#1
He's folding. Now, every country in the world knows that the US cannot win a war. Potential allies and foes alike know that we will retreat. We have the means but not the will. The public is with him on this and we can't sustain a war in a democracy without the support of the people. I grieve for our children.
Posted by: Richard of Oregon ||
09/23/2009 10:57 Comments ||
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#3
Note = admin is divided. Mullen is for giving McCrystal what he wants. Gates seems to be, with less enthusiasm. Hillary seems to pushing hard against Biden, who is only one named as being clearly for a significant drawdown. Jones has managed to keep his leaning completely under wraps.
#5
WMF > "BIG STICK, SMALL RADISHES": US DESIRES LOCAL ALLIES TO HAVE PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY FOR REGIONAL STABILITY.
MAHARUSHIE LIMBAUGH-IAN QUESTIONNE' OF THE DAY > WILL AMER'S ALLIES, MODERATES, + NON-ALIGNED [NAM Movement] LIKE THE US APPROACH, i.e. they pay more of the $$$, NOT the USA???
Food is running out for tens of thousands of civilians displaced in weeks of fighting between government forces and Shiite rebels in Yemen's north, a UN spokesman said on Wednesday.
People in Somalia will nonetheless continue to see Yemen as paradise ...
"Foodstuffs for tens of thousands of refugees gathered in four camps in Saada and its suburbs, 6,000 others in Baqem, further north near the border with Saudi Arabia and 7,000 others in the province of Al-Jawf are being depleted," Laure Chedraoui told AFP in Sanaa. "The continuation of hostilities, the failure of the truce and the closure of roads has prevented humanitarian agencies from coming to the aid of the displaced," she said.
Chedraoui said aid agencies have been unable to deliver a consignment of food to refugees in Baqem because the cargo is still in Saudi Arabia. "The cargo is being held 20 kilometres (12 miles) from the border. The Saudi authorities have given the green light for the cargo to pass to Baqem, but we are still waiting," she said, also urging the kingdom "to open its borders to receive Yemeni refugees".
The situation in Saada province is unstable, especially in the areas of Baqem, Al-Maniya and Razah, a military source told AFP. There are also some clashes in the neighbouring province of Amran, where the army is continuing its advance toward rebel positions.
Posters of 23 wanted men have gone up in the Uzbek capital, Tashkent, where officials say they are moving against Islamists threatening the state. The posters have appeared in densely populated areas warning the public that the men are armed and very dangerous. Nothing is said about the crimes these alleged extremists are supposed to have committed.
In recent months the authorities have had to face a string of violent incidents. In late August there was a shoot-out in Tashkent, with security forces trading fire with suspected extremists in the old part of the city
The prosecutor general's office recently said three members of a terrorist group had been killed and that others were in detention. The prosecutor also said that the men had trained abroad and were suspected of being involved in other recent crimes in the city. It is not clear whether the prosecutor's statement was referring to the August attacks or another incident in July in which unknown assailants killed an assistant at a local pro-government mosque. It is also not clear whether these crimes are connected to poster of the wanted men.
Some relatives have told human rights groups that the men are innocent. One mother, Rano Abdurasulova, told the BBC Uzbek Service that her 34-year-old son Odil had been forced into hiding. "He called me on 5 September and said: 'Mother, I swear to Allah, I'm innocent. I will be back when everything calms down. But please, don't worry and look after yourself'." Mrs Abdurasulova said her son would face torture if he was caught, and that he had previously been arrested 10 years ago for alleged links with a militant group, when he was tortured for three months.
The authorities have been tightening security since May when unidentified gunmen attacked a police station in the city of Khanabad and a suicide bomber killed a policeman and himself in the city of Andijon. The authorities say the militants have found refuge in neighbouring countries, and have closed the country's borders with Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan on several occasions. They are also building a barrier and digging trenches along some stretches of the border.
Deputy Minister of the Interior and head of Ukrainian Ministry Chief Administration in the Crimea Gennady Moskal prepares a draft on banning activity of the Hizb ut-Tahrir in the country. He also requested Foreign Minister Vladimir Khandogy to collect documents proving this organization had been banned in other countries, Ukrainian edition of the Kommersant daily informs on Wednesday.
Moskal is especially concerned with growing activity of this organization in the Crimea as it may result in destabilization of interethnic relations in South Ukraine. He reminded that some states even consider Hizb ut-Tahrir a terroristic organization. It is banned in Russia, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kirgizia, Germany, Pakistan and Syria.
I want to live in a state of Ukraine and not in an Islamic state they call Caliphate. I dont want to run into Jihad! Moskal said.
[Iran Press TV Latest] Former US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice has said that the United States could experience another terrorist attack like 9/11 if troops are withdrawn from Afghanistan.
"If you want another terrorist attack in the US, abandon Afghanistan," she said in an interview with Fortune magazine on Tuesday.
"The last time we left Afghanistan, and we abandoned Pakistan, that territory became the very territory on which al-Qaeda trained and attacked us on September 11th.
"So our national security interests are very much tied up in not letting Afghanistan fail again and become a safe haven for terrorists," Rice added.
President Barack Obama is considering his options after the US commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, said on Monday that extra troops are needed within the next year or else the war "will likely result in failure."
Rice made the remarks after new threats of a possible terrorist attack emerged following a series of arrests in Denver and New York related to an alleged bomb plot.
"Counterterrorism officials have issued security bulletins to police around the nation about terrorists' desire to attack stadiums, entertainment complexes, and hotels," the Associated Press reported.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/23/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
ION DER SPIEGEL > ISLAMISTS IN PAKISTAN RECRUIT NETIRE FAMILIES FROM EUROPE [ e.g. Germany]; + WARSAW FEARS WASHINGTON LOSING INTEREST IN EASTERN ALLIES.
* WMF > Seems The Bammer's cancellation of Missle defense basing has made EASTERN EUROPE INTO A LOOMING "NO MAN'S LAND" FOR FUTURE CONFRONT, CONFLICT BETWEEN WESTERN EUROPE = EUROPEAN UNION + MOTHER RUSSIA.
IOW, EASTERN EUROPE = AFPAK > TOOL(S) FOR COVERT US IMPERIALISM BY PROXY VIA THE DESTABILIZ AND BREAKUP OF BOTH ALLIES + ENEMIES + NEUTRALS [NAM]???
[Iran Press TV Latest] A top US commander claims to have evidence that elements within Pakistani intelligence were supporting pro-Taliban militants against the NATO troops in Afghanistan.
Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the top US general in Afghanistan, alleges that factions of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency (ISI) were contributing to efforts by the external forces working to undermine US interests in the war-ravaged country, Los Angeles Times reported
"Afghanistan's insurgency is clearly supported from Pakistan," McChrystal wrote in a report delivered to the White House this week, according to the paper.
Referring to the classified version of the report, the LA Times added that senior leaders of major Taliban groups are "reportedly aided by some elements of Pakistan's ISI"
However, McChrystal did not elaborate on the nature of the assistance.
McChrystal comments come despite reports that one of ISI's own facilities in eastern city of Lahore had been the target of a suicide bombing in recent months.
Senior US and western officials have stepped up suggestions of links between the ISI and the insurgent groups in the past years.
This is while the Pakistani government has repeatedly claimed to have severed such ties in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. The ISI has been a key US partner in the capture of a number of high-level Al Qaeda operatives in the troubled region.
Senior military and civilian officials in Islamabad say that NATO's wrong policies in Afghanistan as well as US's repeated drone attacks against targets within Pakistani borders were to be blamed for increased militancy in Pakistan.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/23/2009 00:00 ||
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In a blunt challenge to his nation's critics, President Barack Obama says world leaders who once accused the United States of acting alone must now join with him to solve global crises rather than "wait for America" to lead. It's pretty obvious they're all mouth and no money. So what're y'gonna do, B.O.?
It is Obama's first address to the U.N. General Assembly, and he is seeking to set a new tone in U.S. relations -- one that separates his administration from the unilateralism of his predecessor, George W. Bush, which alienated many nations. Bush set out to build a "coalition" in the wake of 9-11 and discovered an Axis of Weasels. B.O. wasn't paying attention. He paid attention, he just agreed with the weasels that time ...
"Those who used to chastise America for acting alone in the world cannot now stand by and wait for America to solve the world's problems alone," Obama said in White House excerpts of the address that carried a remarkably blunt tone. Sure they can. Just watch.
In essence, Obama's message is that he expects plenty in return for reaching out. My prediction: He will receive squat.
"We have sought in word and deed a new era of engagement with the world," Obama said, echoing the cooperative theme he promised as a candidate and has since used as a pillar of his foreign policy. "Now is the time for all of us to take our share of responsibility." Rather than just us...
He said if the world is honest with itself, it has fallen woefully short. One thing the great wide world ain't is honest with itself...
"Extremists sowing terror in pockets of the world," Obama said. "Protracted conflicts that grind on and on. Genocide and mass atrocities. More and more nations with nuclear weapons. Melting ice caps and ravaged populations. Persistent poverty and pandemic disease." On the other hand: the extremists are able to sow terror in pockets of the world because the civilized world has become over-civilized. Otherwise the bad guyz would be wiped out and their breeding grounds would be sown with salt. Protracted conflicts grind on and on for the same reasons: we're simply too nice to kill the people responsible. It takes not only a trained eye but a strong belief to notice that the ice caps are melting, and the populations that are ravaged are ravaged by their own seedy politicians, rather than by pandemic disease and starvation. There are no plagues wiping out a half or even two thirds of continental populations and poverty has become a treatable condition even in some places with hereditary presidencies.
The president added, "I say this not to sow fear, but to state a fact: the magnitude of our challenges has yet to be met by the measure of our action." The magnitude of our challenges is nothing compared to the challenges that faced our grandparents. The biggest challenge we face is keeping the politicians out of a boodle that's swollen to a size greater than ever seen.
[Iran Press TV Latest] Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has cast doubt on receiving any support from neighboring Syria to end terrorism in the region.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Maliki called for the establishment of an independent UN commission to look into the August 19 bombings of its finance and foreign ministries after Syria's failure to respond to his request for handing over of a list of terror suspects said to be hiding in Syria.
"We have almost no hope that these efforts will succeed," the statement notes.
The Prime minister had earlier charged that 90 percent of foreign fighters who enter Iraq come through Syria -- including terrorists accused of carrying out August attacks.
"From the beginning, we did not expect to receive a response from Syria to the Iraqi demands," said the premier.
Syria had formerly signaled that it will be open to Turkish mediated efforts to settle the recent row between the two neighbors.
Maliki however rejected requests from Arab neighbors for Iraq's acceptance of a negotiated way out of the diplomatic crisis.
He insisted he would continue to press for a UN probe into the attacks, which killed almost 100 people and wounded at least 600 others in Baghdad.
The attacks led to a row that saw Baghdad and Damascus recalling their envoys six days after the bombings.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/23/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
You were expecting pencil-neck Assad to do something?
In declaring that it is time for Middle East peace "without preconditions," President Obama used his speech to the U.N. General Assembly Wednesday to fire a warning at Israel that "America does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements."
Obama's stark declaration, which drew applause, was coupled with a call for Palestinians to end their "incitement of Israel."
But it was the use of the U.N. forum to carry the settlement message to Israel that drew the most enthusiastic response on the floor -- and incredulous reaction outside its walls.
Obama just put Israel "on the chopping block," said former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton.
Obama said he met Tuesday with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was not in attendance at the speech, and agreed that the two have made some progress in both strengthening security and facilitating freedom of movement, which have allowed the economy in the West Bank to grow.
But more progress is needed, he said.
"We continue to call on Palestinians to end incitement against Israel, and we continue to emphasize that America does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements," he said.
#3
Obama is stirring up trouble in the mideast the likes of which we have never seen before either by design or imcompetence. He is aiding and abetting Israeli's enemies--just about every muslim in the mideast. Shameful.
#7
"America does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements."
This statement amounts to nothing. So what if America doesn't? It changes nothing. Like Bambi not accepting the legitimacy of the elected Honduran government, or its next elected government.
If he decides to reduce American *loans* to Israel, the Israelis can just shrug. Some of the Israelis have called for an end to the "American heroin" as well, as it gives the US too much influence in Israeli policies. The Israelis promptly repay the loans every year, anyway.
The Israelis should have a policy of going it alone when there is a hostile Democrat president, then becoming friends again when there is a friendly Republican president.
#9
Obama kicks yet another "own goal". What a loser.
I like the comment that I saw in some other on-line thread (I don't recall if it was on Rantburg), to the effect:
"If Obama was in the paid employment of America's deadliest enemies, who were utterly committed to America's destruction - what would he be doing differently from his current actions"?
Ma'an - Head Palestine Liberation Organization negotiator Dr Saeb Erekat lamented on Tuesday that US special envoy George Mitchell had not yet succeeded in convincing Israel to pause its settlement enterprise during talks in New York.
"Senator Mitchell could not have the Israelis comply with their obligations, ie stopping settlement activities including natural growth," Erekat said after meeting Israeli leaders. "He could not get the Israeli government's acceptance to resume the permanent status negotiations."
He said accepting US President Barack Obama's invitation to the trilateral meeting that included Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was under the pretense that Israel might have been pressured to fulfill its agreements. "We thought that the invitation of President Obama was a personal invitation that reflected the commitment to achieve the two-state solution."
While top Palestinian negotiator applauded Obama and Mitchell's efforts, he nevertheless lamented that since "the Americans cannot have the Israelis comply with stopping settlement activities," little more could be expected out of Israel on larger issues.
"If the Israeli government believes that they want to make peace to maintain their coalition by saying Jerusalem is not going to be negotiated, refugees is not going to be negotiated, settlements will continue then they can make peace between themselves," he said.
"It's time and high time for the Israeli government to realize that obligations are the essence of international law, international relations, interactions between nations," he added. "Responsible governments carry out their obligations."
"Thank Allah we Palestinians are not a nation, allowing the PA government to continue refusing to carry out the obligations we have in the past committed to."
Posted by: Fred ||
09/23/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
What do you expect Saeb---people like Mitchell been trying to "solve the Jewish problem" for the last four thousand years.
Wouldn't want any passing "little mullahs" to explode.
Iranian police have warned shop owners not to display female mannequins wearing underwear or curve-revealing clothes. A letter from the police published Wednesday in the state-owned IRAN daily also warned men should not sell women's underwear and advised shopkeepers against showing pictures authorities deem immoral.
Posted by: ed ||
09/23/2009 07:21 ||
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The Canadian delegation will walk out of a speech at the United Nations by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad later Wednesday, to protest human rights abuses in Iran, as well as inflammatory comments the Iranian leader has made about Israel and the Holocaust.
Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon will boycott the speech under direct orders from Prime Minister Stephen Harper
ht Insty
On Tuesday, I reported that a plane had crashed in Iran and seven people had been killed. Defense News is reporting that the plane that crashed was participating in Tuesday's military parade in Tehran, and that it was Iran's one and only AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System).
Iran's sole Simorgh AWACS aircraft was lost during a military parade Sept. 22, one of two Iranian military aircraft that crashed in Tehran while participating in a display to mark the anniversary of the start of the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War.
The Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force operated a single Simorgh, a former Iraqi Air Force Adnan. The Adnan AWACS was in turn a modification of a Soviet-built Ilyushin Il-76 transport.
The Simorgh collided with one of the Air Force's Northrop F-5E Tiger II fighters over the area of the Imam Khomeyni Shrine, southern Tehran.
The Simorgh collided with one of the Air Force's Northrop F-5E Tiger II fighters over the area of the Imam Khomeyni Shrine, southern Tehran. According to eyewitnesses, the crash occurred immediately after the parade. Apparently, no mayday call was issued. Both aircraft crashed in flames. Initial reports indicate that seven crewmembers were killed in the crash.
In total, Iraq built three AWACS aircraft, one Baghdad, and two Baghdad-2s, the latter later renamed Adnans. One Adnan and the Baghdad were evacuated to Iran during the 1991 Gulf War, while the second Adnan was destroyed on the ground by a coalition air strike in January 1991.
The exact status of the Iranian Simorgh and its onboard systems was long uncertain. However, photographs suggest that the aircraft was equipped with a newly fitted functioning radar suite.
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/23/2009 08:41 ||
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#1
Big deal. The Iranians use their F-14s as AWACS, due to the big radar. Not too many incoming high speed, high altitude bombers near Iran, and they'd use SAMs anyway.
Posted by: ed ||
09/23/2009 11:20 Comments ||
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#4
Eye witnesses reported that the flaming planes landed on the mausoleum burial site of the Islamic revolutions founder Ruhollah Khomeini, a national shrine. According to Western observers, no distress signals came from either cockpit indicating that the collision and explosions were sudden and fast.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
09/23/2009 12:02 Comments ||
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#5
My compliments to Mahmoud the 'Mechanic' ...
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/23/2009 12:05 Comments ||
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#6
Sending a message.....
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
09/23/2009 16:33 Comments ||
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#7
In'Shallah. :-D
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
09/23/2009 18:11 Comments ||
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#8
I guess the super-secret embedded remote control device was "accidentally" activated. All righty then who is going to fess-up!
[Iran Press TV Latest] Iranian Reformist figure and former president Mohammad Khatami has denied reports that he has held meetings with financier and Soros Foundation founder George Soros, where they allegedly discussed a "velvet coup d'état" in Iran.
He's a puppet of the Joooooooos!!!!!11!1!!1!
The Principlist daily Kayhan and the official Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) on September 21 attributed statements to Soros describing meetings with Khatami.
The report claimed that the two met twice, the first time at an undisclosed location and the second allegedly during the 38th session of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland.
"I met him (Khatami) again in 2007. That was where I found out that he had become more radicalized to an extent... Due to political problems... he was forced to cut short his trip and return to Tehran," Soros had allegedly said in an address at the Trump International Hotel, according to Iran's pro-government media.
The Soros Foundation was named during the televised mass trials of those arrested in Iran's post-election unrest and accused of promoting and plotting a " velvet coup" in the country.
"Seyyed Mohammad Khatami neither knows this person nor has he met him in person in Davos or in any other place," a statement issued by Khatami's office on September 22 said.
"The insistence of certain groups and media on attributing baseless claims to revolutionary and national figures, individuals, and citizens -- although nothing new -- is thought-provoking, (especially) after the Leader's clear comments during his Eid al-Fitr sermon, and is an indication of the sincerity of the liars who claim to be followers of the Leader," the statement read.
"Although such false accusations will have no, or the opposite, effect on the opinion of those who seek freedom, progress, and human dignity, when faced with such immoral behavior in a society and establishment where morality and truth should be its main characteristics, we seek refuge in God's mercy," the statement said in conclusion.
In his Eid al-Fitr sermon on September 20, Ayatollah Khamenei warned against leveling accusations of misconduct against personages while they are absent and not able to defend themselves.
"It should be noted that what was aired on state television from recent court sessions in which defendants accused others who were not present of wrongdoings... this is not reliable... Whatever the accused says about himself in a court session can be reliable... but if it is about someone else, it is not dependable," Ayatollah Khamenei said.
A number of the opposition figures arrested shortly after the June 12 presidential election have appeared in the televised court sessions, and some have made statements incriminating themselves and their erstwhile comrades - including Khatami. The conduct and the airing of these sessions at a revolutionary court in Tehran, as well as the treatment of the detainees, have been controversial and strongly condemned by the opposition.
I googled "Khatami Soros meeting". The first page is all articles like this one. The Soros website has absolutely nothing about it that I could find, which no doubt speaks to my poor searching skills. Nonetheless, I shouldn't think many in Iran will find it convincing, blatant as the propaganda effort is. Next they'll be saying he himself raped all the imprisoned protesters, not the jailers.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/23/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Now why would Soros feel the need to engineer a "velvet coup" in Iran when the one he staged right here is paying such handsome dividends?
Posted by: Ricky bin Ricardo (Abu Babaloo) ||
09/23/2009 1:26 Comments ||
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#2
Soros has financed a number of 'democratic change' type initiatives in E Europe and Russia. It is not a complete stretch to think he would want such a thing in Iran also.
Of course in the US, Soros finances 'democratic change' in the form of funding leftist orgs.
Posted by: lord garth ||
09/23/2009 8:22 Comments ||
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Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has targeted and downed an unidentified shining object after sighting it over Persian Gulf waters.
"Glowing objects were sighted over the Persian Gulf. IRGC air defense targeted one of the objects successfully, forcing it to plummet and sink in the seas off Boushehr (Province)," said top regional commander, Brigadier Ali Razmjou.
"The three bright objects were detected by our radars when flying over the Persian Gulf Islands of Khark and Khargou," he added, according to a Monday report posted on IRNA.
Brig. Razmjou explained that when the radars indicated that they were not Iranian aircrafts, the IRGC fired at the three objects. He also added that the fallen objects' remains have not been found yet.
The exact time and location of the sighting and downing of the weird aircraft has not been announced.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/23/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Oh my goodness, they may have seen Nutjob's halo as he traveled off to the UN meeting!
[Al Arabiya Latest] Iran's nuclear chief said Tuesday the Islamic Republic had built a new generation of centrifuges as President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad warned that his country was ready to confront the "forces of darkness" from anywhere in the world.
"Our scientists have built new generation of centrifuges and cascades with 10 centrifuges each are now being tested," Ali Akbar Salehi was quoted as saying by the official IRNA news agency.
Salehi said the new generation of centrifuges can enrich uranium with "more than five times the output capacity" of the earlier standard centrifuges and that Iran "plans to raise this capacity to 10 times."
Iran and the world powers are at loggerheads over Tehran's decision to continue enriching uranium, the process which can generate the raw material to make an atomic bomb.
The atomic chief's statements came shortly after Ahmadinejad, speaking at an army parade marking the anniversary of the eruption of the Iran-Iraq war in 1980, renewed his demand that U.S.-led foreign forces operating in neighboring Iraq and Afghanistan leave the region.
"We advise you to go back to your own land. Our region will never accept a lengthy presence of foreigners," the re-elected president, dressed in his trademark light-color jacket and wearing sunglasses, said at the ceremony attended by top military and administrative officials.
"As you saw in Iraq and Afghanistan, people are against the presence of foreigners. It is impossible (for foreign troops) to have a stable base in the region," added Ahmadinejad, who according to state television left Iran shortly after the parade, bound for New York where he is to attend the U.N. General Assembly meeting.
During the parade, Iranian military pick-up trucks were seen sporting large banners proclaiming, "Death to Israel" and "Death to America."
Posted by: Fred ||
09/23/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
ION PAKISTANI DEFENCE FORUM > [RUSS Generals Vladimir Dvorkin, Victor Yesin] IRAN'S MISSLE PROGRAM HAS POTENTIAL GREATER THAN NORTH KOREA'S.
Collectively, RUSSIA > believes that IRAN already possesses 3000-KM range Ballistic Missles, and desires to dev 4000-KM-AND-BEYOND STRATEGIC LR ICBMS come Year 2015 or shortly after [indigenous Iran-improved 'Dual Use", MIL-CIV SPACE, "SHAHAB" BMS].
#2
WMF > IN ANY SINO-US WAR, GIVEN THE PRESENT TECHS SUPERIORITY OF THE USA, CHINA'S FOCII SHOULD BE "TO NOT LOSE" [Survivable/manageable stalemate-defeat], NOT TO FIGHT FOR OVERWHELMING MILITARY VICTORY. It is also in Chin's interests to help its Amer enemy "NOT LOSE" ITS AMER WAR AGZ CHINA???
IOW, not unlike Muslim military history, CHINA = MUSLIMS = LIKES TO FIGHT "LONG WARS", NOT US-WEST FAVORED "SHORT/BRIEF WARS".
Amid talks of an exponential growth in the influence of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) in Iran, the force's chief commander denies the existence of a "military mafia" in the country and brings to light an urgency to counter the enemy.
In an interview with the Jam-e-Jam daily, Brigadier General Mohammad-Ali Jafari said the elite military arm had grown in power only because it had to counter exceptionally well-equipped enemies inside and outside the country.
"Only because Sepah [IRGC] had to fight with empty hands against domestic and foreign enemy, equipped with the latest in military equipment, it has turned into an exceptional organization in the world," the IRGC commander said.
When asked if a possible military pole running large swatches of Iran's economy and politics could threaten the country, General Jafari argued that the IRGC is a "popular revolutionary structure" and does not have a "military identity by nature."
The Iranian commander told the daily that the IRGC bears no similarity to notorious military mafias in other countries.
"The stage where Sepah members operate is a stage without any rivals and for that reason it does not need monopolizing. This stage is set for sacrifice and anonymous efforts until martyrdom," Jafari opined.
Today in Iran, the IRGC is estimated to oversee nearly 130,000 forces, while the Basij forces is estimated to number up to 6 million and is active in most cities, towns and villages across the country.
The majority of Basij forces -- who form a smaller branch under the IRGC -- are actively involved in volunteer work at mosques.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/23/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
The Iranian military-theocracy: many heads, same hydra.
The whole contraption amounts to a (Farsi) version of The Sopranos.
Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says that Iranians offer a message of peace for all nations, while stressing no power will ever dare to think of invading Iran.
"No power will ever dare to think of launching an attack on the Iranian nation. Today, Iran is more experienced and powerful than ever before," said the president in a ceremony to celebrate the national 'Sacred Defense Week' on Tuesday.
"The Iranian nation seeks the establishment of peace and sustainable security based on justice. Our people are strong to defend their rights and land," he added.
"Our powerful armed forces will cut the hands of every power who intends to shoot a bullet at us from anywhere."
Ahmadinejad, who plans to head to New York later Tuesday to attend the UN General Assembly meeting recommended bullying powers to "change their approaches and thoughts in favor of humanity and human values."
"It is unacceptable that those who came to our region from thousands of kilometers away brought nothing but insecurity and attempted destabilization of regional nations," he said.
"They came to our region to sell their weapons and provoke confrontation. They accuse other powers of interfering in affairs of regional countries and causing insecurity."
He urged US-led foreign forces to fully withdraw from Iraq and Afghanistan.
"We advise you to go back to your own land and spend heavy military costs on resolving the woes of your own nations," said the president, adding " Regional nations have the ability to establish and defend their own security."
"Our region will never tolerate the presence of foreigners for any lengthy period."
"As you saw in Iraq and Afghanistan, people are against the presence of foreigners. It is impossible for foreign troops to have a stable base in these regions," added the Iranian president.
Iran holds special ceremonies on Tuesday to mark the first day of Sacred Defense Week' -- an annual commemoration of the 1980-1988 war imposed by Iraq under the late dictator Saddam Hossein.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/23/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
To a certain extent, that is true. Iran is a HUGE country, much larger than Iraq, and it is very rugged.
Iran is slightly larger than Alaska. Only the most ruthless invader could take it. You would have to go back to carpet bombing cities and breaking their will to resist. Their military could be defeated but under today's politically correct rules, they could never be occupied.
Now if you are willing to carpet bomb them for several years and kill an entire generation of their population like in the world wars, yeah, anything is possible.
#5
WAFF > WSJ:OBAMA ND THE POLITICS OF CONCESSION...
ARTIC SUB-PARAGR [paraphased]= the USA = POTUS Bammer appears to be bent on delayng or cutting back on its ability to successfully intercept ballistic missles. vee "rogue" States [MilTerrs?], AT ROUGHLY THE SAME TIME THAT IRAN DESIRES TO DEV STRATEGIC NUCLEAR ICBMS.
Widin 3-5 Years, aka Year 2012 thru 2015???
IOW, ITS NOT CLEAR IFF HOW POTENT THE PENDING "STRATEGIC DEFENSIVE TRIAD" = FLEXIBLE MISSLE-SPACE DEFENSE [Flex Response] WILL BE CIRCA 2015 + NUKE-ARMED, MISSLE-ARMED,STRATWEAPS-ARMED IRAN + RADICAL ISLAMISM [Nukulaar Militancy-Terror]???
Ahead of his speech at the UN General Assembly, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says he will present human approaches as a solution to ongoing crises in the world.
"The Iranian nation wants peace and security for all nations," Ahmadinejad said Tuesday, moments before his departure for New York to address the 64th annual meeting of the United Nations General Assembly.
"The UN General Assembly will be a proper venue to express views of the Iranian nation and to find solutions to ongoing problems in the world that all countries complain about," he said.
He, however, added that he is ready to "hear views of others as well."
The president said he also plans to hold talks with senior officials of certain countries and meet with Iranian elite, university students and professors residing in the United States.
The visit is President Ahmadinejad's first trip to the West since he took office for a second term after the presidential election in June.
Since 2005, the Iranian president has regularly attended summits at the United Nations headquarters in New York and delivered controversial speeches.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/23/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Let me guess. This solution is of the "final" variety?
[Iran Press TV Latest] President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has arrived in New York to attend the 64th session of the UN General Assembly. We shall alert the media. No. Wait. We are the media.
The Iranian ambassador to the UN, a group of Iranians residing in the US, and "local officials" welcomed the Iranian delegation in New York on Tuesday, the Fars news agency reported.
All five lawmakers representing religious minorities in the Majlis (Iran's parliament) are part of the Iranian delegation accompanying Ahmadinejad. Previously, only one of the lawmakers representing religious minorities accompanied the Iranian president on his visits to the UN headquarters.
Five seats of the Iranian parliament are reserved for religious minorities according to proportional representation. There are three Christian MPs, one Zoroastrian MP, and one Jewish MP.
Ahmadinejad will deliver a speech to the General Assembly on Wednesday.
The Iranian president also plans to hold talks with the leaders of several other countries on the sidelines of the session.
In addition, Ahmadinejad is scheduled to hold talks with Iranians living in the US.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/23/2009 00:00 ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Posters of 23 wanted men have gone up in the Uzbek capital, Tashkent, where officials say they are moving against Islamists threatening the state. The posters have appeared in densely populated areas warning the public that the men are armed and very dangerous. Nothing is said about the crimes these alleged extremists are supposed to have committed. 
Deputy Minister of the Interior and head of Ukrainian Ministry Chief Administration in the Crimea Gennady Moskal prepares a draft on banning activity of the Hizb ut-Tahrir in the country. He also requested Foreign Minister Vladimir Khandogy to collect documents proving this organization had been banned in other countries, Ukrainian edition of the Kommersant daily informs on Wednesday. 
In a blunt challenge to his nation's critics, President Barack Obama says world leaders who once accused the United States of acting alone must now join with him to solve global crises rather than "wait for America" to lead.
