The kidnappers of two oil workers seized shortly after midnight Thursday from a boat belonging to Oslo-based Petroleum Geo-Services have contacted authorities. Government emissaries have made contact with gunmen who seized a British and an American from an offshore oil-prospecting vessel in Nigeria's troubled southern oil region, and both are reportedly in good health, a local official said Friday. The gunmen claim to have acted on behalf of the Ezetu community living near Chevron's Funiwa platform to back demands for jobs and the building of a local hospital, said Joshua Benamesia, a security aide to Bayelsa State Gov. Goodluck Jonathan. "We've made contact, and I can confirm the hostages are well," Benamesia said. He gave no further details.
#1
I've seen the same kind of sh!t in San Francisco. All the teenagers from Berkeley go to its Financial District for a protest, trash the crap out of the place during yet another "day of resistance," and leave it to be cleaned up by the locals. SOP for dedicated Leftist "revolutionaries" anywhere.
Anyone else think this is a preview of things to come here - say Summer '09?
I figure, and this is the really big difference between the US and everyfuckingwhere else, is that the shitheads and the cops aren't the only ones who're armed... there are some folks who prefer law 'n order - and will impose it themselves when PCism won't allow the cops to do it -- not to mention the cops who don't want to do it - See Miami story, today -- are very well armed.
So the piddleheads get hinky cuz they lose an election - and scream it was stolen - same as Mexico. They decide to throw their tantrum in the streets - wherever the TV cameras are, anyway.
They take to the streets to show how civic-minded they are - their very best imitation of civil disobedience. Thoreau would get chill-bumps, doncha know.
The Stalinists and other professional anarchists, who've provided money, legal help, printing services, munchies, water stations, and condoms, start adding the active ingredients to the show - to liven things up. And the rubes thinks it's really exciting... that's why we call 'em tools.
The cops are all polite 'n PC 'n stuff. Rather quickly, they find themselves outgunned... and speaking of guns and other implements of destruction, death and destruction suddenly become part of the show. Cops fall, gomers fall, innocents who have nothing to do with it fall. Houses, cars, buses, bldgs burn... Fuses of all sorts are lit...
Then, from the houses the loonies pass, from the nooks 'n crannies the mob lumbers by, a few folks who prefer order start picking out, and picking off, those "spicy" elements who ANSWER, et al, have inserted into the show. Pop! Down he goes. One shot, one kill. If taking out the professionals does the trick, well then, it's back to the suburban manor...
But, if that doesn't suffice, well, you can always escalate...
#4
"Anyone else think this is a preview of things to come here - say Summer '09?"
Yup.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
11/04/2006 13:01 Comments ||
Top||
#5
It seems to me that the moonbats have a death wish of one sort (via muzzies at some point) or another, and they will seek and they will find.
In a way, it is sad. Under normal circumstances, a portion of them may grow up, reaching adulthood and maturity. But circumstances are far from normal and hence all I can say is ... oh, well...
BISHKEK: Kyrgyzstans president, under pressure from mass opposition protests for his resignation, said on Friday authorities had uncovered evidence the opposition was plotting to seize control of key state buildings.
As hundreds resumed their protests after an overnight vigil outside parliament, President Kurmanbek Bakiyev said an audio transcript showed protest organisers had discussed seizing state TV, the main presidency and government building, and the SNB state security headquarters. Lets not get overtaken by emotion. There is no threat here. There are no forces to carry out a coup. But there are intentions. There is proof, Bakiyev told parliament as protests continued outside. The tape appeared to have been obtained from secret recording of a meeting on Thursday night in the office of one of the main opposition leaders, Omurbek Tekebayev.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/04/2006 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
FIJIAN military commander Frank Bainimarama has refused to heed calls from his counterparts in neighbouring countries - including Australia's defence force chief, Angus Houston - not to carry out his threat to force the resignation of the Qarase Government. As two Australian warships, HMAS Newcastle and HMAS Kanimbla, approach Fiji, the Howard Government remains deeply concerned about the military's intentions.
The view from Canberra is that Commodore Bainimarama will not hesitate to stage a military coup if he cannot intimidate the Government into stepping down.
Australian government sources believe Fiji's military chief could still insist on ousting the Government, despite intense international pressure to back down and the more conciliatory views expressed yesterday by acting military commander Esala Teleni. The view from Canberra is that Commodore Bainimarama will not hesitate to stage a military coup if he cannot intimidate the Government into stepping down. But with Commodore Bainimarama still visiting troops in Egypt, Captain Teleni and Laisenia Qarase held talks and played down the possibility of a coup.
Mr Qarase, whose Government delivered this year's budget yesterday to a parliament under a heavy security lockdown, said he was comforted by assurances given by the acting commander. "He gave me an assurance again that the military never intended to stage a coup and they are continuing with their war of words, as they put it," Mr Qarase said. "I think the message to our people is that things are normal. Unfortunately we had this hiccup, but we will deal with it ... in our own way."
Posted by: Fred ||
11/04/2006 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
Miami Police Chief John Timoney, an Irish immigrant himself, told South Florida immigrant rights advocates Friday night that his officers are under orders not to ask foreign nationals about their immigration status. So much for the law.
The exception, he said during a meeting with activists at Miami City Hall, would be if the immigrant is arrested because of a crime. Then, he said, officers are required to notify the immigration authorities. But we're not happy about it.
"We don't enforce immigration laws," Timoney said to applause from the approximately 50 activists attending. He said his department will investigate any Miami police officer accused of stopping a person on the street for the sole purpose of demanding immigration papers. Badges? We don't need no steekin' badges.
The meeting came in response to lingering fears in South Florida immigrant communities about the role of local police in recent operations by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The agency says it periodically requests a local police presence as backup in case an operation turns violent.
Barbara Gonzalez, a Miami spokeswoman for ICE, said: "We defer to the local agency to determine how they will operate. We always want to have a cooperative relationship with our state and local counterparts and often work closely with state and local agencies, in large part because we have a shared public safety mission." Well the "Chief" disagrees with that "shared" thingy.
Timoney was also asked about efforts by some members of Congress to push legislation that would deny police departments federal funding unless they help enforce immigration law. Heh.
Timoney said he opposes such legislation. "I'm committed to not doing it," he said. "If we lose funding, we lose funding." Now that's a public servant in the grand IrishCubano tradition.
Timoney agreed with many of the activists at the meeting that fear of police enforcement of immigration law discouraged undocumented immigrants from calling police if they become victims of a crime. It wuz a lovefest.
While many immigration advocates welcome police pledges not to ask immigrants about status, some want officers to go further. Not enough! You have to ice ICE agents, too!
Officers, they say, should not call immigration if a federal crime database lists an immigrant stopped in traffic as wanted for evading a deportation order for being in the country illegally. Their reasoning is that illegal presence is a civil, not criminal, violation. Funny, the law says it's a crime.
Cheryl Little, executive director of Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center, one of the sponsors of Friday's meeting, told The Miami Herald earlier that advocates want federal authorities to delete from the database entries listing deportation order absconders. Just hit Delete. It's the "right" thing to do.
"These people are branded as fugitives, but they have not committed a crime," she said. Other than breaking the law, she's right.
The issue arose briefly toward the end of the meeting, when one advocate asked why officers call immigration if the database shows the person is wanted by immigration. Just a guess... Because it's the law?
"If you have an instance like that, send me a letter and I'll get back to you," Timoney replied. We don't need no steekin' laws. We're the law 'round here!
Immigration officials began adding the names of immigration court evaders to the National Crime Information Center in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. Go figure, huh?
#1
Numerous police services give possible illegals a bye because of the time factor in arrest, booking, and detention. Federal compensation for each process, is warranted. Too bad that a catastrophe has to occur before it happens.
#2
Yes, but have one of those illegals shot and kill or wound an officer and the whole department will be out there after him. Wound or kill a civilian, well, they're do the usual all points routine. Must be why my sympathy meter pegs a little lower than it used to.
#3
Miami Police Chief John Timoney, an Irish immigrant himself
Legal? If not, then his history of law-breaking should have disqualified him from any job in law enforcement. If so, then his inability to distinguish between law-abiding and law-breaking should disqualify him from any job in law enforcement.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
11/04/2006 9:07 Comments ||
Top||
#4
this PC bullshit has gotta stop. If they won't comply, cut off ALL their federal funds. Miami can stew in their own crime
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/04/2006 9:11 Comments ||
Top||
#5
Check today's Pearls Before Swine comic. (I don't know how to put the picture in here or even in its own post, but it fits this topic.)
#6
The issue arose briefly toward the end of the meeting, when one advocate asked why officers call immigration if the database shows the person is wanted by immigration.
#7
Lots of big city police depts. look the other way on immigration status on the grounds that no one will talk to them if they start enforcing the law.
A sign, I guess, of how out of control the problem is.
#8
A real problem is the damned SOB's from ICE. They won't come pick the illegals up. Totally overcrowds local jails. F**king ICE crying they don't have enough beds to house illegals. Put them in pens like Jo Arpaio. If these useless f**kers can't figure a work around, fire them.There's lotsa folks looking for work who can figure it out. This useless f**k Chertoff is a real weenie. A total loser. Get Arpaio in there and you'll see more happen in one week than this loser and the blockhead previous to him have accomplished in six years.
(2006-11-03) With just days to go before national elections, Democrats in Congress today unveiled a comprehensive vision for Americas future, dubbed the Contract with San Francisco.
Presumptive House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi, at a secret news conference in an undisclosed location, said, This is a vision that springs from the heartland of the new America, and we intend to take these San Francisco values out to the Bible-belt, red-state fringes of the South and Midwest.
Whats good for San Francisco is good for the nation, she said, And its about time our country got back to the fundamentals which shaped a generation of trans-decent folks living here in Americas garter belt.
Rep. Pelosi, who surfaced today thanks to an Amber Alert when a Starbucks barista recognized her face from a milk carton, said, These ideas come from the down-home, spritzer-and-brie citizens who have built our postmodern culture on a rock-solid foundation of tolerance, diversity, flexible morality, self-esteem, hyphenated phrases and large grants from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Rep. Pelosi did not distribute copies of the Contract with San Francisco to reporters.
These ideas transcend the subjectivity of the printed word and cannot be captured on paper, she said, but they constitute a living document that dwells in the hearts of those who believe, and is continually refreshed to reflect the mood of the nation and desires of the individual.
The Indian Navy has sent some 300 personnel to the United States to train and sail back with the 35-year-old Austin-class platform landing dock, USS Trenton acquired by India, a leading defence weekly reported.
Crew are now undergoing training at the US Navy base in Norfolk, Virginia, before taking over the 17,000-tonne ship once it is decommissioned from the US Navy in January 2007. The crew will then aim to return to India by May 2007, the Jane's Defence weekly said, quoting a spokesman of the Indian Navy.
At 174 metre long, Trenton will be the Indian Navy's second largest warship after the Hermes-class aircraft carrier INS Viraat and the first military purchase from the US after the two countries entered into a strategic partnership in 2005.
Trenton cost India Rs 2.18 billion ($ 48.44 million) under the US government's foreign military sales programme and includes the provision of four LCM8 landing craft.
Posted by: john ||
11/04/2006 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under:
#2
Indian navy pilots are being trained in carrier ops by the USN.
These pilots will be flying Mig-29Ks, off a refurbished russian built carrier but the Indian Navy didn't think too highly of Russian carrier operations.
Posted by: john ||
11/04/2006 7:08 Comments ||
Top||
A day after a senior UN official was indicted on bribery charges, the United Nations management chief said on Thursday an investigation into corruption was at full throttle and he urged anyone with relevant information to cooperate. The dominoes are beginning to fall, the undersecretary-general for management, Mr Christopher Burnham told the Associated Press. Anyone with information about corruption anywhere in the UN needs to come forward now before the dominoes reach them, he added.
Mr Burnham, who has been instrumental in pressing investigations into corruption especially in UN procurement activities, said the corruption probe goes beyond the procurement department. This investigation is as serious as a heart attack and is at full throttle, he said.
The warning from Mr Burnham followed Wednesdays indictment and arrest of former UN procurement official, Mr Sanjaya Bahel. In an indictment unsealed in US district court, Mr Bahel of Manhattan was accused of using his influence to steer contracts worth more than $50 million to a man who rewarded him with valuable real estate. The man, Mr Nishan Kohli, was arrested Wednesday in Miami.
Mr Bahel pleaded not guilty on Thursday and was freed on $900,000 bail. Defence lawyer, Mr Raymond A Levites said Mr Bahel, an Indian diplomat and the former head of the UN commodity procurement section, looks forward to the trial and being acquitted and then getting some apologies.
Mr Bahel was one of eight staff members put on paid leave by the UN in January while a new procurement task force pursued allegations of fraud and mismanagement in purchasing for UN peacekeeping operations. In 2005, the UN procurement department handled almost $2 billion in purchasing for the department of peacekeeping, almost double the amount in 2003, UN officials said.
On August 31, the UN charged Mr Bahel with misconduct and suspended him without pay after an investigation concluded that Mr Bahel used his relationship with a wealthy Indian businessman and his son to steer deals to the company they represented. The UN Office of Internal Oversight Services, the UNs internal watchdog, provided its final report to US and Indian authorities and the US Attorneys office in the southern district launched its own investigation, the UN spokesman, Mr Stephane Dujarric said.
Mr Dujarric was grilled by reporters on Thursday on why Mr Bahel was initially cleared by the UN watchdog, and why anyone should have faith in the supposedly independent body to rout out criminal activity. There may have been issues with previous audits that were not followed through on, that were not acted upon, Mr Dujarric said.
But he pointed to the reforms instituted after a sweeping year-long probe led by former US Federal Reserve chairman, Mr Paul Volcker concluded last year that the UN allowed illicit, unethical, and corrupt behaviour to overwhelm the $64 billion oil-for-food program in Iraq. One of the great lessons learned from the Volcker report is the fact that we do need to tighten up our procedures, in terms of audits that have taken place, audits that have to be followed up on, Mr Dujarric said.
After the Volcker report and the guilty plea in August 2005 by UN procurement officer, Mr Alexander Yakovlev to wire fraud and money laundering, The Secretary-General, Mr Kofi Annan transferred authority for procurement from the assistant secretary-general, Mr Andrew Toh to the UN controller.
Mr Dujarric said two of the eight people suspended in January are still under investigation. UN officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing probe, said one of them is Toh.
The US ambassador, Mr John Bolton on Thursday praised Mr Burnham, an American, for being the driving force in the creation of the procurement task force which assisted in the case against Mr Bahel and is playing an important role in uncovering UN fraud.
When arson investigators in Houston needed help restoring a damaged surveillance tape to identify suspects in a fatal fire, they turned first to local experts and then to NASA. With no luck there, investigators appealed to the owner of one of the most advanced crime labs in the country: Target Corp.
Target experts fixed the tape and Houston authorities arrested their suspects, who were convicted. It was all in a day's work for Target in its large and growing role as a high-tech partner to law enforcement agencies.
In the past few years, the retailer has taken a lead role in teaching government agencies how to fight crime by applying state-of-the-art technology used in its 1,400 stores. Target's effort has touched local, state, federal and international agencies.
Besides running its forensics lab in Minneapolis, Target has helped coordinate national undercover investigations and worked with customs agencies on ways to make sure imported cargo is coming from reputable sources or hasn't been tampered with. It has contributed money for prosecutor positions to combat repeat criminals, provided local police with remote-controlled video surveillance systems, and linked police and business radio systems to beef up neighborhood foot patrols in parts of several major cities. It has given management training to FBI and police leaders, and linked city, county and state databases to keep track of repeat offenders.
The efforts are part of a trend in corporate donations directed at solving societal problems... Long article abbreviated.
#2
Retailers like Target face heavy shoplifting losses & have become quite sophisticated in fighting back. Looks like they're now sharing the lessons learned. Good!!
And given that they import a lot of the goods they sell, it makes sense for them to work with the Feds on cargo security etc. Otherwise the Feds will come up with their own, probably less efficient and effective rules.
Tom Cruise has struck a deal with movie giants Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to make films under the United Artists banner, two months after being dumped by a rival studio. A statement from MGM said Cruise and longtime production partner Paula Wagner would relaunch UA, the legendary studio founded by movie greats including Douglas Fairbanks and Charlie Chaplin 85 years ago.
Cruise raised eyebrows after jumping on chat show host Oprah Winfrey's couch to declare his love for fiancee Katie Holmes.
The reborn UA, which has been mothballed in recent years after being acquired by MGM, will initially produce four films a year. Cruise and Wagner would be responsible for development, production and "greenlighting" projects, MGM said.
The deal is a coup for Cruise, whose 14-year relationship with Viacom's Paramount Pictures ended acrimoniously in August. Viacom chief Sumner Redstone said the company had axed the superstar because publicity surrounding him was harming the company. Cruise raised eyebrows after jumping on chat show host Oprah Winfrey's couch to declare his love for fiancee Katie Holmes, and courted controversy for attacking Brooke Shields over her use of medication for postnatal depression. Paramount said the stunts hurt box-office takings for his most recent film, Mission: Impossible III.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/04/2006 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Paramount said the stunts hurt box-office takings for his most recent film
#2
Cruise may have a point here. I suspect that he is assembling old, reliable studio talent that was fired in the great takeover of the studios by non-entertainment businesses.
The idea is that these corporations have really botched the movie business, thus leaving an opening for an old-model studio to do things the old fashioned, and successful, way.
The final straw was that the corporations decided as an oligopoly to end the "star system", and drastically cut the pay of the big name Hollywood talent, in favor of increasing the corporate bottom line. That is totally un-Hollywood, and guaranteed to cause an actor revolt.
Every actor dreams of "hitting the big time" and raking in multi-million dollar pay for big screen work. To take away that incentive is intolerable for them. This means that a resuscitated United Artists could soon be bulging at the seams with the best talent in Hollywood.
So if he can pull it off, everyone will want in, from directors, screewriters, actors, production staff, etc. Eventually, if you don't work for UA, you might as well practice saying "Would you like fries with that, sir?"
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.
FIJIAN military commander Frank Bainimarama has refused to heed calls from his counterparts in neighbouring countries - including Australia's defence force chief, Angus Houston - not to carry out his threat to force the resignation of the Qarase Government. As two Australian warships, HMAS Newcastle and HMAS Kanimbla, approach Fiji, the Howard Government remains deeply concerned about the military's intentions. 
Miami Police Chief John Timoney, an Irish immigrant himself, told South Florida immigrant rights advocates Friday night that his officers are under orders not to ask foreign nationals about their immigration status.
Tom Cruise has struck a deal with movie giants Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to make films under the United Artists banner, two months after being dumped by a rival studio. A statement from MGM said Cruise and longtime production partner Paula Wagner would relaunch UA, the legendary studio founded by movie greats including Douglas Fairbanks and Charlie Chaplin 85 years ago. 
