The U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan flew to a town previously held by the Taliban in the heart of the world's largest poppy-growing region and told the ex-militant commander now in charge there that Afghans must stop "producing poison." Proving once and for all that some ambassadors have a serious sense of humor! Ambassador William Wood on Sunday drank tea and talked with Mullah Abdul Salaam, a former Taliban commander who defected to the government last month and is now the district leader of Musa Qala in the southern province of Helmand. Wood urged Salaam to tell his people to leave behind "the practice of producing poison," and said poppy production, the key element in the opium and heroin trade, was against the law and Islam. "In Musa Qala the price of bread has risen dramatically. I won't say why you know why," Wood said, alluding to farmers' practice of growing poppies instead of needed food.
Southern Afghanistan was the scene of the heaviest fighting in the country in 2007, the bloodiest year since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001 toppled the Taliban militant movement. More than 6,500 people mostly militants were killed in violence last year, according to an Associated Press count based on official figures.
Continued on Page 49
A European Union peacekeeping force looks likely to begin deploying in Chad later this month after shortages in helicopters and medical equipment were finally plugged at a meeting in Brussels on Friday.
The European Union has been struggling for months to assemble enough equipment to launch a peacekeeping mission in Chad. Finally on Friday, the deployment got the green light after military experts from member states met in Brussels and agreed to plug the shortfalls. The force now looks likely to deploy by the end of the month.
The mission had been scheduled to go into eastern Chad in October but was held up by key shortages of helicopters and medical equipment. At Friday's meeting France finally agreed to provide most of the required aircraft, while Italy confirmed it would take care of medical needs.
They couldn't do this in October because ...
The 4,000 EU troops are being sent to protect around 400,000 refugees, most from the Sudanese region of Darfur, who have fled the violence there. They and many Chadians are now facing attacks by rebels in both states.
France is providing the bulk of the troops, a total of 3,600, and they are expected to be on the ground by Jan. 29. The force will be under the command of Irish Lieutenant-General Patrick Nash, and Ireland is providing 400 troops, including a 50-strong unit of the elite Irish Army Rangers. A total of 14 countries, including the Netherlands and Poland are sending soldiers. "It is the most multinational deployment we have launched in Africa," one EU diplomat told Reuters.
And going to work about as well ...
The EU commanders struggled to persuade member states to provide expensive helicopters, essential in Chad's harsh terrain. Irish Defense Minister Willie O'Dea confirmed on Friday that the mission got the go-ahead after France agreed to increase its contribution. "While the process has taken longer than anticipated, it has reached a successful conclusion in the end." He told reporters he had agreed with Nash not to commit the force until all the equipment necessary to make the mission as safe as possible was available.
Speaking in Dublin on Friday, O'Dea said that there had been concerns in Ireland about bands of guerrillas taking "pot shots" at UN peacekeeping forces.
Concerns? How about 'certainties'?
"The danger is they identify the UN force with the French with whom they have issues," he was quoted as saying on the Irish Times Web site. "One of our jobs when we go out there is initially we've got to make it absolutely clear that we are part of the UN mission, we're there to keep the peace ... not part of backing up any ex-colonial power."
KHARTOUM (Rooters) - A man who witnessed the murder of a U.S. aid official and his driver in Khartoum has contacted police investigators, Sudan's justice minister said on Monday. "There is an eye witness to the shooting who has given some information," Mohammed Ali al-Mardi told Reuters. "We are hoping this will tighten the police's grip on the suspect or suspects."
John Granville, a 33-year-old officer with the U.S. Agency for International Development, was shot and killed while returning home from New Year's celebrations in Khartoum in the early hours of January 1. Granville's driver, Abdelrahman Abbas Rahama, 39, was also killed. Granville was the first U.S. government official killed in Khartoum in more than three decades and U.S. security agents were looking into reports that a previously unknown militant group was behind the attack.
An Islamist Web site posted a message from a splinter group calling itself Ansar al-Tawhid in Sudan (Companions of Monotheism), claiming responsibility for the killings.
Al-Mardi refused to comment on whether investigators were any closer to determining whether Granville and Rahama were targeted by a militant group, or whether they were attacked for other reasons. "I will not release any information that might prejudice the course of the investigation," he said. The minister would also not say whether other witnesses had contacted police.
"I can say no more!"
Local media on Monday reported the witness who had stepped forward was a minibus driver and that police were using his information to draw up an artist's sketch of the main suspect. Sudan's daily Al-Sahafah newspaper added officers found two rounds of bullets fired during the attack on the roof of a nearby house.
U.S. agents from the FBI and the State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security flew into Khartoum last week to help Sudanese security services with the investigation.
(Writing by Andrew Heavens, editing and syntax and grammar corrections by Mary Gabriel)
Don't quit your day job, Mary.
This article starring:
Ansar al-Tawhid in Sudan
Posted by: anonymous5089 ||
01/14/2008 07:12 ||
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#1
Bets on who has the longer life expectancy, this man or a 'witness' in Jersey City?
Sudanese President Adviser Mustafa Osman Ismail on Sunday accused the American administration for raising tension between Sudan and the Security Council on the background of the latter's condemnation of his country following the attack by elements of the Sudanese army on peacekeeping forces in the Darfur region.
Ismail told reporters here after meeting US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Linda Thomas Greenfeld that such condemnation of the Sudanese government could happen in Iraq or Afghanistan or anywhere in the world, adding that such attack was preceded by the government's recognition and apology for the error and announced its intention to investigate the incident for the sake of enhancing confidence.
He added that the US stance in the Security Council was not right and its implications are going in the wrong direction, a matter that prompts the American administration review its attitude towards what is happening in Darfur and Sudan and to be more positive and willing to support the dialogue between Sudan and the United Nations, or between the government and armed movements in Darfur so that conditions in the enclave can return to normal.
Ismail pointed out that his meeting with the US official dealt with preparations ahead of the arrival of the US Administration official on Darfur and taking up his mission in the coming period.
Posted by: Seafarious ||
01/14/2008 00:00 ||
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Al Qaeda in Yemen vowed to free its prisoners from the country's jails and retaliate for the killing of militants by the government.
Dozens of al Qaeda militants are serving jail terms in the Arabian Peninsula country for involvement in bombings against Western targets and clashes with the authorities. "By God we shall not rest ... until we free our brothers and sisters from the prisons," the group said in an e-magazine posted on an Islamist Web site late on Saturday. "The blood of Muslims will not go wasted," it said in an article signed by a man who identified himself as Abdul-Aziz. "The Prophet (Mohammad) ... has ordered that we free detainees," it said in the first edition of the magazine it called "The Echoes of Epics".
A group of 23 militants including many convicted al Qaeda militants tunneled out of a Sanaa jail in February 2006 with help from fellow Islamists. Several of the escapees have been killed or arrested and some have surrendered to the authorities. The fugitives included the leaders of the 2000 bombing of the U.S. warship Cole and the 2002 attack on the French supertanker Limburg.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/14/2008 06:15 ||
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#3
Sounds like San Diego where the so-called "economic benefits" go to the developers who get to do the building. The rest of us get to deal with the strains on the infrastructure and deteriorating quality of life.
We don't "have to" build the homes. That is a big, fat lie. Let them live somewhere else...like Crawford, Texas.
Posted by: Abu Uluque6305 ||
01/14/2008 11:58 Comments ||
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#4
Better yet...let the developers go ply their trade in Pakistan or Mexico or wherever. Anywhere but here.
Posted by: Abu Uluque6305 ||
01/14/2008 12:01 Comments ||
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#5
Chairman Sir Andrew Green said immigration levels are 25 times higher than at any time in nearly a thousand years of our history.
Would that be the Normans? Vikings? Saxons? Do tell, why is it the highest point in 1000 years?
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
01/14/2008 16:55 Comments ||
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#8
sinse, look up the Domesday book. Joe Average may be too busy trying to survive to count his neighbors, but the king would like to know who he can tax.
Posted by: James ||
01/14/2008 23:15 Comments ||
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Reminds me somehow of that newly constructed catholic church built in 2007, that was missing its bell, so not to "disturb" the heavily islamized local population.
Muslim elders at an Oxford mosque have said they intend to push ahead with plans to broadcast a call to prayer from a loudspeaker despite fierce opposition.
Local residents have attacked the idea saying it would disrupt the peace and turn the area into a 'Muslim ghetto'. But the elders said they still intend to seek planning permission to install the loudspeaker.
Of course they do. How else do you wake the faithful in a two mile radius and call them to prayer?
If granted, they would broadcast a two-minute long call three times a day from the Central Mosque, where up to 700 people gather to worship every Friday.
The idea has gained support from the Bishop of Oxford, the Rt Rev John Pritchard, who last week said those in opposition to the idea should "relax" and "enjoy community Diversity".
Until the newly-invited diverse ones decide you're no longer welcome. Don't worry, the Rt Rev John will have a plan for that too. I think it's called 'conversion'.
But residents, who packed out a council meeting last month to signal their outrage, remain set against the plan which they say is an "un-neighbourly intrusion". They said they would rally to block the proposal when it is submitted to the council in nine months time, when construction on the mosque is complete.
Dr Allan Chapman, 61, who lives near the building, said: "The response against this has been incredible, we have been indundated with calls ranging from stiff upper lip outrage to sheer screaming fury. Good.
"The universal message is what an utter cheek to inflict this on a non-Muslim area of Oxford. If this application goes forward then a large number of angry people are poised to form an opposition to it."
Dr Chapman added the broadcast is not to comparable to the ringing of church bells because: "They are just a signal. The Muslim call is a theological statement." Some get it.
Residents have said the main objection is the loud amplification of the broadcast. Elizabeth Mills, 56, said: "We don't have a problem with the Imam climbing to the top of the minaret and shouting.
"But we object to electronic amplification. The Druid Bishop of Oxford might say it's ok but he doesn't have to listen to it."
Martin Stott, 53, a member of the Oxford Oratory, added: "This is not an anti-Muslim thing, it is more about community cohesion."
A spokesman for the Central Mosque said that sounding the call to prayer is a traditional part of the religion. Sadar Rana, 68, said: "Building work will take another nine months to a year, it is then that we plan to make an application to the council.
"We want to fix a loudspeak to our minaret to broadcast our call to prayer. We would like to have it three times a day but if that is not accepted, then we would like to have it at least on Fridays. We do not need the volume to be loud but we want to have the call in some form because it's our tradition and OUR country, now."
Posted by: anonymous5089 ||
01/14/2008 08:41 ||
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#1
"This is not an anti-Muslim thing, it is more about community cohesion."
#4
Actually, the church bells idea is a good one, and should be presented in parallel with their call to prayer. Not at the same time, necessarily, but in the *orthodox* Christian manner.
That is, they ring the church bells for the Angelus prayer, which is a Catholic tradition but can also be done by CofE, in the morning, at midday and in the evening. They also ring them for daily mass, Wednesday evening mass, an on multiple times on Sunday. And for weddings and funerals.
This would mean the church bells would ring at least four times a day, and as often as six.
Tell them that they can have their call to prayer as often as christian churches are allowed to ring their bells in Saudi Arabia. Or better yet in Mecca :).
#6
anonymoose, i got a better one, down here in the south alot of churches still ring their bells on the hour and they ring once for the hour of the day say 12o'clock you get 12 rings
#7
A spokesman for the Central Mosque said that sounding the call to prayer is a traditional part of the religion.
So call people to prayer on their farking cell phones.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
01/14/2008 11:52 Comments ||
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#8
Dr Chapman added the broadcast is not to comparable to the ringing of church bells because: "They are just a signal. The Muslim call is a theological statement."
Excellent. Perhaps it would be about community cohesion because I would be tempted to erect a tower and install a PA system atop it and play Weird Al's 'Spam', or 'Bologna', or 'This song is just six words long' at the same time and I know from experience, it may be that a Monty Python song would be more appropriate, many may want to do a song to belches and farts, or just sound an old air raid siren. See, chaos.
#13
"Muslim elders at an Oxford mosque have said they intend to push ahead with plans to broadcast a call to prayer from a loudspeaker despite fierce opposition."
Here is what an Oxford Muslim steeped in the cultural surrender of the West might be heard to say:
"Screw your fierce opposition, kufir. We are Muslim. We are your overlords. By now we thought you'd have understood that. You're stupid. You're cowards. And you're filthy, to boot.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. We Muslims could set our alarm clocks at 5:00 am to go to prayer at 6:00 am, but most of us don't do that anyway. We just want the call to prayer stuffed in your face six times each day. Oh, you thought it was FIVE times per day? Wrong. The call to prayer is six times per day. Google Islam Finder to see the six times per day the call to prayer goes out to your Masters. Allah only requires us to answer the prayer five times each day. We Muslims don't get to the mosque too often at 6:00 am. You can understand that, can't you? We prefer to wait unti the call to prayer at 8:00 am. More civilized in the British way. While you kufir are at work at 8:00 am we Mulsims sneak out and go to mosque. Hey! Somebody has to earn a living while we recite by rote our prayers in order to collect the welfare checks each month. We get to work, if at all, by 9:30am. If we've got our OWN buisness to run we don't stick to the scheduled call to prayer to hard unless we've got kufir working in our place. That's just the way it is. Deal with it the way the multi-culti PC crowd does. No matter what we demand they give in to us! Ha!"
Posted by: Mark Z ||
01/14/2008 13:38 Comments ||
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#14
The olde traditional amp and loudspeakers, just like Mo had. Just like they knuckled under in Hamtramk, MI. Press one for English?
#15
I hate electronic bells, too. They sound like crap and they are too easy to use: just set the timer to play some extended 'carrilon' junk. Isn't it wonderful!! And we raised the money ourselves!!
#19
Call them to prayer with a very large explosive device, dropped by a British C-130, going off over their mosque. I'm sure they would understand...
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/14/2008 17:12 Comments ||
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#20
YOu know, someone should come up with a Muslim clock that does the call to prayer at appropriate times. Then you wouldn't need to screech over the city and no muslims would have an excuse.
The only excuse for the annoying screetching is that it so perfectly sets the location in motion pictures. Oh, the call to prayer, we're in the 8th century, or the middle east. Okay.
#21
why not assign songs to these frequent alerts.
AC DC's Highway to Hell comes to mind.
;) It would remind me of all of those fun videos that we've all seen and enjoyed.
Also, I wouldn't mind a reminder to catch last call at the bar....
Posted by: Jan ||
01/14/2008 19:00 Comments ||
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South Koreas foreign ministry has given President-elect Lee Myung-Bak a report urging the disarming of North Korea by 2010, a news report said on Sunday. The ministrys report to the transition team for Lee, who takes office next month, said a concrete disarmament schedule should be established in the first half of this year, the Yonhap news agency reported.
The ministry had reported it would push to complete the nuclear dismantlement by 2010 with all nuclear materials, including plutonium, and detonators to be taken out of North Korea, Yonhap said. The ministry also hopes to begin separate talks - in time with the dismantling - to sign a peace pact and bring about a formal end the 1950-1953 Korean War, it said.
It was not clear whether the South Korean plan had been coordinated with other nations at the six-party nuclear disarmament talks on the North. Ministry officials were not immediately available for comment. The six-nation process has been stuck in limbo since Pyongyang missed a key December 31 deadline to disable its main nuclear facilities and give a full declaration of its atomic programmes. A hurdle was the Norths suspected uranium enrichment programme, which Washington says exists but Pyongyang flatly denies, negotiators say. The disabling would be completed in March, given the time needed for removing nuclear spent fuel rods, an unnamed diplomatic source told Yonhap. The declaration issue should also be settled by then.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/14/2008 06:09 ||
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#1
The disabling would be completed in March, given the time needed for removing nuclear spent fuel rods, an unnamed diplomatic source told Yonhap. The declaration issue should also be settled by then.
All in a nice passive voice, with no one named as the subject of the sentence to do the disabling.
THE use of armed "sky marshals" on passenger planes is set to spread across Europe, following a deal on aviation security hammered out in the 27-nation European Union.
After the September 11 attacks in the United States, the European Union adopted joint rules for checking air passengers, their baggage, freight, mail and flight and ground crews. But measures such as the use of on-board security personnel were optional.
At the end of consultations, European parliament members and officials from EU states agreed on a compromise setting new common rules and standards.
"The necessity of new security measures that are implemented quickly and effectively is undoubted," transport committee chairman Paolo Costa said. "I am glad that we found an agreement which will increase security and balance anti-terrorism measures and passengers' rights," he said.
The deal sets common basic standards for airport and aircraft security, passengers and baggage, categories of articles that may be prohibited, cargo and mail, in-flight and airport supplies, and staff recruitment and training. Countries that deploy in-flight security officers will have to ensure that they are specially selected and trained. Weapons may only be carried on an aircraft under special security conditions.
Parts of the package, which still has to be rubber stamped by EU transport ministers and a full plenary session of the parliament in March, could come into force by April.
Posted by: anonymous5089 ||
01/14/2008 09:12 ||
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#1
I will only believe this is an EU initiative when I find out affirmative action means 80% of sky marshals will be named Mohamed, Abdul, Said, etc.
#2
Funny how we never hear about the rights and responsibilities of European Hindus. Could be because they have been too busy running small businesses, sending their kids to medical school and paying their taxes. As opposed to calling for Vedic law and issuing blood curdling death threats.
#3
Swedish Conservative MEP and vice chairman of the EPP-ED group, Gunnar Hökmark, told EUobserver ...... "People wrongly link violence and terrorism to Islam," the MEP said."
Appears Gunner and his family, and other members of the Swedish elite, don't spend a great deal of time in Kroksbäck in the Malmö area or on the streets of Oslo. Two out of three Swedes doubt whether Islam can be combined with Swedish society and a very significant proportion of the population have for years wanted more limitations in immigration. Obviously Gunner doesn't get it.
#4
The elites in Euorope hide in their castles, same as in US. They love to make decrees on everyone's behalf, knowing they won't be affected. There is some hope, because recent statements by both Sarkozy in France and Merckel in Germany indicate that they may have a clue. General populace in both countries is laying low, being subservient still. But the heat they encounter on a daily basis is starting to head toward a low boil.
#5
it's just amazing how a nation like Germany who60 yrs ago thought they where the master race are now being taken over.Damn did the US and Russia divide their backbone too at the end of WW2
The Iraqi insurgent umbrella organization Jihad and Reform Front has threatened Norway with economic sanctions if Mullah Krekar is returned to Iraq.
Former head of the Kurdish guerrilla group Ansar al-Islam in Northern Iraq, Mullah Krekar, was given refugee status in Norway in 1991, but the authorities have since declared that he is a risk to the nation's security, and that he must be expelled. However, the expulsion order cannot be carried out, since situation in Iraq is such that Krekar could risk execution, and sending Krekar back to Iraq now would violate Norway's human rights obligations.
In February 2003 the Norwegian authorities decided that Mullah Krekar would lose his refuge status, his travel documents, as well as his work and residence permits in the interest of national security. Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere says to NRK that the threat does not change anything, and that the government's decision to expel Krekar, upheld by Norwegian courts, still stands.
#2
Norwegians ought to demand that barges be brought to the docks. Load the freeloaders up. Take them to mid-ocean. If they feel unsafe landing anywhere, allow them to remain safely in the open water.
The US military chief said Sunday that "the alleged war on terror" detention center here should be shut down because of the damage its done to the US image in the world, but there are no plans to do so.
Admiral Michael Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said no decisions have been made to close the facility and he was not aware it was even being considered because of the complex legal issues involved. "We certainly look at this mission as an enduring mission until someone comes in and shuts it down," he said. "I have no idea how long it will be. The political leadership would have to make that decision."
He made the comments to wire service reporters after a day of inspecting cell blocks and a maximum security court house being built for military trials of so called "high value" detainees. The new court house and a sprawling complex of trailers for lawyers and circus tents for media are scheduled to be completed by March 1, clearing the way for the first trials since the United States began airlifting prisoners here from Afghanistan on January 11, 2002.
"This is where the 9/11 people, when they are finally charged, will be tried," an officer said as he showed Mullen the unfinished court room, pointing out a glassed-in, sound proof gallery where reporters would be able to watch but not hear when classified evidence is introduced. Or when the enclosures are slowly filled with water as final punishment for the offenders.
Only four detainees have been formally charged, but Commander Richard Haupt, a military spokesman at Guantanamo, said more detainees will be charged in the coming months.
Currently, the number of detainees at Guantanamo have dwindled to a low of 277 from a high of around 600 due to transfers and releases.
"The world is focused on what's going on here at Gitmo," Mullen told service members at an "all hands" meeting. "That's why we've got to get it right every single day, every single hour, every single minute," he said. "The consequences of getting it wrong are global," he added.
Asked whether the military is moving to slow close down Guantanamo, Mullen said he was "not aware that at this point there is anyone considering that."
"I am on record as saying we should do that," he added. "Secretary Gates is on record as saying we should do that. Even President Bush is on record as saying we should do that. But there has been no decisions made."
Notice the statement compared to the reporter's spin.
Mullen was asked later in the interview with traveling with him why he thought it should be closed down. "More than anything else, I just think its been the images -- what Gitmo has become around the world in terms of representing the United States. I believe from the standpoint on how it reflects on us, it has been pretty damaging," he said. "On the other hand there are some really, really bad people here who have perpetrated extraordinary crimes, for which -- potentially certainly -- they will go through some kind of due process, due legal process," he said. Start the trials and provide some details and maybe it won't be so much of a problem.
And make clear that for the ones who we're willing to send home, the home countries have to take them, if only to jug them.
Posted by: gorb ||
01/14/2008 03:22 ||
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#1
...he was not aware it was even being considered because of the complex legal issues involved.
Which is exactly why it was set up there in the first place. The unrelenting lawfare conducted against the US, under the guise of 'civil rights' for enemy combatants [for which existing international law, the Geneva Convention specifically rejects as illegal combatants], shows that this was an important preemptive act at the start of the WoT.
#2
I suspect that Gitmo will be closed very quickly when the time comes, and any remaining lawfare suits will be called "moot". If the prisoners, guards, and administration of Gitmo are quietly shifted out, then the camp "re-missioned" for something else, it will be completely cleaned and probably used as a storage depot.
By doing this, the precedent for Gitmo will have been made, *and* the prisoners sent out of the US and out of the clutches of the lawyers and liberal judges, *and* Gitmo won't even remain as a photo op of a "US prison camp", to probably be compared with a Nazi concentration camp.
#3
since we are still capturing these enemy combattants wahere does the world suggest we keep them. Everyone wants the place closed but i have not heard one idea of what too do with these so called ppl . Well here is my idea. close it, say you are moving the remaining ppl there too another location across the atlantic and throw their asses out of the plane on the way.
#4
I have long suspected that Gitmo was a "Potemkin village", where we would put unimportant nobodies and a few important ones drained of information.
Many reasons for doing this, all based on the idea that Gitmo would be a lightening rod for assholes trying to undermine the WoT.
Prisoners of importance would be kept overseas, out of the hands of US judges and lawyers, where they could be persuaded to cooperate by foreigners not under restrictive laws. If they died, it was an accident, not subject to lawsuits. CIA agents would just wait outside until the prisoner wanted to talk, so they would not even "observe" torture.
By paying attention to Gitmo, other, secret prisons would be ignored. Early on, somebody in the CIA let slip that one of these was nicknamed "The Hotel California".
This changes the context of those song lyrics in really gruesome ways.
#5
Sinse, I keep calling for a camp at 'Ice Station Zebra'. I suppose some regulars see it as one more of my lame jokes.
I'm not joking.
Recall Ice Station Zebra: a remote outpost in the Arctic. Even with global warming such places exist. Cold, remote, cold, distant, cold, isolated, and did I mention cold? No one needs to know about it, and no one would if I had my way. Gitmo is out in the open; you can't look past it.
But Ice Station Zebra is a place that would be a rumor, at most, a scare tactic to use on a truculant Mahmoud: no need to waterboard the misguided, just put them outside for a while in their skivvies. "Mighty cold out there today, Mahmoud, weatherman says it's not going to get up above -40. Sure you don't want to tell us about your friends?"
The whole problem of Gitmo is exactly what Adm. Mullen and 'Moose note: the world knows about it, and the squeamish and the 'tarded are unhappy. The answer is simple. Ice Station Zebra is a place that we never admit to, never confirm, always deny, and always use. Only Mahmoud knows for sure, and he won't be talking. After he does. You know.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/14/2008 12:57 Comments ||
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#6
good idea steve, but after he talks just leave muhmood outside
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
01/14/2008 19:27 Comments ||
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#9
"We certainly look at this mission as a crusade an enduring mission until someone comes in and shuts it down," he said. "I have no idea how long it will be. The political leadership would have to make that decision."
Strangely worded indeed. A flag officer with... "no idea" as in clueless, or doesn't give a damn. Passing the decision process off to "political leadership." Unimpressive statements and the reference "political leadership" ....borderline oxymoronic.
#1
According to the article, moderate Muslims are more worried about being discriminated against than they are scared of death fatwas, having their car set on fire, being blown up, having notes pinned to their chests with daggers, or getting kiddnapped and having their heads sawn off.
Of course, I am reading between the lines.
Posted by: Bobby ||
01/14/2008 6:51 Comments ||
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#2
Your reading is accurate and it is one more reason to limit immigration from Arab countries.
Posted by: Big Glereque4366 ||
01/14/2008 18:44 Comments ||
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#3
And this is not just a recent phenomenon. Here are the numbers of deaths of US Navy officers during World War 2 due to combat and aviation accidents:
#7
There are any number of ways to analyze these stats.
Does a wartime footing increase attention and focus, thus decreasing the accident rate? Has the military studied, learned and improved in relation to prior accidents? Did the events leading to, and aftermath of, accidental casualties achieve greater results, improved safety/tactics/systems further reducing combat deaths? Are these items measurable, or incomparable with one another?
#9
Oh I see, during Clinton's time there were a lot more accidents..
Funny how that happens when you gut the funding for training and maintenance. People are less skilled in dealing with the hazardous aspects of the job and the equipment tends to break down faster without things like spare parts. There's a corollary between free time created by the preceding and the ability to fill it with doing stupid stuff during off duty hours.
#10
I think a lot of the drop in accidental death rates is due to safer airplanes and fewer of them. If I remember correctly, in the past a carrier pilot stood only a 50% chance of surviving 20 years.
Posted by: ed ||
01/14/2008 23:04 Comments ||
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President Pervez Musharraf, in a US magazine interview, has said late PPP chairwoman Benazir Bhutto was very unpopular with the military.
Setting us up for something down the road, is he?
In a wide-ranging interview with Newsweek published online, he said someone who the religious lobby thought was an unreligious person and who was seen as a US ally, could not have been the right person to fight terrorists.
Militants want to take over Pakistan: He said Pakistans efforts against terrorism were working in case of the Taliban, and the country was now dealing with local extremists, mostly from South Punjab, and foreigners. Baitullah Mehsood was training suicide bombers targeting political leaders. The president said militants were turning against Pakistan because they were against him. They are against anyone who is supporting me. So therefore, they want to weaken the government, they want to weaken me. [Perhaps] they think they can take over Pakistan.
Pakistani troops can do better in FATA: The president said tribal agreements did not solve the problem in FATA, but insisted that negotiations must continue. He said if the US undertook a unilateral operation inside Pakistan, they would curse the day they came here. I know these areas, and I know American troops. I know our troops. This is not easy.
He said Pakistani troops were tougher and could go on roti (bread) and water, while the US troops would need chocolate. We are totally in cooperation on the intelligence side, he said. But we are totally against (a military operation). We will ask for assistance from outsiders. They wont impose their will on us.
Benazirs body should be exhumed: The president called for the body of late Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairwoman Benazir Bhutto to be exhumed, as he rejected charges that the government was complicit in her assassination. Yes, exhume it. A hundred percent. I would like it to be exhumed, he said. Because I know for sure there is no bullet wound other than on the right side. But he ruled out ordering a post-mortem without the agreement of Bhuttos family. It would have very big political ramifications.
He said Bhuttos supporters had not agreed to a post-mortem because they know its a fact there is nothing wrong. Everybody is trying to gain political advantage; the entire opposition is trying to take political advantage, he said. He said the superintendent of police who was in charge of her security was her own handpicked. Bhutto was told about intelligence reports of a possible attack, he said.
UN probe: There cannot be a UN investigation, Musharraf told Newsweek. There are not two or three countries involved. Why should there be a UN investigation? This is ridiculous. The president said he was ready to work with the PPP if they won the February general elections. I can work with anyone, he said.
This article starring:
Baitullah Mehsood
Taliban
Posted by: Fred ||
01/14/2008 06:10 ||
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[7 views]
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#1
My money is on elements in the military that are behind the assasination and Perv gave the green light!!!!
Posted by: Paul ||
01/14/2008 8:13 Comments ||
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#2
My money is on elements in the military that are behind the assasination and Perv gave the green light!!!!
Posted by: Paul ||
01/14/2008 8:15 Comments ||
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#3
Hey, there is an echo in here.
Posted by: Gleart Prince of the Huns4687 ||
01/14/2008 9:19 Comments ||
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Despite the last year being declared as Visit Pakistan Year 2007, the country attracted a slightly lower number of tourists as compared to 2006. Terrorism is largely blamed for the lower turnout.
The ministry announced a year round calendar of events for the very first time for 2007. Apart from holding several events, it set the target to bring the number of tourists to 1 million.
Tourism Ministry economic analyst Zafarullah Siddiqi said 808,000 tourists had visited Pakistan from January to November 2006 and the revenue generated through tourism was US $234.7 million. He said for the same period in 2007, the country had received 755,000 tourists and generated a revenue of US $234.7 million.
The number of tourists in 2007 in the given time dropped by 6 percent while the revenue increased by approximately 6 percent. The reason for the low turnout has been attributed to terrorism and reason for the increase in revenue has been attributed to the high profile and high maintenance tourists who visited the country.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/14/2008 06:10 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
#1
How did I miss Visit Pakistan Year? I could kick myself. I have myself beheaded. It's a toss up.
A Hangu peace jirga brokered a peace agreement between two warring religious sects in Kurram Agency on Sunday with the accord to be implemented within 24 hours, sources said. The peace accord would put an end to the sectarian fighting that erupted on November 16 last year between the two sects in the agency. According to the agreement, both sects would deposit Rs 20 million each as surety with the peace jirga before January 31 and either party would have to pay Rs 40 million if it violates the accord. Both parties, involved in a fierce sectarian battle, will start a dialogue from February 1 for a durable and lasting peace in the area.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/14/2008 06:10 ||
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Top|| File under: Takfir wal-Hijra
Nearly half of Pakistanis surveyed suspect that government agencies or government-linked politicians killed Benazir Bhutto, according to an opinion poll, highlighting popular mistrust in the country's U.S.-allied president ahead of elections next month. The other half know for sure who dunnit.
Bhutto, an opposition leader and former prime minister, was killed in a gun and suicide bomb attack on Dec. 27 that the government of President Pervez Musharraf has blamed on Islamic extremists.
Bhutto, who had been threatened by militants before, was a secular politician popular in the United States and other Western countries for her vocal opposition to hardline Islam.
Her political party and family members have accused the government of failing to provide her with sufficient security, contributing to her death, and some have made vague allegations that elements within Musharraf's government may even have been involved. Musharraf has denied any role in the slaying and there have been no specific claims of responsibility for her death.
Separately, Islamic militants attacked a Pakistani military base near the Afghan border, sparking fighting that killed between 40 and 50 insurgents in some of the deadliest clashes in weeks in the lawless region, the army said Sunday.
The army said up to 300 militants staged the attack in Lhada on Wednesday and early Thursday, but were repelled by artillery and small-arms fire.
The border region emerged as a front line in the war on terror after Pakistan allied itself with the U.S. following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Washington has given Pakistan billions of dollars in aid to help government forces battle militants.
The opinion poll asking who "killed" Bhutto, released Saturday, indicated that 23 percent of Pakistanis suspected government agencies in the slaying, while 25 percent believed government-allied politicians were behind it. Only 17 percent suspected al-Qaida or Taliban. Probably some unholy alliance of all three.
The poll by Gallup Pakistan, which is affiliated with the Gallup International polling group, questioned 1,300 men and women in face-to-face interviews across Pakistan soon after Bhutto's slaying. It had a margin of error of 5 percentage points.
Gallup Pakistan said the survey, one of a series of regular polls, was not commissioned by any third party outside the company. Gallup International is a respected international pollster, but has no relation with the U.S.-based Gallup group. The two companies split from each other in 1994.
Information Minister Nisar Memon questioned the poll and its findings.
"I don't think this is representative of the thought process of the people of Pakistan and neither does it reflect the realities," he said of the survey. "It is very clear that people know that it is the terrorists who are responsible."
Musharraf, who has himself survived at least three assassination attempts blamed on militants, seized power eight years ago in a military coup. His popularity was already low before the Bhutto assassination amid demands for greater democratic rule.
The parliamentary elections, which will take place on Feb. 18 after being delayed for six weeks amid rioting triggered by Bhutto's death, are seen as key to Pakistan's transition to democracy.
Bhutto's party and the other major opposition grouping are expected to do well, in part because of sympathy over her death. But most analysts expect no party will gain enough seats to form a government alone and predict the election will result in a likely unstable coalition. Others fear that vote-rigging may taint the process and trigger fresh disputes.
Allegations of state involvement in Bhutto's death have been fueled by apparent government inconsistencies over precisely how she died. Video footage shows a man firing at her from close range as she pokes her head through the sunroof of her vehicle. Seconds later, the car is struck by a large explosion.
The government initially said she died when the force of the blast propelled her head into the sunroof of her vehicle.
Her supporters say she was shot dead, as some video footage of the incident appears to support.
Posted by: gorb ||
01/14/2008 04:31 ||
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#1
Nearly half of Pakistanis surveyed suspect that government agencies or government-linked politicians killed Benazir Bhutto...
Nearly half of Pakistanis surveyed approve of Bin Laden as well. Sometimes the people ARE the problem.
Two new reports on the assassination last month of Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto suggest that the killing may have been an ambitious plot rather than an isolated act of violence and that the government of President Pervez Musharraf knows far more than it's admitted about the murder. Pay attention, they're about to float another trial balloon!
A police officer who witnessed the assassination said that a mysterious crowd stopped Bhutto's car that day, moving her to emerge through the sunroof. And a document has surfaced in the Pakistani news media that contradicts the government's version of her death and contains details on the pistol and the suicide bomb used in the murder.
The witness was Ishtiaq Hussain Shah of the Rawalpindi police. As Bhutto's car headed onto Rawalpindi's Liaquat Road after an election rally Dec. 27 , a crowd appeared from nowhere and stopped the motorcade, shouting slogans of her Pakistan Peoples Party and waving party banners, according to his account. Popped up out of the manhole covers they did!
Rawalpindi is a garrison town. Crowd had to come from somewhere. Had to be the manhole covers. Or the culverts. Or the basements. Couldn't be the garrison itself. Nope, nope, not a chance.
Bhutto, apparently thinking she was greeting her supporters, emerged through the sunroof of the bulletproof car to wave. A perfectly natural reaction to someone under threat of assasination! If you're a Pakistani.
It was Shah's job to clear the way for the motorcade. But 10 feet from where he was standing, a man in the crowd wearing a jacket and sunglasses raised his arm and shot at the former prime minister. "I jumped to overpower him," the deputy police superintendent said later. "A mighty explosion took place soon afterwards."
Shah suffered multiple injuries and is recuperating in a Rawalpindi military hospital, guarded by agents of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence directorate.
Who organized the crowd is only one of the mysteries two weeks after the assassination. "I don't know who they were or from where they came," the Rawalpindi officer told Dawn newspaper. "They just appeared on the road." Yep. Big mystery. Don't ever get crowds in Pakistan.
The second report emerged in the Pakistani daily newspaper The News, with detailed information about the pistol and bomb. It rejects the government's conclusion that Bhutto died when the force of the suicide blast threw her head against the sunroof lever of her car. Such an impact couldn't have fractured her skull, it said. The government refused to confirm the report's authenticity, but a security official verified it to McClatchy . He spoke only on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject.
According to the document, which the paper described as a "top agency" preliminary report, a pistol made by Norinco, a Chinese brand, was recovered from the scene, with the lot number 311-90. An MUV-2 triggering mechanism for the bomb also was found, as had been used in 15 previous suicide bombings in Pakistan , with the same lot number and factory code.
"It is a clear indicator that the ISI same terrorist group is involved in almost all these incidents," concluded the report, which the paper quoted at length.
Another mystery of the case is why so valuable a report has been buried. Among its other conclusions: Bhutto's assassin, after shooting her, detonated his own suicide belt. No ambulance was called, and it took 25 minutes to get her to the hospital, only two miles from the scene.
Bhutto, and her security adviser Rehman Malik , had complained repeatedly that she was given inadequate official security, including mobile phone jammers that didn't work and less than the four-vehicle escort that she thought was needed to protect the four corners of her car. In an e-mail to her U.S. lobbyist, Mark Siegel , in late October, Bhutto wrote that if anything happened to her "I would hold Musharraf responsible," in addition to four individuals she named as plotting to kill her in a letter sent to Musharraf on Oct. 16 .
There was no security cordon around Bhutto who'd escaped a suicide bombing attack Oct. 18 , the day she returned to Pakistan from self-imposed exile abroad as she left the park in Rawalpindi. The crime scene was cleared immediately and hosed down, destroying vital evidence. Doctors at the hospital where she was taken, who announced the night it happened that she'd died of bullet wounds to the head and neck, changed their story the next day. There was no autopsy.
Musharraf's government has stuck to its explanation that Bhutto died when she hit her head on the sunroof's lever after the bomb went off, despite the emergence of several videos that show the gunman firing, then Bhutto disappearing into her vehicle before the blast. Officials also turned up what they said was a transcript of a telephone conversation between the supposed masterminds militant Islamists allied with the Taliban congratulating each other, the next day.
Scotland Yard detectives, whom Musharraf called in under pressure from home and abroad, have been told that they're to investigate only the cause of death, not the killer's identity. "Providing clarity regarding 'The precise cause of Ms. Bhutto's death' is said to be the principal purpose of the deployment," said Aidan Liddle , a spokesman for the British High Commission in Islamabad .
To many in Pakistan , it all raises questions about whether the government was complicit in the assassination. To others, it points at the very least to a concerted attempt to hide the massive extent of a security failure.
Bhutto's own private-security arrangements seemed poor, chaotic and amateurish. Armored cars are not fitted with sunroofs. Hers was modified in Karachi against all safety advice, according to a security company that operates in that city but spoke only on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject. After Bhutto's death, her husband made the startling revelation that she'd been guarded by men he'd met in prison.
"Both the state and the internal security of the Pakistan Peoples Party failed miserably," said Masood Sharif Khattak , who was the head of the Intelligence Bureau , Pakistan's top civilian intelligence agency, while Bhutto was prime minister and now is retired. "But state responsibility (for her security) stands first and foremost."
"The fact that there are so many suicide bombings taking place in the country, and the security and intelligence apparatus is unable to prevent them, only leads to one conclusion: The jihadists have enablers within the system that allow them to do their stuff," said Kamran Bokhari of Strategic Forecasting, a consultancy based in Austin, Texas .
"We're not talking high-level officials, just people at midlevel, but mostly junior, who could provide them with logistics to operate."
Musharraf has denied that government agencies are involved at any level. OK, now we know for sure he's lying.
One of the most widely suspected forces behind Bhutto's assassination, al Qaida, hasn't claimed responsibility. The Pakistani militant whom the government has blamed, Baitullah Mehsud, has denied it. Mehsud is a 34-year-old tribal leader in the lawless Waziristan region, in the northwest, who's emerged as the leader of Pakistan's version of the Taliban.
Dr. Farzana Shaikh , associate fellow at the Royal Institute of International Affairs in London , said: "If they (al Qaida) are intent on weakening Musharraf and his regime, they could do no better than this. For them to simply leave room open for speculation, much of which has centered on government complicity, would be a very clever move." Of course, this theory would only have legs if Musharraf were foolish enough to play along! /sarc
"That people are willing to believe this is a very telling reflection of the declining credibility of the Musharraf regime." If they held off the election until after W retired perhaps they could put him on the ballot for PM.
Posted by: gorb ||
01/14/2008 04:07 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
#1
Hmmm..."mysterious crowds", police officer "guarded" by agents of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence...
Wheels wit'in wheels.
#2
The crime scene was cleared immediately and hosed down, destroying vital evidence. Doctors at the hospital where she was taken, who announced the night it happened that she'd died of bullet wounds to the head and neck, changed their story the next day. There was no autopsy.
Cover up from Perv downwards!
The Militiary Mullah connection wanted her dead as she is viewed as pro west/Unislamic!!!!
Posted by: Paul ||
01/14/2008 10:19 Comments ||
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#3
she should have just stayed in her exile. I personally am tired of hearing the shit , is anyone really surprised.It's gonna be mighty hard too change the ways of ppl who have been thinking the same way for 1000's of years.
This makes the entire story BS. Pictures of the killing show the assasin clearly, and no one is jumping toward or interfering with the killer in any way.
Al
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
01/14/2008 12:28 Comments ||
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#5
aaaaaaaaaarrrghhh
offcourse: a damn sunroof in a armored car, that,s what was bugging me.
#8
WAFF.com > THE NEWS.pk > EX-GENERAL: BENAZIR KILLING PART OF [USA]GLOBAL PLOT. Former Paki Army Chief Mirza Aslam Beg claims Benazir Bhutto was killed by the USA for not obeying them = doing what the US wanted her to do.
RUMOMILLNEWS > THE ASSASSINATION OF BENAZIR BHUTTO, parallels JFK assassination.
Also from WAFF + THE NEWS > FLOUR MILLS TO GET UNINTERRUPTED ELECTRICITY. Paki and the the Regional-Global Food Shortage [LUCIANNE].
ISLAMABAD - Pakistani paramilitary troops have begun escorting trucks carrying wheat to stop supplies being stolen amid shortages of flour that have inflamed anger against the government before an election, an official said on Sunday.
Pakistanis are complaining bitterly about a shortage of wheat flour and rising prices of the staple food which the government has blamed on hoarding and smuggling to neighbouring countries.
Farooq Ahmed Khan, chief of the National Disaster Management Authority, said some supplies had been going missing somewhere along the supply chain. It seemed there could be something wrong along the chain from warehouses to mills and then to distribution points, Khan told Reuters. Basically, were providing escorts and will monitor the entire chain so there is no chance of pilferage, said Khan, whose authority is supervising the monitoring.
Authorities have also been given special powers to detain hoarders and smugglers, he said.
Khan said wheat stocks were sufficient and he described the flour shortage as artificial. The government was monitoring borders to stop flour being smuggled out of the country, he said. Within a few days thing should change for the better, he said.
Oh sure, yewbetcha. After that you're going to clean up Swat. Shouldn't take more than a week.
In recent days, angry shoppers have been queing for hours to get their hands on flour, adding to worries for the government in the run-up to a Feb. 18 general election. A top Agriculture Ministry official said the government had sufficient wheat stocks and about 1.5 million tonnes of imported wheat would reach Pakistan by the end of February.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/14/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Interesting. Where is the wheat going? Is it going to Afghanistan bought by clans who have decided to grow drugs instead of food?
#2
Another thing that crossed my mind is that Taliban elements in drug growing areas of Afghanistan will not find much forage in the way of grain stores among the local population. These forces would need to be fed from Pakistan, again using opium money in exchange for food. We are talking about quite large sums of money so I would think the drugs traffickers would be able to divert quite a bit of the supply.
BAGHDAD - Parliamentary blocs representing Sunnis, Shias and independents on Sunday signed on to a common platform stressing the need for national unity and central control over oil reserves. The blocs, should they come together as is expected as a new political alliance, would be a dominant force in the 275-member parliament, with a total of more than 100 seats.
Among those who signed the statement of common understanding are the political wing of radical Shia cleric Moqtada Al Sadr, the secular Iraqi National List of former prime minister Iyad Allawi and the Sunni leader Salah Al Mutlaks National Dialogue Front, a joint statement said.
The statement said the pact was signed for the sake of the higher national interest, to maintain a united Iraq free of sectarian divisions ... and to support national reconciliation.
The parties demanded that oil and gas and other natural resources should remain Iraqi treasures and not be allowed to be signed away by regional powers. The statement expressed deep concern at individual acts without reference to central government, such as the signing of contracts with foreign companies - a reference to Iraqs oil-rich autonomous Kurdish region, which has signed 15 crude oil contracts with 20 foreign concerns.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/14/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
London (KurdishMedia.com) 13 January 2008: Ten Sunni and Shiia Arab political groups united against Kurds, which includes Ayad Allawiâs group, an old friend of Kurds, reported Kurdish website sbeiy.com on Sunday.
The Arab groups signed an anti Kurdish agreement, called âNational Understanding Projectâ to dissolve the powers that the KRG exercising and cut back the Kurdish rights. Sbeiy.com stated that all the points of this Understanding is against Kurds.
The Arabs united to reduce the KRGâs budged from 17 to 12.5 percent of the Iraqi budget; annual the Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution regarding normalization of areas outside the current Kurdistan Region; bringing the Kurdistanâs natural resources under the central government of Iraq; paying the KRG security forces from the KRG budget.
If these are implemented, the KRG would dissolve.
Mahmud Osman, a Kurdish MP in Baghdad, told sbeiy.com that the Kurdish position is weak; it was stronger a year and two back.
#4
"dissolve the powers that the KRG exercising and cut back the Kurdish rights"
Not gonna happen. 100,000 Peshmerga say the Kurds are going to continue what they are doing.
Al
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
01/14/2008 12:21 Comments ||
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#5
See also STRATEGYPAGE> KURDISH WAR[IRAQ]: ARABS UNITE TO FIGHT. Sunni and Shia Arab/Muslim Pols collude to resist KURDISH CLAIMS OF SOVEREIGNTY, etc. over the city of KIRKUK.
An Israeli aircraft fired a missile at a car carrying Palestinian gunmen in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, the Israeli Army said and local medical staff said two militants were killed in the attack.
An Israeli Army spokesman said the air strike was carried in cooperation with the Shin Bet undercover internal security service on a car known to be carrying two gunmen. "The strike was carried out by the Israel Defence Forces in cooperation with the Shin Bet. One of the gunmen was responsible for firing rockets into Israel and another was involved in actions against Israelis," the spokesman said.
A third man was critically wounded by the missile, which exploded near the home of the Hamas leader in Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh, Palestinian hospital officials said.
One of the dead gunmen was a senior member of the Army of Islam militant group, they said. He was identified as Maher al-Mabhouh, the Army of Islam's commander in Gaza City. The same group was involved in the abduction of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in Gaza in June 2006 and the kidnapping of BBC journalist Alan Johnston last year.
Senior Israeli and Palestinian negotiators will open talks on Monday (today) on the most sensitive issues, such as the future of Jerusalem as part of a US-led push for a peace deal this year, officials said.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said his chief negotiator, Ahmed Qurei, and Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni would lead the discussions on vital issues, which they hope will lead to the formation of a Palestinian state.
Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Aryeh Mekel confirmed the talks would begin on Monday in Jerusalem.
Other core final status issues include borders and Palestinian refugees, reported Reuters.
Mondays talks will mark the first meeting between the two sides since US President George Bushs landmark visit to the region last week.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/14/2008 06:10 ||
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#1
They get the f*ck out from our country & we let them live?
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told a powerful parliamentary panel on Monday that Israel rejects no options to block Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, a meeting participant said.
The statement was the Israeli leader's clearest indication yet that he is willing to use military force against Iran.
"Israel clearly will not reconcile itself to a nuclear Iran," the meeting participant quoted Olmert as telling the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. "All options that prevent Iran from gaining nuclear capabilities are legitimate within the context of how to grapple with this matter."
Olmert addressed the panel days after discussing Iran's nuclear ambitions in face-to-face talks with President Bush in Jerusalem.
The meeting participant spoke on condition of anonymity because the session was closed.
Posted by: gorb ||
01/14/2008 05:23 ||
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#1
Except actually, you know, doing anything about it now.
#2
Few iff any do not believe that Iran will keep only to nuclear domestic energy - all sides are waiting to see to see iff Dubya is going to take unilater mil action before he leaves in Jan 2009, the ideal time for which is btwn now and the early Summer 2008 iff the USA can avoid Iraq-style local insurgency.
#1
Reminds me of the "Dead Sea Scrolls" they're doing their damnedest to make sure they're never "Deciphered" and made public, I remember the outrage when a few years ago a Jewish Scholar did just that, using a computer to piece together the fragments (Think ancient jigsaw puzzle) Panic everywhere, instant denunciation that "they couldn't be read, even though he did it and made it public. (Haven't heard much about it, Have you? Quickly and thoroughly discredited, it was)
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
01/14/2008 16:52 Comments ||
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#2
When I read the article in the WSJ I wondered if they were stored near the former Reichstag building.
There was a book out about 10 years ago. The main thrust of the writings was touted as being a rather nasty schism between the followers of James and Peter.
#5
Herschel Shanks of BAR called for the scholars to put aside their egos and Geza Vermes published the Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English. They are apocalyptic, messianic, and very challenging to Orthodox Jews and the Jesuits. The Ecole Biblique in France particularly protested the release. The Protestant Christian conclusion is they were written by oppressed Jewish Zadokite priests during the intertestamental times, fiercely opposed the appointed Maccabean priesthood as illigetimate and the sect became Christians, moving on during the Roman persecution after the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD. Fragments of all the books of the Jewish Bible except Ruth, besides the sectarian texts, were also found but not the Apocrypha. Jordan even had control of some of the texts besides the Catholic scholars, making any consensus impossible on the DSS. I found this article interesting and a possible plot for a future Steve Berry novel!
#6
It's my understanding, amateur that I am, that there were three main strands of Judaism during the intertestamental period: the Temple-oriented, traditional Jews who took the Bible literally, especially all the rules and regulations regarding Temple sacrifices (the Sadducees); the rabbi- and synagogue-oriented Jews who interpreted Biblical laws to discern God's intent under conditions that had significantly changed since the time of the Israelites (the Pharisees, whose descendants are most Jews of today); and the Essenes, male monastics who believed in the imminent coming of the Jewish Messiah, who would conquer all the nations of the earth to establish God's kingdom with its capitol in Jerusalem. A great deal of the Essene writings were eschatological, using imagery much like that in the New Testament, the rest being obsessive regulations for the minutia of daily life. As Danielle says, the movement is believed to have been formed by Temple priests displaced by the Maccabeans. Josephus boasted that he had studied with the Essenes as well as being a rabbinic prodigy, as I recall, before becoming a leader of the First Jewish Rebellion and then defecting to the Romans. After the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, the Sadducees and the Essenes disappear from the record, so the idea that the Essenes became followers of Christ is conceivable, especially since the first generation of Christians were supposed to be celibate while awaiting the imminent return of their Messiah, until St. Paul changed that when he wrote that it's better to marry than to burn.
#7
Back to the topic. If I understand the flimsy history of the koran,it was modified many many times to fit the whims of anyone it power. An example Mo himself pulled to justify his dastardly deeds and lusts.
U.S. President George W. Bush called on Arab allies in the Gulf to embrace democracy as ``the only form of government that treats people with liberty and dignity,'' and warned them of the dangers he said were posed by Iran. ``Iran today is the world's leading state sponsor of terror,'' Bush said today in a speech in Abu Dhabi. ``Iran's actions threaten the security of nations everywhere.''
In the gilded auditorium of Abu Dhabi's $3 billion Emirates Palace Hotel, built along a beach of imported Algerian sand, Bush said the Middle East is facing an ideological struggle between democratic and economic progress and Islamic extremists. ``Across the world, the majority of Muslim people live in a free and democratic society,'' Bush said. ``The people of the Middle East must continue to work for the day where that is also true of the land that Islam first called home.''
As a comely young maiden once told me-- Well, maybe she wasn't actually a maiden -- "nebbah hoppen, G.I.!" A free society is possible only with freedom of thought. Freedom of thought equates to freedom of religion. There's no way around it, which means that Muslim countries will not be free by definition.
Bush is midway through a Middle East tour aimed in part at shoring up support in confronting Iran before, he said today, ``it's too late.'' As part of his effort to strengthen the U.S.'s Gulf allies, Bush tomorrow will notify Congress of plans to sell precision- guided missiles and other weapons to Saudi Arabia, a senior administration official said in a briefing for reporters. The announcement is timed to Bush's visit to Riyadh.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/14/2008 06:11 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - President Bush gently nudged authoritarian Arab allies Sunday to satisfy frustrated desires for democracy in the Mideast and saved his harshest criticism for Iran, branding it "the world's leading state-sponsor of terror." Speaking in this Persian Gulf country, about 150 miles from the shores of Iran, Bush said Tehran threatens nations everywhere and that the United States was "rallying friends around the world to confront this danger before it is too late."
The warning about Iran was much tougher than Bush's admonition about spreading democracy in the Middle East, which had been billed as the central theme of his speech. In a region of autocratic rulers, Bush did not single out any country for criticism. He spoke about democracy in a deeply undemocratic country, the United Arab Emirates, where an elite of royal rulers makes virtually all the decisions. Large numbers of foreign resident workers have few legal or human rights, including no right to protest working conditions.
"To the people of the Middle East: We hear your cries for justice," Bush said. "We share your desire for a free and prosperous future. And as you struggle to find your voice and make your way in this world, the United States will stand with you."
Usually averse to sightseeing, Bush rode out into the sand dunes to the desert encampment of Abu Dhabi's crown prince, Sheik Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. He let Bush hold one of his prize falcons. Later, Bush returned to his suite in the opulent Emirates Palace Hotel, constructed at a cost of more than $3 billion and reputed to be the most expensive hotel ever built.
The next stop scheduled on Bush's eight-day Mideast journey was Saudi Arabia. Its ruler, King Abdullah, has half-heartedly tried to push some limited reforms on education and women's rights, and there have been limited municipal council elections.
Also known as taqiyya.
But he has been cautious and limited in his efforts, apparently hampered by others in the royal family worried that fast changes could upset the country's conservative clerics and citizens.
In Egypt, the last country Bush planned to visit, the democracy effort has stalled badly. The opposition candidate, Ayman Nour, who ran against longtime President Hosni Mubarak in the first multiparty elections, remains jailed on what many critics view as trumped-up criminal fraud charges. Apparently referring to Egypt, Bush said, "Unfortunately, amid some steps forward in this region we've also seen some setbacks. You cannot build trust when you hold an election where opposition candidates find themselves harassed or in prison."
Bush cast the broader campaign for democracy in terms of the battle against terrorism, saying there was a desire for freedom from terrorism, oppression and injustice. "We see this desire in the ordinary people across the Middle East, who are sick of violence, who are sick of corruption, sick of empty promises - and who choose a free future whenever they are given a chance."
Bush praised some democratic reforms in Arab countries. He urged leaders to show support for the fragile Iraqi government, open their societies and provide backing, and possible money, to help make an Israeli-Palestinian agreement stick. "Leaders on both sides still have many tough decisions ahead, and they will need to back these decisions with real commitments," Bush said. "But the time has come for a holy land where Palestinians and Israelis live together in peace."
Bush's blistering words about Iran appeared intended to reassure Arab allies about U.S. readiness to confront Tehran. There have been doubts about Washington's intentions because of a new U.S. intelligence report that said Iran had stopped pursuing nuclear weapons in 2003. Bush appeared to put the danger posed by Iran on par with that from al-Qaida, which the U.S. national intelligence director, Mike McConnell has said is America's greatest threat.
"One cause of instability is the extremists supported and embodied by the regime that sits in Tehran," Bush said. "Iran is today the world's leading state sponsor of terror.
Bush said Iran funds militant groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad and sends arms to the Taliban in Afghanistan and Shiite extremists in Iraq. "The other major cause of instability is the extremists embodied by al-Qaida and its affiliates," he said.
His words brought a stern response from Iran's foreign minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, to end what he called U.S. meddling. "Mr. Bush has tried unsuccessfully to undermine our relations with the countries of the region. We believe his mission has totally failed. We have making strides in building ties with the region, politically, economically and even in security," Mottaki told the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera television. "It is much better if the Americans had stopped intervening in the region's affair."
I just wish GWB had been talking like this all along. A president should always get his words heard; if he can't he needs to find a way to bypass the MSM. This was a good set of speeches and talks, and we've needed it for quite a while.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/14/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
HMMMMMM, TOPIX/REDDIT > IRAN:BUSH A THREAT TO GLOBAL SECURITY. versus AL-JAZEERA > BUSH: IRAN A THREAT TO WORLD SECURITY.
#4
The stick may be economic and diplomatic, but it is still a stick. If you are so eager to see bombs falling on Tehran, consider doing it yourselves.
If you are so eager to see bombs falling on Tehran, consider doing it yourselves.
That's, mutatis mutandis, what Neville Chamberlain said to the Czech.
But don't worry, Israel is not Czechoslovakia. Of course, given the likely response of the World Community---led by the USA---to such an unprovoked attack by the Zionist Entity, we might as well make a clean sweep and take out all the Persian Gulf oil infrastructure.
I see a lot of ethanol in your future, Ulamp Grundy7315.
#6
I would also include Saudi and Pakistan with Iran in the Axis of Evil/Jihad!!!!
Posted by: Paul ||
01/14/2008 12:49 Comments ||
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#7
PAYVAND > IRANIAN EMBASSY DENIES RADIO FARDA REPORT ON RADIOACTIVE CARGO [just more anti-Iran propaganda]. FARDA - Cargo allegedly orginally meant for Iran from Tajikistan, but was intercepted by Uzbek Guards at Uzbek-Kyrgyztsan border.
Posted by: Seafarious ||
01/14/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
And their answer will be..."Hell No, we won't go!!"
Realizing of course that "W"'s 'window of opportunity' will be winding down (ie; the 'buck' being passed to the next President).
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Sunday sent message to leaders of the six GCC states. A foreign ministry statement said that the president's message was handed over to the GCC states' ambassadors to Tehran by Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Mohammad-Reza Baqeri on Sunday.
According to the statement, in the message, President Ahmadinejad referred to his proposal forwarded to heads of the GCC in Doha which was welcomed by them. The proposal underlined the importance of continued political, security, economic and cultural cooperation between these regional states and called for continuation of such joint meetings.
In the message, President Ahmadinejad also voiced Iran's readiness to materialize the proposals offered to the GCC. During the Iranian president's recent visit to Doha, ambassadors from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE, Oman, Qatar and Bahrain described the Iranian president's proposals as very "significant" and voiced their countries' determination to strengthen relations and cooperation with the Islamic Republic of Iran.
They acknowledged that such collective cooperation will be to the benefit of all people as well as help forge regional peace and security.
Posted by: Seafarious ||
01/14/2008 00:00 ||
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Member of Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc Hussein Hajj Hassan on Sunday said that the Lebanese opposition will not participate in the presidential elections without a political solution that ensures partnership in the resolution and the government.
Hassan said in a statement "Our hands are extended for baksheesh solution ... and await the coming days to see what can happen", accusing forces known as the parliamentary majority (14 March) "of disabling solutions." Secretary General of the Arab League Amr Moussa is expected to return to Beirut in the next few days after he failed to persuade the Lebanese parties of the Arab plan to solve the Lebanese crisis and reach a consensus on election of Army Commander Gen. Michel Suleiman as president of the republic and the formation of a national unity government.
Moussa at the conclusion of his visit to Lebanon yesterday expressed belief that the differences between the forces of the majority and the opposition were "temporary and would be resolved," indicating that he was able through his meetings with Lebanese officials of reaching "rebirth of the political action towards reaching a solution".
The opposition calls for mutual agreement on political reforms ahead of the election of General Michel Suleiman as president of the country, while the majority wants reforms to come afterwards.
Posted by: Seafarious ||
01/14/2008 00:00 ||
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Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini advised US President George Bush on Sunday to reconsider his previous wrong policies regarding Iran before the end of his tenure.
During the past seven years, the Bush administration has followed a policy to isolate Iran and promote Iranophobia in the region, Hosseini said at his weekly press conference. However, he stressed, "All regional states adopted a vigilant approach regarding that policy and opposed it," stressed the spokesman. "We are now witnessing progress in cooperation between Iran and regional countries," Hosseini said noting that the regional states "attach no importance to US policies vis-a-vis Iran.
He made the remarks commenting on President Bush's visit to the region which according to Hosseini aimed at "fanning the fuel of Iranophobia among regional states and winning more support for the Zionist regime." Last week, the US Defense department claimed that five Iranian high speed boats threatened to blow up US military ships in the Strait of Hormuz, a claim Tehran has denied.
Posted by: Seafarious ||
01/14/2008 00:00 ||
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A PLOT by al-Qaeda operatives to kill the Queen during a state visit to Uganda less than two months ago was foiled by security services.
Of course they planned to kill the Queen. They plan to kill everyone. Sheesh.
The terrorists had planned to hide inside two broadcast vans owned by the Ugandan Broadcasting Corporation and then set off bombs during the Queen's visit to Kampala last November.
London's Sunday Express reported the vans were seized after a tip-off from intelligence agents. As a result, the broadcaster was unable to transmit live pictures of key summit events, including the Queen's historic address to the Ugandan parliament on November 22.
The Queen, Prince Philip, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla travelled to the east African nation's capital for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, attended by more than 30 world leaders. Australia was represented by Richard Alston, the High Commissioner to London.
Uganda's Internal Affairs Minister Ruhakana Rugunda said several suspected terrorists were arrested. "We received information that a terrorist group linked to al-Qaeda, the Allied Democratic Forces, was planning to carry out terrorist activities at the Commonwealth meeting," he told the Sunday Express. "The security services in Uganda neutralised these threats."
Dr Rugunda refused to comment on the exact nature of the intended attacks or reports that Ugandan armed forces had seized a speedboat loaded with arms and homemade bombs.
"I will say no more!"
A number of suspected ADF guerillas aboard the boat on Lake Victoria are believed to have been taken into custody, the Sunday Express reported.
Security was tight for the CHOGM meeting, with roads in Kampala's centre closed off to local traffic and identity checks carried out venues.
Dai Davies, former head of royal protection, told the Sunday Express: "It will have huge implications globally for the royal family's protection. It will obviously put forward planning into a huge new phase of concern.
"But the Queen's security arrangements are very sophisticated. There would have been thorough advanced planning ahead of the trip to Uganda, an exit strategy would have been worked out, and so on.
"At the end of the day, the Queen is a great pragmatist - she's a great believer in what will be will be. But she has absolute faith and trust in her protection team."
In her speech to Uganda's parliament, the Queen praised the country's army for its peacekeeping role in war-torn Somalia. She also noted great advances by the East African country better known for the bloody ravages inflicted by its 1970s tyrannical ruler Idi Amin.
#1
they couldn't find a vetter place too have this event than Uganda? i believe i would have stayed at home , though my invitation got lost in the mail.
HUNDREDS of British non-Muslims have been recruited by al-Qaeda to wage war against the West, senior security sources warned last night. As many as 1,500 white Britons are believed to have converted to Islam for the purpose of funding, planning and carrying out surprise terror attacks inside the UK, according to one MI5 source.
Lord Carlile, the Government's independent reviewer of anti-terrorism legislation, said many of the converts had been targeted by radical Muslims while serving prison terms.
Security experts say the growing secret army of white terrorists poses a particularly serious threat as they are far less likely to be detected than members of the Asian community.
Since the 7/7 and 21/7 London bombings, police and intelligence services have had considerable success in identifying, disrupting and stopping extremist plots. As a result, groups such as al-Qaeda, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Harkat-ul-Mujahideen have been forced to change tack. Converting white non-Muslims has been one response. The trend is well established in the United States. American-born Adam Gadahn is one of the FBI's top 10 most-wanted terrorists after converting to Islam and rising through al-Qaeda's ranks to become a prominent spokesman.
One British security source last night told Scotland on Sunday: "There could be anything up to 1,500 converts to the fundamentalist cause across Britain. They pose a real potential danger to our domestic security because, obviously, these people blend in and do not raise any flags.
"The exact figure of those who have converted to Islam and turned to terror is not precisely known. Not everyone who converts becomes radicalised and it may be that just two-fifths go down that path, but it remains a significant and dangerous problem."
Carlile said he was not aware of specific numbers, but confirmed to Scotland on Sunday that Whitehall was aware of the new threat and was actively tackling it. He said: "These people are an issue and are potentially very dangerous. There have been cases of non-Muslims converting before, and of these, Richard Reid, the so-called Shoebomber, is the most obvious example.
"They are more difficult to detect and the security services are right to place some focus on this issue."
Carlile said the majority of converts were targeted when they were in prison: "These (converts] are outside the standard type of profile which most police forces would have of a terrorist, which is male, young, and of Middle Eastern or Asian appearance. That is why they are so potentially dangerous."
Carlile added: "The Home Office has a lot of money, millions of pounds, which is being put forward for communities and fighting radicalisation. There is no question how tackling this issue is best achieved: it is achieved at a community level."
Security experts say radical Muslims in prison have become adept at identifying potential new recruits to their cause. Those in custody for the first time, the young and the lonely are particularly susceptible.
Initially, the approach is made to comfort, console and support, with very little reference, if any, to religion.
However, after several 'chats', the conversation will be turned towards the subject and, gradually, over a period of weeks or months, it is possible to complete the conversion.
Robert Leiken, director of the Immigration and National Security Programme and a specialist on European Muslims based at the Nixon Centre in Washington DC, said: "To me, the figure of 1,500 seems reasonable as many, perhaps less than a third, will actually go on to become radicals.
"New religious recruits always tend to be more zealous than those who have grown up with that specific religion."
Edwin Bakker, a Dutch-based security specialist, has studied at length the issue of radical conversions. He said: "The question is relevant and timely. Newcomers to Islam are extra-sensitive to perceived discrimination of Muslims and Islam-bashing.
"They feel they have to defend Islam one of the essential concepts of Jihad and they feel they have to prove themselves as newcomers."
But one of Scotland's leading Muslims disputed the claims of radicalisation, saying Islam's strict moral code made it unattractive to many westerners.
Bashir Maan added: "I do not know of any Islamist terror group in Scotland and, considering as a Muslim a person must pray five times daily, abstain from drinking (and] sex outside marriage, adhere to strict dietary and many other rules, it is impossible to convert to Islam a young person brought up in this very liberal society. Bull.
"I agree that the security services must be vigilant and keep their eye on everybody, but I think in this case they seem to be over-reacting." "Hey, I'm just doing my job here, trying to keep the kufrs asleep at the wheel!"
This article starring:
dam Gadahn
Harkat-ul-Mujahideen
Lashkar-e-Taiba
Posted by: anonymous5089 ||
01/14/2008 08:59 ||
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#1
"The exact figure of those who have converted to Islam and turned to terror is not precisely known. Not everyone who converts becomes radicalised and it may be that just two-fifths go down that path, but it remains a significant and dangerous problem."
Or another way of saying it is penal rehabilitation initiatives fail three-fifths of the time.
#4
As many as 1,500 white Britons are believed to have converted to Islam for the purpose of funding, planning and carrying out surprise terror attacks inside the UK, according to one MI5 source.
that's a queer statement. Does the writer mean the 1500 wanted to support/commit terrist acts, so therefore they became Muslim?
#5
TW, don't you think people with certain urges---urges strongly disapproved of by their original culture---would seek enviroment wherein their acting out of these urges (against appropriate targets) is not just approved---it's lauded?
Don't take all the pain out of it or they won't like it at all! :-)
Navy SEALs are tough by nature, but they take a beating from their patrol boats: bruises, bumps and sore backs, even sprained ankles and chipped teeth.
An all-composite version of the aluminum Mark V patrol boat, constructed by luxury boat builder Hodgdon Yachts Inc., is aimed at reducing the wear and tear on boat operators and SEALs by absorbing the impact as the vessel crashes through the waves at 50-plus knots.
Continued on Page 49
#2
yeah i got caught in a strom in the gulf deep sea fishing. good god beer was every where and i swera io will never get on another boat.I don't think the captain liked me anymore either
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.
A European Union peacekeeping force looks likely to begin deploying in Chad later this month after shortages in helicopters and medical equipment were finally plugged at a meeting in Brussels on Friday.
South Koreas foreign ministry has given President-elect Lee Myung-Bak a report urging the disarming of North Korea by 2010, a news report said on Sunday. The ministrys report to the transition team for Lee, who takes office next month, said a concrete disarmament schedule should be established in the first half of this year, the Yonhap news agency reported. 
THE use of armed "sky marshals" on passenger planes is set to spread across Europe, following a deal on aviation security hammered out in the 27-nation European Union.
President Pervez Musharraf, in a US magazine interview, has said late PPP chairwoman Benazir Bhutto was very unpopular with the military. 
Despite the last year being declared as Visit Pakistan Year 2007, the country attracted a slightly lower number of tourists as compared to 2006. Terrorism is largely blamed for the lower turnout.
A Hangu peace jirga brokered a peace agreement between two warring religious sects in Kurram Agency on Sunday with the accord to be implemented within 24 hours, sources said. The peace accord would put an end to the sectarian fighting that erupted on November 16 last year between the two sects in the agency. According to the agreement, both sects would deposit Rs 20 million each as surety with the peace jirga before January 31 and either party would have to pay Rs 40 million if it violates the accord. Both parties, involved in a fierce sectarian battle, will start a dialogue from February 1 for a durable and lasting peace in the area.
An Israeli aircraft fired a missile at a car carrying Palestinian gunmen in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, the Israeli Army said and local medical staff said two militants were killed in the attack.
Senior Israeli and Palestinian negotiators will open talks on Monday (today) on the most sensitive issues, such as the future of Jerusalem as part of a US-led push for a peace deal this year, officials said.
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - President Bush gently nudged authoritarian Arab allies Sunday to satisfy frustrated desires for democracy in the Mideast and saved his harshest criticism for Iran, branding it "the world's leading state-sponsor of terror." Speaking in this Persian Gulf country, about 150 miles from the shores of Iran, Bush said Tehran threatens nations everywhere and that the United States was "rallying friends around the world to confront this danger before it is too late."
A PLOT by al-Qaeda operatives to kill the Queen during a state visit to Uganda less than two months ago was foiled by security services.
