#2
Joe-
THANK YOU....the first war this nation fought - and it was to keep our vital ocean commerce open - was against Muslim pirates.
But we're not supposed allowed to remember that.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
11/07/2006 5:22 Comments ||
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#3
In 1796, U.S. Vowed Friendliness With Islam
And we were repaid by the enslavement and slaughter of our sailors.
Weird thing I've noticed: lots of books recently about the Islamic slave trade. Even saw a reasonably good show about it on one of the cable channels. Granted, the show had to work in the "charitable master" angle on the Arab slave trader -- never would have been made otherwise -- but they made it clear that the desert tribes didn't rescue shipwrecked sailors out of the kindness in their hearts.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
11/07/2006 8:21 Comments ||
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#4
In 1796, U.S. Vowed Friendliness With Islam
So. That was then, our eyes are open now. Well, some of us anyway. But more will notice, and they'll tell others. Islam, delenda est!
Now I think it is time to reconsider that amendment: "the Congress will make no law in matter of religion". It was made thinking in Christain sects or at least on religions adhering to the Golden rule. But think in the Aztec cult! Do you still think: "it is a religion thus we have to allow it?".
Neither the people who wrote the Constitution or the their ancestors had had contacts with Aztecs or with Islam.
#7
JFM, you are welcome to move to America anytime you like. That's an official Rantburg invitation.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
11/07/2006 9:33 Comments ||
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#8
Now I think it is time to reconsider that amendment: "the Congress will make no law in matter of religion".
Good luck. I prefer the way we've done it. Each individual gets judged as an individual, not for where their family came from, what they believe, or what they look like. Just what they do. Behave OK? fine. Behave bad? pay for it. It's not like the French have set an exemplary standard in dealing with religious issues.
Now, furners? that's another kettle of fish all together.
#10
Mike, we fought several wars on the Indian frontier & the "Quasi War" with the French between the ratification of the constitution & the first Barbary War. The Barbary Wars were most certainly not the first anything, not even the first overseas war.
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
11/07/2006 9:58 Comments ||
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#12
The Quasi War with France followed combat with Algiers, though rather one sided in the absence of an American Navy. One was constructed, but by then peace had been reached with Algiers, so it was put to use against our other reliable enemy, France.
#13
Now I think it is time to reconsider that amendment: "the Congress will make no law in matter of religion".
Religion has nothing to do with this. Islam is a totalitarian political ideology, not a religion. Banning a sedititious, treasonous ideology should be child's play. Bush needs to wake up to this and rally national support for reclassification of Islam, elimination of its tax-free status and banning of its practice in the United States. Prohibition of the hijab, niqab and burqa should the very first move in making America Islam unfriendly.
#15
Unbelievable that even waaaaay back then, our State Dept. was stabbing us in the back. Go read the entire article and see how some diplomat allowed a translation of an Arabic letter, which stated that the US was NOT founded on the religion of Christ, to be slipped into our treaty with the Musselmen back then. Of course, I want no part of a theocracy, either, but to deny the Judeo-Christian effects on our Founding Fathers is pure b.s. in my mind. Now, it's being used against us.
Posted by: BA ||
11/07/2006 14:35 Comments ||
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#16
The first treaty of friendship between the United States and another foreign territory was with Morocco in 1787. We've had pretty good relations with Morocco ever since. The problems with the Barbary Pirates was with Algeria and Tunisia. Today, we have problems with Wahabbists, Deobandists, and some Salafists. So does most of the rest of the world. Targeting those sects makes sense. Targeting other sects doesn't, until they prove they're part of the hate-America crowd. Let's don't make more enemies than are necessary. We really do need to wipe out the "leadership" in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Syria, Sudan, Somalia, and much of Pakistan, though.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
11/07/2006 15:16 Comments ||
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#17
The problem, Old Patriot, is that a large majority of imams and clerics in mosques around the world are supplied by Saudi Arabia. They preach this Wahhabist bullshit and their congregations just lap it up. The situation has gotten out of control to the point where we would be safer to simply ban this dangerous ideology than to continue to let it be practiced in America. Even those groups who do not advocate terrorism still practice Abject Gender Apartheid. Until that stops, along with a host of other significant issues, Islam must go. I'd vote for Jackal's proposed amendment in a heartbeat. Islam must reform or die.
#18
Nimble Spemble: the acts of war described in that article preceded the peace treaty in question, and were, after all, the source & impetus behind said treaty. New hostilities didn't break out between the pirate-emirates & the US until after the end of the Quasi-War, during the next adminstration.
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
11/07/2006 16:15 Comments ||
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#19
A great many other of the Sunni mosque leaders in the US come from the Moslimuniversity in Cairo, which apparently has a better reputation for learning than anything out of Saudi Arabia, but which has become increasingly strident over the years.
Pakistan is doing everything possible to ensure that its territory is not used for violence in Afghanistan, Foreign Office spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam told a weekly press briefing on Monday. Ms Aslam said that Pakistan had made several suggestions in this regard, including fencing of the international border and selective mining of the Durand Line, and the introduction of restrictions and checks on movements and the requirement of documentation along points where such movement should be allowed.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/07/2006 00:00 ||
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Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri warned on Monday that Afghanistans engagement in a relentless and irrelevant blame game against Pakistan would complicate peace endeavours in the region.
In talks with United States Under Secretary for South and Central Asia Richard Boucher, Kasuri stressed the need for US-Afghan-Pak trilateral counter-terrorism efforts, adding that Islamabad had released all resources necessary to fight the global threat. The two also discussed, under the framework of the US-Pak strategic dialogue: bilateral ties, the war on terror, the prevailing crises in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as the Iranian nuclear standoff and Pakistans geo-political climate and its request for civil nuclear assistance. On Afghanistan, Kasuri said that while Pakistan wanted stability and peace to prevail in that country, the Afghan governments engagement in an unrelenting and irrelevant blame game against Islamabad would only worsen the crisis. He also briefed the visiting US official on the Indo-Pak peace process and the foreign secretary-level talks scheduled for later this month, which would address all issues, including Kashmir. The US should also play an effective role in maintaining the ongoing dialogue on Kashmir, Kasuri added.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/07/2006 00:00 ||
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(SomaliNet) The Sudanese government has dismissed a UN report that Sudan backed militia raids in Sudan's Darfur region in which some 60 people died calling it "lies".
Sudan's foreign ministry spokesman Ali Sadeq said, "These reports... contain huge amounts of lies, manipulation and lack of credibility." According to sources, at least 27 of the victims are thought to be children under the age of 12.
The Sudanese government says it is disarming the Janjaweed militia, however media reports reveal in Sudan say all the evidence points to the exact opposite. The attacks were on camps for the displaced in the rebel stronghold of Jebel Moon, in West Darfur.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/07/2006 00:00 ||
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(SomaliNet) Uganda's Lords Resistance Army rebel (LRA), leader Joseph Kony wants to meet the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Jan Egeland when he visits the region next week, a top LRA peace delegate has said, Daily Monitor revealed Monday. The UN chief, who is travelling to Sudan's Juba city, is scheduled to visit one of the two designated assembly areas in South Sudan. He has been rallying moral and financial support for the Juba peace process. "Our chairman has asked us to tell Egeland that he wants to meet him during his visit over crucial issues concerning the peace talks," said Martin Ojul, head of the LRA peace negotiation team in Juba.
It has so far been planned that the Un chief, Egeland will visit Owiny-Ki-Bul after holding separate meetings with both delegations to the peace talks, as well as the mediator, South Sudan Vice-President Riek Machar. The head of LRA negotiation team in Sudan said the rebels expect the UN chief to exert more pressure on the International Criminal Court to drop charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity against the top LRA leadership. It is still unclear how Egeland and Kony would meet.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/07/2006 00:00 ||
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Morocco's king Mohammed, in an unprecedented warning to neighbouring countries, said on Monday any future independent state in the disputed Western Sahara could harbour terrorists and bandits. The king was addressing the nation on the 31st anniversary of the Green March when Morocco seized the former Spanish colony in 1975, claiming centuries-old rights over the territory rich in phosphates, fisheries and possibly offshore oil.
That triggered a low-intensity guerrilla war that ended in 1991, when the United Nations brokered a cease-fire and sent in peacekeepers in anticipation of a self-determination referendum. The vote never took place and Morocco now insists the most it will offer is regional autonomy. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan urged the Security Council last month to push Morocco and the Polisario Front, which wants an independent Western Sahara, to agree to direct talks to end Africa's oldest territorial dispute.
This dreadful hypothesis would transform the (North African) region into a dirty marsh and den of terrorist gangs and criminal bandits smuggling human beings and arms.
King Mohammed said a draft text on autonomy would be completed soon after consultations with political and civic groups and parties. "We confirm by this approach our commitment to the Arab Maghreb unity and our willingness to spare this zone as well as the Sahel region and the northern and southern Mediterranean shores the disastrous risks of balkanisation and instability," the king said. "This dreadful hypothesis would transform the (North African) region into a dirty marsh and den of terrorist gangs and criminal bandits smuggling human beings and arms. These are the hazards Morocco is striving to prevent by proposing the autonomy within the framework of a great drive of democracy Morocco has embraced."
Posted by: Fred ||
11/07/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
The same certainly applies to any so-called "palestinian" state, isn't it?
Posted by: Matt K. ||
11/07/2006 1:10 Comments ||
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#2
"Dirty Den of ..." > IOW, NOTHING WILL CHANGE???
#3
Actually, the King of Morocco is not an Islamist but the Polisario Front has Islamist links. The Front is an odd mixture of Marxism, Arab romanticism, and Islamism - at least that is what it has become. It started out as a pretty hardcore Marxist front but over time, the other elements crept in with the money being provided by various assorted groups. So while Morocco is not the garden spot of the Middle East, it is not the sewer that the Western Sahara will become under the Polisario Front.
#4
The king of Morocco doesn't have to be an Islamist. The family line traces directly back to Mohammed (or his heir, anyway -- I seem to recall that the Prophet (PTUI) produced no sons).
#7
"This dreadful hypothesis would transform the (North African) region into a dirty marsh and den of terrorist gangs and criminal bandits smuggling human beings and arms.
Dirty marsh?!? Exactly how is what the old Kingy Thingy predicting at variance with what already exists? Other than him not having absolute control over it, that is.
#8
But that is the point, TW : exploit the King's alleged direct descent for OUR purposes. Sort of like what we did with the Japanese Emperor - could have executed him as a war criminal after WWII {he signed off on several of the Japanese atrocities and it is documented}. But what we did is use him as an anchor and got an unsinkable aircraft carrier in Japan and Okinawa to confront the Soviets with. Same concept for the ME : direct descendant of the "Prophet" signs off on US involvement and it takes some of the steam out of the Islamists.
A MUSLIM firearms officer is taking legal action against the British police after he was removed from a squad that guards senior officials, including Prime Minister Tony Blair, The Independent newspaper said today.
A police spokeswoman confirmed that London's Metropolitan Police had been notified of an employment tribunal claim by a policeman "alleging discrimination on the grounds of race and religious belief". She declined to comment further.
The Independent said Amjad Farooq, 39, was told in 2003 he was a threat to national security because two of his five children then aged 9 and 11 had gone to a mosque associated with a suspected extremist group.
It said he was also told by colleagues that his presence on the protection squad might concern US security officials if he was posted outside the US embassy in London.
Mr Farooq, who denied any extremist links or inappropriate behaviour, was transferred to a constabulary in west London.
His lawyer, Lawrence Davies, told the newspaper: "Muslims are labelled guilty by association. Doubt is insufficient to save them."
#1
With the percentage of 'British' muslims who support terriorist attacks either at home or abroad I think there's a good case from barring the lot of them from the Police - in fact from any job where there's a potential threat to public safety.
Posted by: Howard UK ||
11/07/2006 3:33 Comments ||
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#2
The Independent said Amjad Farooq, 39, was told in 2003 he was a threat to national security because two of his five children then aged 9 and 11 had gone to a mosque associated with a suspected extremist group.
Tell this assclown to go play house with abu Hamza's son. If you allow your children to attend an extremist mosque, it must mean that you seek to have them inculcated with Islamist doctrine. This explicitly implies that you approve of said doctrine and automatically makes you a threat to national security. Get a clue, Amjad, and go Farooq yourself.
#4
"It said he was also told by colleagues that his presence on the protection squad might concern US security officials if he was posted outside the US embassy in London."
What pussies! They are using us for an excuse. We are a convenience. Now that is poodle-ish behavior.
South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon said Monday he was concerned about recent comments by Japanese politicians that Tokyo should discuss developing nuclear weapons. "I don't think remarks like these are desirable for the future of Japan, which is one of the most important members of the United Nations and also a major power in Northeast Asia," Ban told reporters.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has declared that Japan would not consider developing its own nuclear weapons, but some high-ranking members of his ruling party have called for such discussions following North Korea's Oct. 9 nuclear test. Abe's protests have failed to squelch the debate. On Sunday, Shoichi Nakagawa, policy chief of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, reiterated his call for a debate on "contingencies" in the event of a North Korean nuclear attack.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/07/2006 00:00 ||
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But its ok for North Korea (and it's demented leader) to do so....
#2
I interpreted this differently CF, I saw this as the SKors pointing out to their crazy cousins that they might not be able to restrain the Japanese from developing nukes of their own.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/07/2006 9:57 Comments ||
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#3
I personally believe the Japanese already have the capability of building working nuclear weapons, and could assemble one within a matter of weeks, if not days. I think that is information that every Asian nation should know and understand fully. I would also "encourage" Japan to develop an army and navy twice its current size, and to develop long-range capabilities in its Air Force - capable of reaching Guangzhou. I'm sure such capabilities would put China's shorts in a twist in a hurry.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
11/07/2006 15:28 Comments ||
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Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Monday North Korea decided to return to six-party nuclear disarmament talks because of the strong international response to its nuclear test last month. "North Korea is now responding to the international community's resolve," Rice said in an interview with Fox News.
They'll respond to resolve if it's shown. The problem is to get all the cats in the herd moving in the same direction.
The UN Security Council imposed sanctions against North Korea following missile tests in July and a nuclear test in October. As a result, Rice said she assumes North Korea will refrain from future testing. She noted that two senior US officials are in East Asia this week to lay the groundwork for the upcoming six-party talks, which will be held in either November or December.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/07/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
I initially had a theory that ol' Kim wanted to be invaded so he could escape and forget and his pathetic little country, and the poor inhabitants. I had a beleif that he actually wanted the US to invade just so they could repair the Nt, but I was wrong it seems?
#2
Here's what I think: It's not international pressure. His paranoid mind doesn't care. He's worried about a revolution and his own hide. Diminishing food supplies will do that.
Seven French Muslim airport workers who had their security clearances withdrawn because of fears they had links to extremist groups launched a lawsuit Monday against Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy. The seven were among 72 employees at Pariss Charles de Gaulle airport who have recently been stripped of their authorisation to go into restricted areas because of security concerns.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/07/2006 00:00 ||
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The seven were among 72 employees at Pariss Charles de Gaulle airport who have recently been stripped of their authorisation citizenship to go into restricted areas because of security concerns.
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands - A military court Monday convicted a soldier for refusing to serve in a Dutch NATO battalion in Afghanistan, but declined to punish him, saying he was suffering post-traumatic stress from an earlier tour of duty.
In a written ruling, the court in the central city of Arnhem also criticized the military for not doing enough for the 20-year-old man, whose identity was not released. There is a responsibility from both the soldier and the armed forces to deal with the negative consequences of a mission, such as a ... case of post-traumatic stress syndrome, the court wrote.
If the soldier truly has PTSD then he shouldn't have been court-martialed in the first place. Most modern armies have good treatment and psych programs, as PTSD is a real issue.
The soldier, who was given a dishonorable discharge earlier this year, had faced a maximum sentence of two years imprisonment.
In an interview with the weekly magazine Vrij Nederland earlier this year, the unidentified soldier said he had been promised he would not be sent abroad when he re-enlisted after a previous tour in Afghanistan. He said his unit was a kindergarten class unprepared to serve in a hostile environment, according to the report.
'My group is mostly made up of 19-year-old boys who are fresh from boot camp and barely know how to hold their rifles, the magazine quoted him as saying. 'Only a handful have ever been on a mission.
There's an indictment of the Dutch army, if true. I don't know how the Euros handle their training and their units, but I had thought that service in Afghanistan was for more elite units with thorough training.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/07/2006 00:00 ||
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The Jamaat-e-Islami has branded the Womens Protection Bill (WPB) an anti-religion enactment seeking to appease the USA. The JI demanded that the bill be withdrawn immediately, and warned that if Dr Abdul Qadeers detention led to the loss of his life, nobody could save the rulers from the wrath of the Pakistani people.
In the JI central shooras resolutions on amendments in Hudood laws, Dr Abdul Qadeer and the Balochistan issue, the party said that Islamabads insistence on a military solution to problems in Balochistan proved that the government was fulfilling the agenda of anti-Pakistan and anti-Islam. An apex policy meeting of the JI body has been in session since November 4 at the partys headquarters in Mansoorah. Qazi Hussain Ahmad presided over the Monday session, which adopted several other resolutions as well. In the resolution on Hudood laws, the JI shoora said that various amendments in the name of womens protection were being made in line with US dictates available on the State Department website. The resolution on Balochistan inked a detailed recipe of how to tackle problems in deprived provinces, with a special emphasis on the equal distribution of resources among federating units.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/07/2006 00:00 ||
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Pakistani intelligence agencies which accuse Afghanistan of sponsoring violence in Pakistanns border provinces have said that Thursdayys bomb attack in Quetta had proven their accusations clearly, reported Italian news agency AKI on Monday.
Security officials said that they had traced rogue elements in the Afghan consulate in Karachi who were planning similar acts of sabotage in Karachi, according to the report. Police have rounded up 70 Uzbek Afghan nationals in Quetta, including 10 members of the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance, in connection with the attack. An Italian news agencys spokesman quoted a senior Pakistani official as saying that the Afghan Foreign Ministry, under the aegis of Rangeen Dadfar, had appointed some elements in Pakistani consulates that were previously leaders of the Northern Alliance. This specifically includes Tajik and Uzbek staff in the Karachi and Quetta consulates, which have been facilitating many acts of sabotage in the past, but the Quetta incident left us with clear evidence that Afghan intelligence, through its consulates, is involved in acts of sabotage in Pakistan, said the official.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/07/2006 00:00 ||
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KHAR: Thousands of tribesmen and students staged separate rallies on Monday in Bajaur Agency, demanding that the government open up the area to the media and politicians, as protests continued against last weeks deadly raid on a local madrassa. Around 5,000 tribesmen, including several gun-wielding masked militants, gathered in Loi Sam village, 15 kilometres west of the agencys main town of Khar. Among the chants heard were: Death to Bush, Death to America, Jihad and Anyone who is a friend of America is a traitor. Witnesses said that chants denouncing President General Pervez Musharraf could also be heard.
The government has said that its helicopter gunships had launched the October 30 air strike that left 82 dead because the madrassa served as a training camp for Al Qaeda-linked militants. The terror networks deputy, Ayman al-Zawihiri, had been a past visitor to the seminary, security officials have said. Locals and an Islamic opposition party, however, have blamed the air strike on a United States military operation, possibly involving a missile fired from a Predator drone.
Opposition lawmakers have produced a list of victims, allegedly showing that almost all were young students. They have called for an emergency parliamentary debate. Senator Abdur Rahid, from the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam party, addressed the gathering, saying: The government should allow national and international media and politicians to visit the area to know the facts and inform the outside world.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/07/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
where's the predator when you need it?
Posted by: Captain America ||
11/07/2006 1:35 Comments ||
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#2
Every time I would see an IRA funeral on television complete with Klan masks and assault rifles I would wonder why the lot were not rounded up or, failing that, mowed down.
When thousands of armed enemies gather to chant for your death it is time to explore the daisy-cutter option. And by all means leave no AP, AFP or Reuters fifth-columnist behind.
A three-day congregation of the International Tablig-e-Jamaat will start on November 10 in Raiwind. The administration of the event said that it had completed all arrangements and people from different areas of the country and abroad had started arriving in Raiwind. The Punjab government has established a 10-bed hospital in Raiwind to provide medical facilities to the participants of the event.
In case of shootouts over the fine points of theology, y'see...
The traffic police will regulate traffic flow during the congregation, while heavy contingents of police would be deployed to provide security on November 12 to deal with any terrorist incident.
Oh, cut 'em some slack. What's a convocation of holy men without a few terrorist incidents?
The provincial government has also completed arrangements to provide residential facilities to the more than 1.5 million expected participants of the event. The chief ministers of Sindh and NWFP are also scheduled to attend the event. The gathering will start with a speech from Bhai Abdul Wahab on November 9. A number of leaders of the Tablig-e-Jamaat from India will also participate in the meeting.
The Pakistan Railways will run 20 special trains during the three days of the religious gathering. Federal Railways Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad on Monday said that directives had also been issued to all trains using the route to stop at Raiwind during November 8 to 13. He said that he would also visit Raiwind to review arrangements made for arrival and departure of the special trains. He said that the decision had been taken to facilitate passengers coming from across the country to travel to Raiwind to attend the gathering. He said that the railways administration had been directed to provide all facilities to the visitors.
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Posted by: Fred ||
11/07/2006 00:00 ||
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The political administration, Pakistan Army and the Frontier Corps (FC) personnel, along with Bajaur jirga elders on Monday denied the Peshawar High Court Bar Association (PHCBA) probe team investigations into the Bajaur air strikes. We tried to meet the jirga members who were going to strike a peace deal with the political administration. We (the lawyers) waited for two to three hours at the office of the political agent in Bajuar while the jirga was at a meeting with the political administration for negotiations with authorities, PHCBA probe committee member Ghulam Nabi told Daily Times over the phone.
However, after the meeting, the lawyers were denied a meeting and talks with jirga members of the agency, he said. He said political authorities and FC personnel also stopped them from visiting the destroyed madrassa in Bajaur. However, on the resistance, hundreds of tribesmen gathered and started chanting slogans against the army and political administration. Nabi said the tribesmen went on to quarrel with FC men, who were finally compelled to leave the area on finding out that the tribesmen would begin firing in reaction. We (the lawyers) visited the location along with hundreds of enraged tribesmen, whose children or brothers had been killed, and checked the destroyed madrassa. We saw the clothes and shoes of school children between the ages of eight to ten who were killed in the air strikes, Nabi revealed.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/07/2006 00:00 ||
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In response to the news reported in a section of press about arrest of few PAF officers in connection with last month Islamabad/Rawalpindi rockets case, Pakistan Air Force clarifies that none of its personnel is involved in this incident nor has any one been taken into custody for questioning. Pakistan Air Force had also issued a categorical denial on October 16, 2006, in response to similar news items that originated in foreign press.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/07/2006 00:00 ||
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NEW DELHI - There are scarcely any Muslims working in Indias 10,000-strong external intelligence agency, and neither Muslims nor Sikhs working as bodyguards for the countrys top leaders, according to officials and media reports. Mainly Hindu but officially secular India has its first Sikh prime minister, Manmohan Singh, but his community is not trusted enough to guard him, according to Outlook magazine this week.
There's a reason for that. Read on.
The magazine said Indias minority Muslims were not trusted by the security apparatus because of fears they could sympathise with the countrys mainly Muslim neighbour and long-time foe Pakistan.
It said none had been recruited by the countrys external spy agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), since 1969. The domestic Intelligence Bureau (IB) had decided to recruit Muslims in the l990s, Outlook said, but the organisation still only had a handful of Muslim officers.
An intelligence official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Outlook was wrong to say there were no Muslims in RAW but right to say there were scarcely any. Nor were there any working as bodyguards in the Special Protection Group (SPG) assigned to protecting current and former prime ministers and their families, he said. It is an unwritten rule in the SPG that they cannot recruit a Muslim or a Sikh, he told Reuters.
A.S. Dulat, who served as RAW chief from 1999 to 2000, said he did not recall coming across any Muslims in the organisation but could not confirm the Outlook report. If we do not have any Muslims obviously this is a handicap, he told Reuters. If there are no Muslims, there must have been a reluctance to take them in. It is also not easy to find that many Muslims.
Sikhs have not been used as bodyguards since Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her personal Sikh bodyguards in 1984 at the height of a Sikh insurgency, Outlook said.
Oh yeah, that's the reason! D'oh!
Dulat said Sikhs had come under a cloud following Gandhis murder, but found it hard to believe they would still be excluded from bodyguard duties today.
Oh snicker, this in the land of the thousand year-old memories.
The status of Indias estimated 140 million minority Muslims is the subject of intense debate.
Leaked excerpts of a specially commissioned report, due to be published this month, have shown Muslims are significantly underrepresented in government jobs and in the judiciary but overrepresented in the prison populations in many Indian states. There are just 29,000 Muslims in Indias 1.3-million strong armed forces, according to the defence ministry.
And in any war with the Paks those 29K soldiers are going to be a problem.
But Outlook magazines report will also raise concerns about whether Indias intelligence gathering will be effective without Muslim agents and officers. The need for Muslim officers in intelligence-gathering is acute, another former RAW chief, Girish Chandra Saxena, was quoted as saying. There are very few people who have knowledge of Urdu or Arabic. The issue has to be addressed.
Good point, but are you going to be sure you can trust your recruits?
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/07/2006 00:00 ||
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There has been only one muslim winner of the PVC, the highest Indian award for bravery in combat.
This was Abdul Hamid, who won the award posthumously, in the 1965 Indo-Pak war.
With his jeep mounted recoiless gun, he destroyed seven Patton tanks. His official citation credits him with only 3 kills though
The citation for the Param Vir Chakra awarded to him reads:
COMPANY QUARTER MASTER HAVILDAR ABDUL HAMID
4 GRENADIERS (NO 2639985)
At 0800 hours on 10 September 1965 Pakistan forces launched an attack with a regiment of Patton tanks on a vital area ahead of village Cheema on the Bhikkiwind road in the Khem Karam Sector. Intense artillery shelling preceded the attack. The enemy tanks penetrated the forward position by 0900 hours. Realising the grave situation, Company Quarter Master Havildar Abdul Hamid who was commander of a RCL gun detachment moved out to a flanking position with his gun mounted on a jeep, under intense enemy shelling and tank fire. Taking an advantageous position, he knocked out the leading enemy tank and then swiftly changing his position, he sent another tank up in flames. By this time the enemy tanks in the area spotted him and brought his jeep under concentrated machine-gun and high explosive fire. Undeterred, Company Quarter Master Havildar Abdul Hamid kept on firing on yet another enemy tank with his recoilless gun. While doing so, he was mortally wounded by an enemy high explosive shell.
Havildar Abdul Hamids brave action inspired his comrades to put up a gallant fight and to beat back the heavy tank assault by the enemy. His complete disregard for his personal safety during the operation and his sustained acts of bravery in the face of constant enemy fire were a shining example not only to his unit but also to the whole division and were in the highest traditions of the Indian Army.[2]
Posted by: john ||
11/07/2006 15:43 Comments ||
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The European Union urged Iraq on Sunday not to carry out the death sentence passed on Iraq's former leader Saddam Hussein after his conviction for crimes against humanity. "The EU opposes capital punishment in all cases and under all circumstances, and it should not be carried out in this case either," Finland, current holder of the rotating EU presidency, said in a statement. Testosterone has now been successfully eliminated from Eurabia. The male species has been totally neutered.
Crimes against humanity and genocide are not significant enough for a death sentence. There has to be serious wrongdoing such as cartoons about MohaMUD or other politically incorrect vices. What a continent of pussies. You know, for the 10% of Euro men with balls left the continent is ripe for the picking.
The war in Iraq has entered a critical stage, driven as much by escalating violence on the ground as by political calendars in the United States. Throughout all the ups and downs, President Bush has stood by his embattled defense secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, despite calls for his resignation (NYT) by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. Central to this criticism of the defense chief is the accusation he refused to supply enough troops to secure a territory roughly the size of California.
A clamor for a so-called strategic redeployment of U.S. forces has risen from congressional Democrats. But how and where would these forces be redeployed? And what effect might their removal have on the rising violence around Iraq? Some lawmakers, inspired by Lawrence J. Korb of the Center for American Progress, have called for a redeployment that envisions 60,000 troops left in Iraq by the end of 2006 and no one left there by the end of 2007 (Korb debates Steven Metz of the U.S. Army War College on Americas long-term presence in Iraq). The soldiers would be redeployed to Afghanistan, Kuwait, or other countries in the Persian Gulf region to act as rapid reaction forces should things get ugly in Iraq without their presence. Another plan, hatched by former U.S. Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, calls for U.S. troops to be redeployed to the predominantly Kurdishand peacefulareas of northern Iraq. They would be nearby to keep an eye on events in Iraq, but, more important, they would reduce the very real risk of a Turkish-Kurdish war (WashPost).
Senior military officials in late summer spoke of an eighteen-month window to turn things around and hand responsibility to Iraqi security forces. That makes January 2008 a watershed of sorts (NYT). The Iraqi parliament also recently announced it would make no moves to empower the regions of Iraq for at least eighteen months. This timeframe also coincides with an importantperhaps the most importantreferendum Iraqis hold on the status of Kirkuk, a political volleyball whose pending status has only inflamed tensions between local Sunni Arabs and Kurds. Finally, of course, by January 2008 the United States will be well into a presidential election season, with Iraq likely to play a pivotal role in determining President Bushs successor.
Much of this calculus hinges on progress in training Iraqi troops. Experts say the numbers325,000 police and army forces combined (Brookings Iraq Index)belie a quality problem. Cultural issues explain part of this gap, as Lt. Col. Carl D. Grunow writes in Military Review. But compositional issues matter, too: Iraqi troops are predominantly Shiite, which creates backlashes among Sunnis and invites accusations of sectarian-motivated arrests or, worse, death-squad-style killings. Also, militias have long held a presence within Iraqs police force.
Some analysts, including F. J. Bing West, a former assistant secretary of defense, say events in Iraq have strained relations (WashPost) between senior U.S. military officers and senior civilian officials. Reports of recruitment difficulties and hints of morale problems among frontline troops have some people concerned. Yet it is easy to overstate these problems or put too much emphasis on isolated incidents like the alleged war crimes at Haditha. For all the stress and strains, writes Colin H. Kahl in Foreign Affairs, American troops are behaving remarkably well by historical standards. Bing West authored a great book about the Battle of Fallujah called "No True Glory".
The procedure through which ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein will appeal against his death sentence began on Monday, with officials saying he may face the gallows within the next few months.
On Sunday, the 69-year-old was sentenced to hang for committing crimes against humanity by ordering the deaths of 148 Shias from Dujail. His half-brother and intelligence chief Barzan Al-Tikriti was also sentenced to death, as was Awad Ahmed Al-Bandar, who was chairman of the revolutionary court that ordered the Shias execution. Saddams former vice president Taha Yassin Ramadan received a life sentence, while three Baath party officials from Dujail received 15 years each and a fourth was cleared. Under Iraqi law, Saddam, Barzan, Bandar and Ramadam have an automatic right to appeal against their death and life sentences, and the process for this began on Monday. A US official close to the court said that the defendants could file their appeals over the next 30 days. From now to the next 10 days, the trial chamber can hold the file (ruling), but in these 10 days, it has to forward the file to the appeal chamber, said the official. He said that on receipt of the file, the appeal chamber had to immediately forward it to the prosecutors chamber.
The prosecutor gets 20 days to present his views on the file after which he gives the file back to the appeal chamber, which then starts deliberating on it, said the US official. There is no set period for the appeal chambers deliberations, but after the appeal chambers decision is final, and if it upholds the trial chambers rulings, the sentence has to be carried out in 30 days.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
11/07/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
DRUDGE > As early as sometime in JANUARY 2007. Iff the MSM > "One Man's Terrorist is another's Freedom Fighter", and iff "Dubya's War" is allegedly illegal + immoral/unethical, will the Dems let Saddam hang???
JERUSALEM Syria and Hezbollah are likely to start a war with the Jewish state within 10 months, according to an assessment presented to the political leadership here by the Israeli Defense Forces. IDF leaders did not release the specific timing of what they said are expected clashes, but they urged Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's government in meetings the past few weeks to allow the IDF to prepare for a possible major conflict, according to senior military officials.
The officials said the assessments, compiled by the general staff of the IDF, are based on intelligence information and what they said is the ongoing estimate by Syria and Hezbollah that military confrontations achieve results.
They said Hezbollah considered itself victorious against Israeli troops in Lebanon in July and August. Explained a military official: "While Hezbollah took some major hits, the group's rocket infrastructure is still in tact; they are capable of firing more rockets into Israel. The war ended without Hezbollah having to return (Eldad) Regev and (Ehud) Goldwasser (the two soldiers it kidnapped in July, originally prompting the confrontations)."
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, because he was not authorized to talk to the media, said a cease-fire imposed in August by the United Nations "achieved a political win for Hezbollah." "It recognized Hezbollah's claims to the Shebaa Farms (a small piece of territory held by Israel but claimed by Lebanon and Syria) and called for future negotiations. It also restricts Israel's ability to stop Hezbollah from rearming and regrouping, which is what they are currently doing," the military official said.
#3
The official said a cease-fire imposed in August by the United Nations "achieved a political win for Hezbollah."
There, fixed that.
Earlier today, Syria's Foreign Minister, Walid Moallem, said he hopes a Middle East peace process can be launched next year that would include Israel's relinquishing of the Golan Heights to Damascus. But Moallem warned if negotiations don't commence and yeild results within months, there will be a war.
Any handover of the Golan heights will NOT bring about peace. Syria will merely use it as a strategic overlook from which to bombard Israel even more. Whos fooling whom? Israel knows this damn well and that's why theyve never returned the land.
Assad said Israel could attack Syria "at any moment" and that Israeli leaders have abandoned the peace process and are seeking a war.
He certainly got that at any moment part right.
The Baath official told WND Syria learned from Hezbollah's military campaign against Israel that "fighting" is more effective than peace negotiations with regard to gaining territory.
Israel needs to permanently alter that perception this time around.
#5
This is like saying the sun will rise tomorrow. Of course Hezbullah will "continue" with their war with Israel. I'm really done with this. If Israel were to buldoze all of Gaza and Lebanon I would be satisfied.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
11/07/2006 19:32 Comments ||
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I've floated this idea before and FWIW, I advocated it 30 years ago as solution to the Northern Ireland problem. Of course it's an anathema to the multicults, so the guy gets labelled 'extreme', 'racist', etc.
At the Knesset session marking the fifth anniversary of the assassination of minister Rehavam Ze'evi, you said, "The demographic problem will not solve itself. It's not too late to study the Gandhi legacy." Do you still believe in the idea of transfer?
"Yes. Gandhi never spoke of transfer by coercion, only voluntary transfer. We can eliminate the Palestinian refugee camps in the territories by giving $100,000 to each family that agrees to emigrate to another country. If 1 million Palestinian families accept the proposal, which costs about $100 billion, we will solve the demographic problem."
Where will you find $100 billion?
"Every year Israel receives foreign aid from the United States totaling $3 billion. If we take the aid money and put it aside for 20 years, we will have $60 billion. If we add to that money from American and European foundations, which streams in to us, we can reach $100 billion."
Do you really believe that for $100,000 you will succeed in convincing Palestinian families to leave their homes?
"Definitely. I've checked it out. There are many countries, such as Bulgaria and Bosnia, that are willing to take them in. When a family with $100,000 arrives there, it is wanted, and will be really wealthy. Today in Gaza, families are living in hell. They have to be encouraged to leave."
How will you encourage them? They will justly claim that this is their home. Their connection to the land is stronger than ours.
"We put that into our own heads and brainwashed ourselves. I have a list of dozens of Arab families from East Jerusalem from whom we bought houses and who emigrated to South America, to Honduras and other countries. Do you know how many Arabs live in America and in Europe?"
#1
Talk about a poisoned gift for bulgaria. Why destroy that country? Arab lands are vast enough, aren't they? Let their brethen welcome them, after all, they're their "cause célèbre".
#2
The problem is the people, not their location. They'd be a blight on Bulgaria or Russia or any place you send them because they're unmotivated non-productive useless ignoramuses. Just as some people are Americans born in the wrong place, some people are paleostinians born in the right place.
In actuality, the paleostinians are uninteresting. The world is full of them. They are easy to produce. It's the Americans born in the wrong place who are interesting. They change the world. The paleostinians pollute it.
#3
One thing other Arabs are really good at is screwing their Paleo "brothers". The refugee problem could have been solved years ago, but no, let the jooos have the paleos!
#5
I'd sooner ship highly radioactive waste to Bulgaria than inflict the Palestinians upon them. Arab countries deserve the burden of absorbing the Palestinians and must be forced to take them in. No matter how much Israel wants peace, the Palestinians, and by extension the Arab world, does not. The MME (Muslim Middle East) must be made to pay for this agonizing legacy of bloodshed and mayhem. Short of nuclear attack, it is difficult to imagine better retribution than flooding the MME countries with Palestinian scum.
Any suggestion of a buyout reeks of bribery or rewarding terrorism. Neither of these are acceptable. The Palestinians must be made to suffer for willfully opposing all peaceful solutions. Their only choices should be coexistence with Israel, relocation or death. This last option's appeal increases with each passing day.
#8
No buyouts, no deals, nothing. Make the MME sort out this self-inflicted travesty. The Arab world has twisted the blade in this festering wound so many times that they alone must bear the responsibility for healing it. If they continue to refuse to do so, then, absent any actual peace, Israel must be given a free hand to drive out the Palestinians into neighboring countries. This madness must end, if only so that Israel can quietly pursue the prosperity it deserves. The MME's obsession with genocide only serves to risk total catastrophe (i.e., the Sampson Option) for all in the region. ENOUGH!
British Prime Minister Tony Blair said on Monday that the international community would deal with a new Palestinian unity government only if it adheres to the international demands that it renounce violence and recognize Israel. "You can't negotiate a two-state solution, Israel and Palestine, if one part of the people you're negotiating with is saying 'We don't want Israel to exist,"' Blair said at his monthly news conference in 10 Downing Street .
Posted by: Fred ||
11/07/2006 00:00 ||
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Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas traveled to Gaza Monday for negotiations with Hamas, but the two sides failed again to put the finishing touches on a national unity government made up of independent experts. Abbas and Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas met for more than two hours amid reports that agreement was near, but officials said the talks ended with no accord. It was not immediately known what was still at issue.
London-based Arab newspaper Al-Hayat reported on Monday that a resolution of both the economic crisis in the Palestinian territories and the issue of kidnapped IDF soldier Cpl. Gilad Shalit was a prerequisite for a Palestinian unity government. "The new Palestinian government will not be set up before the Palestinians are promised that the economic siege will be removed, and a deal for the release of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit is actualized," the report said.
Earlier, senior Palestinian sources told the Palestinian news agency Ma'an late Sunday night that Hamas and Fatah had reached an agreement on the establishment of a unity government in the Palestinian Authority. However, Fatah faction head Azzam el-Ahmad said that the deal had not been finalized and would not be until Hamas presented its candidate to replace PA Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/07/2006 00:00 ||
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Hamas has chosen a candidate to take over as prime minister from one of its leaders once an agreement on a unity government is finalised with President Mahmoud Abbas, said a spokesman for the Hamas-led administration on Monday. Ghazi Hamad declined to identify the groups proposed replacement for Ismail Haniyeh in a deal with Abbass Fatah group that Palestinians hope can ease Western sanctions aimed at pressuring Hamas to soften its anti-Israel line.
There has been an agreement within Hamas over the name, which will be announced to the president in a meeting between him and the prime minister, said Hamad, indicating the group reserved the right to pick the head of a new cabinet. Palestinian sources said Abbas and Haniyeh might meet later in the day.
"You may call him Abu X."
Hamad did not say whether Hamass candidate belonged to the movement. We are exerting every possible effort to conclude this in the near future. If we agree on the issue of the prime minister between the president and the party that names the prime minister, all other issues will be easy, said Hamad.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/07/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Hamad declined to identify the groups proposed replacement for Ismail Haniyeh
What, no dance card for the Israelis to fill out? Now that's just not fair. Haniyeh exiting the ballroom alive intact is insult enough.
Manila, 7 Nov. (AKI) - A court in the southern island of Mindanao has scrapped murder and attempted murder charges filed against the head of the Philippines' largest Muslim rebel group, government prosecutor Al Calica told AdnKronos International (AKI) on Tuesday. "Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) chief Al Haj Ibrahim Murad was removed from the list of suspects facing murder and frustrated [attempted] murder charges," Al Calica said when reached on the phone in his office in the city of Kidapawan, some 570 km southeast of Manila.
"The evidence against him was purely heresay. So that was inadmissible," Calica said.
Police had charged Murad and several suspected MILF commanders with plotting a bomb attack in Makilala town, which left six dead and 30 wounded on 10 October.
Calica did not mention whether other MILF commanders had been removed from the list.
The 11,900-strong MILF has been engaged in peace talks with Manila. The talks, brokered by Malaysia, recently drew to a halt over the rebels' demand to include close to 1,000 villages as part of their proposed homeland without a referendum. Manila rejected the demand.
The MILF subsequently warned that the talks could end up in an open conflict with authorities if the territorial issue remained unresolved.
The peace talks between the government and MILF started on January 1997 without an international mediation. It was only on March 24, 2001, after the all-out war against the MILF declared by former Philippine president Joseph Estrada, that Malaysia, at the behest of the Philippines government, started to act as mediator.Manila, 7 Nov.
Syria's foreign minister on Monday urged the Israeli government to listen to voices within Israel calling for the resumption of peace negotiations, and said his country would respond positively to such calls from the Jewish State. "We appreciate the Israeli voices who call for the resumption of the peace process with Syria," said Walid al-Moallem, urging the Israeli government to respond to these calls and resume talks. When Israel responds, "it will find Syria ready to resume peace negotiations," the foreign minister said during a press conference in Damascus with his Norwegian counterpart, Jonas Gahr Store.
"Israel wants peace with all our neighbors including Syria," said Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev on Monday, responding to the Syrian comments. "But it is very difficult to take the Syrian government seriously as a partner in peace when that government has strategic alliances with the enemies of peace, including Iran, Hizbullah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad."
Posted by: Fred ||
11/07/2006 00:00 ||
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In an effort to toughen a European draft resolution on Iran, the United States wants the text to say that Tehran's nuclear ambitions posed a threat to international peace and security, diplomats said. U.S. Ambassador John Bolton circulated among a small group a series of amendments, including stronger language on the threat posed by Iran's nuclear ambitions. Similar wording on a "threat to international peace and security" was included in an October U.N. Security Council resolution imposing sanctions on North Korea after its nuclear test.
Conversely Russia, backed by China, proposed amendments Friday that would soften the sanctions and cut some of them. The U.S. proposals "are very much in the spirit of the resolution we put down," said one European diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity because the amendments have not been made public. "We certainly think they are in the ballpark of the negotiable," he said. "However, they point in the other direction from the Russian amendments."
The draft resolution from Britain, France and Germany demands all countries prevent the sale and supply of equipment, technology and financing contributing to Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs. It also would freeze the assets of people and entities involved in these programs and bar them from travelling. The rival views of the major powers indicate negotiations will be lengthy and difficult on the resolution, designed to punish Iran for not adhering to U.N demands it suspend its enrichment program. The West believes the program is a cover for bomb-making, but Iran says it is for peaceful purposes.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/07/2006 00:00 ||
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Sunni Islamists Websites in Iraq Claim Iranian Top-Secret Document Reveals Iran/Al-Qaeda Contacts Months Before 9/11
In early October 2006, Sunni Islamist websites affiliated with the jihad groups in Iraq posted what they claimed was a top-secret Iranian document. The document, dated May 2001, indicates contacts between top Al-Qaeda figures and the highest echelons of the Iranian intelligence apparatus, which is part of the office of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and can be viewed at the end of this document. [1]
Evidence of Iran/Al-Qaeda cooperation had already been allegedly exposed in 2003 by the daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat and by Voice of America in interviews with an officer in Iran's Revolutionary Guards, Hamid Reza Zakeri, who defected to the West.
The publication of the document at this time may be part of the mounting tension between Sunni Islamists and Shi'ites in Iraq.
The following are excerpts from the document and the interviews: See links for text and scans.
#3
I wished Bush had targeted Iran instead of Iraq because imo they are the biggest regional threat and by taking them out you take out Syria,Hizbullah and possibly Hamas!!!!
If we had hit Iran first think about that. We would advance from were? Kuwait into Iran? Leaving Kuwait as our staging area to push into Iran with a very well known hostile Iraq at our rear flank in position to cut our supply base lines at the most opportune time? Not to mention the Sunni/Shia would be as one. Or hell say old Saddam only used that temporary weakness to hit the Kurds and Syria/Hezbollah hit Isreal would Iraq not join in against US?
Its called strategic position. We hit Saddam the weak link in the chain by doing that we split thier line Syria,Hezbollah/Iran and gave US a staging area Iraq to hit either one Syria or Iran from. Iraq has a huge border with large air bases that are already secured now and garanteed our use in a war for now anyway. Iraq was the choice of battle field in WW2 we didn't hit Vichy France N Africa aka Algeria for the hell of it we knew that that we were our weakest at the intitial invasion and staging. To land like in Normandy with German forces thier to meet US we went for the weak point and hit vichy France Algeria. That move saved thousands from needless death.
Bush didn't sell Iraq as such but that is what it is a strategic choice of battle field in our WOT that by nessecity at some point will go through Tehran. Bush couldn't sell gold coins for free so that really doesn't suprise me in the least. The guy has the right idea and some balls but 0 ability to talk and rally the people.
#6
warns that utmost caution must be taken in maintaining ties with Al-Qaeda, since such ties, if revealed, could have "irreversible negative consequences" for Iran.
It's high time to put in place those "irreversible negative consequences". Iran is the spider at the center of one of terrorism's biggest webs. (Saudi Arabia is at the other one's center.)
we had models of the [WTC] two towers, the White House, the Pentagon, and the CIA building at Langley.
This cannot possibly be mere coincidence. If true, it is the smoking gun of foreknowledge and solid proof of Iran's complicity in 9-11. They ought to be nuked for it but simply bombing them back to the stone age will have to suffice.
Bush didn't sell Iraq as such but that is what it is a strategic choice of battle field in our WOT that by nessecity at some point will go through Tehran. Bush couldn't sell gold coins for free so that really doesn't suprise me in the least. The guy has the right idea and some balls but 0 ability to talk and rally the people.
This is becoming evermore apparent. Woebetide the republicans today if this represents the pivot point of America's decision about who leads this nation. Iran's potential complicity in 9-11 should have been trumpeted all across this nation once their pursuit of nuclear weapons became an issue. Had this been done, there would be much less opposition to bouncing the rubble that was once Iran.
The battle here has forced American troops to be more innovative. This need for innovation in weapons and equipment has shaken up the army and marine procurement bureaucracy, and made them much more responsive than at any other time in history. Part of this was due to the growing use of the Internet in the past decade. The troops were communicating with each other, the media, and the military procurement agencies. If the bureaucrats could not get something developed and to the troops quickly enough, the troops often cobbled together their own expedients. Things like using radio controlled hobby aircraft for UAVs, or radio controlled toy trucks to check out potential roadside bombs, and to drop explosives (using toy radio controlled dump trucks) next to the bombs. Troops even developed some crude jammers. The military procurement people took the hint, and moved things along faster than anyone thought possible. All because Saddam's desperate minions were using their heads.
I'd be curious to know if those in the know believe this to be truie.
#1
The concept started a long time ago with a sea change in Pentagon thinking: the suggestion box.
Even back in the 1980s, the system was shocked when it was decided to ask low-level military personnel what they wanted, as far as procurement went. And *any* suggestion they made had to be forwarded up the chain of command as rigidly as if it was a sexual harassment claim.
For their part, if a suggestion was approved, the individual who made the suggestion could get a monetary reward from a few hundred to thousands of dollars. And not only that, but they would be praised before their peers for initiative.
Man, did that open the flood gates. $500 light bulbs replaced with 25 cent off-the-shelf replacements. I swear half the army suggested that the snaps on the protective mask case be replaced with velcro--but that was a no-go for technical reasons.
In any event, it caused a cultural change. When GWI came along, military personnel already felt comfortable with having and using non-standard equipment as long as it was approved by their chain of command. Most commanders were thrilled with the idea--it might give their unit an edge.
There were some exceptions, things that soldiers wanted that had to be denied for practical or morale reasons. One notable was "dragon skin" body armor. That came under the same heading as a soldier having a specialty rifle sent from home--it crossed the line, so was forbidden.
But for the most part, with a friendly administration more than willing to kick the butt of any procurement officer who got in the way, the path of innovation and experimentation is wide open. And private enterprise will always be a lot more responsive to demands from the field.
#2
Navy has the 'Bene-sugg' (benificail suggestion) program for just such from the floor type improvements. most of what we thought of as 'common sense' or 'Macgyvered' fixes qualified and resulted in $$. just gotta shake up the bean counters and procurement guys a bit from time to time.
#3
It's not just procurement that's being shaken up. Training, paperwork, and much more is being streamlined, duplication eliminated, and lots of other "bugs in the system" worked out. It's been going on at least since 1980, according to my own personal experience. It seems to be increasing with the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now we need the rest of the government to get on board.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
11/07/2006 16:00 Comments ||
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#4
While the overall procurement process is probably speeded up relative to the old days, getting stuff through contracts can take months and months and months. As a small business it can drive you nuts while you are bled dry waiting for the contract to drop.
#5
The City of San Diego has cost-reduction incentives for our public works contracts - if the contractor can suggest a cheaper equivalent-results way of doing something, they split the savings 50-50. Doesn't happen often, but when it does, it's win-win
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/07/2006 18:31 Comments ||
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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.
Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri warned on Monday that Afghanistans engagement in a relentless and irrelevant blame game against Pakistan would complicate peace endeavours in the region. 
(SomaliNet) Uganda's Lords Resistance Army rebel (LRA), leader Joseph Kony wants to meet the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Jan Egeland when he visits the region next week, a top LRA peace delegate has said, Daily Monitor revealed Monday. The UN chief, who is travelling to Sudan's Juba city, is scheduled to visit one of the two designated assembly areas in South Sudan. He has been rallying moral and financial support for the Juba peace process. "Our chairman has asked us to tell Egeland that he wants to meet him during his visit over crucial issues concerning the peace talks," said Martin Ojul, head of the LRA peace negotiation team in Juba. 
A MUSLIM firearms officer is taking legal action against the British police after he was removed from a squad that guards senior officials, including Prime Minister Tony Blair, The Independent newspaper said today.
South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon said Monday he was concerned about recent comments by Japanese politicians that Tokyo should discuss developing nuclear weapons. "I don't think remarks like these are desirable for the future of Japan, which is one of the most important members of the United Nations and also a major power in Northeast Asia," Ban told reporters. 
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Monday North Korea decided to return to six-party nuclear disarmament talks because of the strong international response to its nuclear test last month. "North Korea is now responding to the international community's resolve," Rice said in an interview with Fox News. 
The Jamaat-e-Islami has branded the Womens Protection Bill (WPB) an anti-religion enactment seeking to appease the USA. The JI demanded that the bill be withdrawn immediately, and warned that if Dr Abdul Qadeers detention led to the loss of his life, nobody could save the rulers from the wrath of the Pakistani people. 
KHAR: Thousands of tribesmen and students staged separate rallies on Monday in Bajaur Agency, demanding that the government open up the area to the media and politicians, as protests continued against last weeks deadly raid on a local madrassa. Around 5,000 tribesmen, including several gun-wielding masked militants, gathered in Loi Sam village, 15 kilometres west of the agencys main town of Khar. Among the chants heard were: Death to Bush, Death to America, Jihad and Anyone who is a friend of America is a traitor. Witnesses said that chants denouncing President General Pervez Musharraf could also be heard. 
NEW DELHI - There are scarcely any Muslims working in Indias 10,000-strong external intelligence agency, and neither Muslims nor Sikhs working as bodyguards for the countrys top leaders, according to officials and media reports. Mainly Hindu but officially secular India has its first Sikh prime minister, Manmohan Singh, but his community is not trusted enough to guard him, according to Outlook magazine this week.
The European Union urged Iraq on Sunday not to carry out the death sentence passed on Iraq's former leader Saddam Hussein after his conviction for crimes against humanity. "The EU opposes capital punishment in all cases and under all circumstances, and it should not be carried out in this case either," Finland, current holder of the rotating EU presidency, said in a statement.
The war in Iraq has entered a critical stage, driven as much by escalating violence on the ground as by political calendars in the United States. Throughout all the ups and downs, President Bush has stood by his embattled defense secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, 
The procedure through which ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein will appeal against his death sentence began on Monday, with officials saying he may face the gallows within the next few months. 
Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas traveled to Gaza Monday for negotiations with Hamas, but the two sides failed again to put the finishing touches on a national unity government made up of independent experts. Abbas and Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas met for more than two hours amid reports that agreement was near, but officials said the talks ended with no accord. It was not immediately known what was still at issue. 
Hamas has chosen a candidate to take over as prime minister from one of its leaders once an agreement on a unity government is finalised with President Mahmoud Abbas, said a spokesman for the Hamas-led administration on Monday. Ghazi Hamad declined to identify the groups proposed replacement for Ismail Haniyeh in a deal with Abbass Fatah group that Palestinians hope can ease Western sanctions aimed at pressuring Hamas to soften its anti-Israel line. 
Syria's foreign minister on Monday urged the Israeli government to listen to voices within Israel calling for the resumption of peace negotiations, and said his country would respond positively to such calls from the Jewish State. "We appreciate the Israeli voices who call for the resumption of the peace process with Syria," said Walid al-Moallem, urging the Israeli government to respond to these calls and resume talks. When Israel responds, "it will find Syria ready to resume peace negotiations," the foreign minister said during a press conference in Damascus with his Norwegian counterpart, Jonas Gahr Store. 
In an effort to toughen a European draft resolution on Iran, the United States wants the text to say that Tehran's nuclear ambitions posed a threat to international peace and security, diplomats said. U.S. Ambassador John Bolton circulated among a small group a series of amendments, including stronger language on the threat posed by Iran's nuclear ambitions. Similar wording on a "threat to international peace and security" was included in an October U.N. Security Council resolution imposing sanctions on North Korea after its nuclear test.
