time when he served as a defence attaché in Kabul, and on several issues with particular reference to Afghanistan, US, NATO, taliban and Pakistan. It was his personal and shared opinion of participants that a peaceful Afghanistan was beneficial for Pakistan and that Pakistan should do away with the policy of appeasing either the Pushtoon or any other specific ethnic groups in Afghanistan for its better future in the region.
He said that if US-NATO forces left Afghanistan today, the Pushtoon taliban would occupy Kabul within a fortnight and could deal with the non-Pushtoon population so brutally that Changez Khans reputation in history will be dwarfed.
He also discussed the hatred between the Pushtoon and non-Pushtoon segments of Afghan society. He said the non-Pushtoon population was supportive of the foreign troops because of the fear of once again being under Pushtoon domination. He defined the non-Pushtoon support to the US-NATO forces as strategic public support which had confined Taliban movement to hardly eight Afghan provinces - overwhelmingly Pushtoon and bordering with Pakistan.
Saad Muhammad said the rich oil, gas and mineral deposits in the region and the need to contain China and Russia in the region were probably the two most significant reasons for the presence of US-NATO troops in Afghanistan.
In the same context, he said the Peoples Republic of China and Russian Federation had adopted a wait and see policy vis-à-vis the US-NATO presence in Afghanistan because the US-NATO military operations against the Al-Qaeda and taliban went in favour of both the countries to a certain extent. He added that both countries feared Islamic extremism because of the Islamic Movement in Xingjian, China and the Chechen movement in Russia.
Turning towards Central Asian countries and Pakistans role there, he said Indians beyond estimations had penetrated Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. The only Central Asian nation that can be worked out for Pakistans benefit and still out of Indian influence is Kazakhstan, and Pakistan should launch serious and concerted efforts to establish its economic ties with that nation, he added.
Brig Saad was of the view that it was not possible for US-NATO forces to control Afghanistans militarily or fight for an indefinite period in future. The only solution, he said, was to enter into a dialogue process with various segments of Afghan society for stabilising Afghanistan.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/14/2007 00:00 ||
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God backs the US Military. Afghanistan was a freebe to Russia, they sould be kind to use for this. It rains In Afghanistan. Water.
Taliban fighters have shown no signs that they have launched a dreaded spring offensive against US and NATO peacekeeping troops in Afghanistan, German Defence Minister Franz Josef Jung said this week. For months NATO and US officials have said the Taliban would launch a dreaded major offensive on international troops after the spring thaw to continue their operations from last year. Yet, with nearly one spring month already past, no signs of any major military assaults have materialised. No one can attest to any dreaded spring offensive by the Taliban, Jung told Reuters in an interview earlier in the week. There are, as in previous months, numerous local armed incidents and attacks, but no signs of Taliban involvement. But... but... they said they were gonna murderlize us?
There are approximately 40,000 peacekeepers in Afghanistan, 32,000 of whom are part of the NATO-led ISAF force. Germany has the third-largest contingent of peacekeepers in Afghanistan with around 3,000 troops in Kabul and the relatively stable northern region. Germany has resisted pressure to send troops to the less stable southern regions of Afghanistan. However, they have placed six Tornado reconnaissance jets under NATO command, which will gather intelligence in areas where the Taliban have a strong foothold.
Jung said reconnaissance flights would begin next week. When the suicide attacks began to rise last year, I ordered an increase in the use of armoured vehicles and reconnaissance. Reconnaissance is the first step in protection, he said. Jung said he took the Talibans threats of increased suicide attacks seriously but vowed that they would not deter Germany or its allies in their goal of helping the Afghan government restore security and stability to the country.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/14/2007 00:00 ||
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Taliban fighters have shown no signs that they have launched a dreaded spring offensive against US and NATO peacekeeping troops in Afghanistan, German Defence Minister Franz Josef Jung said this week...
Ironic, considering that the German troops in Afghanistan have never seen a Talibani.
At least 58 African migrants, mostly Somalis, were feared dead after a smuggler's boat capsized off the coast of Yemen, a Yemeni coastguard source said Friday. 'Sixteen bodies were found and 32 survivors reached shore safely,' a source told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa on condition of anonymity. He said 42 people were missing and feared drowned after the the boat carrying 90 people, capsized in deep waters off the coast of the southern Yemeni province of Abyan late Thursday.
This was the second accident involving African migrants off Yemen in a week. On April 6, at least 34 people drowned after smugglers forced them into deep waters off the Yemeni coast, according to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR).
Posted by: Fred ||
04/14/2007 00:00 ||
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Police have detained 10 members of the banned Muslim Brotherhood group as part of Egypt's ongoing campaign against the country's strongest opposition group, a police official and the group said Friday. Nine members of the group were rounded up late Thursday as they were holding a meeting inside an apartment owned by a member of the group in the northern city of Behira, said the police official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/14/2007 00:00 ||
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Mistake in reporting, I'm sure. They're just rounding them up so they can address Congress
Home affairs minister said terrorist attacks targeting the capital exhibitionist and shed light on a meeting of State senior officials. He also unveiled the security measures strengthening.
Suicide bombings targeting government offices and police station toll raised to 33 killed among civilians and policemen, while 57 wounded are still in hospitals, home affairs minister unveiled.
After state senior officials meeting, Algeria home affairs minister Mr. Nourredine Yazid Zerhouni announced that security measures strengthening are to be added to ordinary counter terrorism efforts through more policemen and gendarmerie elements deployment in cities but the expected is more citizen vigilance.
First and foremost, Zerhouni stated the bombings have been expected, as it is very easy to put a bomb elsewhere and at any time. He added addressing security corpses and citizens as well, we have recovered peace and stability but there is still room for vigilance.
He further pointed out we are heading to success over terrorist groups as the war on terror has not yet ended but will be easier and faster, noting that groups who are perpetrating terrorist acts are those who excluded themselves from reconciliation measures, they feel isolated and their combating has to be pursued. Zerhouni stressed that security services fully control the situation as the terrorist groups are known, isolated and even if they may perpetrate other attacks they are blocked and are in a desperate situation.
Zerhouni has not excluded that the assaults were meant to annoy forthcoming legislative elections, but the most important Mr. Zerhouni said is that citizens are committed to political solutions and voted overwhelmingly in favour of national reconciliation, terrorists may want to foil the political solution in addition to other reasons meant to undermine the Algerian State institutions efficiency as they do not want Algeria to recover its international and internal positions. But the main reason in home affairs ministers opinion was that terrorist aimed at being the focus of media attention as government offices targeting was to be have the extreme media echo.
In the context of Mr. Zerhounis denial of the fact that the criminal activity of the Salafist Group of Preaching and Combat GSPC- shifted after its affiliation to al-Qaeda, Home Affairs minister pointed out: whatever their name may be, they are the same people, committing the same terrorist acts, adding, we know very well Droudkals group GSPC chief-, they are besieged and are doing their last terrorist operations.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/14/2007 00:00 ||
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An English version of an Algerian newspaper? Fred! You DO get around!
Posted by: Bobby ||
04/14/2007 10:53 Comments ||
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Yep Bobby, next time you're in a smokey bar, look around for bald-headed gent with a laptop and a certain lemme hava nutha joive de gin look about him.
Police in Bangladesh say that they have arrested the influential politician and former Law Minister, Moudud Ahmed. Mr Ahmed has not been charged and it is not clear why he has been arrested, but correspondents say that he has recently been accused of tax evasion.
The former minister is a close aide of the former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia.
The arrest of Mr Ahmed at his home in Dhaka is the latest development is what has been a topsy-turvy political career. He is himself a former prime minister, and has had a chequered political career. He served in the government of the military ruler, General Ershad and in the government of Khaleda Zia.
Correspondents say that the military-backed interim government froze the assets in his bank accounts last month while investigating possible tax evasion.
Mr Ahmed - who has been arrested before on charges of corruption - has denied the latest allegations and has appealed against the account freeze in the high court.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/14/2007 00:00 ||
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Interfax - Vladimir Arutyunyan, sentenced to life imprisonment for an assassination attempt on U.S. President George Bush in Tbilisi in May 2005, has said he wants to convert to Islam, his lawyer Onis Meboniya told journalists on Friday. In May 2005, Arutyunyan threw a hand grenade into the crowd of over 10 thousand people who came to the Freedom Square in Tbilisi to listen to the US president. By a fluke, the grenade did not explode.
Prime Minister John Howard on Friday suggested that Australians should treat the countrys senior Muslim cleric as a joke. Howard made the comment after Egyptian-born mufti Sheikh Taj Aldin al-Hilali reportedly said he was more Australian than the prime minister whom he likened to Saddam Hussein. "'At's right! I can hop like a kangaroo! I got more abdomen than an aborigine! I'm infested with vegamites!"
The clash is the latest in a series of controversies to embroil Hilali, who has described scantily-clad women as uncovered meat. The sheikh is a walking testament to the dangers of wearing your turban too tight...
Howard, in a radio interview, said he was not bothered by Hilalis latest comments. "It doesn't bother me when a platypus farts, either."
Im tempted to say we should start treating the man as a joke and in relation to his comments about me ... well, Ive been insulted by experts so Im rather untroubled by them, Howard said. He repeated an earlier call for Australias Muslims to sack Hilali as mufti because he is bringing ridicule upon them. The fact that they haven't dumped him lends credence to my contention that they don't feel shame like we do.
Hilali told The Australian newspaper that he had spent 50 years promoting peace and accused Howard of running a dictatorship. Its a disgrace for the leader of a democratic country to pick on religious people, especially one who is practising a form of dictatorship that could almost be Saddam Hussein-like. "Wanna hear me play the didgeridoo?"
This article starring:
Prime Minister John Howard
SHEIKH TAJ ALDIN AL HILALI
Learned Elders of Islam
Posted by: Fred ||
04/14/2007 00:00 ||
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I'd like to see him chug a can of Foster's and crush it on his forehead.
#4
On previous occasions I've quoted Mel Brooks regarding this topic:
"If you stand on a soapbox and trade rhetoric with a dictator you never win," says Brooks, 75. "That's what they do so well; they seduce people. But if you ridicule them, bring them down with laughter--they can't win. You show how crazy they are."
While this approach may still yield some results it is important to remember that we are dealing with what is essentially an entirely unhumorous people. The Mohammed cartoons provided a stark preview of what to expect from Islam. Nazis had a sense of humor, therefore they could be ridiculed with effect.
Islam's blind assumption of supremacy makes it almost entirely immune to the same treatment. Due to having undergone such a near-surgical humorectomy any resultant self-inspection or potential laughter at oneself is translated into murderous rage.
One can see by Hilali's outrageous statements that this Islamic tyrant takes himself with absolute seriousness. There are few ways of disuading this type of self-deluded megalomaniac. This is but one of many reasons why I have begun to accept that those of Hilali's ilk must be exterminated. Few other remedies will successfully counteract such an impenetrable outlook.
#5
1. Islamists respond to parody or criticism cloaked in humor with violence (see the Danish cartoon riots)
2. Either Muslim clerics who incite violence and insurrection are foreigners who must face deportation or they are members of your society who must face trial for treason, with the harshest penalty which conviction would allow.
#6
Look, I think Howard is on to something. The reason Islamists resort to violence is that it works. If our response to their violence is to not only hit back, but double down the amount of biting humor at their expense, they might just start to feel humiliated after a while. And the fear of humiliation seems to be a strong motivator among many of them. At the very least, it would help turn the so-called moderate Muslims into real moderate Muslims. They won't commit to the side of Islamic reform, if they don't think that we seriously intend to win.
If John Stewart and other liberal comedians would skewer Islamism as ruthlessly as they do Bush, one could at least have some respect for them while disagreeing with their ideology. They only attack Bush so harshly because they know he's not in any way the threat they pretend to believe he is. And sadder still is the fact that they think of themselves as being "edgy", for crying out loud.
#7
If our response to their violence is to not only hit back, but double down the amount of biting humor at their expense, they might just start to feel humiliated after a while.
Works for me. Combination shots are usually better than jabs.
If John Stewart and other liberal comedians would skewer Islamism as ruthlessly as they do Bush, one could at least have some respect for them while disagreeing with their ideology.
#8
Just shoot 'em in the center of the forehead with a .45, twice. That puts an end to the problem, and costs a heck of a lot less than anything else mentioned. There is no reason to tolerate those with self-inflicted insanity.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
04/14/2007 23:38 Comments ||
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Chanting secularist slogans and waving Turkish flags, more than 300,000 people from all over Turkey rallied Saturday to discourage Prime Minister Reacherp Yippy Dogman Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a conservative with an Islamist political past present, and future, from running for the presidency.
The demonstrators marched to the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern secular Turkey in 1923, transforming the normally hushed venue into an unprecedented demonstration ground. "Turkey is secular, it will remain secular", "The presidency's roads are closed to Sharia (Islamic law)", "An imam cannot become a president", they chanted, reflecting concerns that Erdogan and his Justice and Devlopment Party (AKP) are not truly committed to the mainly Muslim nation's secular system.
The crowd broke into wild applause at the changing of the guard of honour. "The nation is proud of you," they chanted to the soldiers, demonstrating support for the army, which has carried out three coups in 1960, 1971 and 1980 and in 1997 forced from power Turkey's first Islamist-led government, to which many AKP members belonged.
Erdogan has yet to say whether or not he will run for the presidency when the AKP-dominated parliament elects a successor to the staunchly secularist Ahmet Necdet Sezer next month. The AKP has pledged commitment to secularism and carried out a series of democracy reforms to boost Turkey's bid to join the European Union. That taqiyya thing again. Actually, the more savage and Islamic you are, the more like most of Europe will give you anything you want.
Yet, the secular establishment, including the powerful army, remains sceptical of Erdogan's avowed rejection of his radical Islamist past. His government has made unsuccessful attempts to criminalise adultery, restrict alcohol-serving places to special zones and ease university access for graduates of high schools training imams.
Saturday's demonstration began with a meeting on Ankara's sprawling Tandogan Square, organised by non-governmental groups, led by the Association of Ataturk Thought. The demonstrators flooded into the capital in packed buses, trains and planes from all over Turkey, filling four major arteries for a length of several kilometres (miles) as they marched to the venue under the discreetly watchful eye of a 10,000-strong police presence. Police estimated the crowd at more than 300,000, while organisers said one million people joined the rally.
Deniz Baykal, chairman of the social-democratic main opposition Republican People's Party, and leaders of several smaller parties were among the crowd. The demonstrators carried placards reading, "Democracy does not mean tolerating reaction," and "Cankaya (site of the presidential palace in Ankara) will not be home to (religious) sheikhs and brotherhoods."
"Respect faith, reject reaction," another banner read.
Thanks to its two-third parliamentary majority, the AKP can easily elect the candidate of its choice. Candidacies can be submitted from Monday morning to midnight on April 25, and many believe Erdogan will apply for the country's top job. "Legally, he can" become president, wrote columnist Can Dundar Saturday in the liberal daily Milliyet. "Politically, he shouldn't. In fact, he will."
"They want to slowly transform Turkey into Iran or Saudi Arabia," retired teacher Mehlika Erecekler, 44, told AFP at Tandogan Square, "but they can't because they're afraid of the army. We support the army."
Another demonstrator, Ayla Aysel, 66, said: "I've seen my share of coups in Turkey and every coup put Turkey back by 10 years. But if Erdogan becomes president, it will put Turkey back by 100 years."
"God preserve us from Sharia," she added. Great line, especially from a secularist.
Many oppose the idea of Erdogan's wife Emine, who wears the Islamic headscarf hated by most secularists as a symbol of religion in politics, becoming Turkey's first lady and one headscarf-wearing demonstrator agreed. "I don't want Erdogan to become president because he exploits our religion, he exploits the headscarf," Durdu Kuran, a 41-year-old agricultural worker from the southern town of Finike, said.
Oh, and the formatting doesn't show in Preview mode in FF. I'm flying blind here.
#2
saw the video on the local news - pretty large crowd. Have no idea whether it was >300K (I can't estimate these for sh*t. I'd swear the Million Man March was about 700K low....)
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/14/2007 20:48 Comments ||
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Outgoing President Ahmet Necdet Sezer warned Friday that Turkey's secular system is under "unprecedented threat" from foreign and local forces who also want to weaken the staunchly secularist military. "Turkey's political regime today faces a threat unprecedented since the foundation of the Republic" in 1923, Sezer, a committed secularist whose term expires in May, told a military academy here in a speech released by his office. "Domestic and foreign forces with a common objective are acting together on this issue," he said, without giving names.
I'm keeping an eye on the Embassy of Turkey. There's a statue of Ataturk in the courtyard. When the statue comes down, the Ottomans will ride to arms again...
Attempts at weakening the secular system had increased over the past 15-20 years, Sezer said. He highlighted particularly increased opposition to a ban on the Islamic headscarf in public offices and universities and what he described as efforts to "install" graduates of religious schools and Islamic sect members at "all state levels." Hailing the military as the "protector and guarantor of the secular Republic," Sezer said the army had become the target of "internal and foreign forces" seeking to "erode its credibility and make it inefficient."
At least part of Sezer's criticism appeared aimed at Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government, the offshoot of a now-banned Islamist party which the army forced from power in 1997. His warnings came amid tensions in Ankara over Erdogan's presumed intention to succeed Sezer when the parliament elects a new president next month. Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP) can easily elect the candidate of its choice thanks to a strong parliamentary majority. It says it will announce its candidate after the application period starts Monday.
The AKP has disowned its roots, pledged commitment to secularism and carried out a series of democracy reforms to boost Turkey's bid to join the European Union. Yet, it has often come under fire for still pursuing Islamist ambitions. The party, most of whose members are practising Muslims, is opposed to the headscarf ban but has failed to abolish it, wary of the secularist elite. It has made unsuccessful attempts to criminalise adultery, restrict alcohol-serving places to special zones outside urban centres and ease university access for graduates of high schools training Muslim preachers. Sezer has sent back to parliament several laws he deemed breaches of secularism and often blocked the appointment of officials he saw as Islamist government cronies.
AKP members, backed by liberals, say the interpretation of secularism in Turkey is too restrictive and infringes on religious freedoms and democracy. In his lengthy speech, Sezer also argued that foreign forces wanted to turn Turkey into a "moderate Islamic republic" under the guise of encouraging democratisation. "The moderate Islamic model can mean advancement for other countries whic have adopted Islam, but for the Turkish Republic it is ... a reactionary model," he said. "Turkey can be a model for the region only as a secular, democratic state," he said, warning that "moderate Islam will inevitably turn into radical Islam."
This article starring:
Ahmet Necdet Sezer
Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Posted by: Fred ||
04/14/2007 00:00 ||
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warning that "moderate Islam will inevitably turn into radical Islam."
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
04/14/2007 14:00 Comments ||
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The great majority of Turks idolize Ataturk and support his vision of Turkey as a secular democratic state, but the Islamists continue to make subtle inroads.
Sezer's words illustrate how a free society has a chance to prevail when its leaders demonstrate courage through honest, direct language.
(CP) - A Green candidate for the next federal election says he was just being "symbolic" when he wrote a column in 2002 cheering the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. "Yeah, really. You can't take what I said in the past seriously." Kevin Potvin said Friday it should be obvious that he wasn't happy with the deaths of the thousands killed that day. Potvin is the publisher and editor of the alternative Vancouver newspaper The Republic. In November 2002, he wrote a column saying that when he saw the first of the World Trade Centre towers fall Sept. 11, 2001, "there was a little voice inside me that said 'Yeah!'
"When the second tower came down the same way, that little voice said 'Beautiful.'
Continued on Page 49
This article starring:
Kevin Potvin
Posted by: Fred ||
04/14/2007 00:00 ||
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Mass murder is always so "symbolic", isn't it. Tattoo this bastard's 9-11 column onto his back and cut him loose naked at ground zero in New York city. I'm sure they'll also be saying "Yeah" and "Beautiful" as they give him a nice warm "symbolic" welcome.
That was my 'symbolic' fist rearranging your lying face. Oh, by the way, don't ask me to vote for you. You won't like the results. Now go crawl back under your rock, pissant.
DanNY
Posted by: DanNY ||
04/14/2007 5:11 Comments ||
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Green Party Leader Elizabeth May said she found the statements in Potvin's column "shocking."
"I'm shocked he was dumb enough to publish them. We usually keep these things to ourselves here on the Left."
She wondered whether news reports had taken him out of context
Deploying the old "taken out of context" defense. If that doesn't work, the next step is the old "passive voice" trick: Mistakes were made. Words were published. Shots were fired. The object of the sentence was used as its subject.
and said she'd give him the benefit of the doubt for now.
"At least until it all blows over, or something comes along to distract--Oh! Look! It's Anna Nicole and Paris, naked!"
But she added: "If those reflect his real views, he will not be a candidate for the Green Party."
"Not that we don't agree with him, mind you, we just need to find someone, you know, a little quieter, more discreet . . . .
Posted by: Mike ||
04/14/2007 7:15 Comments ||
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We share common cause with the Islamist terrorists
Far from being unreasonable fanatics, the terrorists fight for the same things we do. We have a common enemy.
by Kevin Potvin (kpotvin@republic-news.org) The Republic No. 118 - July 21 to August 1, 2005
. . . Our government leaders would like us to believe that unreasonable terrorists are trying to kill us because they hate us, and our leaders would like us to think that terrorist attacks have nothing to do with our governments policies. But the true picture is quite different. Our government leaders, currently in thrall to an enemy common to members of our society as well as Islamic societiesirresponsible global corporationsis lying about the terrorists. It is our own government leaders who are unwilling to negotiate with the reasonable Islamists, and it is our own corporations that are in the business of killing both our societies. The Islamists are fighting back for a cause that we endorse. We can help them, and ourselves, by telling our governments and our companies to back off from both our endangered societies.
Posted by: Mike ||
04/14/2007 7:36 Comments ||
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#6
"I go to great pains to make clear that I'm not talking about the deaths of anybody. After all, as you can imagine, I'm a human being. I'm a father, I'm a hockey dad, I'm a businessman, I'm a community leader."
You're also a complete wanker Mr Potvin.
I hope you are visited at night by vile dreams that won't go away, will eat at what's left of your soul and will leave you shaking in the morning - until the following night...
What a shite - a true melon!
Posted by: Tony (UK) ||
04/14/2007 8:19 Comments ||
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#7
I think it will be symbolic if he gets his head busted...
#9
Well when you die I will be cheering and raising a beer in happiness. Along with you, Murtha, Osama, Islamofascists and cheese eating surrender monkeys. All in a purely symbolic way, of course.
Please do. I'm working on a short and sweet curse myself.
Posted by: Bobby ||
04/14/2007 10:57 Comments ||
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#12
The radical Greens preach that by eliminating consumerism all will be able to traverse the road to Utopia. Translation: Capitalism is the evil impediment to their visions for a Perfect-world society. And therefore must be eradicated at all costs. If billions of dollars in infrastructure can be obliterated as a catalyst, to that end, innocent human life is their version of collateral damage. This is the dogma of the Ward Chrurhills of the world. The obvious hypocrisy is glaring. But its their kinship with Islamists that exposes their naivety. The first order of business under Sharia Law will not be a universal recycling program.
A federal judge in Baltimore is ordering Topeka's Westboro Baptist Church to pay more than $3,000 in costs related to the funeral of a Marine the group picketed. Albert Snyder of York, Pennsylvania, is suing because church members demonstrated at the funeral of his son, Lance Corporal Matthew Snyder. Church members also posted pictures of the protest on their Web site. Corporal Snyder was killed in Iraq in March. The lawsuit was filed in June. It says church members violated the family's right to privacy and defamed the Marine and his family at the funeral and on the church's Web site. Court documents say the church has 30 days to make the payment to Snyder.
The first judgement of many, I hope. Hitting Phelps and his whelps in the pocket may be the only way to keep him away from the funerals.
#9
That guy ought to be careful because someone might offer up all his posessions on craigslist.org while he and his drones were off protesting another funeral in another state. Hey, it's happened before!
#10
I think it would be great if God inflicted the irReverend Phelps with a terrible, incurable, non-transmitable disease that caused him great suffering and pain, and that grew worse with every protest he held. THAT would be justice.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
04/14/2007 23:52 Comments ||
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Most likely are local politicians in the affected state. A lot of them are in bed with the maoists, getting a share of the narcotics smuggling, kidnapping and extrotion rackets.
It's clear -- somebody is passing Indian counter-insurgency plans to terrorists
How did the Maoists operating from the hills and dense forests of Chhattisgarh, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh access the minutes of two crucial and secret meetings last yearone held by the prime minister at his residence and the other chaired by the home secretary at North Block? Both were focused on tackling the Maoist problem. The first was attended by chief ministers of Naxal-affected states and by senior intelligence and security officials. The second, which involved members of the Joint Operations Command of the security forces, dealt with strategy and deployment of forces.
The shocking truth that the Maoists had gained access to the minutes came to light after intelligence officials stumbled on an eight-page annual report (October 2005-06) of the Maoist Communist Centre (MCC) during a recent operation. An explosive part of its contents, yet to be revealed to the media, relates to the outfit's precise and detailed knowledge about what was discussed in the two closed-door and high-profile meetings.
Here is what the annual report has to say about the April 2006 meeting at 7, Race Course Road chaired by PM Manmohan Singh: "It is clear from the minutes of the April 13 meeting that the government is planning to infiltrate our ranks and use airpower in otherwise difficult and inaccessible terrains. The decisions at the meeting include penetration by intelligence agencies of Maoist leadership, use of heliborne operations against the Naxalites hiding in (the) forests of Kaimur hills, and training of select paramilitary personnel in jungle warfare."
The second meeting on August 29, 2006, was held in the Union home ministry, and was chaired by then secretary V.K. Duggal. It discussed details of deployment of security forces. Several steps to improve intelligence-gathering and sharing it among various states were also deliberated. The meeting also mooted possible ways to curb Maoist operations in border areas and disrupt their coordination across inter-state borders.
All the details of what was discussed, intelligence officials say, were passed on to the Maoists. Which is why there is a conclusion in the report drawn after factoring in what was discussed on August 29. "We have to be careful. Don't stay at one place for too long. Keep moving. Do not forget your tasks and do not forget your aim."
The fact that the Maoists could lay their hands on the minutes of the two meetings has set the alarm bells ringing. Intelligence and security officials have expressed concern on what they describe as a serious security lapse.
A senior intelligence official told Outlook, "It's clear the Maoists have access to secret information and plansthat too within days of being formulated. No wonder, there hasn't been much success in our operations against them. Any action plan should have an element of surprise. That's completely lost
in case of anti-Naxal operations."
Only the main points at the meeting have made their way into the annual report, but intelligence officials fear the finer details too may have been passed on to the Maoists. They say it does not help the Naxals reveal all they know, but the subtle message has been sent out that the ultras know what had actually transpired at the two secret meetings.
The annual report brought out in September 2006 was updated till the August 29 meeting. Points out an intelligence official: "There've been meetings since. There was one on September 5, 2006, again chaired by the PM and attended by the chief ministers. Now we have to proceed on the assumption that the Maoists may know what was discussed."
But how could the details of the two meetings have been passed on? It could have been leaked at the Centre or from officials of the states which attended the meetings or from security or intelligence agencies. Whatever, the Union home ministry feels steps have to be taken to ensure such access is halted. Which is why it has asked CMs of all Naxal-affected states to ensure there is no leakage of confidential information at their end.
The MCC report also lists the mining, irrigation and industrial projects it plans to target in Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh. It says there are plans to create "red terror" in Sitamarhi district of Bihar where the Kosi irrigation project is coming up. "The region needs attention not only for opposing government machinery but also for mobilising mass support."
The other sites on the Naxal hit-list are the proposed bauxite mines of Jindals near Visakhapatnam, Polavaram irrigation project in Andhra Pradesh, the projects of Tatas, Jindals and Essar in Chhattisgarh, the Rajghara-Raoghat-Jagdalpur rail line, steel plants of Posco and Tatas in Orissa, power plants of Reliance and ongoing Narmada projects in Madhya Pradesh.
The rest of the report lists several successful operations. There are also details of the sophisticated weaponry the Maoists have acquired in recent times, including AK-47s and SLR launchers. There is also talk of expanding operations to urban areas in Haryana, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. Delhi too is on the radar. But these are plans that the intelligence agencies already know about. What's vital are the details of the two meetings. They prove the Naxals are one step ahead of the the government.
In fact, so embarrassed is the Union home ministry that no official inquiry has been ordered into the leak. But intelligence agencies are looking into who could have been the sources who passed on information to the Maoists. Many in the ministry feel identifying them is important if the government's operation against what the PM described as the "biggest threat to country's internal security'' is to succeed.
Posted by: John Frum ||
04/14/2007 14:14 ||
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In a sermon on Friday Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, the Jamat-ud-Dawa chief slammed the government for allegdly planning an operation against Jamia Hafsa and demanded the implementation of shariah.
He said there was a perception gap between the rulers and the masses. He said that most of the rulers were nuisance for the Muslims. He urged them to seek guidance from the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
He said that it was saddening that the administration of Jamia Hafsa was being threatening and ridiculed for setting up a shariah court in Lal Masjid.
He said the enemies of Islam wanted those in power who promoted an agenda incompatible and inconsistent with the tenets of Islam. He said that there was no dearth of hypocrites to distort Islam, but only a few of people were ready to sacrifice their interests for Islam. He urged Muslim scholars to realise and fulfil their obligation of awakening and educating the ummah about the challenges faced by Islam and Muslims.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/14/2007 00:00 ||
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President Pervez Musharraf made a tacit admission day before yesterday that the Pakistani military has entered into a marriage of convenience with pro-Taliban tribesmen, says a report in The Daily Telegraph.
The tribesmen have been fighting foreign militants linked to Al Qaeda, who are resident in the country. Pakistani military officials had denied direct involvement in fighting between the tribesmen and the foreigners, who have taken shelter in the lawless area of South Waziristan. However, Pakistani commanders have made it clear that they support local militants who are fighting Central Asians, mainly Uzbeks.
From an outcrop at Sholam Post overlooking the Wana Valley, Maj Gen Gul Muhammad, commander of the 9th Division at Wana, South Waziristan, pointed out where the Uzbek fighters had been. We have not got rid of the Uzbeks yet, but they have basically been kicked out of the Wana Valley, he said.
The armys strategy has been to exploit a feud between the two factions by backing militant leaders, like Mullah Nazir, who is believed to be linked to a senior Taliban warlord, Jalaluddin Haqqani. However, the government has portrayed the fighting, which began nearly a month ago, as an uprising against the Uzbeks, who fled Afghanistan after the American-led invasion in 2001.
Gen Musharraf said: The people of South Waziristan have risen against the foreigners. They have killed about 300 of them, and they got support from the Pakistan Army. They asked for support.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/14/2007 00:00 ||
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A Shariat court set up at Jamia Hafsa will remain non-functional till conclusion of the ongoing talks with PML President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, Maulana Abdul Rashid Ghazi said on Friday. Ghazi, who heads Jamia Hafsa, said the court was continuously receiving complaints, but it would not begin work until the talks conclude. Ghazi said it was decided at a meeting between Hussain and him the government would reconstruct all demolished mosques in Islamabad and discuss Sharia enforcement throughout Pakistan.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/14/2007 00:00 ||
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A mullah, whose mosque is locked in a standoff with the government over its attempts to impose Islamic justice, said on Friday he did not want bloodshed and was ready for negotiations.
The Lal Masjid in Islamabad and its attached male and female religious schools have challenged the government and launched Taliban-style morality patrols against music and video shops.
Our purpose is to put pressure on the government for the imposition of the Islamic system in the country, we dont want bloodshed, but want a peaceful revolution, Aziz said in a sermon at Friday prayers. Our doors are open for negotiations, but we will not abandon our stand to impose the Islamic system in the entire country, he said. Aziz said Pakistan Muslim League President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain had come to the mosque for talks and added that his attitude was positive.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/14/2007 00:00 ||
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BBC said yesterday it has been assured by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that its Gaza correspondent Alan Johnston, kidnapped a month ago, was safe and well, and again appealed for his release. I appeal to all those who may have influence with the kidnappers to use their best endeavors to secure Alans release safely and speedily, BBC Director General Mark Thompson told a press conference in Ramallah. I would appeal to the people holding Alan Johnston to release him immediately, he said, on what the BBC said was a day of action being held to highlight their correspondents plight.
"And I encourage every tellytax license holder to view our forthcoming documentary on the plight of the noble orchard keepers/gunnies of Occupied Paleostine."
There has been no word on the fate of Johnston, 44, since he was forced from his car at gunpoint as he drove home from work in Gaza City exactly one month ago on March 12 the longest a Westerner has been held in the volatile territory.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/14/2007 00:00 ||
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#5
What civilized country in the world would have its president in cahoots with KIDNAPPERS!!!
I wouldn't say 'cahoots'. More like Abbas and the rest of what passes for the PA government know who the kidnappers are, talk to them, but let them go about their business unhindered.
Just think of it as the ultimate in libertarianism.
#6
I just can't muster any sympathy for journos any more. Doesn't seem to matter what their plight, or where. I except Michael Yon and Bill Roggio and their like (a really small class) although "real journos" don't think of these guys as journalists, except maybe when they steal their photos.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike ||
04/14/2007 14:11 Comments ||
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A top MP said on Friday the Tehran parliament would favour talks with US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi after her controversial visit to Iran's ally Syria, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.
"We are ready for talks with US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi," said Mohammad Nabi Rudaki, deputy head of the influential national security commission in Iran's conservative-dominated parliament.
"Parliamentary talks can discuss bilateral problems and bring US, European and Iranian nations closer. They could also consider Iran's peaceful nuclear issues," he said.
But Rudaki added that "this willingness does not mean a resumption of political ties with the occupying and bullying US government."
Pelosi's office said on Wednesday she had no intention of visiting Iran after a top US lawmaker signalled she might be interested in doing so.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Tom Lantos said after accompanying Pelosi to Damascus to meet Syrian President Bashar al-Assad amid stiff White House opposition that he had tried for more than 10 years to get a visa for Iran.
Tehran and Washington have had no diplomatic ties since Islamist revolutionaries raided the US embassy in Iran in 1979 and held staff hostage for 444 days.
The US is spearheading an international campaign to thwart Iran enriching uranium, which it alleges to be a cover for weapons development. Tehran denies the charges, saying its nuclear programme is for purely peaceful purposes.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/14/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Yes, I want make sexy with Pelosi.
Posted by: Mohammad Nabi Rudaki ||
04/14/2007 9:05 Comments ||
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#2
With Nancy Pantsuits constantly being in the limelight look for Harry Reids soon to be announced fact- finding junket.
Mohamed El-Baradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), yesterday played down fears of Iran developing a nuclear bomb, saying that it did not have the necessary elements to do so. He also said Iran was now cooperating with the agency regarding its nuclear program.
Speaking to journalists here after holding talks with GCC Secretary-General Abdul Rahman Al-Attiyah, Baradei called on Iran to continue cooperating with the IAEA. Iran is an IAEA member and a signatory to the international treaty against the usage of weapons of mass destruction. Baradei also urged Iranian officials to change their attitude and guarantee that the Iranian nuclear program is not for destructive purposes.
The IAEA is not pressuring Iran for the sake of pressuring Iran, he said. We are pressuring Iran because Iran is part of the international treaty to not use weapons of mass destruction and my duty is to provide evidence to the international community that its nuclear program is for civilian use.
He denied that Iran had objected to the installation of cameras at its uranium enrichment plant at Natanz, adding that the plants activities were being observed by the IAEA.
We have nuclear inspectors in Iran. Irans facilities are still under the surveillance of the IAEA. We have not seen any facilities being built underground, he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/14/2007 00:00 ||
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#2
WAFF > KAYHAN DAILY OP-ED > " A Nation that has successful uranium enrichment IS ONLY ONE STEP AWAY FROM [Plutonium-based]NUCLEAR WEAPONS ... ... IT IS A POLITICAL DECISION" [NOT Social, Cutural, or Religious]. Editor also claims Iran's Govt. intends to install 60,000 centrifuges.
The Independent (UK), "UN nuclear watchdog rebuts claims that Iran is trying to make A-bomb"
By Anne Penketh Published: 14 August 2005
Jerusalem Post, Dec. 5, 2005 7:16 | Updated Dec. 5, 2005 9:44 "El Baradei: Iran only months away from a bomb"
and now this...
We are pressuring Iran because Iran is part of the international treaty to not use weapons of mass destruction and my duty is to provide evidence to the international community that its nuclear program is for civilian use.
That sounds like his duty is one-sided - only exculpatory evidence will be included.
Syrian-American Ibraheem Suleiman, a US-based Syrian citizen considered an associate of Syrian President Bashar Assad, presented the Israeli Knessets Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee with possible scenarios for a peace deal with Syria, Israeli Knesset Member Zehava Gal-On of Meretz party said yesterday. Gal-On said that according to Suleiman, Syria would cease its support for terror organizations and join the global fight against terror, as well as cutting ties to Hezbollah. Syria would, in turn, demand that Israel withdraw from the occupied Golan Heights.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/14/2007 00:00 ||
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#2
Syria would cease its support for terror organizations and join the global fight against terror, as well as cutting ties to Hezbollah. Syria would, in turn, demand that Israel withdraw from the occupied Golan Heights.
Syria supports global terrorism and the Hezbots? Yes, by self admission. Next question please....
#3
Syria would cease its support for terror organizations and join the global fight against terror, as well as cutting ties to Hezbollah. Syria would, in turn, demand that Israel withdraw from the occupied Golan Heights.
Bwahahahaha! Oh, this guy is good. Uh, it's a comedy routine, right? Right?
Posted by: Jonathan ||
04/14/2007 11:32 Comments ||
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#4
Hey! You know I bet we can get the U.N. to oversee and enforce their compliance too......
#5
I could accept this, with one little modification: Syria must cease its support for terrorism for oh, say, 20 years, then it can claim the Gollum heights.
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.
At least 58 African migrants, mostly Somalis, were feared dead after a smuggler's boat capsized off the coast of Yemen, a Yemeni coastguard source said Friday. 'Sixteen bodies were found and 32 survivors reached shore safely,' a source told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa on condition of anonymity. He said 42 people were missing and feared drowned after the the boat carrying 90 people, capsized in deep waters off the coast of the southern Yemeni province of Abyan late Thursday. 
Police in Bangladesh say that they have arrested the influential politician and former Law Minister, Moudud Ahmed. Mr Ahmed has not been charged and it is not clear why he has been arrested, but correspondents say that he has recently been accused of tax evasion.
Outgoing President 
(CP) - A Green candidate for the next federal election says he was just being "symbolic" when he wrote a column in 2002 cheering the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. 
In a sermon on Friday Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, the Jamat-ud-Dawa chief slammed the government for allegdly planning an operation against Jamia Hafsa and demanded the implementation of shariah.
BBC said yesterday it has been assured by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that its Gaza correspondent Alan Johnston, kidnapped a month ago, was safe and well, and again appealed for his release. I appeal to all those who may have influence with the kidnappers to use their best endeavors to secure Alans release safely and speedily, BBC Director General Mark Thompson told a press conference in Ramallah. I would appeal to the people holding Alan Johnston to release him immediately, he said, on what the BBC said was a day of action being held to highlight their correspondents plight. 
A top MP said on Friday the Tehran parliament would favour talks with US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi after her controversial visit to Iran's ally Syria, the semi-official Fars news agency reported. 
Mohamed El-Baradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), yesterday played down fears of Iran developing a nuclear bomb, saying that it did not have the necessary elements to do so. He also said Iran was now cooperating with the agency regarding its nuclear program.
Syrian-American Ibraheem Suleiman, a US-based Syrian citizen considered an associate of Syrian President Bashar Assad, presented the Israeli Knessets Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee with possible scenarios for a peace deal with Syria, Israeli Knesset Member Zehava Gal-On of Meretz party said yesterday. Gal-On said that according to Suleiman, Syria would cease its support for terror organizations and join the global fight against terror, as well as cutting ties to Hezbollah. Syria would, in turn, demand that Israel withdraw from the occupied Golan Heights.
