Given the spirited discussion yesterday, allow me as one of the moderators to make clear a few fine points of my moderation. Other mods may jump in to this conversation as they wish, and if I say something stupid I'm sure Fred will correct me.
Some regulars are concerned that the moderators are 'censoring' criticism of the current President. If you know the mods you know that's silly, as (for example) I'm one of his fiercest critics. I won't speak for the other mods, but the water-cooler talk I hear is that none of us are overly-happy.
Rantburg is a war blog. So regardless of personal orientation, we care about fighting the war against the caliphatists... and fighting to win. I wouldn't dare characterize my criticism as fierce -- but I am very disappointed thus far.
Yet we criticize the President without resorting to language, images and caricatures that would be considered racist. We don't use pics of non-human primates. We don't use the n-word or other such words. I call the man 'Bambi', but I don't call him anything racist.
Why?
Well first, I'm not like that. I hope.
And second, because the Burg, as I've said a few times, punches above its weight.
In addition to our regulars and lurkers from all walks of life, we're read by people who have influence in various places. They like the Burg as much as we do, and they find it of value.
You aren't the only one who's mentioned that, Dr. Steve. Rantburg has been recommended to at least one head of a foreign government, as reported by one of our early foreign correspondents.
They won't read the Burg, however, if it becomes known as a place that uses a pic of a gibbon to stand for the President. Nor would anyone of decency and sense. The people who oppose us and what we stand and work for would jump on that and use it to ruin the Burg.
Fred has worked too hard, and all of us have helped for too long, to let that happen. So we mods don't let it happen.
One of our regulars signed himself yesterday thusly --
A white, non-racist, strongly-conservative (& Constitutional) entreprenuer labeled a 'right-wing extremist' & danger to his country by his own government for his political views.
I wasn't sure at first whether he meant himself or me. Perhaps both of us. We're likely not the only ones who fit that long label, but there are others here who are diverse. Non-white. Independent or classic liberal. Professional. Blue-collar. Whatever. The Burg is open to all who share our core beliefs.
We mods work to keep it that way.
One point that came up yesterday: the term 'teabagger' is indeed offensive. It was used in a title of a post yesterday as a way to stick that hateful term in the ear of the progressives who hurl it. I liked it; that's why it stayed.
Finally, Fred and the mods are always approachable. Gripe? Complaint? Issue? E-mail us.
I've had a number of those emails, starting even before I was issued my pretty periwinkle cluebat. We always got it resolved. :-)
Steve White (AoS)
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/09/2010 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[9 views]
Top|| File under:
#3
Hat tip to the mods. Comparing a narcissitic Harvardian politician and reluctant apologetic American to a helpless, non-human primate is reprehensible and an offensive act no animal lover should be forced to tolerate.
the picture of a gibbon and the mayor of Las Vegas named Gibbons. the headline was that Gibbons was angry. the picture was an angry gibbon.
seemed a tad thin skinned and knee jerk to immediately think the picture was 0bama/racism
also seemed more than a tad thin skinned and knee jerk to go screaming about censorship and making threats to never come back.
all in all, the exchange saddened me. rantburg is normally better than that.
Posted by: abu do you love ||
07/09/2010 1:19 Comments ||
Top||
#6
They won't read the Burg, however, if it becomes known as a place that uses a pic of a gibbon to stand for the President.
Ahem.
I don't want those who didn't read yesterday's article to misunderstand what happened.
There was an article titled "Gibbons Still Angry Over Obama's Comments". This was some seriously snark-worthy material, so I posted a picture of an apparently upset gibbon with the comment "Is there anyone out there this guy hasn't pi$$ed off yet?" and it quickly went downhill from there. The intent was to highlight the fact that Obama is upsetting every group out there, including some that normally wouldn't care much about US politics. Had the title been "Deere Still Angry Over Obama's Comments", I would have posted a picture of a deer with my same comment "Is there anyone out there this guy hasn't pi$$ed off yet?" and there would have been no fuss or misinterpretation whatsoever.
And we would all have laughed as I originally intended.
Hmm.
As for what Dr. Steve says, I agree with the mods that racism is not welcome here except as a contrast in order to expose it for what it is wherever it may hide. I apologize if at a glance it looked racist, but that was not my intent when I posted my comment. The idea did not even enter my mind. I'm still having a hard time with it being interpreted as racist, and an even harder time with the idea of being accused of racism here.
One thing that may have helped, and should be practiced by all including the mods, is to follow the rule of "no ad-hominem attacks". The mod who removed the photo left the comment "Once and for all folks: Do not use monkey / ape / chimpanzee photos when commenting at Rantburg about the current POTUS, no matter how clever you think you are being." Perhaps this mod didn't read the post, but just looked at the picture like some of our detractors might do when looking for something to point at as "politically incorrect". I can sort of understand that, but it still doesn't befit a mod. No matter what the intention, perhaps a better way of phrasing it to make it more palatable would have been "I know this pic was posted in jest and isn't supposed to represent the current POTUS, but it's been removed in case some reader chooses to take it that way" or something like that. Sarcastic ad-hominem comments for trolls are still OK I think.
I believe the regulars we lost yesterday were upset not by the anti-racist policy, but because some of the mods misinterpreted it as racist and wouldn't back down despite the article still being there for all to see and judge for themselves. I believe they were worried that they too will receive similar treatment for something they post that is misconstrued despite intentions that are not dishonorable.
Which for me is the hardest part of this whole incident.
#7
First time I've seen the pic. Very obviously "misconstrued" Gorb. Note the body language. Head and chin down, hands folded. A reflective, almost prayful attitude. How could anyone think.....
The characters who post here give the site a strong pulse, which in turn, I believe, gives the moderators the drive to keep going.
We all have hiccups but the site is monitored in a professional, level headed and correct manner .
There is no foot stomping madness here, and the nerf bat only rears its pwetty head once in a blue moon !
Posted by: Oscar ||
07/09/2010 5:13 Comments ||
Top||
#13
For the record, Gorb, neither lotp nor I called you a racist yesterday. We said, don't use the pic of a gibbon in an article that's anything near Obama, because we don't want anyone to think that we're using a pic of a primate to describe the man.
For the reasons I laid out above.
Do I 'get' that the pic was a play on the mayor's name? Yup. Funny? Yup. Potentially misconstrued by others at the expense of the Burg? Yup again. That's what we reacted to.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/09/2010 5:19 Comments ||
Top||
#14
btw, have any other Presidents been compared to monkeys? Was that racist? Whose reputation suffered most?
This is a very interesting discussion. I wonder how it would be said in 20 years.
#15
I would have to agree that one needs to be fairly careful. Many people will label you racist if you don't agree with things like the boondoggle, rationing, socialist malarkey, deficit inducing, death spiral of National Health Care. Don't give them any more of a reason to play the racist card.
#16
Perhaps this mod didn't read the post, but just looked at the picture like some of our detractors might do when looking for something to point at as "politically incorrect".
This mod read the post. This mod understood quite clearly the reference to Gibbon. She also noted the context WRT the President.
And she notes that commenters have been warned about use of these images before. More than once. A slight escalation of the warning was therefore in order.
And yes, NS, I've neither forgotten nor forgiven the use of chimp images for GWB.
#17
gorb, I came late to the game yesterday, but in my ignorance I would have characterized that photo as "monkey" and completely missed the joke. I recognize chimpanzees and gorillas on sight, but gibbons are too esoteric for me. And if I didn't recognize the joke, what odds those on the other side will?
btw, have any other Presidents been compared to monkeys?
Yes, but never by us. The occasional troll who commented at that level was sinktrapped and became a chew toy, deserving of the scorn heaped upon him.
Oscar, so long as the nerf bat is respected, no need to get out the aluminum/aluminium one, right? And yes, it is pretty. ;-)
#18
Well, I would get the buffed aluminium bat out only if there is a blue moon, TW. The twinkling effect under the moonlit glow is dazzlingly beautiful.
:)
Posted by: Oscar ||
07/09/2010 9:37 Comments ||
Top||
#19
Gawd, can we get past this without Fred needing to buy another server. Its Fred site, the MODs manage it, we get to play here as long as we play by their rules. It's their Basketball. No monkies, Baboons, or Gibbons-new to me too TW. And now everyone gets a big hug so we can be done with this. BTW the derailed news article was an important one, does anyone remember it???? Lets get back to whats important here and leave the MODs alone.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
07/09/2010 11:04 Comments ||
Top||
#21
Man, I take some time off to move back home to Florida, and all hell breaks loose. ;)
(BTW, OT....didn't know Dr Steve is a cardiologist. If you ever come across a study needing volunteers for Tetralogy of Fallot, let me know. My family would be happy to participate.)
Posted by: Swamp Blondie, the artist formerly known as Cornsilk Blondie ||
07/09/2010 11:52 Comments ||
Top||
#23
We said, don't use the pic of a gibbon in an article that's anything near Obama, because we don't want anyone to think that we're using a pic of a primate to describe the man.
Amen.
This mod read the post. This mod understood quite clearly the reference to Gibbon. She also noted the context WRT the President.
Thank you. I believe the phrasing on your comments didn't pass your thoughts as intended then.
And she notes that commenters have been warned about use of these images before. More than once. A slight escalation of the warning was therefore in order.
I thought I was playing by the rules, I really did. In fact, I didn't even know I was near the edge. I've been here a while, and I had no idea that if the word "president" was in the article that I couldn't post a picture of a simian even if it wasn't directed at the president. I think the whole misunderstanding is being seized/retasked to emphasize the rule so that people will remember it better. What can I expect next time? That we can't post pictures of simians unless there are at least two posts separating it from any other post mentioning the president? I know, this is ridiculous, but it hopefully demonstrates my thoughts here.
I think it would have been better just to start out by just politely warning a regular with no bad intentions and not to start swinging the mod-bats or throwing out ad-hominem attacks without the necessary decoder ring. Many more slight escalations like this and all that will be left of the burg will be a few insanely sharp mods that never make mistakes and a bunch of noobs. That's the last thing anyone want to see. Unless they want to see us spiral into socialism.
Potentially misconstrued by others at the expense of the Burg? Yup again. That's what we reacted to.
This is way better wording than to suggest there was any racism where there wasn't any intended, which is what I think raised hackles. Detractors will sieze the opportunity if things aren't worded this way.
I came late to the game yesterday, but in my ignorance I would have characterized that photo as "monkey" and completely missed the joke. I recognize chimpanzees and gorillas on sight, but gibbons are too esoteric for me. And if I didn't recognize the joke, what odds those on the other side will?
That makes lots of sense and might help explain why the pic was taken down. But one of the comments right after my pic was taken down indicated that it was a picture of a gibbon, but that didn't change the tone or direction of the mods' comments as many would have expected it to, right or wrong.
Lets get back to whats important here and leave the MODs alone.
Yeah, I regret the churn. But this is reality. And regulars are leaving. The regulars who were attracted to what this blog was and make it what it is. Assuming we need them, then something needs fixing before it's too late. It won't happen if we keep our mouths shut and don't understand each other and go beyond a point of no return. There's too much of that in the world today.
So I've gotta say something, even if it's wrong or only half right, because I don't want the burg to drift into something that NPR, Instapundit and foreign heads of state don't care about.
#24
I was buried in a brief yesterday (and last night) - missed the entire thing. Thankfully.
Back in Fla-Da, Blondie? Just in time for humidity and hurricanes. ;-p
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
07/09/2010 12:35 Comments ||
Top||
#25
While we're all here and thinking about it, it would be nice to assemble a collection of spacially appropriate criticisms of our "dear leader" by listing a few of our favorite past current and possible future nicknames for our current POTUS.
It's only fair that we all get something out of this love fest of apologies and back slapping and that we are able to at least glean something ultimately useful for our future political conversations at the local gunstore, water cooler, gym, phone call with our aging and increasingly irritated parents, etc.... from this collection of great minds and apparent policymakers. Hell this deserves a whole thread of it's own.
Here's a shortlist I've developed lurking hereabouts that has proven hilariously useful in said conversations, especially with my increasingly irritated and aging parents:
Bambi
Dear Leader
Obumble
The One
The Empty Suit
Obama-(sorry, no that one is official)
Slowbama
Mr. Cool...Mr Drool
I need several more juvenile, yet intelligently snarky nicknames to use as these are wearing thin and we've got at minimum another two years to bitch about this clown.
#26
Found some more Presidential nicknames on the web with a quick search, good ones:
Barry Queen of Snots
Teleprompter Jesus
...though agitated parents won't like the insult to Jesus or the Scots they'll still enjoy these snarks.
All this heat and insult slinging makes you want to pop someone with a towel and spray the kids with the water hose, so juvenile, so hilariously enjoyable on such a base and simple level. Even funnier after a few drinks tonight. Happy Friday fellow drones.
#32
BTW, OT....didn't know Dr Steve is a cardiologist.
I'm a pulmonologist.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/09/2010 14:36 Comments ||
Top||
#33
The image I hold most often of our current "president" is that of a braying jackass, just because it fits so well with his behavior. I wouldn't insult a primate by intimating that Barry is that intellectually advanced. "President" OBumble is definitely someone who has been promoted above his level of incompetence. It's going to take the adults at least ten years to clean up the mess he's already made of our government, if not longer. Mods, please let me know if any of this is too offensive.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
07/09/2010 14:59 Comments ||
Top||
#34
Well, I would get the buffed aluminium bat out only if there is a blue moon
Until then, it is safely ensconced next to the velvet-lined Shutter Gun® case.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
07/09/2010 15:29 Comments ||
Top||
#35
i usually just refer to him a 0bama. with a zero to emphasize his qualifications and competency.
read something elsewhere the day of his 'immigration reform' speech that in hell, he needs to be set up with a system that anytime he speaks will cause him immense direct pain using a device similar to a dog's bark collar. that would make him suffer any time he spoke, and suffer even more at not being able to listen to his own voice if he was silent.
Posted by: abu do you love ||
07/09/2010 15:34 Comments ||
Top||
#36
No teleprompter, give him a talking dog collar like from "Up" and a cone of shame.
Posted by: Ford Maude Elle ||
07/09/2010 15:36 Comments ||
Top||
#37
Fred's site. Fred's rules. Don't like 'em? There are >100,000 other politics-focused English-language sites out there you can participate in.
Me, I appreciate what Fred, Steve and all the mods do, and a measure of my appreciation is my willingness to play here by their rules.
#38
Yeah, I regret the churn. But this is reality. And regulars are leaving.
*sigh* We've gone through this every single election season since 2004, as passions rise and things are said that can't be taken back. If only people would remember that men of good will can disagree on the best way to achieve even those goals they agree upon, and can disagree on the rest without either being ... well y'all know the epithets on both sides considerably better than I do.
#42
'pulmonologist' - In medicine, pulmonology (aka pneumology) is the specialty that deals with diseases of the lungs and the respiratory tract. (wikipedia...). (Wikipedia)
#44
Do pulmonologists deal with parasympathetic nerve reactions where your throat closes up when you go running, often mistaken for asthma? If so, then I have been to one.
Posted by: Ford Maude Elle ||
07/09/2010 18:56 Comments ||
Top||
#45
In relation to the air sac on the simiang gibbon pictured above, it was noted in Folia Primatalogia (the international journal of primatology) that;
"A possible function of laryngeal air sacs in apes and gibbons was investigated by examining the relationships between air sac distribution, call rate, call duration and body weight in a phylogenetic context. The results suggest that lack of sacs in the smaller gibbons and in humans is a derived feature. Call parameters in primates, such as rate and duration, scaled to resting breathing rate (and therefore to body weight) only in species without air sacs, which appear to modify these relationships. Apes and larger gibbons may be able to produce fast extended call sequences without the risk of hyperventilating because they can re-breathe exhaled air from their air sacs. Humans may have lost air sacs during their evolutionary history because they are able to modify their speech breathing patterns and so reduce any tendency to hyperventilate."
I found this;
a) interesting, and
b) vaguely relevant to the discussion above.
#46
Humans may have lost air sacs during their evolutionary history because they are able to modify their speech breathing patterns and so reduce any tendency to hyperventilate
hokay, then explain Code Pink, Global Warmists, and leftist loons in general, then, smart guy!
:-)
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/09/2010 20:18 Comments ||
Top||
#47
As a 'part time' poster here I thought I'd chime in.
I can understand that folks posting on a site call RANTberg would expect to be able to post some items over the line or at the very least right up to the line and not be subject to the PC police.
That said, in this racially charged world, due in no small part to the current regime, AND due to the fact that this web site is owned by Fred - Fred gets to make the rules. If its zero (heh heh) tolerance for things that might be interpreted, accidentally or purposefully, as racist then zero tolerance it is.
I understand both sides and I think it comes down to Fred's house Fred's rules.
That said though, I think it really sucks that our side is supposed to bend over backwards while the other side acts a viciously as they do.
Sooner or later turning the other cheek and taking the high road is going to have to end. The left will keep on pushing until the good guys fight back. Fight for real.
That said though, I think it really sucks that our side is supposed to bend over backwards while the other side acts a viciously as they do.
Sooner or later turning the other cheek and taking the high road is going to have to end. The left will keep on pushing until the good guys fight back. Fight for real.
Yep and yep. And when the good guys finally do fight back, the Left is going to have a really BAD time.
Posted by: Secret Asian Man ||
07/09/2010 20:44 Comments ||
Top||
#49
I got so wrapped up in this thread I missed half of OReilly :)
#52
For those who are considering not returning to the Burg, please give me a moment.
I've been here since not long after the Burgs inception. To my knowledge, I was the first to call the North Koreans NorKs. Before that they were always called NoKs on the Burg. I dunno when that was, but anyone who's been around here long enough can tell you that the use of NoKs went out a long damn time ago. (And I was lurking a while before that)
During that time I've seen some mod issues that I disagree with as strongly as you disagree with this most recent one. Believe me, I've been where you are. I've been in the Burgs' doghouse over muh differences. (Which aint so bad anymore now that Shipman put some straw over the piece of Waffle House sign in there.)
I think the main issue that sometimes prevents reconciling the mods position with the average Rantburgers position is that the mods at times don't do a great job of explaining the reason for their position. As is - I believe - the case here.
They've touched on it, but haven't really laid out the full picture. Yes, the Burg punches above it's weight and yes, important people read it. That explanation - while certainly true (There's men who wear stars whom read this thing in theater as well as politicians on our side at home) - doesn't give you the full picture. And in the mods defense, you should be able to complete the line of thought from that, though while angry, we rarely think things out like this and that's what ima try to do.
Everyone here understands that the picture that started the stir was not racist in any way. The problem we all face is that the left along with their media accomplices would have no problem leaving out critical facts in order to go all Alinsky on the Burg if it suited their purpose. As we on the right use the fact that politicians on the left use and interact with sites like the Daily Kos, so too can the left use the Burg against politicians if it benefited them. With their allies in the media, it would be extremely easy. Not posting pictures of primates (Yes, I know it's been done with many other presidents) makes it more difficult. Let's not make it easy for them.
The Burg is a very valuable tool for our political allies, for our future political allies and for us to influence them both. The Burg loses it's value if we don't prevent our political enemies from being able to use it as a stick with which to beat our political allies over their heads. Influence is the true value of the Burg. As a free speech tool, it's worth absolutely no more than countless other websites and arguably far less than many already out there and that is why redacting yesterdays photo was the right decision. Not for just the Burg, but for you and I, and of course, The Children. We gotta win this was or their future is even more hosed than it already is. Think of The Children, man!
Posted by: Mike N. ||
07/09/2010 21:35 Comments ||
Top||
[Bangla Daily Star] Detectives arrested Prof Syed Golam Maola, who introduced the banned Islamist outfit Hizb ut-Tahrir in the country, from the capital's Elephant Road area yesterday.
A team hauled Maola, a professor of the department of Management Studies of Dhaka University, while he was returning to his residence at Dhanmondi in a private car around 2:30pm.
Deputy Commissioner of Detective Branch (DB) Mahbubor Rahman said, "Maola, an adviser of Hizb ut-Tahrir, was playing a pivotal role in the functioning of the banned outfit since Tahrir chief coordinator Mohiuddin Ahmed was arrested on April 20."
Maola is accused in three cases filed with Uttara Police Station under Anti-Terrorism Act, he said.
Another DB official wishing anonymity said they recently found that a nexus between Jamaat-e-Islami and Tahrir developed to foil the trial of war criminals of 1971.
Contacted, Jamaat's publicity secretary Tasnim Ahmed said there is no question of connection between their party and Hizb ut-Tahrir.
Hizb ut-Tahrir Bangladesh had been launching open campaign for last few years calling people to establish its self-styled Khilafat rule.
However, the government imposed a ban on Hizb-ut Tahrir on October 22 last year for its anti-state and anti-democratic activities.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/09/2010 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[8 views]
Top|| File under: Hizb-ut-Tahrir
[Bangla Daily Star] A Dhaka court yesterday summarily rejected three separate petitions for staying remand of Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Motiur Rahman Nizami, its Secretary General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojahid and Nayeb-e-Ameer Delwar Hossain Sayedee in three cases.
Earlier on June 30, another Dhaka court placed them on ten days' remand in the cases filed for torching vehicles, preventing police from duties and on sedition charge.
Judge (in charge) Ismail Hossain of the Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court passed the order in response to the petitions submitted by the lawyers of the accused.
In the order, the judge said it would not interfere with investigation as the cases are now at the primary stage. So, the petitions for staying remand of the Jamaat leaders were rejected.
In the petitions, lawyers mentioned the order for granting remand was illegal as their clients' names were not included in the first information reports.
The three Jamaat leaders are now being quizzed in the case filed for blocking the road of President Zillur Rahman's motorcade which was moving to visit the airport.
The three were shown arrested for their involvement with patronising their activists who vandalised the police vehicles and prevented them from performing duties.
The cases were filed with Ramna, Paltan and Uttara police stations on different dates.
They were also remanded for six days in two more cases filed with Paltan police station for preventing police from discharging their duties during hartal hours on June 27.
The same court yesterday rejected bails of 35 Jamaat-Shibir activists in the case filed with Paltan police station for obstructing police from discharging their duties.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/09/2010 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[6 views]
Top|| File under:
[Bangla Daily Star] An alleged extortionist was injured in a gunfight with Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) and arrested in the city's Malibagh area yesterday. Back to the rifle range for the RAB-3
Rab-3 personnel arrested injured Babul, 26, and his three accomplices on charge of extortion. The force also seized a locally-made rifle, two rounds of bullet and a knife from them.
The three other arrestees are Golam Maola Shahin, 30, Rana, 15, and Manik, 18.
Babul underwent treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital with bullet injury to his right leg.
Rab officials said they were carrying out a hunt for extortionists at Jheelpar of Malibagh around 12:30am yesterday. Suddenly the gang opened fire on Rab men triggering a gunfight, in which Babul received bullet injury. Hey, Sarge. I missed!
You dumbass!
Jahangir Alam, senior assistant superintendent of police of Rab-3, said the arrested four were demanding money from a businessman of Motijheel area in the name of Dakat Shahid, country's one of the most wanted criminals. 12 systems, etc...
The businessman Hasan Ali lodged a complaint with the Rab-3 office after that incident.
However, Hasan Ali negotiated with the extortionists to give them Tk 40,000.
According to Jahangir Alam, Babul in primary interrogation said Rab-10 arrested him eight months back in an extortion case. He was released from prison on bail 12 days ago.
Babul also confessed to his long-time involvement in extortion. Confession extracted with a pair of pliers.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/09/2010 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
I think the good Private did exactly as his commander has ordered - perhaps well enough to be promoted to Corporal. Even RAB has learned you can't get information from a dead body. Better to wound and capture, then use the #7 truncheon. That leads to more "encounters", and more bad guys taken out.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
07/09/2010 15:04 Comments ||
Top||
[Bangla Daily Star] The 127 Jamaat-shibir-men, arrested on charge of vandalism at the city's Halishahar area on Sunday, were placed on remand for different terms yesterday.
The arrestees were produced before the court of Chittagong Metropolitan Magistrate Fazlul Bari in two separate cases filed with Double-mooring and Halishahar Police Stations.
The court placed 109 accused on a two-day remand each and the rest 18 on a three-day remand each in the cases filed with the two Police Stations.
The court ordered the remand following separate prayers by the Double-mooring Police Station Sub-inspector Kazi Rakib Uddin and Halishahar Police Station Sub-inspector SM Didarul Islam for five days and 10 days remand respectively.
Jammat-shibir-men in a sudden attack vandalised over 100 vehicles and a number of shops at Halishahar area on Sunday.
Later, police arrested the Jamaat-shibir-men from different spots of the city.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/09/2010 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under: Jamaat-e-Islami
Google Translate
A man with the office of ProcuradurÃa General de Justicia del Estado de Jalisco (PGJEJ) was shot to death near his home in Jalisco Thursday morning, according to Mexican press reports.
Alfredo Terrones Cervera, 53, was boarding his Ford F-150 at his home in Mascota when a group of three armed suspects, also in a Ford F-150 drove by and shot him dead.
Reports are Cervera was shot with AK-47 and AR-15 assault rifles. Cervera attempted to return fire, but failed to stop the attack. Cervera was authorized to carry an AR-15 assault rifle, a 9mm automatic pistol and a tactical vest.
Cervera leaves a wife and four children.
Cervera was Regional Delegation of the Western Sierra Zone in Jalisco. He has held several positions with various attorney general offices since 1980.
Google Translate with a hat tip to Nota Roja for the additional details
A Mexican Army helicopter went down late Wednesday night claiming the lives of two unidentified people and injuring two others, according to Mexican press reports.
The crash took place at about 2030 hrs. between the municipalities of Santa MarÃa del Oro, Jalisco, and Jiquilpan, Michoacan. The helicopter was part of the 18th Military Zone.
The helo took off from Lazaro Cardenas, Michoacan and was bound for Guadalajara, Jalisco. Witnesses report hearing an explosion just prior to the helo going down.
The Mexican Army would not say whether the crash was due to bad weather or from an attack from armed suspects.
Fourteen Die in Northern Mexican Drug and Gang Violence
Fourteen people died in ongoing drug and gang related violence in northern Mexico including a Ciudad Obregon police officer.
Two armed suspects were captured Tuesday night by Federal and local police elements in Delicias, say Mexican press accounts. Grafitti in Chihuahua yesterday threatening Mexican Federal agents with death were found in two places in Chihuahua, Chihuahua. A pair of armed suspects attempted to make good on those threats.
Armed suspects riding a Chevrolet Tahoe around 2200 hrs shot at a police patrol car near the police station. The vehicle crashed in the ensuing chase on calle Margarita after being fired on by Mexican Federal agents.
An unidentified man as shot to death in his car in Juarez Wednesday afternoon, according to Mexican press reports. The attack took place when victim was riding aboard his Honda Accord and was ambushed by armed suspects near the intersection of calles Puerto de Cadiz and Puerto Aventura in the Tierranueva district.
Investigators at the scene found several 9mm spent cartridge casing on the ground.
Four unidentified people were shot to death and another person was seriously wounded in an attack in Juarez Wednesday afternoon, according to Mexican news accounts.
The attack took place near the intersection of calles Montealban and Palacio de Mitla in the Papigochi district when armed suspects riding aboard a Nissan Terra open fired on as group of five people in front of a residence. Four died at the scene while the fifth was rushed to the hospital.
Reports suggest armed suspects used AK-47 assault rifles in the attack.
Two unidentified men were found beheaded near the local prison in Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Wednesday evening say Mexican press accounts.
The find was made after an anonymous tip was phoned in to authorities near the intersection of calles Septima and Guadalupe Victoria de Villa Juarez. The head were stuffed inside styrofoam ice chests with the Oxxo logo, a national convenience store chain.
The bodies of the victims were wrapped in black plastic bags.
The two containers were place atop a message which said: "Keep fooling people from outside and so they will stay."
Two unidentified men wee shot to death in two separate crimes Wednesday afternoon, according to the Mexican daily La Polaka.
A man was shot to death using a 9mm weapon. He was hit seven ties. The attack took place near the intersection of calles Hiedra and Zaragoza in the Juarez Nuevo district.
The second attack took place in a business near the intersection of calles Zafra and Miguel de la Madrid in the Heroes Revolucion district when a man was shot to death. The attacker was a lone gunman, according to witnesses.
An unidentified man was found shot to death in a remote area near Juarez, say Mexican press reports.
Neighbors say they heard gunshots last night. The body was found on Juarez Road.
An unidentified man in his 20s was found shot to death Thursday afternoon near the Chihuahua community of Meoqui, say Mexican news reports.
The body was found on a road that connect Meoqui with La Regina at about 10:10 hrs Thursday morning. Investigators found numerous .40 caliber spent cartridge casings near the body.
A man who died within minutes was found shot in Juarez Thursday afternoon, according to Mexican news reports.
The victim was found near the intersection of calles Juan de la Encina and Lopez de Jerez in the Ponce de Leon district. Witnesses say armed suspects riding aboard a Ford Explorer did the shooting.
Agents with the Sonora Policia Estatal Investigadora (PEI) found an abandoned car with a number of assault rifles and ammunition Wednesday, say Mexican press reports.
The find took place on a highway just outside of El Saric near a police checkpoint. The area only a week ago was the site of a large intergang gun battle.
The agents found 2 AK-47 assault rifles with 26 cartridges aboard a Ford Crown Victoria with Arizona plates. One of the rifles had a round already chambered. A 9mm pistol was also found with nine rounds. The pistol had around already chambered.
Agents found three AK-47 magazines with 30 cartridges in each and a 9mm magazine with ten rounds.
A man was shot to death in his car in Herosillo, Sonora, Wednesday evening according to Mexican press reports.
Joaquin Dominguez was shot with an unidentified ale companion while driving his vehicle near calle Octava between calles Benito Juarez and Jesus Lopez in the Palo Verde district. Armed suspects riding in a green station wagon fired into the victim's car, killing him. Dominguez was struck twice.
A Ciudad Obregon police officer was shot to death in his police unit Wednesday night, according to Mexican press reports.
Rafael Omar Vergara Mexia, 41, was on patrol in his vehicle neqr the intersection of calles París and 300th at about 2230 hrs. Armed suspects riding aboard a Ford Windstar and a Jeep Cherokee intercepted Mexia and fired on him, killing him.
Elements of the Mexican Army seized a number of weapons and munitions in the Baja California town of Ensenada Thursday, say Mexican press reports.
Weapons seized: 1 .50 caliber Barrett rifle, four AK-47 rifles, a rifle grenade launcher with eight rounds, 83 .50 caliber rounds, 330 7.62x39mm rounds (AK-47) and 18 magazines for various weapons.
[Dawn] European human rights judges on Thursday froze the extradition of four men from Britain to the United States because of concerns over the length of the jail terms they would receive if convicted on terrorism charges.
The European Court of Human Rights wants more time to consider whether to block the extradition request because of the possibility the men could be jailed for life without parole.
The four suspects, who are being held in British prisons, appealed to the European court after senior judges in London upheld a government decision in 2008 to approve the extradition.
One of the men, Egyptian-born Abu Hamza, is a radical preacher who applauded the 9/11 attacks. A London court jailed him for seven years in 2006 for incitement to murder and other offences.
The United States accuses him of plotting to set up a terrorist training camp in Bly, Oregon, advocating violence in Afghanistan and plotting to seize 16 hostages in Yemen.
The three others fighting the US extradition request are Britons Babar Ahmad, Seyla Talha Ahsan and Haroon Rashid Aswat.
Washington accuses all four of membership of al Qaeda or being involved in acts of international terrorism, the European court, based in Strasbourg, France, said on its website.
Aswat faces charges of being Hamza's co-conspirator in setting up the Oregon camp. Ahmad and Ahsan are accused of plotting to kill US nationals, money laundering and giving support to the Taliban and Chechen militants.
The European court rejected the suspects' argument that they would not receive a fair trial in the US courts.
The judges also dismissed suggestions the men might be declared "enemy combatants" and therefore become liable to the death penalty or extraordinary rendition, the practice of secretly sending suspects overseas for questioning.
However, the judges said they wanted more time to consider the human rights implications of the long prison terms the men would receive if found guilty in the United States.
Hamza, Ahmad and Ahsan could be jailed for life without parole, while Aswat faces a maximum 50-year term, meaning he would be 78 before being considered for release.
The judges also had concerns about the maximum security prison in Colorado where three of the men would probably be held. Hamza, who is blind in one eye, has diabetes and has lost both his forearms, is thought unlikely to be sent there.
The court will consider whether conditions in the Colorado prison would breach article three of the European Convention on Human Rights that prohibits "inhuman or degrading treatment".
The British government has until Sept. 2 to respond to the court's decision. The judges will give a final ruling later.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/09/2010 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under: al-Qaeda
#1
So I really am at a loss here. The Britts said they should go to the US But an EU court says no, that the US will employ cruel and unusual punishment on them. So just who is running Britton? I'm confused. Christ, just let them go if they are harmless. Give them a house next to the EU Judges that thinks they are harmless.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
07/09/2010 0:26 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Britain wanted to become part of the EU inorder to form the greater European States, or some thing like that. This would imply giving up national interests and identity. Doesn't surprise me. What worries me more is I think Obama wants the US to follow.
#3
You suspect President Obama wants to lead the United States into the European Union? That indeed is headline news, perhaps you have a link to the story?
#6
Give them a house next to the EU Judges that thinks they are harmless.
I have to agree ..
There is a large undercurrent of feeling in the UK at the moment that we should re-write the UK Human Rights Act and pull out of Europe. In a few years I expect we will be the same old UK that most folk world wide knew to respect .
Hamza, who is blind in one eye, has diabetes and has lost both his forearms....
Blind , lost both forearms ... He says its from clearing mines .. I say its from making IEDs which fits his resume more
Oooh and I kid you not , his original name was Mustafa Kamel Mustafa
Posted by: Oscar ||
07/09/2010 9:52 Comments ||
Top||
#7
Screw it. Whack 'em in place. And slap the judges around in the process.
#8
This kind of sh$$ is just another piece of evidence that the European Union is a suicide pact. The failure to deal harshly with criminals, including a death penalty for repeat murderers and other societally dangerous habitual criminals, will only encourage lawlessness and loss of respect for the rule of law. What we're seeing in Europe is the result of fifty years of socialistic practices that lead to the destruction of state institutions and common sense. It's a disease that has been transmitted to the United States, and must be dealt with before it becomes fatal here as well. The way the US government addresses the southern border issue indicates the disease is well-established, and will take some serious medicine to eradicate.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
07/09/2010 15:27 Comments ||
Top||
[Al Arabiya Latest] Osama bin Laden's former cook on Thursday pleaded guilty at a U.S. military trial in Guantanamo Bay to providing support to terrorism and conspiracy, the first conviction for the Obama administration at the controversial court.
Ibrahim Ahmed al-Qosi, a 50-year old Sudanese national held at the Guantanamo Bay detention center for eight years, admitted to being part of al-Qaeda and to providing the terrorist group with material that supported its operations.
Qosi ran the kitchen of bin Laden's Star of Jihad compound in the Afghani city Jalalabad and was al-Qaeda leader's driver and bodyguard. He is known as 'Bin Laden's cook.'
After his arrest, the U.S. military accused Qosi of helping Bin Laden to escape to the Tora Bora Mountains after the United States led invasion in 2001. He is also accused of being a member of al-Qaeda's mortar crew.
Qosi pleaded guilty in a two-hour hearing, in which he admitted under oath that he provided logistical support to al-Qaeda while being fully aware of the group's terrorist activities, said Guantanamo court spokesman Joe DellaVedova.
"He admitted he engaged in hostilities against the United States in violation of the laws of war," DellaVedova said.
Qosi, DellaVedova added, confessed that his activities date back to 1996 when bin Laden urged his followers to declare holy Jihad against the United States.
The terms of Qosi's plea were not revealed although it seems unlikely that he would plead guilty to all charges without negotiating a limit to his sentence.
A panel of U.S. military officers is scheduled to convene Aug. 9 at Guantanamo to hear evidence and deliberate on the sentence, which is expected to range between no additional time and life imprisonment.
With this confession, Qosi becomes the fourth prisoner convicted in the controversial Guantanamo Bay detention camp, which now holds 181 prisoners, and the first in the Obama administration.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/09/2010 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under: al-Qaeda
#1
The Arabs held the leadership & top operational positions in Al Qaeda. They put the African in the kitchen. There's your egalitarian Islam.
Posted by: American Delight ||
07/09/2010 6:20 Comments ||
Top||
#2
He must have been a bad cook to be thrown out with the dishwater.
PESHAWAR, Pakistan -- A suicide bomber ripped through a crowd of Pakistanis queueing for government wheelchairs in a busy market in the lawless northwest on Friday, killing 17 people and wounding another 100. later reports had death toll over 25
Administrator Maqsood Ahmed told AFP the blast took place at an office in Yakaghund town in Mohmand, one of seven districts that make up Pakistan's tribal belt that Washington has branded a global headquarters of Al-Qaeda.
"A function was held at the office to distribute wheelchairs. A lot of people had gathered outside the office," he said. if the wheelchairs came from the US, it makes it America's fault (or maybe zionists if the wheel chair company had Jewish employees)
"It caused damage to the office and also damaged the wall of a local jail. Several prisoners have managed to escape."
Posted by: lord garth ||
07/09/2010 08:29 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under:
Posted by: lord garth ||
07/09/2010 15:17 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Yaknow we read about the death cults everyday. Almost to the point where you get desensitized to read yet another report where these savages throw acid in the faces of little girls. Then, every so often, an article like this comes along and its like you hit the tipping point. They blow the shit outtta people waiting for wheelchairs. Are you kidding me? Cripples? Waiting for wheelchairs? Were constantly being told that most Muslims are moderate or peace loving or some other bullshit. Well I aint buyin it anymore. Until some of their Grand Fuckin Poobahs quit blaming the West for all their troubles and actually do something to stop this shit well by god then theyre all the same sub-humans to me.
[Dawn] Pakistani authorities said Thursday they had traced a gang of hackers and arrested five suspects involved in defacing thousands of domestic and international websites and online fraud.
The "internationally-known hackers" have been picked up in an operation spanning the country over the past few weeks, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) senior officer Mian Idrees told AFP.
"We have unearthed notorious hackers' group 'Pakbugs' and arrested five members of this group," he said.
Authorities seized computers and other equipment involved in various cyber crimes, he said.
The FIA said in a statement the group was involved in hacking or defacing thousands of websites belonging to government, non-government and international organisations.
"They were also involved in credit card jacking and usage of stolen credit cards," it said.
"Pakbugs" founder Jawad Ehsan, alias Humza, remains at large and is believed to be based in Saudi Arabia, the statement said.
But it said co-founder Hassan Khan has been detained in the northwest Pakistani city of Peshawar, along with other members in Lahore, Bannu and Rawalpindi.
Idrees ruled out the hackers' involvement in terrorism and said the men had been charged only with electronic crimes.
Pakistan, fighting terrorism and high-tech offences, in 2008 declared cyber-terrorism a capital crime, while electronic fraud is punishable by a prison term of seven to ten years.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/09/2010 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
The UN at it's inimitable best...
UNITED NATIONS The U.N. Security Council on Friday condemned a deadly attack on a South Korean warship that killed 46 sailors and pointed a finger toward North Korea but didn't directly blame the reclusive communist nation.
A statement approved by all 15 council members expressed "deep concern" over the findings of a South Korean-led international investigation that concluded that a North Korean torpedo sank the 1,200-ton Cheonan on March 26.
The statement, read by the council president, calls for "appropriate and peaceful measures to be taken against those responsible."
But it doesn't identify who is responsible, and "takes note" of North Korea's response "that it had nothing to do with the incident."
#2
All things considered, this is about as good as could be expected. I'd half expected them to condemn the South Koreans for crashing their ship into the Norks' torpedo.
Posted by: Mike ||
07/09/2010 11:20 Comments ||
Top||
#3
A statement approved by all 15 council members expressed "deep concern"
Could someone please remind me why we need the UN? If all they are going to do is issue a strongly worded letter, I could do that. And I'll bet my letter would carry about the same weight with the Norks.
North Korea's U.N. Ambassador Sin Son Ho called it "our great diplomatic victory," stressing again that his country had nothing to do with the sinking of the 1,200-ton Cheonan on March 26. He warned that "the plot" blaming North Korea for the sinking throws "the situation of the entire Korean peninsula into trigger point, which may be exploded at any moment." But at the same time, he said North Korea will make "efforts" to continue the denuclearization process on the Korean peninsula through six-party talks, which Pyongyang abandoned in December 2008, and to replace the Armistice Agreement that ended the 1950-53 Korean War with a new peace treaty.
"The Security Council's presidential statement carries significant meaning in that the international community condemned North Korea's attack on the Cheonan with a united voice and emphasized the importance of preventing additional provocations" against the South, Seoul's foreign ministry spokesman Kim Young-sun was quoted as saying by the Yonhap news agency. "The government strongly urges North Korea not to engage in any provocations or acts that hurt peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula by seriously taking the international community's strong stance that no provocations against South Korea will be tolerated," he said.
'The message to the North Korean leadership is crystal clear,' US Ambassador Susan Rice told reporters after the council issued the statement. 'The Security Council condemns and deplores this attack and warns against any further attacks.'
Nuthin to see here, move it along. See ya next time, folks...
#5
In other words, they made it vague enough that any every one can claim victory and pat themselves on the back. They'd be good with fortune cookies and horoscopes.
#6
And I'll bet my letter would carry about the same weight with the Norks. Posted by: gorb|| 2010-07-09 12:24
It depends, Gorb. If you wadded your letter into a ball and sent it to North Korea in a Tomahawk missile set to strike a North Korean harbor with a tac nuke, I'm sure your letter would get MUCH more attention. 8^)
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
07/09/2010 15:32 Comments ||
Top||
#11
CHINESE MIL FORUM/TOPIX > VARIOUS > SOUTH KOREA REJECTS CHINA'S DEMAND TO STOP [US-ROK] YELLOW SEA NAVAL EXERCISE.
versus
* NEWS KERALA > CHINA OPPOSES FOREIGN WARSHIPS, PLANES ENTERING YELLOW SEA + ADJACENT WATERS.
* NET > MIL FORUM POSTERS > opine that MANY ASIANS = e.g. CHINESE, JAPANESE, KOREANS, RUSS, etc. view the Yellow Sea Region [North-East China Seas] as "UNTOUCHABLE" + "BREAKING/CHOKING
THE NECK" OF THESE REGIONAL STATES, espec as per CHINA + JAPAN.
"RISING CHINA" = BEIJING + CMC,CPLA are fickle right now because they are trying to overcome the NATURAL + GEOPOL OBSTRUCTIONS OF THEIR "FIRST ISLAND CHAIN" ARCHIPELAGO OF ISLANDS, + MOSTLY PRO-US OR "MODERATE" [NAM] MAJOR + MINOR SOVEREIGN STATES. Many Netters, Chin + CPC [CCCC] rcognize that to be a true [POst-US] GLOBAL SUPERPOWER, CHINA CAN'T BE JUST A MAJOR "LAND POWER" MILPOL-LIMITED TO THE CONFINES OF THE ASIAN MAINLAND OR EAST ASIA.
#13
NEWS KERALA > [Winipeg, Canada] SCIENTISTS SEES/HAVE DOUBT ON NORTH KOREAN HAND LINKED TO SINKING OF SOUTH KOREAN "CHEONAN" WARSHIP.
Tests on "Cheonan" torpedo residues not wholly or absolutely conclusive agz NOKOR - other NON-NK cause scenarios still possible despite strong NK links.
BASRA / Aswat al-Iraq: Police forces on Thursday arrested 53 wanted men and suspected gunmen and freed a kidnapped person in separate crackdown operations in Basra, a media police source said.
Policemen waged security raids in separate areas of Basra, where 25 wanted men and 28 suspects were arrested, the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
The forces seized three bombs and Kalashnikovs, he added.
Another police force managed also to free a kidnapped girl and arrested her kidnappers in al-Zubeir district, western Basra, a source from the Interior Ministry said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/09/2010 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[7 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Perhaps it's just coincidence, or there's an overzealous reporter in Basra, but we seem to be getting a lot of such news from there lately. If it's due to a well-trained, motivated police force that is doing its job at full capacity, kudos upon kudos to them. I also wonder how many of those that are being captured either work for Iran, or come from there...
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
07/09/2010 15:34 Comments ||
Top||
[Dawn] At least 15 people were killed Thursday by bombs targeting the hundreds of thousands of pilgrims who defied violence to take part in the final day of a Shia religious holiday, officials said.
The deaths came one day after nearly 60 people were killed in attacks in and around the Iraqi capital, most of them by a suicide bomber who targeted pilgrims heading to a mosque in northern Baghdad to mark the anniversary of the death of a revered Shia figure.
While violence in Iraq has plummeted since the height of the insurgency a few years ago, the attacks targeting devout Shia's who walk from across Iraq to take part in the holy occasion underscore the tentative nature of the security gains and the persistent attempts by insurgents to once again foment sectarian divisions.
The attacks come as Iraq is struggling to seat a government a little over four months after the March 7 election failed to bring about a clear winner to lead the country.
As opposing political blocs jockey to form a ruling coalition, the ongoing political uncertainty has raised questions about whether insurgents will try to destabilize the country just as American troops are reducing their numbers to 50,000 by the end of August.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks but similar incidents in the past have been blamed on Sunni extremists who view Shia's as nonbelievers and object to the Shia-led government that took over Iraq after the fall of Saddam Hussein.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who was visiting Lebanon on Thursday, condemned the blasts in Baghdad of the past two days.
''Those who benefit from such acts are the enemies of humanity, the enemies of democracy,'' he said.
Six people died in eastern Baghdad and 36 were injured when a roadside bomb exploded Thursday morning as pilgrims were walking home from the mosque in the Kazimiyah neighborhood, while a car bomb in southern Baghdad killed another person.
Five more people were killed and 42 injured by a roadside bomb in northern Baghdad, Iraqi hospital and police officials said.
And in the afternoon, a roadside bomb in eastern Baghdad killed three people and wounded another 21 along a street where religious pilgrims were returning home.
Despite the violence, hundreds of thousands of Iraqis continued to stream through the city after visiting the shrine and began their long walk home after the ceremonies peaked earlier Thursday. The pilgrimage, although not the most important among Iraq's Shia-majority, is considered significant.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/09/2010 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under: Islamic State of Iraq
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.
[Bangla Daily Star] An alleged extortionist was injured in a gunfight with Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) and arrested in the city's Malibagh area yesterday.
[Bangla Daily Star] The 127 Jamaat-shibir-men, arrested on charge of vandalism at the city's Halishahar area on Sunday, were placed on remand for different terms yesterday.
[Dawn] European human rights judges on Thursday froze the extradition of four men from Britain to the United States because of concerns over the length of the jail terms they would receive if convicted on terrorism charges.
[Al Arabiya Latest] Osama bin Laden's former cook on Thursday pleaded guilty at a U.S. military trial in Guantanamo Bay to providing support to terrorism and conspiracy, the first conviction for the Obama administration at the controversial court.
