[AlJazeera] Voting in the second round of Afghanistan's presidential election has ended with millions turning out to cast their ballots braving fresh attacks that left at least 14 people dead and 41 others injured.
A reminder: Iraqis had just voted in local elections before the current festivities started there. Voting is good but it's just one part of making a country work. Thugs need to be restrained (or better, whacked).
"We closed the polling stations on the time scheduled in 33 provinces," said Atal Amin, adviser to the election commission chief, after Saturday's voting.
"Only in Kandahar province, where the polling stations opened one hour later, can people vote until 5pm," he said.
The second round of voting to elect a successor to incumbent President Hamid Karzai pitted former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah against ex-World Bank economist Ashraf Ghani. Neither had secured the 50 percent majority needed to win outright in the first round on April 5.
Security remained tightened across the country after Taliban fighters threatened to attack the election, which they have condemned as a US-sponsored charade. Omer Daudzai, the country's interior minister, said in a media briefing that there had been around 150 attacks of various intensity across the country since the polls opened. The Afghan security forces had been able to deflect most of the violence, he said.
Al Jazeera's Imtiaz Tyab, reporting from Kabul, said there had been reports of rocket attacks in the capital shortly after the polls opened. He said there was a "huge security presence" in Kabul, with checkpoints and security forces all over the city.
About 200,000 soldiers from the Afghan army had been deployed at polling centres across the country.
'Shortly before the polls closed, Nicholas Haysom, the deputy chief of the UN mission, described the vote as "good" so far.
Counting the vote will take weeks. The preliminary result is due on July 2 and the final result on July 22.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/15/2014 00:00 ||
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Britain on Friday closed its consulate in the Kenyan port city of Mombasa, citing security concerns. All consular services have now been transferred to capital Nairobi, according to a Friday press statement issued by the U.K. High Commission.
"Following the changes made to our travel advice on Wednesday, May 14, the decision has been made to close our honorary consulate office in Mombasa," the statement read.
"The U.K. has a responsibility to inform British citizens of the potential threats aimed at both Kenya and the international community. The travel advice was recently amended to advise against all but essential travel to a specific area around Mombasa," it added.
"This change was driven solely by our objective assessment of the threat faced by British nationals living, working or travelling in the region," read the statement.
U.K. nationals have also been warned against travelling to areas near Kenya's border with Somalia and to Nairobi's Eastleigh district, a predominantly Somali neighborhood that has recently been the target of a massive police crackdown.
The closure of the U.K.'s Mombasa consulate comes one day after Kenya announced that it had allocated roughly $2 billion to boost public security.
Mombasa has been hard hit by militant attacks since Kenya sent troops to Somalia in 2011 to fight Al-Shabaab following a series of kidnappings of foreign tourists from Kenya's coast.
Al-Shabaab also claimed responsibility for Nairobi's 2013 Westgate Mall attack, in which 67 people were killed.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/15/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
Attitudes toward the West have become so bad Kenyans are now insisting Obama was indeed born in Hawaii.
Egypt's prosecution service has referred 13 men to trial for alleged sex attacks on women at Cairo's Tahrir Square, including during inaugural celebrations for new President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, officials have said.
The attacks took place on January 25, 2013, as Egypt marked the second anniversary of the 2011 revolt, and on June 3 and June 8 this year as locals marked Sisi's election victory and inauguration, the prosecutor general's office said on Saturday.
The 13 accused, including a minor, are charged with "kidnapping, raping, sexually attacking, attempting to murder and torturing the women", it said. If convicted of the charges, the defendants could be sentenced to life imprisonment.
According to the Associated Press news agency, Sisi paid a visit to one of the survivors of the violence, issuing what may be the first presidential apology to a civilian and promising her to take tough actions against the attackers.
Since the uprising that toppled long-time president Hosni Mubarak in 2011, the problem of sexual harassment has worsened in Egypt, with women regularly attacked during rallies by groups of men in and around Tahrir Square, the epicentre of protests.
Egypt, which had no specific law on sexual harassment, only recently approved penalties for such offences to include jail terms, fines or both. Harassers face between six months to five years in prison, with harsher sentences reserved for offenders holding a position of power over their victims, like being a woman's superior at work or being armed with a weapon.
Along with the maximum five-year sentence, offenders can be fined up to 5,000 Egyptian pounds, or about $714, with the maximum fine reserved for harassers who use a weapon or pressure.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/15/2014 00:00 ||
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[Pak Daily Times] Ruling out any negligence on its part over the death of seven personnel of a foreign company in Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... airport attack, Pakistain's commercial aviation regulator has claimed that the tragedy was not the result of its delayed rescue operation.
"There is no question of delay in rescue. CAA fire tenders move immediately to extinguish fire if and when such incidents happens irrespective of the fact whether any human being is trapped or not," the CAA said on Saturday. "That is the standard operating procedure."
Fingers are being pointed at the CAA for allegedly showing negligence in saving the lives of the seven workers of Gerry's Dnata Private Limited, a reputed international company that provides ground handling services to the airlines at major Pak airports, who were burnt alive as the cargo terminal caught fire in the terror attack.
The Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre Karachi, commonly known as Jinnah Hospital, conducted the autopsy of the bodies. The CAA said the Jinnah Hospital's post-mortem report has concluded that the deaths occurred approximately between 3:00 am to 9:00 am on June 09, 2014. The hospital received the bodies at 6:00 am on June 10, it said. "The post-mortem report confirmed that the time of deaths of the victims of terrorism was between as 24-30 hours before the time of the post-mortem. This should put to the rest the controversy in media that these tragic deaths were the result of the delayed rescue operation at the Gerry's Dnata's cold storage and the warehouse," the authority said in a statement.
The fire started due to the terror attack at around 11:25 pm on Sunday, June 8, the CAA said. But it was not before June 10 that the charred bodies of the seven victims were recovered by the CAA at around 5:30 am from the Gerry's Dnata office.
"The CAA immediately moved its fire tenders towards the sight, but they came under fire from the forces of Evil who were hiding in the cargo area. One CAA employee was injured and the firefighting team had to retreat."
At around 2:00 am, the CAA said, a second team also had to retreat 'as they too came under fire. At 3:42 am a third attempt was made, which continued fighting the fire till 5:50 pm."
Search and rescue operation of the cold storage was attempted and completed at7:50 pm, on June 09, the CAA said. "No bodies were found inside. Because of the fire the building had collapsed and there were strong fumes of chemicals." Apparently bailing itself out, the CAA said during the terror attack its senior management was 'busy behind the scene in many activities for example: informing all the flights in the air that airport is closed and redirecting others to alternate airports; informing many airports from where flights were expected; evacuating passengers who were in the planes and lounges at the Jinnah Terminal, helping and assisting the security agencies."
"All the members of the CAA management and the staff worked round the clock during and after the attack as per the SOPs for which they are fully trained."
Posted by: Fred ||
06/15/2014 00:00 ||
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Pakistan's government on Saturday filed an appeal with the country's Supreme Court seeking to overturn a decision allowing ex-military ruler Pervez Musharraf to leave the country, his lawyer said.
"The federal government has filed an appeal in the Supreme Court," Ahmad Raza Kasuri, a member of Musharraf's legal team, told AFP.
The move comes after a court in Karachi on Thursday ordered the lifting of a travel ban imposed on the 70-year-old, a ruling his supporters hoped would draw a line under a raft of legal troubles.
Musharraf has been battling several court cases â including treason charges for imposing emergency rule in 2007 â since he returned to Pakistan last year to contest elections, stoking tensions between civilian authorities and the powerful military.
Still happy you came back, Perv?
Akram Sheikh, a senior lawyer who is the chief prosecutor in the treason case, confirmed an appeal had come from the attorney general's office.
Observers say the former general's exit from Pakistan could help ease tensions between the army and civilian authorities at a time when the country is fighting a resurgent Taliban following a brazen attack on Karachi's airport last week.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/15/2014 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] A union of Sunni Moslemholy mans on Saturday criticized calls for Iraqi Shiites to fight a jihadist-led myrmidon offensive in northern Iraq, which the body called a "Sunni revolution".
The Doha-based International Union of Moslem Scholars said developments in Iraq were a "result of oppression and exclusion of people that wanted freedom," in reference to the country's minority Sunni Arab community.
The union, which is led by influential holy man Yusef al-Qaradawi ...crackpot Egyptian Islamist theologian. He is best known for his program Shariah and Life on Al Jazeera, with an estimated audience of 60 million kindred souls worldwide. He is also well-known for IslamOnline, which occasionally advocates things like slavery and thumping the old lady with a rod no thicker than an inch, and has published more than 120 books, including Islam: The Future Civilization. Joe has long had a prominent role within the intellectual leadership of the Moslem Brüderbund. Some of his views have been controversial in the West, though less so among the rubes of the Mysterious East, and he was refused entry to the United Kingdom in 2008. In 2004, 2,500 Muslim academics from Saudi Arabia, Iraq and from the Palestinian territories condemned Qaradawi, and accused him of giving Islam a bad name.... , who is linked to the Moslem Brüderbund, denounced "sectarian fatwa edicts calling for arms among our Shiite brothers" insisting they would lead to "devastating sectarian war."
"We urge our Shiite brothers in Iraq and elsewhere, and Sunnis, to avoid being the fuel for an awful sectarian war, and call on them to stand by their Sunni brothers to reach a viable solution," it said.
Thousands of Shiite volunteers have reportedly signed up after revered Shiite holy man Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani called on Iraqis to join the fight against the myrmidons.
A major offensive, spearheaded by powerful jihadist group the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant ... the current version of al-Qaeda in Iraq, just as blood-thirsty and well-beloved as the original... but also involving late dictator Saddam Hussein's supporters, has overrun a large chunk of northern and north-central Iraq since Monday.
The holy manal union said the insurgency "could not have been led by one Islamist party," a reference to ISIL, instead describing it as a "all-out Sunni revolution."
"This is not a revolution against the Shiites. It is aimed at recovering legitimate rights," it said, calling for the formation of a "national unity government."
Posted by: Fred ||
06/15/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
The opening shots of the great Moslem civil war.
The Sunnis are calling BS on Sistani and giving their guys theological cover to do what they've been doing...tut tut...anything goes after all those Shia are just a bunch of demon spawned apostates and heretics.
Posted by: Bill Clinton ||
06/15/2014 12:09 Comments ||
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#2
Which is the most violent religion Sunni or Shia?
[Pak Daily Times] Shia Iran offered Saturday to consider working with longtime foe the United States if it takes the lead in helping push back Sunni Arab turbans who have seized a swathe of northern Iraq.
The offer came as Iraqi commanders said the army was preparing a fightback north of Storied Baghdad, bolstered by thousands of Shiite volunteers who have signed up in response to a call to arms by top holy man Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani. Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki visited the besieged shrine city of Samarra north of the capital Friday to rally troops and pray at the Al-Askari mausoleum, a revered Shiite shrine whose 2006 bombing by Al-Qaeda sparked sectarian conflict that killed tens of thousands.
President Barack Obama Because I won... said he was "looking at all the options" to halt the offensive that has brought jihadist-led turbans within 50 miles (80 kilometres) of Storied Baghdad city limits but ruled out any return of US combat troops. "We will not be sending US troops back into combat in Iraq, but I have asked my national security team to prepare a range of other options that could help support Iraqi security forces," he said.
Obama has been under mounting fire from his Republican opponents over the swift collapse of the Iraqi security forces, which Washington spent billions of dollars training and equipping before pulling out its own troops in 2011. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who since his election last June has overseen a rapprochement with a superpower it long derided as the "Great Satan™," said his government was prepared to consider offering help. "If we see that the United States takes action against terrorist groups in Iraq, then one can think about it," Rouhani told a presser.
The Iraqi cabinet has granted the Shiite premier "unlimited powers" to reverse the lightning offensive, which has seen the turbans sweep down towards Storied Baghdad after overrunning second city djinn-infested Mosul ... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn... on Tuesday. A colonel from the military command responsible for Samarra, a city 110 kilometres (70 miles) north of the capital, said reinforcements from the federal police and army arrived on Friday. The officer said the reinforcements were for a drive against areas north of the city, including Dur and Tikrit, that turbans seized in their drive south earlier this week.
Security forces were awaiting orders to begin, the colonel said. On Friday, police and residents expelled turbans from the Dhuluiyah area, just 90 kilometres (60 miles) north of Storied Baghdad, where they had set up checkpoints, witnesses said. "Residents are now firing into the air" in celebration, witness Abu Abdullah told AFP. Security forces have generally performed poorly, with some abandoning their vehicles and positions and discarding their uniforms. But they have been bolstered by a flood of volunteers since Sistani urged Iraqis Friday to join up to defend the country.
A representative of Sistani, who is adored by Shiites but rarely appears in public, made the call from the shrine city of Karbala, south of Storied Baghdad. "Citizens who are able to bear arms and fight terrorists, defending their country and their people and their holy places, should volunteer and join the security forces to achieve this holy purpose," the representative said. Obama said that while the United States was willing to help out, Iraq needed to take steps to heal the deep divide between the Shiite-led government and the Sunni Arab minority, whose resentment has been exploited by the jihadists.
"The United States will not involve itself in military action in the absence of a political plan by the Iraqis that gives us some assurance that they're prepared to work together," Obama said. "We won't allow ourselves to be dragged back into a situation in which, while we're there. we're keeping a lid on things and, after enormous sacrifices by us, as soon as we're not there, suddenly people end up acting in ways that are not conducive to the long-term stability of the country."
"Any action that we may take to provide assistance to Iraqi security forces has to be joined by a serious and sincere effort by Iraq's leaders to set aside sectarian differences." Pentagon front man Rear Admiral John Kirby declined to say what kind of response was being prepared. He confirmed that the US aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush and its strike group were in the region and ready to act. The US navy said the carrier group was in the Arabian Sea.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/15/2014 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
Can't wait for Cmdr. Zero to begin referring to the Iranians as our "Partners in Peace."
#2
The regime is being careful not to refer to the Shia led government as a 'radical apartheid state.' Terms of reference such as 'apartheid' are reserved for Israel, and for the causative origins of poverty in Africa.
#3
a political plan by the Iraqis that gives us some assurance that they're prepared to work together
And what are we gonna do if they ask us for the same thing?
I have no idea what we're going to do, but with this commander- in-chief I'm pretty sure it's not going to be favorably compared to Stonewall in the Shenandoah.
Posted by: Matt ||
06/15/2014 12:57 Comments ||
Top||
#8
I've said enough about OWG Globalism includ Co-Superpower agendums this AM, so for time being I'll just post wid ...
* BHARAT RAKSHAK > [Independent.UK] IRAQ CRISIS: WEST MUS TAKE UP TEHRAN'S OFFER TO BLOCK ISIS VICTORY.
* RUSSIA TODAY > VIDEO: MULTIPLE GROUPS MAY BE JOINING JIHADISTS IN FIGHT AGZ IRAQI GOVT, in support of the ISIS/ISIL.
In particular Sunni former or current Soldiers from Saddam's time.
VERSUS
* AGENCE FREE-PRESSE [AFP] > IRAN WARNS WESTERN ANTIONS AGZ INTERVENTION IN IRAQ.
OWG Co-Superpower IRAN says Iraq is now their turf.
* WAFF > [Firatajans.COM] HAS THE TURKISH ARMY TRAINED ISIS MILITANTS IN FALLUJAH?
Perhaps more importantly, DOES IRAN KNOW???
* FYI BHARAT RAKSHAK > [Silk Road Reporters]CASPIAN LITTORAL STATES [Russia, Iran, Kazakhistan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan] TO BAN OUTSIDE MILITARIES ON THE SEA.
[Iraq Sun] Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki vowed to defeat the insurgent groups as troops and volunteers gathered in Samarra city to fight the militants trying to march toward capital city Baghdad.
"Samarra is not the last line, but it will be a gathering point and a launch pad to clear all areas," Xinhua quoted Maliki as saying in a speech broadcast Saturday, made during his visit to Samarra late Friday.
"Hundreds of thousands of volunteers are with you. It is only hours to the volunteers to arrive to support the security forces in their war against the gangs of Daash (Arabic first letters of the Islamic State in Iraq and Levant ISIL)," Maliki said at a meeting with military officers and provincial officials late Friday.
Thousands of volunteers responded to a call by the country's most revered Shiite cleric in Iraq Grand Ayatollah Ali al- Sistani, who called on Iraqis Friday to take up arms for defending their country against insurgent groups.
Meanwhile, the Iraqi security forces Saturday re-took control of three towns in Salahudin province lying north of Baghdad, while troops were also being deployed in Tikrit city in the south for a military offensive later, a provincial police source said. The troops backed by residents of Ishaqi town, 90 km from Baghdad, clashed with the militant groups and recaptured the town earlier seized by them, a source said.
Security forces also attacked the nearby town of al- Mu'tasim, 100 km from Baghdad, and seized it from the militants' control, the source added.
The Sunni-dominated Tikrit city, the hometown of former president Saddam Hussein, has been in the gunmen's hands since Wednesday.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/15/2014 00:00 ||
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[Iraq Sun] Iraq's top Shiite holy man exhorted all able-bodied Iraqis to take up arms Friday after advancing Sunni-led bully boyz seized more towns.
US President Barack Obama Ready to Rule from Day One... has meanwhile ruled out sending US troops into combat in Iraq but said that other options are being reviewed as crude oil prices scaled to their highest levels this year.
Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani's appeal was the most urgent sign of the heightening concern of the country's Shiite majority as Sunni forces of Evil widened their grip in the north and east of Iraq, and threatened to march south, towards Storied Baghdad.
Sistani used Friday prayers to call for those "capable of carrying arms" to stand up to the Sunni forces of Evil from the al-Qaeda-inspired Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant ... the current version of al-Qaeda in Iraq, just as blood-thirsty and well-beloved as the original... (ISIS) who took two more towns overnight and were reportedly fighting just 50 miles from Storied Baghdad.
"People who are capable of carrying arms and fighting the forces of Evil in defence of their country ... should volunteer to join the security forces to achieve this sacred goal," said Sheikh Abdulmehdi al-Karbalai, delivering Sistani's message.
The UN says hundreds have been killed - with forces of Evil carrying out summary executions of civilians in djinn-infested Mosul ... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn...
The US is meanwhile weighing its options. Secretary of State John F. I was in Vietnam, you know Kerry Former Senator-for-Life from Massachussetts, self-defined war hero, speaker of French, owner of a lucky hat, conqueror of Cambodia, and current Secretary of State... told an audience in London: "Given the gravity of the situation I would anticipate timely decisions from the President regarding the challenge."
Obama did not specify what options he was considering, but he ruled out sending US troops back into combat in Iraq.
"We're not going to allow ourselves to be dragged back into a situation in which, while we're there we're keeping a lid on things, and after enormous sacrifices by us, after we're not there, people start acting in ways that are not conducive to the long-term stability and prosperity of the country," Obama said from the South Lawn of the White House.
The ISIS forces of Evil have already taken Mosul, the country's second city, and Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's birthplace and stronghold.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/15/2014 00:00 ||
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The US aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush has been ordered to move into the Arabian Gulf by US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, Anadolu agency reported. The vessel will move from the North Arabian Sea and, if any military options are required, the US Commander-in-Chief had the scope "to protect American lives, citizens and interests in Iraq", Pentagon secretary John Kirby said on Saturday.
A US Defense Department statement read: "The USS George H.W. Bush departed her home port of Norfolk, Virginia, in February of this year and is operating in the Middle East region as part of an on-going rotation of forward-deployed forces to support maritime security operations."
"The ships are expected to complete their transit into the Gulf later this evening."
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/15/2014 00:00 ||
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#2
Yeah, casualties suffered by the good/bad guys (who are we supporting in MENA again?) will be collateral in nature. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
Britain said on Saturday it would provide $5 million of emergency humanitarian assistance to help civilians fleeing the militants who have overrun a large chunk of northern Iraq.
Five million dollars. How .. generous...
The initial support package includes medicine, clean water and sanitation equipment, basic household items and hygiene kits for women. It also includes "protection for vulnerable girls and women through the deployment of dedicated UN safety and welfare teams" in camps, the Department for International Development said in a statement.
I borrow from Rambo in talking with the "dedicated UN safety and welfare teams" --
"We're here to help!"
"Did you bring weapons?"
"No! Certainly not!"
"Then you ain't helping."
DFID humanitarian experts were sent to Iraq on Thursday.
In a tweet on Saturday, British Foreign Secretary William Hague said he had spoken to his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu "urgently to coordinate approaches to the instability in Iraq and links to Syria".
Hague had said on Wednesday there was "no question" of British troops being sent back to Iraq to help battle the militants who have seized control of key cities.
While the situation was of great concern, the government was "not countenancing at this stage any British military involvement", he said.
He's not helping either...
He added that he believed Iraq had sufficient forces to counter the threat.
If they can be convinced to fight. That means leadership from sergeants, captains and colonels. Maliki has been replacing all the U.S. trained leaders from 2008 with his pals, so leadership may not be there.
Iraqi commanders said on Saturday the army was preparing to fight back in the north of Baghdad, bolstered by thousands of Shia volunteers who have signed up.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/15/2014 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Iraq
#1
Wouldn't mind betting that some of that money is going toward security contractors for places like Rumaila, biggest Iraqi oil field - 38% BP owned. Also has technical service contract with Iraqs state-owned South Oil Company. BP just announced record profits of 4.13 billion US dollars. $5M for security would somewhat protect these investments in perilous times.
#2
Looking good babe! Also Bildbergs showing net gains of 20 to 30 %, Illumanti up a thriving 44%. But Screaming Green Lizards in Denver split 2 for 1 and show a gain of 96% YOY! Wow it's never been so good for crazy!
#4
Two posts? Sensitive subject I see. Shipman, I was on the TOC in Erbil, Kurdistan, and then the TEC. Tender was awarded to WARMAR, owned by former US Officers, now contractors, in spite of far more competitive offers. No secret, no tin foil hats - just the published facts. The geopolitical oil map parallels the geopolitical conflict map. (The petrodollar is the world reserve currency, and needs to be backs by oil and not the fiat to remain viable.) If you want we can go deeper I can...otherwise let my innocuous little comments go. I like to read your generally excellent blog and news items, but the Mods needs to ease up a little.
#6
In that case Incredulous I apologize. When I start seeing Oil Company's as root of all evil I tend to figure the worst. Glad you are here, and again, I am sorry i jumped to a stupid conclusion. Also welcome.
#13
Nah, I think you are both right. I was recently sold a yarn from Cobra Commander, LLC.
The salesman was good; didn't find much fault until the shipping containers of troops showed up in Portland; but at that point the cake was made he was just putting on decorative icing.
#16
For the record. Pappy is like the Marines. Perhaps some of the others. I'm not sure what that means, though I have an idea, but I'm pretty sure that I'm exactly not like the Marines. I got a cluebat when they made me a moderator, for reasons I still don't understand, but mine is padded and has periwinkle ribbons on the handle.
Welcome to the conversation, Incredulous, though you've been here a bit. Don't worry about misunderstanding Shipman -- he studied anthropology before joining the Navy, so his reference list is deeper than most. Considerably deeper than mine, but I trust that there's a joke in there somewhere that I would appreciate if I knew. That happens to me a lot round here. I hang around because there's so much to learn, and so many willing to share what they know. Also, snark. And recently, poetry. ;-)
"The gloves are off. The White House has now unequivocally designated Israel as the scapegoat and is meting out punishment for the disastrous outcome of the peace negotiations it initiated."
#7
"Behold, you are trusting in Egypt USA, that broken reed of a staff, which will pierce the hand of any man who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh Obama king of Egypt USA to all who trust in him."
Posted by: James ||
06/15/2014 21:23 Comments ||
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[Ynet] Former Sayeret Matkal commander MK Bar-Lev says border fences will stop kidnappers from moving yeshiva students anywhere.
Israeli security forces continued combing through the Hebron area on Saturday, but did not rule out the possibility that the three missing yeshiva students were transferred to either Jordan or the Gazoo Strip. Even so, chances the three are no longer in the West Bank are viewed as very low.
"I think there's a very small chance" the teens are no longer in the West Bank, former Sayeret Matkal commander MK Omer Bar-Lev (Labor) told Ynet.
"We have a separation barrier in the Jordan Valley, a security fence around the Gazoo Strip. Chances are they are in Judea and Samaria, but not necessarily in the Hebron area."
While the defense system believes there's a slim chance the teens were transferred to Jordan or Gazoo, the army took no risks and stationed roadblocks on main traffic routes to monitor cars driving through the area.
Former Deputy Director of Shin Bet, MK Yisrael Hasson (Kadima), said that when IDF soldier Nachshon Wachsman was kidnapped in 1994, there were also assessments he had been transferred to another area, which later proved to be wrong. "The entire defense system was looking at Gazoo, and eventually the kidnappers were tracked down to Beitunia (in the West Bank)."
On the possibility the three teens were taken to Jordan, Hasson noted that he "wasn't sure Jordan is safer for them than Tel Aviv. Jordan is a sovereign state with a strong intelligence apparatus and a clear message - no one will embarrass us."
Ynet's military analyst Ron ben Yishai said the chances the three were taken to Gazoo were slim.
"The IDF's intelligence capabilities in Judea and Samaria are very good. There are sensors on the ground in addition to human intelligence and the Shin Bet agents on the field. We also saw the use of drones and military surveillance blimp in order to prevent the kidnappers from taking the teens anywhere."
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.
Pakistan's government on Saturday filed an appeal with the country's Supreme Court seeking to overturn a decision allowing ex-military ruler Pervez Musharraf to leave the country, his lawyer said.
And all of this time I thought he was sleeping during my sermons. 
