The increase in needs is due mainly to the addition of 600 000 urban poor, who are struggling to meet their household food needs in the face of rapidly increasing food and basic commodity prices, according to a recent assessment of FAO's Food Security Analysis Unit (FSAU) for Somalia. The number of internally displaced people from Mogadishu, the capital, has also increased - by over 20 percent since January - and is now at 855 000 people, bringing the total number of IDPs in the country to over 1 million.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/20/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Compare wid TOPIX > THE GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS AND NIGERIA'S RESPONSE, + BLOGGER OP-ED: THE WEST HAS TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT NIGERIA, + AFRICA, THIRD WORLD NATIONS HARDEST HIT BY GLOBAL FAMINE.
#2
Sure, there may be an agenda behind the food commodities price increases. For the most part, it is that some people like to stuff their pockets with money based on any pretext. As for the population reduction conspiracy, not convinced that is the case. Yet. But there sure are people that are besotted by the idea.
There was time when Zimbabwe (or Rhodesia before) was able to produce food for a half of Africa. No mo. One may entertain the possibility that Mugabe is in cahoots with Bilderbergers.
Sarc aside... Mugabe is a population reductionist. He publicized his plan to reduce the ZimBobWe population to 600,000, from the current 2.5 million.
#4
There is supposedly a chinese saying going like 'when the fat one loses weight, the skinny one dies'; seems like I'm going to be lean and fit again, and somalis will die (or at least get even skinnier), it's a win-win situation from my point of view...
#11
Except Uganda, where the President for Life is very accommodating towards whites and East Indians, and has seen the economy and the agricultural output of the country skyrocket. He is trying to undo the damage caused by Idi Amin's "Africa for Africans" program that took Uganda from the most promising economy in Africa to total ruin in just a few years.
A massive government database holding details of every phone call, e-mail and time spent on the internet by the public is being planned as part of the fight against crime and terrorism. Internet service providers (ISPs) and telecoms companies would hand over the records to the Home Office under plans put forward by officials.
The information would be held for at least 12 months and the police and security services would be able to access it if given permission from the courts.
The proposal will raise further alarm about a Big Brother society, as it follows plans for vast databases for the ID cards scheme and NHS patients. There will also be concern about the ability of the Government to manage a system holding billions of records. About 57 billion text messages were sent in Britain last year, while an estimated 3 billion e-mails are sent every day.
Home Office officials have discussed the option of the national database with telecommunications companies and ISPs as part of preparations for a data communications Bill to be in Novembers Queens Speech. But the plan has not been sent to ministers yet.
Industry sources gave warning that a single database would be at greater risk of attack and abuse.
Jonathan Bamford, the assistant Information Commissioner, said: This would give us serious concerns and may well be a step too far. We are not aware of any justification for the State to hold every UK citizens phone and internet records. We have real doubts that such a measure can be justified, or is proportionate or desirable. We have warned before that we are sleepwalking into a surveillance society. Holding large collections of data is always risky - the more data that is collected and stored, the bigger the problem when the data is lost, traded or stolen.
David Davis, the Shadow Home Secretary, said: Given [ministers] appalling record at maintaining the integrity of databases holding peoples sensitive data, this could well be more of a threat to our security, than a support.
The proposal has emerged as part of plans to implement an EU directive developed after the July 7 bombings to bring uniformity of record-keeping. Since last October telecoms companies have been required to keep records of phone calls and text messages for 12 months. That requirement is to be extended to internet, e-mail and voice-over-internet use and included in a Communications Data Bill.
Police and the security services can access the records with a warrant issued by the courts. Rather than individual companies holding the information, Home Office officials are suggesting the records be handed over to the Government and stored on a huge database.
One of the arguments being put forward in favour of the plan is that it would make it simpler and swifter for law enforcement agencies to retrieve the information instead of having to approach hundreds of service providers. Opponents say that the scope for abuse will be greater if the records are held on one database.
A Home Office spokesman said the Bill was needed to reflect changes in communication that would increasingly undermine our current capabilities to obtain communications data and use it to protect the public.
#1
Stupid idea. Given that over 70% of email traffic is spam, the signal to noise ratio is very high. Also, most email is deleted from a server once downloaded by the user. To keep it all on servers would be prohibitive as cost is concerned. If the gubmint wants to pay for storage to keep copies of every spam, well...
The solution is -- oh, the dreaded p-word -- profiling.
#3
Oh, I see, the gubmint wants to spool the data into their own database in real time or close. That is even stupider. I can't imagine a better money sink.
#5
for those of you not old enough to remember, there was a myth/meme originaly known to me as the "Trunk Trawler".
The idea was that the gubmint was recording all phone conversations, and doing something unspecified, yet sinister with them. [insert favorite totalitarian sequence of events here].
IIRC, this idea goes back to the 70's. When the internet became popular, this myth/meme was updated to include your email. It also went global. Google ECHELON for a taste of the subsequent lunacy.
Old Spook probably would have more to tell you, if he cared to.
Of course, I could be just saying this to help with the cover. After all, I too work for the gubmint, and telling you the truth would ...$@#^&% >>NO CARRIER
Posted by: N guard ||
05/20/2008 9:40 Comments ||
Top||
#6
Dumb and easily foiled.
All an organization has to do is word swapping, or any simplistic code such as use every sixth word.
#8
They can watch me all they want, they'll die of boredom.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
05/20/2008 14:11 Comments ||
Top||
#9
I once proposed, quite seriously, that we should send Russia EVERYTHING that is produced by our government at every level, by our universities, and whatever is in print from every business in the United States - and send it to them in English. Since the Russians are paranoid, they'll translate every single word. With the proliferation of information in the United States (this was in the 70's), Russia would be totally overwhelmed in a year or two. Even if they managed to keep their heads above water at first, the requirement of translating that much data would force the government to employ 90% or more of the population. To really foul them up, take out all the punctuation and formatting.
Neither "Big Brother" nor the Russians can afford to do that. The data may be there, but there are neither enough people in government to do the research, nor enough hours in the day to keep up with everything being said and done. You HAVE to do keyword searches, you HAVE to winnow out the useless bulk of the data, and spend your time on only those things that are truly necessary.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
05/20/2008 16:47 Comments ||
Top||
#10
And so it has arrived - Britain's NHS goes NATIONAL/GLOBAL INFORMATION SERVICE [NIS, GIS]???
NET > The World is suppos to run out of Internet space in approxi THREE YEARS.
D *** NG IT, NIS > NAVAL {NET?] INTELLIGENCE SERVICE?? SIGN OF THE APOCALYPSE NUMER **** + THE APOCALPYSE [Internet Apocalyp] IS ITSELF APOCALYPTIN'???
When introducing jurors to the case against three men from Toledo's Muslim community who were charged with crimes that could lead to life imprisonment, Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Getz said simply: "This is a terrorism case." But what federal prosecutors contended was "the development of a terrorist cell here in Toledo, Ohio," defense attorneys countered was "a misplaced effort by the government to go out and find terrorists."
The anticipated three-month trial of Marwan El-Hindi, 45, Mohammad Amawi, 28, and Wassim Mazloum, 26, began in U.S. District Court April 1 with opening statements and has continued with numerous witnesses called by the government. Tomorrow, federal prosecutors will present their last witnesses and rest their case. During 19 days of testimony and with the use of 16 witnesses, the government has shown a timeline that began in mid-2004 and has chronicled how the three men allegedly became increasingly involved in a conspiracy to plan and train for a holy war overseas. During the cross-examination of witnesses, defense attorneys focused on the fact that the more than two-year investigation yielded no actions on the part of any of the defendants - and instead relied on information provided by an informant with a history of drug and financial problems. He was paid $350,000 by the FBI over a period of several years.
Mr. El-Hindi, Mr. Amawi, and Mr. Mazloum are each charged with planning to wage a "holy war" overseas using skills they learned on the Internet. In the indictment released after their February, 2006, arrests, the government alleged that the three conspired to kill or injure people in the Middle East - including U.S. troops serving in Afghanistan and Iraq - as well as providing "support and resources" to terrorists. Mr. Amawi and Mr. El-Hindi, who have both remained in federal custody since their arrests, are also charged with "distributing information regarding explosives."
The first month of the trial was dominated by the testimony of the government's confidential informant, Darren Griffin - a former member of the U.S. Army Special Forces who began working with the FBI in October, 2001. Over a period of eight days and using about 33 hours of audio and video clips, Mr. Griffin outlined his interactions with the three defendants from 2004 through their arrest in February, 2006. Defense attorneys questioned Mr. Griffin for an additional four days about his motives and techniques while he portrayed a recently converted Muslim who was disenchanted with the U.S. government and sympathetic to Islamic extremists. Playing the same recordings produced by devices hidden within the folds of Mr. Griffin's clothing, defense attorneys said there were times when Mr. Griffin dominated and even initiated conversations about training for "violent jihad."
During Mr. Griffin's time on the stand, attorneys for both the government and the defense focused questions on a Feb. 16, 2005, meeting at Mr. El-Hindi's home - the only time the government had proof of a meeting between the three men. Federal prosecutors labeled the gathering a "meeting" where the men created a schedule for training. Defense attorneys contended that the meeting was more of a dinner gathering where Mr. El-Hindi's children could be heard on the recordings.
Using testimony from Mr. Griffin, several FBI agents, and analysts of explosives, computers, and languages, federal prosecutors alleged that both Mr. Amawi and Mr. El-Hindi were accessing "jihadist Web sites" - many of which they claimed could be used as training sources. Included in those videos were many that showed graphic images of sniper killings, roadside bomb explosions, and attacks on U.S. military and government sites overseas.
In January, 2005, Mr. Amawi downloaded a video that showed step-by-step instructions on how to construct - and explode - a suicide bomb vest, the government said. The following month, in February, 2005, Mr. El-Hindi forwarded an e-mail he received from an Islamic extremist group that showed a photographic slideshow on the placement and detonation of improvised explosive devices, or roadside bombs. Using linguists and explosive experts, the government dissected the information for jurors, showing how each depicted step-by-step instructions. The e-mail and the video, forwarded to Mr. Griffin by each of the men, led to the charges against Mr. El-Hindi and Mr. Amawi that they distributed information regarding explosives.
During questioning of Mr. Griffin by Mr. Amawi's and Mr. El-Hindi's attorneys, the confidential informant testified that he requested copies of the videos from both men. He then turned the information over to the FBI. Discs and documents turned over by Mr. Griffin were then translated and analyzed. The FBI also analyzed documents and videos found on the computer drives and discs confiscated from Mr. Amawi and Mr. El-Hindi after their arrests.
Among the documents downloaded by Mr. Amawi was a "cookbook" of explosives that offered various "recipes," or methods of production, for explosives, Kelly Mount, an FBI forensic explosive expert, testified. "You won't build a bomb but you will have an explosive material and things will go boom," she said. Ms. Mount admitted under cross-examination by Chuck Boss, who is representing Mr. El-Hindi, that many of the "recipes" did not contain proper ratios and that the amounts of material required are needed to successfully create an explosive.
Although not able to call their own witnesses to the stand yet, defense attorneys spent several hours questioning each of the witnesses called by the government to debunk the government's allegations of conspiracy. Specifically, during the questioning of Mr. Griffin, defense attorneys asked whether he believed he was "gathering information," as was his order from the FBI, or instead dominating, and in some cases leading, the conversation into talk of "jihad" and training.
Mr. Griffin and the two FBI agents who served as his contacts during the investigation - Special Agent Shannon Coats and retired Special Agent William Radcliffe - each testified that they believed Mr. Griffin was following orders to gather information on specific people identified by the FBI. But during each agent's testimony, defense attorneys pointed to recordings and transcripts where Mr. Griffin was heard encouraging people to go shooting at an indoor range, telling people he was forming a cell, and speaking about using a security company he was forming as a "cloak" for the true purpose of meeting. Under defense questioning, both agents responded that none of the examples showed a time when Mr. Griffin went beyond what they felt was appropriate behavior.
The government deviated from expert witnesses and law enforcement only once during the case, when Mikaeil Almozrouei, a former member of the mosque on Monroe Street, testified about his interactions with Mr. El-Hindi and his time spent with Mr. Amawi, who was a neighbor. Mr. Almozrouei, 41, who lives in Michigan, testified on May 8 that he was uncomfortable with the ideals Mr. Amawi expressed about their religion and tried to distance himself. Specifically, he said Mr. Amawi tried to convince him that beheadings and military attacks shown in videos were "just." He described an encounter in which he was among a small group of men asked by Mr. El-Hindi if they wanted "to go to Afghanistan and train for jihad."
Swat-based militants have dissociated themselves from Sundays suicide blast in Mardan, saying they were satisfied with talks with the NWFP government. Speaking to journalists on Monday, self-proclaimed Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan said some elements were out to derail peace efforts between the government and the Taliban.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/20/2008 00:00 ||
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Pakistani Taliban militants on Monday said a weekend suicide attack that killed 13 people was carried out in revenge for a suspected US missile strike on a rebel hideout.
"We dunnit and we're glad!"
The suicide bomber struck near an army base in the northwestern city of Mardan on Sunday night, in the deadliest attack since a new government came to power in late March and began talks with the militants. "Our local Taliban leaders in Mardan have telephoned us and claimed responsibility for the attack," Maulvi Omar, the spokesman for Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (Pakistan Taliban Movement), told AFP. "The Mardan attack was in reaction to Damadola," he said, referring to a missile strike last week that killed 14 people in the town of Damadola in Pakistan's tribal belt bordering Afghanistan.
The Pakistani military has accused US-led coalition forces based in Afghanistan of launching the missile from a pilotless drone and lodged a complaint over the violation of its territorial sovereignty. Pakistan's new government launched negotiations with Taliban militants based in the tribal belt after defeating US-backed President Pervez Musharraf's political allies in February general elections.
This article starring:
Maulvi Omar
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan
Posted by: Fred ||
05/20/2008 00:00 ||
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[11 views]
Top|| File under: Taliban
#1
I guess the Pak government hasn't gotten the message: you're either with us, or you're with the enemy. We will kill our enemies and their supporters, regardless of where they live. When you harbor our enemies and do nothing to help us root them out, we'll simply have to do the job ourselves, no matter what it takes. Your sovereignty will be respected when you respect our needs.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
05/20/2008 16:50 Comments ||
Top||
#2
WAFF.com Thread > TORONTO STAR - TALIBAN LOSING MOMENTUM IN AFGHANISTAN > CANADIAN OFFICIAL SAYS MOST MILITANTS ARE LOOKING FOR A WAY OUT OF A WAR THEY NOW BELIEVE THEY CANNOT WIN??? Islamist Die-Hards reportedly are NOSTALGIC for good ole' days when they could [easily] cross the borders and NOT be challenged.
OTOH, also from WAFF.com [Thread]> PAKISTANI ARMY QUITS WAZIRISTAN - BEGINS WITHDRAWAL.
Military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas has termed Indian military allegations of Pakistani troops killing an Indian soldier across the Line of Control (LoC) as baseless.
No firing from this side of any kind has taken place, Abbas said, adding that military officials would pursue a meeting with their Indian counterparts to clarify the matter. The incident, in which one Indian army soldier died and two others were injured, was reported early on Monday in the Mendhar sector of Poonch district. The soldier died in unprovoked firing from across the LoC, an army spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Anil Kumar Mathur, told AFP. He said it was not clear whether it was militants trying to sneak into Kashmir or Pakistani troops who opened fire. We are gathering more information, he said.
An Indian news agency reported a senior army officer in Poonch as saying that the troops of 2/8 Gorkha Rifles had noticed a group of armed militants trying to cut the fence wire dividing the borders of India and Pakistan. The troops foiled the infiltration bid and in the ensuing encounter, one soldier lost his life, said the officer. However, in Jammu, the army blamed Pakistan Rangers for opening unprovoked small arms fire, killing a soldier.
Meanwhile, intelligence sources asserted that the death of the soldier had been the result of a battle between militants and the army. They alleged that this was the seventh militant infiltration attempt from the Pakistani side in the Mendhar sector. According to Reuters, this was the third such incident in Kashmir this month. It comes two days ahead of Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjees visit to Pakistan for a review of a four-year-old peace process.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/20/2008 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
The United Nations urged the world on Monday to back a global ban on cluster bombs, calling the munitions unreliable and indiscriminate.
How about a ban on roadside bombs, too?
Representatives from than 100 nations are gathered in the Irish capital Dublin for two weeks of talks aimed at hammering out an agreement after several years of negotiations.
And a ban on chopping people's heads off?
But the Dublin gathering has already been undermined by the absence of United States, China and Russia, which oppose a global ban.
And maybe a ban on suicide boomers?
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told delegates that the use, development, production, stockpiling and transfer of cluster bombs should be prohibited. "Because they are inherently inaccurate and often malfunction, they are particularly indiscriminate and unreliable," Ban told the conference in a video message.
The same can be said about suicide boomers and roadside bombs, though not about head choppers.
Cluster munitions open in mid-air and scatter as many as several hundred "bomblets" over wide areas. They often fail to explode, creating virtual mine fields that can kill or injure anyone who comes across them -- often curious children.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/20/2008 00:00 ||
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[6 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
This might be an interesting tech develoment and response to this lawfare :
#4
Just as long as they don't ban my Dense Inert Metal Infrared Incendiary High Explosive Armor Piercing Anti Personnel Heat Seeking Depleted Uranium White Phosphorus Napalm Hollow Point Laser Guided Flame Throwing Nuclear Neutron Cluster Flechette Munition.
Just to be safe, I put a warning label on it. For the children...
#5
"often"? The explosion rate is good, and is getting better. as usual, to get their way, UNSG bonky moon lies by badmouthing the technology.
Bomblets not going off ARE bad for kids. And for business. We should call for a treaty demanding that expiration dates on cluster bombs be honored and a pledge to develop and use such bombs with a better than 97% explosion rate.
to obey expiration dates of cluster bombs and pledge to work toward a 100% explosion rate.
What's that? You really want a ban on a weapon that kills lots of frothy-mouthed primitives with delusions of world and religious domination? FOAD.
#7
How 'bout a ban on idiots who need to be cluster bombed? Oh, that's what the cluster bombs are for. Never mind...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
05/20/2008 12:16 Comments ||
Top||
#8
I'd be curious to see who sponsered this. I'm guessing someone connected to an arms supplier/manufacturer who doesn't sell cluster bombs but then I'm a cynic.
Still I should think it wouldn't be that hard to develop cluster bombs that would be unable to survive even if they failed to explode. A glass packet of or two of chemicals that when mixed explode should be enough so that when the bomb impacts, if it doesn't go up on its' own the glass breaks and the chemical explosion goes off, perhaps not doing the amount of hoped for damage but certainly frying the interior of the cluster bomb and rendering it harmless (and useless to our enemies).
Posted by: George Smiley ||
05/20/2008 13:54 Comments ||
Top||
#10
Can we develop a "Cluster Bomb" that only kills idiots?
Drop one on the UN, solve many problems right there.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
05/20/2008 14:16 Comments ||
Top||
#11
In the back of my mind is a memory of a "Sticky Bomb" A grenade coated with glue, thrown with teflon gloves, the fool who picks it up to throw back finds it stuck to his hand.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
05/20/2008 14:20 Comments ||
Top||
#12
#4 Just as long as they don't ban my Dense Inert Metal Infrared Incendiary High Explosive Armor Piercing Anti Personnel Heat Seeking Depleted Uranium White Phosphorus Napalm Hollow Point Laser Guided Flame Throwing Nuclear Neutron Cluster Flechette Munition.
Just to be safe, I put a warning label on it. For the children...
Iraq's Sunni Arab vice president called on the U.S. military on Monday to make an example of an American soldier who used a copy of the Koran for target practice, demanding he receive the "most severe punishment".
The most severe punishment he can receive under our laws is a good talking-to.
Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi said he had received an official apology from the top U.S. general in Iraq, General David Petraeus, in a meeting with Lieutenant-General Lloyd Austin, the number two U.S. military commander in Iraq. The soldier was disciplined and removed from Iraq after a copy of the Muslim holy book was found pocked with bullet holes at a shooting range, the U.S. military said on Sunday.
I'm guessing the dumbass was removed for his own safety and that of his comrades.
Hashemi said he had raised what he called past "crimes" committed by U.S. troops, such as the destruction of mosques.
Is it a crime to store explosives in mosques? Is it a crime to use them as firing positions?
"This time I requested an official and written apology. I also asked for the U.S. military to carry out the most severe punishment so that this punishment will be a warning to all the other U.S. soldiers in the future," Hashemi told reporters. "One of the guarantees I received from General Austin is that they are committed to showing respect to holy sites and traditions of the Iraqi people ... But I don't believe that is enough." Such an act of desecration of the Muslim holy book could inflame anger against the U.S. military presence in Iraq, but an Iraqi community leader told Reuters an apology by senior American military commanders had helped calm tensions.
This article starring:
General David Petraeus
Lieutenant-General Lloyd Austin
Tareq al-Hashemi
Posted by: Fred ||
05/20/2008 00:00 ||
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Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under: Global Jihad
#1
Dunno, but does the soldier read Arabic? He may have thought it is an Arabic translation of Mein Kampf. Possibly.
#2
The UCMJ has punishments that can be imposed BUT the military had better play this one carefully : soldiers do NOT lose all their rights under the US Constitution and going too far with this is liable to have the soldier invoke the 1st Amendment about Establishment of Religion - NO Sharia is permissible under that provision of the Constitution. And if some general thinks otherwise, he/she would do well to review the Nuremburg decisions about what constitutes legal and illegal orders (including directives to court martials or other military justice proceedings).
#4
McZoid, whether they want a blasphemy law or not is not an issue. The issue is that there are some people that are unable to say simple NO, let alone NO WAY.
#8
Art. 109. Property other than military property of United StatesâWaste, spoilage, or destruction
Any person subject to this chapter who willfully or recklessly wastes, spoils, or otherwise willfully and wrongfully destroys or damages any property other than military property of the United States shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.
Art. 116. Riot or breach of peace
Any person subject to this chapter who causes or participates in any riot or breach of the peace shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.
Art. 134. General article
Though not specifically mentioned in this chapter, all disorders and neglects to the prejudice of good order and discipline in the armed forces, all conduct of a nature to bring discredit upon the armed forces, and crimes and offenses not capital, of which persons subject to this chapter may be guilty, shall be taken cognizance of by a general, special, or summary court-martial, according to the nature and degree of the offense, and shall be punished at the discretion of that court.
#9
Proc, like I said before, a company grade Article 15 should be enough. What he did was detrimental to the good order and discipline of the unit, and damaging to the entire campaign over there.
Art 109 might be the Company grade violation they can bag him for.
Art134 (the catch all) is the violation they can use if they want to kick it above company grade.
If I were in the chain of command, I'd ahve his CO pull a stripe, forfeit a month's pay and a month of confinement to quarters with extra duty (i.e. still does his military job but no recreation or other stuff), and reassign once done so he can get a fresh start someplace else and earn back his stripe if he has the guts to do so.
#10
the Iraqi govt just sent 5000 troops into Sadr City. Theyre running an apparently successful op in Mosul at the SAME TIME, and are still holding and building in Basra. They are the means of winning this war, and of freeing up US troops for elsewhere, if needed. It is not in our interest to undermine this Iraqi govt in any way.
Petraeus knows that, and will respond appropriately, I believe.
#11
thought it is an Arabic translation of Mein Kampf
Close enough, though I'd reverse the order - MK is a loose translation of the Koran, given that the Koran was considerably earlier. (Kampf = struggle = jihad)
The problem was not that what he did was 'wrong' (assuming it was his Koran) - it is that it was STUPID. 'Stupid' gets people killed. He needs to be educated, and it will likely be an unpleasant experience.
#13
For $20,000 a year, I think I'd tell the army to stick that stripe up their ass and cut me loose. Get a job a taco bell, make more money, and get more thanks from the people you serve.
#15
Yeah, repeated opportunities to spit in Omar's chalupa. That's the ticket!
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
05/20/2008 12:20 Comments ||
Top||
#16
Is it a crime to store explosives in mosques? Is it a crime to use them as firing positions?
Thank You Fred.
This is the issue that really rubs.. We have a US soldier in big trouble for shooting up a Koran AT a Firing Range..
OTOH: There have been Tens of Thousands of murders in and around mosques by knives, pistols, revolvers, rifles, machine guns, carbines, rockets, IEDs, VIBEDs, grenades etc.
Mosques are used as Al-Qaeda Headquarters,
Mosques are used as Armories,
Mosques are used as Observation Towers,
Mosques are used as Look-outs,
Mosque Muezzin callers broadcast coded messages out in "prayer" calls,
Mosque are used as firing positions,
Mosque are used as sleeping positions,
Mosque are used as supply depots for Terrorists
Muslim Clerics using Mosques rally Iraqis/Terrorists to fight the Gubmint, Coalition etc.
etc.
side thought: If I built a gun range opened to the public or the Armed Services etc.
the last thing I would do would be to install objects I wished to remain bullet-hole-free.
Or In other words: In a short amount of time I would expect everything within a shooting range to be full of holes, a US Flag, or a Bible, or the real 'Mona-Lisa' etc..
btw, the kid did a stupid thing.. Kids have always done stupid things and will continue to do so.
Punishment; a stripe and a swift kick in the A$$!
Posted by: George Smiley ||
05/20/2008 14:06 Comments ||
Top||
#18
Muslims are required to believe that Jewish and Christian texts were distorted by Satan. Generally, only a Muslim imam with 6 years of schooling in Islamic studies, may even touch either the Old or New Testaments.
Try to hand a Muslim co-worker a Bible and see what happens. The Saudi government torches thousands of Bibles and tracts each year. So why did President Bush personally apologize for the Koran shooting? Muslims are generally persons of color, and whites defer to same. Who dares to call Barack Hussein Obama anything but a black, even though he is half white? Illogic will kill Western Civilization.
#19
"This time I requested an official and written apology.
OK, we're sorry you're a murderous dumbass, good enough?
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
05/20/2008 14:25 Comments ||
Top||
#20
OldSpook, If I were in the chain of command, I'd issue him more ammo and schedule more range time, you've seen the picture of the Jihadis holding the Koran in front of their heart, If you can't shoot the Koran, they go safe.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
05/20/2008 14:32 Comments ||
Top||
#22
I really, really, really, really hope I'm totally wrong about the effect this event will have in Iraq. I have no affinity for the Koran, but I do care that this one kid's STUPID action is foreseeably likely to get people killed.
So far, it seems to me that the reactions of his superiors and the CIC have been totally appropriate. I wonder, though, how much follow through the Iraqis are expecting in terms of court martial and punishment . . .
#23
His only mistake was allowing the Koran to be found.
Me thinks he should have burned all evidence.
I sent my son photos of terrorists and others such as Kerry, Reid, Pelosi, Sheehan etc. as target practice for a dart board, while he was over in Afghanistan. I worried about them getting him into trouble, but knew he was smart enough to not display them all shot up.
Posted by: Jan ||
05/20/2008 15:19 Comments ||
Top||
#24
I think that's about what my little brother makes in Iraq, also I think it's about what my dumbass little sister made at taco bell as an assistant manager.
Israeli authorities yesterday permitted the publication of the arrest about a month ago of a Palestinian militant in the Gaza Strip who is believed to have undergone training in Iran. Jerusalem officials say details revealed in his investigation shed light on how Tehran is encouraging terrorism, as well as Syria's indirect contribution to the "cause."
Ala Abu-Madif, 29, an activist in the Fatah-affiliated Abu Rish Brigades, was arrested in Khan Yunis in a joint Israel Defense Forces and Shin Bet security services operation. He is suspected of involvement in firing rockets into Israel and in planning terror attacks. He and other activists are thought to have traveled to Iran for training about a year ago, through Egypt and Syria. Under interrogation Abu-Madif revealed that the activists received military training, including the assembly of explosive devices and weapons training, which took place in a mountainous area of Iran.
Abu-Madif returned to Gaza last June, after Hamas took control of the Strip, and began taking part in anti-Israel activities. His interrogators believe he planned to carry out a suicide attack against IDF soldiers at the Kissufim border crossing with Israel. This is not the first time Israel has arrested Gazan militants who are suspected of having undergone military training in Iran.
Leaders from the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas arrived in Egypt on Monday to hear Israel's response to a six-month truce offer between Palestinians in Gaza and the Jewish state.
Yeah, yeah. Yadda yadda. When aren't they? Let us know if anything happens.
An Egyptian security official said Mahmoud al-Zahar, a senior Hamas leader, headed the 13-member delegation which he said would hold talks with Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman on Tuesday. Another delegation of Hamas leaders who are based in Syria will also join the talks.
Egypt has been trying to broker a truce between Israel and Hamas to avoid an escalation that could derail U.S.-backed peace negotiations between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Hamas has offered a six-month halt to hostilities in the Gaza Strip if Israel were to lift an embargo on the territory and reopen border crossings, an offer Suleiman presented to Israeli officials last week.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/20/2008 00:00 ||
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#2
If you applied the botulin antitode in Hollywierd you should be able to see how well it worked by the sudden development of wrinkles in the death-mask faces of all the celebs. Or you could test it in the House of Reprehensibles and see if Nancy re-wrinkled.
#3
I've EARNED my wrinkles, I'll keep them thank you.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
05/20/2008 16:56 Comments ||
Top||
#4
TALK ABOUT INGRATITUDE > Considering how many times the Army-INTEL + Secret Service - you know, the Mafia - tried to nonconsually illegally covertly inject me wid unknown compounds, I SHOULD BE FIRST ON THE LIST TO RECEIVE THE ANTIDOTE(S)!
THE United States-backed security operations in Mindanao may push the al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group to the bosoms of the larger Islamic insurgent groups.
It's the usual refrain: Don't do anything about them, it'll just make them mad. Just let them do what they want.
An international conflict and resolution non-government organization (NGO) said, "The US and the Philippines need to refocus energies on peace processes in Mindanao or they risk new hostilities between government forces and insurgents."
"We can't win. You realize that, don't you?"
The "Philippines: Counter-insurgency vs. Counter-terrorism in Mindanao," the latest report from ICG warns that US-backed security operations in the southern Philippines are confusing counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism and risk pushing the Abu Sayyaf group -- their target -- into the arms of the broader insurgencies in Mindanao -- the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF). "The 'Mindanao model' of combining military operations with civic action operations against the Abu Sayyaf has been widely heralded as a success, but the gains could be short-lived", said Kit Collier, a consultant for Crisis Group.
"As a matter of fact, they've probably evaporated already."
"The model involves using counter-insurgency techniques for counter-terrorism goals, but the only way the Philippines will effectively manage domestic terrorism is to secure the cooperation of the MILF and MNLF - and that requires concrete progress toward formal peace agreements," he added.
"So, really, you should just give them what they want. It'll be easier in the end."
The government has forged a final peace deal with the MNLF in 1996 but there have been provisions still unimplemented, which the Organization of Islamic Conference is trying to settle. On the other hand, peace talks with the MILF have been snagged by the ancestral domain issue.
ICG said the urgency of finalizing agreements [with the MILF] is even more acute since the Malaysian government announced last month that it was withdrawing from an international monitoring team that has kept the lid on conflict in Mindanao since 2004.
The report also urges the Philippines government to revive the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group (Ahjag). Designed to facilitate information sharing between the Philippine government and the MILF, Ahjag was critical to the prevention of conflict escalation in 2005-2007 as the search for terrorists intensified, the report added. After a six-month hiatus, its mandate was formally extended in November 2007 but is not yet fully restored. A similar arrangement should be developed with the MNLF.
But the leadership of both insurgencies will only be willing to provide information on terrorists in their midst as part of a political endgame, and the Philippines government is stalling, while the US appears more focused on economic aid than political agreements, the report said. "The number of terrorists in the Philippines is small relative to the mass-based insurgencies in which they take cover", said John Virgoe, Crisis Group's South East Asia director. "But the ASG and its allies remain dangerous because of their potential to drag the MILF and MNLF back into war," he added.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/20/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
"The 'Mindanao model' of combining military operations with civic action operations against the Abu Sayyaf has been widely heralded as a success, but the gains could be short-lived", said Kit Collier, a consultant for Crisis Group.
So, Kit Baby, your problem appears to be that it's...working?
#2
Seems like there was a problem with pretty much the same population group in the Philippines almost 100 years ago. How was it handled that time? How'd it work?
Yahyia Zubian peered through a small telescope across the valley from his hometown of Niha, high in the mountains of Lebanon, and explained how villagers fought off Hezbollah, the powerful Shiite Muslim militia. ``They came with guns and recoilless rifles on pickup trucks,'' he said, pointing to a barren mountaintop to his east. `` Our scouts saw them. So we ambushed them. This is our house. They don't have any business here.''
The battle for Niha, home to members of Lebanon's Druze minority, underscores the urgency of Arab League-sponsored talks now under way in Doha, where 22 nations are trying to persuade Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, 65, and Hezbollah to agree on a new president, a new electoral law and a national unity cabinet. After a deadlock over the government demand that Hezbollah disarm, Qatari Emir Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani intervened to push a compromise on the electoral law.
The Niha fighting erupted during six days of violence that risked transforming the standoff between Hezbollah and Siniora's pro-Western government into a full-scale conflict along the lines of the 1975-1990 civil war that took 100,000 lives.
Although Druze largely support Siniora, the resistance in Niha wasn't just political, said Zubian, 43. The village was reacting to another ethnic-religious group entering its territory -- a transgression that in Lebanese eyes is as great as any political dispute. ``Things quickly turned into sectarian warfare,'' said Eugene Sensenig-Dabbous, a political-science professor at Beirut's Notre Dame University.
`Declaration of War'
The violence started May 7, one day after Siniora's cabinet fired the head of airport security over discovery of a Hezbollah surveillance system and also decided to dismantle a covert Hezbollah phone network. Hezbollah interpreted this as a challenge to its self-declared right to maintain an autonomous military force. Hassan Nasrallah, 47, the group's leader, called Siniora's actions ``tantamount to a declaration of war.''
Hezbollah entered Sunni Muslim neighborhoods of west Beirut, burning buildings belonging to Sunni political groups. Sunnis in the northern port of Tripoli then attacked members of the Alawite community, a Shiite offshoot that supports Hezbollah. Bodies of dead Alawites shown on television had signs of mutilation. Hezbollah claimed Druze executed two captured Shiite fighters.
Civilian Deaths
In a May 18 statement, New York-based Human Rights Watch said Lebanese authorities should investigate the civilian deaths, which it estimated at about 65. Lebanese police put the figure at about 80.
The ``blatantly'' ethnic aspect of the struggle has ``deepened the sectarian divide, something the Shiite movement long sought to avoid,'' the International Crisis Group, a conflict-resolution advisory organization, said in a May 15 report on the consequences of Hezbollah's campaign.
Lebanon's government reflects its ethnic patchwork. Seats in parliament are reserved for 10 of its 18 ethnic groups: Maronites, Greek Orthodox, Greek Catholic, Armenian Orthodox, Armenian Catholic and Protestant among the Christians; Sunni and Shiite for Muslims; Alawites and Druze, an Islamic sect that contains a mix of other philosophies.
Blaming the Druze
Niha, with 7,000 residents, is located in the far south of the Chouf Mountains, the Druze heartland, which Hezbollah invaded on May 11. Nasrallah blamed Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, a Siniora supporter, for the political crisis. Jumblatt campaigned for a crackdown on Hezbollah's military, which fought a 33-day war against Israel in 2006 that Hezbollah triggered by capturing two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid.
Zubian said Niha will be better prepared next time. ``We don't want to arm like in the civil war, but we certainly don't want anyone thinking they can just come in here when they want.''
Zubian said the Hezbollah column, numbering about 250 men, arrived May 12 on a road built by Israel before it abandoned its occupation of south Lebanon in 2000. The column split into three parts. After night fell, the Druze, armed with Kalashnikov and M-16 rifles, attacked each column from three different villages. ``We know this like our own bedrooms, kitchens and baths,'' said Niha resident Nadia Assaf, 22.
Surrender, Retreat
Surrounded, the Hezbollah fighters surrendered, Zubian said. After phone calls among Jumblatt, 58, and Hezbollah officials, the fighters were permitted to retreat, he added. Hezbollah officials reached in Beirut didn't respond to requests for their account of the Niha battle.
Newspapers reported about 20 dead on the Druze side, and 30 on Hezbollah's -- a surprise result, experts said. ``I think Hezbollah thought the Druze would be easy, and they could marginalize Jumblatt,'' said Amal Saad, author of ``Hizbullah: Politics and Religion,'' a history of the group.
Zubian said that while some Druze in the area supported the Shiites, they fought alongside their neighbors. Among them was Kamal Ghaith, 63, who said he opposes Jumblatt and is generally a ``pacifist.''
``This is our land,'' said Ghaith, who was wearing the traditional black pantaloons and white skull cap of the Druze. ``It doesn't matter about politics. We fight to the death for our land and brothers. A Druze is a friend no matter what.''
Zubian said Niha will be better prepared next time. ``We don't want to arm like in the civil war, but we certainly don't want anyone thinking they can just come in here when they want.''
This article starring:
Walid Jumblatt
Posted by: Fred ||
05/20/2008 00:00 ||
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[8 views]
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#1
Are Israeli Druze still subject to the IDF draft? Were they ever?
Posted by: George Smiley ||
05/20/2008 9:01 Comments ||
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#2
Grumpy G(r)om could answers that, or EoZ, but I think it's a yes to both, from my half-remembered recollations.
#3
Zubian said the Hezbollah column, numbering about 250 men, arrived May 12 on a road built by Israel before it abandoned its occupation of south Lebanon in 2000. The column split into three parts. After night fell, the Druze, armed with Kalashnikov and M-16 rifles, attacked each column from three different villages. ``We know this like our own bedrooms, kitchens and baths,'' said Niha resident Nadia Assaf, 22.
Surrender, Retreat
Surrounded, the Hezbollah fighters surrendered, Zubian said. After phone calls among Jumblatt, 58, and Hezbollah officials, the fighters were permitted to retreat, he added. Hezbollah officials reached in Beirut didn't respond to requests for their account of the Niha battle.
Ah, the crisis was elevated because the Dhimmini Druze FOUGHT BACK AND WON! HORRORS! UNACCEPTABLE! INTOLERABLE! UNISLAMIC! INCONVENIENT! HUMILIATING!
/Sarc (as if I needed this tag)
Crisis talks between rival Lebanese leaders hung in the balance on Monday after the Hezbollah-led opposition rejected a Qatari proposal aimed at ending a crisis which took Lebanon to the brink of civil war.
The rebuff threatened to derail the talks with government representatives on their third day.
The talks' Qatari hosts had put forward compromise proposals calling for the immediate election of a new president by parliament and the formation of a unity government while postponing discussion of a proposed new electoral law.
But the Syrian- and Iranian-backed opposition refused to postpone discussion of a new electoral law, while stressing that it remained committed to a deal brokered by the Arab League in Beirut last week which paved the way for the Doha talks.
"The Lebanese opposition stresses its adherence to... (firstly) agreeing on the representation (of parties) in the formation of a national unity government, and (secondly) to agree on a new electoral law," an opposition statement said.
"The agreement would be crowned by electing General Michel Sleiman as president as agreed."
The two sides have agreed on the army chief as a consensus candidate to succeed Damascus protege Emile Lahoud, who stood down at the end of his term of office in November without a successor in place.
But differences over the makeup of a new unity government and proposed changes to the electoral law have blocked his election, worsening a crisis that began in November 2006 when six pro-Syrian ministers quit the cabinet.
The 18-month-old deadlock erupted into bitter sectarian fighting earlier this month that saw 65 people killed, and Hezbollah and its Shiite allies briefly seize Sunni areas of west Beirut.
On Sunday, Qatar proposed the formation of a unity government of 30 ministers, with 13 from pro-government parties, 10 from the opposition and seven chosen by the newly elected president.
The opposition has insisted that it wants more than a third of cabinet posts.
The proposed changes to the electoral law could prove decisive in determining the outcome of parliamentary elections due next year.
The two sides differ over the size of constituencies for the elections amid opposing assessments of their political advantage.
Government delegates said the next step was up to the Qatari hosts after the opposition's rejection of their proposals.
Acting Foreign Minister Tareq Mitri accused the opposition of showing insufficient respect for the efforts of the Qatari mediators to find a compromise.
Prominent Christian leader Samir Geagea said the dialogue had been dealt a "heavy blow" by the opposition, which he charged "took matters back to square one."
Qatar has also proposed including a clause in the final statement of the talks requiring all sides to renounce any new resort to armed violence in internal Lebanese disputes.
Disagreements between the two sides over Hezbollah's large arsenal have proved an additional stumbling block in the talks, with the government representatives insisting that it be on the agenda.
Qatar sought to bridge the rift by offering to come up with a compromise proposal.
The head of the Hezbollah delegation, Mohammed Raad, said on Sunday: "The issue of the resistance, its arms and capabilities is not up for discussion."
Youth and Sports Minister Ahmed Fatfat hit back by saying that "if the arms issue is not specifically addressed... then there will be nothing."
Druze MP Akram Shehaieb said the pro-government bloc wanted to address only the issue of the weapons used "against the Lebanese people in Beirut and the mountains" in the recent clashes. "The weaponry of the resistance is a Lebanese issue which will be debated in a (subsequent) dialogue led by the president in Lebanon," he said.
Hezbollah was the only group that was not required to surrender its weaponry after the end the 1975-1990 civil war. It has always justified its exemption on the grounds of its struggle with Israel, which erupted into a devastating war in summer 2006.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/20/2008 00:00 ||
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"I Can See the Blood of the Children of Afghanistan Between [Bush's] Fangs; Their Blood Drips Onto His Lips And Chest; He Is Dracula, a Vampire"
Atallah Abu Al-Subh: "American support of Israel is total. It gets to the point where the Israeli demands turn into resolutions adopted by the Security Council, under the complete auspices of America. Thank you, America!
"In every alley, house, and neighborhood, and [whenever they commit] a holocaust, the Israelis should erect a statue of little Bush, who gave them everything. This is not viewed as deplorable by the mistress of criminality, America, or by the master of killing, destruction, crime, violence, tyranny, and injustice little Bush.
"I can see the blood of the children of Afghanistan between his fangs. Their blood drips onto his lips and chest. He is Dracula, a vampire. I can see the holocausts in which the Iraqi people is burned, the land that is being torn to shreds, the oil that is being plundered, and the four million Iraqis scattered throughout the land, or exiled in their own country.
"The forces of little Bush deny them their lives every morning. They destroy civilization and humanity, until the day comes when he can bring Israel the good tidings: In Baghdad, there is a nation that loves peace with the Israelis.
"All the Hatred... That Consumes People from Within are Matches Lit by Bush... [He] Thirsts for Blood Day and Night"
"He tells us that the situation in Damascus and Iran will inevitably change, and that the peoples and regimes there will be transformed into neo-Americans, who protect every Israeli smile, and welcome every bullet used to kill their Arab brothers.
"This is what is going on. These are the 'good tidings' Bush brings us. Afghanistan is being destroyed, Iraq is being destroyed Qana, the Al-'Amariya shelter... All the hatred and all the fire that consumes people from within are matches lit by Bush. Bush will be [deemed] the worst human being if I may go so far as to call him a human throughout history. The deeds committed by Nero pale in comparison with Bush's deeds. The crimes of warlords like Mussolini, Hitler, and Franco cannot be compared to one-quarter of Bush's shoelace let alone to his full height.
"Bush thirsts for blood day and night. He derives pleasure from killing. He has surpassed all types of crimes and all sadistic traits. That's Bush for you. With all his audacity and insolence, Bush tears the Arab land to shreds. He makes decisions and has the audacity to call for the killing of life, and the killing of any person fighting for his right to live. That's Bush for you."
#1
With the deepening world food crisis, the poverty and backwardness and harshness of the regions taliban are operating, and the fact he's after all only a chubby, soft western wannabe kid, I think he was simply eaten. That's sad, but it was to be expected.
#10
With the deepening world food crisis, the poverty and backwardness and harshness of the regions taliban are operating, and the fact he's after all only a chubby, soft western wannabe kid, I think he was simply eaten. That's sad, but it was to be expected.
I worry about you. Srsly.
Posted by: George Smiley ||
05/20/2008 14:09 Comments ||
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#11
Maybe they determined that the "useful idiot" was not so useful? Hmmm...
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.
The increase in needs is due mainly to the addition of 600 000 urban poor, who are struggling to meet their household food needs in the face of rapidly increasing food and basic commodity prices, according to a recent assessment of FAO's Food Security Analysis Unit (FSAU) for Somalia. The number of internally displaced people from Mogadishu, the capital, has also increased - by over 20 percent since January - and is now at 855 000 people, bringing the total number of IDPs in the country to over 1 million.
Israeli authorities yesterday permitted the publication of the arrest about a month ago of a Palestinian militant in the Gaza Strip who is believed to have undergone training in Iran. Jerusalem officials say details revealed in his investigation shed light on how Tehran is encouraging terrorism, as well as Syria's indirect contribution to the "cause." 
Hamas Culture Minister: Bush Is a Dracula-Style Vampire; The Blood of Afghan Children Drips from His Fangs Onto His Lips and Chest
