The German army, the Bundeswehr, refuted accusations made in a British newspaper that its helicopters had deserted Norwegian and Afghan allies in a battle against the Taliban in order to make their dusk curfew.
In a report with the headline "For us ze war is over by tea time, ja," the Sunday, Nov. 18, edition of Britain's The Sunday Times asserted that German military pilots in Afghanistan are obliged to return to base by sunset -- no matter what. The paper said Bundeswehr medical evacuation helicopters that were participating in an offensive against the Taliban with Norwegian and Afghan troops the pilots pulled out in the middle of the battle, forcing the Norwegians to follow suit.
"We were attacking the bad guys, then at three or four o'clock the helicopters are leaving," a Norwegian soldier told The Sunday Times. "We had to go back to base. We should have had Norwegian helicopters. At least they can fly at night."
The remaining 600 Afghan soldiers had to retreat until they could be reinforced the following day by a convoy of American Humvees.
"There is no ban on night flights," a Bundeswehr spokesman told the online version of the German newsmagazine Der Spiegel. Weather conditions could potentially be a reason to ground Bundeswehr helicopters, continued the spokesman, "but then it's not just us -- the others don't fly either."
The spokesman didn't have specific information regarding the battle mentioned by The Sunday Times, but said the Norwegians hadn't filed an official complaint. Instead they had thanked the German troops for their support.
The spokesperson, however, confirmed another charge made by the paper that Bundeswehr soldiers are not permitted to travel more than two hours distance from hospitals with emergency surgery facilities.
#2
The same kind where our academic and media elites propagandize for the enemy and are not shot as traitors. The kind where a decades long flood of enemy aliens are granted asylum in our countries and encouraged to destroy our customs and traditions. The kind where we give up hard won liberties so as not to appear "racists" against the enemy death cult.
#1
Then, more calls to Barakzai's phone, one telling him he must kill his mother. "Now I don't even answer it, unless it is my mother herself. She checks on me 20, 25 times a day," he said.
The Minute Men of the left. The indigenous resistance the left allies with.
The sooner we start trying and shooting traitors the better.
#2
Neither Barakzai nor his mother knows which branch of Taliban has revived its interest in the family the ideologues or the cash-seekers.
There's a difference? Thugs are thugs are thugs. As with all of Islam, the "religion" bullshit is just a smokescreen to obscure their bloodthirsty scramble after political power and nothing else.
#6
Sorry mods. For some reason when I skimmed the article this morning, I came under the false assumption that he was living in Canada now. Perhaps I need to not post before going to work unless I've had at least four hours of sleep ha ha! Anyway two bad postings today - not good. I'll make an extra effort to be careful, and I'll be sure to try and hit the tip jar soon. Thanks to all who so patiently clean up my messes. It's yet another thing I have to be thankful for this week.
#1
We need to get the Maries out of Iraq and into Afghanistan ASAP. With enough supplies to assure that the southeastern area can be subdued in any event.
No one scales back anything or starts anything without it going straight through the USA. If this is not current or future USA policy then the FT is full of it.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
11/19/2007 13:25 Comments ||
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#4
Diagree, Jack. The Euros are running much of the current Afghan campaign and they don't take much in the way of suggestions from us. Or follow our example on a lot of things, either.
Now, if you mean that in practice nearly all the effective military force available in the NATO countries belongs to the US and, to a much lesser degree, Britain and to an even lesser degree France, then I agree. But unfortunately it's quite conceivable that the Brits and others are cutting deals with the Taleban -- they've been doing it for a while now, to our dismay, just as they did in Basra ... and with pretty much the same results.
#5
Wonder what it costs the Germans to have 3000 soldiers park their butts outside of Kabul and whether they think it earns any credits with the Americans?
Posted by: ed ||
11/19/2007 13:40 Comments ||
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#6
It does cost them, ed. And I don't know what they think they earn with us as a result. Certainly it took arm-twisting by us and by the Brits to get the other NATO countries who are there to be there in any form whatsoever.
That's due in part to ideology, in greater part to economics and in even greater part to the poor condition, training and equipment of their militaries.
#7
Well I figure 1% of what it is costing the Germans will pay for at least 3000 Afghan troops/police and be more effective to boot.
Posted by: ed ||
11/19/2007 14:30 Comments ||
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#8
But unfortunately it's quite conceivable that the Brits and others are cutting deals with the Taleban -- they've been doing it for a while now, to our dismay, just as they did in Basra ... and with pretty much the same results.
If this is true, we need to end the NATO alliance...yesterday. And leave the Euros to their just deserved fate. As a descendant of European stock, I feel no fealty or nostalgia to/for the Europeans. Let them pray...5 times a day.
(SomaliNet) The government forces in Somalias central region of Hiran are now conducting security operations aimed to prevent the Islamic insurgents who had said to be regrouping in the mountains surrounding Beledweyn city, 335km north of the capital, reports say on Sunday.
In their latest raid, the soldiers arrested a suspected militant who was accused of killing a government soldier.
The troops who had recently completed training course in Amara, Puntland, in northeast Somalia, began constant patrolling inside the city and keeping guard on the police stations and the government offices which had been target for attacks by the local militants.
Sources say the soldiers manned checkpoints on all roads to the government buildings in the nights keeping an eye on all activities by the insurgents.
Reliable sources say that the government troops in Kala-Bayrka area near Beledweyn captured a truck carrying explosive devices aimed to smuggle the city despite the local government did not comment on that. Residents in Beledweyne are growing concern over that insurgents might launch attacks after being found leaf lets warning over what they called the puppet government troops.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/19/2007 00:00 ||
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Link ||
[11129 views]
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#1
They sound like they have a serious case of the heebie-jeebies that the Shia might take over the Holy Places and start beheading Wahabbist douchebags...
#2
I'm not sure why we didn't do this a long time ago (Iran/Iraq war time frame). Create a sort of Nato on the Gulf as a way to train them to defend themselves and keep the oil flowing. Force them to buy into their own protection with blood and oil.
#4
Perhaps we didn't want to train them well enough to think they could beat Israel the next time
I'd just as soon have us be the gatekeepers of any significant military force in that region. Muslim just don't seem to have much of a knack for inspiring any confidence in those around them.
#5
TOPIX > GCC [Gulf Cooper Council] NEEDS A DEFENCE SHIELD + GCC OKAYS "TRANSPARENT" NUKE ENERGY PLANTS.
OTOH, ENERGY > MVARIETY has an article on on=going feasibility research into the dev of possible GEOTHERMAL ENERGY facility(s) for the COMMONWEALTH OF THE NORTHERN MARIANAS [CNMI], vv CNMI's nine volcanic islands. *Prob > Island-specific versus CNMI-wide, espec where underwater long-distance transfer networks are concerned. SHOULDN'T BE A PROB FOR OIL-RICH GCC = OPEC States > GOT A VOLCANO A'BLOWIN' UP IN THE GULF, USE IT OR LOSE IT.
THE British Government faces a diplomatic row with the US over disclosures that it has provided the Iranian regime with financial support worth about pound stg. 290 million ($668 million) while calling for sanctions. It has provided the Iranian regime with financial support worth about pound stg. 290 million ($668 million) while calling for sanctions.
The money was offered by the Export Credits Guarantee Department to support British firms exporting to Iran, mainly to the country's petrochemical industry. Many of the loans were negotiated while British ministers were threatening sanctions against Iran for creating a nuclear enrichment facility.
Last week, Gordon Brown called for new sanctions against Iran in addition to those already imposed by the UN Security Council. The British Prime Minister wants a ban on investment in the oil and gas industries if Iran does not agree to end the production of enriched uranium.
Over the weekend, government sources signalled their embarrassment over the ECGD's activities. "There is clearly a gap between our actions and our rhetoric," a Whitehall insider said.
The US administration has been privately lobbying Britain to end the financial support. Stuart Levey, the US Treasury official responsible for terrorism and financial intelligence, stepped up the pressure in private discussions with British ministers in London in July, claiming that such export credits were inconsistent with UN sanctions.
The Government is also under pressure at home. The Conservative Party's foreign affairs spokesman, William Hague, said: "Our Government must make up its mind about export credit guarantees to Iran. Britain should lead the way with a clear, unequivocal commitment to banning new export credit guarantees to Iran."
The decision to start pushing hard for new business came in 2003, the year of the second Iraq war. It coincided with a declaration by the International Atomic Energy Agency that Iran had been secretly constructing a nuclear enrichment plant.
Over the weekend, government sources signalled their embarrassment over the ECGD's activities. "There is clearly a gap between our actions and our rhetoric," a Whitehall insider said.
The ECGD underwrites bank loans to enable overseas buyers to purchase goods, often including military hardware, from British companies. It stopped providing support for Iran in 1994 but resumed in 2000. Much of the support was for the National Iranian Oil Company and a subsidiary, the National Petrochemical Company.
The decision to start pushing hard for new business came in 2003, the year of the second Iraq war. It coincided with a declaration by the International Atomic Energy Agency that Iran had been secretly constructing a nuclear enrichment plant. The same year, however, the ECGD announced a pound stg. 72 million deal for a plastics plant in Iran. It then sent John Weiss, its business group director, to Iran to drum up more business. Mr Weiss said then: "The petrochemical sector in Iran is a key target for the ECGD, but we are also keen to look at sectors including oil, gas, transport, power, water and telecommunications."
Such optimism contrasted with warnings throughout 2003 from then prime minister Tony Blair that Iran should halt its nuclear ventures. He also accused it of supporting terrorist groups attacking British troops in Iraq.
#4
Zen has it right, I'm afraid. It was "please leave us alone" money. Ransom. Extortion. Exactly what Muzzies go for. Any wonder why they think the west is a pushover?
#5
Iran must be really scared of sanctions knowing that one of our main allies is subverting them from the beginning. I'm confident Germany and France are doing the same.
These 3 were responsible for the "Global Test" brand of diplomacy over the past 3-4 years that got us nowhere. Well, they probably got a bunch of nice contracts out of the discussion.
#6
I wondered if this story was originally reported by The Australian, so I went to Google and searched for Britain lending $668 million Iran. A Google search brought up 116 items. Then I went to Google News and searched the same terms and got nothing. Which is curious because the article is available at The Australian.
So, it appears to have been originated at the Australian. How embarrassing for the Poms.
#7
Great idea. We need more of this international cooperation. Perhaps the UN needs to find other ways to provide financial support to Iran since we won't allow them to buy refined uranium.
Posted by: John Kerry ||
11/19/2007 13:27 Comments ||
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#8
This article has one good, unnoticed idea, DON'T BUY THEIR OIL, it'll hurt us, but destroy them.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
11/19/2007 22:53 Comments ||
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#9
Isn't there a little Iranian port, RJ, where pretty much all their oil transits through?
Be a shame if there were an accident there - oil & gasoline being so explosive and all....
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
11/19/2007 23:00 Comments ||
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#10
Isn't there a little Iranian port, RJ, where pretty much all their oil transits through?
It's called Kargh Island and, while not real little, it's nothing we couldn't bomb the shit out of in one pass.
An illegal immigrant has demanded to be flown home after saying he was fed up with British people - because they are "rude and unfriendly".
Speaking today, Mokhtar Tabet, 30 - who has been given a home, food and free travel around London - claims his local council has breached his human rights by moving him to a place he does not like. He was refused asylum in 2004 and is set to be deported. He said: "The council evicted me from my home in September and moved me to Streatham, which I don't like. The new place is small, and the kitchen closes at 9pm, so I can't have anything to eat late at night. They have taken away my human rights."
#1
Umm, since when do "human rights" include free lodging, food and travel? If they throw him in jail/gaol, put him in solitary confinement, and hang him without trial, I might agree that his human rights have been taken away. He should be free to fly home (at his own expense) to whatever hellhole he emigrated from, and there he should have his human rights restored.
#2
kick him off the island at gunpoint - make him swim home. Ungrateful POS
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/19/2007 5:48 Comments ||
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#3
I agree, they should fly his ass home! And, PNG the turd, stamp his passport as No Reentry. A plane ticket is cheaper than all the dole they've been laying out.
#6
You've really got to wonder how this sense of entitlement was so much internalized...! He and his fellows really do believe they've got a RIGHT to settle/colonize Britain, France, Belgium,... Incredible. And ultimately, the culprits of that are the multicultis and the tranzis, or when their own ideology meets the resentment and feeling of superiority of the third world.
#7
"I thought I had made friends in Croydon, but when I ask them for money they don't give me it, so I know they can't be my friends."
Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha!
Somehow this makes my day. Just perfect. Too bad the Daily Mail did not run Mokhtar Tabet's picture. I am certain some of the locals would take the opportunity to help him out.
#10
Anon5089,
Our European ancestors pretty much felt entitled to colonize North America a few hundred years ago. The Indians could not/would not generate a united and effective defense. Sounds a lot like Europe today and the Muslims, doesn't it?
Britains contemporary artists are fêted around the world for their willingness to shock but fear is preventing them from tackling Islamic fundamentalism. Grayson Perry, the cross-dressing potter, Turner Prize winner and former Times columnist, said that he had consciously avoided commenting on radical Islam in his otherwise highly provocative body of work because of the threat of reprisals.
Perry also believes that many of his fellow visual artists have also ducked the issue, and one leading British gallery director told The Times that few major venues would be prepared to show potentially inflammatory works. But - artists are our best citizens, our most important people! How could they be carrying out such calumny?
Ive censored myself, Perry said at a discussion on art and politics organised by the Art Fund. The reason I havent gone all out attacking Islamism in my art is because I feel real fear that someone will slit my throat. Cowards. I feel nothing but contempt for them.
Perrys highly decorated pots can sell for more than £50,000 and often feature sex, violence and childhood motifs. One work depicted a teddy bear being born from a penis as the Virgin Mary. Im interested in religion and Ive made a lot of pieces about it, he said. With other targets youve got a better idea of who they are but Islamism is very amorphous. You dont know what the threshold is. Even what seems an innocuous image might trigger off a really violent reaction so I just play safe all the time. So, as long as rough men keep it safe, they'll make the most offensive "artwork" they can think of. The moment they actually face any threat, they become obedient dogs. Our language doesn't have a word for what I'm feeling right now.
Chicken! Sissy! Pantywaist! Mincing fraidy-cat! You do art like a girl!
Posted by: Mike ||
11/19/2007 12:16 Comments ||
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#3
"I've censored myself"
Good little dhimmi!
One work depicted a teddy bear being born from a penis as the Virgin Mary.
He had no choice. Someone else had already dunked a crucifix in urine.
Once again, we are treated to the sordid spectacle of Islam's surest victims protesting the least. Were this a just world, it would be their cowardice that made them first in line for the sword.
#4
One work depicted a teddy bear being born from a penis as the Virgin Mary.
That's not even shocking anymore - it's just pathetic. This guy's got all the imagination of a 7th grader with about half the maturity. And I'm not even talking about his cowardice which has been addressed by other posters.
#5
Artists, however, love to manufacture controversy to sell they stuff. How long will it be before one creates a fake artist, who makes art whose sole purpose is to piss off Muslims, the sell them for high prices to undisclosed buyers as "forbidden" art before killing off their unreal artist?
The last time that was done was an artist who painted some homo pictures of Batman and Robin, fully aware that DC Comics sues anybody who uses their image. When they hit him with a mengasso lawsuit, he called a press conference to destroy his works, but secretly sold half a dozen through a buddy, to collectors for huge prices.
#7
For the record, my sister in law is an artist and works to pay the rent. She is always stating that she is "tired of being a cog in the corporate machine". Maybe it is just me, but I find the corporate machine pays well and regularly.
#9
The last time that was done was an artist who painted some homo pictures of Batman and Robin, Last time I looked the home erotic movie Batman and Robin was still for sale on DVD and priced to move. I think DC Comics should pay more attention.
#10
While multicultists are spewing about the nobility of Islam, Muslims are subverting our political order and diminishing cultural freedom. Now they want prayer zones in work places, so they can further segregate. This has to stop somewhere.
This story was on 60 minutes last night. It runs about 3 pages, so I only posting the first page. Also a video is available.
(CBS) Omar Khadr seems an unlikely poster boy for the war on terror. Khadr is a Canadian citizen, he likes Harry Potter, and he was only 15 years old when he was captured by the U.S. Army in Afghanistan. And that's what makes his case so controversial: his age.
As correspondent Bob Simon reports, Omar Khadr is the only person in modern history to be charged for war crimes he allegedly committed while a minor.
Fifteen is old enough to pull a trigger. Ask the boy soliders of Africa.
60 Minutes got a rare glimpse into a Guantanamo case -- one of the first that will be prosecuted. Consider this: is Omar Khadr a hardened terrorist -- a bad seed, or an obedient son, led astray by his family?
The U.S. accuses Omar Khadr of murdering an American soldier, conspiracy, spying and more, all done, they say, when he was just 15 years old. Khadr has been detained in Guantanamo Bay for five years, much of it in a maximum security prison, in a cell with no windows, awaiting a military trial. His lawyers say that due to his age when he was taken prisoner, he should have been considered a child soldier and shouldn't be there at all.
As is, the U.S. calls him an unlawful enemy combatant, a euphemism for terrorist. 60 Minutes was not allowed to speak to Omar Khadr. But Dennis Edney, one of his lawyers, has visited him in Guantanamo several times. "He's been in confinement for five years. Think of that. Think of locking a dog in a cage for five years. That's whats happened to Omar Khadr," Edney tells Simon.
Are his victims still dead?
But Omar Khadr faces serious charges and, if convicted, could face up to life in prison. He was captured in eastern Afghanistan, a region notorious for harboring members of al Qaeda and the Taliban. In July 2002, U.S. Special Forces were patrolling the area when they got a tip that some al Qaeda members were holed up nearby.
Back then, Layne Morris was Sergeant Layne Morris. When his unit approached a walled compound, he says al Qaeda gunmen opened fire, killing Morris' interpreters. "These guys just shot them point blank in the face," Morris says.
He says two interpreters were killed instantly. And then Sgt. Morris felt something hit his right eye. "A piece of the hand grenade shrapnel cut the optic nerve," he says. "So I'm blind in one eye."
The fighting went on for hours. By the time it was over, the compound was completely destroyed by 500 pound bombs. Morris didn't think anybody inside the compound could still be alive. "The assumption was that everybody's dead in there," he says.
But when soldiers went in, someone threw a hand grenade at them. One of the medics, Sergeant Christopher Speer, was killed. Then they found Omar Khadr, barely alive, lying in the rubble and blinded in one eye, just like Layne Morris. "He's lucky," Morris says. "Because he killed one medic. The second medic saved his life."
Asked if the medic described the kid, Morris tells Simon, "All he said was, 'Man, we got up on that kid and he begged us to kill him.' He said 'Just kill me.'"
And he said it in perfect English.
And it's a measure of our troops that they didn't honor his wish.
The U.S. Department of Defense declined to give 60 Minutes an interview about the Khadr case, so Simon spoke to retired General John Altenburg, a lawyer who reviewed the initial evidence against Khadr and counseled the military to put him on trial for war crimes.
"I understand that the evidence reveals that a grenade was thrown over a wall, but that nobody saw him throw it," Simon remarks. "I think it's fair to say that no person saw him actually throw the grenade," Altenburg replies.
So why the charges?
Says Altenburg, "Because there is circumstantial evidence that would indicate he was the one who threw the grenade." Meaning no one else was found alive who could have thrown it.
#1
"He's been in confinement for five years. Think of that. Think of locking a dog in a cage for five years. That's whats happened to Omar Khadr," Edney tells Simon.
Somehow i seem to have a lot more sympathy for the dog than this sack of excrement...
Posted by: Abu do you love ||
11/19/2007 13:06 Comments ||
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#2
Euthanasia is good and better than he deserves.
Posted by: ed ||
11/19/2007 13:29 Comments ||
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#3
Another See-BS bullsh$$ story. His age doesn't matter. His behavior does. End of story. Ship him home in a pine box - COD. Break the lawyer's kneecaps for being an accomplice after the fact.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
11/19/2007 13:41 Comments ||
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#4
"He's been in confinement for five years. Think of that. Think of locking a dog in a cage for five years. That's whats happened to Omar Khadr," Edney tells Simon.
It might be cruel for a tame dog, but how about a rabid and vicious animal? Khadr is a brutal little thug who knew exactly what he was doing and did it anyway. If he was old enough to kill someone in combat then he's old enough to face a tribunal for it. This scum does not deserve a courtroom trial and his swift execution is all that should await him once he is convicted. Life sentences are for cases with mitigating circumstances. There are none where Khadr is concerned.
#6
Consider this: is Omar Khadr a hardened terrorist -- a bad seed, or an obedient son, led astray by his family?
Lesson learned? Smoke the little bastards of this ilk whenever they have the chance so we won't have to waste time debating the subject with some "human rights" lawyer...
#7
He was videotaped making a bomb, and even his brother admits they were an "al Qaeda family." Security before liberty, please.
The "boy soldiers of Africa" analogy is perfect. They are conditioned to kill before the age of consciousness of right and wrong. I hope that example is part of the evidence package.
The illegal immigrant with Hezbollah ties who faked a marriage to get U.S. citizenship, and then landed jobs as a top-level federal agent, has a former sister-in-law who pulled the same scam and is now a Marine officer, The Post has learned.
Commissioned Officer Samar Khalil Nabbou Spinelli married the brother of the sham first husband of disgraced former FBI and covert-ops CIA agent Nada Prouty, according to a tangled trail of public records. The Lebanese women, who came to the United States on nonimmigrant visas, wed Michigan brothers Christopher and Jean Paul Deladurantaye in 1990, records show.
Prouty, who pleaded guilty last week to conspiracy and immigration-fraud charges, admitted in Detroit federal court that she never lived with or consummated her relationship with Chris Deladurantaye, and married him just to obtain citizenship. A source close to the brothers told The Post both men agreed to the deal.
Spinelli and Prouty lived with Prouty's sister, Elfat El Aouar, during the time they claimed to be married, while their husbands lived elsewhere, according to public records. Records show once their naturalization was finalized, the women filed for divorce - and went on to federal jobs. Prouty later married Gordon Prouty.
Spinelli enlisted in the Marine in 1990 and rose to the rank of commissioned officer, which required US citizenship. Nada Prouty used Spinelli, who is now remarried to a Marine, as a reference when she applied for an FBI job in 1997. In court last week, Nada Prouty, who had been indicted earlier in the month, admitted she duped the FBI and CIA with her ill-gotten citizenship papers.
Spinelli - along with Nada Prouty's sister and her Hezbollah-connected husband, Talil Kahil Chahine - was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the feds' case against Nada Prouty. She's the only named co-conspirator who is a military officer.
As part of her plea, Nada Prouty admitted she conspired with the others to defraud the government of the "valuable benefits of citizenship," including government jobs, security clearances and "U.S. military commissions." Newsweek reported that as part of her plea, she'll have to answer questions about her sister and brother-in-law while wired to a lie-detector machine.
Spinelli, now stationed in Japan, could not be reached for comment. A Marine spokesman did not respond to a detailed request for comment.
#1
In case anyone wonders who Mr. Prouty is: JIHAD JANE'S 'STATE' OF BLISS Gordon Prouty was a foreign service officer under Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. In 1999, he transferred from Cairo to Islamabad, Pakistan, a State Department document shows.
The duties of a foreign service officer can include investigation of people applying for visas to enter the United States and protection of American citizens abroad.
Prouty returned to the United States in 2001, records show. He currently works in the State Department's office of resource management. Co-workers said he was in the office on Friday, but took a "holiday leave" until after Thanksgiving. He did not return calls.
Need to also take a microscope to review every visa approved by Mr. Prouty.
Posted by: ed ||
11/19/2007 7:35 Comments ||
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Any ideas on what politics might realistically come into play here?
I'm guessing certain unnamed Donk "leaders" comments about how unfortunate this all is and suggestions that all this could be stopped (and all sacrifices dishonored) by ending the war now.
I also hope it ends there and that things are fixed as quickly as possible. I don't want to see vets wasting time trying to get what is owed them.
#1
Within 48 hours of telling his story to CNN this summer, the Office of then-VA Secretary Jim Nicholson acted on Ziegel's case.
I know its about bureaucracy. However, we've seen enough to also know that 'ombudsmen*' type organizational structure can be put in place to do the 'awe shit' check. If the VA is unable or unwilling then they should accredit an outside volunteer office to assist in these cases to overcome the natural entropy of any paper driven system that acts mindlessly upon the deluge of correspondence.
Why expect the VA to be anymore responsive than your local school system to problems in the system? Theoretically, the leash is shorter at your local level than the national. To paraphrase the former SecDef, you go to war with the VA you have. That was one staffed and geared to peacetime. I don't recall any particular funding increase in staffing. Like the quality teachers you have before 'reform', you have the same teachers after reform. You have the same civil servant employees you had pushing the paper system you had in 2000. Unless you give people the power to override legislation [because you're dealing with legal expenditure and accounting requirements along with 'due process' verification and validation processes] this isn't going to be 'fixed' anytime soon no matter how much you howl.
*Theoretically, your congresscritter in the House of Representatives is suppose to be the ombudsmen, but if he/she is a Donk you're likely to be screwed there too unless you want to be a poster child for the enemy opposition.
US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte on Sunday urged President General Pervez Musharraf to end the state of emergency before holding elections. Emergency rule is not compatible with free, fair and credible elections, which require the active participation of political parties, civil society and the media, he said.
Speaking at a press conference at the US Embassy, he termed the recent police action against protesters, the suppression of media and the arrests of political and human rights leaders as unfortunate. He said that such measures ran directly contrary to the reforms undertaken by the government in recent years. He said the sacking of the Supreme Courts justices also ran counter to the progress made by the country.
Political reconciliation: The US official encouraged reconciliation between Pakistans moderate political forces as the most constructive way forward for the country. In the current circumstances, engagement and dialogue not brinkmanship and confrontation should be the order of the day for all parties, he said. He also urged the political parties to unite to counter extremism. The best way for any country to counter violent extremism is to develop and nurture a moderate political centre, Negroponte added.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/19/2007 00:00 ||
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[11127 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
Pakistan dismissed a call by the US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte for President General Pervez Musharraf to restore the constitution and free thousands of political opponents, saying on Sunday that the US envoy brought no new proposals and received no assurances in return. This is nothing new, Foreign Office (FO) spokesman Muhammad Sadiq said, referring to Negropontes blunt warning that Musharraf must end emergency rule as soon as possible. The US has been saying this for many days. He has said that same thing. He has reiterated it, he added. Musharraf has insisted he will only lift emergency rule if the security situation improves, and strongly hinted that such a move is unlikely before parliamentary elections scheduled to be held by January 9.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/19/2007 00:00 ||
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[11125 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
The Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) will hold a rally at Regal Chowk today (Monday) to protest the arrest of party chief Imran Khan and imposition of emergency in the country, said Acting party chairman Hamid Khan on Sunday. Addressing a press conference, he said the party had decided to go to the peoples court instead of challenging his (Imrans) arrest in the Lahore High Court. The PTI will continue to hold protest rallies daily till Imran and other opposition leaders are released, he said, adding that we are not afraid of arrests.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/19/2007 00:00 ||
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[11125 views]
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(AKI by Syed Saleem Shahzad) - Fighting in Pakistan's north-western Swat Valley between security forces and supporters of pro-Taliban cleric Mullah Fazlullah, has increased in recent days because of a visit by a senior US official, a Fazlullah spokesman has claimed.
Deputy secretary of state John Negroponte arrived in Pakistan on Friday for talks on the current state of emergency and the future of the country. "The operation in the Swat Valley was expedited in the last few days because of US official John Negopontes visit, Fazlullah's spokesman, Sirajuddin told Adnkronos International (AKI) on Friday in an exclusive phone interview.
Negroponte was due to hold talks with Musharraf and other officials over the weekend. This is the policy of our government that they want to appease foreigners and spill the blood of their people, Sirajuddin said.
Pakistani security forces have used artillery and helicopter gunships to target the hideouts of pro-Taliban militants in the north-western Swat Valley over the past few days. Reports on Friday quoting army officials said that at least 40 rebels have been killed, raising the death toll from the past three days of clashes to 100. However Sirajuddin claimed that over the past 28 days of fighting only 12 fighters loyal to Mullah Fazlullah died while 300 troops from the military and paramilitary forces were killed.
Unrest erupted in Swat in July when fugitive rebel leader Maulana Fazlullah launched a campaign for the imposition of Islamic or Sharia law in the valley. He ran a pirate FM radio station that called for a 'holy war' on government forces and the imposition of tough Islamic laws. The government moved 2,500 troops into Swat earlier this month and the clashes between security forces and the militants have intensified this week. There have also been reports that many civilians have been killed in the fighting and that the rebels have captured a string of villages and towns in Swat.
Pakistan's president General Pervez Musharraf, a close US ally in the fight against terrorism, cited rising militant violence as one of the reasons for his decision to impose a nationwide state of emergency on 3 November. They [the government] want to extract maximum dollars [from the United States]," said Sirajuddin referring to US aid to Pakistan. "Sometimes they do that under the pretext of [helping] Afghan refugees, sometimes they extract dollars in order to attack madrassas [Muslim schools] and other times they do it through military operations," he said.
"The government helicopter gunships come and they strike the civilian population," said Fazllulah's spokesman. "The mujahadeen are in good health at their locations," he said, adding that the militants manage to take cover even when the helicopter gunships strike but "in this process the helicopter fire hits common people."
Sirajuddin said that the army had decided to attack this area because it believed it was controlled by pro-Taliban militants. "A ceasefire is a possibility but it is up to the government to decide," he said. "However our government is under intense American pressure and therefore it is compelled to carry out the operation. But if you ask our opinion, a compromise is very easy. Our people want the enforcement of Islamic laws. If the government would enforce those laws, a ceasefire will happen immediately."
Sirajuddin maintained that the despite military operations, neither the militants nor civilians have problems getting daily food items in the areas which are under the militants' control. However, this is the situation on our side," said Mullah Fazlullah's spokesman. "In areas which are under the government's control, people are facing difficulties in accessing food and other necessities. The government has imposed a curfew and its forces harass the people when they try to leave their homes.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/19/2007 00:00 ||
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The United States called yesterday on President Pervez Musharraf to end the state of emergency in Pakistan ahead of upcoming elections, free political prisoners and resume talks with the opposition.
In a blunt message to the military ruler, top diplomat John Negroponte said Pakistan's people deserved better than emergency rule, which was "not compatible" with a free and fair vote. The US deputy secretary of state flew to Islamabad amid growing US concern at the situation in Pakistan, a crucial US ally in the "war on terror" whose raging political crisis has rattled nerves in Washington. He met Musharraf and other key officials and also spoke by telephone with opposition leader and former premier Benazir Bhutto.
Negroponte said it was too early to talk of the success or failure of his diplomacy, admitting the situation had "polarised somewhat" with Benazir twice put under house arrest. He urged Musharraf to cancel the emergency, release thousands of political opponents, lawyers and rights activists who have been rounded up and jailed, and lift curbs that have shut down private television news channels. "We do not think that these kind of emergency measures are compatible with the kind of environment that is needed to conduct free and fair elections," he said.
Negroponte said Musharraf repeated his vow to resign as army chief before taking office for a second time as president. But there was no sign of any date for halting the two-week-old emergency, which Musharraf says should stay until general elections by January 9.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/19/2007 00:00 ||
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(PTI) Over the past six years, the Bush administration has spent almost USD 100 million on a highly classified programme to help Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf secure his country's nuclear weapons, a media report said today quoting unidentified current and former senior US administration officials.
But with the future of the Pakistani leadership in doubt, debate is intensifying in Washington about whether the US has done enough to help protect the warheads and laboratories, and whether Islamabad's reluctance to reveal critical details about its arsenal has undercut the effectiveness of the continuing security effort, the New York Times reported.
The aid, buried in secret portions of the federal budget, paid for the training of Pakistani personnel in the US and the construction of a nuclear security training centre in Pakistan, a facility that American officials say is nowhere near completion, even though it was supposed to be in operation this year.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
11/19/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
So Perv et. al. probably ended up with $99.9M of it and the rest was spent on toupees - the discarded ones ending up on top the missiles as "camoflage".
(PTI) Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has asked former Premier Benazir Bhutto to end "agitational politics" and focus on electioneering so that the upcoming general election can be held in a "peaceful atmosphere". By indulging in agitation, Bhutto, the leader of Pakistan People's Party (PPP), is "strengthening the impression that she is sure of her party's defeat in the elections", Musharraf said at a farewell meeting with members of the outgoing assembly of Punjab province.
Expressing his commitment to hold the polls on schedule in early January and in a free, fair and transparent manner, Musharraf said: "The politicians, including Benazir Bhutto, who are pursuing agitational politics should do away with it and focus on electioneering so that elections could be held in a peaceful atmosphere." Ruling PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, Punjab Governor Khalid Maqbool and outgoing Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi were present at the meeting held at the Chief Minister's House here last night.
Musharraf had been holding secret parleys with Bhutto over the past few months on a possible power-sharing arrangement, but the talks were stopped by the PPP Chairperson after the military ruler imposed emergency on November 3.
Bhutto was released from the second spell of house detention on Friday, hours before US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte arrived in Islamabad to urge Musharraf to end the emergency and doff his military uniform. Musharraf told Negroponte he was committed to hold the general election.
The National Assembly was dissolved on November 15 and a caretaker government headed by Prime Minister Mohammedmian Soomro was sworn in by Musharraf the next day. The four provincial assemblies will be dissolved by November 20.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/19/2007 00:00 ||
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H/T Drudge
Remember this guy? He was the one that took those pics of the big bomb in Baghdad a few years ago, and AP got an award for it! I remember there was lots of talk about camera angles, etc. (At least I think this is the same guy! May be an assumption of mine. Was quite a dust-up when it happened. Lots of "denying" by the AP
The U.S. military plans to seek a criminal case in an Iraqi court against an award-winning Associated Press photographer but is refusing to disclose what evidence or accusations would be presented. An AP attorney on Monday strongly protested the decision, calling the U.S. military plans a "sham of due process." The journalist, Bilal Hussein, has already been imprisoned without charges for more than 19 months.
A public affairs officer notified the AP on Sunday that the military intends to submit a written complaint against Hussein that would bring the case into the Iraqi justice system as early as Nov. 29. Under Iraqi codes, an investigative magistrate will decide whether there are grounds to try Hussein, 36, who was seized in the western Iraqi city of Ramadi on April 12, 2006.
Dave Tomlin, associate general counsel for the AP, said the defense for Hussein is being forced to work "totally in the dark."
The military has not yet defined the specific charges against Hussein. Previously, the military has pointed to a range of suspicions that attempt to link him to insurgent activity.
The AP rejects all the allegations and contends it has been blocked by the military from mounting a wide-ranging defense for Hussein, who was part of the AP's Pulitzer Prize-winning photo team in 2005.
It's not the AP's responsibility, it's the responsibility of his lawyer. Unless the AP is involved in some way we don't know about.
Soon after Hussein was taken into custody, the AP appealed to the U.S. military to either release him or bring the case to trialsaying there was no evidence to support his detention. However, Tomlin said that the military is now attempting to build a case based on "stale" evidence and testimony that has been discredited. He also noted that the U.S. military investigators who initially handled the case have left the country.
The AP says various accusations have been floated unofficially against Hussein and then apparently been withdrawn with little explanation. Tomlin said the AP has faced chronic difficulties in meeting Hussein at the Camp Cropper detention facility in Baghdad and its own intensive investigations of the caseconducted by a former federal prosecutor, Paul Gardephehave found no support for allegations that he was anything other than a working journalist in a war zone.
"While we are hopeful that there could be some resolution to Bilal Hussein's long detention, we have grave concerns that his rights under the law continue to be ignored and even abused," said AP President and CEO Tom Curley. "The steps the U.S. military is now taking continue to deny Bilal his right to due process and, in turn, may deny him a chance at a fair trial. The treatment of Bilal represents a miscarriage of the very justice and rule of law that the United States is claiming to help Iraq achieve. At this point, we believe the correct recourse is the immediate release of Bilal."
Calls for his freedom have been backed by groups such as the Committee to Protect Journalists.
Tomlin said it remains unclear what accusations, evidence and possible witnesses will be presented by military prosecutors in Baghdad. "They are telling us nothing ... We are operating totally in the dark," said Tomlin, who added that the military's unfair handling of the case is "playing with a man's future and maybe his life."
Although it's unclear what specific allegations may be presented against Hussein, convictions linked to aiding militants in Iraq could bring the death penalty, said Tomlin.
U.S. military officials in Iraq did not immediately respond to AP questions about what precise accusations are planned against Hussein.
Previously, the military has outlined a host of possible lines of investigation, including claims that Hussein offered to provide false identification to a sniper seeking to evade U.S.-led forces and that Hussein took photographs that were synchronized with insurgent blasts. The AP inquiry found no support for either of those claims.
But why don't we let a court decide that?
The bulk of the photographs Hussein provided the AP were not about insurgent activity; he detailed both the aftermath of attacks and the daily lives of Iraqis in the war zone. There was no evidence that any images were coordinated with the insurgents or showed the instant of an attack.
Gardephe, now a New York-based attorney, said the AP has offered evidence to counter the allegations so far raised by the military. But, he noted, that it's possible the military could introduce new charges at the hearing that could include classified material. "This makes it impossible to put together a defense," said Gardephe, who is leading the defense team and plans to arrive in Baghdad next week. "At the moment, it looks like we can do little more than show up ... and try to put together a defense during the proceedings."
One option, he said, is to contend that the Pentagon's handling of Hussein violated Iraqi legal tenets brought in by Washington after the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003. Among the possible challenges: AP claims that Hussein was interrogated at Camp Cropper this year without legal counsel.
Hussein is one of the highest-profile Iraqi journalists in U.S. custody.
In April 2006just days before Hussein was detainedan Iraqi cameraman working for CBS News was acquitted of insurgent activity. Abdul Ameer Younis Hussein was held for about a year after being detained while filming the aftermath of a bombing in the northern city of Mosul.
Tomlin, however, said that freedom for Bilal Hussein, who is not related to the cameraman working for CBS, isn't guaranteed even if the judge rejects the eventual U.S. charges. The military can indefinitely hold suspects considered security risks in Iraq. "Even if he comes out the other side with an acquittalas we certainly hope and trust that he willthere is not guarantee that he won't go right back into detention as a security risk."
#1
Bilal Hussein had an uncanny knack for showing up just before seemingly random attacks. WHERE IS BILAL HUSSEIN?
And
Associated Press and the Bilal Hussein case The military said Hussein was captured with two insurgents, including Hamid Hamad Motib, an alleged leader of al-Qaida in Iraq. He has close relationships with persons known to be responsible for kidnappings, smuggling, improvised explosive device (IED) attacks and other attacks on coalition forces, according to a May 7 e-mail from U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Jack Gardner, who oversees all coalition detainees in Iraq.
The information available establishes that he has relationships with insurgents and is afforded access to insurgent activities outside the normal scope afforded to journalists conducting legitimate activities, Gardner wrote to AP International Editor John Daniszewski.
And this:
The military said bomb-making materials were found in the apartment where Hussein was captured but it never detailed what those materials were. The military said he tested positive for traces of explosives.
Get the rope.
Posted by: ed ||
11/19/2007 17:58 Comments ||
Top||
#2
I would suggest a variant of medieval trial--put him in a basket and dip in Tigris for 10 minutes. If he does not drown, he's guilty.
#3
put him in a basket and dip in Tigris for 10 minutes
I was always enamored of the old Roman method wherebefore being thrown from a high river bridgeconvicted felons were first bound and then tied inside of a large sack along with a dog, a cat and a full grown rooster. It must have made for a rather strenuous last few minutes.
#4
LGF is on the case. Since Bilal is from Fallujah, I'm guessing that some of his former terrorist friends are among the insurgents who have come over to the allies, and they have provided the goods on him.
#8
There is at least one element of AP's (and other media agency's) public approach to this and similar cases that is dishonest - characteristically dishonest, which only serves to confirm doubts about their good faith and sense of responsibility. That is the usually implicit assertion (here made explicit by one of their lawyers) that "due process" in this situation bears any resemblance to a normal US civilian criminal court.
My impression is that the US has struggled a bit in Iraq in its attempt to bring as much "due process" as possible to what is clearly a war, an emergency situation, not a normal peace-time situation. Among other things, the attempt to involve the regular Iraqi judiciary has been complicated by that institution's devastation during the Ba'athist dark ages, not to mention the extreme levels of violence and intimidation in many areas. You've probably all heard the stories of clearly guilty "insurgents" being sprung by Iraqi magistrates or judges to the amazement and anger of Coalition troops who risked their behinds to capture the SOBs.
As I recall the suspect in question here was literally detained in the presence of very important bad guys - if nothing else an extremely damning bit of prima facie evidence of illegal activities.
When I think about it the public behavior of several news agencies WRT detained journalists, or journalists killed or wounded by Coalition fire during combat, sort of encapsulate the intellectual dishonesty that underlies much of their "coverage": while the Coalition struggles to achieve its security objectives (and bring services and opportunity for renewal to Iraqis), while battling an utterly barbaric enemy, allied with a sometimes weak and evolving Iraqi security force, the press relies on dubious or worse locals out of neccessity but then applies peace-time standards to incidents that arise from the conflict. In other words, they're having it many different ways at once, and sometimes they switch back and forth.
On a tangentially related matter, I heard somewhere that TIME had apologized for some aspect of its involvement in the Haditha case. I've been wondering about the senior public affairs officer I know who was an early contact on this, and how he feels about the court martial process (so far) not just finding no guilty Marines but in most cases producing scathing rejections of the charges at the Article 32 stage.
#1
Condition Annapolis Attendance on Ending Kassams
Correct approach, hopeless goal. No further negotations, just more atritting.
Israeli Air Force Commander Maj.-Gen. Eliezer Shakedi said that Israel cannot defend its citizens without military operations that will take a toll on Arab civilian bystanders.
I guess they'll just have to overcome their trepidations about collateral fatalities, now won't they? Maybe it'll teach those bystanders not to stand so close.
#2
As per JPOST, iff the Annapolis Summit works out, SYRIA will be the true prize for the USA {Israel] at same, i.e. weaning Syria away from Iran + forming an anti-Iran Sunni bloc of ME nations. ISRAEL > Peace wid Syria may be its new focii/key to stop or control militant violence in Gaza-West Bank plus of course Lebanon, not to mention Israel's and Region's probs wid Paleo demographics and econ support in any new PA State. EGYPT andor JORDAN can't do it all.
Al-Yahya said that the last seven years of armed Intifada, or uprising, have been "disastrous" for the Palestinian situation. Al-Yahya, himself a former commander of the Palestine Liberation Army, tolf the Kuwaiti Ar-Rai newspaper: "The security plan in the Palestinian territories is progressing in parallel steps in armament, training and restructuring the security headquarters and prisons. At the same time, Hamas' and other groups' weapons are being collected."
The Fatah-controlled Palestinian Authority is currently implementing a US-supported multimillion dollar security plan in the West Bank city of Nablus, that while reducing crime, has been seen by some as a political move to consolidate Fatah's authority in the West Bank.
Al-Yahya dropped the suggestion that Hamas is plotting to take control of the West Bank as they did in the Gaza Strip in June: "The Palestinian security in the West Bank revealed cells affiliated to Hamas' Executive Force smuggling weapons and plotting to repeat the Gaza Strip coup in the West Bank."
This article starring:
Palestinian Interior Minister Abdur Razzaq Mahmoud Al-Yahya
Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades
Palestine Liberation Army
Posted by: Fred ||
11/19/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
???
Only when they pry every last AK-47 and pound of C4 out of every last terrorist-wanna-be's cold, dead hands.
#2
the last seven years of armed Intifada...have been "disastrous" for the Palestinian situation
That much is true, but doesn't seem to influence them much. The disbanding will occur when I'm on the cover of People magazine.
The IDF is in a heightened state of alert ahead of the Annapolis summit next week, out of fear that Hamas and Islamic Jihad will try to perpetrate a large-scale terror attack to derail the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, defense officials said Sunday. The officials said there were currently 10 specific warnings concerning Palestinian plans to launch a terror attack before the summit.
The officials said that while there was no concrete intelligence that the warnings were connected to the peace summit, which is scheduled to be held at the Annapolis Naval Academy next Monday, the assumption was that terror groups - particularly Islamic Jihad and Hamas - would try to perpetrate an attack to spoil the peace efforts. "There is a concerted effort today by Hamas and other terror groups to derail the talks," a defense official said. "One of the ways to do that is to carry out a large-scale attack inside Israel."
Posted by: Fred ||
11/19/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Nothing positive can come out of the Annapolis scheme. It's like Bill and Hillary's "Dayton Accord."
#2
The IDF is in a heightened state of alert ahead of the Annapolis summit next week, out of fear that Hamas and Islamic Jihad will try to perpetrate a large-scale terror attack to derail the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, defense officials said Sunday.
Any attack that goes ahead - no matter what atrocity it brings - will immediately be described as a false flag operation by the usual suspects.
#3
Annapolis is just another wearisome chassé in this interminable farce of a diplomatic gavotte. The West and Israel will be presented with another laundry list of exorbitant Muslim demands uncontaminated by a single concession or demonstrable commitment being made in return.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is to discuss with Arab nations a plan to enrich uranium outside the region in a neutral country such as Switzerland. He made the announcement in an interview for Dow Jones Newswires in Saudi Arabia where he is attending a petroleum exporters' summit.
Gulf Arab states recently proposed setting up a consortium to provide nuclear fuel to Iran and others. The scheme could allay fears Iran is enriching uranium for a nuclear bomb.
Mr Ahmadinejad's comments come after moves by Swiss President Micheline Calmy-Rey to facilitate talks between Iran and the US. She said Switzerland recognised Iran's right to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. "We will be talking with our [Arab] friends," Mr Ahmadinejad told Dow Jones on the sidelines of the Opec summit.
The plan suggested by the six members of the Gulf Cooperation Council foresees the creation of a multinational consortium to provide enriched uranium to power plants in Iran. Nuclear fuel would be supplied to Iran and other Middle East states looking to build their own nuclear power programmes.
#4
Russia offered to do this for Iran a few years ago. Iran turned down the invitation, confirming suspicions that they were pushing ahead with plans on nuclear weapons development. This is either a stall tactic or a diversion.
#5
DEBKA > Independent analysts/Pert sources believe Iran may be masking or hiding the true number of its working nuke centrifuges - NOT 3000, but maybe possib as high as 7000 for contingency e.g. in case of a nuctech mistake [UN sanctions?]. Iran desires to have enuff centrifuges left to start again???
Jordans King Abdullah II arrived in Syria Sunday on a previously unannounced trip, his first to the Syrian capital in nearly four years, Syrias official news agency reported. Jordans chief government spokesman Nasser Judeh confirmed Sunday that King Abdullah II would be traveling to Damascus to meet President Bashar Assad, describing the visit as important. He did not, however, detail the topics to be discussed.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/19/2007 00:00 ||
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Lebanon's Information Minister Ghazi Aridi praised Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Mar Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir, "for assuming great responsibility to resolve the crises by submitting a list of candidates for the presidency." He urged everyone not to miss this opportunity and to elect a President of the Republic to strengthen the spirit of national unity and dialogue.
Aridi said in an interview with the radio Voice of Lebanon : "Everyone was waiting for a word from Patriarch Sfeir and all claimed they wanted consensus. Now, and after Sfeir gave the list of presidential candidates there is no excuse in the world for the non-election of a new President of the Republic". Aridi also said " contrary to all the rumors that the media has circulated inside and outside the capital, the United States did not impose any conditions with regards to the election of a new president , nor did they name any preferred candidate for this post and Speaker Nabih Berri , who has met US ambassador Jeffrey Feltman on several occasions knows this "
Similarly he said the French also did not impose any conditions or name any preferred candidate : "The French Foreign Minister asked Cardinal Sfeir to issue the list of consensus candidates so that the parliament could pick one of them as the new president."
Hezbollah has accused the western countries of interfering in Lebanon's presidential elections.
Lebanon is in the process of electing a new president to replace the pro-Syrian president Emile Lahoud whose term expires on November 24. The election session was rescheduled 3 times but is now set for November 21, 2007. The Iranian and Syrian backed Hezbollah -led opposition has refused to attend the previously scheduled sessions because they knew the anti-Syrian parliament majority will win. The parliament majority has accused the pro-Syrian opposition of wanting a clone of Emile Lahoud as the new president to please Syria. Lahoud who is referred to as 'Syria's puppet' has sided with the opposition in its effort to overthrow the democratically elected government of Prime minister Fouad Siniora.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/19/2007 00:00 ||
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#2
He really should run as a Democrat; he'd be more at home there.
Posted by: Mike ||
11/19/2007 8:48 Comments ||
Top||
#3
I question if Paul is really stupid enough to embrace them. Electoral suicide in Texas.
Posted by: ed ||
11/19/2007 8:49 Comments ||
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#4
From the article: "In the event that RP actually won the election and got the Hamas treatment, his supporters are fully in support of the Right to Bear Arms. It would be interesting to see what followed."
#1
The US' foreign debt and reliance on oil are our two biggest vulnerabilities and they are sizable risks.
China (the largest holder of US debt) hinted last week it may hold fewer dollars. Iran and Venezuela may be mixing politics with economics, but OPEC would be stupid not to tie the price of oil to a currency basket rather than to the dollar. A falling dollar makes it hard to finance a war (and all the other shit we're financing). Currency pressures such as these will *force* the Fed to raise interest rates to support the dollar at some point. Oh yea - they can't do that without pushing the economy into recession because of the credit mess. Oops.
Stating that we need to stop smoking from the oil crack pipe speaks for itself. Ever see that TV show 'Intervention'? I guess Uncle Sam's what you'd call a 'functional addict' - still holding down a job, but losing teeth and blaming it on everybody else.
#2
we need a recession and a big thumb to the world....see how long china's can last when it vast pop is not out of work...but then they can always ship to zimb or hell even euro....lolol...why does the US keep trying to be the reserve currency? screw it....let the chips fall..there is no backup...china needs dollars because we buy the majority of their worthless crap
Posted by: dan ||
11/19/2007 11:51 Comments ||
Top||
#3
Remember that next time you pass a Citgo - and keep going.
#4
TOPIX/OTHER > CHAVEZ, ADMAHDINEJAD - US POWER IN DECLINE/US IN IMPERIAL DECLINE. Repeat vow to work together in resisting US power, locally or globally anywhere in the world.
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.
An illegal immigrant has demanded to be flown home after saying he was fed up with British people - because they are "rude and unfriendly". 
US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte on Sunday urged President General Pervez Musharraf to end the state of emergency before holding elections. Emergency rule is not compatible with free, fair and credible elections, which require the active participation of political parties, civil society and the media, he said.
The United States called yesterday on President Pervez Musharraf to end the state of emergency in Pakistan ahead of upcoming elections, free political prisoners and resume talks with the opposition. 
Ma'an 
The IDF is in a heightened state of alert ahead of the Annapolis summit next week, out of fear that Hamas and Islamic Jihad will try to perpetrate a large-scale terror attack to derail the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, defense officials said Sunday. The officials said there were currently 10 specific warnings concerning Palestinian plans to launch a terror attack before the summit. 
Jordans King Abdullah II arrived in Syria Sunday on a previously unannounced trip, his first to the Syrian capital in nearly four years, Syrias official news agency reported. Jordans chief government spokesman Nasser Judeh confirmed Sunday that King Abdullah II would be traveling to Damascus to meet President Bashar Assad, describing the visit as important. He did not, however, detail the topics to be discussed.
