Binny, you never call...
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - Taliban chief Mullah Mohammad Omar has added to the mystery over Osama bin Laden, saying he hasn't seen his ally and fellow fugitive since U.S.-backed forces ousted the Taliban from Afghanistan in 2001. "No, I have neither seen him, nor have I made any effort to do so, but I pray for his health and safety," Omar said in an e-mailed response to questions sent by Reuters. ...blinky@taliban.com
The questions were relayed to Omar through his spokesman, Mohammad Hanif, and a reply was received late on Wednesday. Here's one from Al in Pismo Beach, "Did you go over or under on the haj stampedes?"
Speculation over the whereabouts and health of bin Laden boiled over in September when a French provincial newspaper reported that he had died of typhoid in late August. Although several governments and intelligence agencies rebutted that report, saying they had no evidence to suggest bin Laden had died, they acknowledged they had no clue to where he was. He's...somewhere. Maybe.
The wealthy Saudi-born bin Laden helped bankroll the Taliban after moving to Afghanistan in the mid-1990s, and he was reported to have married one of Omar's daughters to cement their alliance. ...and she was the ugly one, so I owed him bigtime.
The United States has offered a $25 million reward for the capture of bin Laden and $10 million for Omar. No, I'm not jealous. Well...not really. Well...maybe.
The best guess to bin Laden's whereabouts remains somewhere on the rugged border between Pakistan and Afghanistan, in the ethnic tribal lands where Omar's Taliban counts on support to fight an insurgency against U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan and the government of President Hamid Karzai. Analysts say that while there was no apparent evidence for any meeting between bin Laden and Omar after the September 11 attacks, the two fugitive militants are believed to have remained in contact in recent years."According to my information and the interviews which I conducted in the last two years in different provinces of the eastern and southern Afghanistan, Mullah Omar and Osama bin Laden are in touch, at least (for the) last two years," said Hamid Mir, a prominent Pakistani journalist who interviewed bin Laden shortly after the September 11 attacks. Binny! It's Blinky. Did you catch Boise State the other night on the dish? What a game!
Although the Taliban and al Qaeda are seen as allies, Omar said his sole focus was Afghanistan while bin Laden's movement was engaged in a global jihad, or holy war."They have set jihad as their goal, whereas we have set the expulsion of American troops from Afghanistan as our target," he said. Jihad, jihad, jihad! That's all you hear from the guy! Even I gotta say it gets old sometime.
To start a political process to end the militancy, Pakistan and Afghanistan plan to organize tribal councils -- known as jirgas -- on both sides of the border. No dates have been fixed. A Taliban spokesman said last month that the group might join the jirgas if asked, but Omar rejected the proposal.
"The only people who would participate are those who have sold out to foreign powers. Our participation is absolutely out of the question," the fugitive militant leader said.
He reiterated his call for the withdrawal of foreign troops to end the conflict in Afghanistan. "Unless that happens, the war will heat further up," Omar said.
Afghanistan says Omar is based in or around the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta, but Omar said he is in Afghanistan. See. Afghanistan. It says so right on this sign the ISI guys put up yesterday...
#6
There are a large number of events that Binny would have spoken out about by now - egomaniac that his is (was). The silence is deafening. He's dead. Biggest proof is, no-one is asking where he is. Jihadi's need to hear from their heros. Not even any faked messages from him anymore.
#9
So we snatch the Rooters dirtbag, waterboard his treasonous ass and find his conduit to ol' one eye. or we just waterboard him cause he's a rooters dirtbag and call it a day.
#12
Personally I believe in Schrodinger's Osama. If you drop a thermobaric weapon at random on a cave containing bin Laden and you can't view the results. Is he alive or dead or a quantum state in between?
Posted by: bruce ||
01/04/2007 20:05 Comments ||
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#13
Jose married Omar's daughter for her
"parasites"??? Guess in future any and all marital pre-nupts must have a standardized
"preservation of parasites" clause, for the good of humanity = conubial bliss???
We know, we know. Death to America and all that. Call us when the Islamic Courts lines up on *your* border, k? Ev'rybody else does...
Afrol News -- The Eritrean President noted that the Ethiopian and the US governments were "resorting to different ploys to drag back the Somalis to the previously existing instability," alleging such a state of affairs was "tantamount to terrorism".
The war in Somalia had been "unleashed by those forces that stood against the emergence of a united Somalia," and "emanates from weakness, fear, panic and not might," President Afewerki said, referring to the official Eritrean view that the Ethiopian government is close to collapsing. He further claimed that the Ethiopian "invasion of Somalia is not spontaneous but a long time and well organised plan initiated by the Washington administration."
Also Eritrean Information Minister Ali Abdu, in an interview with 'Reuters' today, said that "this war is between the Americans and the Somali people." He repeated the Eritrean rhetoric - aimed at mobilising war-tired and tyrannised citizens - of an Ethiopian government afraid of being overthrown, claiming only US support was upholding the Addis Ababa regime.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/04/2007 00:00 ||
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My impression is that the govt of Eritrea isnt particularly Islamist. They just want to use the Islamists, like so many ohters have done. In this case to tie down Ethiopia in a quagmire. Hasnt worked (thus far) and naturally theyre pissed.
(SomaliNet) The European Union has called for on Wednesday a revival of the peace process in Somalia and suggested a possible international peacekeeping force in the war-torn country should be an African-led operation. After talks with European members of the group in Brussels German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier told reporters that the international contact group for Somalia will meet on Friday in Nairobi to discuss sending peace-keepers to Somalia. Germany currently holds the rotating EU presidency. Steinmeier said a potential peace-keeping operation in war-torn Somalia "will rather be of African origin" and called on Somalia's interim government to engage in peace talks with Islamist groups. They're defeated, run out of town. Why invite them back in?
You sure he didn't say, 'piece' talks?
However, the EU would continue giving humanitarian aid to the country, Steinmeier said, adding that EU foreign ministers later this month will discuss further help for Somalia.
Sweden's foreign minister Carl Bildt called for an "inclusive political process" in Somalia. Europe was ready to support the country "with humanitarian aid, reconstruction help and diplomatic efforts," he added. However, EU forces as well as United Nations and African Union troops were already overstretched with peace-keeping operations worldwide, Bildt said. "There might be the need for (peace-keeping) forces to assist a political process (in Somalia)," he said. "But sending forces without (having) that process would be a recipe for disaster," Bildt added. He also said that it was unclear who would finance a possible African-led peace-keeping mission in Somalia.
Steinmeier also voiced concern over a spill-over of the conflict to neighbouring Kenya. The country has stepped up its refugee screening because of the possible influx of Islamist militia members. European members of the International Somalia Contact Group include Britain, Italy, Sweden and Norway. A top official from the EU commission, the bloc's executive arm, also attended the meeting. The group was set up in June last year to support "peace and reconciliation" in Somalia. It also includes Tanzania and the United States.
Somalia's interim government wants Ethiopian troops to stay until a peacekeeping force is deployed. But analysts say the continued presence of foreign troops could further weaken the regime. The fate of the country, which fell into anarchy after the 1991 ouster of former president Mohammed Siad Barre, hangs in the balance as Ethiopian troops could leave as early as in two weeks, potentially creating a security vacuum.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/04/2007 00:00 ||
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#2
My ideal composition of a peacekeeping force for Somalia would be India, Japan, South Africa, Brazil and Portugal. Unfortunately, I don't get to make the choice. About 15,000 troops, with US & EU logistic support, would do the trick. Just keep the #*%^%$*$%&^ UN out of the mix.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/04/2007 13:50 Comments ||
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(SomaliNet) EgyptÂ’s police has arrested 29 Islamists. The 29 belong to EgyptÂ’s chief opposition body, the Muslim Brotherhood, the brotherhood sources have confirmed. According to the sources, brotherhood deputy head, Mohamed Habib, was among the arrested Islamists. Others were assistants to brotherhood parliamentarians and other senior members.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/04/2007 00:00 ||
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President Bill Clinton signed a letter authorizing former National Security Adviser Sandy Berger's access to classified documents that later came up missing, according to a newly released investigation report by the National Archives and Records Administration. The sensitive drafts of the National Security Council's "Millennium After Action Review" on the Clinton administration's handling of the al-Qaida terror threats in December 1999 suspiciously disappeared after Berger said he intended to "determine if Executive Privilege needed to be exerted prior to documents being provided to the 9/11 Commission." Then-Attorney General John Ashcroft testified before the 9-11 commission about the millennium report, urging the panel to ask why the document's warnings and "blueprint" to thwart al-Qaida's plans to target the U.S. were ignored by the Clinton administration and not shared with the incoming Bush security staff.
The NARA investigation report said Clinton signed an April 12, 2002, letter designating Berger – and another person whose named is redacted – as "agents on his behalf to review relevant NSC documents regarding Osama Bin Laden/Al Qaeda, Sudan and Presidential correspondence from or to (Sudanese President) Omar Bashir, contained in the Clinton Presidential records." A subsequent letter from a National Security Council official, May 14, 2002, said Berger repeatedly was briefed that "he was not allowed to remove any documentation from NARA."
Last year, Berger plea bargained a criminal sentence on the charge of unlawfully removing and retaining classified documents. A judge gave him no prison time, a $50,000 fine, 100 hours of community service in a library and a ban from access to classified material until the next administration takes office for three years.
According to the NARA report, after the 9-11 attacks, Clinton administration officials were swamped with calls regarding their handling of terrorist threats, and Berger soon realized he would have to testify. Berger said he put in over 100 unpaid hours of his time to be responsive. The former White House adviser said the documents up for review were so numerous that he was unable to reconstruct them from memory, so he took 10-to-12 pages of notes and hid them in the pocket of his blazer.
The investigation report says, however, the May 14, 2002, letter stated "notes may be taken but must be retained by NARA staff and forwarded to the NSC for a classification review and appropriate marking. Berger, the letter said, "was made aware of this requirement."
In July 2003, Berger's handling of the papers began to "cause archival concerns in maintaining provenance" after he asked to leave the viewing office several times to hold very private phone calls. Later, in September, Berger once again stepped out of the office and headed for the men's room, but personnel reported an unknown white object beneath his pant leg. A witness said Berger "bent down, fiddling with something white, which could have been papers, around his ankle."
After Berger's actions aroused suspicion in September 2003, an unnamed archives official hand-numbered drafts provided to Berger as a means of controlling the documents without consulting with NARA general counsel, security, management, the Office of the Inspector General or law enforcement.
In October, Berger returned to the archives office and was given one file folder of documents at a time. The NARA report indicates an e-mail numbered 217 came up missing after he reviewed it. Berger later said he slid the document under his portfolio.
When personnel noticed it was missing, they offered a copy of document 217 to Berger, and he reportedly slid the second file under his portfolio as well. Later, Berger said if he had been asked to return the file "it would have triggered a decision for him to give the documents back."
Instead, Berger said he had to make a private phone call and went to a desk outside the office. However, the phone line remained unlit, and he quickly departed to the restroom, a location from which he was reported to have recently returned.
Berger made numerous suspicious visits to the men's room in which personnel were concerned he might be hiding documents. He said he "went to the restroom on an average of every 30 minutes to one hour to use the facilities and stretch his legs."
According to the NARA report, Berger claimed he accidentally took the files outside of the archives building and didn't want to risk bringing documents back because personnel might notice something unusual. Instead, he took the files to a fenced construction area on Ninth Street, slid them under a trailer and returned to the office to finish his review. After doing so, he returned to the site, reclaimed the documents and took them to his office.
During the visit, Berger is reported to have hidden four documents in his pockets, all versions of the Millennium Alert After Action Review.
Archives officials decided to call Berger and ask him for the documents. He said he didn't think he had any files. They advised him NARA was treating the matter as a security infraction and was going to report the incident to the National Security Council. If Berger admitted to taking the documents by mistake, the incident would be reported as inadvertent removal. But, he maintained that staff members were in error, and he had given the files back to an assistant.
Later that evening, Berger claimed to have found two documents, and NARA made arrangements to pick up the files the following morning. However, NARA reports the documents were an e-mail and a facsimile Berger reviewed Sept. 2, 2003, not classified files viewed Oct. 2, 2003.
Berger said he could not find any additional documents and claimed he must have thrown them away. According to the NARA report, "He had destroyed, cut into small pieces, three of the four documents. These were put in the trash. By Saturday, the trash had been picked up. He tried to find the trash collector but had no luck."
The inspector general was briefed on the incidents Oct. 10. That day, OI investigators recovered documents from Berger's home at the request of his attorney. Six months later, the Department of Justice notified the 9/11 commission.
Berger said if someone had always been with him, he would not have taken any documents.
Despite his April 1, 2005, guilty plea for Unauthorized Removal and Retention of Classified Material, Berger still vehemently denies smuggling any documents in his socks. According to the report, he said he was adjusting them "because his shoes frequently come untied and his socks frequently fall down."
Just yesterday, the saga of Berger and the documents was ranked No. 6 on WND's annual list of most underreported news stories of 2006. Who cares about the country if you have reputation to protect?
#2
Berger said if someone had always been with him, he would not have taken any documents.
And this is someone the Democrats trusted with national security? He openly admits you have to watch him to prevent him from committing treason.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
01/04/2007 9:59 Comments ||
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#3
Berger said he put in over 100 unpaid hours of his time to be responsive
Hourly employee was he? What bullshi*! Had a presidential order been penned, they would have gone out of there in locked pelican cases, not Bergers nasty underwear.
He said he "went to the restroom on an average of every 30 minutes to one hour to use the facilities and stretch his legs."
... pulling our legs now.
Berger said he could not find any additional documents and claimed he must have thrown them away. According to the NARA report, "He had destroyed, cut into small pieces, three of the four documents. These were put in the trash. By Saturday, the trash had been picked up. He tried to find the trash collector but had no luck."
Oh, so he involved in classified document destruction? Authorized by whom? The document originator? What bullshi*!
#4
I think that when Berger read the MAAR at Archives, it scared and embarrassed him to the point that he panicked and felt compelled to swipe all copies. He then stuck them in his pants, which he promptly crapped as the full realization of how negligent the Clinton Administration was came to him. Having shat on the copies of the MAAR, his logical next step was to flush the purloined copies, Gitmo-Koran style, down the crapper. It all makes perfect sense.
Posted by: Tibor ||
01/04/2007 11:31 Comments ||
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#5
He still needs to be the guest of honor at a public hanging.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/04/2007 13:55 Comments ||
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#9
Apparently $0.30-cent simple file folders, even Chicom mfged ones, were just too expensive. * NIXON > Dems had the votes, but not the evidence , for impeachment; CLINTON > have the evidence, but not the PC Will.
Tony Blair is being arrested for the invasion of Iraq... in a controversial pop video that could top the charts this weekend. He is seen being handcuffed by sister-in-law Lauren Booth and antiwar MP George Galloway.
Respect Party MP Galloway is promoting a new version of the Edwin Starr hit War by Drifters singer Patrick Alan. Galloway highlights his opposition to the Iraq war by arresting a Blair lookalike in the video. Profits will go to the Stop The War Coalition. A spokesman for the Respect Party said: "We want to embarrass Tony and put the pressure on to end this illegal war."
#4
The only person here to be seen "being handcuffed" will be Galloway if he ever returns to US territory. I believe DoJ has such a request from Congress for lying before an investigating committee.
#7
You know, they way they do this crap is kind of pitiful. It might even be signs of mental illness. Naturally, the huge amounts of drugs required to reach their 'reality' means a fair portion of them self-darwinate pretty quick.
My heart would bleed for their pitiful state, but being an evil conservative, I ripped it out long ago and keep it in a jar so I can laugh at it and show it to friends.
So instead of pity, I'll just laugh at them and wonder if they realize how stupid and moronic they look doing this crap.
Jimmy Carter says he's just being fair-minded by continuously condemning Israel. Meanwhile, his Carter Center draws ever more money from anti-Israel sources. Follow the money.
The ex-president's irritating opinions on Mideast matters are one thing. But the funding of his Atlanta think tank by big-money, state-linked Arab sources is quite another — and points to a conflict of interest. According to the Carter Center Web site's 2004-05 annual report — the most recent available — the center has received "in excess of $1 million" from characters like Prince Al-Walid bin Talal.
Bin Talal, you might recall, is the Saudi prince who insultingly offered $20 million to New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani in the smoldering ruins of the World Trade Center. The cash was held out not because the prince cared about terrorism but to rub in that the attack was really a byproduct of the Palestine conflict. The streetwise Giuliani, who once threw Yasser Arafat out of a New York theater, wasn't fooled by bin Talal's power play and told him to keep his dirty money to himself. Giuliani smelled the quid pro quo and wasn't a man who could be bought.
Carter looks a little different. His new book, "Palestine: Peace, Not Apartheid" lays all the blame on Israel for the Palestinian conflict in an interpretation worthy of a Cairo coffee shop. It is so extreme — and so seemingly out of character — that a top staffer at the Carter Center resigned in disgust.
It may be easy to dismiss Carter's nutty statements about Israel as the ranting of a bitter man in his twilight years. But it's not so easy to look the other way as Arab cash flows into the Carter Center from people known to demand something in return. It is worth noting that the center's anticipated contributions receivable and Carter's anti-Israeli diatribes have both increased dramatically.
Carter's foundation has a $200 million endowment, according to Rachel Ehrenfeld, an expert on terrorism, writing in the Washington Times, and the center's own 2004-05 statement says it took in $172 million in donations, with some as high as $25 million. Fat cats who've given $1 million since the center's founding in 1982 (and in the hazy disclosures we don't know how much more) include the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Sultanate of Oman, the Saudi Fund for Development and the Government of the United Arab Emirates. Among individuals who donated more than $100,000 in 2004-05, there is His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said of Oman, in addition to bin Talal. Among listed "founders" of the center are the king of Saudi Arabia, BCCI scandal banker Agha Hasan Abedi and Arafat pal Hasib J. Sabbagh.
All of these contributors have virulently anti-Israel elements, and most have medieval records of opposing and obstructing democracy in their own countries. Maybe someday, in one of those softball interviews he gives, Carter will be asked to reconcile what he supposedly stands for with those from whom he gets his money.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/04/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
I've spent all my time in office making Jimmy look good (by comparison). What am I supposed to do now --- strap a suicide vest on?
Posted by: Bill Clinton ||
01/04/2007 0:06 Comments ||
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#2
Sorry, BJ. You can keep the title of Worst President (by a pubic hair), but Jimmeh gets Worst Former President.
#3
It has been weekend at bernies all week. Instead of electing Ford, who had understanding of doctrine, the American people (TM) elected this dingbat to lead them into misery, decline, and ever more moral challenges bereft of truth or logic. There is no room for you in the mansion, jimmiah.
#4
Hmmm, has he registered as a foreign agent?
Just wondering is all...
Posted by: DanNY ||
01/04/2007 6:24 Comments ||
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#5
Yeah, I'll admit it. I hate jews. What the Carter Center is also woking on is how to get rid of those damn killer rabbits and how to remove the lust out of my heart.
Posted by: Jimmy Carter ||
01/04/2007 8:28 Comments ||
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#6
Jimmy is just following an example in the 'bible' and selling people out for a few pieces of silver...
#7
Giuliani smelled the quid pro quo and wasn't a man who could be bought.
And, then, Cynthia McKinney (D-"da ATL") was willing to accept the Prince's money to her campaign. Looks like the east side of Atlanta needs a good cleansing enema, between the Carter Center and Memorial Drive Cynthia McKinney Highway.
Maybe we could send in the National Guard to "da east side of da ATL" after they get done with Baghdad. Would improve BOTH cities greatly.
Posted by: BA ||
01/04/2007 10:27 Comments ||
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#8
Why wasn't Jimmah over in Iraq inspecting the gallows prior to Saddass's drop ?
#10
I have to disagree, Jackel. Bill Clinton was the blow-job king, but he didn't screw the entire world quite like Jimmah Kahtah did. I'm a stamp collector. You can see the effects of jimmah's disaster not only in US inflation, but in domino-effect inflation in postal rates throughout the world. Jimmah's stupidity in meddling in the US economy had worldwide consequences. If there's ever been a man that deserved to be struck down by God's wrath, it's peanut-boy.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/04/2007 15:45 Comments ||
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#11
You can see the effects of jimmah's disaster not only in US inflation, but in domino-effect inflation in postal rates throughout the world.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The director of national intelligence, John Negroponte, will leave his post to take a senior position at the State Department, U.S. officials said on Wednesday. "He will leave to become Deputy Secretary of State," said a U.S. official who asked not to be identified.
The official said an official announcement is expected soon. But it was not clear how soon Negroponte would be able to leave his current position because there is no deputy standing ready to take over his responsibilities, the official said. Negroponte's office declined to comment.
Why would he give up a position as the Director to become a Deputy Secretary? Something doesn't add up.
Negroponte will become Deputy Secretary of State, the No. 2 position at the department after Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. The position was formerly held by Robert Zoellick, who announced his resignation in June to join leading investment bank Goldman Sachs. He had not yet been replaced.
NBC News, which earlier reported Negroponte's move to State, said Negroponte's likely successor as head of U.S. intelligence is retired Adm. Mike McConnell, director of the National Security Agency from 1992 to 1996 under former President Bill Clinton. McConnell is now a senior vice president at Booz Allen Hamilton, the Washington contractor and consulting agency.
Negroponte was the first U.S. intelligence czar, filling a post created to bring all federal intelligence agencies under a single umbrella.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/04/2007 00:00 ||
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#5
Will the new Senate confirm Negroponte's appointment to State? Since McConnell is a former Clinton man he should be confirmable. May even have access to some of those files ole Sandypants collected.
#6
Cross-fingers, this could be a preface to Dick Cheney retiring, supposedly for health reasons, so that Condi Rice can become Veep.
That one act alone would be a crown jewel of Presidential legacies, and not just with shattering effect in the US, but world-wide.
It would be a tremendous example to show beyond any doubt, that not just a woman, but a black woman, can achieve the most powerful position in the entire world.
Everywhere Rice would travel in the world, she would plant the seeds of a quiet revolt, both by women against domineering men; and by blacks against domineering other races. And by both against nations, religions, and cultures that try to keep them down.
In the US alone, the cultural shockwave would be incredible. Ambitious black girls would suddenly be faced with an untenable situation; their old paradigm of what they could achieve in their life would be shattered. The low ceilings of sports and Hollywood media culture would go out the window. Intellectualism would be the new key to advancement and success.
Well, there is a window of opportunity, and Rice is the only person who could perform that task. No other woman in the world can make such a definitive statement.
#7
Sorry 'moose, but no matter what Condi does, she'll always be an "Uncle Thomasina" to the Left. Can't have a successful black woman be a Republican!
#8
condi running for VEEP is up to the next GOP presidential candidate, NOT up to Bush. Since we dont know who that candidate will be, it seems unlikely to me that that is the explanation. Here are the ideas that occur to me.
1. Theyre about to fire Condi, not to kick her up to VEEP, but cause Baker et al are now running admin for policy, and want her out. This however is contradicted by the rumours Bush will approve the "surge" but maybe Baker compromised quietly on that.
2. Negroponte is seen as really messing up at intell, and was fired. Or perhaps the Baker thing has made "realists" person non grata in the admin, and Cheney and residual neocon support (McCain?) have pushed N out.
3. Negroponte determined that DNI really DIDNT have authority over CIA, etc, and that it wasnt worth holding onto - so this is not the step down it appears to be.
1) While the next GOP nominee indeed picks the VP with whom to run, a current VP Condi Rice would be hard to ignore, especially if she let it be known, very quietly, that she wanted to keep the job.
2) Condi is one of the most loyal GWB people; I simply can't see him firing her.
I don't have a good read on Negroponte so I can't figure this one out.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/04/2007 10:15 Comments ||
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#10
Geez, LH, put down the NYT, switch off NPR, and remember that Baker doesn't run a damn thing besides his consulting business, his little joke of a commission has had no impact, and "neocon" is a meaningless moniker.
#11
verlaine - I was just speculating. Baker doesnt run anything, but its not clear he doesnt have influence. In any case which explanation do you think is likely?
As for neocon, while the term has been abused to the point of meaninglessness, it does still have some meaning I think. Even Irving Kristol once thought so.
#12
Condi would make a superb appointment Veep, and the republicans would be all in favor of it if she reiterated her stand that she does NOT want to run for office.
That way, plus the guarantee that she would not endorse a candidate until after the nomination, would make her everybody's friend.
One of the most enjoyable aspects of it would be how the racists in the democrat party would be incapable of hiding it any more. And each and every one of them who shot his mouth off would just cause convulsions.
#13
I suspect this has to do with Rice also. She definitely needs assistance at State. Whether she steps down, I doubt. But, effectively, much of the burden and decision making may be passed to Negroponte. This entire administration is a mess.
#7 Sorry 'moose, but no matter what Condi does, she'll always be an "Uncle Thomasina" to the Left. Can't have a successful black woman be a Republican!
...You're right, but it sure will be fun watching heads explode on the left.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
01/04/2007 11:24 Comments ||
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#15
"Something doesn't add up."
Just maybe this "is what it is". Rice and a dysfunctional DoS needs help and Negroponte is a man with a proven track record of not shying away from stompping on a few throats.
#16
Maybe some of all of the above: Dick resigns, Condi moves up to VP; this makes GWB impeach-proof due to the afore mentioned racists democrat comments, because..." we certainly cannot have a black woman as President......"
Or after Condi gets settled, GWB resigns, and then its the Condi show without any Donk help. And that gives her a platfrom from which to campaign.
#17
Just Googled McConnell. He's a former head of NSA, which right there puts him a few steps up over Negroponte. Negroponte MAY be moving to State to clean up the mess their "intelligence bureau" is in. State's intelligence bureau hasn't been right on anything since the early 70's, and State has been very reluctant to let go of its resources. I can't make any guesses, educated or otherwise, about the move. Cheney's too good in the VP position to see him stepping down unless he really DOES have a debilitating medical problem.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/04/2007 15:55 Comments ||
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#18
State is far too fucked for any one or two people to fix. I don't know what this move is for, but it aunt to help State. Not this late in the game. No way.
Rumsfeld, Casey, Negropante.....
If I was going to make a list of the top guys influential to a war plan, these are the names.
I always thought the Rumsfeld ejection was more than political.
Now that he entire list is being shaken up, I have to wonder if we are going to get a new plan for a new war.
GW is quickly running out of time to smack Iran.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
01/04/2007 21:00 Comments ||
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America's 110th Congress begins on Thursday in what both the new Democratic majority and George W. Bush, US president, have promised will usher in a new era of bipartisanship. But few believe the warm rhetoric of bipartisan co-operation will survive Mr Bush's announcement of a "new way forward in Iraq", which is expected within 10 days.
In spite of the electorate's repudiation of Mr Bush's Iraq strategy at mid-term elections in November, the White House looks set to announce a "surge" of up to 30,000 new troops in a move that would also go against the recommendations of the discredited bipartisan Iraq Study Group, which published its report last month.
"The Congress has changed; our obligations to the country haven't changed."
Democratic leaders, including Nancy Pelosi, who will be sworn in on Thursday as America's first female speaker of the House of Representatives, and Harry Reid, the Senate leader, have already ruled out supporting an increase in the level of US forces in Iraq – as have a growing number of Republicans. Almost all Democrats and some Republicans favour a reduction in the existing 140,000 troop level.
But Mr Bush has made clear that he does not feel bound by the results of the recent elections on his Iraq policy. In a statement on Wednesday, he promised to work with the new Congress but said: "The Congress has changed; our obligations to the country haven't changed."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/04/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Reminder - iff Hillary wins the WH in 2008 and serves 8 IMPERIAL = COLONIAL yarns, the end of her term is at the rough period btwn Years 2015-2020 where both Russia-China say WAR AGZ THE USA, AND ONLY THE USA, IS NOT ONLY POSSIBLE/REALISTIC BUT DESIRED [can read - WINNABLE?]. And just to make sure that the USA has a fair chance of winning = losing to Russia-China, for OWG + anti-US National-Global Socialism, the US and Internat Lefts reserves its right to use any means necessary, including but not limited to anarchies and revolution, to induce or force America to adopt same > you know, PATRIOTISM, where America's enemies hate America but weirdly and mysteriously but only co-incidentally PCorrectly/Deniably don't wanna leave or move elsewhere.
President Bush has quietly claimed sweeping new powers to open Americans' mail without a judge's warrant, the Daily News has learned.
The President asserted his new authority when he signed a postal reform bill into law on Dec. 20. Bush then issued a "signing statement" that declared his right to open people's mail under emergency conditions.
That claim is contrary to existing law and contradicted the bill he had just signed, say experts who have reviewed it.
Bush's move came during the winter congressional recess and a year after his secret domestic electronic eavesdropping program was first revealed. It caught Capitol Hill by surprise.
"Despite the President's statement that he may be able to circumvent a basic privacy protection, the new postal law continues to prohibit the government from snooping into people's mail without a warrant," said Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), the incoming House Government Reform Committee chairman, who co-sponsored the bill.
Experts said the new powers could be easily abused and used to vacuum up large amounts of mail.
"The [Bush] signing statement claims authority to open domestic mail without a warrant, and that would be new and quite alarming," said Kate Martin, director of the Center for National Security Studies in Washington.
"The danger is they're reading Americans' mail," she said.
"You have to be concerned," agreed a career senior U.S. official who reviewed the legal underpinnings of Bush's claim. "It takes Executive Branch authority beyond anything we've ever known."
A top Senate Intelligence Committee aide promised, "It's something we're going to look into."
Most of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act deals with mundane reform measures. But it also explicitly reinforced protections of first-class mail from searches without a court's approval.
Yet in his statement Bush said he will "construe" an exception, "which provides for opening of an item of a class of mail otherwise sealed against inspection in a manner consistent ... with the need to conduct searches in exigent circumstances."
Bush cited as examples the need to "protect human life and safety against hazardous materials and the need for physical searches specifically authorized by law for foreign intelligence collection."
White House spokeswoman Emily Lawrimore denied Bush was claiming any new authority.
"In certain circumstances - such as with the proverbial 'ticking bomb' - the Constitution does not require warrants for reasonable searches," she said.
Bush, however, cited "exigent circumstances" which could refer to an imminent danger or a longstanding state of emergency.
Critics point out the administration could quickly get a warrant from a criminal court or a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court judge to search targeted mail, and the Postal Service could block delivery in the meantime.
But the Bush White House appears to be taking no chances on a judge saying no while a terror attack is looming, national security experts agreed.
Martin said that Bush is "using the same legal reasoning to justify warrantless opening of domestic mail" as he did with warrantless eavesdropping.
#1
my girlfriend works for the postal service, and I'm NOT paying for the body cavity search I had to perform in service of my country...oh...wait...nevermind
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/04/2007 22:49 Comments ||
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San Francisco Chronicle columnist Debra Saunders notes a rather outrageous quote from a self-styled human-rights advocate, objecting to Saddam Hussein's execution:
Richard Dicker, director of Human Rights Watch's International Justice Program, said in a press statement, "The test of a government's commitment to human rights is measured by the way it treats its worst offenders. History will judge these actions harshly."
What nonsense. The measure of a government's commitment should be in how it treats its citizens. Hussein had countless Iraqis killed without a trial. He ordered the death of an 11-year-old boy because he thought it was "the right of the head of state." History will focus on his misdeeds, not on the timely execution of a guilty despot.
Saunders is obviously right: It is perverse to consider the execution of a mass murderer as worse than the murder of children.
But she doesn't quite capture the full perversity of Dicker's statement, "The test of a government's commitment to human rights is measured by the way it treats its worst offenders." By this reasoning, hanging a thief or a jaywalker would be less bad than hanging a mass murderer.
And suppose we apply the Dicker principle to the previous regime in Baghdad. How did it treat Iraq's worst offenders, namely Saddam Hussein his sons and assorted hangers-on? It provided them with nearly limitless wealth and power. By Dicker's logic, this is close to ideal: The more brutal a dictatorship and the more lavishly its rulers live, the stronger its commitment to human rights. What a monstrous moral inversion.
Posted by: Mike ||
01/04/2007 06:37 ||
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#1
Well Mr. Dick Dicker, I kind of liked the way Saddam died, however I wish it was in HD.
#3
Kinda reminds me of Deborah Frisch attempting to be looked upon as a victim too.
These columnists really need to have a leash.
Hey and I liked how they didn't keep Saddam for years on a death row. We need to be more like that.
Posted by: Jan ||
01/04/2007 18:55 Comments ||
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#4
Iff Secular Baathist Saddam + Islamist Fundamentalist Khomeini [now MadMoud of the Apocalypse + MMullahs] were all reportedly agz US-Western influence in the ME-World, including alleged US-led Global "War for Oil" + supporting or ISRAEL, then why the IRAN-IRAQ WAR, why didn't assist/collude wid each other during DESERT STORM = IRAQI FREEDOM??? Logically, Saddam as Anti-American would had been for the protection, but not necessarily for Iran-specific "power projection" of Radical Iran = Radicalism in the 1980's. WHy would Saddam be sarcastic at the mention of SADR = SHIA/IRAN by his execution guards???
From the AP, but as far as I can tell Jamil Hussein had nothing to do with this article.
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Two mosque leaders convicted last fall after a terrorism-related sting have asked the trial judge to set aside the verdicts or else grant them new trials.
Yassin Aref, imam at an Albany mosque, and Mohammed Hossain, a pizzeria owner, were caught in a 2004 FBI sting involving a fictional terror strike. The government never accused the pair of actual violence, but said they participated in a money-laundering scheme that included an FBI informant posing as an illegal arms dealer.
Money laundering for the Widows Ammunition Fund?
In court papers filed Sunday, defense attorney Kevin Luibrand said the facts don't support Hossain's convictions. He argued they should be set aside because Hossain was entrapped, authorities induced the crime, the pizzeria owner had "no predisposition" to join in, and improper testimony from an unqualified prosecution expert witness made Hossain's political affiliation appear sinister.
Sounds like the standard, catch-all appeal.
Hossain was convicted Oct. 10 on all 27 charges against him, including three counts of conspiracy. The jury, which deliberated over four days, found Aref guilty of 10 of the 30 charges against him. Aref, a 36-year-old Kurdish refugee from northern Iraq, was also found guilty of lying to FBI agents about having known a terrorist leader, Mullah Krekar.
"Who? Never hoid of him!"
"We got photos and tapes of you with the guy!"
"Hey, that's entrapment!"
The federal informant asked Hossain to launder $50,000, saying it was from the sale of a shoulder-fired missile that would be used to kill a Pakistani diplomat in New York City. Aref, spiritual leader of Hossain's mosque, acted as a witness to a series of transactions between the two men. Hossain said he had merely asked the informant for a loan.
"I just wanted to expand my pizza bidness, that's all."
Assistant U.S. Attorney William Pericek, who prosecuted the case, said it's unlikely the trial judge would reverse himself and he doubted the motions would succeed on a later appeal to the 2nd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. Judge Thomas McAvoy was careful about the defendants' rights, he said, instructing the jury, for example, to consider the entrapment defense.
In court papers last week, defense attorney Terence Kindlon argued that FBI surveillance tapes showed Aref repeatedly said he could not support Jaish-e-Mohammed, or JEM, the Pakistan-based Islamic terrorist group that the informant claimed to support. "We feel the verdict didn't make any sense," he said.
Maybe the jury thought your client was, you know, lying?
The FBI has acknowledged Aref was the ultimate target of the sting, not Hossain. Luibrand declined to comment on whether prosecutors had offered Hossain a plea bargain. Hossain, 51, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Bangladesh, could face 20 years in prison, Luibrand said.
The men are in jail, scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 12.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/04/2007 00:00 ||
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Not a single seminary in the federal capital has returned a form from the Federal Education Ministry seeking information about the seminariesÂ’ sources of funding and decrees. The deadline for returning the forms ended on December 30.
Among other information sought by the ministry, the seminaries (madaris) affiliated with the Wafaqul Madaris were required to submit details of the decrees each seminary had issued in 2006. Besides, each seminary had to attach an affidavit by its principal that they were ready to introduce formal subjects such as English, mathematics, social studies/Pakistan studies and general science at the primary, middle and secondary level; and English, economics, computer science and Pakistan studies at the intermediate level to integrate religious education with the formal education system.
Maulana Zahoor Alvi, divisional president of the Wafaqul Madaris Al Arabia, told Daily Times that the last date for the submission of the forms was December 30, but not a single seminary affiliated with the five wafaq – representing various schools of thought – had submitted the details. He said that the government had offered that seminaries providing details of the decrees they had issued would get financial assistance under the Madrassa Reforms Project. However, he said that all the five wafaq had decided that no seminary would provide any information to the ministry under any government programme.
“The ulema of Islamabad belonging to the Wafaqul Madaris Al Arabia have already refused to accept any financial assistance offered by the government for teaching formal subjects. They have also pledged that they would not provide any information about foreign students and details about the number of decrees issued in a year from each institute,” said Maulana Alvi, adding that the ulema had decided to return the unfilled forms to government officials if they came to them.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/04/2007 00:00 ||
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2 January 2007, Attempted attack on a vessel off South Somalia. A bulk carrier was approached by a boat pretending to be in distress. The boat pursued the vessel for some time before it finally gave up. This is the first such case off Southern Somalia in many months.
Islamic Courts looking for a ride?
December 26 2006 0200 UTC, 10nm off Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Pirates from a 6 metre wooden fishing boat boarded a container ship underway in the forepart. They broke open 8 containers and stole cargo contents. The pirates escaped and were seen heading towards the shore.
December 26 2006 1950 LT, Inner Anchorage No.1 , Callao, Peru. Three robbers armed with guns and knives boarded a bulk carrier and tied up the watchman. Another watchman noticed the robbers and informed the bridge. Master sounded whistle and general alarm. Robbers jumped overboard and escaped with ship's stores.
December 23 2006 early hours, 8.2 nautical miles off Mullaithievu, NE Sri Lanka. A general cargo vessel at anchor, with engine problems was surrounded by six small boats with armed LTTE personnel on board. Shots were fired and the vessel was boarded by the armed group who forced the Master to weigh anchor. Communication and computer equipment from the vessel was said to have been stolen from the vessel. The 25 crew members were taken from the vessel to a rebel camp ashore and finally released to the International Committee for the Red Cross in Colombo. The condition of the vessel and the 14000 tons of rice cargo on board are not known.
December 19 2006 at 1932 LT, off Somalia. A bulk carrier underway received a distress call from a ship asking for help. The unidentified ship was at that time at five miles off the starboard bow and there were a group of men on deck. The vessel did not appear to be in distress. Master suspected piracy attempt took evasive manoeuvres and increased speed. The suspect ship followed for two miles before aborting the attack.
YUSUFIYAH, Iraq, Jan. 4, 2007 — Soldiers of the 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division receive attention for their rapid air assaults and fierce fighting. But in the village of Rushdi Mullah, Iraq, they are now also known for their tenderness toward local children.
Soldiers of Company B, 4-31st at Patrol Base Rushdi Mullah were visited by two young boys seeking medical help Dec. 25. One of the boys, Raad, had been shot several weeks before when terrorists wanted to use his familyÂ’s house to attack the patrol base. When RaadÂ’s father refused them entry, one of the terrorists shot the boy.
The soldiers treated Raad after the attack and transported him to Ibn Sina Hospital in BaghdadÂ’s International Zone, and have been changing the dressings on his wounds regularly ever since. They changed the dressings again on Christmas, and also treated RaÂ’adÂ’s brother, Ahmed, for a skin rash affecting the boyÂ’s scalp.
But assistance to the children of Rushdi Mullah didn’t stop there. “The soldiers of 4-31 care a great deal for the people of Rushdi Mullah,” said Capt. Christopher Vitale, a native of Washington, Pa., and commander of Company B. “They have gathered donations and provided soccer cleats and other equipment for the children of the town out of their own pockets.” The people of Rushdi Mullah have responded to this act of generosity by providing tips to the soldiers on terrorist activities, forging a strong relationship with benefit to all involved.
Posted by: Bobby ||
01/04/2007 14:10 ||
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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Gulf Region Division completed four reconstruction projects and started one new project in Iraq from Dec.18, 2006-Jan. 1, 2007. Three of the completed projects are the $411,000 Trebil water system in Al Anbar Province, the $722,000 Al MadaÂ’in Central Water Treatment Plant in Baghdad Province, and the $349,000 Basrah sewage connection in Basrah Province.
The Al Anbar project renovated the well heads and pumps at the Trebil Point of Entry. A new well house was built and more than 2,000 meters of waterline was laid. This is the only source of potable water in the region and serves the Trebil Point of Entry as well as the nearby Palestinian Refugee Camp. Interesting. Another source of friction in Al Anbar?
These are the remenants of the Paleos who lived in Iraq during Saddam's rule; many of them worked with Saddam's security apparatus. Some came to Iraq after the Kuwait war having been expelled from that country for being too cozy with the Iraqis during the occupation. For some inexplicable reason, nobody wants them.
The Bagdad project rehabilitated an existing water treatment plant, which consisted of repairing pumps, coagulation tanks and motors. The renovation will provide clean, pressurized water to more than 100,000 residents in the area.
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Preparations are under way to execute two of Saddam Hussein's co-defendants in the next few days, but the details still must be worked out with the U.S. military, Iraqi media and a government official said Wednesday. Saddam's half brother Barzan Ibrahim, a former intelligence chief, and Awad Hamed al-Bandar, the former chief justice of the Revolutionary Court, were originally scheduled to die with Saddam. But their execution was delayed until after Islam's Eid al-Adha holiday, which ends Wednesday for Iraq's majority Shiites.
In Washington, a lawyer for al-Bandar asked Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts on Wednesday to block the U.S. military from transferring custody of the condemned man to Iraqi authorities. U.S. courts have so far declined to intervene.
Um, no.
U.N. human rights busybody in chief Louise Arbour appealed to Iraqi President Jalal Talabani to prevent the execution of Ibrahim and al-Bandar, saying she was concerned with "the fairness and impartiality" of their trials.
Louise is always more concerned with the rights of odious defendants than with their victims.
Al-Arabiya satellite television and Al-Furat TV, run by Iraq's major Shiite Muslim political organization, both reported Wednesday that the co-defendants, Ibrahim and al-Bandar, would go to the gallows on Thursday. But Mariam al-Rays, an al-Maliki adviser, called such reports "baseless."
A government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information, told the AP that final arrangements still needed to be made with U.S. officials about the time and place of the executions. The American military was expected to transport the two men from prison to the execution site.
Barzan and al-Bandar's executions were delayed so that Saddam could be "executed on a special day," al-Rubaie told state-run Al-Iraqiya television on Saturday.
And special it was!
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/04/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
"but the details still must be worked out," like, for instance, getting somebody else to hold that damn cell phone STILL! and better lighting dammit! I mean we only got one take for this scene and so far no stunt doubles have applied.....
But I really hope we help (or lead).
The Institute for National Strategic Studies at Tel Aviv University said in its annual report, released Tuesday, that Iran will possess nuclear weapons unless military action is taken against it, and Israel would be capable of carrying out such an attack. "Time is working in Iran's favor, and barring military action, Iran's possession of nuclear weapons is only a matter of time," the institute said in a statement distributed at a news conference where it released its annual assessment of the Middle East's strategic balance.
Israel considers Iran to be its most serious threat. It dismisses Tehran's claims that its nuclear program is designed solely to produce energy and is worried by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's repeated calls to wipe the Jewish state off the map.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has not ruled out a military strike against Iran's nuclear program, but has said he hoped other ways could be found to keep Tehran from becoming a nuclear power. In 1981, Israel destroyed an unfinished Iraqi nuclear reactor in a surprise air attack.
The INSS think tank stopped short of calling for an Israeli military strike to curb Tehran's nuclear ambitions.
Although experts elsewhere have questioned Israel's ability to cripple the Iranian program, which is scattered and built in part in underground bunkers, analysts at INSS said Israel would be capable of carrying it off. A member of the institute's board, Brigadier General (res.) Giora Eiland said there would not be a military strike without a full "strategic and military" understanding with the U.S. "Even if, at the end of the day, Israeli jets are going to carry out, or execute, this attack, it might be perceived - and rightly - as an understanding between the United States and Israel," Eiland said.
INSS head Zvi Shtauber, a retired general who also served as Israel's ambassador in London and senior policy adviser to former Prime Minister Ehud Barak, said Israel was "technically" capable of striking alone and would have to do so if it takes action, because no other country would agree to work openly with Israel. Taking issue with Eiland's assessment that the U.S. must sign off on such an attack, he said, "There are certain things that it's better the U.S. not know about."
Institute analysts, while doubtful that international sanctions would sway Iran from its nuclear ambitions, said the time had not yet come to decide on military action. "We should do it only when it's clear we've exhausted all other means," Shtauber said.
The institute also said in its report that although it was skeptical about the Syrian president's recent peace overtures, it was worth exploring. The report expressed doubts that Assad could "come up with the goods" during negotiations with Israel, in terms of both his ability and his readiness to go through with talks. Eiland, told reporters at a Tel Aviv press conference Tuesday that the summer war in Lebanon will have serious and far-reaching repercussions on Israel's power of deterrence.
He said that both Israel's neighbors and the United States have taken note of the failures during the war. "From the perspective of our friends in the U.S., we failed to come up with the goods in an embarrassing way," he said.
#2
Yeah, I mean universities will refuse to business with them, Arab countries will boycot businesses that deal with them, the EU will bring charges against their generals, and the UN will denounce them.
#4
Yep, I can visualize the Israelis 'buffing down' the nose cones of 50 of their "Light Of GOD" warheads; and should just one Iranian wmd land in Jerusalem (even off course), will trigger the 'Final Solution'!!
#5
If we had things under control in Baghdad and Iraq, I don't think Iran would be so difficult to deal with. And yes, Irael could easily do it alone, dealing a blow to Iran that would produce some real shock and awe.
#6
If that was the case, why didn't they march north in the Israel/Hezbo war of last year? Don't get me wrong.. the pickings were ripe, although their leadership wasn't. What's different now?
#7
Press Conference talking points right after Israel attacks Iran.
1) Today Israel struck Iran's nuclear weapons facilities in an attempt to save the World and Israel from a massive extinguishing of life; to save the World from an apocalyptic Holocaust promised by non other than Iranian Ayatollahs themselves and their President.
2) In order to wipe that f*cking smirk off the clown's face, Israel Bombed the Crap out of Iran today.
#9
Israel should make things abundantly clear to the entire Moslem world. If anyone launches a nuclear weapon against Israel, Israel will wipe out as much of the Moslem world as it can.
There, now you guys hash it out among yourselves. Unless the Arab world, 80% of Moslems, control the 20% of Shiites that are out of control, you are ALL going to die together.
If the entire Arab world has to go to war to defeat Iran, so be it. But you had better get started soon, because the clock is ticking. And all Iran has to do to destroy you all is to launch a single missile.
#11
Israel has withstood "international condemnation" several times and lived through it. They got the stink-eye from the UN in 81 for that little Osirak expedition, but they never apologized.
I heard something the other day about Israel that really opened my eyes. On Discovery Channel or somewhere. Anyways, grom, Israel CAN'T afford a first strike from an enemy. If Iran were to get a large enough nuke (granted, even their first gen nukes would be small), something like 80% of the Israeli population could be wiped out with just a couple of them (think: most Israelis live in the few large cities...Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, etc.). Sad to say, but even we in the U.S. could survive a couple of our larger cities being hit (some might argue it might do us some good, lol), but Israel doesn't have that luxury, geographically/demographically speaking.
And, international "fallout" be damned in my book. This punk should've been assassinated just for spewing the Hitler-like crap he's already said (much less actually going through with it when the time comes). Remember, "All it takes for evil to win is for good men to sit back and do nothing." Religio-fascist govt's must NOT be allowed to posess nukes, PERIOD. That just ups the ante too much for us to negotiate with, and actually, will lead to a "final solution" one way or the other.
Posted by: BA ||
01/04/2007 10:46 Comments ||
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#14
To follow-up BA's comment, note that the 'moderate' Rafsanjani has made it clear in the past: if it cost Iran a fourth of its population in a nuclear exchange with Israel, with the end-result that the 'Zionist entity' was completely obliterated, --
-- why, that would be just fine with him.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/04/2007 11:05 Comments ||
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#15
Taking issue with Eiland's assessment that the U.S. must sign off on such an attack, he said, "There are certain things that it's better the U.S. not know about."
#19
"We should do it only when it's clear we've exhausted all other means," Shtauber said.
The sign of a leftist.
Why do otherwise intelligent people believe that the adversary will actually see the light somewhere along the path to destruction ?
I guarantee the adversary is using the constant next chance syndrome to prepare for your surrender do to lack of interest. He believes the delays are do to your inability to gather the necessary numbers to make a stand.
#20
Depot Guy - it's called "plausible deniability". Israel knows the State Dept. leaks like a collander in a rainstorm, and Defense isn't much better. Let them strike, let the Iranians attack the US Forces in Iraq, and watch the US and Israel really kick some butt. Israel MUST strike first, because it has no other option. A nuclear-armed Iran is Israel's death sentence.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/04/2007 16:38 Comments ||
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#21
Old Patriot - Your points are valid but honestly, can you fathom a situation where either the US or Israel unilaterally strikes Iran without prior knowledge of the other. (If not outright consent) How do suppose that phone call would unfold?
HowÂ’s it going Mr. President? And the wife? GoodÂ…good ta hear it. Oh by the wayÂ…those blips your generals are seeing over Iranian airspace right now are our planes. Yeah...I'm not shitting ya here...and we figure itÂ’s gonna take a few sorties to take care of businessÂ…sooooÂ…if some should scramble past your guysÂ…be sure and tell em itÂ’s just usÂ…mmmK. Oh yeahÂ…By the way...sorry to give ya the short notice and allÂ…but we thought it best if we kept this one under our hat till shit got started. AnyhooÂ…prolly gonna be some pissed off IraniansÂ…dontcha think? Prolly stir up the rest of them Jihadi fucks too. SooooÂ…just thought IÂ’d give y'all a heads up. Have a good one and IÂ’ll Catch ya later.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
01/04/2007 19:20 Comments ||
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#23
The Israelis will put far more pressure on everyone if they let it be known they will nuke the oil fields around the Persian Gulf if a single nuke ever goes off in Israel, from any source whatsoever.
The Islamofascists care nothing about their own populations, but the source of their power is oil money. Most of the world cares nothing (or actively hates) Israel, but really needs to keep that oil flowing. If the oil money stops, the Muslim populations supported by it will starve.
A Fatah leader and former minister in the Palestinian Authority (PA) has wished al-Qaeda success in attacking Americans during an appearance on PA TV, according to a report by Palestinian Media Watch (PMW). During the January 1 interview, made available by PMW in video format, Abu Ali Shahin, addressing al-Qaeda, said: "Do to Bush whatever you want, and we wish you success... We are fighting the Americans and hate the Americans more than you!" According to a brief by PMW, "Shahin was responding to a statement by Al-Qaeda's deputy leader , Ayman al-Zawahri, criticizing Palestinian Fatah leaders for contacts with the US."
PMW added in its brief that "according to a December 2005 public opinion poll," carried out by the Fato Institute for Applied International Studies in Norway, "65% of Palestinians support Al-Qaeda actions in the US and Europe."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/04/2007 00:00 ||
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A Palestinian way of saying Thanks (for $$$ & pressure on Israel).
#2
LUCIANNE/OTHER > RUSSIA WARNS AGZ IRAN ACTIONS. In short, America has to obey the UNO = World Community again - you know, the UNO whose PK's abuse and rape children in Africa, protected its post-STORM credibility by letting Saddam shoot at UN recce aircraft repeatedly contrary to agreement, and helped hide WMDS in order to embarrass the USA, etc. *Civil War + Sectarianism is for Americans = Amerikans, the USA = USSA = SSR/USR, D *** ng it, NOT OUR ENEMIES - HOW ELSE CAN THE UNO JUSTIFY PK UNITED NATIONS FORCES IN THE USA, aka Commie Airborne [ D ***nged "lost armed tourists"].
#4
Maybe this is why the kidnappings are up-they don't want any journalists around to record Mr. Abbas on whether he agrees. What would that do to the recent "sympathy" millions forcibly taken from the US taxpayer?
#6
Funny, I thought Joe was pretty clear on this one. If you want to know where Putie stands, it's right behind the curtain where the puppet Imadinnerjacket is ratcheting his mouth. Got it ?
Tensions are not expected to subside anytime soon in the Palestinian Authority as a particularly bloody day of infighting comes to an end in Gaza. On Wednesday the Fatah movement declared a state of high alert amongst its ranks in Gaza, calling for them to adjust their deployment following the deaths of three officers from the Fatah-affiliated Palestinian Preventive Security Service (PPSS) and an additional Fatah loyalist in clashes earlier in the day. Members were called to "be prepared and defend themselves by any means in the face of attack."
Fatah has accused Hamas of instigating the violence and for the wave of kidnappings that plagued Gaza on Tuesday, when no less than 23 people were abducted by both organizations.
A woman who was uninvolved in the fighting was also killed today after she was caught in the crossfire between Hamas and Fatah gunmen in Jabaliya. While the focus of the clashes remains in northern Gaza, representatives from Hamas and Fatah in southern Gaza struck an agreement to end the violence late Wednesday evening. It remains unclear if this agreement will bring to the fighting to an end. An Egyptian delegation has been trying to bring the warring factions to a compromise for the past several months and has even met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as part of their efforts. However past agreements between the two groups have rarely lasted and Fatah's declaration of high-alert indicates the tension is only on the rise.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/04/2007 00:00 ||
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It remains unclear if this agreement will bring to the fighting to an end.
Poll conducted by Dahaf Institute for Knesset Channel shows public's dissatisfaction with prime minister; 69 percent of Israelis think Olmert's leadership capabilities aren't good; 45 percent say if Olmert fires to Amir Peretz, their opinion of him will improve; 80 responded that not all elements were considered before going to war in Lebanon
Posted by: Fred ||
01/04/2007 00:00 ||
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The United Nations has urged the Sri Lankan military and Tamil Tiger separatists to stop fighting and protect civilian lives after it said 14 people were killed in air raids by government forces. Tuesday's raid in Mannar district in the northwest of the island was the latest flashpoint in the fighting between the military and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), despite a ceasefire declared in 2002. Six of the dead were children, and 30 people were wounded when the bombs fell on a Tamil fishing village, said the LTTE, which wants a separate homeland for minority Tamils in the north and east of the island.
The military has denied hitting civilians and said a well-identified Sea Tigers base had been bombed in the Mannar area after surveillance and radio intercepts. "Sri Lankans continue to suffer deeply due to this conflict, and today's loss of life is a source of deepest concern," Margareta Wahlstrom, the UN assistant secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, said in a statement on Tuesday. "It is imperative that both sides to the conflict take all measures to fulfil their obligations under international law to protect civilians in this conflict, we have too often seen them fall short."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/04/2007 00:00 ||
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TEHERAN - IranÂ’s top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani will arrive in China on Thursday for a two-day visit carrying a message from President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the state news agency IRNA reported.
Larijani will deliver the message in person to Chinese President Hu Jintao and also meet other top officials, including Luo Gan of the standing committee of the Communist PartyÂ’s political bureau. No further details were dislosed.
China supports IranÂ’s right to a nuclear programme but as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council voted for a resolution that imposed sanctions targeting IranÂ’s nuclear industry and ballistic missile programme. Both Russia and China -- which have strong economic interests in Iran -- worked to emasculate water down drafts of the Security Council resolution and Beijing has since called for more talks on the nuclear issue.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/04/2007 00:00 ||
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BEIRUT - Saudi ArabiaÂ’s King Abdullah held talks on LebanonÂ’s political crisis with a Hezbollah leader last week in his first such contact with the Iranian-backed Shia Muslim group, a Lebanese political source said on Wednesday. Hezbollah deputy chief Sheikh Naim Kassem and a senior aide, Mohammed Fneish, flew to Jeddah on a private Saudi jet on Dec. 26 for the meeting with the monarch and his foreign minister, Prince Saud Al Faisal, the senior political source said.
The three-day visit was aimed at easing tension between the mainly Sunni Muslim kingdom and Hezbollah, which is leading an opposition campaign to bring down the Beirut government. ‘What came out of the meeting were signals of goodwill from both sides to improve ties, but no tangible results,’ the source said, adding that the two sides had discussed their differences and rising Sunni-Shia tension in Lebanon.
Saudi Arabia, like the United States, is a major backer of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and has been critical of Hezbollah since its guerrillas sparked a 34-day war with Israel after capturing two soldiers in a cross-border attack on July 12. There was no immediate comment from Saudi officials.
BeirutÂ’s Al Akhbar newspaper, which reported the meeting, said the Saudis had invited Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah visit the kingdom for last weekÂ’s annual pilgrimage to Mecca. Nasrallah declined on security grounds.
Too bad, could have 'gone for a drive in the desert'.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/04/2007 00:00 ||
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Posted by: Steve White ||
01/04/2007 1:26 Comments ||
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#3
If they saudis werent so goddamned cheap they would have had a hand in this a long time ago. But they're worried that it might cost them 2 cents. They are the epitome of the cheap-ass, consumption crazed, filthy rich.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Beirut on Wednesday to meet political leaders amid reports that the promised return of Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa to resume mediation here will not take place unless rival Lebanese camps show "flexibility" in their stands. Erdogan's one-day visit would include meetings with President Emile Lahoud, Prime Minister Fouad Saniora, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and parliamentary majority leader Saad Hariri.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/04/2007 00:00 ||
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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Officials at Minneapolis-St. Paul International airport are proposing stiffer penalties - including suspension of an airport taxi license - to Muslim cab drivers who refuse service to passengers toting alcohol or service dogs.
Service dogs? - Where in the Koran does it say that a fatwa shall be on all disabled people... Leave 'em in the airport, forever?!?!
Officials on Wednesday asked the Metropolitan Airport Commission for permission to hold public hearings on a proposal that would suspend the airport licenses of cab drivers who refuse service for reasons other than safety concerns. The penalties would also apply to drivers who refuse a fare because a trip is too short.
Too short? Is that news? Where have those officials been the last 40 years?
Drivers would have their airport licenses suspended 30 days for the first offense and revoked for two years after the second offense, according to the proposal.
"Our expectation is that if you're going to be driving a taxi at the airport, you need to provide service to anybody who wants it," commission spokesman Patrick Hogan said.
The commission is expected to vote Jan. 16 on the request for public hearings.
Airports Commissioner Bert McKasy said the issue raised by Muslim cab drivers who say that carrying alcohol or dogs, including those that help people with disabilities, violates religious beliefs is "unfortunate."
Unfortnate? Tell 'em to carry the service dogs, or carry their asses with their unclean cabs somewhere else.
"I think it's pretty much the consensus of the commissioners and the staff that we have to provide good service to the public, and that's pretty much the bottom line," McKasy said.
Each month, about 100 people are denied cab service at the airport. Airport officials say that in recent months, the problem of service refusals for religious reasons has grown. About three-quarters of the 900 taxi drivers at the airport are Somali, many of them Muslim.
Anyone wanna have some fun? Be carring a couple of canned hams when you go to Minneapolis...see if there is trouble geting a cab... They didn't talk about that one... I bet that is trouble too...
Hogan said the goal is to have a new policy in place by May 11, when airport taxi licenses come up for annual renewal.
"We want the drivers to know about the policy in advance, so that if they don't think they can work under these conditions, they have the option of not renewing their license," Hogan said.
they have the option of not renewing their license Duh...
Last year, the airports commission received a fatwa, or religious edict, from the Minnesota chapter of the Muslim American Society. The fatwa said "Islamic jurisprudence" prohibits taxi drivers from carrying passengers with alcohol, "because it involves cooperating in sin according to Islam."
And we issue this "fatwa" against jackasses who don't want to carry a blind person with a dog. Carry them or else face a civil discrinmination suit...Allah Akhbar, Baby!
Eva Buzek, a flight attendant and Minneapolis resident, said she was recently refused service by five taxi drivers when she was carrying wine as she returned from a trip to France.
"In my book, when you choose to come to a different country, you make some choices," said Buzek, a native of Poland. "I never expected everything to be the same way as in my homeland, and I adjusted. I never dreamed of imposing my beliefs on somebody else."
But Hassan Mohamud, imam at Al-Taqwa Mosque of St. Paul and director of the Islamic Law Institute at the Muslim American Society of Minnesota, one of the largest Islamic organizations in the state, said asking Muslims to transport alcohol "is a violation of their faith. Muslims do not consume, carry, sell or buy alcohol, and Islam also considers the saliva of dogs to be unclean, he said.
Dog saliva is unclean, and the inside of most cabs is like an operating room? LOL! Well those cabbies so offended should find other work... Perhaps Garbage collector? No they'd have to handle all those empty beer cans, and bacon wrappers...
Mohamud said he would ask airport officials to reconsider.
But many Somali taxi drivers don't have a problem transporting passengers with alcohol and are worried about a backlash, said Omar Jamal, executive director of the Somali Justice Advocacy Center. Jamal said he supports the tougher penalties.
"We tell the taxi drivers, if you don't want to do this, change your job," he said. "You are living in a country where alcohol is not viewed the way it is in your country."
#1
Airport cabs queue up and the one in the front gets the fare. If he refuses the fare for any reason he goes to the end of the line. The cabs that want fares will get fares, the rest will pay their fees and keep going to the back of the line. Of course, if all the cabs are radical Muslim this won't work, but the solution to that is to allow anyone who pays the fee (and passes safety/presentability inspection) to be an airport cabbie.
#4
Have someone selling ham sandwiches or BLT's for a buck or two along with a tall cold one on the curbside. Hey I kind of like this idea, it would improve the time that one has to wait ;)
A dogs saliva is dirty? Compared to which of their hands?
ASSIMILATE DAMNIT! If you want to live in America then be one of us. Don't bring your baggage with you. If you like it that much go back to it.
Posted by: Jan ||
01/04/2007 18:47 Comments ||
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#5
I think you womenfolk in Minneapolis-St. Paul and Detroit better get your orders in for the Burqas that you soon will have to wear. Maybe I could start a business of male escorts that would accompany single burqa-clad woman to/from work, shopping, etc?
#6
Show up carrying a smoked ham in one hand and a bottle of Kentucky bourbon in the other. If they refuse to carry you, file a discrimination suit on the grounds they're biased against Southerners.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
01/04/2007 19:12 Comments ||
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#7
Has anybody explained how exactly most of the Minnie airport cabbies are Somali moslems?
And don't tell me driving a cab is a job Americans won't do.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
01/04/2007 19:15 Comments ||
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#8
The airport administration is gutless from the very beginning. Why don't they ask CAIR for permission to hold hearings?
#9
So do the cabbies put ethanol free gasoline in their tank?
Is methanol forbidden? Because if it is, they have problems with their windshield washer fluid.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
01/04/2007 19:19 Comments ||
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#10
The cabbies don't have a serious problem yet, but if they keep this up, I am going to round up a crew and we're bringing l
Luisville Sluggers down to where they all hang out. Then, they are going to be in real trouble. I already have mine marked with "goodnight" on the bottom.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
01/04/2007 20:39 Comments ||
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#11
Anyone wanna have some fun? Be carring a couple of canned hams when you go to Minneapolis...
Heck, I don't drink (much) either for religious purposes, and I dang sure have never had a hankering to go to M-SP, but this p!sses me off so bad, I'm willing to fly there, get off with a fifth of Jim Beam and a Kirkland Brand (Costco sized) honey ham in each hand, wearing a Mohammad cartoon on front and Nuke Mecca on back t-shirt. This is our country, dang it, no matter how far lib M-SP has gone.
And, a serious question...how in the world are Somalis gettin' used to the cold up there in M-SP? Turn off their gas/heating oil, and I'd bet they'd comply REAL quick.
Posted by: BA ||
01/04/2007 20:51 Comments ||
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#12
Somalians seem to adjust to adjust quickly. The temp doesn't seem to bother them. I think its a cockroach thing.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
01/04/2007 21:22 Comments ||
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#13
BA, lol I have tears in my eyes I've been laughing so hard.
Maybe we need to have the next Rantburg reunion there and we can all bring hams and bottles of Jim Beam lol.
I can just picture it now...
Posted by: Jan ||
01/04/2007 21:25 Comments ||
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#14
and we could have our own t-shirts made up lol
Posted by: Jan ||
01/04/2007 21:26 Comments ||
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#15
airport licenses are make or break in most cities. Those practicing Islamic discrimination should get the same leeway as a Klukker refusing service to a Black: None. Refuse: find another job
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/04/2007 22:43 Comments ||
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#16
WHile the ham and booze thing would be funny, nothing would get as much attention as filing a discrimination suit. and if the plantiffs were both black, white, male, female, disabled that would make for so much more merriment. Especially if the ACLU were petitioned to support them. And then ask Congressmen Osama whatshisname for a statement.
(picture a room with a floor, a big ol' can of paint and some brushes. choose your corners, boys)
#17
More fun just hit me:
Sue the Metropolitan Airport Commission since as a governmental body, they cannot refuse service to anybody and if they continue down the appeasement path ,that, to this plain ol' country boy, looks like they are doing just that. and then jerk the cabbies ticket, don't wait for renewal time, do it now. (sinister idea, find out where the selective cabbies live, and if they take their cabs home, perhaps, just sayin now, their taxi medallion could come up missing. Theat should be good for keeping their ride off the road until they go through the "lost license" hassle. probably costs a few $$ also. Rinse and repeat as needed.
Not quite sure how to categorize this story but think it's important that we see it.
CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq - Marines currently stationed in Iraq reenlisted at 146% of the entire annual goal in the first two months of the fiscal year.
Overall, retention efforts at I Marine Expeditionary Force
(Forward) (I MEF (FWD)) resulted in 663 first-term Marines signing up for another four-year tour.
Most of the Marines who reenlisted are either directly involved or are supporting the development of the Iraqi Security Forces or the conduct of counterinsurgency operations in Al Anbar Province.
"I'm extremely proud of these great Americans who selflessly serve and who by reenlisting demonstrate a desire to continue to serve our nation during time of war," said Maj. Gen. Rick Zilmer, Commanding General of I MEF (FWD).
"I also commend all leaders for taking care of our Marines in combat by helping them make decisions about their futures without losing focus on the fight," Zilmer said. "The strength of our Corps is its Marines, and there is no better way to ensure the Marine Corps' success in the years to come than by retaining our best."
Although I MEF (FWD) is currently at 146 percent of its original goal for first-term Marines, the U.S. MARINE CORPS' mission for the fiscal year will not be complete until all Marines who are part of the FY 2007 First-Term Alignment Plan, or FTAP, population are retained in the Marine Corps or transitioned back to civilian life.
The campaign goal may be adjusted throughout the fiscal year depending on changes in the overall Marine Corps retention objective.
"We are prepared for any changes in the Marine Corps FTAP mission and stand ready to help meet the Marine Corps manpower requirements," said Zilmer.
#3
This has long concerned me. The numbers are too high. Compare it with Alan Greenspan's "irrational exuberance"; or, as we used to say in the Army, "Remember, it's not an adventure, it's just a job."
Soldiers who have this high a morale maintained for this long are going to have problems adjusting back to what amounts to the blase normality of civilian life. There is no way civilian life is going to have anything close to the value of what they are doing in Iraq and Afghanistan.
But psychologically, what the hell is going to happen to them when it is all over?
And this is what concerns me. We can pretty well guess that it won't be like what happened to soldiers after past wars, with a few exceptions.
But how can you make up for a time when you were really, truly needed, and everything you did really, truly, life-or-death mattered to people in desperate need?
#6
I'm very proud of our Marines over there, I hope they got a respectable re-enlistment bonus.
There always has been a hard re-adjustment period for these guys returning to civilian life from what I've read.
(Rambo springs to mind, man I loved Rambo heh.)
It would be good to know if there has been any measures taken to improve this re-adjustment and training.
My son has a few more years before he re-enlists again, and I'm kind of hoping that he gets out and has a family this next time, it's a mom thing. Right now he's married to the service.
But I do worry about the adjustment period for him. Moose has some good points here.
Posted by: Jan ||
01/04/2007 18:20 Comments ||
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#7
RD: I know that it sounds down, but the worst problem is its novelty. After war, many soldiers are perfectly normal. Some have combat fatigue, depression or delayed stress. A few become adrenaline junkies.
But never have this many soldiers felt they had such a purpose before. And their problem is less being over there than coming back here.
When the place settles down, a lot of soldiers are going to want to live in Iraq. They will have developed a deep attraction to the place, associating it with the feelings they got from truly being needed and useful.
#8
Significant numbers of US Armed Forces retirees settling in Iraq afterward? Now that would be an interesting experiment in radical cultural change -- for the Iraqi host culture, I mean. And certainly would have a curious effect on the interactions of the other groups and nations in the region...
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.
(SomaliNet) The European Union has called for on Wednesday a revival of the peace process in Somalia and suggested a possible international peacekeeping force in the war-torn country should be an African-led operation. After talks with European members of the group in Brussels German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier told reporters that the international contact group for Somalia will meet on Friday in Nairobi to discuss sending peace-keepers to Somalia. Germany currently holds the rotating EU presidency. Steinmeier said a potential peace-keeping operation in war-torn Somalia "will rather be of African origin" and called on Somalia's interim government to engage in peace talks with Islamist groups. 
(SomaliNet) EgyptÂ’s police has arrested 29 Islamists. The 29 belong to EgyptÂ’s chief opposition body, the Muslim Brotherhood, the brotherhood sources have confirmed. According to the sources, brotherhood deputy head, Mohamed Habib, was among the arrested Islamists. Others were assistants to brotherhood parliamentarians and other senior members.
Tony Blair is being arrested for the invasion of Iraq... in a controversial pop video that could top the charts this weekend. He is seen being handcuffed by sister-in-law Lauren Booth and antiwar MP George Galloway.
Jimmy Carter says he's just being fair-minded by continuously condemning Israel. Meanwhile, his Carter Center draws ever more money from anti-Israel sources. Follow the money.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The director of national intelligence, 
America's 110th Congress begins on Thursday in what both the new Democratic majority and George W. Bush, US president, have promised will usher in a new era of bipartisanship. But few believe the warm rhetoric of bipartisan co-operation will survive Mr Bush's announcement of a "new way forward in Iraq", which is expected within 10 days.
Not a single seminary in the federal capital has returned a form from the Federal Education Ministry seeking information about the seminariesÂ’ sources of funding and decrees. The deadline for returning the forms ended on December 30. 
2 January 2007, Attempted attack on a vessel off South Somalia. A bulk carrier was approached by a boat pretending to be in distress. The boat pursued the vessel for some time before it finally gave up. This is the first such case off Southern Somalia in many months.
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Preparations are under way to execute two of Saddam Hussein's co-defendants in the next few days, but the details still must be worked out with the U.S. military, Iraqi media and a government official said Wednesday. Saddam's half brother 
A Fatah leader and former minister in the Palestinian Authority (PA) has wished al-Qaeda success in attacking Americans during an appearance on PA TV, according to a report by Palestinian Media Watch (PMW). During the January 1 interview, made available by PMW in video format, Abu Ali Shahin, addressing al-Qaeda, said: "Do to Bush whatever you want, and we wish you success... We are fighting the Americans and hate the Americans more than you!" According to a brief by PMW, "Shahin was responding to a statement by Al-Qaeda's deputy leader , Ayman al-Zawahri, criticizing Palestinian Fatah leaders for contacts with the US." 
Tensions are not expected to subside anytime soon in the Palestinian Authority as a particularly bloody day of infighting comes to an end in Gaza. On Wednesday the Fatah movement declared a state of high alert amongst its ranks in Gaza, calling for them to adjust their deployment following the deaths of three officers from the Fatah-affiliated Palestinian Preventive Security Service (PPSS) and an additional Fatah loyalist in clashes earlier in the day. Members were called to "be prepared and defend themselves by any means in the face of attack." 
Poll conducted by Dahaf Institute for Knesset Channel shows public's dissatisfaction with prime minister; 69 percent of Israelis think Olmert's leadership capabilities aren't good; 45 percent say if Olmert fires to Amir Peretz, their opinion of him will improve; 80 responded that not all elements were considered before going to war in Lebanon
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Beirut on Wednesday to meet political leaders amid reports that the promised return of Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa to resume mediation here will not take place unless rival Lebanese camps show "flexibility" in their stands. Erdogan's one-day visit would include meetings with President Emile Lahoud, Prime Minister Fouad Saniora, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and parliamentary majority leader Saad Hariri.
