The U.S. militarys bases in Afghanistan are frequently guarded by Afghans who pay kickbacks to warlords and even aid the Taliban.
Thats what the Senate Armed Services Committee found after a year-long investigation into 125 contracts held by private security firms in Afghanistan. In a report released today (.pdf), the committee discovered that the firms rely on warlords and strongmen to supply them with security guards for protecting U.S. military bases, some of whom kill one another and moonlight as insurgents attacking U.S. troops.
And the Defense Department barely vets the security companies it hires. At least one of those companies just won another contract with the State Department to protect the U.S. Embassy in Kabul.
[Dawn] Afghanistan's Caped PresidentHamid Maybe I'll join the Taliban Karzai confirmed in a US television interview that his administration has been holding unofficial talks with the Taliban "for quite some time" to try to end the nine-year war. "We have been talking to the Taliban as countryman to countryman, talk in that manner," Karzai told CNN's Larry King when asked about a Washington Post report on secret high-level talks between the two sides.
This is actually the right thing to do, so long as it's about the Taliban (or individual Talibs) giving up the war, and not about the government doing the surrendering. Since the government hasn't put the chief Talibs in positions of authority, it seems to me that might be what's going on.
"Not as a regular official contact with the Taliban with a fixed address but rather unofficial personal contacts have been going on for quite some time," he said in excerpts of the CNN interview to air in full Monday.
Last week the Washington Post said the secret talks were believed to involve the Afghan government and representatives authorised by the Quetta Shura, the Afghan Taliban group based in Pakistain, and Taliban leader Mullah Omar.
Quite possibly the UAVs are following the cell phone signals from those conversations, too...
The Karzai interview is being aired a day after Afghanistan's former president Burhanuddin Rabbani was elected chairman of a new peace council, a Karzai brainchild set up to broker an end to the war with the Taliban. "Now that the peace council has come into existence, these talks will go on and will go on officially and more rigorously I hope," Karzai told King.
The Taliban, which have been fighting an increasingly violent insurgency, have said publicly they will not enter into dialogue with the government until all 152,000 US-led foreign troops based in the country leave.
The Iraqi 'insurgents' said the same thing. How'd that work for them?
In a statement last Thursday marking the start of the war in 2001, the Taliban claimed to control 75 per cent of Afghanistan and said its "jihad" remained as strong as ever.
I assume the Arab definitions of 75% and control are meant (Don't look up, guys, something may have followed you home.)
Karzai said there had been "no official contacts" with any Taliban entity. "That hasn't happened yet and we hope we can begin that as soon as possible," he said. "But contacts of course have been there between various elements of the Afghan government at the level of community and also at a political level."
The High Peace Council is intended to open a dialogue with the Taliban Islamic fascistiwho have been trying to bring down his government since the US-led invasion overthrew their hardline Islamist regime in October 2001. The 68-member council, hand-picked by Karzai, was set up following a nationwide conference in June and was inaugurated on October 7.
But Karzai said he would not reach out to groups such as al Qaeda or other "terrorist networks".
"Whether they are against Afghanistan or whether they are al Qaeda and the terrorist war against the United States or our neighbours in Pakistain, those of course cannot be accepted."
Karzai also dismissed claims in a new US book about his mental health. "Oh definitely not. Rather funny," Karzai said when asked by King about the allegations in legendary news hound Bob Woodward's book "Obama's Wars" which says US intelligence suspects Karzai has received treatment for manic depression.
"He's on his meds, he's off his meds," the US ambassador to Afghanistan, Karl Eikenberry, is quoted as saying.
What in God's name was the man thinking? One never says things that undermine an ally, or first one's allies become ineffective, and then one suddenly has no allies. But this administration does such stupid things all the time. Britain, France, Germany, Israel, Venezuela, Honduras... President Karzai is in good company, at least.
But Karzai said the strongest medication he had taken was an antibiotic to stave off a bad cold, along with vitamins and headache pills.
US President Barack B.O. Obama's administration has had a shaky relationship with Karzai, publicly challenging him last year over allegations of corruption and vote-rigging.
Idiot. If you're going to manipulate the election, at least be successful.
The public criticism has stung Karzai, who has raised eyebrows in Western capitals by accusing foreigners of rigging the election that returned him to power last year.
Karzai said Afghanistan enjoyed a "strategic relationship" with the United States, which is planning to draw down its troop numbers in 2011. "Relations with the president Obama are very good. We have regular contact."
But he said Afghan people fear they would be "abandoned" by the United States.
"Something that I have not been able to reassure the Afghan people and I hope the United States of America and our other allies will help us through good means so we can reassure the Afghan people that this partnership is staying and that Afghanistan will emerge out of this current transition into a better country, a better economy and a more stronger, effective state."
Posted by: Fred ||
10/12/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
This headline didn't parse well. Turns out, the article is an interview with Viktor Bout's wife. I guess the Spiegel correspondent met her at Bout's prison and didn't have any better ideas for an article.
Pope Benedict XVI denounced "terrorist ideologies" that spur violence in God's name as he opened a meeting Monday of bishops from around the Middle East. That's sure to get him on somebody's hit list... Oh. Wait. He's already there. My bad.
Posted by: Water Modem ||
10/12/2010 09:15 ||
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#1
>>It used to be a dirty little secret no one spoke about publicly. That changed in the past few years, but an apparent U.S. blunder involving an airstrike inside Pakistan that killed two of its border scouts could knock such overt criticism of our paradoxical ally off the table again.<<
You've got to get professional training to turn out such finely crafted sentences.
Jones: Now we understand better the various threats we face -- the threat of climate change, of our energy sources, the threat that terrorism brings, a world in which the haves and the have nots are more starkly defined than before. The poor countries are striving to rise into the globalized world and, I believe, the developed nations are beginning to understand that if they don't address their issues seriously, these countries may be the Afghanistans and Pakistans and Iraqs of the future.
[Iran Press TV] The US administration has reportedly told Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to marginalize supporters of Moqtada Tater al-Sadr in exchange for Washington's support for his re-election.
The American daily The New York Times revealed on Sunday that the B.O. regime has sought assurances from Maliki that he will not appoint al-Sadr's followers to high security positions.
Washington's worries doubled after Maliki's State of Law coalition and Moqtada al-Sadr's Iraqi National Alliance agreed on a merger between, increasing the possibility of Sadr's followers occupying key positions in a future coalition government.
"The United States' government has always preferred some blocs over the others ever since we first raised resistance to the occupation," said Amir al-Kanani, a Sadrist member of the new parliament.
Efforts by the US administration to include former premier Iyad Allawi's al-Iraqiya alliance in a coalition government in Iraq are in line with the goal of marginalizing Sadrists.
Iraq has been grappled in a political gridlock since the inconclusive general elections of March 7, in which no party was able to gain a majority of parliamentary seats.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/12/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
Fat boy's been out of the news cycle for a while now. How come he hasn't had a regrettable accident involving stairs?
[Iran Press TV] The Paleostinian Authority's top negotiator refutes the Israeli premier's offer which obliged the Paleostinians to recognize Israel in return for a settlement freeze.
"I hope he will stop playing these games and will start the peace processor by stopping settlements," Saeb Erekat said on Monday.
His reply came after Benjamin Netanyahu had earlier offered to extend the 10-month partial moratorium on settlement projects, should the Paleostinians recognize Israel as a "Jewish state."
"If the Paleostinian leadership would say unequivocally to its people that it recognizes Israel as the national homeland of the Jewish people, I will be willing to ask for an additional suspension," Netanyahu told the parliament on Monday.
Erekat was also quoted as saying by the News Agency that Dare Not be Named that there was no connection between Netanyahu's obligations and his efforts to define the nature of Israel.
The Israeli leader has repeatedly made similar demands in the past, though he has never explicitly linked it to the settlement issue.
The Paleostinians refuse to accept Israel as a "Jewish state," saying it discriminates against Israel's Arab minority and violates the rights of millions of Paleostinian refugees scattered around the world.
The expiry of the partial freeze has thrown the latest round of direct talks between Netanyahu and acting Paleostinian Authority Chief the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas into turmoil.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/12/2010 00:00 ||
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[Haaretz] The U.S. State Department on Monday dodged a direct response to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's offer to extend the settlement freeze in exchange for Paleostinian recognition of a Jewish state, saying that the U.S. position on settlements hasn't changed.
"Our position on settlements is well known. As we've noted we would like to see the settlement moratorium extended. Beyond that, we are not going to get into the substance of our discussions with the parties," a U.S. State Department official said when asked by Haaretz for a response to Netanyahu's Knesset speech.
"U.S. policy has been consistent. Both President B.O. and Secretary Clinton are committed to Israel's democracy as a Jewish state," he said.
Netanyahu spoke at the opening of the third session of the 18th Knesset on Monday, and proposed an exchange of gestures to the Paleostinians, wherein Israel would renew its settlement freeze if the Paleostinian Authority would recognize Israel as the Jewish homeland.
The Paleostinians quickly issued a statement saying they reject the offer and that "the issue of the Jewishness of the state has nothing to do with the matter," emphasizing that Israel must freeze the settlements before they could return to U.S.-backed peace talks.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/12/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
Bibi doesn't seem to understand that the Palestinians do not negotiate, they demand. And if you give in to their demands, they demand something else.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
10/12/2010 7:25 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Bibi understands perfectly. This is just a ploy to paint the Paleos as the ones actually unwilling to negotiate in earnest.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
10/12/2010 10:30 Comments ||
Top||
Dad was strict but fa...Nah, dad's a friggin psychopath.
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- A father from Jabaliya refugee camp in north Gaza killed his son by setting fire to him because the boy refused to help the family pick olives, police said.
Security forces identified the father as AN, and said the 40-year-old threatened to torch his son Mohammad, 14, when he refused to help him harvest olives. The father then sent the boy's brother to get Benzene and gave him 2 shekels ($0.50) to buy a lighter. Bet he didn't ask to keep the change...
Police said AN chased Mohammad into the bathroom, and poured fuel over him. The boy managed to escape and ran towards his grandmother's house next door, but his father caught him and set alight to him. Mohammad's grandmother told police that she opened the door to find her grandson's body burned.
Mohammad's father was arrested and questioned by police, who said he has been charged with murder. I wonder when the "honor" card will be played?
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
10/12/2010 11:38 ||
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#1
Use your MARSOC training program as template. There are plenty of cyber savvy Army vets out there who could lend a hand. Once again, I'd start at Fort Bragg.
#4
Don't nock it. Russian cyberwarfare is pretty devastating, they shut down the Georgian Government within hours and controlled information flow about the war for the first week or two. In the modern world I would think this is a no brainer. One thing i love about marines, they are always thinking of PRACTICAL ways to justify their budget.
[Straits Times] ALLEGED Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout on Friday appealed against a Thai court ruling that removed a major obstacle to his extradition to the United States, his lawyer said.
Thailand's Criminal Court on Tuesday dismissed money-laundering and fraud charges against Bout that had been holding up his extradition, citing insufficient evidence.
In an apparent delaying tactic, Bout's lawyer Lak Nittiwattanawichan said he had submitted an appeal against the decision, partly on the grounds that the Criminal Court did not allow witnesses to testify.
Mr Lak voiced confidence that Thailand's Appeal Court would agree to hear the case involving Bout, once described by a British government minister as the 'Merchant of Death'.
The Appeal Court in August ordered Bout be handed over to Washington on terrorism charges, angering Russia, but the process has been held up by technicalities over the new accusations.
Bout, a 43-year-old former Soviet air force pilot, was jugged in 2008 after a sting operation in Bangkok involving undercover US agents posing as Colombian FARC rebels. He has repeatedly denied suggestions that he was a former KGB agent and maintains that he ran a legitimate air cargo business.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/12/2010 00:00 ||
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#8
I've looked at several dozen photos of Russian inflatables, and those are definitely NOT inflatables. Syria has had SCUDs for about ten years now, so it's not surprising for us to see them in what is basically a missile training facility.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
10/12/2010 22:20 Comments ||
Top||
#9
SYRIAN SCUDS
versies
* PAKISTANI DEFENCE FORUM > [Bulletin of Concerned Scientists, ISIS] PAKISTAN SECRETLY ASSEMBLED [approxi]70-90 NUCLEAR WARHEADS, HAS ENOUGH FISSILE MATERIAL FOR A FURTHER/ADDITIONAL 90 WARHEADS.
* SAME > PAKISTAN SPARKS US ANGER AFTER SECRETLY ACCELERATING ITS NUCLEAR PROGRAMME.
-----------
ION ISRAEL > repor will not cutback on any new pro-Jewish Settler JERUSALEM + PA AREA contruction, etc. includ IDF-controlled local Settler security, UNLESS THE PA FIRSTLY GIVES FORMAL RECOGNITION TO ISRAEL AS A SOVEREIGN JEWISH = NON-MUSLIM STATE in the mostly MUSLIM MIDDLE EAST.
[Iran Press TV] The Iranian intelligence minister has dismissed reports that nuclear spies who were recently jugged in Iran have been behind the spread of the Stuxnet computer worm.
Commenting on the extent of damage caused by the Stuxnet worm, Intelligence Minister Heidar Moslehi said the virus had been contained.
When asked if the nuclear spies who were recently jugged by the Intelligence Ministry had been responsible for spreading the virus, Moslehi said that "they are not related to this matter," ISNA reported.
He added that the parties which sought to make use of this virus to gather information about Iranian facilities failed in their mission.
The remarks come as Western media claimed that the Stuxnet worm, which is a malware designed to infect computers using Siemens supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA), had attacked Iran's nuclear plant systems.
Iranian experts believe that the worm may have been created by a state-sponsored organization in the United States or Israel to target specific softwares that are being used in Iran's industrial sector, including the country's first nuclear power plant in Bushehr.
Reacting to the cyber attack, Iran's Telecommunications Minister Reza Taqipour said earlier that the virus had failed to cause any serious damage to the country's industrial sites.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/12/2010 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Hizbullah Deputy Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem ... Grand Vizier of the Hezbullies... on Monday noted that Iran's diminutive PresidentMahmoud Short Round Ahmadinejad's upcoming visit to Leb "is an expression of friendship and support for Leb and its Resistance, army, people and institutions."
At an educational ceremony, Qassem called for offering a warm welcome to "this exceptional president."
"Anyway, I can declare today that President Ahmadinejad's visit has totally succeeded even before it starts, so just imagine how much more successful it'd be when it does," Qassem added.
He noted that the "evidences" presented by Hizbullah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah "convict Israel."
"Who would benefit from civil strife and chaos in Leb? Everyone will answer that Israel would benefit the most," Qassem said, calling on the judiciary to "find evidences that prove Israel guilty or not guilty."
"Should definite evidences point the finger at Israel as the murderer, the U.S. and its allies will work on finding many explanations in order to keep Israel outside the accusation circle, and I believe it's almost impossible that one Israeli witness or suspect be summoned to the court, so that they don't open this door and don't discover hidden facts and secrets that may lead" to the perpetrators, Qassem said.
He addressed "those thinking that allegations would turn the table on the Resistance," That'd be the Hezbullies, natch... telling them "these tactics won't affect us."
"We've been screaming nowadays to reject and warn against the mistake they will fall into and the damages Leb will suffer," Qassem announced.
He stressed that the so-called false witnesses "are behind all these troubles."
Posted by: Fred ||
10/12/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
"In fact, it's been so successful that there's no need for it to take place at all! Take that, America!"
#2
Why should he MOUD =IRAN NOT succeed - nay, I say, how can he fail GIVEN ...
To wit,
* TOPIX/WORLDNEWS [old] > [USN Admiral] MULLEN: THERE IS NO WAY FOR THE US TO WIN A NON-NUCLEAR WAR AGZ IRAN.
ARTIC = What the US destroys in righteous B-52 BUFF'ing can ostensibly be rebuilt in time by Oil-Rich Iran, etal. Iran Allies; + there is likely NO WAY THE US CAN ACTUALLY INVADE IRAN WID A "VOLUNTEER ARMY" + related Econ, + WIDOUT RISKING MAJOR INTERNAT OR GEOPOL CONFRONTATION VEE RUSSIA, CHINA, ETC.
IOW, MULLEN > IRAN has already all but officially defeated or deterred a US-ISRAEL/ALLIED MILSTRIKE AGZ ITS NUCPROGS BEFORE ANY STRIKE EVEN OCCURS.
SUB-IOW > SHORT OF INTERNAT MIL INVASION + LT OCUPATION [Russ + China, etc. in agreement], ONLY IRAN CAN STOP IRAN FROM DEV ANY NUCLEAR WEAPONS.
SUB-SUB-IOW > [post-2012?]RADICAL ISLAM = MILTERR GROUPS WILL GET ITS NUKES.
[An Nahar] Hizbullah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah stressed that the party has a plans in store to confront all that is being prepared for it, whether on the internal scene or regarding the Special Tribunal for Leb, reported the daily Al Akhbar Monday.
According to the paper, Nasrallah held a series of meetings with a number of Hizbullah leaders, assuring them that in the end, all matters will fall in the party and its allies' favor.
Furthermore, he made light of March 14 statements and its media outlets alleging that Hizbullah intends on attacking the northern city of Tripoli and regions with a strong Lebanese Forces presence.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/12/2010 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] A Syrian agent who allegedly misled a U.N. probe into the killing of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri said Monday that he is living in a European country under the protection of the United Nations, aka the Oyster Bay Chowder and Marching Society.
"I'm living in a European country to save my life," Siddiq said in an oversees telephone call he made to Al-Jadeed television.
"I'm still subject to the U.N. witness protection program," Siddiq said when asked who was protecting him.
He said he is being threatened by a "side" which is known by the U.N.-backed investigation committee.
Siddiq said he met head of the police intelligence bureau Col. Wissam al-Hasan "only once," adding that he "never" met any of the Lebanese politicians. He stressed that what he said in his earlier testimony that Syrian officers were present in the southern suburbs is "real."
"IF they don't believe my testimony I'm am ready to go to Leb and face trial," Siddiq insisted,
He said he only gave one testimony about the car used in Hariri's murder and that Abu Adas was not in the vehicle.
Siddiq said Special Tribunal for Leb Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare said about him that he is not a credible witness and not a false witness, "meaning that I have to authenticate my testimony and not that I am a liar."
Posted by: Fred ||
10/12/2010 00:00 ||
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[Iran Press TV] Syria's hereditary president has sharply blasted Israel for a new law that forces non-Jewish people to take an oath of allegiance to Israel as a "Jewish state."
"The decision... expresses the Israeli fascism that appears in the killing and such decisions," Bashar "Pencilneck" al-Assad said on Monday.
He also criticized Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for hindering talks between Damascus and Tel Aviv.
"The Arab side really wants the peace processor and the Israeli side is working in the opposite direction," Assad said.
He made the remarks during a joint press conference with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan at al-Shaab palace in Damascus.
"There are ideas being put forward by some countries," Assad was quoted as saying by Rooters. "The atmosphere is not positive."
The Syrian president was referring to US and French moves to re-launch Syrian-Israeli talks which broke off in 2008 without an agreement.
The four rounds of Turkish-mediated talks stalled following Israel's December 2008-January 2009 assault on the Gazoo Strip, which left more than 1,400 Paleostinians dead.
Syria has repeatedly called on Israel to completely withdraw from the Golan Heights, which Israel occupied in the 1967 Middle East War.
However, The infamous However... Tel Aviv insists on talking to Syria without preconditions.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/12/2010 00:00 ||
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The jihadi version of "The one sex trick that will knock his socks off" and "This sweet hot pink is this season's new black". Introducing the first edition of Al Qaeda - Arab Peninsula's Inspire magazine.
"A random hit at a crowded restaurant in Washington, DC at lunch ... might end up knocking out a few government employees," one article reads, according to the private SITE Intelligence Group, which studies, tracks and analyses the global jihadist network and terrorism financing.
The edition also includes "The Ultimate Mowing Machine," which describes how to use a pickup truck "as a mowing machine, not to mow grass, but mow down the enemies of Allah." It says "to achieve maximum carnage, you need to pick up as much speed as you can while still retaining good control . . . to strike as many people as possible in your first run."
The magazine includes two articles by renegade US cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, who is on a US government kill-or-capture list for his alleged roles in the attempted Christmas Day airliner bombing, and inspiring the Fort Hood shooting of 13 troops. Army Major Nidal Hassan has been charged in the killings.
There's also an article by the so-called American al-Qaeda, Adam Gadahn.
Another American, Samir Khan, describes how he went from online jihadist in North Carolina to full-time terrorist in Yemen. The article is entitled, "I Am Proud to be a Traitor to America."
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has taken root in Yemen's remote and mountainous Shabwa province, far from the reach of the country's weak central government.
The group rose toward the top of the security agenda of the United States and other world powers after it was linked to the failed Christmas Day attempt to down a Detroit-bound US airliner. The would-be bomber had explosives sewn into his underwear.
The magazine's content reveals the group's evolving strategy of rejecting easier-to-stop spectacular attacks in favour of one-man operations, using everyday objects.
That shows the organisation is "increasingly agile, lethal and opportunistic," according to Yemeni scholar Christopher Boucek from the Carnegie Endowment.
The first edition included an article called "Make a Bomb in the Kitchen of Your Mom."
In the introduction to the latest magazine, the editors boast of "recent US assessments" that declared al-Qaeda of the Arabian Peninsula "one of the most dangerous branches of al-Qaeda." It concludes, "You haven't seen anything yet."
#2
Clearly these folks are out of touch with the reality in the US. Reminds me of a few years ago when some Chinese general threatened to drop an ICBM on LA - China couldn't understand the public response --" Cool. Go for it."
Apparently young Mr. Khan left for Yemen because his father joined with the mosque leadership to persuade him to give up his pro-jihad website. Mr. Khan, pere, is supposed to be devastated by his son's actions.
On our side of the pond the European stereotype of US is one of being very insularinward looking,lack of passports, have a poor knowledge of the world geography or history ifso from my visits to US i blame your media/News and school education and lack of International sports.
I saw this link which made me laugh and wondered whether there was any truth in this re the average Joe?
Posted by: Paul D ||
10/12/2010 18:39 Comments ||
Top||
#8
On our side of the pond the European stereotype of US...
Paul, people on your side of the pond have all sorts of quaint ideas. It makes them feel better. For a detailed look at the various stereotypes firmly believed in your part of the world since before the first colonist stepped foot on American soil (and modified slightly to account for the non-natives who later set up house here), read Anti-Americanism by the French philosopher-journalist Jean-Francois Revel. It's a slim volume, quickly read, and will pay you back in frequent, quiet smiles. You'll find yourself mentally going down the list when the subject comes up, noting that each time it's said in the kind of self-assured voice that implies they actual pondered the issue and drew the stated conclusion, instead of unthinkingly parroting "common knowledge". I required the trailing daughters read it before we went to Germany this summer, and my mother found it illuminated some confusing conversations she'd had with her European cousins over the years.
Two things I will concede:
1. Americans are not innately less stupid than non-American members of the species, and
2. Americans, being a pragmatic people, do not generally bother learning things they don't need or have an interest in. However, once they need it, they tend to master the subject. This is why only a few Americans know where Surrey is, but a quite a number know a great deal about the roads of Iraq.
Based on personal experience, I can assure you that American journalists are exactly as knowledgeable about the world and history as British and European journalists. Out of politeness we won't discuss how many Europeans think they know America because they've seen "Sex and the City", and visited New York City and Miami over the summer hols.
#9
DRUDGEREPORT > TERROR THREAT TO [crowded] RESTAURANTS AS AL-QAEDA [AQIY = aka AQAP] CALLS FOR ATTACKS ON GOVT. WORKERS IN D.C.
Uh, uh, AQIY/AQAP HATES BACON + WANTS THE US-WORLD MEDIAS TO KNOW IT???
* WND > MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD "DECLARES WAR ON US.
Muslim Bros. EL SUPREMO/CHIEF MUHAMMED BALI endorses concept of JIHAD AGZ AMERICA, + broadly agrees wid AL-QAEDA'S ideology; MB is considered the ideo "Parent/Mentor" org to OBL's Al-QAEDA + OTHER ISLAMIST MILITANT, TERR GROUPS.
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.
[Iran Press TV] The US administration has reportedly told Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to marginalize supporters of 
[Iran Press TV] The 
[Haaretz] The U.S. State Department on Monday dodged a direct response to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's offer to extend the settlement freeze in exchange for 
[Straits Times] ALLEGED Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout on Friday appealed against a Thai court ruling that removed a major obstacle to his extradition to the United States, his lawyer said.
[Iran Press TV] 
