Dozens of Muslim grave stones have been smashed and pushed over in a cemetery in Handsworth in Birmingham.
The desecration was discovered on Friday morning by relatives visiting the Muslim part of the cemetery.
Leaflets were also scattered with insults against Muslims, they were attributed to Black Nation.
Last month riots involving Asian and black youths took place in nearby Lozells, sparked by a claim that a 14-year-old black girl had been raped.
West Midlands Police are at the scene collecting the leaflets and taking statements from those who found them.
Between 35 and 45 grave stones had been desecrated, it was reported.
The BBC's Phil Mackie, who was at the scene, said the leaflets were roughly photocopied and the messages could refer to the so far unsubstantiated rumour which led to the riots.
It is not known if Black Nation is a real group or has been made up.
He said that many of the relatives tending the graves were there because of the Muslim festival of Eid.
Perry Barr MP Khalid Mahmood was also at the cemetery.
He said: "These are disgraceful events, deliberately done to entice people. They are definitely trying to cause more problems particularly on this day when Muslim people are coming to pay their respects."
He called on Muslim people not to react to the vandalism.
"We can't point the finger at a single community, individuals have done this but we are not sure who."
He said the person responsible must have had some understanding of the Muslim religion to pick the day of Eid to act.
Birmingham City Councillor Len Gregory said "We are all saddened at such senseless vandalism and our immediate concern is to re-establish the headstones in their rightful place and restore peace and tranquillity to the cemetery."
He said arrangements would be made to put the headstones back in place as quickly as possible and were contacting all the registered grave owners about the damage.
When Jewish graves were desecrated in London's East End it weren't the black community what did it...
Posted by: Howard UK ||
11/04/2005 07:32 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
When a certain kind of fool (i.e. Fukuyama and other pet intellectuals of the elites) starts pleading for more assimilation, it's probably too late and a safe bet to go contrarian -- I predict that the next twenty years or so are going to be the age of ethnic cleansing. Multiculturalism is dead. Yugoslavia was just the beginning. Maybe if the Euros had acted decisively -- both internally and externally -- after Dubrovnik we might now be at the beginning stages of a very long and painful process of assimiliation with good odds of success.
BTW, I'm rather suprised that the BBC is calling them "Muslim" rather than "Asian" graves. It's actually kind of funny that the Beeb refers to "Muslim" graves in the first line and then reverts back to the politically correct "Asian" in the third. Can only dead Asians be Muslims? And aren't good Muslims not supposed to have graves, or is that just a Wahhabi thing?
#3
BTW, I'm rather suprised that the BBC is calling them "Muslim" rather than "Asian" graves
They were the victims. The racial identity of victims is relevant, if they're minorities.
I'm shocked they identified leaflets as coming from a group named "Black Nation", though their bit about not knowing if the group was made up could be considered weaseling.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
11/04/2005 8:23 Comments ||
Top||
#4
So, instead of assimilation we get two decades of ethnic cleansing. You sound almost giddy at the prosepct.
You know, I brought up Dubrovnik because I remember how very sad I was while that was happening. While my information was being filtered then through the MSM and and didn't have the knowledge base that the Internet gives me now, I knew that something was terribly wrong then.
Do not, OT3361, mistake my harshness for giddiness. I am hard on the Euros because I think that is the only way that we can get through to them now. Every moment in time is a nexus that branches off into many different futures. Some of those European futures involve much suffering and blood. The Euros are living the bright, technocolor dream of multiculturalism right now. Reality is much darker. How do we get them to awaken from the dream and confront reality? Soemtimes you have to shake the dreamer to awaken him.
I want European civilization to succeed and prosper. I don't think that it will the way things are going right now.
#5
Multi-culturalism and assimilation are antithetical, not synonomous. In calling for assimilation, Fukuyama et al are asking for an end to the technicolor dream of multiculturalism to preserve European culture even if in new vessels. You seem to be calling for the destruction of the vessels that might preserve a culture that is otherwise literally committing suicide by failing to reproduce itself.
#7
OT3361: As a half-Mexican, half-Anglo kid who lived in E.L.A until he was ten, I am very pro-assimilation, believe me. It's not like I hang around Rantburg preaching the MEChA line. What I was trying to say in my previous posts was that if folks like Fukuyama are suddenly preaching assimilation, it's probably too late. The time to preach assimilation was 1991, not 2005. Analogy: It's like being an investor and waiting until the mainstream analysts came out in support of the dot com boom. Is assimilation still possible? I dunno? I hope it is, but I am not holding my breath. Final point: Europe is just the tip of the ethnic cleansing iceberg. Darfur, Thailand, Kashmir, the Altoplano, etc, etc... it's happening on every continent with a lesser or greater degree of violence. Whether one wants to admit it or not, this is an age of ethnic cleansing. We need to start dealing with it realistically.
Funny you should ask that, Raptor. I've been thinking a lot about Frank Herbert recently. He looks into the future, sees the chaos that high technology brings to human affairs and consistently creates these totalitarian or conspiratorial governments to control the chaos. Maybe subconsciously I used some of his imagery. His writing approaches poetry at points, though.
#8
To reinforce 11's point: The mouth pieces for the rioters in France aren't asking to be assimilated; they're demanding self-governance. How can you assimilate a population that doesn't want it?
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
11/04/2005 9:47 Comments ||
Top||
#9
11a5s, ethnic cleansing has always been with us. It's absence over the last 50 years is the exception that you are correct, the Europeans failed to take advantage of. They watch us flailing with our own racial issues, felt smug and self satisfied and are now paying the piper.
Nonetheless, the only two realistic ways to deal with the situation I see are assimilation or ethnic cleansing. The past is gone. Only the present is under our control. It's never too late to start assimilation. The alternative is to let the ball of ethnic cleansing sweep the globe as you correctly perceive.
How do you assimilate a population? The way America has for the last hundred years or so, You open the doors to those who want to become American and close them to those who don't. The problem with multi-culturalism is it wanted to keep the doors open to those who didn't want to become Aemrican. Big mistake. Make becoming an American relatively easy and very attractive. The children do it themselves. Why do you think so many Chinese in the Bay Area send their kids to Saturday Chinese School? Nothing wrong with it, but they do it because they can see their children being drawn out of Chinese culture and into American culture and they want to stop it. But how many of those kids will send their children to Saturday Chinese School? Especially if they marry an ethnic non-Chinese?
It's happened with every immigrant group that has come here because being an American is an intellectual condition, not a blood type. The Euros have to get to that point also. I guess our difference is whether they should try because they have run out of time and boxed themselves in with too many unassimilated Islamists. I think they still should. And that could involve deportations discrimination against non-assimilators and other unpleasnatries to encourage assimilation. But not ethnic cleansing. Europe does that too well.
#11
Why do you think so many Chinese in the Bay Area send their kids to Saturday Chinese School?
Spaimble Hupeack4040: I graduated Magna Cum Laude from a Saturday Chinese School, veteran, former MIG pilot (wong stowie, wont go into it), 3+/3+ in English, puter literate, and still can't find work.
Posted by: MAJ Wang Wei ||
11/04/2005 10:39 Comments ||
Top||
#12
Given Europe's history. I doubt that assimilation is in the cards. So, it becomes evict or Euarabia. Flip the coin.
Separately, France has always prided itself on being the country other than the U.S. where anyone who chooses the idea of France is a Frenchman. And yet it still didn't work.
#15
On the matter of ethnic cleansing. Any timetable for the 'right of return' of the Silesian Germans?
Didn't think so. It's interesting how long people hold onto myths.
#16
Spaimble Hupeack4040, dear, sit down and have a cup of tea. It's not that I don't love you just as musch as the Major, but you never mentioned to the 'Burg that you are a highly qualified, recently retired military man/woman who still can't find work, and who might be suited for something I happen to know about. Are you?
#17
"To reinforce 11's point: The mouth pieces for the rioters in France aren't asking to be assimilated; they're demanding self-governance. How can you assimilate a population that doesn't want it?"
And ive heard comments to the effect that there are folk in the banlieues who LIKE what Sarkosy has to say - after all its THEIR cars that are being burnt, and THEIR lives disrupted. There are of course imams and others who seem to want to take advantage of the riots to get positioned as mediators (can anybody spell "povertician" - does that date me?) but I dont know that the majority of the banlieus supports the rioters.
Sarkosy seems to have the right idea - crush the scum (IE the gangs) and assimilate the law-abiding folks.
#18
"Separately, France has always prided itself on being the country other than the U.S. where anyone who chooses the idea of France is a Frenchman. And yet it still didn't work."
Er, note that it worked for many - Sarkosy himself is of Hungarian origin. Rather its not working NOW - one, because the original sense of Frenchness as an idea is weakened by excessive multiculturalism - also cause racism makes white people have trouble applying models of assimilation to non-whites (something we have plenty of experience with in the US - the French have long thought they were exempt from that sort of thing - well they were WRONG) And cause the French socio-economic model, which was functional in an earlier economic era, is unable to keep up in todays high tech globalized world.
#20
LH: Agreed. Crush the scum, then assimilate. The question is how long will it take to crush the scum?
The other question I have is how long will it take for the French to really assimilate the Arabs? Let's face it, you force kids into trade school based on test scores in 8th grade.* All the muslim kids go to crappy schools. Thus they never get to go to college prep and never get into college. Also, the French aren't creating jobs for the Muslims. I read that the unemployment rate is 5% for French college grads and 25% for Muslim college grads. The kids in the suburbs who go to trade school don't have a chance.
* It should by now make sense to everyone why I have been griping about the European education system for the last three years. It's essentially tolitarian character stunts lives.
George Galloway's attempts to clear his name over the oil-for-food scandal suffered another setback yesterday when his spokesman confirmed that he had received payments from a businessman identified as a beneficiary of the scheme. Ron McKay said he had received $15,666 from Fawaz Zureikat, an associate of Mr Galloway, in August 2000.
Nice knife you have sticking out of your back there, George.
Mr McKay had previously questioned the allegation, levelled against him by US investigators, telling one newspaper that the payment did not "ring any bells". The former journalist has acted as a spokesman for Mr Galloway throughout the [investigation]. Earlier this week Mr Galloway was also named as a political beneficiary of the scheme by the independent committee investigating the scandal for the UN. The committee found that Mr Galloway and Mr Zureikat had between them been allocated 18 million barrels of oil. Mr Galloway has denied profiting from the scheme. Among the many accusations levelled by the independent inquiry committee led by former US Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker was that Mr Zureikat had paid $120,000 into Mr Galloway's wife's account in 2000. It was also alleged that the Mariam Appeal, which Mr Galloway chaired, received at least $446,000 in connection with several allocations granted under the oil-for-food programme. Yesterday Mr McKay said he had now checked his bank statements and was able to confirm he had received a payment from Mr Zureikat and $15,666 had been transferred into his personal account in August 2000.
"Oh, that bank transfer. I used to be a journalist. I'm not really good with numbers, you know."
He said the payment went into a personal account by mistake and that it was intended to be sent to a business account, into which it was later moved. "I've had many midnight trysts business dealings with Fawaz Zureikat over the years. He was a director of a company that we were in together," he said. "The payment was nothing to do with oil. I have not benefited from it. It was later channelled to Switzerland where it should have gone." And he said that his confirmation of the payment should not be seen as in any way corroborating the claims made against Mr Galloway. "I'm not going to be used as a stick to beat George Galloway with," he said.
#4
The term is "commingling", and it is quite illegal in most jurisdictions for the fiduciary of a charity (Breach of Fiduciary) to commingle charity and personal funds. And that's the very best face you can put on it, McKay.
Now if it can be proven that you're full of shit, lol, then it gets much much worse.
As for Georgie, lol, the several perjury counts on top of that are as sweet as summer wine.
#8
CS, had no idea that can be considered a mitigating circumstance.
I'm sure it's in the UN charter somewhere.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
11/04/2005 8:20 Comments ||
Top||
#9
Monday, October 24, 2005; From Liz Neisloss Posted: 10:10 p.m. EDT (02:10 GMT) UNITED NATIONS (CNN)
Galloway's now estranged wife, Dr. Amineh Abu-Zayyad, received roughly $150,000 in oil money.
In an interview with subcommittee members on July 7, former Iraqi Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz said, "The oil allocations we gave to George Galloway were in the name of either [Buhan Al-Chalabi] or to [Fawaz] Zureikat."
Nearer, my Allah, to thee, nearer to thee!
E'en though it be oil bucks that raiseth me,
still all my song shall be,
nearer, my Allah, to thee;
nearer, my Allah, to thee, nearer to thee!
Latin America: Brazilians are rightly angry over allegations of illegal campaign donations from Fidel Castro. True or not, they coincide with an alarming weakness in foreign policy that benefits the Cuban dictator.
Was there a connection? We wonder for two reasons. First, Castro in recent years has aggressively sought influence across Latin America on a scale not seen since the 1960s. Second, Brazil has been oddly passive in response. Fortified by the record-high oil earnings of his Venezuelan ally, Castro's had a free hand to whip up anti-capitalism and anti-Americanism in a bid to confront the West.
Ah, so that's where Hugo's oil money is going.
Brazil is no dinky state. Its $794 billion economy is Latin America's largest and the world's 11th biggest. Its strong democracy of 186 million people can easily assert regional leadership. But it has looked the other way even when a pariah like Castro threatens its interests. Among those interests are energy. Brazil's GDP grew 4.9% last year, will expand 3.3% this year and has averaged 2.9% since 1993. Over the same 12-year period, its energy needs have grown 33%, raising the stakes as resources grow tight.
We've already noted how Castro has cranked up pork-barrel spending in Brazil's neighbor, Bolivia, in the heat of its own presidential campaign. The largess is conditioned on votes for Castro's favored candidate, Evo Morales, who wants to nationalize Bolivia's energy.
If Morales wins, the biggest victim of his expropriations will be Brazil's state oil firm, Petrobras, which supplies a major part of Brazil's economic powerhouse, the Sao Paulo region, with natural gas. Petrobras' investment is so large it makes up 20% of Bolivia's economy.
Petrobras already has been a target there. Last May, a car bomb blew up at its headquarters in Santa Cruz, and leftist groups aligned with Castro have said their aim is to expel Petrobras from Bolivia. Petrobras also was one of four foreign oil companies targeted in Ecuador last summer by organized pipeline-smashing leftists believed to be aligned with Castro and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Again, Brazil said nothing.
And Brazil certainly hasn't challenged Castro's ally, Chavez, who's treated Petrobras as harshly as 30 other multinationals. This year Chavez bullied Petrobras out of the 1997 service contract it paid for and forced it to join a minority "partnership" with the state oil firm on unknown terms, giving up its right to international arbitration.
With its interests threatened, Brazil should have the diplomatic muscle to force Castro and his allies to back off. But for some reason, it's held back, choosing silence when what's required is leadership.
Such reticence is even more disturbing considering that Brazil hasn't been afraid to speak up about neighboring states that have tried to defend themselves from Castro's meddling. In September, Paraguay endured Brazil's wrath for its talks with the U.S. to establish a 400-troop presence, possibly to help with security, given the explosive situation in bordering Bolivia. Instead of supporting Paraguay, Brazil said there was "no need" for such security and demanded that Paraguay disclose all its security plans with the U.S., something Castro would also like to know.
Did Castro's campaign contributions, reported in Veja news magazine and said to total $3 million, end up compromising the foreign policy of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's administration? We don't know. But if Castro's cash bought anything in Brazil, it's tragic because Lula was elected president as an un-Castroâ a clean, responsible democratic leader. Brazilians hoped he'd be neither a corrupt machine pol nor a hard-core communist. If a couple of influential aides took money from Castro and enacted a passive foreign policy, it paints a very different picture â what old Soviet analysts used to call Finlandization.
When President Bush visits Brasilia this weekend, he should urge Lula to wake up about Castro and start acting as a credible force to counter his spreading influence. It's not just outposts like Bolivia where Castro's threatening democracy.
Posted by: Steve ||
11/04/2005 10:05 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[8 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Brazil: Its strong democracy of 186 million people can easily assert regional leadership.
???
more like, lawless and corrupt. which begs the question, is Brazil really a strong democracy? I doubt if Fidel thinks so.
Posted by: Red Dog ||
11/04/2005 12:57 Comments ||
Top||
#2
RD when the Brazilian people recently voted and rejected gun control, you know the desire for democracy is still there.
#5
The Commies know Dubya's GMD requires an inner ring of BMD defenses and recce, which is why they, espec the Chicoms are intesifying their ventures in Central and South America. Where Dubya's GMD is concerned, the potens inner layer(s) runs right smack thru CUBA-HISPANOLA/SANTO DOMINGO. Since the fall of dat dar BERLIN WALL in 1989 thru 9-11, every COLD WAR Amer Ally has found itself surrounded by Injuns - eeerrrr, meant the Commies - SSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!?
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has said a suicide bomber was plotting to kill him at a soccer match, and accused political rivals of heightening the risk of terrorist attacks by questioning his integrity.
"I am the subject of a direct threat. A suicide bomber in a stadium aiming for me," Berlusconi told Italian newspaper Libero in an interview published on Thursday.
"But it is not a question of me. We're also talking about Italy. Aren't people worried about this?" he added in what the conservative daily called a furious and bitter outburst.
Berlusconi, who owns top Italian soccer club AC Milan and sometimes watches them play at Milan's San Siro stadium, did not say when the plot was uncovered or if it was an ongoing threat.
An official at the interior ministry said its anti-terrorist unit had received information about a plan to strike at Berlusconi but declined to give any further information.
The Libero interview came just days after Berlusconi said he had repeatedly tried to persuade his friend U.S. President George W. Bush against invading Iraq, a comment that drew ridicule from opposition politicians.
Berlusconi insisted he had never wanted war with Iraq and said he hoped his words would be heard across the Arab world.
"(I am) a leader who tried in every way to prevent the war, who did not attack anyone and who is not at war," he said.
Italy, a close U.S. ally which sent 3,000 troops to Iraq after the fall of Baghdad in 2003, has received numerous Internet threats purported to be from Islamic militants. Several threats have identified Berlusconi as a target.
"Our troops in Iraq are not a force of occupation. They are a peacekeeping force operating under the aegis of the United Nations," Berlusconi said.
Italy's interior minister, Giuseppe Pisanu, said in July that terrorism was "knocking on Italy's door". He has since said Italy will be at most risk in the early part of next year when it holds the Winter Olympics and a general election.
Berlusconi, who met Bush in Washington on Monday, said the U.S. president agreed with his analysis of his pre-war stance.
He added that those who scoffed at the idea that he tried to convince Washington not to attack Iraq were endangering Italy.
"If journalists and opposition politicians loved Italy, then they would have to recognize what I said (was true). They are anti-Italian," he said.
"Their overriding consideration is hatred towards me. And this runs counter to the truth and hurts the interests of our people. Do they realize that they are exposing them to mortal danger?" said Berlusconi.
Berlusconi took particular exception to a cartoon on the front page of Corriere della Sera newspaper earlier this week that showed him and Bush roaring with laughter. "So you said you were against the war," the U.S. President says.
He said he was also furious with Libero for calling him vain after saying Bush wanted him to win the 2006 election.
"I'm sorry for this outburst. I want you to know that I am a decent person who is not blinded by vanity, especially in such a serious moment as this," the prime minister said.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
11/04/2005 15:55 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[7 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Berlusconi enters the low-crawl pit and teaches the snakes a thing or two.
These people are doomed.
French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy has said it will take time to resolve the problems underlying eight nights of rioting around Paris. He said that there were fewer clashes with the police on Thursday night, although violence has spread to new areas and outside the French capital. France has been stunned by the rioting in immigrant-dominated areas. The prime minister has been meeting a group of young people from "sensitive" urban areas, AFP news agency said. Midnight hoops? Gendarme Friendly? McGruff le Chien du Crime?
The meeting is part of a series of discussions initiated by Dominique de Villepin with a view to launching an action plan for the suburbs by the end of the month. If your lucky Dominique, they'll have burned it all down by then. Problem solved.
But violence continued on Friday, with a handful of cars set on fire outside a court where several people were appearing to face charges connected with the riots. They're sending you folks a message. How are you gonna respond? 'Angry youth'
The 18-25-year-olds include immigrants, students and the unemployed. Manolo! My violin!
Mr de Villepin has pledged to restore order following criticism of the government's failure to end violence. Meanwhile a group of around 30 mayors and other elected officials from the affected areas gathered in the largely immigrant area of Seine-Saint-Denis to call for calm. "The young people are angry, what they are doing is to be condemned but as elected officials we can understand the reasons for their anger," said Bondy mayor Sylvine Thomassin, quoted by AFP. "They have no work and live in stigmatised areas." I already said doomed, right? Hardline comments
Mr Sarkozy said the fact that there had been fewer direct clashes between youths and police did not mean the disturbances were coming to an end."I am aware that the resolution of these problems, which have lain fallow for 30 years, will take time." So it's Degaulle's fault?
Mr Sarkozy had earlier sparked some criticism with hardline comments saying the government would not allow "troublemakers, a bunch of hoodlums, think they can do whatever they want". But a political ally of the minister, Eric Raoult, told the BBC that he was not responsible for the riots but was merely speaking the language of the streets. "He speaks to the people and also to the poor people who don't want more riots. Because it's not the cars of rich people who burn. It's cars of poor people who burn," he said. The areas affected are poor, largely immigrant communities with high levels of unemployment. Manolo! My other violin! The big one! Cars torched
Arson has become a serious problem, with youths burning schools, warehouses and more than 500 vehicles on Thursday night. Nearly 80 arrests were made in Paris.
Most of the attacks took place in Seine-Saint-Denis, where about 1,300 police had been deployed. Cars were torched in the eastern city of Dijon, and sporadic unrest broke out in southern and western France. As on previous nights, gangs of youths armed with bricks and sticks roamed the streets of housing estates. The situation had calmed down at dawn. Must've been time to go to work, right?
The unrest began over a week ago after teenagers Bouna Traore, aged 15, and Zyed Benna, 17, were accidentally electrocuted at an electricity sub-station in Clichy-sous-Bois. Local people say they were fleeing police - a claim the authorities deny. Inquiries are under way. Major Strasser has been shot...
November 4, 2005: The riots by Moslems in France continues, with young Moslems in the suburbs of Paris intent on driving the police out and establishing control of their own neighborhoods. At the same time, similar riots have been taking place in Denmark. In British Moslem migrants have been fighting police, and other (non-Moslem) migrants in the streets.
While France is seven percent Moslem, only two percent of Denmarkâs population is. But Denmark, like the rest of Europe (which has about twenty million Moslems), suffers from the same problems as France. Many of the Moslem migrants, who began to appear in large numbers four decades ago, have not assimilated. Europe has long tolerated this, partly because of a belief in âMulticulturalismâ and partly because Europe does not have a tradition of assimilation. This is in stark contrast to the United States, where the âmelting pot,â while often operating more like a salad bowl, still results in far less ghettoization than is found in Europe. Another advantage America has is that, in many parts of the country, there are so many migrants that âeveryone is a minority.â In Europe, homogeneity is preferred, and those who do not conform, are simply tolerated (and sometimes not) as âoutsiders in residence.â Thatâs where the concept of âghettoâ came from in the first place. The ghetto is quite common the world over, but much less so in America.
Normally, the outsiders are tolerated and everyone goes about their business. But today it is different. In the past, the outsiders were often foreign merchants, sailors or other visitors. They were not seen as a long term threat. But many of the current Moslem outsiders in Europe are poor, uneducated and into their religion. And they are in Europe permanently. Many of the Moslem migrants came from poor rural regions in the old country. They migrated for jobs, not to trade their cultural identity for a new one. The children, and grandchildren, of these migrants did not take full advantage of the educational opportunities in their new homelands. The locals were not very accepting either, and the migrants did not have a web of family and community contacts to help the kids get jobs. Unemployment is high. The European governments tried to paper this over with generous welfare and jobless benefits. But this just turned the government into the payroll department for the local branch of al Qaeda.
After September 11, 2001, when European intelligence agencies took a real close look at their Moslem populations, they were shocked at the percentage that approved of, or supported, Islamic terrorism. It was as high as ten percent in some countries. It was higher among the young, and often unemployed, Moslem males. The riots currently underway in France, Denmark and Britain are all an extension of that. No one has a solution to the problem, except to arrest the hard cases and try to make nice to everyone else. If that doesnât work, the fires will spread.
Posted by: Steve ||
11/04/2005 09:51 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
So muc sooner than anyone expected.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
11/04/2005 11:36 Comments ||
Top||
#2
...much. Preview is my friend.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
11/04/2005 11:37 Comments ||
Top||
#3
when European intelligence agencies took a real close look at their Moslem populations, they were shocked at the percentage that approved of, or supported, Islamic terrorism.
Yea, 100% is a pretty much the entire lot. The DRM must not have picked up on all the dancing in the streets after 9-11.
While Rumsfeld and other military officials declined to talk about specific spending decisions, defense analyst Loren Thompson said Gordon England, the acting deputy defense secretary, is looking to trim $12 billion to $15 billion from previous plans to spend $443 billion in 2007. Defense contractors have cited similar figures.
The Army, Navy and Air Force would be responsible for cutting as much as $3 billion to $5 billion each, Thompson said. ...[snip]...
Overall, the cuts would slice about 3 percent from each of the services' 2007 budgets that were envisioned last year.
Among the programs being considered for significant cuts or delays are the Joint Strike Fighter, the Pentagon's next generation, all-purpose fighter, which is built in Texas; the C-17 transport plane, which is built in California; the Navy's new and expensive DD(X) destroyer, being built by Northrop Grumman Ship Systems; and a reconnaissance aircraft called the Aerial Common Sensor, which is being developed by a team led by Lockheed Martin and has had a number of problems. ...[snip]...
A Pentagon spokeswoman, Marine Lt. Col. Rose-Ann Lynch, said no decisions have been made on the fiscal year 2007 budget, which will be unveiled next February. But she said all the military services and Pentagon departments have been asked to think about possible changes, and "all options are on the table."
Under the current defense budget, weapons purchases â for everything from fighter jets and destroyers to communication systems â would increase from about $78 billion in 2006 to $91.6 billion in 2007. Pentagon officials are looking to shave as much as $15 billion from the planned $91.6 billion, triggering what would be a rare reduction in procurement levels. ...[snip]...
Different versions of the Joint Strike Fighter are being developed for the Air Force, the Navy and the Marines, and there have been discussions that one of the models could be eliminated. The Pentagon also could delay the development of the next generation aircraft carrier â the CVN 21 â which is scheduled to begin construction in 2007.
#1
I think this is a bad move, but if the DoD is the only place government spending is going to drop, it's better to kill whole programs than to let inventories of ordnance and spares drop, or to cut training.
Still better, why not kill the Highway Robbery Bill? Or the Drugs-for-old-people program?
#2
I suspect that Rumsfeld is being an honest cop when raiding the whorehouse. Many of these programs are scams, and while well-intentioned in their inception, have just become another "big dig", that produces only growing budgets, not results.
And that is the zinger. If you grow your budget, but you produce a quality product, it is one thing, but if it costs a fortune and is still crapola, then an honest man will call a halt to the nonsense.
Right now, we need a defense that works. It is not time for peacetime pork games, and we no longer have the luxury of waiting 20 years from drafting table to prototype.
The Pentagon is obsessed with the idea that if a weapons system is expensive enough, it must be good. However, much can be made of the contrarian position: that enough numbers can overwhelm even the best technology.
(Ironically, there is a Chinese proverb to that effect, entitled "the rat and the dragon".)
#4
I'm glad to see the DD(X) and the C-17 on the cutting block. They fill no need and are for a fight with a superpower (ie soviet union). What we have now is excellent against China, even for the next 15 years. The JSF has a lot of potential and can cut a lot of operating costs if every service uses them, such as one spare part made instead of 15 spare parts for 15 different planes.
#5
iirc it was the C-17 that permitted the deployment of heavy armor into Northern Iraq on a quickly cleared unimproved airfield during the opening phase of the operation against Saddam. So anything else in the inventory capable of doing the same job under the same conditions?
#6
Considering there are already 120 in service, we don't need anymore. And the heavy armor came in from the south, since turkey was kind enough to hamper our invasion plans.
What I want to see is powered armor suites for infantry, gauss rifles (mass drivers), Partical Projection Cannons and orbital combat drops. Enough of this 20th century thinking and planning!
Dropping the 24th Mechanized division on top of Beijing in 24hours after the start of a war would be great.
(I know, wishful thinking, but still....)
(Editor's note: Sen. Carl Levin is opposing Mr. Smith's confirmation as assistant secretary of defense for public affairs because of the senator's objections to this article, which appeared in The Wall Street Journal, April 25. A related editorial appears here.)
The collaboration between the terrorists and al-Jazeera is stronger than ever. While the precise terms of that relationship are virtually unknown, we do know this: al-Jazeera and the terrorists have a working arrangement that extends beyond a modus vivendi. When the terrorists want to broadcast something that helps their cause, they have immediate and reliable access to al-Jazeera. This relationship--in a time of war--raises some important questions:
⢠What does Al-Jazeera promise the terrorist organizations in order to get consistent access to their video?
⢠Does it pay for material?
⢠Is it promised safety and protection if it continues to air unedited tapes? (No Al-Jazeera employee has been killed or taken hostage by the terrorists. When I ran the Iraqi Television Network, seven employees were killed by terrorists.)
⢠Does Al-Jazeera promise the terrorists that it won't reveal their whereabouts and techniques as a quid pro quo for doing business? Is this bargain in the guise of journalism a defensible practice?
While I was in Iraq in 2004, Al-Jazeera was expelled from the country by the Iraqi Governing Council for violating international law. Numerous times they had advance knowledge of military actions against coalition forces. Instead of reporting to the authorities that it had been tipped off, Al-Jazeera would pre-position a crew at the event site and wait for the attack, record it and rush it on air. This happened time after time, to the point where Al-Jazeera was expelled from Iraq. The airing of the Ake video, however, demonstrates that it can still operate on behalf of the terrorists even from outside the country.
Is it fanciful to think that network news executives would have the fortitude not to air any video shot by terrorists? They already stop short of airing everything, so why not refuse to touch the stuff altogether? At the very least, is it not reasonable to raise questions about the sources and methods used to obtain this material? The war in Iraq will likely drag on for some time. More lives will be lost and more hostages will be taken and more videos will be made. Now we should engage the terrorists on the airwaves as we do on the ground.
Mr. Smith spent nine months in Iraq as a senior media adviser to Ambassador Paul Bremer
The MSM is clearly involved in WOT operations as it acts as an agent for al-Jizz and through them, al-Q. Smith properly identifies them as a fifth column. Is it shocking a Quisling like Levin would stand up for them?
A House Democratic resolution condemning President Bush's Iraq policies was killed yesterday as Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid turned his latest political attacks on the war into a sales pitch to raise money for his party.
After a weeklong series of congressional skirmishes over the Iraq war, the Republican-controlled House voted 220-191 to dismiss a resolution by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, California Democrat, that demanded "a thorough investigation of abuses relating to the Iraq war."
The measure accused Republican leaders of failing "to undertake a meaningful, substantive investigation of any of the abuses pertaining to the Iraq war, including the manipulation of prewar intelligence, the public release of a covert operative's name, the role of the vice president in Iraqi reconstruction and the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal."
Mrs. Pelosi's action was the latest in a stepped-up offensive by the Democrats to put the Iraq war and rising U.S. casualties back on the political front burner, largely in response to demands from members of her party's liberal anti-war base who have chided Democratic leaders for not attacking Mr. Bush and his party aggressively enough on the issue.
"I think it brings shame to the House for this Congress to be engaged in a cover-up when it comes to revealing what's happening in Iraq," Mrs. Pelosi said to a chorus of Republican objections from the House floor as her motion was ruled out of order.
At the same time, Mr. Reid, Nevada Democrat, who began the anti-Iraq war offensive Tuesday by forcing the Senate into a rare closed-door session to debate the conflict, solicited for funds via e-mail, asking party members to make "a contribution of $50, $75 or more" to help elect more Democrats to the Senate in next year's elections.
Using the war and the indictment of Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, as one of several pitches to ask for money, Mr. Reid wrote: "These are the same individuals who led us into an intractable war after manufacturing and manipulating intelligence, yet have no plan for success in Iraq."
Republican officials immediately condemned Mrs. Pelosi's resolution as "a political stunt" and attacked the Democrats' exploitation of the war to raise money at a time when U.S. soldiers were fighting and dying in Iraq.
"Her comments are insincere and politically motivated to generate cheap headlines while American soldiers are defending freedom overseas," said Ron Bonjean, the press secretary for House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, Illinois Republican.
"It is shocking and sad but not surprising to see the Democratic leadership willing to do anything to raise money, while our troops are in harm's way, so they can win at the polls," Mr. Bonjean said.
But in a separate fundraising solicitation, Howard Dean, the Democratic National Committee chairman, called Mr. Reid's Senate shutdown maneuver to call attention to the war "a bold move" that he said drew more than 10,000 "written notes of thanks to him in less than 24 hours" from the party's activist base.
#2
Not sure if anyone near the Administration reads this site but they need to take the offensive NOW. They need to take the Democrats to task, point out their hypocrisy, and point out their lack of vision or alternatives. Also Bush needs to replace McClellan with a female and someone that can spar better with the press. Pick someone along the lines of Ann Coulter that will throw this idiocy back in their faces with gusto. Bush is losing the PR war because they are saying nothing in response to these allegations and smear tactics. Can you imagine the reaction if Ann stood at a press conference and shot back a reporter: âOther than the left liberal loony MoveOn site, what would be the basis of your allegation?â The attack tactic comes off nicely when delivered by a female that can think on their feet and is easy on the eyes. I know that Bush thinks this is Un-Presidential but it is definitely American and right now it looks like they are âdissingâ him with no counter. He canât let this hang out there because he appears to be weak or worse yet hiding from their allegations. Mr President COME OUT AND FIGHT.
#3
If I were a Republican I'd make a mantra out of the term, "My distinguished Democratic colleague has said some things that, although great for his own fundraising, do nothing to help the security of this nation."
#4
Sarge...I'm not in total disagreement but the Dems are spoiling for a fight. Any PR push by the Pubs will only add fuel to the Dems designs. Just remember, their lust for money and headlines inevitably ends up with them falling on thier own sword. I'd say to simply reinforce, in a measured tone, what IS known and what is NOT known and watch thier fantasy extrapolations fall like a house of cards.
#5
Just so I'm clear. This administration can not spend one extra minute fighting political battles that could be spent on the real issues at hand. Polls be damned! After all we are a nation(s) at (insert your own expletive for emphasis) War!
Coulter turns me off seriously - and she would do the same for a lot of other people too. The pushback needs to happen, Sarge, but not officially from the WH. It needs to come from across the conservative spectrum, in columns, on talk shows, in letters to the editor etc.
#10
Sorry guys but this is really a PR battle and Bush needs a hammer to slam down the press and the LLL. I just think Ann Coulter or Mona Charen or Laura Ingraham would not only be great at art of disarming people with logic and facts. Every time I see McClellan I see a man on hte defensive, they would not get away with that crap with one of these ladies. There are more that could step in and take the bull by the balls.It's clear that we are losing that PR battle against this avalanche of bullshit and outright lies and I would LOVE to see the White House give some back.
#11
Those ladies are doing just fine where they are. I agree McClellan is not Fleisher. How about somebody who needs more exposure. Say,,,General Honore.
#12
Every time I see McClellan I see a man on hte defensive
Agree with you Sarge, MAC can't get in the game, he's detached or something, silently worried about a casserole or a wardrobe malfunction. Who knows. He doesn't look like he could get worked up about much of anything. He's doing 'W' no service, time to go... long overdue.
#13
Dubya's advantage is that the Clinton-led Demmies are divided between supp their "Creeping/Gradual Socialist" domestic agenda versus pro-War loyal Democrats whom are patriotic, anti-Clinton, and anti-Socialism. As much as I would love the GOP-Conservatives to fight back, I also know the waffling dialect policratic Dems will only find a way to turn it to their advantage - DemoLeft love of NEWTON's LAWS/Intellectualism > they can't stop unilaterally and independently randomly lying, tricking, stealing ...................
misrepresenting, mysteries wrapped around enigmas, misinformation and disinformation, UNLESS STOPPED BY AN OUTSIDE FORCE(S). A Rightist Conservative will call for Socialism iff and when and where necessary, as a last resort; a Leftie calls for Socialism because he needs to steal/take from you more than what he already has, but wants to look innocent before Man and God.
With 10 to 15 million stolen passports in use around the world at the present time, the global struggle against terrorism is seriously hampered, Interpol Secretary-General Ronald Noble said. It is imperative that all nations take the problem seriously, he said during a two-day visit here to inform the Counter-terrorism Committee of the UN Security Council of Interpolâs work since it opened an office here a year ago. âIf member countries treated stolen passports like citizens treat their stolen credit cards, then we would have many, many fewer terrorists and organized criminals in the world than we currently do,â Noble said.
The council in late July called for greater UN-Interpol cooperation and urged member states to promptly inform Interpol of any passports and travel documents reported lost or stolen. Noble said only 87 countries are participating in an Interpol database on stolen passports, while 100 others remain undecided. Since it was created three years ago when only 12 countries had signed on, he added, the database has gone from 3,000 to more than eight million entries. âUnless all countries share that information globally, the terrorists and organized criminals will be able to move from country to country,â Noble said. âWe know that in the first World Trade Center bombing in 1993, the person who did it, Ramzi Youssef, was in possession of a stolen Iraqi passport,â he said. âWe know that the prime minister of Serbia (Zoran Djindjic) was assassinated (in 2003) by someone carrying a stolen Croatian passport that had been stamped 26 times by six European countries and by Singapore,â Noble said.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/04/2005 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Simple enough. Impose exorbitant "landing fees" at all airports within countries that do not participate in lost document reporting. This one is a no-brainer.
A very small incremental increase in world-wide landing fees could easily finance a global standard for holographic tagging of biometrically encoded passport documentation. Simply use steganography to mutually embed photographic and biometric information into a single pixelated bit-field, like what stamps.com uses.
You Internet wizards out there tell me if I'm wrong.
Posted by: Internet Gizzard ||
11/04/2005 7:46 Comments ||
Top||
#3
What about North Korea and Pakistan.
These rogue nations actively counterfeit currency and passports.
The ink bought in the report below has not been used for Pakistani passports.. apart from the currency counterfeiting, what else is the ISI printing for their terrorist proxies?
ISI lures travellers with fake currency
"There are various aspects to the problem. For one, intelligence agencies have been unable to pinpoint what Pakistan has done with the 4 kg of "green to blue (colour shift)" Optically Variable Ink a patented product of a Swiss manufacturer ostensibly for a security feature in its passports. This is the same ink India uses for currency notes of the Rs 500 denomination. One kg of ink can produce 32 lakh notes.
Intelligence agencies have informed the government that militants are offered a choice between being paid Rs 5,000 in Pakistani rupees or Rs 1 lakh worth of counterfeit money."
Posted by: john ||
11/04/2005 11:23 Comments ||
Top||
November 4, 2005: The fighting in Iraq is changing, as the Sunni Arab homeland (central and western Iraq) are more aggressively patrolled by American and Iraqi forces. This has put more small U.S. bases in Sunni Arab neighborhoods, and made it more dangerous for the 75,000 civilian contractors working for the American military. These civilians drive trucks, cook food, clean and repair for the troops. Just about everywhere American troops are, these civilians are there as well. While the civilians don't fight (except, in self defense, some of those hired as security guards), they do get shot at. The civilians currently have a five percent chance (per year) of getting killed or wounded. That's about the same rate as the troops, who are taking more casualties this year as they attack into the Sunni Arab areas, and shut down the previously "safe zones" where terrorists could recruit, train and build bombs. Contractor civilians, however, suffer half the death rate of the troops.
These military developments are generally not reported in the media. In fact, very little militarily important news gets reported. There are a number of reasons for this. First, the military prefers discussions of their strategy and tactics stay out of the news (where the enemy can see it.) The enemy in Iraq often makes mistakes, employing ineffective tactics and the like. Because the communications between the various anti-government groups in Iraq is improvised, it takes a while for everyone to find out that some great new roadside bomb design, or other combat tactic no longer works. The reason is usually that the American and Iraqi troops have come up with a new gadget or tactic. The American and Iraqi troops have excellent communications, and can distribute information much more rapidly and completely than the terrorist and anti-government groups can. The good guys want to work their advantage as long as possible.
Another reason for not reporting military news is that it is often complex news, and it is often positive (for the Americans and Iraqis) news. These are two no-nos in the news business. Keep it simple, keep it negative, and you will grab the most eyeballs. The news business is a business, and what's best for business is bad news, the more negative, simple and sensational the better. That's why spectacular disasters always make the news. On a slow news day, you can keep people interested by reporting automobile accidents. There are many of them, most people can relate to such incidents, and some of them, each day, are spectacular.
There's another factor; the Three Year Rule. In all of America's wars, popular support for the war effort sharply declined after three years. Even though the government said, from late September, 2001 on, that the war on terror would be a long one, this has not changed the impact of the Three Year War. If you can't get it over with within three years, you are going to face more and more voter opposition to the war effort. Go back and look at the history of all of America's long (over three years) wars and you will see this play out. It's happening in the war on terror, and the various theaters of conflict (notably Afghanistan and Iraq.)
Posted by: Steve ||
11/04/2005 09:09 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
BAGHDAD, Nov 3 (KUNA) -- The Spokesman of the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq, Farid Ayar, said Thursday that the electoral law passed by the Provisional National Assembly had excluded no group in the distribution of parliamentary seats.
Speaking to KUNA, Ayar said that 230 parliamentary seats out of a total of 275 would be distributed into the 18 Iraqi electoral provinces. He added that no separate parliamentary seats were allocated to minority groups and stressed that some 45 seats were considered as "compensation" ones.
He stressed that the distribution of seats into the 18 provinces would be based on the distribution pattern of the June 30, 2005 general elections. He added that only the candidates, who are approved by the electoral commission would be allowed to run for seats. "But in case a designated candidate is incapacitated or dies, the next candidate in line in the list would replace him," Ayar said.
He added that the compensation seats would be allocated to political groups that had won no seats in the last elections.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/04/2005 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
The absence of progress in investigating the latest Bali bombings show the bombers have learned from experience how to better cover their tracks, an American strategic thinktank says.
In an analysis of the October 1 bombings on Bali which killed 27, including four Australians and the three suicide bombers, private sector intelligence group Stratfor, said terror group Jemaah Islamiah (JI) was demonstrating better operational security, planning and training.
"This confirms that JI is adapting and refining its tactics, techniques and procedures faster than Indonesian counterterrorism authorities can adapt," it said.
"Because of this, further attacks in Indonesia are likely against soft, Western targets such as tourists."
Stratfor said more than a month had passed since the triple suicide bombings and there had been little progress in the Australian-Indonesian investigation - although investigators were certain they knew who were the masterminds.
Soon after the bombings, it was widely claimed that senior JI operatives Noordin Top and Azahari Husin, both Malaysians, planned the attack, along with another JI figure known only as Dulmatin. They are also believed responsible for the 2002 Bali attack which killed 202 including 88 Australians.
The post-2002 investigation proceeded swiftly with vehicle identification number recovered from the chassis of the minivan used in the suicide attack allowing a speedy roundup of suspects. Three have been sentenced to death.
"This time, leads and arrests are few and far between," Stratfor said.
"Indonesian investigators ... appear to be on a massive fishing expedition, having questioned more than 600 people across Java and other islands in the archipelago but turning up no substantial leads.
"The lack of progress in the investigation can be attributed to better techniques used by the attackers to cover their tracks."
Stratfor said this attack revealed an obvious shift in JI tactics - probably as a result of lessons learned since the 2002 attack and from experience in attacks in Jakarta against the JW Marriott Hotel in 2003 and the Australian Embassy in 2004.
"In essence, the latest Bali bombing displayed better JI planning, training and greater operational security," it said.
"Investigators also are hampered by an apparent lack of forensic evidence from the devices used in the attacks, possibly because they were simple, well-constructed bombs that disintegrated on contact.
"Smaller devices like those used in the most recent attack leave fewer residues than the large vehicle-borne bombs that JI has employed in the past."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
11/04/2005 15:48 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
Tensions are high in Damascus as Syrian special operations forces have surrounded the office of the nation's military intelligence chief, according to a media report.
The opposition Arab News Network satellite channel, owned by the uncle of Syrian President Bashar Assad, reported on Wednesday that elite Syrian troops have laid siege to the office of military intelligence chief Gen. Assaf Shawkat. The London-based ANN said the siege was meant to pressure Shawkat to surrender to Syrian authorities and undergo interrogation by United Nations investigators.
Shawkat is married to Bashar Assad's sister, Bushra and is regarded as the leading suspect in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
The ANN report was not confirmed by any other source. ANN, led by Assad's uncle and deposed vice president Rifat, has been regarded as a leading media outlet for the Syrian opposition, Middle East Newsline reported.
The report capped a period of rising tension within the Syrian regime in 2005. Last week, Syrian opposition sources said the Assad regime was arming Alawi militias to prepare for the prospect of a civil war with the majority Sunni community.
In April 2005, Syrian opposition sources asserted that elite troops attacked air force facilities as part of fighting between forces loyal to Assad and those of a group believed led by the late Interior Ministry Ghazi Kanaan. In October, Kanaan was found dead of a gunshot wound which the regime said marked a successful suicide attempt.
On Thursday, Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Walid Mualem said Damascus was prepared to cooperate with the UN probe of Hariri's death. Mualem, who did not cite Shawkat, said the Assad regime would enable UN investigators question senior Syrian officials.
November 4, 2005: On October 31st a unanimous resolution of the U.N. Security Council demanded, in unusually strong terms, that Syria cooperate fully with the U.N. investigation into the February 14th bomb attack that killed former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and 20 others or face âfurther action.â Although the resolution came as no surprise, the Baathist government of Bashr Asad apparently believed that the âsuicideâ on October 12th of interior minister Maj. Gen. Ghazi Kanaan in his Damascus office would lead to the matter being dropped. As a result, Asad is seeking a way to deal with the resolution, since outright cooperation with the U.N. investigation will likely result in serious charges against high ranking Syrian officials.
Among the measures being taken by the regime to counter international pressure is to organize âspontaneousâ student rallies outside of Western embassies. The process is relatively simple, a squad of secret police turn up at a high school or university, announce everyoneâs going to a rally, and then herd students and faculty to the appropriate site.
In addition, Asad has once again publicly declared that no terrorists organizations will be tolerated in Syria, despite the fact that his government has been proclaiming just that â and tolerating them anyway â for some time now. While these measures may sell well in the state-controlled media, Syria has few friends abroad, and such measures are unlikely to deter further international pressure.
Meanwhile, Asad has quietly ordered the Syrian Army ( 200,000 active duty) to take preliminary steps to mobilize the reserves ( 280,000). This step is also primarily for domestic consumption, to forestall popular unrest and perhaps a coup, rather than to impress the U.N., which is unlikely to adopt a military response in the event of Syrian failure to cooperate.
Some analysts suggest that, after a little wiggling, Asad will in fact cooperate with the U.N. resolution. In this regard, itâs worth noting that a November 2nd editorial in The Syria Times, the official government newspaper, said Syria "wants to reach facts with tangible evidence and not suspicions and presumptions," and continued with "Through constructive cooperation with the international community, Syria is part of the solution to the pressing problem, not a part of the problem." Their reasoning is that Asad had no link to the assassination of Hariri and the probable murder of Kanaan, which were actually initiated by hard-liners in the government, men who were close supporters of the elder Asad during his 30-years in power. While no liberal, the younger Asad is known to be trying to ease some of his fatherâs staunchest supporters out of power. Cooperating with the U.N. resolution would be a good way to do this, since it offers him a way to preserve the Baathist regime â and his own authority â while getting rid of the dead wood.
Arab leaders have been quietly pressuring Pres. Bashir Asad to accede to the UN Security Council resolution requiring Syrian cooperation in the investigation of the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri. The most recent is Hosni Mubarak of Egypt. Meeting with Asad, Mubarak flatly informed him that Syria not only must cooperate in the investigation, but must also take steps to secure the Syrian-Iraq border against terrorist infiltrators and to get with the âMiddle East peace process,â a euphemism for supporting the Palestinian-Israeli peace process.
Asad, who apparently is treading a thin line between âreformersâ and âreactionariesâ in his country, has already taken a number of potentially useful steps.
Over the past few days Asad has --
· Appointed a special judicial committee to investigate the assassination
· Imposed closer scrutiny on men of military age entering Syria
· Ordered tighter security on the Iraqi frontier
· Told pro-Palestinian extremist groups â who are not supposed to be in Syria in the first place â to leave the country.
While these measures more or less conform with the demands of the international community, Asad has also been trying to satisfy his domestic extremists. There have been noisy public demonstrations outside western embassies. Nevertheless, in advance of these âspontaneousâ demonstrations, the Syrian police have beefed up security at the embassies involved, with more than adequate numbers to insure that things donât get out-of-hand.
Aside from his problems with the arch-conservative Baathists in the government, Asad also has some problems in his family. A possible key figure in the assassination of Hariri is Asef Shawkat, who is not only Syriaâs Chief of Military Intelligence, but also Asadâs brother-in-law (amazingly, Shawkat attained the marital tie by eloping with Asadâs sister Bushra, back when her father was dictator of Syria, and lived to tell the tale), who is a close ally of Asad, and apparently one of the âreformers.â
Posted by: Steve ||
11/04/2005 09:46 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under:
WASHINGTON, Nov. 3 (KUNA) -- The United States calls for the immediate and unconditional release of jailed Iranian activist Akbar Ganji as well as his immediate access to medical assistance and legal representation, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said on Thursday.
Over the past week the United States has received reports that the health of Ganji is at serious risk, McCormack said during a department briefing. "This is consistent with his wife's charge in late October that Iranian authorities are continuing to beat Ganji, and similar non-governmental organizations report that he was abused even while hospitalized following his August 2005 hunger strike," McCormack said.
Ganji has spent more than five years in prison due to his peaceful advocacy for free speech and democracy, McCormack said, and his imprisonment and any inhumane treatment are serious violations of fundamental human rights. "Ganji is one of many courageous Iranians, like Ahmed Batabi, Hoda Savair, Taki Rahmani, and Reza Alajani, who have challenged the clerical regime's repressive policies and who have suffered dire consequences for their efforts to advance the democratic aspirations of the Iranian people," McCormack said.
Ganji truly is a courageous man.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/04/2005 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[7 views]
Top|| File under:
BEIRUT - The UN commission investigating the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri can question any Syrian official, Syriaâs deputy foreign minister said in an interview published on Thursday.
Syria has given the UN probe the green light to interrogate âall people who have been or who will be cited in the (German head prosecutor) Detlev Mehlis reportâ, Walid Muallem told the pan-Arab daily Al Hayat.
Excepting certain people, of course. Can't offend the national dignity.
The UN probe found âconverging evidenceâ of high-level Syrian and Lebanese involvement in the February bomb blast, and was bolstered by a Security Council resolution passed on Monday that called for full Syrian cooperation.
âResolution 1636 is a fait accompli and we will work with the resolution as such, whatever our opinion of this resolution,â Muallem said. The resolution, adopted unanimously by a 15-0 vote, orders Syria to detain suspects and says the UN commission can âdetermine the location and modalities for interview of Syrian officials and individuals it deems relevant to the inquiry.â
We have some detention facilities in Poland and Romania that would be convenient ...
Muallem did not mention where Syrian officials may be questioned, but said âSyria will work with the internal commission of inquiry because Syria believes itself innocent.
âAs President Bashar Al Assad said, any Syrian who is proven to be involved must be tried.â
We'll remember you said that ...
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/04/2005 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under:
US Ambassador John Bolton has said he wants another UN resolution forcing Syria to withdraw any intelligence agents it keeps in Lebanon. "We certainly see a resolution that continued to push for full implementation of 1559," Bolton said, referring to the measure adopted in September 2004 demanding the withdrawal of foreign forces from Lebanon and the disbanding of militia. He said such a resolution would not be drawn up for several weeks. "The conclusion of 1559 that Lebanon should be restored to full sovereignty and territorial integrity has not been met," he said. Russia and other Security Council members have indicated they are unwilling to support further action.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/04/2005 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
LMAO! What a pic, Fred!
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
11/04/2005 1:31 Comments ||
Top||
#9
You can bet Lighting Darth Bolton is working on his Iranian Doctrine in the background. Can't what tell we get to the prelude to war resolution. Man the lasers.
Posted by: Captain America ||
11/04/2005 18:44 Comments ||
Top||
#10
er....what?
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/04/2005 19:42 Comments ||
Top||
The future's so bright, Bashar's gotta wear shades.
A senior Syrian banker said Thursday his country's currency was solid and was able to defend itself against any negative fallouts from the UN report implicating top Syrian officials in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Al-Hariri on February 14. Speaking to reporters, Adib Mayala said the central bank was "able to maintain a stable exchange value for the Syrian pound against the US dollar." He stressed that bank deposits, by members of the public, "have risen despite the current crisis and the threat of imposing economic sanctions against Damascus." He added that, in October alone, the total deposits had reached 108 billion Syrian pounds while the total withdrawals had reached 100 billion SP. He called on the Syrian monetary market to have no fear about the situation of the SP and added that members of the public were now free to buy USD 5000 each. "This gesture on the part of the government has calmed fears about the currency and eased pressure on the SP in the black market," he said. He added that ordinary citizens traveling out of Syria could leave the country with up to USD 3000 while Syrian patients wishing to leave the country for treatment abroad could do so and take away with them up to USD 20,000.
#1
citizens traveling out of Syria could leave the country with up to USD 3000 while Syrian patients wishing to leave the country for treatment abroad could do so and take away with them up to USD 20,000.
I can think of so many snarky comments to make about this that I can't decide on which one.
Note this article is datelined SEPTEMBER 27. The planning for this op started much earlier. This was the signal that the operations phase was to begin.
PARIS, Sept 27 (AFP) - An Algerian Islamist organisation, the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC), has issued a call for action against France which it describes as "enemy number one", intelligence officials said Tuesday. preaching and combat. who says you can't have it all?
"The only way to teach France to behave is jihad and the Islamic martyr," no. that's the only response you know. there's a difference.
the group's leader Abu Mossab Abdelwadoud, also known as Abdelmalek Dourkdal, was quoted as saying in an Internet message earlier this month. "France is our enemy number one, the enemy of our religion, the enemy of our community," he was quoted as saying. who isn't these days?
France was mentioned 15 times in the text, and the Algerian government was also targeted, the officials said. quelle suprise.
France and Algeria have been making nice lately. Chirac made a state visit to Algiers in 2003. That must have tightened a few turbans.
Nine people detained in a series of raids west of Paris Monday are suspected members of the GSPC, officials have said. They were being questioned for a second day Tuesday at the headquarters of the DST domestic intelligence agency.Interior minister Nicolas Sarkozy said Monday that the risk of terrorist attack in France is "at a very high level... There are cells operating on our territory." The GSPC was created from a split in the Armed Islamic Group (GIA), the main force in Algeria's long insurgency which was also responsible for a series of bombings in France in 1995. no doubt the Paris riots will only embolden them
Will the goodwill that has been built between India and China in the recent past end up being sacrificed at the altar of improved India-US relations? In another indication that there may be trouble brewing between Beijing and New Delhi, the official Chinese media have made a frontal assault on the landmark India-US nuclear pact and cautioned of its "negative impact" on the global nuclear order.
This is the first instance of a direct and open criticism of a crucial aspect of India-US relations that has been picked up by the official Chinese machinery/organs, which previously chose to be quiet about the nuclear deal inked between Prime Minister
The latest fusillade runs the risk of opening up other niggling issues between India and China, such as the border questions that have been set aside in the interest of building trade and business between the two countries.
In the past few months, Beijing has found itself ranged against India at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Iran and the Nuclear Supplier's Group (NSG). However, China has never publicly criticized the India-US nuclear agreement that aims to recognize India as the sixth nuclear power of the world as well as open up civilian nuclear supplies, despite being a non-signatory of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
There have been niggling issues between India and Beijing recently. Beijing's involvement in Nepal has upset New Delhi, with it conveying its strong displeasure on the issue. Beijing has sought to explain its lack of support to India's quest for a seat in the UN Security Council due to the bracketing with Japan in the G-4 (Brazil, India, Japan and Germany).
However, there have been no such exchanges about the India-US nuclear agreement, until this frontal attack.
The Renmin Ribao, China's leading political daily, has accused Washington of being soft on India and deriding the NPT. Reproving the US of "double standards" on nuclear proliferation, the Renmin Ribao said if the US made a "nuclear exception" for India, other powers could do the same with their friends and weaken the global non-proliferation regime.
"Now that the United States buys another country in with nuclear technologies in defiance of international treaty, other nuclear suppliers also have their own partners of interest as well as good reasons to copy what the United States did," Renmin Ribao said.
"A domino effect of nuclear proliferation, once turned into reality, will definitely lead to global nuclear proliferation and competition," the paper added. The Chinese criticism of the India-US nuclear pact is in contrast to the solid support for the deal from Russia, France, Britain and Canada.
Commenting on the shift in US nuclear policy toward India, Renmin Ribao questioned: "US acts leave people more and more dubious: is it striving to prevent nuclear proliferation or actively pushing in the opposite direction?
"Always calling itself a 'guard' for nuclear proliferation prevention, the United States often condemns other countries for irresponsible transfers but this time, it hesitates not a bit in revising laws, taking the lead in 'making an exception'," for India," Renmin Ribao wrote, warning "this will bring about a series of negative impacts".
With China aggressively and openly joining the voices against the India-US nuclear deal, New Delhi's quest for nuclear technology is turning knottier by the day. A reflection of Chinese thinking comes in the face of last month's meeting of the 45-nation NSG in Vienna that put off action on the US proposal to lift restraints on transferring nuclear technology to India. According to reports, there was positive feedback to the proposal at the group's meeting, but a "decision was deferred until the future".
At the meeting, Britain, France, Germany, Russia, Czech Republic and Canada were generally supportive, but Sweden and New Zealand asked "hard questions", while Japan seemed wary of the India deal, officials have been quoted. These countries want a permanent regime change rather than making an exception for India.
According to reports, China, Brazil, South Korea and Austria were among the countries that opposed any nuclear supplies to India. Countries such as South Africa, Brazil and Argentina that voluntarily dismantled their nuclear weapons program to join the non-proliferation regime are against any move to grant a special status to India.
Commenting on the Renmin Ribao piece, foreign policy analyst C Raja Mohan said, "India might be willing to countenance the talk of nuclear 'double standards' from the White Knights of the Western world like Sweden or Ireland. India, however, will be deeply troubled by at similar rhetoric from Beijing."
New Delhi, which bitterly complained about China's support for Pakistan's nuclear weapons program in the 1980s and Islamabad's missile capabilities in the 1990s, will find it a bit rich if Beijing now opposes international civilian nuclear energy cooperation with India in the name of double standards.
"India has been willing to overlook the extraordinary campaign by Beijing to defeat the attempt by the G-4 - India, Japan, Germany and Brazil - to expand the permanent membership of the UN Security Council earlier this year," Mohan said. "China explained away this campaign by saying that the target was Japan and not India. A similar campaign on denying the benefits of civilian nuclear energy cooperation to India could reopen New Delhi's many past grievances against Beijing."
Indeed, New Delhi does understand that there are vexed issues to be addressed that are going to take some time before the nuclear supplies open up. The NSG is scheduled to meet only in May unless a special meeting (there is one to discuss Iran) is called to change the rules.
There will be other tricky areas to cover, including the number of nuclear facilities India agrees to place under IAEA safeguards (by separating civilian and military installations) and how quickly it does so.
Hearings at the US Congress are going to be tough, where India's proximity with Tehran will be scrutinized. India's stand on the November 24 vote of the IAEA, that will decide whether Tehran will be referred to the UN for sanctions, will be crucial as far as support from the US is concerned.
New Delhi will also like to ensure that any exception in its case will not be used by Pakistan, which is also aiming for some nuclear leeway in the NSG. New Delhi has never been comfortable with Beijing's proximity with Islamabad.
Pakistan in turn is looking to leapfrog on a US promise to open civilian nuclear interactions with India, despite the allegations of proliferation in the past. Pakistan has formally approached the NSG seeking a deal similar to the one between the US and India to produce nuclear power, saying that it needed more atomic power plants to meet future energy requirements.
Given that Pakistan continues to be a crucial ally in Washington's "war on terror", Islamabad's concerns cannot be completely ignored. The US has been trying to mollify Pakistan through military sops. In the past, President George W Bush has spoken to President General Pervez Musharraf and assured him that the India-US nuclear pact was not directed against Pakistan and would not in any way tilt the "balance of power" in South Asia. Some observers say that ultimately US will end up supplying nuclear reactors to Pakistan as well.
However, analysts agree that the nuclear deal will come through given the lucrative market that India offers, though nobody hazards a time frame. India will hope that the hurdles will be overcome at the US Congress before May when the NSG is likely to look to change the rules.
Several powerful nations do not want to lose out on the nuclear contracts that are likely to follow. Russia sees India as a major market and has been keen on expanding nuclear links with India. French President Jacques Chirac has been the first international leader to speak of the need to accommodate India into the global nuclear order. British Prime Minister Tony Blair has endorsed the US decision, while Canada's move to renew civil nuclear energy cooperation following India's vote against Iran at the IAEA has been a big bonus.
India has been closely watching China, which has recently become a member of the NSG. By launching such a strong criticism, India's aspirations have turned that much more difficult.
#1
Not only is India a democracy, but it has been more responsible on further proliferation than Pakistan, and of course more responsible as a power in general than Iran. A good case can be made for rewarding India, with a realistic acceptance of its nuclear power status, which, one should remember, was made necessary by China's nuclear program. That China, thats seeks to shield proliferation by Iran, is engaged in special pleading here, should be noted by all. I hope people in India are very conscious of what is going on, and that we in the US can reach out to India, without looking like we're just trying to take advantage of the situation in which they find themselves.
#2
Like any good Lefty the Chicoms demand that only they can be regionally aggressive, even imperialist and belicose, while other local States or peoples have no right to get angry about their actions because China's interests = their interests = China's interests. Dubya's GMD + potens re-militarization of JAPAN andor SOUTH KOREA + US in INDIA, VIETNAM and CENASIA means Commie China's ambitions for Communist- and Chia-centric Asian hegemony will be confined to its close geographic littorals. Unless something changes wid America, China's PLA and all its Armed Services will be nothing more than a permanent brown-water/riverine police force. The CCP can not threaten Socialism and Maoism by intensifying local De-Regulation but it simul knows Communism demands forced militarized expansion in order to keep the happy legally enslaved peon masses satisfied wid the CCP's planned economies. CHICOMS> WHAT TO DO, WHAT TO DO???
November 4, 2005: Al Qaeda (whose name means "base" in Arabic) has no base, and no secure means of communicating with all its members and supporters. So a current debate on the future of al Qaeda, by al Qaeda members and supporters, is being conducted largely in the open (although you have to dig real hard on the Internet to find some of the sources, and then have an Arabic translator handy). It all comes down to a combination of wishful thinking and pragmatism. On the fantasy side, al Qaeda leaders really believe that they will have âliberatedâ territory in either Iraq and/or Afghanistan by next year. This is very important, as the most religious al Qaeda followers believe that, without al Qaeda controlled territory, al Qaedaâs war (or jihad) is illegitimate. Thatâs because Islamic scripture calls for anyone on a jihad to have a patch of land to launch it from. Thatâs what made al Qaeda so attractive (to Islamic conservatives) when it was based in Afghanistan. Thatâs why so many al Qaeda enthusiasts have converged on Iraq, as that is the most likely (and convenient to reach) area to âconquerâ for a new base. Afghanistan is farther away from the Islamic heartland in Arabia, and is full of Afghans who do not like Arabs very much (thatâs another story.) While this al Qaeda strategy might have seemed more reasonable in 2003, today it is rapidly slipping away. The Iraqi government, and an increasing majority of the Iraqi people, want nothing to do with al Qaeda. The terrorist suicide bombing campaign has increasingly missed its main target (foreign soldiers), and instead killed more and more Iraqis. The acreage not controlled by the government has been shrinking, as more and more Sunni Arabs forsake Islamic radicalism, and support the new democracy. Unless al Qaeda has some really, really secret weapon, that is really, really effective, there wonât be any al Qaeda base in Iraq next year.
But the other al Qaeda reform is more practical, and itâs little more than recognizing the current, dispersed, âdo-whatever-you-can-with-whatever-you-gotâ form of organization, as the official one. But without the real estate for a âbase,â al Qaeda will appear more and more illegitimate in the eyes of Islamic purists, and more vulnerable to the attacks of the growing counter-terrorist force raised against them.
In practical terms, al Qaeda is less an organization, and more of popular madness, dedicated to terrorism and mass murder. Al Qaeda is more dependent on mass media, than anything else. Whatever it does, if the message is spun the right way, then the contributions, volunteers and atrocities will keep coming.
Posted by: Steve ||
11/04/2005 09:54 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Al-Quaeda's "base" is the MSM. I mean that in both the functional sense and the political sense.
#2
I'd like to extend the same invitation I gave to Hamas to any Al Q or affiliate looking to relocate.
We'd love to show ya'll some good ole Southern Hospitality in Memphis.
You know they say there's catfish under the South Memphis grain elevator on the Mississippi that are as big as a bus.
I bet we could catch one if we had a big enough piece of bait.
You ever had a meat hook pushed through your sternum and tried to swim? Me neither, but I'd sure bet I could find some cousins of mine who'd love to see some shit like that.
Hell, they'd bring the hooks and a cooler full of beer if you promised us you'd scream and flail a whole lot!
Joint air exercises between India and the United States will go ahead in West Bengal as scheduled despite the Communist parties planning a massive protest, Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee said Friday after a meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
The meeting was also attended by Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Home Minister Shivraj Patil.
The ruling Left Front of West Bengal has threatened to mobilise three million activists in statewide protests against the exercises in eastern India and has also threatened to lay siege at the Kalaikunda air base Monday.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, Mukherjee said there would be no change in the military exercise. Both West Bengal Chief Minister Buddadheb Bhattacharya and the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leadership had been informed of the proposed exercise.
"Every political party has the right to demonstrate, but at the same time I have requested the state government to provide requisite security," Mukherjee said.
The hurriedly convened meeting came within hours of an unscheduled Cabinet Committee on Security meeting late Thursday to discuss the situation arising out of Left parties' opposition to the exercise.
The air forces of the two countries are scheduled to start joint exercises at the Kalaikunda air base in West Bengal from Nov 7, where F-16s would be arriving from the USAF35th Wing based in Misawa, Japan.
In a statement issued Thursday by the CPI-M, the Communist Party of India (CPI), the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) and the Forward Bloc, the Left Front said the deepening military collaboration did not augur well for India's strategic interests and independent foreign policy.
Posted by: john ||
11/04/2005 07:34 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
The CPI-M should be thankful the exercises don't include a program of live fire strafing runs with the 20mm.
Posted by: Mike ||
11/04/2005 9:17 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Two hundred years ago the East Indian Company used Bengali troopers to subjugate India. Later, Bengali soldiers were used by the British to humble China in the Opium wars.
There was a time when officers from Bengal made the army proud. But today, the land that gave us youth icons like Col Suresh Biswas, Air Marshal Subrata Mukherjee, Gen Jayanta Nath Chaudhuri, Admiral A.K. Chatterjee and Gen Shankar Roy Chowdhury doesn't have much representation in the armed forces. Blame it on the state's youth, who're just not fit enough to don the fatigues.
An internal study by the defence ministry has found that in 2004-2005, only 17,596 of 76,102 applicants cleared the initial screening during recruitment to the Eastern Command. "Their failure has been attributed to lack of physical endurance, poor health conditions and unsatisfactory performance in the written tests," sources said. They added that such conditions were found across the country too but not to such an extent.
"During medical examination, over 9,500 (54 per cent) applicants were declared unfit. They were suffering from several deficiencies. Around 33 per cent had skeletal abnormalities or conditions like flat feet and scoliosis. Ten per cent were declared unfit during ENT exams.
Several were diagnosed with colour blindness, defective vision, conjunctivitis squint and other conditions. While some were found suffering from abdominal infections, others had Caries' teeth, malocclusion. Some had cardiac complications," sources said. Poor nutrition, unhygienic living conditions and poor personal hygiene were cited as the main reasons by the study.
Posted by: john ||
11/04/2005 9:31 Comments ||
Top||
#3
Airforce authority busy with preparations of exercise in Kalaikunda
Kalaikunda, West Bengal: Undeterred by CPI(M) demonstration in front of the air base here yesterday, the Air Force Authority remained busy with its normal schedule of holding joint exercise with American counterpart (COPE- 05) from November Seven.
''The 250 strong American Air Force contingent with one squadron of F-16 Fighter Aircraft have reached here yesterday led by Colonel Cobat Nelson from American Airbase in Miswa Air Base in Japan. The custom clearance of the US contingent have been completed,'' spokesmen of Air Force Authority said here this morning.
Asked as to whether there is any plan to stop or reschedule the joint exercise in view of the CPI(M) agitation, which starts here from November Seven, the spokesmen said, ''As of now they have received no such message from the Central Government.'' Meanwhile Dipak Sarkar, District CPI(M) secretary made an on-the-spot study of the place of demonstration in front of Kalaikunda airbase this morning for deciding the strategy of holding the main demonstration on November Seven when the joint exercise starts.
Later in a press conference, he said, ''At least one lakh party members and common people will demonstrate in front of Gate No.2 on the airbase in Kadua Village near here for three hours in the morning when the joint exercise starts.'' ''We love our country. We donât want it to sell its independence to the US. The security of the country will be jeopardised because of this joint exercise. We also consider that the so-called independent foreign policy of the UPA government is nothing but a hoax,'' Mr Sarkar alleged.
Posted by: john ||
11/04/2005 9:41 Comments ||
Top||
#4
Several were diagnosed with colour blindness, defective vision, conjunctivitis squint and other conditions.
The chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front has called for a concerted effort by both India and Pakistan to wipe out the handful of extremists who he says want to sabotage the peace process between the two countries. In an exclusive interview with Arab News, given in the Pakistani capital last Wednesday, Yasin Malik said that while only a few terrorists had actually disturbed the peace of people in India they were still âdetermined to sabotage the peace process between India and Pakistanâ.
In a conciliatory mood, the chairman of the JKLF who claims to have been tortured by Indian security forces last year, said that a âhandful of terroristsâ could not be allowed to undermine the process when both India and Pakistan had joined hands to serve humanity. Both countries, he said, were âgenuinely engagedâ in dealing with the aftermath of the Oct. 8 earthquake which had left tens of thousands dead, many hundreds of thousands injured and missing and several million homeless. Malik said the governments of Pakistan and India had to act with absolute determination against the terrorists. The killing of 60 people by a small group of them in New Delhi last week had created an atmosphere of mistrust, he said. Just when the region needs the two governments to work together for humanityâs sake, just when the two are making every effort to defuse the situation, opening up border crossings and initiating confidence-building measures, people might be led into thinking that there is more than a few elements out to sabotage the process.
âSuddenly we find a few individuals bombing the Indian capital. Obviously this attempt will sow doubts in the minds of many millions in India and Pakistan. People will ask what is going on when Pakistan and India are improving their bilateral relations and helping each other in the aftermath of earthquake.â Now was the time for Pakistan and India to track down these militants. Both Gen. Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had to eradicate them. âWe have seen so much bloodshed; now is the time to serve humanity. The killing of innocent people must stop.â
Posted by: Fred ||
11/04/2005 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under:
#2
Let's take this chap at his word. However, such an optimistic leap of faith should also include advising him that any sudden reversal of his current stance will result in an abrupt departure from this mortal coil.
#3
"Liberation Front"??? Any relation or similarity to the myriad Commie LF's of the Cold War - they want "peace" only so far as they are given all the power, the $$$, and of course the guns!?
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.
George Galloway's attempts to clear his name over the oil-for-food scandal suffered another setback yesterday when his spokesman confirmed that he had received payments from a businessman identified as a beneficiary of the scheme. Ron McKay said he had received $15,666 from Fawaz Zureikat, an associate of Mr Galloway, in August 2000. 
With 10 to 15 million stolen passports in use around the world at the present time, the global struggle against terrorism is seriously hampered, Interpol Secretary-General Ronald Noble said. It is imperative that all nations take the problem seriously, he said during a two-day visit here to inform the Counter-terrorism Committee of the UN Security Council of Interpolâs work since it opened an office here a year ago. âIf member countries treated stolen passports like citizens treat their stolen credit cards, then we would have many, many fewer terrorists and organized criminals in the world than we currently do,â Noble said.
BAGHDAD, Nov 3 (KUNA) -- The Spokesman of the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq, Farid Ayar, said Thursday that the electoral law passed by the Provisional National Assembly had excluded no group in the distribution of parliamentary seats.
BEIRUT - The UN commission investigating the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri can question any Syrian official, Syriaâs deputy foreign minister said in an interview published on Thursday.
US Ambassador 
A senior Syrian banker said Thursday his country's currency was solid and was able to defend itself against any negative fallouts from the UN report implicating top Syrian officials in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Al-Hariri on February 14. Speaking to reporters, Adib Mayala said the central bank was "able to maintain a stable exchange value for the Syrian pound against the US dollar." He stressed that bank deposits, by members of the public, "have risen despite the current crisis and the threat of imposing economic sanctions against Damascus." He added that, in October alone, the total deposits had reached 108 billion Syrian pounds while the total withdrawals had reached 100 billion SP. He called on the Syrian monetary market to have no fear about the situation of the SP and added that members of the public were now free to buy USD 5000 each. "This gesture on the part of the government has calmed fears about the currency and eased pressure on the SP in the black market," he said. He added that ordinary citizens traveling out of Syria could leave the country with up to USD 3000 while Syrian patients wishing to leave the country for treatment abroad could do so and take away with them up to USD 20,000.
