It is hot in Brussels. Ramadan has begun. The faithful in the predominantly Muslim borough of Molenbeek are not allowed to eat or drink from sunrise until sunset. Non-Muslim policemen, patrolling the streets of Molenbeek in their sweltering cars, are not allowed to eat or drink either. As every year during Ramadan, they have been told by their superior, Philippe Moureaux, the Socialist mayor of Molenbeek, that they have to respect Muslim sensitivities and not to provoke Muslims by violating Islamic Ramadan restrictions in public. In effect, Islamic or Sharia law is already applied for everyone in the Muslim areas of Brussels.
Barely two miles from Molenbeek lies Brussels European district. One of its huge glass and concrete buildings is the European Parliament where the elected representatives from the 27 members states of the European Union (EU) convene. The 736 MEPs (Members of the European Parliament) have just returned from their summer break. They are mostly unaware of life in Molenbeek. Most of them never go to that part of the city. It is probably a sensible decision, because the Muslim neighborhoods are known to be unsafe for non-Muslims. Nevertheless, it is a shame that Europes politicians are unaware of day-to-day life just around the corner. It means that most of the 736 MEPs, who make up the second largest democratically elected assembly in the world (after India), do not know what life really is like in an ever growing section of Europes urban areas. A walking tour of Molenbeek should be compulsory for every MEP.
Some friends in Brussels organize one-hour trips through Molenbeek. They go in an inconspicuous car, driven by a local who knows the escape routes, and with a bodyguard. Otherwise the risk would be too great. These trips are called safaris. Similar Eurabia safaris are organized in other European cities. One of the highlights though absolutely not the most dangerous one of the safari in Rosengaard, the Muslim section of the Swedish city of Malmö, is a short stop, to give the visitor the opportunity to take a quick snapshot, in front of Malmös Jihadskörkortsteori (Jihad Driving School).
#1
Makes being colonized by Mexico look pretty spiffy in comparison, doesn't it? I spent a few days last week hanging out in Reno's Little Mexico and only my liver was looking for an escape route.
If you're a blogger, you get some hate mail. If you're a waiter, and you spill food on someone, you may very well get yelled at. If you're an athlete, at any level, you'll probably get jeered and booed when you play in an opposing stadium or arena. Go for a drive, somebody might well cut you off, give you the finger and yell obscenities. You have to look far and wide to find somone who doesn't feel that they've been subject to some inappropriate and unnecessary expressions of anger in the not-too-distant past; but coping with being the focus of someone else's ill temper is more or less now part of daily life in this country.
It would be nice if we lived in a politer, more civil, more gracious and less angry world, but this is not exactly a new or sudden phenomenon.
But members of Congress? Apparently, they can't take it: "Members of New Hampshires congressional delegation are under fire today from the editorial pages of the conservative New Hampshire Union Leader and the liberal Portsmouth Herald. At issue is the fact that the Granite States representatives, specifically Sen. Jeanne Shaheen and Reps. Paul Hodes and Carol Shea-Porter, are not holding town hall meetings on health care reform with their constituents this August recess but instead partying with liberal bloggers and holding a smattering of so-called tele-town hall meetingsessentially controlled conference calls in which constituents are tellingly kept on 'listen only mode.'"
I'm reminded of one of Dennis Miller's lines: "Life is tough. Wear a cup."
UPDATE: Shea Porter's concept of persuasion: ""Find those tea-baggers who don't like the idea of this and talk to them."
Yes, nothing relaxes the defenses of a skeptic than an off-color nickname.
Posted by: Mike ||
08/28/2009 12:44 ||
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#1
The opponents of these politicians can have a slam dunk if they shell out a few bucks and have their own town hall meetings. All have have to do is keep the audience from physically assaulting each other, and let it turn into a rant-fest.
The trick is not to speak first, but to let the audience speak first, to let them "get some of the stink out of their britches".
Even import a few good rabble rousers, who can give good speeches in the audience, to inspire everyone. And if someone lashes out at the candidate, they can just smile and say they haven't been elected yet, so turn your wrath on the incumbent. If elected, however, I'll give you (all) what you want.
[Dawn] With Hakeemullah Mehsud having been formally appointed the amir of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), replacing the dreaded Baitullah, the power-struggle is over (at least for the moment) and the first phase of transition in tribal areas' extremist Islamic militant movement is complete.
Details regarding the process of his selection remain sketchy. But a few people outside the militant movement who have met Hakimullah know that he must have prevailed upon the TTP shura, leaving no doubt about a possible split in case anyone else was chosen to lead the movement.
Hakeemullah Mehsud's meteoric rise to Fata's nascent, but ferocious Taliban movement, is not entirely unexpected. It may take experts on the movement weeks, or possibly, months to understand and assess the 29-year-old new amir.
Who is this man? Is he related to Baitullah Mehsud? Will his policies be any different from his predecessor's? Also, does he have the capability, acumen and desire to expand the TTP movement by bringing other militant groups into its fold?
With the passage of time it may be possible to get answers to some of these questions. But for some of us who were part of a group of Pakistani television journalists that had travelled to Hakeemullah-controlled part of the Orakzai tribal agency in November last year it was not difficult to immediately notice in him the ambition and desire to be in the leadership role.
In fact, the trip arranged by Hakeemullah's men was largely designed to introduce the 'young turk' of the Taliban movement to the media and to air his views on religion and politics and his ambition to take the movement beyond Fata to mainland Pakistan.
It was a journey a few of us will forget. Some of us had travelled all the way from Peshawar. Others had joined half-way. At one point, Hakimullah's heavily armed loyalists took control of our caravan. We spent a night somewhere in the Taliban territory, before being taken to Arkanjo Mamozai village in Orakzai Agency to meet Hakimullah and his band of ferocious fighters.
If a few of us were nervous it was quite understandable. Although quite photogenic, and unlike most other militant leaders, smartly dressed, his cold looks and wry smile left little doubt that he may not think twice before killing anyone.
Yet he was intelligent enough to grasp the significance and power of the media and tried to make the maximum of the presence of the television teams to express his views on issues ranging from the situation in Afghanistan, to TTP's links with Mullah Omar and his Taliban movement, to Pakistan's political scene, particularly his views about the Awami National Party. It was not difficult to see how much he hated the ANP.
At the same time, Hakeemullah also wanted to present himself as a modern man, who not only had the desire to 'conquer' rest of the tribal territories, but also someone who knew a lot about guns and machines. So, while at one point he sought the cameramen's indulgence while showing off by speeding around in an armoured-plated Humvee that his men had captured during a raid on a convoy of American vehicles in the Khyber Agency, an hour later he invited the journalists to participate in a gun-shooting competition.
Comparisons between Hakeemullah and Baitullah would serve as a study of contrasts. While Baitullah was introvert and media-shy, the former is extrovert and media-savvy.
Some of the journalists did make an attempt, but soon gave up, realising the difference between shooting with a camera and a sub-machine gun. There was no stopping for Hakeemullah, who first fired dozens of rounds from a light-machine gun, then picked up a heavier gun and within seconds emptied the magazine.
And as if this were not enough, he fired a grenade using RPG, perhaps to prove that he was comfortable with all kinds of weapons. One of his close associates described it as Hakeemullah's 'favourite toy'.
By now it was more than evident that this 'image-building exercise' was aimed at presenting him as a future leader of the local Taliban.
Hakeemullah Mehsud, after having lived for some time under the shadow of Baitullah Mehsud, had started spreading his wings early last year. Since he always believed in leading from the front, Baitullah had given him charge of three tribal agencies, and when we met him in November, he had gained a foothold in Orakzai, was actively involved in supporting the local Taliban in Kurram, and was making his presence felt in Khyber.
The young and battle-hardened Hakeemullah, whose real name is believed to be Jamshed, first rose to prominence by the name of Zulfiqar Mehsud, as a spokesman for the Baitullah-led militant group in 2007.
He also used the nickname of Hakeemullah and is now known by this name to most media personnel and also to Taliban fighters. Hakeemullah hails from Kotki village of Sarwaki subdivision and belongs to the Eshangai branch of Mehsud tribe. Having received rudimentary madressah education in Hangu, Hakimullah appears to be a fully trained warrior.
As Zulfiqar Mehsud, Hakeemullah had a few telephonic interactions with this correspondent, but it was during our visit to Orakzai Agency in November last year when I met Hakeemullah for the first time.
Ajmal Mehsud, a close associate of Hakeemullah who escorted us from the Giljo base of the Taliban at the Government Girls Degree College to Arkhanjo, was full of praise for his views and fighting skills.
'Hakeemullah is the best shooter and driver in the entire tribal area and no one except Shaheed Naek Muhammad could have matched him.'
More ambitious than his predecessor who mostly remained confined to South Waziristan, Hakeemullah explained to this correspondent his expansionist designs.
'If the Pakistan government continues with its policy of following American dictates, (some day) we can even try to capture Peshawar, Hangu and even Islamabad,' he said.
'And we have the strength to do it.'
He also did not hide his views about Al Qaeda. In an interview with Dawn News TV during the trip, Hakeemullah openly praised the international terrorist movement.
'We are Al Qaeda's friends as both us the Taliban and the Arab fighters have shown our allegiance to Amir-ul-Momineen Mullah Omar of Afghanistan, but there is no Al Qaeda in South Waziristan. It's only the US and the Pakistan government's propaganda. They don't have any proof.'
Hakeemullah's nomination as the new TTP chief would be worrisome for Pakistani authorities, but more so for the NWFP government. Hakimullah is not a traditional mullah, as he does not have a proper degree from a religious school.
However, he knows how to exploit Pakhtuns' religious as well as nationalist sentiments. 'We do not give two hoots to Awami National Party's tirade against Taliban,' Hakeemullah had said in the interview.
'We can have an agreement with all the political parties but not with ANP,' he said.
While ridiculing the ANP in his typical style, Hakimullah was unable to hide his desire to expand the scope of his activities by claiming that once the ANP used to say that like them the Taliban too were Pakhtuns, but the way the situation was developing the ANP might soon take back its claim to be representatives of the Pakhtuns.
It may well be a far-fetched idea. But then this was in November last year, and Hakeemullah's first direct interaction with the media. Now he is head of the powerful Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan. So, if even half of what he had been claiming were to be believed, his ambitions may mean more trouble for the Pakistani authorities, and certainly for the ANP-led government in the NWFP.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/28/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Love the picture, the writing looks like horns protruding from his hat.
"Fake but Accurate"?
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
08/28/2009 13:36 Comments ||
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While Baitullah was introvert and media-shy, the former is extrovert and media-savvy.
What seems like a long, long time ago Dan Rather was a very powerful force in American journalism. He not only was the anchorman of the CBS Evening News, he was also the face of the network's renowned news division -- the "Tiffany" network of bigger-than-life legends like Ed Murrow, Walter Cronkite, Eric Sevareid, Mike Wallace and many, many others.
That was then. Now Dan Rather is suing the network that employed him for 44 years, asking for $70 million dollars in damages. Technically, the lawsuit is about a dry legal issue -- breach of contract. But it is also about something much more personal to Rather: his legacy. It is a lawsuit, fundamentally, about saving Dan Rather's reputation.
That reputation took a turn for the worse back in 2004. As has been widely reported, just 55 days before a very close presidential election, Dan Rather and his producer Mary Mapes put a story on the weekday edition of 60 Minutes that brought on the media equivalent of World War III. There were accusations that Rather, Mapes, and maybe the entire CBS News Division had set out to deliberately destroy George W. Bush and get John Kerry elected President of the United States -- a charge everyone at CBS vehemently denies.
Continued on Page 49
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Back when all this was in contention, I actually sat and read the report -- until I came to the page proving Bush volunteered for duty in Viet Nam. In very small print, at the end of the page, there was a box to check, indicating his willingness to go. I posted this finding on several message boards, except for some reason, on my computer's .pdf file, the finding was on P.136, not 130.
Of course, CBS never got around to mentioning that particular page...wonder why.
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When I first read the documents my original thought it was someone who knew the lingo but had not really served. For example you used to get green and white rips notices for (Medical/Dental/Personnel) appointments, not an order from the commander. Turns out it was a delusional man, caught in a lie, and tried to pass it as truth. If Bush was such a screw-up there would have been dozens of people to come forward to confirm. I dont care whose your daddy you aint flying a fighter before and unless you are qualified. Most people dont like it when airplanes fall out of the sky due to a bad pilot. Do not take that point lightly, only the BEST get to fly fighters (ask John McCain or any other fighter pilot they are narcissists).
Amen to that, and one other thing to keep in mind: Bush flew the F-102 Delta Dagger, which had a nightmarish safety record of 13.69 accidents per 1000 hrs flight time. To put that in perspective, the F-15 is only a 2.50. Out of 875 -102s built, 259 - 29.6% - were lost in accidents, killing 70 pilots and aircrew. You had a almost a 30% chance of not coming back every time you got in the airplane, and Bush had 336 hours in the beast, plus duty as an TANG -102 instructor.
Whoops, sorry - doesn't fit the 'idiot' image so many wanted to portray of him.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
08/28/2009 16:17 Comments ||
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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.
It is hot in Brussels. Ramadan has begun. The faithful in the predominantly Muslim borough of Molenbeek are not allowed to eat or drink from sunrise until sunset. Non-Muslim policemen, patrolling the streets of Molenbeek in their sweltering cars, are not allowed to eat or drink either. As every year during Ramadan, they have been told by their superior, Philippe Moureaux, the Socialist mayor of Molenbeek, that they have to respect Muslim sensitivities and not to provoke Muslims by violating Islamic Ramadan restrictions in public. In effect, Islamic or Sharia law is already applied for everyone in the Muslim areas of Brussels.
Jim Geraghty, National Review
[Dawn] With Hakeemullah Mehsud having been formally appointed the amir of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), replacing the dreaded Baitullah, the power-struggle is over (at least for the moment) and the first phase of transition in tribal areas' extremist Islamic militant movement is complete. 
