Posted by: ed ||
02/01/2007 07:10 ||
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#1
Does this strike anybody else as a bit wierd? I mean here we have the WH in a battle with Congress for $$ for our troops and then we give a whole boatload of stuff to the Afghans; I question their sincerity, since they are still letting the paks consume oxygen.
#2
Most of the handed over equipment was already in-country : the article discussed "freshly-painted vehicles", in other words, slap a coat of paint on it and hand it over. As units rotate in and out, and equipment gets used, it is generally cheaper to leave it in place than clean it and ship it home. Plus, if it is done right, units unload all of their older equipment and get that replaced with new production. And the Afghanis get a lot of vehicles and equipment that they would not otherwise have.
#3
Think how the environmentalists would howl if a couple of camel spiders snuck over in the shipment, and wiped out the native North American tree frog population or something.*
*Granted, camel spiders are native to Iraq, not Afghanistan, and as far as I'm aware our tree frogs are still doing ok, but the point still holds.
#4
Camel spiders are actually Solifugae, otherwise known as whip scoprions or sun spiders. We already have 'em in the southwest and Mexico. They're generally not poisonous and get to maybe 6" in length in the larger varieties.
From Wikipedia: Solifugae are carnivorous or omnivorous, with most species feeding on termites, darkling beetles, and other small arthropods; however, solifugae have been videotaped consuming larger prey such as lizards [1]. Prey is located with the pedipalps and killed and cut into pieces by the chelicerae. The prey is then liquefied and the liquid ingested through the pharynx.
While the absence of venom in Solifugae is a long-established fact, there is a single published study of one species, Rhagodes nigrocinctus, carried out in India in 1978 by a pair of researchers who did histological preparations of the chelicerae, and found what they believed to be epidermal glands (Aruchami & Sandara Rajulu 1978). Extracts from these glands were then injected into lizards, where it induced paralysis in 7 of 10 tests. While this study has never been confirmed, and while other researchers have been unable to locate similar glands in other species, this particular species does appear to possess venom, although it is not known if there is any mechanism for introducing it into prey (recall that the researchers manually injected it into lizards). Accordingly, for the time being, we must at least acknowledge the possibility that some Solifugae are venomous.
Top North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) commanders arrived here on Wednesday on a two-day visit to discuss with President Pervez Musharraf and the Pakistani military high command the situation in Afghanistan and evolve a new strategy on the war against Talibanism and terrorism.
The four NATO and ISAF commanders, who arrived here, are General Egon Ramms, General David J Richards, General John Craddock and General Dan K McNeil. Gen Richards is the British outgoing head of ISAF, and he has been replaced by Gen McNeil, a four star American general. General Ramms has just taken charge of the Allied Joint Air Force Command Brunsseum, and General Craddock is the supreme allied commander in Europe. This is the first time since NATO and ISAF started their operations in Afghanistan that four top commanders are visiting Pakistan together.
It was learnt that peace and security in Afghanistan, apart from the movement of the Taliban, would be discussed. The visit by NATO commanders is part of their ongoing consultation with Pakistan on the situation in Afghanistan, government sources told Daily Times. It was also learnt that the commanders would discuss Pakistans proposal to fence and mine the Pak-Afghan border.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/01/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Dont trust the Pakistan leadership.They are up to their necks in Taliban affairs!!!
Addis Ababa 31, Jan.07 ( Sh.M.Network) - The Ethiopian military troops formally handed over piles of weapons seized form the defeated Islamists to the transitional government in Kismayu, about 500 km (310 miles) south of the capital Mogadishu on Wednesday.
An occasion ceremony for the hand over took place in the port town of Kismayu where government officials have participated. Weapons and ammunitions of various types were exhibited at the ceremony today. Col. Feygo, a government officer, said the government promises that the arms would not go back to the hands of the civilian population.
The arms being transferred to the government were seized from the routed Islamists during the deadly skirmishes in which the Ethiopian and government troops drove the Islamic Courts Union out of Somalia late last year.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/01/2007 00:00 ||
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Addis Ababa 31, Jan.07 ( Sh.M.Network) - The Egyptian government has voiced on Wednesday the indispensability that the African peacekeepers planned for Somalia should accomplish certain conditions of restoring peace and tranquility in the country.
Abul-Gheyt, Egyptian foreign minister, has recommended the African countries that offered troops to Somalia that their troops should be capable of playing positive roles in creating reconciliations among the countrys political parties, clans, traditional and religious leaders.
He said Egypt would not participate in the peacekeeping mission in Somalia, asserting that the Somalis were not united when it comes to more foreign troops in their country. Egypt only deploys its troops to countries where the people are satisfied with the presence of the foreign troops in their lands, he added.
"But the rest of youse guys should go do the heavy lifting," he added.
He called on the international community to assist the African peacekeepers for Somalia financially.
But not Egypt, of course.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/01/2007 00:00 ||
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(SomaliNet) The Kenyan State has defended its decision to continue holding Mr Abukar Omar Aden, who is suspected of having financed the ousted Somali Islamic Courts Union, in custody for a month. Aden, 70, who is in Kenyas custody, is currently facing charges of being in Kenya illegally.
Wring him til he looks like an empty toothpaste tube.
Kenyas prosecution told a Nairobi court that the police are investigating on the role he played in Somali capital Mogadishu. Meanwhile, Mr Aden accused the Kenyan State of holding him in custody for a long time contrary to the law. He said the charge preferred against him is a misdemeanour and does not warrant him being held in custody for a month.
So let's have them charge you with a capital offense.
Kenyas prosecution said Aden was arrested in Liboi on December 26. He is said to be running away from Somalia after the fall of the Somali Islamists. The prosecution said it is the duty of the police to establish how he entered into Kenya.
Among other things.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/01/2007 00:00 ||
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An Islamist group linked to al-Qaeda has called on Algerians to carry out attacks on French nationals, in a message posted on Tuesday on the internet. "Fight the nationals of France and the agents of the Crusaders occupying our land," said Abu Mussab Abdel Wadoud, leader of the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC). "Our fathers and our ancestors fought against the French Crusaders who were driven out in humiliation," the GSPC chief said in the message dated January 3 that appeared on Islamist websites.
"France which left through the door ... is coming back today through the window in Algeria," he said. "America is also coming back through the door to share with France the spoils of our riches and control of our destiny, with the complicity of the thief of the house, (Algerian President Abdelaziz) Bouteflika," he said.
He accused the president of "fighting against Islam under the banner of the leading heretic, the United States, and forging ties of friendship with the enemy of yesterday, France".
Posted by: Fred ||
02/01/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
GSPC urging the French to rise up and throw out the colonists? Will wonders ever cease?
Posted by: ed ||
02/01/2007 1:13 Comments ||
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Al-Qaeda is not a serious threat to North Africa, and the terror network's affiliate in Algeria will be "totally eradicated", said the country's No 2 security official. Junior interior minister Dahou ould Kablia, speaking at a meeting of Arab interior ministers in Tunis, brushed off word of a new alliance between al-Qaeda and Algeria's Salafist Group for Call and Combat. "We're not giving this any more importance than it deserves," said the minister on Tuesday. "Al-Qaeda or no al-Qaeda, the movement will be totally eradicated," he said.
Ould Kablia is the top Algerian security official under President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who also holds the title of interior minister. Asked if he thought al-Qaeda was a threat in North Africa, the minister added: "No, I don't think so."
The Salafist group, known by its French abbreviation GSPC, announced last week it was officially al-Qaeda's North African wing - now called al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. The GSPC, estimated at several hundred members, is considered the last major insurgent threat in Algeria, which has been trying to emerge from an Islamic insurgency that started 15 years ago. More than 150,000 people have died: Islamists, civilians and military.
Algerian neighbours Tunisia and Morocco have both had a string of arrests of suspected Islamic militants with alleged ties to the GSPC in recent months. In early January, normally tranquil Tunisia was rattled by a shoot-out between police and Islamic militants who police say had GSPC links. At the Tunis meeting, North African delegates called for greater co-operation among their intelligence services on eliminating militant groups.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/01/2007 00:00 ||
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(KUNA) -- The Saudi Foreign Ministry on Wednesday expressed deep concern and dismay at murder of a Saudi citizen in the African state of Madagascar -- identified by the media as brother-in-law of al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden.
An official source of the ministry said in a statement, broadcast by the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) that Saudi officials contacted authorities in the African country to determine circumstances of the "criminal act and the perpetrators." The ministry requested, through the diplomatic mission, examination of the coroner's report, and the diplomats made contacts to facilitate transfer of the body home.
According to media reports, the slain Saudi, named Jamal Khalifa, is the brother-in-law of Al-Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden. The victim, said to be a dealer in jewels, was killed by gunmen who burst into his residence in Madgascar, earlier today. Press reports indicated that he was killed in Tulear, about 650 kilometers southwest of the capital, Antananarivo.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/01/2007 00:00 ||
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(IRIN) - Yemeni authorities deported 122 illegal migrants from Ethiopia along with 129 Somalis on 30 December, an official at the Immigration Authority said on condition of anonymity. This news ended a months speculation over the whereabouts and condition of these asylum seekers. "The 122 Ethiopians who entered the country illegally were deported after representatives from the Ethiopian Embassy in Sana'a visited them and processed their documents," the Yemeni official told IRIN on Tuesday.
The Ethiopians had arrived at Yemens Bir Ali coast on 27 November 2006. They had spent two days at sea in rickety fishing boats crossing the shark-infested Gulf of Aden. On arrival in Yemen, they were immediately apprehended by security forces and sent to the immigration authorities in Attaq, Shabwa governorate. From there they were taken to the northern governorate of Amran, where they spent about a month in the central prison. The immigration official said this was for security reasons.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/01/2007 00:00 ||
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At his annual news conference Thursday, Feb. 1, Putin said: "Our experts dont believe Washingtons claims that the proposed sites are intended to counter missile threats to Europe from Iran." Tehrans missiles, he argued, are not capable of reaching Europe. Russias reaction, said Putin, would be "asymmetrical but highly efficient."
Russias newest Topol-M intercontinental ballistic missiles, said the president, are capable of penetrating missile defenses. The next-generation missiles will be capable of changing the altitude and direction of their flight on their way to target. "Missile defense systems are helpless against that," Putin asserted. I wonder if his "countermeasures" include giving Iran missile technologies that might evade these anti-missiles, so that Iran can continue to threaten Europe.
#1
I thought that Jan Lamprecht's ranting on the net in mid-90's, about Russia that all that changed is the facade but everything else remains the same and that Russia is still a grave danger, was bordering on paranoia.
(SomaliNet) If a financial dispute with United States (U.S) government in Washington is not resolved, North Korea may be compelled to announce plans for another nuclear test, a source said on Wednesday. This move would also show a sign of Pyongyang's impatience with a lack of progress in talks.
A news source close to the North Korean government said that the United States lacked evidence of wrongdoing, and North Korea was likely to express its frustration when it came to six-party talks to discuss scrapping Pyongyang's nuclear programmes, scheduled to resume on February 8 in Beijing. "If the United States does not resolve it, North Korea will have no choice but to announce at the six-party talks that it plans to conduct another test," the source said.
The last session of talks grouping the two Koreas, the United States, Japan, Russia and China was held in December -- two months after Pyongyang dramatically raised the stakes by staging its first nuclear test -- and produced no breakthrough.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/01/2007 00:00 ||
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#3
I think the US should "test" a large nuclear weapon - >20Mt - over Pyongyang. I'm sure that would put an end to all this nonsense. At least it would put an end to one kim jong il.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
02/01/2007 15:50 Comments ||
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#4
USAF GENERAL > North Korea is helping Iran dev ICBM-capable LR missles, types that can strike the USA-ALCAN. Yoohoo, DemoLefties, whose ready to have themselves andor their women become one of a 72-Virgin hareem.
BEIJING (AP) - A U.S. Treasury envoy who on Wednesday wrapped up two days of talks with North Korean officials said his agency's suspicions of illegal financial activity involving bank accounts linked to the communist nation were accurate. Deputy Assistant Treasury Secretary Daniel Glaser said that he went over bank information of 50 account holders from the Macao-based Banco Delta Asia with his North Korean counterparts in Beijing, adding that U.S. concerns that the bank was being used for money-laundering purposes had "been vindicated" by the discussions.
"I think we are now in a position after a very lengthy investigation ... to start moving forward and trying to bring some resolution to this matter," Glaser said. He did not elaborate.
"I will say no more!"
The financial talks are linked to continuing talks between North Korea and five other nations aimed at getting Pyongyang to dismantle its nuclear programs. Glaser said the two sides planned to meet again to talk further about U.S. financial restrictions imposed due to Pyongyang's alleged smuggling and counterfeiting, but no date had been set.
Take your time.
Washington took action against the Banco Delta Asia in 2005, accusing the bank of complicity in North Korea's alleged illegal financial activity such as counterfeiting and money-laundering. The move has caused other banks to steer clear of North Korean business for fear of losing access to the U.S. market, hampering the North's access to the international financial system.
The North says the restrictions are evidence of U.S. hostility.
Counterfeiting is evidence of NKor hostility.
U.S. officials have indicated that North Korea is demanding the financial issues be dealt with before progress can be made on the nuclear talks, involving the two Koreas, the United States, China, Japan and Russia.
Pyongyang wants Washington to first end the financial isolation campaign, and to lift a freeze on $24 million in accounts at Banco Delta Asia.
Um, no. Provide us adequate assurances that you won't do any more counterfeiting. If there's anything that could be adequate.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/01/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Money laundering, counterfitting, smuggling drugs, smuggling weapons, running whorehouses with their diplomats, and developing nuclear bombs. If we would only let Nancy Pelosi talk to them, they would see the error of their ways and become good Californians. Can we translate "California Dreaming" into Korean?
More than 300 people - including both students and non-students - protested an event last night organized by the University's chapter of the Young Americans for Freedom called "Terrorism: The World's Greatest Threat." Billed as a lecture by three ex-terrorists, the event drew opposition from several student groups and the Michigan office of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee.
A large crowd gathered outside of the Rackham Building an hour before the event's scheduled 7 p.m. start. Flashes of yellow shirts worn by the protesters showed through the winter coats of many in the crowd.
A half hour before the event, YAF Chair Andrew Boyd shouted "We're ready!" and the doors to the auditorium opened. The aisles filled immediately with people in yellow shirts, who had gathered early for the event. As the protesters rushed to fill seats, already-seated YAF members stuck their feet out into the aisles.
After the initial surge, seats continued to fill steadily. By the time the event began, protesters make up about a quarter of the audience.
Once the auditorium reached capacity, YAF Vice President Ryan Fantuzzi took the microphone. "I ask those who would like to disrupt this event to leave as soon as possible," he said. "There are many who support peace and freedom who would like your seat." But the protesters didn't get up.
#2
Isnt yellow the color cowards and Hebullah (but I repeat myself)? Good job you running lackey dogs of oppression! Of course that is why you are at college, to learn only one side of everything. Ok now back to your Global Warming and steam engine classes before your afternoon of world human studies. Human Studies is the televised Al Jizzeria course or what the west would call News or what the Nazis would call propaganda.
I laugh when they say these guys are trying to paint an entire community as terrorists. These guys don't need to, that particular community seems to do it fine on their own.
#4
It is best when the speakers take a moment to address the protesters, indirectly. It lends great irony to speak of the fear of those who shout down and refuse to listen to other voices, then to speak of the slavery of unbending fanaticism, then maybe to talk of how when voices are silenced, women and children and the weak become victims.
Finally to speak of the how fanatics have murdered countless innocents, yet even then are terrified of the free voices of opposition.
The radicals disrupt and stomp out anyway, which proves the point.
#5
Being white, I probably couldn't get in today, but I got an EE degree from The University in '84. It was just as bad then, we everyone on the commies' side.
(2007-01-31) Under the terms of a bill proposed today by Sen. Arlen Specter, R-PA, the presidents role as commander-in-chief would be redefined for the postmodern era as collaborator in chief.
The measure comes just a day after Sen. Specter respectfully rejected President George Bushs claim to be the decider on the issue of a troop surge in Iraq, saying the decider is a shared and joint responsibility.
The antiquated Constitutional notion that the president is in charge of the armed forces has become obsolete if ever it was true, the senator said. A 21st century president isnt the sole decider when it comes to military leadership. Hes the facilitator, the bridge builder, the conciliator, the suggester.
Mr. Bushs idea that he bears responsibility for troop deployments, Sen. Specter said, is an artifact of an era long gone when people thought leadership consisted of bold principled vision, decisive action and unshakable perseverance.
We now know, he added, that true leadership in time of war means finding the least offensive, politically-expedient middle ground to allow all members of Congress to claim credit for achieving the Defense Departments primary goal of keeping our armed forces out of harms way.
The Pennsylvania senator said his bill will clarify Article II, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution which says, The President shall be commander in chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the militia of the several states, when called into the actual service of the United States
President Bush has taken advantage of the gray areas and vague language of this text to bolster his own opinion that hes in charge of the military, Sen. Specter said. But most legal scholars now agree that theres a vast difference between what the Constitution says, and what it actually means.
#2
Mr. Ott started writing satire, but he seems to have developeed a Twilight Zone-ish ability that causes the fruits of his wacky imagination to appear as actual real-world events. I find it frightening.
But on to my point: Maybe it is time to create a new Cabinet Level post - the Department of National Surrender. This departement would be involved in sucking up to dictators, surrendering to our enemies and providing aid and comfort to the the United Nations and other transnational progressive organizations. The main role of the Department of National Surrender is not to shape policy but simply to act as a sink or grounding rod for all the stupid-ass ideas and chatter coming from the Democratic Party and other groups and people still stuck in the Sixties.
BOSTON - Several illuminated electronic devices planted at bridges and other spots in Boston threw a scare into the city Wednesday in what turned out to be a publicity campaign for a late-night cable cartoon. Most of the devices depict a character giving the finger. Peter Berdovsky, 27, of Arlington, and Sean Stevens, 28, of Charlestown, were each charged Wednesday night with one count of placing a hoax device and one count of disorderly conduct, state Attorney General Martha Coakley said. The two men worked together to place the devices, Coakley said in a news release announcing Stevens' arrest.
Highways, bridges and a section of the Charles River were shut down and bomb squads were sent in before authorities declared the devices were harmless. Turner Broadcasting, a division of Time Warner Inc. and parent of Cartoon Network, said the devices were part of a promotion for the TV show "Aqua Teen Hunger Force," a surreal series about a talking milkshake, a box of fries and a meatball.
Authorities are investigating whether Turner and any other companies should be criminally charged, Coakley said.
It said the devices have been in place for two to three weeks in 10 cities: Boston; New York; Los Angeles; Chicago; Atlanta; Seattle; Portland, Ore.; Austin, Texas; San Francisco; and Philadelphia.
Sorry, I think it's perfect that only Boston freaked out. It's Bush's fault, of course. Were it not for the WoT, the good citizens of the City would not have been so paranoid.
Posted by: Bobby ||
02/01/2007 05:34 ||
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#1
It said the devices have been in place for two to three weeks in 10 cities: Boston; New York; Los Angeles; Chicago; Atlanta; Seattle; Portland, Ore.; Austin, Texas; San Francisco; and Philadelphia.
...Which, as I pointed out to the G/F last night, says something for the overall effectiveness of the program insofar as nobody recognized anything.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
02/01/2007 6:03 Comments ||
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#2
Adult Swim is a regular lefty, clueless endeavor. Their forums are politicised to hell, The Network is run by a refuge from CNN. It's no wonder they didn't get it before they pulled this stunt. I hope some one goes to jail, maybe they will "get it."
#3
Meanwhile, Euros are refusing to produce postage stamps in honor of China's "Year of the Pig," in servitude to the cult of terror. France caved in first. China withdrew pork scented stamps. Canada had the guts to issue the commemorative.
#4
Adult Swim is a regular lefty, clueless endeavor.
Yeah, probably. They gave "Boondocks" a time slot, after all.
But, damn, I do love "The Venture Bros."
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
02/01/2007 7:36 Comments ||
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#5
The strangest thing about this story is that the same devices have be in many cities & have excited nothing. Those devices are being removed as well.
#6
What set off the alarms in Boston was that a device was found attached to a main road artery bridge support.
Posted by: ed ||
02/01/2007 8:08 Comments ||
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#7
I will credit Cartoon Swim with being the most innovative, surreal, bizarre, and creative adult-oriented animation around. They do take the big risks as far as comedy goes, and much of their fare can only survive in a late night slot--like a funny version of Art Bell.
I'll second The Venture Brothers as being among their best, along with Harvey Birdman and Sealab 2021.
#9
Moose,
I'll second that, especially Birdman and The Venture Brothers. Sealab had one or two hysterically funny eps, but everything else was wildly uneven and ATHF was the same way. For my money, the best thing on there right now is Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends - the last few eps have had some humor worthy of the Marx Brothers at their best, yet it is probably the most family-safe show on CN.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
02/01/2007 10:22 Comments ||
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#10
What's this dumbing down of America I've been hearing about?
I'll grant that ATHF is juvenile, and that the few times I've watched it, it's not particularly funny.
But, again, "Venture Bros." "Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law" is pretty good, too. And "Space Ghost Coast-to-Coast". "Sealab 2021" had its moments, too. None of them are particularly high-brow, but comedy often isn't.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
02/01/2007 10:23 Comments ||
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#11
Guess in the world of Trump-style marketing, these two accomplished their task.
Their company should not be sued for criminality, but for financial liability. Bet Boston lost a bunch of dough trying to secure the areas.
#12
Sneaze: This is for you, try and learn something from it. URL's go between the quotes!
Off Topic, mini rant:
Folks, (this is directed at a Sneaze) the web and HTML have been around for well over ten years, not being able to competently post a link to an article is shameful. Especially when the syntax for the HTML Tag is listed for you right below the buttons that may, or may not, work with your browser.
Posting a link, goes like this:
<a href='*1'>*2</a>
*1. In this spot (between the single quotes) you put the complete URL including the "http://" tag, (omit the double quotes) and nothing else! Omit the "*1".
*2. Here, you put the text of whatever you want to call the link, you can even leave the "*2" if you like the way it looks.
There are only 14 characters you have to get in the correct order, plus the URL. Work on it.
/Off Topic, mini rant.
Posted by: Chuck Darwin ||
02/01/2007 10:28 Comments ||
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#14
Little heavy on the judgmentalism there, Darwin. HTML may have been around for years, but that doesn't make it shameful that others don't have skills in writing it. I haven't tried to post an article because I have no idea what I am doing and didn't want to create headaches for moderators, but I have linked to URL's, perhaps incorrectly as Sneaze has. Rantburg will have to decide the right balance of desired participation to ineptitude.
When I look at your instructions on my Mac, there appears to be a space between the a and h and between * and 1 and * and 2. Is that correct?
#16
These things were up and flashing all over the country and no one noticed. That is until someone(Berdovsky and /or Stevens?) in Boston called 911 to report something suspicious going on. then the public got wind of it and VOILA panic.
#18
Just saw these two dolts on TV. Had they acted contrite, they probably would have been eventually forgotten, but no, they had to be a*ses. They just dug their own graves.
#22
"Halp us John Kary, we are stuck on stoopid and living in Boston. We cannot recognize anything unless you or Sugar Daddy Teddy tell us watt to due..."
#24
Weeks in 10 major cities an nothing, then Boston panics when you see a flashing light? I saw the "Device" flashing and it looked NOTHING like a bomb. In fact, it looked more like it belonged in a pornographic stores window. The places they were put are idiotic, but the fact that Boston officials didn't try to figure out where the image was from first is....well, stupid. They were just flashing, hadn't gone off, and I'm sure if they went up and looked at the devices they would see they've been up there awhile with no harm, if indeed they were there for weeks. I just don't see how those signs could be mistaken for a bomb in ANY way. They look like Old-fashioned pixeled video-game characters! How could that be mistaken for a bomb!?
I think Common sense was lacking on both sides in this.
Posted by: Charles ||
02/01/2007 14:39 Comments ||
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#25
When I look at your instructions on my Mac, there appears to be a space between the a and h and between * and 1 and * and 2. Is that correct?
There is a space between the "a" and the "h" in "href" no spaces elsewhere.
Not being able to competently post a link when the directions are right in front of you is shameful. I am not a programmer, web or otherwise, but if my eight year old can do it, and I can do it, then the other posters can do it too. Just 14 characters to type, and then cut-n-paste the whole URL in between the quotes! Is that too much to expect?
Posted by: Chuck Darwin ||
02/01/2007 15:04 Comments ||
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#26
My brother's a firefighter up here. They didn't run on it, but watched the coverage of it pretty intently and, believe me, it was saturation coverage. Not being devotees of the Cartoon Network, as most of the cops, firefighters, and bomb squad guys aren't, they couldn't figure out what the things were in the few closeup looks that they got of them. And when you DON'T KNOW what you're dealing with, you go worst case scenario, despite taking the chance that you'll offend the local performance artist and stoned college kid cartoon audience fan community.
He loves hindsight. He wishes he had it everytime he rolls on a job. But it's not a luxury you get.
And he just called back. He just saw their press conference and would like to tie Dreadlock Boy and his Townie loser buddy to the back of the pump and run them around the block about 50 or 60 times.
#27
I saw the press conference too. Damn, those guys are complete stoners. I still think Boston Departments over-reacted and could have handled it SO much better. Why they over-reacted and no other city did I still don't know. And not everyone who watches such shows are stoners Tu3031. I'm still confused about what was so threatening about a blinking figure. A person with Binoculars could have diffused the situation if that person had said say "looks like a pixel-figure flipping us off".
It's extremely fishy that it was there for weeks in several major cities and Boston suddenly one day panics over it IMO. There's something we're not being told about this whole incident. Maybe a disgruntled employee with knowledge of the publicity stunt made a phone call and caused this whole mess?
Posted by: Charles ||
02/01/2007 15:51 Comments ||
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#28
Hear Hear for Tu's a Bro (you did say pump company right?) If not, only golfer clap.
#29
I saw the devices in Austin this week and assumed they were part of some goofy ad campaign, duh. The Boston authorities and media behaved like imbeciles.
Now, however, we learn that the two stoners were instructed to stay quiet about the real nature of the devices while the farce played itself out. This is absolutely unconcionable, they had an obligation to reveal the true nature of the devices as soon as they became aware of the authorities' admittedly stupid error. The "hoax device" charge probably won't hold up, since the "artists" could not reasonably have anticipated that they would be mistaken for bombs. "Disorderly conduct" will hold up and terrorism charges are not impossible, since the purpose of withholding the information was to exploit fear and panic among the general public.
#30
For the record, it took me a few years to figure out the whole posting thingy, and I only started embedding links in 2005... and I was president of my high school computer club back in the days of punch cards. Granted, they elected me because I was one of the two girls in the club, but even so. Colour me ashamed, I s'pose. Sneaze dear, most of us go through it, and you'll come out the other side as clever as the rest of us in time.
Oh, and if common sense were common, I'd have it too.
#31
On my Mac, there ARE spaces on the areas I indicated-that's interesting. My mistake about the "link" part below the posting area in grey; I hadn't noticed that before. I think it's been added? Anyway, it's a good thing you're so gracious about the use of HTML, Derwood, otherwise, one might assume you're a smug, little jerk.
#32
On my Mac, there ARE spaces on the areas I indicated-that's interesting. Anyway, it's a good thing you're so gracious about the use of HTML, Derwood, otherwise, one might assume you're a smug, little jerk.
Oh. A MAC user. That explains everything.
Graciousness has nothing to do with it. Jerk? I'm a fully fledged asshole. That not withstanding, there are a handful of individuals that consistently post incorrectly tagged links, in spite of the proper syntax being right in front of their eyes. If it is a long link, it screws the page formatting.
Anyway, I don't recall directing my comment you.
TW: You're so self-deprecating, I don't buy it for an instant. 8-)
Posted by: Chuck Darwin ||
02/01/2007 18:05 Comments ||
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#34
He just saw their press conference and would like to tie Dreadlock Boy and his Townie loser buddy to the back of the pump and run them around the block about 50 or 60 times.
TU, tell him to bring the two boys up here to Colorado Springs. That way he can run around the block 50 or 60 times in the snow, with a wind chill of about -5F. Maybe he can convince these two idiotsticks to dress in t-shirts and cut-offs for their ride...
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
02/01/2007 18:36 Comments ||
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#35
Unfortunately, every blessed word is true, Chuck Darwin. But it's flattering that you choose to think otherwise. Nothing necessarily wrong with being an asshole, which I'm not sure you are, but please give others the chance to climb the learning curve. You wouldn't believe how frustrated I get at those who continue to stick out their little finger when they drink tea, but I have faith that they'll learn before I break any off -- and in the meantime they say such interesting things!
WASHINGTON (AP) - Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said Wednesday he will turn over secret documents detailing the government's domestic spying program, ending a two-week standoff with the Senate Judiciary Committee over surveillance targeting terror suspects.
``It's never been the case where we said we would never provide access,'' Gonzales told reporters. ``We obviously would be concerned about the public disclosure that may jeopardize the national security of our country,'' he said. ``But we're working with the Congress to provide the information that it needs.''
The documents held by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court - including investigators' applications for permission to spy and judges' orders - will be given to some lawmakers as early as Wednesday. Gonzales said the documents would not be released publicly. ``We're talking about highly classified documents about highly classified activities of the United States government,'' the attorney general said.
Don't worry, the NYT will have them by Saturday just in time for the big Sunday paper.
The records will be given to Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and the panel's top Republican, Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., who two weeks ago lambasted Gonzales for refusing to turn over documents that even the FISA Court's presiding judge had no objection to releasing. At the time, Gonzales said it was unclear whether the court orders could be released without exposing sensitive security information.
The documents also will be available to lawmakers and staffers on the House and Senate intelligence committees. These people already were cleared to receive details about the controversial spy program.
Including all the ones who routinely leak to the NYT.
Leahy said he welcomed the Bush administration decision to release the documents, which he said he would review to decide ``what further oversight or legislative action is necessary.'' Specter stopped short of calling for them to be publicly released, but said ``there ought to be the maximum disclosure to the public, consistent with national security procedures.''
``They will not be made public until I've had a chance to see them,'' Specter said.
And they shouldn't be made public after that, you dolt.
But the administration still won't release other crucial documents that explain how FISA Court's orders comply with the 1978 surveillance law that the court oversees, said Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M., a senior member of the House Intelligence Committee. She said the deal to release the documents stems from a briefing in front of that panel last week, which included Justice Department officials, and left many lawmakers frustrated.
The documents are being turned over two weeks after a testy Senate hearing, during which lawmakers hammered Gonzales for refusing to provide details about the court's new oversight - and whether it provides adequate privacy protections.
President Bush secretly authorized the spying program after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, allowing the National Security Agency to bypass court review and conduct domestic surveillance of people suspected of links to terrorism. The program, which a federal judge last August declared unconstitutional, ...
... which an Appeals Court put on hold ...
... monitors phone calls and e-mails between the United States and other countries when such a link is suspected.
On Jan. 17, the day before the Senate hearing, Gonzales announced that the FISA Court had assumed oversight authority of the surveillance program a week earlier, and had already approved at least one warrant targeting a person suspected of having terror ties.
Senators demanded to know more about how judges on the secret court might consider evidence when approving government requests to spy on people in the United States. And FISA Court Presiding Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, in a letter released at the hearing, said she had no objection to giving lawmakers copies of orders and opinions relating to the secret panel's oversight of the spy program.
Yup, let's just request permission from al-Qaeda to monitor their communications.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/01/2007 00:00 ||
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WASHINGTON (AP) - Sixteen lawsuits by Guantanamo Bay detainees were put on hold Wednesday by a federal judge who said he may no longer have jurisdiction to hear their cases. U.S. District Court Judge Reggie B. Walton in Washington said the Military Commissions Act, signed into law in October, has left him unable to consider whether the detainees can challenge being held at the Navy facility in Cuba. An appeals court in Washington is considering whether civilian jurists can rule on those cases. Until that issue is resolved, Walton said, ``it is this court's view that it lacks the authority to take any action in these cases.''
If the appeals panel ``concludes that this court retains some degree of jurisdiction over any or all of the above-captioned cases, the matters will be automatically reopened as appropriate,'' he wrote.
The Justice Department welcomed the ruling, said spokesman Erik Ablin. He called the military tribunals, which can be appealed, ``more process than the United States has ever provided to enemy combatants in our past conflicts.''
And more than we should.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/01/2007 00:00 ||
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OMG ``it is this court's view that it lacks the authority to take any action in these cases.''
A federal judge who actually recognizes that he doesn't have jurisdiction. Guess he hasn't caught Justice Kennedy's disease of making stuff up - L'État, c'est moi!
Eighteen Uighur Chinese, 13 of whom are now in solitary confinement at a prison camp in Guantanamo, were delivered to the US by Pakistani bounty hunters. According to a Washington Post report, the Muslim Chinese dissidents were sold for bounty by Pakistanis in 2002. The men had just arrived from Afghanistan, where they said they had received limited military training because they opposed the Chinese government control of their native region. They said they were never aligned with the Taliban or the Al Qaeda. Five of the Uighurs were released in 2005 by a military review panel. A US court said that the men were being held unlawfully because they were not combatants.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/01/2007 00:00 ||
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'where they said they had received limited military training because they opposed the Chinese government control of their native region"
is that the new story? Their lawyer was on the CBC news show that our NPR station carries, and he said they were just hanging around innocently, waiting to get visas to Turkey (where theres an Uighur community) and were up on the Paki-Afghan frontier cause its a cheap place to live and they could get work in construction.
Next thing, we'll be hearing that they were doing a special for National Geographic, or that they were working for Taiwanese Intelligence.
#2
Ok so lets put these poor misunderstood Chinese on a first class flight to China with our upmost apologies. We are soooooo sory and don't forget to say hi to the guards that will be waiting for you when you arrive!
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
02/01/2007 9:45 Comments ||
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The government in Indian-controlled Kashmir last night ordered a judicial inquiry after its security forces were accused of being behind a series of executions of civilians under the guise of fighting terrorism. An investigation by the Indian Express newspaper claimed that special operations squads had killed a carpenter and two labourers claiming they were Pakistani fighters. In at least one case, cash rewards were given to troops, it said.
"We have no hesitation in ordering a probe by a high court judge," Ghulam Nabi Azad, an elected official, said last night.
In each instance, Indian soldiers said a Kashmiri man was killed during a battle between security forces and militants. However it has emerged that none of the three men who were killed were at the encounters.
Sounds like the RAB has been giving lessons. Anyone find a shutter gun at the scene?
Kashmir police stumbled upon the killings when investigating the disappearance of Abdul Rahman Paddar, a carpenter reported missing in Srinagar in December 2006. Officers traced his mobile phone to a fellow inspector who admitted Paddar had been kidnapped and killed. "This epidemic of fake 'crossfire' 'encounter killings' by the security forces has plagued Kashmir for too long," said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "The police must stop their standard operating procedure of killing people in custody."
Let's let HRW take them home with them.
The elected state leadership came to power with a promise of "zero tolerance" for human rights abuses. "The real test of the commitment to investigate the killing is whether all those responsible, including senior officials who authorised it, are successfully prosecuted," said Mr Adams.
In a tense atmosphere where death is never far away, it is an unacknowledged reality that extrajudicial executions by Indian security forces take place. A number of officials told Human Rights Watch last year that Indian forces executed alleged militants instead of bringing them to trial in the belief that detention invited a security risk.
And the risk that an idiot judge would let them loose, or that a conniving lawyer would twist the legal process for the purposes of terrorism. We've seen that here at home.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/01/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
These are not 'troops'.
The SOG are a unit of Kashmiri police.
Posted by: john ||
02/01/2007 5:47 Comments ||
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#2
19 SOG men accused of custodial kiling
KOKERNAG, Jan 31: The investigations in the alleged custodial killing of Abdul Rehman Padder, a resident of Larnoo-Kokernag, are likely to dig up more skeletons hiding in the SOG cupboard with the name of another 'missing' person from the neighbouring village figuring up.
Sources in the police maintained that the case is also linked to the disappearance of another 35 year old man, Nazir Ahmed Decka, son of Abdul Rehman Decka of Deesu village in Duksam-Kokernag.
Sources maintained that during investigations, Decka's suitcase was recovered from the house of Farooq Ahmed Padder, an SOG personnel, who also hailed from Larnoo and is accused of the alleged custodial killing of Abdul Rehman Padder. Sources maintained that the latter was lured by Farooq who also promised him a job and it was in his house that Abdul Rehman stayed on his way from Alasteng back to his home, after which he disappeared.
Farooq is among the 11 SOG men detained or arrested in the case, five of whom were picked up today. One SSP and a DySP were attached on Monday last. Sources in the police said that at least 19 cops are accused of the crime and may be arrested soon.
Meanwhile, thousands of people today protested against the SOG at the residence of Abdul Rehman Padder, 125 kilometers away from Srinagar, demanding severe punishment to the guilty.
Padder, 35, a carpenter was killed in a fake encounter on the outskirts of Srinagar and later labeled as a Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militant from Multan. People raised slogans against the security forces and demanded severe punishment for the persons who have been arrested in this connection so far.
Around 20,000 people including women and children had assembled near the residence of Padder who had come from adjoining areas like Draway, Khrati, Desu, Shutar, Noubogh, Matigawran and Larnoo.
"We are not safe here. The entire area has been occupied by the SOG, BSF and CRPF personnel," said a woman, who was raising slogans against the killing of Padder. She added that government should ensure the security of the inhabitants living in Kokernag area.
The people around this woman echoed her voice, add that Padder's is not the only incident that has gripped the area in chaos and confusion but people are yet to receive any information about the whereabouts of other people who have disappeared from the same area.
Meanwhile the family members of Padder including his father Ghulam Rasool, 70, Sara, 65 (mother of Padder), Muneera, 30 (Wife of Padder) and five kids Rasi Jaan, 11, Gazia, 6, Rahil, 3 and three months old Insha reached Srinagar today for the DNA testing. "We have been directed by the SP South to reach Srinagar for DNA testing," said Ghulam Rasool father of Padder.
However, the police sources said that the team of experts from Central Forensic Laboratory (CFL)
Chandigarh has not arrived in Srinagar so far and is expected to reach here in a day or two.
It is in place to mention here that Senior Superintendent of police (SSP) Ganderbal Hans Raj Parihar and Deputy Superintendent of police (DSP) Bahadur Ram have been attached with the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and four SOG men have been detained in Padder's case.
Sources in police added that a camp has been established by police in Batmaloo police station in order to ensure the investigations free from public gaze. "The Special Investigation Team (SIT) was investigating the case in Sheergari police station, but the same has been shifted to Batmaloo police station to avoid any leak out," added the sources.
Education minister Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti today visited the residence of Padder and assured the family members of every kind of support.
Meanwhile, when contacted, DIG Central Kashmir Range Farooq Ahmad said, that the team of experts from CFL Chandigarh is expected to arrive in Srinagar on Friday. When asked about the delay in the arrival of experts, DIG who is supervising the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case said that team has to complete certain formalities first.
"The investigations are going on round the clock and they are heading in the right direction with story emerging out with every passing day. The shifting of SIT to Batmaloo police station is immaterial," he added.
Posted by: john ||
02/01/2007 6:04 Comments ||
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#4
Thanks for the info, John. Some interesting "insight" there. I wondered if these were real Indian Troops or some other quasi-wildwest-cowboys.
Posted by: BA ||
02/01/2007 9:53 Comments ||
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#5
The Kashmiri Police SOG are quite ruthless. Some local Kashmiri terrorists who threatened the families of SOG members quickly found that their own family members disappeared.
Being police, they have informers in the local criminal underworld and are quite effective at counter-insurgency.
There are Federal Indian Police there as well - the CRPF.
The Indian government wants the BSF out of all urban areas. These border paramilitary troops wear green camo and are often mistaken for Indian soldiers. Having only CRPF and local Kashmiri police involved in counter-insurgency will lessen Kashmiri resentment they feel.
The example of the Punjab is instructive. The Indian army didn't crush the insurgency. It was the local Punjab police, under a ruthless Sikh commander named KPS Gill who quite literally exterminated the insurgents.
Posted by: john ||
02/01/2007 14:48 Comments ||
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#6
Thousands of protesters in Indian-administered Kashmir have snatched the body of a civilian as it was being exhumed by police.
The body of Abdul Rehman Paddar was being exhumed in Sumbal area after being identified by his family so that medics could take DNA samples.
Mr Paddar was killed by the anti-militancy Task Force in Sumbal area in December.
Police said that he was a top militant.
The authorities now believe that Mr Paddar paid 80,000 rupees (nearly $2,000) to a policeman in order to get a government job.
But it is suspected that the policeman arranged for him killed.
The state government has ordered a judicial probe into the incident.
Posted by: john ||
02/01/2007 16:02 Comments ||
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WASHINGTON - The soon to be former top U.S. commander in Iraq told a Senate panel Thursday that improving security in Baghdad would take fewer than half as many extra troops as President Bush has chosen to commit.
Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee on his nomination to be Army chief of staff, Gen. George Casey said he had asked for two additional Army brigades, based on recommendations of his subordinate commanders. Bush announced Jan. 10 that he would send five extra brigades as part of a buildup that would total 21,500 soldiers and Marines.
Asked by Sen. John Warner (news, bio, voting record), R-Va., why he had not requested the full five extra brigades that Bush is sending, Casey said, "I did not want to bring one more American soldier into Iraq than was necessary to accomplish the mission."
With many in Congress opposing or skeptical of Bush's troop buildup, Casey did not say he opposed the president's decision. He said the full complement of five brigades would give U.S. commanders in Iraq additional, useful flexibility.
"In my mind, the other three brigades should be called forward after an assessment has been made on the ground" about whether they are needed to ensure success in Baghdad, Casey said later.
Even so, Casey's comments seemed put distance between his views and those of Bush and some lawmakers like Sen. John McCain (news, bio, voting record), R-Ariz., who have questioned whether Bush's troop increase will be enough.
The White House said Casey was recounting old information. "There were a number of conversations and the president after talking with General Casey and other commanders came to the conclusion that he preferred to have five brigades into Baghdad and 4,000 Marines into Anbar," presidential spokesman Tony Snow said. "What General Casey was talking about is some suggestions he'd made earlier. The president has made his decision, and it does reflect the wisdom of a number of combatant commanders and it does have the assent of General Casey."
McCain, R-Ariz., criticized Casey for what he called misjudgments about the prospects for progress toward stabilizing Iraq during his tenure. McCain said he has "strong reservations" about Casey's nomination to become Army chief of staff and said that "things have gotten markedly and progressively worse" during his watch.
Despite getting tough questions from lawmakers frustrated by the war, Casey's nomination was not expected to be blocked. The committee chairman, Sen. Carl Levin (news, bio, voting record), D-Mich., said during a break at the hearing that he would vote in favor of Casey. McCain had said a day earlier that he was inclined to support Casey but had "grave concerns."
McCain asked Casey whether he thought the mission in Baghdad could be accomplished with fewer than five extra brigades. `I believe that the job in Baghdad, as it's designed now, can be done with less than that," Casey said. "But having the flexibility to have the other three brigades on a deployment cycle gives us and gives General Petraeus great flexibility," he added, referring to his designated successor, Lt. Gen. David Petraeus.
"It allows him to make assessments on whether the plan is working or not and to either reinforce success, maintain momentum, or put more forces in a place where the plans are not working," Casey said. Casey described the situation in Baghdad as "bad," and said the U.S. strategy was not succeeding in three areas of the country: the provinces of Anbar and Diyala, as well as in Baghdad.
The proposed Senate resolution opposing Bush's troop buildup is likely to pose a threat to the White House because of its potential appeal to Republicans who have grown tired of the nearly four-year war and want a chance to express their concerns. The White House has been hoping to avoid an overwhelming congressional vote criticizing Bush's handling of the war.
Warner pressed Casey on why so many additional U.S. forces should be added to the fight in Baghdad. "Why are we not putting greater emphasis on utilization of Iraqi forces and less on the U.S. GI being put into that cauldron of terror...?" Warner asked, adding that he hoped that at least some of the 21,500 extra troops will not be sent. The last of the five extra brigades is scheduled to go in May.
Casey said that Iraqis are taking more of a lead role, but are not yet ready to fight without U.S. support. The general defended his record as the top commander in Iraq, saying he remained true to his original commitment to request the number of troops he thought he needed to accomplish his mission. Asked his view of Bush's new strategy, Casey said, "I believe it can work."
He said success in Baghdad could be achieved with fewer than five extra brigades, but he added that this plan will give "great flexibility" to his successor. "The struggle in Iraq is winnable," Casey said, but will take patience and will.
After asserting last week that "I'm the decision-maker" about troop levels in Iraq, Bush acknowledged that Congress has the power to cap force levels and put conditions on where soldiers are deployed.
"They can say, `We won't fund,' " he told The Wall Street Journal. "That is a constitutional authority of Congress. ... They have the right to try to use the power of the purse to determine policy." As for Congress having a voice on where troops go, Bush said, "They put conditions on funds all the time."
Posted by: Dan Rather ||
02/01/2007 13:25 ||
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#1
Casey is a good soldier, and he will and should make Army COS, but he doesn't come close to Petraeus.
Also, AP remains full of shit. Casey said he would at first use two additional brigades in Baghdad with the the remaining three in reserve to flow as needed.
Posted by: Captain America ||
02/01/2007 16:53 Comments ||
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#2
If they only need half as many as are coming, what *she asked with extremely wide-eyed earnestness* could they possibly do with the extra troops?
#4
Some may think he's a good soldier, but based on his performance over the last two years, I'll wait for more evidence. He certainly does not appear to be CoS material based on this testimony. I hate to agree with McCain, but he's got this one pegged about right in my view. Let Casey retire with honor.
#6
Since Dubya has reportedly said that unilater attacking Iran is NOT the plan of the present, until something changes USG Pols are basically arguing over how many troops to base in Iraq-ME until Radic Iran gives terror or implodes unto democracy ala REGIONAL CONTAINMENT. THE BURDEN REMAINS MOSTLY ON IRAN TO DECIDE BETWEEN GIVING UP TERROR, OR ATTACK.
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Iraq indefinitely halted all flights to and from Syria and closed a border crossing with Iran as the government prepares for a new security crackdown aimed at crushing violence in the capital and surrounding regions, a member of parliament and an airport official said Wednesday.
The airport official said flights to and from Syria would be canceled for at least two weeks and that service had been interrupted on Tuesday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to reveal the information. Hassan al-Sunneid, a legislator and member of the parliament Defense and Security Committee, said the move "was in preparation for the security plan. The state will decide when the flights will resume."
You might end up deciding you don't need any contact with Syria. Would simplify the border issues substantially.
The actions were seen as a signal to both countries not to interfere in Iraq's affairs as U.S. and Iraqi forces prepare for the major crackdown on armed groups in the capital.
Syria is known believed to be harboring former Baath party officials who support the Sunni insurgency and has been accused of allowing foreign fighters to slip across its border with Iraq. And U.S. officials have noted complained that Iran smuggles weapons to Shiite extremists who have killed Americans and provides Shiite militia with training and support.
Syrian authorities on Wednesday denied reports arising elsewhere that it had halted Iraqi Airways flights but said it would bar landings by Iraqi airliners lacking safety requirements or those arriving without advance permission. The official Syrian news agency, inSANA, said the measure was agreed to last week by the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority after Syrian technical teams found that some Iraqi planes did not meet safety codes, or that they entered Syrian airspace without notice or permission from Syrian authorities.
Iraqi Airways is now the only airline linking the Syrian and Iraqi capitals.
Al-Sunneid refused to confirm reports that Syrian border crossings also would be closed, saying only that "more decisions would be taken." He said the Sheeb border crossing with Iran "also was closed in preparation for the (security) plan."
Iraq said last week that closures of Iranian crossings involved the border checkpoints at Sheeb, in Maysan province, and the Shalamjaa border checkpoint in Basra province. Authorities in Baghdad said the two crossings had been shut down ahead of the Ashoura festivities, the Shiite ceremony in which tens of thousands of pilgrims - many from Iran - descend the Shiite holy city of Karbala.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/01/2007 00:00 ||
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Closing the Iranian border crossings is only about 4 years overdue, but better late than never.
JERUSALEM - An Israeli court ruled on Wednesday that former Justice Minister Haim Ramon kissed a woman soldier against her will, convicting him of sexual misconduct in one of several scandals casting shadows on Israeli leaders.
The guilty verdict was unlikely to have a direct impact on Prime Minister Ehud Olmerts political fortunes, but officials said he was expected to reshuffle his cabinet now that his Kadima party colleague would not be returning. Ramon, 56, resigned from the government in August after he was indicted.
The soldier alleged that Ramon forcibly kissed her after posing, at her request, for a photograph with her at the prime ministers bureau, where she was stationed. He said she had initiated the kiss.
A Tel Aviv Magistrates Court spokeswoman said the three-judge panel decided unanimously to convict Ramon of having carried out an indecent act against the soldier. We determine that the complainant did not flirt with the accused, did not initiate the kiss and did not consent to it, the court ruling said.
Ramon, who declined to comment to reporters as he left the court building, could face up to three years imprisonment.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/01/2007 00:00 ||
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Oh for PHUECHS SAKE! Will there be a Kosher stoning?
#2
This should be in WoT Politix. Ramon's resignation as Justice Minister put Dorit Benesh --- a major Euro style "judicial activist" into presidency of Israel's High Court.
Tehran, 31 Jan. (AKI) - While Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei has the duty to decide the country's general political guidelines, it is the president who has to announce nuclear policies, Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Wednesday, also stressing that "good news" on the atomic programme were upcoming. "The general policy of the country is established by the supreme leader and the government has to implement it," Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying by Iranian state television. "The president of the republic, as the head of the executive branch, announces Iran's position on the nuclear sector."
The Iranian president said he would announce the good news on progress made in the nuclear sector at upcoming celebrations marking the anniversary of the 1979 Iranian revolution during which 'nuclear celebrations' will be held.
Tehran's symphonic orchestra will perform for the first time on 11 February the 'nuclear symphony' commissioned by Ahmadinejad to celebrate Iran's nuclear programme during celebrations for the anniversary of the Iranian revolution. The event was hailed by Ahmadinejad as the 'nuclear celebrations'.
On 23 December, the United Nations Security Council unanimously voted for sanctions against Iran over its nuclear programme, which the world body fears is aimed at building nuclear weapons.
Tehran claims its programme is solely for civilian use and has repeatedly rejected international calls that it halt uranium enrichment work, which can be used to make atomic weapons.
French President Jacques Chirac said in an interview with three newspapers that Iran's possession of a nuclear bomb would not be "very dangerous" and that if it used the weapon on Israel, Teheran would be immediately "razed," according to a newspaper report.
However, Chirac - who made the comments during a Monday interview with The New York Times, The International Herald Tribune and Le Nouvel Observateur, a weekly magazine - called reporters back the next day to try to have his quotes retracted.
NYT and IHT are one and the same.
In an article posted on its Web site Wednesday night, the New York Times said the Monday interview was tape recorded and on the record. "I should rather have paid attention to what I was saying and understood that perhaps I was on the record," Chirac said in the second interview on Tuesday, according to the Times.
Chirac's initial remarks would mark a big departure from France's official policy of deterrence and work in preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
On Monday, Chirac said of Iran and its nuclear program: "I would say that what is dangerous about this situation is not the fact of having a nuclear bomb. Having one or perhaps a second bomb a little later, well, that's not very dangerous."
Instead, Chirac said, the danger lay in the chances of proliferation or an arms race in the Middle East should Iran build a nuclear bomb. Possessing the weapon would be useless for Iran - whose leader has called for Israel to be "wiped off the map" - as using it would mean an instant counterattack. "Where will it drop it, this bomb? On Israel?" Chirac asked. "It would not have gone 200 meters into the atmosphere before Teheran would be razed."
In the second interview with the same newspapers, Chirac retracted his comment about Teheran being razed. "I retract it, of course, when I said, 'One is going to raze Teheran,"' he said.
Chirac also said other countries would stop any bomb launched by Iran from reaching its target. "It is obvious that this bomb, at the moment it was launched, obviously would be destroyed immediately," he said. "We have the means - several countries have the means to destroy a bomb."
Who?
Regarding his comments that Israel could be a target of an Iranian weapon and that Israel would retaliate, Chirac said: "I don't think I spoke about Israel yesterday. Maybe I did so but I don't think so. I have no recollection of that."
#5
Which 'other' countries jackie? We would save you (again) just out of pure spite and to irritate so-called parisian sensibilites forever.......bwhahaha.
This guy has so many delusions of grandeur it's pathetic. Actually thinks Paris can supplant D.C. as the the main western driving force in the M.E. - what a dolt.
#6
Obviously doesn't consider that Ahmadiwhackjob is a suicidal religious fanatic who would be quite willing to martyr the citizens of Tehran for a chance to "wipe Israel off the map". Chirac's particular brand of foolishness is as dangerous as whackjob's insanity.
#7
It will be very interesting what happens to Chirac when his presidential immunity expires. Wonder if the French judiciary will have the intestinal fortitude to throw this guy in the jug for the rest of his days.
#9
Rooters says The newspapers said that in the first meeting Chirac, 74 and approaching the end of his second mandate, appeared distracted at times and struggled to remember names and dates, but was more alert in the second interview.
Speculation about Chirac's health has mounted since he was secretly admitted to hospital in September 2005 for a blood vessel problem that affected his vision and caused headaches.
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.
Top North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) commanders arrived here on Wednesday on a two-day visit to discuss with President Pervez Musharraf and the Pakistani military high command the situation in Afghanistan and evolve a new strategy on the war against Talibanism and terrorism. 
Addis Ababa 31, Jan.07 ( Sh.M.Network) - The Ethiopian military troops formally handed over piles of weapons seized form the defeated Islamists to the transitional government in Kismayu, about 500 km (310 miles) south of the capital Mogadishu on Wednesday.
(SomaliNet) The Kenyan State has defended its decision to continue holding Mr 
An Islamist group linked to al-Qaeda has called on Algerians to carry out attacks on French nationals, in a message posted on Tuesday on the internet. "Fight the nationals of France and the agents of the Crusaders occupying our land," said Abu Mussab Abdel Wadoud, leader of the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC). "Our fathers and our ancestors fought against the French Crusaders who were driven out in humiliation," the GSPC chief said in the message dated January 3 that appeared on Islamist websites. 
Al-Qaeda is not a serious threat to North Africa, and the terror network's affiliate in Algeria will be "totally eradicated", said the country's No 2 security official. Junior interior minister Dahou ould Kablia, speaking at a meeting of Arab interior ministers in Tunis, brushed off word of a new alliance between al-Qaeda and Algeria's Salafist Group for Call and Combat. "We're not giving this any more importance than it deserves," said the minister on Tuesday. "Al-Qaeda or no al-Qaeda, the movement will be totally eradicated," he said. 
(KUNA) -- The Saudi Foreign Ministry on Wednesday expressed deep concern and dismay at murder of a Saudi citizen in the African state of Madagascar -- identified by the media as brother-in-law of al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden.
(SomaliNet) If a financial dispute with United States (U.S) government in Washington is not resolved, North Korea may be compelled to announce plans for another nuclear test, a source said on Wednesday. This move would also show a sign of Pyongyang's impatience with a lack of progress in talks. 
BEIJING (AP) - A U.S. Treasury envoy who on Wednesday wrapped up two days of talks with North Korean officials said his agency's suspicions of illegal financial activity involving bank accounts linked to the communist nation were accurate. Deputy Assistant Treasury Secretary Daniel Glaser said that he went over bank information of 50 account holders from the Macao-based 
WASHINGTON (AP) - Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said Wednesday he will turn over secret documents detailing the government's domestic spying program, ending a two-week standoff with the Senate Judiciary Committee over surveillance targeting terror suspects.
WASHINGTON (AP) - Sixteen lawsuits by Guantanamo Bay detainees were put on hold Wednesday by a federal judge who said he may no longer have jurisdiction to hear their cases. U.S. District Court Judge Reggie B. Walton in Washington said the Military Commissions Act, signed into law in October, has left him unable to consider whether the detainees can challenge being held at the Navy facility in Cuba. An appeals court in Washington is considering whether civilian jurists can rule on those cases. Until that issue is resolved, Walton said, ``it is this court's view that it lacks the authority to take any action in these cases.''
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Iraq indefinitely halted all flights to and from Syria and closed a border crossing with Iran as the government prepares for a new security crackdown aimed at crushing violence in the capital and surrounding regions, a member of parliament and an airport official said Wednesday.
Tehran, 31 Jan. (AKI) - While Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei has the duty to decide the country's general political guidelines, it is the president who has to announce nuclear policies, Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Wednesday, also stressing that "good news" on the atomic programme were upcoming. "The general policy of the country is established by the supreme leader and the government has to implement it," Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying by Iranian state television. "The president of the republic, as the head of the executive branch, announces Iran's position on the nuclear sector."
French President Jacques Chirac said in an interview with three newspapers that Iran's possession of a nuclear bomb would not be "very dangerous" and that if it used the weapon on Israel, Teheran would be immediately "razed," according to a newspaper report. 
