LAHORE: As NATO troops in Afghanistan have begun intercepting sophisticated Iranian arms bound for the Taliban, US, NATO and Afghan officials are growing more concerned about Iranian policy in Afghanistan, says a Knight Ridder report.
Its long been conventional wisdom that Iran would do nothing to destabilise Afghan President Hamid Karzais shaky government or aid the Taliban, against whom Iran nearly went to war with in 1998. The Taliban obtains the lions share of its weapons and other aid from the proceeds of opium trafficking and from supporters in Pakistan and Arab nations, the report says.
The recent seizures of Iranian arms by British troops in Afghanistans war-torn southern Helmand province are challenging that assumption, however.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/31/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Awww the beauty of proxy wars....
Tho I might not be jewish I will do anything for gods chosen people. I do feel more like a jew than a catholic to tell you the truth.
And everyone knows I can not spell worth a darn.
I don't do "sarc's", what's the point. Either you get it or you don't.
#2
It is well past due to send Iran a "message" of our own. A smoking crater where an oil refinery used to be might make them think twice about agitating us in the future.
#3
I believe that the negotiations with they Ayatollahs begin tomorrow. Shouldn't be doing that or promoting Kosovo sovereignty. Melanie Phillips isn't happy with developments: '>
#4
"So they don't want the Talibunnies back but they give them weapons. If you can guess why, you could be an analyst for the Pak Daily Times."
thats easy mean. They dont want the Taliban in power in Kabul, they DO want the Taliban to bleed the US and NATO till we go away, at which point the Iranians (along with the Russians) will back their favorite Northern Alliance types.
Pretty similar to their strategy in Iraq, now that I think of it.
His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has ordered release of 352 prisoners from various prisons in the emirate of Dubai. Prisoners belonging to different nationalities and serving terms for various crimes are being released by Shaikh Mohammed as a kind gesture as the Ruler of Dubai.
On this occasion, the Attorney-General of Dubai, Esam Eissa Al Humaidan, expressed gratitude and loyalty to the Ruler of Dubai for this humanitarian act which he said reflected the sublime religious and social values. Al Humaidan said that the public prosecution department and Dubai police had already started implementing the order.
The wife of an Islamic religious leader actively encouraged him to become a terrorist, a court heard yesterday. Bouchra El-Hor, 24, even told him she hoped their baby son would follow him into "martyrdom", the Old Bailey was told.
She and her husband, 28-year-old Yassin Nassari, were arrested after they flew into the UK allegedly carrying blueprints for missiles and bombs to be used against the West. The instructions included how to built the long-range Al Qassam rockets used by the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas. There was also a chilling library of extreme Islamic documents, jurors heard.
Prosecutor Aftab Jafferjee said: "It is the prosecution's case that they are not merely radicalised Muslims but that Nassari was going to engage in what he and others like him would call a 'jihad', but what the law describes as terrorism. He possessed both the ideology and the technology with which that could be achieved, either by him or other like-minded people.
"His wife was not only aware of his intention, but positively encouraged it - despite that fact that his actions would almost certainly result in his death and in their son being without a father. These are mindsets which are beyond ordinary understanding and which possess a chilling resilience."
British-born Nassari and his Dutch wife, who have a home in Ealing, West London, were stopped after they arrived at Luton airport on an easyJet flight from Amsterdam in May last year. A hard drive belonging to Nassari was seized and police found it contained detailed instructions to build the rockets and explosives. Video footage of beheadings, suicide bombs and executions was also found on the hard drive, along with articles entitled "Virtues of martyrdom in the path of Allah," and "Islamic Ruling on the Permissibility of Self-Sacrificial Operation - Suicide or Martyrdom?"
Nassari had material on fitness training, martial arts and hand to hand combat, said Mr Jafferjee. The prosecutor added: "He was clearly going either to create or to enter a conflict zone. The technology was in place, the ideology was in place."
Nassari married El-Hor in March 2005. Shortly afterwards they moved to Syria, where he worked as an English teacher and clothing supplier. His wife returned to the Netherlands in November 2005 to have their first child and Nassari joined her on April 30.
The court heard that before he returned from Syria, El-Hor wrote her husband a letter praising his efforts to become a Jihadi martyr and offering to send their baby son to the frontline so he could "follow in his father's footsteps." In the letter, found by police when the couple were detained at Luton, she wrote: "The moment has come where you and I have to separate for the cause of Allah.
"I am so proud, my husband, and I am happy for you that Allah had granted you this chance to be a Mujihad in the cause of God. I really wish I could go with you because I too feel obliged to do all this and look to participate in any way I can.
"God willing, I will do anything in my power to raise our son the best way I can so he can be a righteous Muslim. I will also tell him all about his father so he can be proud of him and follow in his footsteps."
The jury was shown a series of pictures and diagrams from Nassari's computer which gave detailed instructions on how to build a rocket. They even included the suggestion that the fuselage could be made from Peugeot driveshafts obtained from breakers' yards if good quality stainless steel was not available.
Nassari denies possessing an article for the purposes of terrorism and possession of a document of record likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism. El-Hor denies failing to disclose information about acts of terrorism. The trial continues today.
#9
One woman's answer to the tyranny of an islam marriage. "Honey, you can have custody of our son too." Sheeess, what a splodydope--I always thought my husband was a dumbass. Now, I'm sure."
#11
"His wife was not only aware of his intention, but positively encouraged it - despite that fact that his actions would almost certainly result in his death and in their son being without a father. These are mindsets which are beyond ordinary understanding and which possess a chilling resilience."
They're only beyond "ordinary understanding" until you find out about the big life insurance policy.
LONDON Teaching staff at various universities and colleges in Britain oppose the government order to report the activities of Muslim students who could be suspected of Islamic radicalism.
The Department for Education and Skills has asked higher education staff to report about "suspects" in the classes as a mean to stem terrorism on campuses. The annual conference of the University and College Union (UCU) passed a motion against the government order. Supporters of the motion say though they would report illegal activity, they cannot act as detectives.
They didn't ask you to act as detectives, they asked you to report illegal and suspicious activity.
The motion, put forward by university lecturers in London, warns that such a move would damage the trust between staff and students.
What about the students who would feel safer if the crazies were reported?
In November, the government warned of the dangers posed by what it described as the serious threat posed by radical Muslims. However, many lecturers are unhappy about the role of monitoring, describing it as Islamophobia and a witch-hunt.
Totally forgotten about 9/11. Or they never cared to begin with.
The Department for Education and Skills insists the new guidance is not about targeting Muslim students and says it decided to issue the advice after discussions with universities, Muslim students and law enforcement agencies.
"Academic freedom is something they hold very close to their hearts, it is an absolute key to their profession," Sally Hunt, general secretary of the UCU which represents 120,000 college staff, told BBC. "You cannot make it possible for students to explore ideas, if, at the same time, you prescribe how they do that."
It's really hard to have academic freedom if you're afraid someone's going to pull the string on a boom vest, or shoot up the tube station.
When the government advice was issued, a statement from the National Union of Students, University College Union, Unison, the Federation of Student Islamic Societies and the Equality Challenge Unit said: "Any implementation should recognise that demonising Muslims is unacceptable and dangerous whether in educational institutions or in communities.
"Students and staff should be assured by their institutions that there is no intention of adding to a climate of Islamophobia."
'Islamophobia' is a code phrase for "we don't want to be involved." Invoke it and you're justified doing nothing.
Universities UK said violence had no place on university campuses but also hit out at the singling out of Muslims as a group in the guidance. It pointed out that its earlier guidance on tackling the issue focused on "all kinds of extremism, not just extremism in the name of Islam".
If you encounter suspicious activity by a group of radicalized, violent Quakers, by all means phone it in.
"Universities are some of the most diverse communities in the UK, and work hard to ensure community cohesion on campus across all faiths and racial groups," the university umbrella group said in a statement.
Unless you're a Christian or a conservative. Try it in the U.S. and see.
UCU joint general secretary Paul Mackney said universities needed straight-forward procedures on what to do if anyone suspects violent extremism or terrorist activity. He added: "But radicalism must not be conflated with terrorism. Institutions must maintain a moderating environment where discussion flourishes."
Except if that discussion offends someone.
This is an idiotic issue. No one in the Brit government is trying to suppress speech, and the local anarchists will remain free to blabber their goofy spew. But amongst the many decent folk at a typical university are a few that are using said institution as a cover for activities that aren't generally synonymous with education, such as bombings, revolution and terrorism. It's not a sin to call the authorities when you suspect those things. It's really not.
Intelligence and security expert Professor Anthony Glees, who published a report last year warning of the risks of students being radicalised, said he believed there should be far more checks on students from abroad. The BBC earlier reported that the radicalisation of students by Islamist groups was a growing problem on some university campuses. Senior academics warned that the authorities were doing little to tackle the problem.
But the Federation of Student Islamic Societies insists radicalism is not widespread.
Of course he insists that. He's on the other side!
Head of student affairs Faisal Hanjra said he believed such a step was not generally useful because it tended to exaggerate the threat and blow the issue out of proportion.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/31/2007 00:00 ||
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Posted by: ed ||
05/31/2007 0:57 Comments ||
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#2
I sincerely hope these commie, lefty profs are the first to be taken prisoner and beheaded. They deserve that at the least for not supporting their fellow citizens in reporting these subversive bastards. To deter them prior to any violent actions is sooo much easier. But loons like this never cooperate on any sensible actions.
#5
I've just completed a degree course at a UK university (mature student) and the number of seething jihadis was alarming - but what was more alarming was the succour granted to them by academics - they received dispensations on religious grounds that were offered to no other students. My many protestations were simply ignored by the uni's administration and even their anglican minister... says it all.
Posted by: Howard UK ||
05/31/2007 10:15 Comments ||
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#6
Congratulations on your accomplishment, Howard. you may want to send your children to university in the US -- we've our share of seething over here, but if one chooses carefully it isn't nearly so much. :-/
#10
It's no surprise to me that the left will be last to get it. We will be knee deep in blood with anarchy in the streets, and the left will still remind us that without guns none of this would have happened.
Besides, none of these academics gives a real fig about anything but their chance to make it to retirement before the shit hits the fan.
#13
I just learned the Saudi government pays tuition for students who study overseas and universities in need of funding openly court them. Opening their minds to western thought is imperative if Islamization is to be stemmed, but allowing them to impose Islam on us is disaster. I think the Brits (& most liberal academics) need re-education in uniquely American thought.
US citizens who apply for a job will need prior approval from Department of Homeland Security under the terms immigration bill passed by the Senate this week. American Civil Liberties Union pointed out that the DHS's Employment Eligibility Verification System (EEVS) is error plagued and if the department makes a mistake in determining work eligibility, there will be virtually no way to challenge the error or recover lost wages due to the bills prohibitions on judicial review.
Even current employees will need to obtain eligibility approval from the DHS Within 60 days of the Immigration Reform Act of 2006 becoming law.
"EEVS would be a financial and bureaucratic nightmare for both businesses and workers," said Timothy Sparapani, ACLU Legislative Counsel. "Under this already flawed program no one would be able to work in the U.S. without DHS approval - creating a No Work List similar to the governments No Fly List. We need immigration reform, but not at this cost."
The act allocates US$400 million for the implementation of the EEVS, but the Congressional Budgeting Office estimates the system to cost in excess of a billion dollars.
#1
Another reason why this is merely farce. These idjits can't get out of their own way. Remember what they did with the biometric ID's at the border. Took extra 30 seconds to use them, so they just quit doing it without getting anyones approval. And we believe they'll do something slightly challenging like work verification ? Bwa-ha-ha-haaaa !
#2
Bye the bye, did anyone take note how the miscreant with the dangerous strain of TB just motored in from Canada although he was on the watch list at the border ? Bwa-ha-ha-haaa!
#3
Even the slightest effort to make getting work more difficult will result in a LOT more avoidance and evasion of "the process". In this case, not only will a lot of employers start to pay their workers cash, and to heck with the paperwork; but they will also come up with alternative schemes.
One such is to have "working shareholders" instead of employees. Paid in shares redeemable for cash, with the owner keeping 51% of shares. It benefits everyone in several ways.
The employees get paid more, because they pay the much lower capital gains tax instead of the 50% income tax and FICA. And if they leave their money with their employer, they are paid a dividend a lot higher than bank interest.
And the employer saves a lot of money if the shareholders leave the money with him, because he can use that money for capital improvements instead of taking out expensive bank loans.
And because working shareholders are not employees, they are not covered by OSHA rules, can work in a cigarette smoky environment, and aren't under a ton of other onerous government regulations.
#4
At any rate, we must stop this farce from becomming law. I sincerely question what Bush expects to gain with this runaway freebee.
Donations to the GOP have dried up, faxes and phone calls run 90 percent against amnesty. Even the donks are under pressure to can it.
Politics has taken a turn for the surreal.
#6
these are the same people that told us flight 327 was not an issue.
and that a fence won't work.
and it will drive the cost of a drive thru meal through the roof; can you imagine the cost to vet all the 'do ya want fries with that' workers?
#7
I called the RNC earlier this week and told them to take me off the membership list.
Then I got a letter from Steele, he's the head of GOPAC?? now and they wanted seed money to train people on how to write press releases, etc, grassroots level in VA, NJ, MS and LA???
I wrote them sorry, this yahoo doesn't have pesos.
The FBI has increased its use of secret search warrants over the past two years because of a "high tempo of terrorist activity," a top official said yesterday.
FBI Assistant Director John Miller said the 2,176 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act search warrants approved last year, compared with only 1,754 granted in 2005, mostly targeted plotters inside America.
"We're seeing a very high tempo of terrorist activity, not just based on the cases you're seeing being brought in the United States," Miller said in an interview yesterday for C-SPAN's "Newsmaker" program.
Miller said the warrants, issued by a secret federal court in Washington, are usually not a "way to a prosecution," but are "an intelligence tool."
The FBI's chief spokesman - who as a TV newsman conducted a 1998 interview with Osama Bin Laden - echoed other counterterror officials who say the U.S. may have underestimated top Al Qaeda leaders' ability to oversee operations in recent years.
One measure is the record-high output of video and audio messages from Bin Laden and his deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri.
Typically there has been "a two-year arc between major attacks to develop the plan and execute it," Miller said.
Al Qaeda is "on a bell curve and they're getting more effective" at planning new strikes while pushing propaganda to inspire others to "take that ball and run with it."
"They're counting on both happening at once," Miller said. "They're better at this than they were before and they're thinking about it differently."
Pakistan is among 10 least peaceful countries in the world, according to a study released on Wednesday.
Nu-uhh!
Norway is the most peaceful country in the world and Iraq the least, according to the study, which notably puts Japan near the top and Russia and Israel close to the bottom.
The Global Peace Index, published a week before a Group of Eight (G8) summit in Germany, rates 121 countries from Algeria to Zimbabwe on factors including levels of violence, organised crime and military expenditure. While most European countries including Britain rank in the top, more peaceful, half of the league table, the United States is nearer the bottom in 96th place, while Russia is fifth from last on 118th. This is a wake-up call for leaders around the globe, said Steve Killelea, who commissioned the study from the Economist Intelligence Unit, which is linked to the weekly The Economist.
The index is backed by international figures including the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, former US president Jimmy Carter and US economist Joseph Stiglitz, all winners of the Nobel peace prize.
That'd make the results suspect in the minds of lots of us, but I'm guessing the very top and very bottom of the list is pretty easy to put together -- hardest part is probably the detailed rankings, which won't mean much.
Overall the study found that small, stable countries which are part of regional blocs such as the 27-nation European Union are most likely to be more peaceful. Income and education are crucial in promoting peace, it said. I believe there is a link between the peacefulness and the wealth of nations and therefore business has a key role to play in peace, said Killelea.
Top 10: Norway is number one in the index, New Zealand number two, Denmark number three, Ireland number four, Japan number five, Finland number six, Sweden number seven, Canada number eight, Portugal number nine and Austria number 10.
Bottom 10: Angola is number 112, Ivory Coast 113, Lebanon 114, Pakistan 115, Colombia 116, Nigeria 117, Russia 118, Israel 119, Sudan 120 and Iraq 121.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/31/2007 13:20 ||
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#1
So where's Gaza on this list, or can't they count that high?
#3
Top 10: Norway is number one in the index, New Zealand number two, Denmark number three, Ireland number four, Japan number five, Finland number six, Sweden number seven, Canada number eight, Portugal number nine and Austria number 10.
Bottom 10: Angola is number 112, Ivory Coast 113, Lebanon 114, Pakistan 115, Colombia 116, Nigeria 117, Russia 118, Israel 119, Sudan 120 and Iraq 121.
So, let's do the math and see where Muslims are causing a majority of the grief (see bolded countries above). Wotta big effin' surprise! Nearly half of these twenty countries are being assailed by Islamic terrorism and violence. Go figure.
#4
The Global Peace Index, published a week before a Group of Eight (G8) summit in Germany, rates 121 countries from Algeria to Zimbabwe on factors including levels of violence, organised crime and military expenditure.
I'm sure that one of the reasons the US is so close to the bottom is its level of military spending, not levels of violence or orgnized crime. The open border to the south is also responsible for much of the violence and organized crime. I'd like to see a side-by-side comparison between all countries, listing number of murders, robberies, rapes, assaults, arrests per 100,000, convictions per 100,000, number of estimated organized crime networks (Russia would have to have a separate annex for that), amount per capita spent for police and fire protection, and amount per capita spent for military preparedness and operations. Then we could compare apples with apples, and oranges with oranges, instead of this giant fruit salad "approved by the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, former US president Jimmy Carter and US economist Joseph Stiglitz".
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
05/31/2007 18:03 Comments ||
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#5
Hitler's Germany was very peaceful vis a vis "crime" 1933-1945....
In a tumultuous session of the District Council Upper Dir, the members condemned what they called the abduction of schoolchildren for Jihad and the subsequent lethargy of the government to bring the perpetrators to justice.
A member, Hashim Hussain raised the issue of alleged abduction by a Jihadi organisation from a private school and told the council that the parents were not aware that their sons were taken for Jihad and they were running from pillar to post to recover their loved ones. The sons of a doctor and a radio mechanic were abducted and their parents after hectic efforts recovered the boys from Jihadis, who had allegedly taken them for the so-called training, he told the council.
There was huge pandemonium in the council when the issue was raised and a number of other Nazims, including the district Nazim, also joined Hashim in condemning the act.
Schoolchildren are taken from private schools for Jihad without permission of their parents, which is un-Islamic, unlawful and immoral. The district administration knows that the childrens lives are being ruined in the name of Jihad but no action is being taken, he alleged. I strongly condemn the abduction of schoolchildren for jihad. The parents should register FIR in this case and should inform me, DCO and police, District Nazim Sahibzada Tariqullah said.
The issues of threatening letters and bomb blasts in CD and barbershops also came up for discussion and the police were severely criticised for failing to uncover the elements behind the incidents. The district Nazim said he had raised the issue with the governor in a meeting. He said the threatening letters and bomb blasts were the spill over effect of Afghan war.
JEHLUM: President General Pervez Musharraf said on Wednesday that it is every Pakistanis responsibility to ensure that the sanctity and reverence of national institutions, such as the armed forces, is maintained.
Addressing army officers at the Jehlum Garrison on Wednesday, Gen Musharraf, in reference to criticism of the militarys role in governance, said that the armed forces were in the barracks and claims to the contrary were unfortunate.
He said the speeches and slogans at a seminar at the Supreme Court auditorium last Saturday were an assault on the superior courts. The languages used at the seminar humiliated the armed forces and the judiciary.
The president also criticised the media, saying it must not politicise what was purely a judicial and legal matter. He was referring to the presidential reference against the chief justice of Pakistan. He said the media must abide by the code of conduct approved by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA).
He said the media in Pakistan had been granted unprecedented freedom. The government has no intention of curbing this freedom, Gen Musharraf said, but he underlined the need for responsible journalism and avoiding exaggeration in reporting on the judicial crisis.
He said most private TV channels were reporting responsibly, but some channels were airing talks shows with unbalanced reporting and presentation that were creating pressure on judges.
He said a section of the electronic media had been spreading despondency, distortion and ambiguity and the achievements of the government are being submerged by the propaganda of vested interests aimed at personal and political gain.
The president said reference against the chief justice was a state issue which was put above their personal relationship. He denied that the chief justice was called to the Presidential Camp Office, saying the judge himself requested the meeting.
Gen Musharraf said the media is free to criticise any action of the government, but their actions must not demoralise the nation. He said the US media, which is considered the freest in the world, does not show the dead bodies of American soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, so as not to hurt the morale of their soldiers and people. But the media in Pakistan blatantly showed images of dying people on the street.
He said defeating extremism was Pakistans biggest challenge today, and warned that any terrorist attack in the West would have an adverse affect on the county.
Posted by: John Frum ||
05/31/2007 00:00 ||
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U.S. military commanders are talking with Iraqi militants about cease- fires and other arrangements to try to stop the violence, the No. 2 American commander said Thursday.
Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno said he has authorized commanders to reach out to militants, tribes, religious leaders and others in the country that has been gripped by violence from a range of fronts including insurgents, sectarian rivals and common criminals.
"We are talking about cease-fires, and maybe signing some things that say they won't conduct operations against the government of Iraq or against coalition forces.," Odierno told Pentagon reporters in a video conference from Baghdad.
Odierno said the effort goes hand in hand with reconciliation efforts by the Iraqi government.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and other leaders are under increasing pressure from Washington to do more to achieve reconciliation among factions because, officials argue, no amount of military force can bring peace to the country without political peace.
Al-Maliki announced a national reconciliation proposal nearly a year ago that has made limited progress. It offered some amnesty to members of the Sunni-led insurgency and a change in a law that had removed senior members of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party from their jobs.
#1
"We are talking about cease-fires, and maybe signing some things that say they won't conduct operations against the government of Iraq or against coalition forces."
#2
It makes a great deal of sense for the bad guys. Lay low for a year. Most of the Americans go home. Iranian money and weapons continue to pour in. When the coup comes it's all over before anyone knows what's hit them.
A day after the British Union of Colleges and Universities (UCU) voted to consider imposing a boycott on Israeli academics, UNISON, the largest labor union in Britain, threatened to impose a boycott of their own on Israeli products. The other good news Quartet urges Israel to show restraint
#2
How nice -- they're all going to give up their computers and modern medicine. Of course, given the cock up that's the National Health, they won't be giving up much on the medicine side.
#6
What is wrong with these idiots? No need to answer, I already know. I am not Jewish, but I will do everything that I can to support and defend Israel. They are the beacon of the west at the gates of Mordor. To not support them is suicidal.
All civilians living in Gaza are collectively guilty for Kassam attacks on Sderot, former Sephardi chief rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu has written in a letter to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Eliyahu ruled that there was absolutely no moral prohibition against the indiscriminate killing of civilians during a potential massive military offensive on Gaza aimed at stopping the rocket launchings.
The letter, published in Olam Katan [Small World], a weekly pamphlet to be distributed in synagogues nationwide this Friday, cited the biblical story of the Shechem massacre (Genesis 34) and Maimonides' commentary (Laws of Kings 9, 14) on the story as proof texts for his legal decision.
According to Jewish war ethics, wrote Eliyahu, an entire city holds collective responsibility for the immoral behavior of individuals. In Gaza, the entire populace is responsible because they do nothing to stop the firing of Kassam rockets. The former chief rabbi also said it was forbidden to risk the lives of Jews in Sderot or the lives of IDF soldiers for fear of injuring or killing Palestinian noncombatants living in Gaza.
Eliyahu could not be reached for an interview. However, Eliyahu's son, Shmuel Eliyahu, who is chief rabbi of Safed, said his father opposed a ground troop incursion into Gaza that would endanger IDF soldiers. Rather, he advocated carpet bombing the general area from which the Kassams were launched, regardless of the price in Palestinian life.
"If they don't stop after we kill 100, then we must kill a thousand," said Shmuel Eliyahu. "And if they do not stop after 1,000 then we must kill 10,000. If they still don't stop we must kill 100,000, even a million. Whatever it takes to make them stop."
In the letter, Eliyahu quoted from Psalms. "I will pursue my enemies and apprehend them and I will not desist until I have eradicated them." Eliyahu wrote that "This is a message to all leaders of the Jewish people not to be compassionate with those who shoot [rockets] at civilians in their houses
#1
I concur completely with the Rabbi. This is the kind of thinking required to deal with muzzies. I recommend artillery bombardment. Economical and very effective.
#3
Once upon a time my sense of humanity held forth for the Palestinians, at least to some slight degree. It no longer does. Rabbi Eliyahu is entirely within his rights to declare the entire population of Gaza culpable in the constant terrorist attacks against Israel. The majority of them voted for Hamas and sealed their collective fate. May the Palestinians rot in everlasting Hell.
#6
Nothing wrong with Gaza that a few ARCLIGHT strikes wouldn't cure in a big hurry.
Posted by: Mac ||
05/31/2007 8:28 Comments ||
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#7
There are two ways of dealing with such problems. One is to screw around until the situation is acute, then overreact. The other way is to take strong action quickly, and in such a way that no matter what the bad guyz say, only what they do will matter.
That is why I advocate land takings from the Paleos, as a response to their violence. Because one way or another, it would eventually have to result in peace, if the Israelis could maintain their will.
It would end the screwing around, the endless small violence leading up to big violence. The futile effort to keep the status quo.
#8
The Sepharadi Jews come from the Arab world. While a part of the, if you will, Jewish world, they are not a part of the West, and do not share the "White Man's guilt" felt so keenly by the descendants of the European Jews. Also, while they have no experience of the Nazi Holocaust, they do have 1300 or so years of experience as dhimmis under the solicitous rule of the conquering Muslims. As the non-European Jewish portion of the Israeli population rises, and their birthrate is closer to that of the Arab societies from which they fled than to Europe's, we can expect less handwringing over and cosseting of Israel's enemies, and more of this kind of thing.
It is said that timing is everything, and it seems the Arabs have only a few more years to bully Israel into giving up her conquests in a vain attempt to buy peace.
#11
TW, Id like to think that moving on from notions of collective punishment of civilians is not just "white mans guilt". Im quite sure there are halachic sources on war ethics that argue exactly the opposite of what R. Eliyahu argues, though I have no sources handy at the moment. I do personally know a (Conservative, in the Jewish sense) rabbi who worked on the halachic/ethical status of nuclear war (where deliberately targeting an entire city is unavoidable to maintain MAD) and Im quite sure he had sources that would argue the other way.
I note he uses Rambams COMMENTARY on the Shechem story, not any explicit Halachic decisions of Rambam. Thats NOT generally how halachic reasoning is done, AFAICT, but of course Im not an authority compared to R Eliyahu. It seems like hes not citing any specific halachic decisions post bible, and the bible cite is a story, not a commandmant. Unless theres FAR more to it than this, it makes the Dorff tshuva on gay ordination look like a model of traditional halakhic process.
#12
I don't know much on Jewish law, but I would agree on the collective guilt. If you do not stop the few, you are guilty by association. The Paleos have had chance after chance after chance to prove they want to end the violence and cycle of killing and hate. And time after time after time again, they choose the path of violence. Live by the sword, die by the sword.
#13
"If you do not stop the few, you are guilty by association. "
Even if I accepted that an adult had a positive obligation to stop terrorism, an obligation so strong that not doing so justified killing them, despite the fact that the actions to stop terrorism would themselves have endangered the adults life, how would that apply, to - yes,Im sorry I have to say it - the children?
And note well, IF a terr leader is being attacked, and a child dies by mistake, Im willing to say "c'est la guerre". But deliberately carpet boming the entire population?
And to stop a few Qassams, which have killed maybe one person and injured a couple of dozen in the last 6 months?
#14
"If you do not stop the few, you are guilty by association."
If you dont stop the jew bolsheviks/usurers (take your pick) you are guilty by association?
Wasnt someone talking about classical liberalism here the other day, wrt immigration? Isnt one of the principles of classical liberalism that we hold each individual responsible for their own actions, and we reject collective guilt?
If a Palestinian who doesnt take up arms against Hamas is guilty, how about a Jew who doesnt? Is every Israeli Jew who opposes carpet bombing ALSO guilty by association? Shall the carpet bombing of Ramat Aviv start as well?
#15
"If you do not stop the few, you are guilty by association."
If you dont stop the jew bolsheviks/usurers (take your pick) you are guilty by association?
Wasnt someone talking about classical liberalism here the other day, wrt immigration? Isnt one of the principles of classical liberalism that we hold each individual responsible for their own actions, and we reject collective guilt?
If a Palestinian who doesnt take up arms against Hamas is guilty, how about a Jew who doesnt? Is every Israeli Jew who opposes carpet bombing ALSO guilty by association? Shall the carpet bombing of Ramat Aviv start as well?
#17
liberalhawk, I was pointing out the general mindset that put the rabbi on the path that led to this conclusion, for which I suspect he found supportive arguments afterward. The White Man's Guilt is that of the European colonizer toward the displaced native, which has caused so many problems for Westerners over the last half century. as for the Shechem story and commentary, how far back since the last time a Jewish state was involved in warfare? Did the rabbis comment on the brief Macedonian wars of conquest, which occurred at the beginning of the Rabbinic period? (I ask because I don't know, having never had a serious interest in such things.)
#18
And to stop a few Qassams, which have killed maybe one person and injured a couple of dozen in the last 6 months?
Liberalhawk, from what I've been reading the Qassams are shot off quite a few times each day from the Territories. It's only because they are so poorly made that most either plow the fields or damage buildings instead of killing people. Nonetheless, a significant number of the local Israelis have reached the point of shell shock, and increasingly the local businesses are becoming unsustainable. This isn't just "a few Qassems," as much a danger as a pebble thrown up by the car in front might crack my front windshield; this is an active state of war, a small scale London Blitz with the sirens going off several times a day... at least according to articles I've read in the Jerusalem Post and elsewhere.
#20
Id like to think that moving on from notions of collective punishment of civilians is not just "white mans guilt".
Liberalhawk, you just don't get it, do you? Islam is all about collective punishment. The doctrine of dhimmitude explicitly states that if a single dhimmi offends a Muslim then all dhimmis in that community are to be punished. Terrorism is another plu perfect example of collective punishment as well. If ever there was a need to "fight fire with fire", it is in our battle against Islam. The only legal tender that Muslims recognize is force and violence. It is what their doctrine prescribes at all turns. We are obliged to repay Islam in their own coin. Little else will put paid to their constant predations upon the West.
Collective punishment is one of the only vehicles by which Muslims will be made to understand their own obligation to halt jihadism. The West cannot possibly perform Islam's housecleaning for it. Iraq stands as glaring proof of this fact. Despite being democratically elected, Iraq's government participates in the basest forms of gangsterism. Much the same can be said for the democratically elected Hamas government as well. The thought of making democracy flourish in the Middle East is entirely misguided. Islam is utterly inimical to the democratic process. The populations sovereignty is a direct affront to those who demand ascendancy of religious law. There is no political vehicle that can overcome an ideology whose adoption of terrorism represents a basic instrument of policy and not some temporary expedient.
It is impossible to segregate jihadism from Islam. To treat terrorism as a pathology that is entirely separate from Islamic doctrine is both wrong and incredibly dangerous. Violence is indivisable from Islamic doctrine and cannot be isolated as a misinterpretation or factionalist modus operandi. All Muslims subscribe to this tyrannical tract and thereby become the declared enemy of Western civilization. Witness the almost complete and total inaction of Muslims against the spread of global jihad. Whether that support be tacit or overt, their deafening silence can only bespeak approval. Even those who outwardly decry violent or fast jihad demonstrate few reservations about furthering demographic slow jihad, whose ultimate goal is imposition of global sharia law through the establishment of a worldwide caliphate. How is it possible to distinguish between fast or slow jihad when both seek the same end result? It is a goal that would spell the death of half this worlds population.
The Islamic doctrine of jihad and Muslim support for it makes all Muslims our collective enemy. Already, they treat Infidels as a monolithic enemy whose sole prescription is terrorism and subjugation. Muslims must be collectively made to understand the unacceptable nature of this position. The onus of eradicating jihadism must be thrust upon Muslims, by force if necessary. If collective punishment is the only vehicle which proves sufficiently persuasive whereby Muslims are finally convinced of the need to perform their own housecleaning, then so be it. The West is beyond foolish to believe there will be any other way of dissuading Islam from the pursuit of global jihad.
What do you recommend we respond to Islams collective punishment with? Nuanced dialogue? Precision surgical strikes? Low casualty actions that preclude complete eradication of enemy populations?
#21
How about the civilians that died during the bombing raids during WWII? Were those different than the Paleo civilians today? Is the same murderous and racial ideology different?
Short answer, not really.
Everybody in Gaza is part of the problem. They have refused to work with anyone. They have refused to do anything except kill or support the killing of civilians. In short, force needs to be applied. The targeted killings did not solve the issue. Bulldozing houses of people that house bombers did not solve the issue. Gifts from Israel and the west did not solve the issue.
Apply force until they holler "STOP!". That means massive force now. Show them what the west can do to their pathetic cause. Grind it into the dirt and kill everything. These people are no different than the Germans in Nazi Germany. They support the cause, whether directly or indirectly. Yes, children will die. I really don't care since the Paleos support such a sick cause.
Zenster is right. The western leadership is fiddling while the West burns and Islam throws more gas on the fire.
I don't think of it as "punishment," which is a law enforcement mentality.
It's a war, and this would be a strike against the enemy's support structure.
Most of the people in Tokyo or Hiroshima had nothing to do with Nanking or Bataan. But they voted for a government which was able to be corrupted by the military. They paid taxes to buy the weapons. They worked on building the weapons in their homes.
Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haneya of Hamas said on Wednesday that his government would make reshuffle among senior security chiefs. Haneya's remarks came in his first public appearance after he decided to join other Hamas leaders who went underground to evade Israeli threats to target them due to ongoing rocket attacks against the Jewish state by Hamas militants.
"We are to launch the security plan and will take decisions involving some security chiefs and commands in the coming hours," Haneya told reporters without elaborating. Haneya clarified that the Palestinian coalition government was supporting "a mutual and a coincident ceasefire with Israel to protect the Palestinian people's interests."
"The ball now is in the Israeli court," Haneya said after he met with the Egyptian security delegation in Gaza as political rivals of Hamas and Fatah headed Cairo to hold separate talks with the Egyptian side. Haneya said the talks in Egypt would focus on the internal situation, especially the relation between the two movements, and the ways to renew ceasefire with Israel.
Earlier on the day, Haneya met President Mahmoud Abbas behind closed doors.
#4
the article reminds us that he is also against the KC-767, so that should point out the real issue:
McCain is anti-Boeing!
(not saying that the 'Lazy B' is not without fault, but haven't heard a peep out of the good senator against Lockheed Martin(CA / GA) Bell Textron ( TX) Sikorsky (Conn), but he is all over Boeing. Favors the Northrop Grumman tanker entry (which is really an Airbus in camo)
#5
Just another reason John McCain will never be president - he does far too much just for spite, rather than for conscientious decisions. He's an idiot, and has no place in the White House. He's not quite the idiot Dennis Kucinich is, but who is?
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
05/31/2007 18:57 Comments ||
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#6
He's not quite the idiot Dennis Kucinich is, but who is?
#7
What a disappointment he has turned out to be. My apologies to any fighter pilots out there - they are the world's best athletes and winners, but their take no prisoners attitude does not make for good politicians.
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - In a challenge to Syria, the U.N. Security Council voted on Wednesday to set up a special court to prosecute the killing two years ago of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri. After months of deadlock between deeply divided Lebanese politicians over the plan, 10 council members supported a Western-sponsored resolution to set up the tribunal and five abstained. There were no votes against.
The murder of Hariri and 22 others in a Beirut bomb blast in February 2005 convulsed Lebanon and forced Syria, held responsible by pro-government Lebanese politicians, to withdraw troops it had kept since the 1970s in its smaller neighbor. Syria, which has denied responsibility, said the Security Council move violated Lebanese sovereignty and could plunge the country into further instability.
And no one cares more about Lebanese sovereignty and stability than Syria. They're pals.
In pushing through the measure, Western powers are gambling that the boost to Lebanese government authority and to the rule of law will outweigh any violent reaction in Lebanon, whose government is at loggerheads with a Hezbollah-led opposition.
"By adopting this resolution, the council has demonstrated its commitment to the principle that there shall be no impunity for political assassinations in Lebanon or elsewhere," said U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad.
Great, Zalmay. Now follow through.
Britain's U.N. envoy, Emyr Jones Parry, told reporters the vote would "send the right political signal" to Lebanon, a country with a long history of political assassinations, many of which have gone unpunished.
But the countries that abstained -- Russia, China, Qatar, Indonesia and South Africa -- argued that the council was exceeding its authority and interfering in Lebanese affairs. "It is not appropriate for the Security Council to impose such a tribunal on Lebanon," South African Ambassador Dumisani Kumalo told the council.
I'm just amazed Russia didn't veto this.
The move responds to a request from Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, but the country's parliament has not approved it because speaker Nabih Berri, an opposition leader who disputes the cabinet's legitimacy, has refused to convene the chamber.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/31/2007 00:15 ||
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#1
er, someone predicted on this very site that Russia wouldn't veto :) I suggest taking a look back at those comments ;)
#4
BTW, Russia is hinting they WILL veto Kosovo independence. I think they decide vetoing two resolutions, at the same time they are refusing to extradite lugovoi, and making a huge stink about the missile defense thing, would make them lose whatever soft power they have left. They decided to prioritize, and decided the Balkans and eastern euro are more important to them than Leb and Syria.
POTSDAM, Germany - Major industrial nations threatened on Wednesday to support further appropriate measures if Iran failed to comply with UN resolutions demanding that it suspend nuclear enrichment.
Irans chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani reiterated that he would not give in to demands that his country suspend uranium enrichment over fears it is developing nuclear weapons. Larijani is due to hold talks on Thursday with European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana amid a long-running argument between Iran and the West over the Islamic Republics nuclear programme. Diplomats do not expect a breakthrough.
Nor do we at Rantburg. Solana and Larijani will do their dance and then have a nice lunch.
If Iran continues to ignore demands of the Security Council, we will support further appropriate measures as agreed in Resolution 1747, the Group of Eight (G8) foreign ministers said in a statement issued at a meeting in Potsdam, Germany. The G8 statement also expressed deep regret that Iran, as we saw in the latest report by the director general of the (International Atomic Energy Agency), has continued to expand its enrichment activities.
Security Council resolution 1747 gave Tehran a 60-day deadline to freeze all enrichment work. Iran ignored the deadline, which expired last week.
Gee. No kidding. The Iranians ignored a toothless resolution from an irresolute organization, and nothing happened in response.
The term appropriate measures is widely seen as diplomatic code for pretense and dithering sanctions. The Council has already imposed two rounds of sanctions on Iran for failing to suspend uranium enrichment, a process of purifying uranium for power plants or weapons.
Worked well so far, hasn't it?
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/31/2007 00:00 ||
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Posted by: Bobby ||
05/31/2007 6:13 Comments ||
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#3
Yes, there will be new measures if you keep enriching. There will be more paperwork to comply with, there will be study committees, there will be reports, there will be resolutions. This will give us (the UN) a chance to figure out how to make money on any deals under the table.
[The] Press Section of IRI Embassy in Turkey here Wednesday strongly rejected claims on existence of munitions at cargo compartments of a train in eastern Turkey belonging to Iran, calling the initiators of such fake news "Ill wishers for two countries' expanding ties."
Some Turkish media on Tuesday claimed the discovery of military equipment belonging to Iran at a cargo train heading for Syria.
The Press Section communique of the IRI Embassy adds, "While denying the claim about spotting weapons attributed to Iran at one of the containers of the Turkish cargo train in Eastern Turkey, we announce that such baseless news are broadcasted every once in a while aimed at disturbing Iran-Turkey's good relations. That is while cooperation between the two countries at bilateral and regional levels are expanding, and such intrigues and immature marginal tricks cannot possibly harm such a good level of cooperation, or the high level political will of the two countries' leaders for ever improving ties."
#1
If they have actual evidence, then it must have been due to ... ummm ... "rogue elements".
Posted by: Bobby ||
05/31/2007 6:53 Comments ||
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#2
StrategyPage says:
In Turkey, a freight train from Iran to Syria derailed, and a sealed boxcar, that was supposed to contain construction materials, was found to contain American made weapons.
Posted by: ed ||
05/31/2007 7:23 Comments ||
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#3
American made weapons, being transhipped from Iran to Syria? Isn't that a bit odd?
#4
Ive seen reports that the PKK blew up the train, and then when the Turks went through it they found all kinds of stuff. Not sure the place of manufacture - remember, theres lots of US made small arms and stuff floating around third world markets, it wouldnt be that hard for Iran to go and buy it. I mean we're not talking tanks and planes.
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.
LAHORE: As NATO troops in Afghanistan have begun intercepting sophisticated Iranian arms bound for the Taliban, US, NATO and Afghan officials are growing more concerned about Iranian policy in Afghanistan, says a Knight Ridder report.
The wife of an Islamic religious leader actively encouraged him to become a terrorist, a court heard yesterday. Bouchra El-Hor, 24, even told him she hoped their baby son would follow him into "martyrdom", the Old Bailey was told. 
LONDON Teaching staff at various universities and colleges in Britain oppose the government order to report the activities of Muslim students who could be suspected of Islamic radicalism.
US citizens who apply for a job will need prior approval from Department of Homeland Security under the terms immigration bill passed by the Senate this week. American Civil Liberties Union pointed out that the DHS's Employment Eligibility Verification System (EEVS) is error plagued and if the department makes a mistake in determining work eligibility, there will be virtually no way to challenge the error or recover lost wages due to the bills prohibitions on judicial review.
Pakistan is among 10 least peaceful countries in the world, according to a study released on Wednesday. 
Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haneya of Hamas said on Wednesday that his government would make reshuffle among senior security chiefs. Haneya's remarks came in his first public appearance after he decided to join other Hamas leaders who went underground to evade Israeli threats to target them due to ongoing rocket attacks against the Jewish state by Hamas militants.
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - In a challenge to Syria, the U.N. Security Council voted on Wednesday to set up a special court to prosecute the killing two years ago of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri. After months of deadlock between deeply divided Lebanese politicians over the plan, 10 council members supported a Western-sponsored resolution to set up the tribunal and five abstained. There were no votes against.
POTSDAM, Germany - Major industrial nations threatened on Wednesday to support further appropriate measures if Iran failed to comply with UN resolutions demanding that it suspend nuclear enrichment.
