Alternative Title: Don't Bogart That Joint My Friend
An investor quits after making his fortune:
From TFA:
At a time when rhetoric is flying about becoming more self-sufficient in terms of energy, why is it illegal to grow this plant in this country? Ah, the female. The evil female plant - marijuana. It gets you high, it makes you laugh, it does not produce a hangover. Unlike alcohol, it does not result in bar fights or wife beating. So, why is this innocuous plant illegal? Is it a gateway drug? No, that would be alcohol, which is so heavily advertised in this country. My only conclusion as to why it is illegal, is that Corporate America, which owns Congress, would rather sell you Paxil, Zoloft, Xanax and other addictive drugs, than allow you to grow a plant in your home without some of the profits going into their coffers. This policy is ludicrous. It has surely contributed to our dependency on foreign energy sources. Our policies have other countries literally laughing at our stupidity, most notably Canada, as well as several European nations (both Eastern and Western). You would not know this by paying attention to U.S. media sources though, as they tend not to elaborate on who is laughing at the United States this week. Please people, lets stop the rhetoric and start thinking about how we can truly become self-sufficient.
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ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- President Asif Ali Zardari returned from China late Friday without a commitment for cash needed to shore up Pakistan's crumbling economy, leaving him with the politically unpopular prospect of having to ask the International Monetary Fund for help.
Pakistan was seeking the aid from China, an important ally, as it faces the possibility of defaulting on its current account payments. With the United States and other nations preoccupied by a financial crisis, and Saudi Arabia, another traditional ally, refusing to offer concessions on oil, China was seen as the last port of call before the I.M.F.
Accepting a rescue package from the fund would be seen as humiliating for Mr. Zardari's government, which took office this year. An I.M.F.-backed plan would require Pakistan's government to cut spending and raise taxes, among other measures, which could hurt the jihadis poor, officials said.
The Bush administration is concerned that Pakistan's economic meltdown will provide an opportunity for Islamic militants to capitalize on rising poverty and frustration.
As if they don't have sufficient motivation today ...
The Pakistanis have not been shy about exploiting the terrorist threat to try to win financial support, a senior official at the I.M.F. said. But because of the dire global financial situation, and the reluctance of donor nations to provide money without strict economic reforms by Pakistan, the terrorist argument has not been fully persuasive, he said.
"A selling point to us even has been, if the economy really collapses this is going to mean civil strife, and strikes, and put the war on terror in jeopardy," said the official, who declined to be identified because he was not authorized to speak to the news media. "They are saying, 'We are a strategic country, the world needs to come to our aid,'" he said.
Pakistani officials said they had received promises from the Chinese to help build two nuclear power plants, and pledges for business investment in the coming year. But Pakistan had also hoped China would deposit $1.5 billion to $3 billion in its central bank, according to senior officials at the I.M.F. and Western donor countries. The infusion of cash would have helped with payments for oil and food as currency reserves dwindle, officials said.
If you use the money to pay for oil then it isn't a 'deposit' ...
Shaukat Tareen, the new Pakistani financial adviser who accompanied Mr. Zardari to China, began to prepare the public for an I.M.F. program on Saturday, saying for the first time at a news conference that if Pakistan could not stabilize its economy within 30 days, it "can go to the I.M.F. as a backup."
"We may have to go to Plan B," he said.
This assumes the IMF has any money today, and if so that they would lend to you ...
Economic hardship has been mounting across Pakistan for several months. Electricity shortages have become so dire that even middle-class families in big cities have to ration supply, with power cuts for 12 of every 24 hours, with one hour on, and one hour off. Food prices have soared, making some basics, even flour, too expensive for the poorest to afford. No large-scale riots have occurred, but concern is mounting that such protests are not far off.
The new government has reduced subsidies on fuel and food, and the central bank moved on Friday to ease an intrabank liquidity crisis. In addition, new rules were imposed several weeks ago on the Karachi stock exchange to stop sell-offs.
But none of those steps have stanched the crisis in confidence.
The central bank's currency reserves have dipped to $4 billion, enough to cover payments for oil and other imports for about two months. As it became clear over the past two days that the Chinese were not going to provide a cushion for Pakistan, the rupee slumped to a record low.
The thin results from the China trip were of little surprise to Western donors. Asked about the likelihood of Pakistan winning the direct cash infusion it was seeking, a senior Chinese diplomat was reported by Western officials to have said, "We have done our due diligence, and it isn't happening."
"What we needed is $3-to-$4 billion," said Sakib Sherani, a member of the government's economic advisory panel and chief economist at ABN Amro Bank in Pakistan. That amount was necessary "to build confidence," he said.
The central bank governor, Shamshad Akhtar, said in a telephone interview on Saturday, "We are very open to all kinds of financial support." She added, "We've taken a lot of corrective actions, and we plan to take more."
But Zubair Khan, a former commerce minister and a critic of the government's economic management, said confidence would improve once Pakistan arranged an I.M.F. rescue package. Mr. Khan said that the alternative would be the imposition of controls on imports and capital flows that could do long-term harm to the economy.
Meanwhile, the American financial crisis is also expected to hurt ordinary Pakistanis. Remittances from Pakistanis living abroad to their relatives in Pakistan were expected to be about $7 billion this year, about $3 billion of that from Pakistanis living in the United States. But those remittances are likely to dwindle, affecting real estate values in Pakistani cities and families who live in poorer rural areas.
Mr. Zardari had approached the China trip with considerable fanfare, saying he was looking forward to visiting a country that had enjoyed a warm relationship with Pakistan, particularly during the rule of his father-in-law, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. His visit to Beijing followed a trip there by the chief of the army, Gen. Parvez Kayani, and came at a time when the relationship between Washington and Pakistan was strained over how to deal with the escalating threat from the Taliban and Al Qaeda.
Javed Burki, a former Pakistani finance minister, said China had provided $500 million in balance-of-payments support in 1996, when Pakistan was on the brink of default. He had flown to Beijing to ask for the money and his request was fulfilled. But those days are over, he said, because China is no longer inclined to grant cash outright without structural reforms from the receiving government, he said.
Posted by: john frum ||
10/18/2008
15:50 ||
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#1
I've got an idea. Pakistani Baluchistan is rich in minerals, and so is next door Iranian Baluchistan. If Iran got into a war with Israel and/or the US, Pakistan could take over Iranian Baluchistan, and not only get a lot of wealth, but finally end the Baluchis creating problems for both nations.
If you'd quite funding the Talibunnies, you'd have plenty of money, Asif.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
10/18/2008 19:50
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Economic hardship has been mounting across Pakistan for several months. Electricity shortages have become so dire that even middle-class families in big cities have to ration supply, with power cuts for 12 of every 24 hours, with one hour on, and one hour off. Food prices have soared, making some basics, even flour, too expensive for the poorest to afford.
Some how I missed that over the last few months. The Land of the Pure now has too many weapons and not enough food. What say you all: more raids into Afghanistan, or more fighting at home?
From a 1985 interview with an ex-KGB operative about how the the communists 'marched backward' into a conquest. Relates extremely well with how the media and other 'useful idiots' are today pushing us in a direction they don't (or won't) understand. Saul Alinsky understood this very well and Barry was a good student (as are his puppet-masters).
Could the greatest "Personality Cult Figure" of the late 20th early 21st century be moving on now knowing that his heir-apparent (and better) is soon to be annointed here in the states? Oh please, oh please, oh please ...
North Korea has ordered its diplomats overseas to get ready for an "important announcement" that may be related to the health of its reclusive leader Kim Jong-Il, a Japanese newspaper said Saturday.
Pyongyang has told diplomats around the world to stay in one place and refrain from travelling, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported, quoting several unnamed sources familiar with North Korean issues.
The sources speculated the message could be related to North Korea's relations with South Korea or the health of Kim, Japan's best-selling daily said, adding that the announcement was expected in a few days.
Reports of Kim's illness surfaced after he failed to appear at the country's 60th anniversary parade on September 9. South Korean officials have said he underwent brain surgery following a stroke around mid-August. "We've heard the news. We are checking it," a spokesman for South Korea's National Intelligence Service said. He declined to say whether the spy agency has learned of the news from Yomiuri or from a different source.
North Korean state television a week ago aired photographs of Kim inspecting a women's artillery base, although a US official doubted that the images were recent. Some reports said Kim suffered partial paralysis.
The Japanese report came as South Korea's defense minister said he believed Kim remained in control of the government despite the reports of ill health but that the situation in the isolated country is unpredictable. "Kim Jong-Il has not been seen in public for a while now, but both Korean and United States intelligence services estimate that he still has control over his administration," minister Lee Sang-hee told reporters in Washington.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
10/18/2008
12:43 ||
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herrrrro! *ack*
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/18/2008 17:35
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The Japanese report came as South Korea's defense minister said he believed Kim remained in control of the government despite the reports of his death and subsequent undeath ill health...
#4
Kim moving to the Robert Byrd Hospice? I'm sure both staffs will keep their corpses bodies in stable condition to keep the little money machine delivering.
"Although the prospect of an Obama presidency, from a satirical perspective, represents a hopeful future of full employment, the editors of ScrappleFace cannot let their own needs stand in the way of the needs of the Senate, or indeed, of the people of the world."
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
10/18/2008
11:50 ||
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I am waiting for someone to endorse him solely because he is black. History, associations, promises, none of that matters, compared to the color of his skin. He may be as profoundly awful as Robert Mugabe or Idi Amin, but it doesn't matter, because he is a brother.
This endorsement shows political maturity, because it addresses the one element of his life that he cannot change. Everything else is up for grabs.
He may completely change his character, or evidence no character whatsoever. He might break promises, betray our national allies, embrace our national enemies, ruin our economy, enslave our people, and behave in an otherwise corrupt and abominable manner.
But he cannot change his skin color. So that is the dominant, single reason why he must be endorsed for President of the United States.
Four of the five main online forums that al-Qaeda's media wing uses to distribute statements by Osama bin Laden and other extremists have been disabled since mid-September, monitors of the Web sites say.
The disappearance of the forums on Sept. 10 - and al-Qaeda's apparent inability to restore them or create alternate online venues, as it has before - has curbed the organization's dissemination of the words and images of its fugitive leaders. On Sept. 29, a statement by the al-Fajr Media Center, a distribution network created by supporters of al-Qaeda and other Sunni extremist groups, said the forums had disappeared "for technical reasons," and it urged followers not to trust look-alike sites.
For al-Qaeda, "these sites are the equivalent of pentagon.mil, whitehouse.gov, att.com," said Evan F. Kohlmann, an expert on online al-Qaeda operations who has advised the FBI and others. With just one authorized al-Qaeda site still in business, "this has left al-Qaeda's propaganda strategy hanging by a very narrow thread."
On several occasions over the past three years, unknown hackers have shut down al-Qaeda-affiliated Web sites after they announced the imminent release of a new video message from Osama bin Laden or another extremist leader. It is often impossible to pinpoint the source of such online attacks, though some experts say the culprits could be independent activists.
A U.S. intelligence official, asked about the online attacks, declined to say whether U.S. spy agencies engage in them. American and British security forces each have joint commands overseeing online operations against extremists. Anybody ask Halliburton?
"There had been this aura of invincibility" about al-Qaeda's media operations, said Gregory D. Johnsen, a U.S.-based expert on violent Sunni groups in Yemen. "Now this has really been taken away from them." In early September, the al-Fajr forums were drumming up anticipation of al-Qaeda's annual video marking the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. "Await Sept. 11!" one message declared.
Instead, on Sept. 10, the forums vanished. Coincidence, no doubt. Al Gore, maybe?
Posted by: Bobby ||
10/18/2008
11:22 ||
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But don't worry, ACORN's got it covered a hundred to one.
Thousands of voters across the country must reestablish their eligibility in the next three weeks in order for their votes to count on Nov. 4, a result of new state registration systems that are incorrectly rejecting them.
The challenges have led to a dozen lawsuits, testy arguments among state officials and escalating partisan battles. Because many voters may not know that their names have been flagged, eligibility questions could cause added confusion on Election Day, beyond the delays that may come with a huge turnout.
Since this is WaPo, they'll politely ignore the potentially hundreds of thousands of fraudulent registrations ...
The scramble to verify voter registrations is happening as states switch from locally managed lists of voters to statewide databases, a change required by federal law and hailed by many as a more efficient and accurate way to keep lists up to date.
But in the transition, the systems are questioning the registrations of many voters when discrepancies surface between their registration information and other official records, often because of errors outside voters' control. But sometimes because they do not exist.
The issue made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which yesterday blocked a challenge to 200,000 Ohio voters whose registration data conflicted with other state records. Conflicted? How?
It is impossible to know how many voters are affected nationwide. There are no reports of large-scale problems in Virginia, Maryland or the District, but the trouble is cropping up in many states.
In Alabama, scores of voters are being labeled as convicted felons on the basis of incorrect lists. Michigan must restore thousands of names it illegally removed from voter rolls over residency questions, a judge ruled this week. Judge sez everybody gets to vote!
Tens of thousands of voters could be affected in Wisconsin. Officials there admit that their database is wrong one out of five times when it flags voters, sometimes for data discrepancies as small as a middle initial or a typo in a birth date. When the six members of the state elections board - all retired judges - ran their registrations through the system, four were incorrectly rejected because of mismatches.
Posted by: Bobby ||
10/18/2008
11:17 ||
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all this would be moot if all states required secure photo ID to vote.
But we can't because the Donks might lose fraudulent votes, felon votes, illegals' votes,and the poor, who can get free ID cards. Makes sense. Not.
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/18/2008 13:10
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Is there a website I can validate my eligibility?
Apparently there is something about Sarah Palin that causes some people to think of her as either the best of candidates or the worst of candidates. She draws enthusiastic crowds and provokes visceral hostility in the media.
The issue that is raised most often is her relative lack of experience and the fact that she would be "a heartbeat away from the presidency" if Senator John McCain were elected. But Barack Obama has even less experience-- none in an executive capacity-- and his would itself be the heartbeat of the presidency if he were elected.
Sarah Palin's record is on the record, while whole years of Barack Obama's life are engulfed in fog, and he has had to explain away one after another of the astounding and vile people he has not merely "associated" with but has had political alliances with, and to whom he has directed the taxpayers' money and other money.
Sarah Palin has had executive experience-- and the White House is the executive branch of government. We don't have to judge her by her rhetoric because she has a record.
We don't know what Barack Obama will actually do because he has actually done very little for which he was personally accountable. Even as a state legislator, he voted "present" innumerable times instead of taking a stand one way or the other on tough issues.
"Clean up the mess in Washington"? He was part of the mess in Chicago and lined up with the Daley machine against reformers.
He is also part of the mess in Washington, not only with numerous earmarks, but also as the Senate's second largest recipient of money from Fannie Mae, and someone whose campaign has this year sought the advice of disgraced former Fannie Mae CEO Franklin Raines, who was at the heart of the subprime crisis.
Why then the enthusiasm for Obama and the hostility to Sarah Palin in the media?
One reason of course is that Senator Obama is ideologically much closer to the views of the media than is Governor Palin. But there is more than that. There are other conservative politicians who do not evoke such anger, spite and hate.
Sarah Palin is the one real outsider among the four candidates for the presidency and vice-presidency on the Republican and Democratic tickets. Her whole career has been spent outside the Washington Beltway.
More than that, her whole life has been outside the realm familiar to the intelligentsia of the media. She didn't go to the big-name colleges and imbibe the heady atmosphere that leaves so many feeling that they are special folks. She doesn't talk the way they talk or think the way they think.
Worse yet, from the media's perspective, Sarah Palin does not seek their Good Housekeeping seal of approval.
Much is made of Senator Joe Biden's "experience." But Frederick the Great said that experience matters only when valid conclusions are drawn from it.
Senator Biden's "experience" has been a long history of being on the wrong side of issue after issue in foreign policy. He was one of those Senators who voted to pull the plug on financial aid to South Vietnam, which was still defending itself from Communist invaders after the pullout of American troops.
Biden opposed Ronald Reagan's military buildup that helped win the Cold War. He opposed the surge in Iraq last year.
Sarah Palin will not be ready to become President of the United States on the first day that she and John McCain take office. Nobody is.
But being Vice President is a job that can allow a lot of time for studying, and everything about Governor Palin's career says that she is a bright gal with her head on straight. The country needs that far more than it needs people with glib answers to media "gotcha" questions.
Whatever the shortcomings of John McCain and Sarah Palin, they are people whose values are the values of this nation, whose loyalty and dedication to this country's fundamental institutions are beyond question because they have not spent decades working with people who hate America. Nor are they people whose judgments have been proved wrong consistently during decades of Beltway "experience."
#1
memo to Kathleen Parker, Peggy Noonan, David Brooks, George Will, et al
read this and shut the fuck up
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/18/2008 12:44
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It will only make them try harder. They realize they are losing control of the Republican party and a new generation of leadership is emerging. A generation that doesn't think the way they do and won't follow exactly in their footsteps. You go, girl.
#2
I think there are other states where the applicable GOP should be doing the same thing, as well as demanding the fabled Obambi birth certificate for citizenship verification for POTUS. Seems to me the Constitution states that as a requirement for entry into this particular game.
Muqtada al-Sadr Urges Rejection of U.S.-Iraqi Pact
BAGHDAD -- Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr on Saturday called on Iraq's parliament to reject a U.S.-Iraqi security pact as tens of thousands ... More like a couple of tens of hundreds if the footage on FoxNews this AM was the be believed...
... of his followers rallied in Baghdad against the deal.
The mass public show of opposition came as U.S. and Iraqi leaders face a Dec. 31 deadline to agree on the deal, which would replace an expiring U.N. mandate authorizing the U.S.-led forces in Iraq.
Al-Sadr's message was addressed to Iraqi lawmakers and read by his aide Sheik Abdul-Hadi al-Mohammadawi in Baghdad before a huge crowd of mostly young men waving Iraqi and green Shiite flags and chanting slogans including "no, no to the agreement" and "yes to Iraq." "The Iraqi government has abandoned its duty before God and its people and referred the agreement to you knowing that ratifying it will stigmatize Iraq and its government for years to come," he said.
Al-Sadr, who is living in Iran, ...And knows better than to stick his lil' head up Baghdad way...
also cast doubt on the Iraqi government's argument that the security pact is a step toward ending the U.S. presence in Iraq. The deal would require U.S. forces to leave by Dec. 31, 2011 unless Iraq asked some of them to stay. "If they tell you that the agreement ends the presence of the occupation, let me tell you that the occupier will retain its bases. And whoever tells you that it gives us sovereignty is a liar," al-Sadr's message said. "...Who gonna believe - me or yer lyin' eyes?"
"I am confident that you brothers in parliament will champion the will of the people over that of the occupier ... Do not betray the people."
The demonstrators marched from the main Shiite district of Sadr City to the more central Mustansiriyah Square in eastern Baghdad. "No, No to America," shouted one man, wearing a white Islamic robe as he sat in a wheelchair and clutched a poster of the Iraqi flag. "We prefer death to giving concessions." That can be arranged, ya know...
Security was tight, with Iraqi security forces manning checkpoints on side streets and snipers on rooftops. Iraqi Humvees controlled all the roads leading to the square. Giant Iraqi flags covered nearby buildings.
One banner in English said "We refuse the existence of the U.S. in Iraq." We ain't too happy about you either, as@hole...
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government and the Bush administration have hammered out a draft agreement after months of bitter negotiations. But the Iraqi parliament must ratify the deal and Iraq's pre-eminent Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani has said any accord must have national consensus.
Al-Maliki, a Shiite, could be politically isolated if he tries to win parliament's backing in the face of widespread opposition.
Several Sunni and Shiite clerics, who wield considerable influence in shaping public opinion, also spoke out during Friday prayer services against the draft, complaining that the Iraqi public knows little about the terms.
A copy of the draft accord obtained by The Associated Press specifies that U.S. troops must leave Iraqi cities by the end of June and be gone by 2012. It gives Iraq limited authority over off-duty, off-base U.S. soldiers who commit crimes.
U.S. Congressional approval is not required for the pact to take effect, but the administration is trying to build maximum political support anyway. ...Not sure WHY...if Obama wins, we'll bail at full throttle no matter what the agreement says.
The march was called by al-Sadr after he had to postpone a mass demonstration on April 9 ... Called on account of of a chance of airstrikes, yass...
... to mark the fifth anniversary of the U.S. capture of Baghdad. That march had been postponed after many of his followers complained they were not allowed to enter the capital amid fears of violence. Yeah, on THEM....
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
10/18/2008
10:52 ||
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a quote from the blog (not mine) - I think this very poignant - Are you reading Todd?
Who is OBAMA?
OBAMA is:
Spread the (your) wealth, ACORN (vote fraud),Frank Davis(communist sexual perverted author), Ayers(got off on a legal technicality TERRORIST), Resko(slum lord FELON), Wright(Obamas I never heard him say those things racist minister for TWENTY YEARS!!), Rashid Khalidi(MUSLIM PLO spokesman,helped get Obama into Harvard), ODINGA(muslim Kenyen wanabe dictator), Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, NO complete doner list disclosure, NO Birth Certificate, Most Liberal in Senate, TOTAL Gun Control, No right to self defense in home, Late Term Abortion, Same SEX MARRIAGE, Health Care as a RIGHT, More Government Entitlements, More Taxes, Licenses for ALL !, for Talk with all nations as equals, Pull the troops out now, The war is un-winable, Cant we all just get along,
Ill give you what you want .
Get the picture .
Friends and Associates do mean something
VIRGINS do not hang around with prostitutes, patriots do not hang around with terrorists.
It IS that simple!!!
You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich."You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong."You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift."You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down."You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred."You cannot build character and courage by taking away peoples initiative and independence."You cannot help people permanently by doing for them, what they can and should do for themselves. : (attributed to Abraham Lincoln)
#1
While unfortunate, and some haggling can be made about the sentence length, the bottom line is that this comes under the "one punch fight kill" rule of thumb.
This usually happens during a mutual argument, when one person finally swings, connects, and the other person drops dead. There was no, zero intent to kill, and the fatal blow was either very unlucky, only indirectly resulted in the fatal blow from a fall, or exposed an internal flaw in the victim.
In this case, it wasn't even a blow, it was a push, which could not anticipate the victim falling just so as to cause a lethal injury.
And while the perp is unsympathetic, that matters far less than it being during an argument, as much as if the older man had swung first, and the younger man dropped dead.
Such accidental kills are fairly common, such as a little league baseball player hit by a ball or flying bat, who drops dead; a slap across the face that "causes" a lethal stroke; even negligent homicide caused by leaving someone in distress like a heart attack, after an argument.
#2
Which is why the gentleman in question only got a manslaughter-length sentence. Perhaps he will stop abusing his girlfriend in public once he gets out.
LANCASHIRE (LifeSiteNews.com) - Public homosexual activity in parks and public bathrooms must not be impeded by law enforcement officials except as a last resort, says a new set of draft guidelines for UK police.
Deputy Chief Constable Michael Cunningham of Lancashire Police, who drew up the 21-page report, titled "Guidance on Policing Public Sex Environments", wrote, "In any event it is not for the police to take the role of moral arbiter." Rather than arresting those who have sex in public, the police should instead guard the "human rights of those people who frequent open spaces" to seek anonymous copulation partners, an activity known as "cruising."
"The police role is to ensure that any complaints are dealt with fairly and professionally and that where individuals are engaged in lawful activity they may do so safely," said the report. Mr. Cunningham is the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) spokesman on homosexual issues.
The constable encouraged police to study sex websites for insight into the whereabouts of homosexual sex hot spots. Such websites show, among pornographic advertisements, dozens of public haunts for homosexual men seeking anonymous sex - among the most notorious being Dartford Heath, where public sex has been said to have spiraled "out of control."
The report complained that previous activity on the part of police officers to stop public sex has alienated the gay community. The report blames law enforcement for leading to homosexual "self-harm," citing the fact that some homosexuals have attempted suicide who "may have been arrested, charged or come into contact with the police in such a situation."
"The impact of enforcement can also be severe and rarely resolves the community problems associated with the existence of a public sex environment," wrote Cunningham.
"This impact can be extreme and can include humiliation, breakdown of relationships and the 'outing' of men living in an opposite sex relationship being perceived as 'gay.'"
The ACPO already enforces guidelines for police officers handling the public indecency claims against homosexual cruising, which emphasize "the value of building trust with local LGBT communities" to ensure that action against homosexual activity be "fair, necessary, and legitimate." The guidelines were authored by the ACPO Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Working Group in 2000 to provide "a comprehensive LGBT policing strategy centered around anti-homophobia."
Cunningham's report will now be submitted for approval by a committee of senior police officers before it is put in place across England and Wales.
#2
Okaaaay....does heterosexual public sexual activity also enjoy the same protection? Or is that so oppressive that the perps have to be arrested for a "hate crime"?
#4
"In any event it is not for the police to take the role of moral arbiter."
Who's he kidding? What does he think laws are? Why is it illegal to take someone else's possessions by force? Why is it illegal for one individual to murder another? Because "We the people" have determined that these acts are not to the public benefit (although in some cases...).
However ALL laws are about morality in one form or another. And to claim that LEOs are not in "the role of moral arbiter" is farcical.
#1
Given this kind of immature crap, the left has absolutely no shred of an excuse left they can use to whine about any of the perceived insults from conservatives that their overactive imaginations can dream up. But don't tell a liberal that or they'd call you a racist or whatever they think is discrediting enough so they can dismiss you. BTW: Does anyone know where "Global Climate Change" ran off to? I haven't heard much about it lately. Perhaps global warming has decided to suspend activity until after the election.
#2
seems the sun took a nap, and the climate warming has started to reverse. i was always confused how the warming on the earth was man made, but the shrinking ice caps on Mars and warming of Jupiter moons was unconnected.
guess I need a moonbat with a 'Hockey stick' and the Goracle to keep me straight.
Posted by: Abu do you love ||
10/18/2008 6:17
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According to court records, creditors have secured at least two liens against [Joe the Plumber] Wurzelbacher, whose legal name is Samuel. Ohio has a $1,182 lien for owed taxes and St. Charles Mercy Hospital has filed a 2007 lien for $1,261.
I think we can all agree that this is critical information.
Not because it says anything about Joe the Plumber, mind you. But it does serve a useful function: it warns any future citizen who might dare question Barack Obama that his life will be closely scrutinized for any irrelevant but embarrassing information.
#1
Joe probably didn't even know about them. I had one I wasn't told about until months after the fact. Turned out it was a misunderstanding and they reversed it.
And who (besides the left, of course) gives a $hit if Joe is a Nazi even? What matters is the content of the discussion based on a typical entrepreneurial citizen, not whether or not he is personally worthy of discussion.
#4
whose legal name is Samuel
His legal name is "Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher". But since the entire country is forbidden to mention Obama's middle name , "Hussein", then none of us are allowed to use our middle names either. As the LA times says "it ain't legal."
Funny, in all of this fuss little, or nothing, is being said of 0Bama's Marxist "redistribution of wealth" answer to Joe the Plumber.
We have learned something else: the first amendment applies only to the leftist media and not the ordinary citizen.
#5
Yes, GK, that's the meme 'One set of rules for me and another set of rules for thee.' Orwell defined it as being a member of the 'Inner Party' and all others the 'Outer Party'.
#9
Whatever the libtards made up about President Bush fascism is happening, right now, in real time and on TV. Dissenters and non-believers get attacked by the press and air dirty laundry (All they can come up with is a tax lien which, in my opinion, proves his point about getting to the point of overtaxed). Second, and more disturbing, is the voter fraud. People are getting caught red handed. Caught. Nothing is being done, in fact it is being given the wink. This is documented on TV suppression of dissidents and voter fraud. When asked, to his face, his take on ACORN senator government smile-smirked the very serious alligation off - if a detective came up to you and said you were a suspect in a murder case would you respond with, "I've also been accused of stealing hearts before and plead guilty." No, not an appropriate response anywhere except on Comedy Central (if anyone still watches re-runs of Futurama, not even the good ones at that).
obama instigated the conversation and rattled off his response and probably didn't even know he had pissed off so many people until he got back around his campaign people, "Barry, buddy, that may be what you want to do but don't say that out loud - remember your waffle eating deal, don't know how we got past that but by calling them rascists even though it was obvious they weren't laughing at you but how bad you bowl. And the 'sweetie' deal, hell just the other day I read about a teacher getting fired for allegedly being sexist and you were caught on tape nevermind how pissed you wife was. This, this, well its a pooch screw. Strike three barry - by the way that's a baseball term. Thought you would like to know because as it is people are going to have to wait to see the World Series because you want your informercial. All they gotta do is show your NAFTA fubar, that tape about removing the missile defense and dismantling the military, and this Joe Plumber deal...Christ, where's the scotch - and somebody call biden and tell him to stfu right now. No I don't know where he is or what his speaking topics are I just know who he is and he isn't going to say anything to help."
#2
"Otis Williams, lead singer of another Motown hit-maker, the Temptations. "A few years ago in Las Vegas, I told Levi, 'You are our black Frank Sinatra.' Levi could phrase a song just as beautifully."
Personally I don't know why Otis would want to slander Levi that way. Talk about damning with faint praise. RIP Mr. Stubbs.
Back in my yoof the Tops and Temps were definitely in my top ten list. "And the band played on..."
ANKARA, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- Turkish military said that its warplanes hit targets of the outlawed Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) in Qandil region in Iraq's north on Friday. The Turkish General Staff said in a statement posted on its website that the warplanes have all safely returned to their bases in Turkey.
This was the seventh time that the Turkish warplanes have bombed PKK targets in several regions in northern Iraq since Oct. 4.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/18/2008
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Warren Buffett generally makes money in both good times and in bad, and this article reinforces some of the bar chatter at the O-Club.
Oct. 17 (Bloomberg) -- Warren Buffett said he's buying U.S. stocks and, if prices stay attractive, his personal investments, as distinct from his stake in Berkshire Hathaway Inc., will soon be wholly in American equities.
Writing in The New York Times, he said he's following the principle: be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful.
Exaggerated concern about the long-term prosperity of financially secure U.S. companies is foolish, and most probably will be setting profit records in years to come, Buffett said. While short-term stock movements can't be foretold, the likelihood is that the market will recover before the economy or general investor sentiment rebound, and ``if you wait for the robins, spring will be over,'' he said.
Referring to the 1930s Depression, Buffett pointed out that the Dow Jones Industrial Average reached its nadir on July 8, 1932; economic conditions continued to deteriorate until Franklin D. Roosevelt became president in March 1933, and by that time the market had climbed 30 percent.
Bad news, Buffett wrote, is an investor's best friend, because it enables the purchase of ``a slice of America's future at a marked-down price.''
Buffett, ranked the richest American by Forbes magazine, has committed at least $28 billion of Berkshire's cash this year to acquire companies, finance buyouts and purchase securities as the contraction in global credit markets drove down stock prices and sent firms searching for funds.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/18/2008
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#1
Mmmkay...between The Oracle and the fact that the Dow closed about where it did last Friday makes me think that at least we might be near the bottom...
Posted by: Ricky bin Ricardo (Abu Babaloo) ||
10/18/2008 2:14
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#2
"Warren Buffett ...will soon be wholly in American equities."
Him and others who think like him. A lot of dollars may be coming home. Maybe this is why the dollar is increasing despite the monetary stimulus.
Posted by: Minister of funny walks ||
10/18/2008 9:11
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#3
Of course, all of this depends on how deeply he is already in equities. There's a good chance that he has had his clock cleaned by the recent downturn, and he is desperate to restore confidence, or bail out, if things are really bad.
I am so-so about Buffett ever since I found out he was heavily invested in wind power. Had he talked to some engineers first, he would not have had to tout wind energy on public commercials to save his butt.
Commodities are very expert driven. Only a sucker invests in oil without being advised by oil men. The same applies to metals and agriculture. Several of the markets are insider driven, dominated by an oligopoly that stick it to any ambitious types that want to use their product to get rich quick. Like the Hunt Brothers, who tried to corner silver.
Me, I'm going to wait until after the elections to do much of any portfolio change except sell if there is a spike upward.
#4
Take your cash now 'Mooose run that bank, convert it to Swiss Francs (backed by real milk chocolate) cause, the end is near. Remember it's all FIAT currency, backed by nothing except faith and the US Treasury.
The mayor of Tehran, a possible contender for the Iranian presidency, said on Friday his country would welcome talks with the United States as supported by White House contender Barack Obama. Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, a harsh critic of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, expressed hope that Obama would make good on calls to hold dialogue with Iran should the Democrat win the November 4 election.
"Senator Obama said in his ... campaign that he would like to have such a relationship," Qalibaf said, adding that any talks must be to the mutual benefit of the two countries and "without any sense of pressure."
"I think the world community, the Iranian society and the US society would benefit" from such talks, he said during a visit to Tokyo at the invitation of the Japanese government.
Obama has said Washington must engage in "tough, direct diplomacy" with Iran, and that as president he would have the right "to meet with anybody at a time and place of my choosing if I think it's going to keep America safe."
His approach contrasts with the current hard-line US policies. President George W. Bush famously named Iran as a part of an "axis of evil." An escalating nuclear standoff between Iran and the West and inflammatory rhetoric from Ahmadinejad has only deepened the hostility.
Qalibaf, seen as a contender for next year's presidential election, pressed the US to withdraw troops from Iraq and said "superpowers" must acknowledge an Iranian role in bringing stability to the Middle East.
Echoing other Iranian leaders, Qalibaf called for a country encompassing both Israel and the Palestinian territories to replace the Jewish state. "Muslims, Christians, and Jews ... must be allowed to return to their own land and, through a democratic and free election, choose the type of government they would like to have," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/18/2008
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Iran's foreign minister says the West is institutionalizing Islampophobia to pretend that Islam is an enemy that should be fought against.
"Islamophobia is a theory developed in the West," Manouchehr Mottaki said in a forum under "Common World: Progress through Diversity" in Kazakhstan's capital, Astana, on Friday.
"Following the collapse of the bi-polar system of the world, the liberal democrats tried to institutionalize Islamophobia as a theory in the West, because they wanted to indoctrinate the public opinion that there is a new enemy and that they should fight against it," IRNA quoted Mottaki as saying.
"Islamophobia is a challenge for all, because the issue heavily influences international peace," Iran's top diplomat warned.
He added that resolving global challenges needs a global partnership, which should bring all the world's countries including the Western and Muslim countries together.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/18/2008
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#1
Nope, Islamic actions are cementing Western Islamaphobia.
(APP): Sindh Minister for Information, Ms. Shazia Marri, has said that there was no truth in the rumors about national economy and those spreading misinformation were doing so only to fulfil their personal agenda. This she said while addressing at the inauguration of branch of Bank AI-Falah here Friday.
The Minister said that no doubt there were many challenges to the economy which are being tackled and given due attention at both national and provincial levels. She stated that such elements are confusing people by creating fear in their minds and thus damaging their confidence in the economy.
They want to harass masses by propagating misinformation about the state of economy and overall banking system, Ms. Shazia added. She further reiterated that there was not truth in the propaganda about the economy as country's banking system was performing well and opening of this new branch was an ample proof of this.
The Minister said that the financial crisis in the West was not related to us directly and as such we should not be afraid by this crisis but rather be prepared to deal with any possible financial situation. She said that according to the vision of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, the provincial government was encouraging establishment of banks, financial institution other business and industries throughout the province and specially in Karachi.
Being the rapidly emerging business hub of South Asia, Karachi is also the most significant city of Pakistan financially, she said.
Ms. Shazia congratulated the management for opening another branch of the bank to facilitate its customers and hoped that the bank would continue providing quality services to its customer in future also. She was informed on the occasion that it is the 236th branch of the bank and 228th in Pakistan. The Bank now has 51 branches in the city.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/18/2008
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From Geostrategy Direct, subscription.
China has deployed strategic nuclear missiles in Tibet, including medium-range systems in Tsonub Mongolian and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Qinghai Province. The missiles are capable of hitting targets in Russia and Northern India with nuclear warheads, according to the Indian Defence Review.
According to the report, some 60 launch pads for medium-range nuclear ballistic missiles (MRBM) near the cities of Delingha and Da Qaidam were identified.
U.S. China military specialist Hans Kristensen, said of the sites: "The region has long been rumored to house nuclear missiles. But the new analysis reveals a significantly larger deployment area than previously known, different types of launch pads, command and control facilities and missile deployment equipment at a large facility in downtown Delingha."
The missiles in the region are thought to include DF-31s, DF-21s and DF-4s. According to the Indian journal, about 67, out of 121 deployed nuclear missiles, are said to be solid-fueled, 55 per cent versus 36 per cent a few years back.
The journal also stated that China likely has constructed extensive underground military facilities in western China, including missile facilities. Commercial satellite photo shows tent-like structures visible in downtown Delingha apparently used by the missile launch brigade when it deploys to remote launch pads.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
10/18/2008
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Posted by: Frank G ||
10/18/2008 7:17
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#4
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Posted by: paul ||
10/18/2008 8:30
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#5
Young Frank G. made purdy picture of a truss bridge I expect. I spent two weeks removing the silver magic. THERE'S NOTHING THERE, NOTHING BUT A FEW WIRES AND RODS! I've been blacklisted from the Ohio Arts Website but I do have dis. Spread the word! It ain't magik! It's simple statik and mechaniks!
My son left the front door unlocked last night but was sleeping on the couch "watching" TV. I get woken up at 3:50 this morning by a hot, but obviously drunk, blonde 21 year old named "Amber" in my bedroom looking for "her laptop" (and no, we didn't know her)
And I made her leave
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/18/2008 12:22
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Japan was elected Friday to a seat at the UN Security Council for 2009-2010, overcoming a challenge from Iran for a place at the head table of international diplomacy. In a vote in the UN General Assembly, which includes all member nations of the world body, Japan took 158 votes against 32 for Iran, the assembly's president Miguel d'Escoto of Nicaragua said.
Asia has two non-permanent seats on the 15-nation Security Council, on top of the permanent seat held by China. Indonesia's term is ending; Vietnam's stint continues through the end of 2009.
Among nations in the European group at the United Nations, Austria and Turkey won non-permanent places on the Security Council, leaving Iceland defeated. Mexico and Uganda took the seats available for Latin America and Africa respectively without contest.
It will be Japan's 10th turn on the Security Council since the founding of the United Nations more than 50 years ago. It is a major contributor to the UN budget and contends it should have a permanent place on a reformed council. Its bid to join the Security Council was a near certainty, given Japan's status as an economic powerhouse and the support it enjoyed from around the world, notably in Western countries.
Iran, meanwhile, is under UN sanctions for refusing to comply to Security Council demands to suspend nuclear enrichment, amid fears -- denied by Tehran -- that it is developing nuclear weapons.
"It's a comprehensive defeat, a thrashing and it's an important signal from the United Nations membership," said John Sawers, the British ambassador to the United Nations. "Had Iran, by some massive error or misjudgment... come on the Security Council, it would have obstructed the effective work of the council."
Deputy US ambassador Alejandro Wolff said: "It's important for Iran to understand that its refusal to comply with its obligations is reflected in its very poor showing."
Turkey and Austria won Security Council seats with 151 and 133 votes respectively, with Iceland -- badly shaken, by coincidence, by the global financial crisis that brought it near bankruptcy -- getting only 87 votes. "Turkey... has demonstrated through its own development that democracy thrives in the Islamic world," Sawers said, "and Turkey is also in a region where there are many issues before the Security Council."
"It's going to bring real weight to the Security Council's considerations."
Mexico and Uganda secured 185 and 181 votes each, but as they were the only candidates from their respective regions, the outcome represented a show of support from their neighbors. There are a total 192 countries in the United Nations.
The Security Council is the most important UN decision-making body, with its five permanent members -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- each having a power of veto over its decisions. The 10 non-permanent seats are filled by the General Assembly, with five countries elected each year to two-year non-renewable mandates. To secure a seat, a candidate nation has to win two-thirds of votes cast in a secret ballot.
The newly-elected countries will replace Belgium, Indonesia, Italy, Panama and South Africa when their terms expire at the end of this year. Remaining on the Security Council until the end of 2009 will be Burkina Faso, Costa Rica, Croatia, Libya and Vietnam.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Friday that U.S. troops should not be concerned by a deal that is said to let Iraq prosecute American military personnel if they commit serious crimes on Iraqi soil. Some members of the U.S. Congress have questioned whether the pact offers enough protection from an Iraqi justice system that does not guarantee due process.
Iraqi officials have said the final draft agreement, which creates a legal basis for American troops to stay in Iraq after a United Nations mandate expires at the end of this year, states that U.S. forces should withdraw by the end of 2011. They have also said that the pact, known as a Status of Forces Agreement, would allow Iraqi authorities to prosecute U.S. troops for serious crimes under certain circumstances.
But the pact appears to contain many caveats that mean U.S. forces would face Iraqi justice only in very rare cases. "I think there is not reason to be concerned," Gates told reporters at the Pentagon.
He said Gen. Ray Odierno, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, and his predecessor, Gen. David Petraeus, had been deeply involved in negotiations over the deal, which also has the backing of Adm. Mike Mullen, the top U.S. military officer. "Adm. Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Petraeus, Gen. Odierno and I are all satisfied that our men and uniform serving in Iraq are well protected," Gates said.
Gates and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice have briefed key members of Congress, including the presidential candidates, Republican Sen. John McCain and Democratic Sen. Barack Obama. Gates described the reaction from lawmakers he spoke with as "generally positive," but Rep. Ike Skelton, a Missouri Democrat who chairs the armed services committee in the House of Representatives, said he had "real questions". "I am very concerned about reports that U.S. service personnel may not have full immunity under Iraqi law," said Skelton, who was briefed by Gates.
However, Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana, the ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said initial briefings suggested the deal was acceptable. "It appears ... that the administration has negotiated responsibly on behalf of U.S. national security interests and with the protection of American G.I.'s at the fore," he said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/18/2008
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#1
the pact, ..., would allow Iraqi authorities to prosecute U.S. troops for serious crimes under certain circumstances.
Ukraine's feuding president and prime minister sought help from the International Monetary Fund in separate meetings Friday as a political dispute between them complicated talks for a multibillion-dollar loan to stabilize the country's struggling financial system.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/18/2008
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(APP): U.S. General David Petraeus, who will head Central Command from October 31, has launched a major reassessment of the regional strategy, warning that the lack of development and the spiraling violence in Afghanistan will probably make it "the longest campaign of the long war," The Washington Post reported Thursday.
The review will formally begin next month, but experts and military officials involved said Petraeus is already focused on at least two major themes:
government-led reconciliation of Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and the leveraging of diplomatic and economic initiatives with nearby countries that are influential in the war.
"The effort in Afghanistan is going to be the longest campaign of the long war," Petraeus told the newspaper Wednesday.
Petraeus is recruiting a brain trust of advisers, much as he did for Iraq, taking the studious approach that has become the hallmark of the four-star general who holds a doctorate in international relations from Princeton University.
Reconciliation of moderate Taliban insurgents who are willing to ally with the Afghan government is emerging as one main thrust of Petraeus's approach, according to officials and experts who have discussed it with him recently.
"In Afghanistan, or in any country where society is dominated by tribes, reconciliation really needs to be a focus," said a senior Central Command official.
Petraeus agreed but stressed that any outreach needs to be done in conjunction with the Afghan government. "I do think you have to talk to enemies," he said at the Heritage Foundation. "Clearly you want to try to reconcile with as many as possible. . . . The key there is making sure all of that is done in complete coordination and with the complete support of the Afghan government and President [Hamid] Karzai."
Afghanistan and Pakistan experts consulted so far include Shuja Nawaz, author of "Crossed Swords: Pakistan, Its Army, and the Wars Within," whom Petraeus consulted during a private lunch in Washington last week, and Ahmed Rashid, author of "Descent into Chaos."
Another expert slated to join the team is Clare Lockhart, co-founder of the New York-based Institute for State Effectiveness, who spent five years working in Afghanistan as an adviser to the United Nations, the Afghan government and the NATO-led military command. "This team will essentially provide a policy bridge from one administration to the next," Lockhart said.
Another priority is to take a regional approach to the problems in Afghanistan and Pakistan, including more robust diplomacy with neighbors and a regional economic development effort, experts said.
"When you look at a lot of these problems, you see considerable regional connections," Petraeus said Wednesday. The effort would embrace all of Afghanistan's neighbors and possibly extend to India, which has had a long-standing rivalry with Pakistan, the report said."There may be opportunities with respect to India," Petraeus said, according to the newspaper.
An overview of the review team's mission obtained by The Post says that including other government agencies and other nations in the planning will "mitigate the risk of over-militarization of efforts and the development of short-term solutions to long-term problems."
Nevertheless, some experts questioned whether Petraeus will have the authority to carry out such a sweeping strategy.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/18/2008
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#1
Nevertheless, some experts questioned whether Petraeus will have the authority to carry out such a sweeping strategy.
Easily answered. He most definately will not under an Obama administration. I suspect he'll be summarilly retired and will certainly risk being tied to legal actions associated with the liberals/socialists attempts at charging "W" with war crimes.
#2
"These demands are not open to negotiation or discussion. The Taliban must act, and act immediately. They will hand over the terrorists, or they will share in their fate."
George W. Bush, Statement To Joint Session Of Congress September 20th 2001
"We will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them. "
George W. Bush, September 11th 2001
Let's not mince words, this would be a western surrender.
The reason for the presence of the US and NATO in Afghanistan is 9/11. The central
mission is retribution. It is the restoration of western deterrence, by eliminating the Taliban, whether the Afghans like it or not.
It's a surgical operation in the sense that the only the Taliban are direct targets, not the Afghan nation or people.
The goal however is the destruction of, not reconciliation with the Taliban.
If the Taliban survive with the blessing of the US government, then it has been established that a mass fatality attack on the continental US is not a suicidal mistake.
George Hussein Bush would be well advised to at least kick this can down the road.
Barack Hussein Obama will surrender in Afghanistan by reconciling with the Taliban and inviting them to participate in an islamofascist unity government. But this collapse of the war effort and the consequences thereof would be fully owned by B. Hussein Obama and the Democrats.
BTW, I don't fault Petraeus here, this is a political matter. It's within the responsibilty of the civilian political leadership, not the military's.
RAJSHAHI, Oct 17 (BSS): Masud alias Murgi Massud (35), a front-ranking leader of the outlawed Purbo Bangler Communist Party (ML-Lal Potaka), ...
So the Purbos are going to need another #3 ...
... was killed in a shootout between his cohorts and police at Taherpur Pabnapara under Bagmara Upazila Friday.
How the mighty Purbos have fallen, now to be whacked by mere policemen ...
Police sources said, Masud alias Akash alias Sabuj, son of Nur Muhammad ...
... who no longer knows him ...
... of Ramrama village under the same upazila, was a fugitive of twelve systems four sensational murders and two arms cases.
Sensational? We got yer sensational right here ...
Acting on a tip off, ...
... thanks to the ever-helpful Mahmoud the Weasel ...
... police conducted operation in a mango orchard of Taherpur Pabnapara ...
... no, we don't know where that is ...
... when Masud was holding a clandestine meeting with his associates.
Couldn't they have hired the local VFW hall?
Police team captured Masud from his locality and subsequently handed him over to Bagmara police.
Who thumped him down elebenteen flights of stairs ...
On his painfully-extracted confessional statement, ...
Did he confess to torching the Hindenburg or did they stop at the Lindbergh baby?
... a police team was taking him to nearby Taherpur area to arrest his other accomplices and recover hidden firearms.
And there our radiocast ends. You can figure out the rest, but if you can't, check in again soon for another exciting edition of Tales from the Crossfire Gazette Top Outlaw Killed in Gunfight!
Let me guess:
1. Sense police.
2. Open fire on cops.
3. Cops return fire.
4. Masud catches bullet on spot.
5. "Rosebud!"
6. Cohorts vanish into the night.
7. "He's dead, Jim"
8. Find local gun and three round of bullet.
9. The End
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/18/2008
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#1
Heh, the article really does end there. I guess everyone already knows the ending. Headline says man killed, but it's not confirmed by the article. Does the writer work for the New York Times?
(APP): The Security Forces, backed by gunship helicopters, warplanes and artillery fire killed 60 miscreants at Jargo Banda near Peochar in restive Tehsil Matta of Swat district.
Confirming the report, a spokesman of Information Media Centre Swat told APP on late Friday that the security forces engaged militants training camps and hideouts in the mountains of Jargo Banda, some 10 kilometers north of Peochart that left 60 miscreants dead and scores others injured.
Official sources based in Swat said that the hideouts of militants were engaged with gunship choppers and artillery fire that inflicted heavy casualties to pro-taliban militants. Several dens and hideouts of miscreants were also dismantled.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/18/2008
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(APP): The Security Forces backed by gunship helicopters, artillery and jet fighters killed another 10 militants in restive Loisam area in Bajaur Agency on Friday. Official sources in Frontier Corps told APP that nine to 10 miscreants were killed in intense exchange of firing with security forces at Loisam in restive Bajaur Agency bordering Afghanistan.
Militants' positions in the area were engaged with artillery and gunship helicopters, making miscreants to run from the area and left behind large quantity of arms and ammunitions. The sources said that miscreants were in dire straits and they on the run.
According to security officials and sources based in Bajaur said that the security forces have continued gunship helicopters shelling on Chinar, Kohai and Babara Charmang, Banda in tehsil Nowegi and Loyasam areas and destroyed several hideouts of militants.
The troops are advancing towards Loyesam bazaar and Zorbandar area as per planned. Curfew has been imposed in Khar area, the main town of the Bajaur Agency.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/18/2008
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(APP): As many as 26 foreigners including Uzbeks and Afghans held by law enforcing agencies the other day were Friday evening produced before the media here at Spina Thana near restive Darra Adamkhel town in FR Kohat.
The foreigners, who were believed to be involved in sabotage activities were booked by security officials during a successful action at Spina Thana check-post.
The local journalists were taken to the venue by the FC media cell where 14 Uzbeks and 12 Afghans were presented before TV and print media men blind folded.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/18/2008
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Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez says that oil prices, which have dropped by half in the last few months, will probably keep falling. Chavez is a price hawk in OPEC and has over the last few weeks been lowering what he considers the likely range for world oil prices, which have plunged due to fears that recessions around the world will slash demand.
Chavez said Venezuela will likely be hit by the global turmoil but would not collapse because of the drop in income. Oil accounts for about half of government revenue. "The price of oil is falling? Yes. The price will carry on falling? Probably. But Venezuela will not drown," he said at a forum about the benefits of socialism.
World oil prices are at a 13-month low below $73 a barrel, down from a record of about $150 a barrel in July.
Venezuela, one of the United States' biggest oil suppliers, has drafted a budget for next year based on a prediction of $55-60 a barrel for its basket of low-quality crudes, officials said earlier Wednesday. The South American nation's tarry crude usually trades at about $10 a barrel below US oil.
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Iranian state-run television says the country's army air force has begun a military exercise near Iran's northwestern border with Turkey. Thursday's report says jet fighters, including American-made F-4s, F-5s and F-14s and Russian-made Sukhoi planes, are involved in the operation. The exercise in the northwestern town of Tabriz also includes the new domestically manufactured jet fighter called the Saegheh, or Lightning.
The broadcast says the exercise is aimed at boosting Iran's defense capabilities, upgrading the morale of the army and displaying the might of the country's air force.
Iran launched an arms development program during its 1980s war with Iraq to compensate for a U.S. weapons embargo.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/18/2008
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#1
Or it is aimed at intimidating Iraq through a display of air power that Iraq would be helpless to defend against until it gets an Air Force of its own.
Posted by: Ricky bin Ricardo (Abu Babaloo) ||
10/18/2008 2:12
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In the mid to late seventies Iranian pilots were receiving training at Reese AFB. A T-38 trainer at low altitude will set off an alarm to remind a pilot to deploy his landing gear. An Iranian pilot on a solo flight approaching for landing failed to deploy his landing gear. The tower yelled at him on the radio to deploy his landing gear.The pilot belly landed the plane. They asked him later why he did not deploy his landing gear after the tower yelled at him on the radio to do so. He told them he could not hear them because of a loud beeping noise inside the cockpit.
#8
Sounds like an excellent opportunity to test the airborne laser on some of their better aircraft.
That's the thing about Russian aircraft. It's just so darned unreliable. One instant you're flying along, and the next, *POOF*, you disintegrate into burning metal filings.
BAGHDAD - Iraqi forces on Friday discovered a cache of explosives in a mosque south of Baghdad, an army source said.
The find was made when forces raided Adullah al-Gaboury mosque in al-Askanderia district, 60 kilometres south of Baghdad, the source told Deutsche Presse-Agentur, dpa. The explosives were removed and eight suspects were later arrested in the area.
Two brothers aged 14 and 17 were meanwhile found stabbed to death in Diwaniyah province in what appeared to have been an act of clan revenge, a police official told the Voices of Iraq (VOI) news agency.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/18/2008
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#1
Islamic religious relics
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/18/2008 12:27
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Aswat al-Iraq: Policemen in Wassit province found an unidentified body of a woman on a road north of Kut city on Friday, a security source said. "The corpse, which showed signs of having been shot, was found on the Kut-Baghdad highway near the district al-Dabouni, (55 km) north of Kut," the source told Aswat al-Iraq, adding the body was removed to the al-Zahraa Hospital morgue.
The Kut policemen had earlier in the day found another body of a pregnant woman that showed signs of having been shot in al-Ahrar district, western Kut.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/18/2008
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JEDDAH - Imams (preachers) of Saudi mosques have come in for severe criticism for not being able to guide Saudi youth away from extremist ideologies that pose a serious threat to the security and stability of the country.
Did he say this in English or Arabic?
The more than 15,000 mosques in the country constitute the best forums for guidance, but the imams have failed miserably in discharging their duties, Interior Minister Prince Nayef said after opening a seminar on Human Rights in Higher Education and Intellectual Security at Umm Al Qura University in Makkah on Wednesday night.
"The infidels are on to us!"
Frankly speaking, I would like to say that the imams of mosques, with the exception of the two holy mosques, have not played their desired role (in the fight against extremism), Prince Nayef said. The introduction of topics related to human rights in the education or any other area of life does not mean that our society is ignorant or deficient in human values as some quarters have been portraying, Prince Nayef stressed.
So he heard us!
He highlighted the significant role universities had to play in keeping the young Saudis away from the dangers of destructive ideologies. Since universities are centres of research, it is their duty to study ways to root out ideas that distort religion and defame the nation, he told an audience that included Minister of Higher Education Khaled Al Anqari and Rector of Umm Al Qura University Adanan Wazzan.
So shut yer yaps and do as yer told ...
Prince Nayef urged intellectuals in Saudi universities to shoulder their responsibility in keeping society free of extremist ideologies. Intellectual security is by no means less important than public security, he said.
He added that the security of a country was closely related with scientific achievements. Universities should be capable of contributing to the service of the country and it is in line with the teaching of Islam which urges its followers to benefit from fruits of learning, he said.
Does that mean that the princes will fund fewer madrassas and more real schools?
He said that by following the true path of Islam the Muslims would be able to achieve security and stability everywhere. He added the late King Abdul Aziz, founder of the kingdom, had striven to introduce modern sciences into the country and to convince the people of their importance.
After the unification of the country, King Abdul Azizs concerns were about the peoples education and their security, and his sons followed the footsteps of their great father in this respect, he said.
Worked well so far, huh ...
While speaking with the faculty members of the university, Prince Nayef expressed his hope that no harm would come to the country, which was always defended well. He commended the achievements of the soldiers and other security organs in the past in foiling the destructive designs of terrorists. We have proved to the world that the Saudi security forces are capable of confronting the challenges of the deviant ideology though the country was the main target of extremist plots, he said.
Proven to whom, exactly? I don't remember the Saoodi forces doing so well in the Gulf War. And the security forces have allowed a steady stream of rubes into Iraq and Afghanistan.
While commending the strong cooperation between citizens and the security forces, the minister stressed the role of the citizens as the first line of the defence of the country against all kinds of enemies.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/18/2008
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#3
Given how heavily blacks seem to be voting for Obama (not racially motivated, of course . . .), I would guess that blacks make up about 20% of the military, which is probably responsible for all the 25% or so Obama votes in the rest of the categories. I wonder how this will translate into the civilian population. I'm guessing Obama will not do as well as the MSM is trying to persuade everyone to believe.
Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe refuses to comment why power-sharing talks with the opposition leader "went in the wrong direction".
After emerging from the meeting after eight hours of strenuous talks on Friday with Morgan Tsvangirai, Mugabe, representing the ruling ZANU-PF party, refrained from commenting on why the negotiations had failed.
Talking to reporters he only said that they will make a full statement "tomorrow". "We shall tell you in detail tomorrow and will also tell you the way forward. We don't want to pre-empt what we are going to say", Reuters quoted him as saying.
Meanwhile, Tsvangirai leader of the opposition party, Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), said he was still committed to a broader power-sharing despite a deadlock after four days of talks.
He said he is not walking away from it and hoped that with the spirit of cooperation, a final solution will be reached which will be in favor of both the parties.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/18/2008
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#1
And what does Mugabe's mum have to say, hmmm?
Posted by: Whiskey Mike ||
10/18/2008 12:27
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(APP): A senior official said here Friday that government would track and give severe punishments to the bomb hoax telephone callers, as such acts create panic among the people and cause unrest in the country. He observed that in the wake of alarming security situation in the country, some teenagers felt pleasure in playing with the sentiments of already terrorized masses through hoax telephonic calls.
It has now become a matter of routine that such hoax calls are being received to create confusion and tension among law enforcement agencies in particular and peace loving masses in general.
In a recent incident, Chakwal Police arrested Naeem Abbas son of Ghulam Abbas and Mubashir Hassan for giving a hoax call to the US Embassy in Islamabad.
In another incident, a student of St Mary's Academy, Rawalapindi made a call to Elite Force 1122 office, telling them that Army Public College at Humayun Road, Rawalpindi Cantt was about to explode. Later, the individual was traced and handed over to Civil Lines Police Station, Rawalpindi, the official said.
The law enforcement agencies are on the look out to nab other such individual who are engaged in act of terrorizing the masses, he added.
Latest technology has been put in place for hunting out the hoax callers and to give them severe punishment in accordance with the law of the land, he added. The official said a long list of such youth and other suspicious persons has been compiled and investigations are in progress. More arrests are expected soon, the official added.
There are evidences where teenage callers alerted security agencies's officials and created panic among the people, he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/18/2008
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Aswat al-Iraq: A wanted man was killed by unidentified gunmen north of al-Amara city on Friday, a media source within the Missan province police department said. "Unknown gunmen opened their machine-gun fire at a wanted man suspected of having killed three policemen in al-Jidiya village, Kemit district, (25 km) north of Amara, killing him instantly," the source told Aswat al-Iraq. "The killed man was on his way to a hospital for treatment from wounds he had sustained earlier in clashes with Iraqi policemen," the source added, not giving more details.
A Missan police source had told VOI three policemen, including an officer in the lank of lieutenant, and four civilians, including two children, were killed on Thursday in clashes between security forces and gunmen in al-Jidiya.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/18/2008
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#1
Sounds like the unidentified gunmen may have been policemen. Around here cop killers often get shot trying to escape - same idea.
Aswat al-Iraq: A civilian man was killed and another wounded when an improvised explosive device went off in northern Mosul on Friday, police said. "The IED exploded near a civilian man's house in al-Rashidiya area, northern Mosul. There was no security target in the area," the source told Aswat al-Iraq.
Earlier, a police source in Ninewa said an IED went off near the house of a Customs Administration employee in northern Mosul but left no casualties. "The explosion caused severe damage to the house but left no casualties," the source said.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/18/2008
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Aswat al-Iraq: Demand for the dollar went up at the Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) auctions this week, registering $820.906 million, compared to more than $645.262 million in the previous week. The demand hit $208.955 million in cash, covered by the bank at an exchange rate of 1,179 and 1,178 Iraqi dinars per dollar; and $611.951 million in foreign transfers outside the country at the mentioned exchange rates.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/18/2008
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#4
I will worry about the value of the dollar the day that the cocaine cartels in South America start refusing to take it in exchange for their drugs. There is a good reason why every mafia, drug smuggler, and contraband smuggler in the world wants the dollar as payment : world-wide acceptance at face value.
Hamas is likely to seek to extend its truce with Israel for another six months, Palestinian sources in the Gaza Strip predicted Thursday. The current six-month truce, brokered by Egypt, expires in December. A senior Hamas official told Haaretz that the Islamic group has not yet made a decision on extending the truce.
"To date, Israel has not met its commitments regarding the transit of merchandise to the strip," he said. "Our focus [in talks] with Egypt is currently the issue of reconciliation with Fatah, but it is not inconceivable that the issue of the cease-fire could come up for discussion. If Israel meets its commitments, Hamas will seek to continue the truce."
But other sources in Gaza predicted that Hamas would seek to extend the truce even if Israel does not reopen the border crossings completely, to give it more time to consolidate both its rule in the strip and its political challenge to Fatah. As evidence, they noted that it had recently muted its complaints against Israel over arrests of its operatives in the West Bank - though in part, that is because such arrests are increasingly being carried out by the Palestinian Authority rather than Israel.
They added that Hamas has no interest in opening a front with Israel as long as its relationship with Fatah remains unsettled.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/18/2008
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#1
I suppose they figure it will take them almost that long to get their tunnel system up to speed again?
Three Palestinians have been killed by the Israel Defense Forces in the West Bank in the last several days, prompting concerns that violence in the area is back on the rise.
All three incidents took place near Ramallah and the settlement of Beit El, and all involved young Palestinians readying to throw firebombs at either IDF soldiers or settlers.
The fact that all three incidents involved firebombs and not more sophisticated weaponry may reflect the destruction of the West Bank's militant networks, and the subsequent shift to makeshift means of attack.
In the latest incident, IDF soldiers shot dead a Palestinian early Thursday as he was preparing to throw the firebomb. The IDF said he was one of three an army patrol spotted carrying firebombs under cover of darkness in the West Bank village of Kufr Malik, and he was shot when he ignored warning fire. The other two escaped.
Palestinian medics named the dead man as Aziz Yousef, 20, and said his body was handed over by Israeli officials before dawn.
Earlier Thursday, another fire bomber died in a Ramallah hospital after being shot Wednesday during what the military said was a mob attack on an army position in nearby Jelazoun refugee camp. Hospital staff named him as Mohammed Ramahi, 21.
On Tuesday, 18-year-old Abdel Kader Zeit, also from Jalazoun, was shot dead on suspicion of preparing to attack the settlement of Beit El with fire-bombs.
Palestinian peace negotiator Saeb Erekat condemned the killings. He noted that Israel has been observing a cease-fire with the Hamas militant group, which controls the Gaza Strip, and asked "why Israel is utterly unwilling to do the same in the West Bank."
Posted by: Fred ||
10/18/2008
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(SomaliNet) In the latest battle pitting Islamist insurgents against government and peacekeeping troops, mortar attacks in Somalia's capital killed at least 14 people and wounded dozens more on Friday, witnesses said.
According to reports, some 3,000 peacekeepers from Uganda and Burundi are guarding key sites in Mogadishu as part of a planned 8,000 strong African Union (AU) mission known as AMISOM.
Insurgents fired artillery rounds at a Ugandan military base in the city's K4 area from nearby alleys, prompting an exchange of mortar and machinegun fire which lasted for hours, residents in Mogadishu said. "They attacked our defence position at K4 and we chased them...There are no casualties from our side," an AMISOM spokesman told Reuters.
The peacekeepers have been targeted in a string of bombings and ambushes since the Islamists launched their rebellion early last year.
Hussein Aden, a grocer at the main Bakara market, said he saw eight mutilated bodies after three mortars detonated in the market. "The first one landed in front of a shop killing four people and wounding four others who were busy buying vegetables," he said.
He said the second mortar blew up four children when it dropped in front of their house, while the third one went into the ground causing no harm.
Hospital sources said six out of at least 35 civilians who were injured in Thursday's attacks died later.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/18/2008
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The 94th Airlift Wing, Dobbins Air Reserve Base, and the United States Air Force have teamed up with David Schultz Airshows LLC to bring a fantastic aerial event to the Atlanta area! This two day show on 18-19 October, 2008 will feature the BEST in airshow entertainment today. This year's event will feature the USAF Thunderbirds along with the USAF Academy Wings of Blue Parachute Team, the USAF F-22 & F-15E Demos, US Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet Demonstration, Sean Tucker, Jill Long, Red Eagle Air Sports, John Klatt, the Air Force Reserve Jet Car, and many others.
Posted by: Abu do you love ||
10/18/2008
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#1
They usually put on a good show and i know there are a few other Rantburgers in the north Georgia area, so I shared the heads up. I've arranged Transportation (i can't drive) so I will get to see it and I am rather excited at the opportunity to see the F22 in action for the first time.
if I'm lucky, I'll get a chance to post an after-action report tonight.
Posted by: Abu do you love ||
10/18/2008 6:11
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A Pakistani judge ruled on Friday that a young American man of Pakistani descent could be detained for another two days after he was arrested trying to enter a militant-plagued region on the Afghan border.
The man, identified by police as Judi Kenan, was detained on Monday while trying to enter the Mohmand ethnic Pashtun tribal region. Kenan was brought before the judge, Nasrullah Khan, amid tight security in a court near the northwestern town of Charsadda. "The judge remanded him into police custody for two days," a Charsadda police official said.
Kenan, clad in a shalwar kameez, a traditional baggy shirt and trousers, did not speak to the judge, a reporter said. "His face was covered with a cloth," said reporter Ahmed Ali.
Mohmand is one of Pakistan's seven semi-autonomous tribal regions that have long been off limits to foreigners without special permission and which in recent years have become plagued by Islamist militant violence.
Police said Kenan had told them he wanted to visit a friend in Mohmand. He had a valid visa for Pakistan but he did not have permission to enter the region and nor did he have his friend's address, police said.
In Washington, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack confirmed this week that a U.S. citizen had been detained by Pakistani officials and that U.S. diplomats had been given access to him.
This article starring:
Judi Kenan
Posted by: Fred ||
10/18/2008
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#1
I'm waiting for the parodies on Johhny Cash. "A Jihadi Named Judi"
#2
extends detention? Keep him, we don't want him back
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/18/2008 13:04
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That may be why they "extended his detention", Frank G. The US may have said "he's not one of ours after all, YOU keep him". I'm sure that if we actually DID that a couple of times, it'd slow down the "jihadi flow" a bit.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
10/18/2008 15:35
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#4
Nobody's done a Cary Grant imitation yet?
Posted by: Fred ||
10/18/2008 16:35
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#5
Hopefully he's on the air terrorist watch list now and it will be a long walk/swim back to the U.S.
This reads like it was written by the Soviets Disinformation Service ...
Somali police say AMISOM commanders at Somalia's Aden Adde International Airport are forced to take direct orders from US government officers.
They (the policemen) have confirmed to our Press TV correspondent that whenever insurgents attack AMISOM (African Union Mission to Somalia) bases and the Aden Adde International Airport, they have to consult the American officers before taking any action. He says that according to his police source, there are more than 25 US military officers (including nine female) stationed secretly in AMISOM bases.
At least 35 times AMISOM has been attacked, and every time the American officers have given the orders to shoot at civilians in Bakara and other districts in south Mogadishu, our reporter says quoting 10 policemen he has talked to. They also plan attacks for the AMISOM, the policemen said.
Whenever the AMISOM spokesman, Bragiye Bahoku, speaks to the media, he reads out the text dictated by US officers, they say.
The policemen also say that the peace keeping forces from Africa, Uganda and Burundi are like US paid soldiers. They have to obey what is ordered by the US officers, even if they do not like it.
In 1993, the US forces launched an operation is Somalia, named 'Operation Gothic Serpent' supported by the United Nations Operations in Somalia against Somali militia fighters loyal to warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid. That mission had ended in failure, our correspondent said.
The US has assigned the Ugandan soldiers to control all the communication especially when an attack takes place. They were asked to interrupt and block conversations passing through the Mogadishu telecommunication company and also listen to their daily talk.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/18/2008
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#1
including nine female
Oh, noes! Horror!
and every time the American officers have given the orders to shoot at civilians in Bakara and other districts in south Mogadishu
I think that's true. I mean, if you can't trust an iranian news org quoting unnamed sources about warcrimes being committed at random for no apparent reason whatsoever bar sheer cruelty, then... who can you trust, I ask you!?
#2
This reads like it was written by the Soviets Disinformation Service ...
Well, that true, if it read like it was written say by paleo Disinformation Service, then, the 9 female Us officers would bare their breasts and show their titties at the civilians to daze them, just before the AMISOM open fire.
The Communist Party of Nepal (Maoists) is planning to change its name. Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, who is also party Chairman, has said the party has been thinking of renaming for more than two years now. Finance Minister Baburam Bhattarai said there was no need to append "Maoists" to the party's name. "The different factions of Communist parties of the country had the same root -- the Communist Party of Nepal," he said on Friday. "And now that our party has been established as the major party of the country, we don't need to add any tail-name".
Posted by: Fred ||
10/18/2008
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As markets floundered amid the credit crunch, Iran's leadership celebrated the West's economic crisis. On Oct. 11, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared, "The claim that the free market manages all things is a huge lie and benefits only thieves and criminals." Two days later, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei decreed that the West's financial crisis was a sign of "the ineffectiveness of liberal democracy-based policies."
The Iranian leadership may rue their words. Ahmadinejad has run Iran's economy into the ground. On Oct. 11, just a day after Ahmadinejad declared prices in decline, the Central Bank reported inflation above 30%. Such figures are still likely low. Both Shahab News and Aftab-e Yazd have noted the tendency of Iranian officials to pull numbers from thin air.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Steve White ||
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Condoleezza Rice offers a defiant Tehran financial incentives.
George's ability to select subordinates never ceases astonishing me.
And so should chavez, castro, putin, all the usual suspects, all those tinpot disctators, tribal thugs and the like, but none will, why should they? They don't have to play by the same rules the West does. If mugabe can lecture the West and get standing ovation from african leaders, if castro can be praised by peopel supposedly appaled by the USA's rampant authoritarian streak, then we're in Bizarro world, and Bizarro world rules apply.
General Colin Powell, the former Secretary of State, is preparing for a live TV interview tomorrow amid intense speculation that he is ready to endorse Barack Obamas campaign.
Aides from John McCains camp are bracing themselves for another damaging blow, with one being quoted yesterday as suggesting that such an announcement from General Powell would be personally embarrassing for the Republican nominee with whom the General has been friends for 25 years and would create momentum against us.
General Powell, who once considered an attempt to become Americas first black president, has strong credentials on national security policy one of Mr Obamas weaker policy areas. Since quitting as Secretary of State in 2005 he has distanced himself from President Bush.
Last month he said that electing a black president would send an electrifying message to the world, before adding that he would base his decision on which candidate blends a right measure of experience and judgment.
In London this week, where he attended the Africa Rising festival, General Powell took the stage at the Royal Albert Hall to declare: I stand before you tonight as an African-American... It took a lot of people struggling to bring me to this point in history.
Mr McCains campaign continues to be dominated by Joe Wurzelbacher, the Ohio plumber who confronted Mr Obama at the weekend to ask the Democrat why he planned to raise taxes for small businesses. The Obama campaign has countered by pointing out that the plumbers current income level would make him eligible for tax cuts, rather than a proposed increase that applies only to those earning more than $250,000 (£130,000) a year.
At a rally in Miami, Mr McCain said: Americans ought to be able to ask Senator Obama tough questions without being smeared and targeted with political attacks.
The Republican also earned laughs at a charity dinner in New York, which he attended with Mr Obama on Thursday night, by announcing that he was replacing his entire campaign team with a man named Joe the Plumber. He then suggested that Mr Wurzelbachers income would soon be eligible for a tax hike having signed a very lucrative contract with a wealthy couple to handle all the work on all seven of their houses a reference to the McCain familys bulging property portfolio.
#2
Where I come from this is referred to as double speak:
Rev. Wright is also somebody who has made enormous contributions in his community and has turned a lot of lives around, Powell said, And so, I have to put that in context with these very offensive comments that he made, which I reject out of hand.
#4
'Benedict Arnold made many contributions to the War of Independence and was critical in turning the decisive battle of Saratoga around. And so, I have to put that in context with this very offensive act that he made, which I reject out of hand.'
That would sell well in America circa 1792 wouldn't it Colin.
#5
Powell has been twitchy ever since the Bush Administration threw his precious little doctrine under the bus. Getting "fooled" by the French at the start of the war, keeping quiet during the Plame game, Powell has been in bitchy payback mode ever since.
Posted by: Minister of funny walks ||
10/18/2008 9:17
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#6
Yup. Been waiting for this for weeks.
Powell doesn't need a job BTW. He made his money after retiring from the Army in good part by being appointed to the board of tech companies like American Online (AOL), where he joined at the same time as another African American Clinton official, namely Frank Raines. That's Raines as in the guy who ran Fannie Mae into the ground and is a senior Obama financial advisor
Powell is now with the huge Silicon Valley venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. Who among other firms, launched Google and Amazon.
There's a web of strong links between the wealthy left and Colin Powell, which has helped his son break into the big ranks easily as well.
#8
Last night Mike Reagan said Powell (who he deems as a friend) was a favorite of his dad & right to be pissed at the Bush admin and this is some sort of payback -- I don't get part of that as this hurts McCain vice Bush. I am often critical of W so I don't know the full details of Powell feeling he was used by the admin or what not. I also find it odd that Powell would endorse an empty suited shiftless dandy over one the few true war vets in the congress. I've always had kind of mixed opinions on Powell. I think the guy is always trying to do what he thinks is right - though I often disagree w/him - kind of like mccain. I'm often very cynical so heck, I'll say it: maybe there is a skin color component to this.
The disconnect as I have understood it originated with Cheney and Rumsfeld. Powell, the head diplomat of a failed diplomatic effort, became the wartime odd man out. He didn't enjoy his Rumsfeld association or his wicket maiden role. He's a shoe in for SECDEF or UN AMBO under an Obama administration.
#10
Noone's going to actually notice or remember that in 2003 we took away the authority for running the occupation from the DoD and gave it to the STate Department, run by Colin Powell, and they proceeded to do as much as possible to lose over the next three years.
Honestly, why does Colin Powell have to endose anyone? Even if he was going to support Mccain - Ultimately, (besides the parrot press corp and ignorant schleps) who gives a crap. Just like any of the other fringe organizations like NOW or every other idiotic celeb out there...it's like the height of arrogance or delusional self importance to think that your endorsement means anything to anyone w/half a brain.
A couple BTWs - If you're still undecided at this point your clearly too ignorant to vote.
If you've decided that obama is the right guy then you either too stupid or too delusional to vote.
The Turkish military said Friday that up to 35 Kurdish rebels may have died in a military offensive near the Iraqi border earlier this week. General Metin Gurak, the head of the General Staff's press department, said that intercepted wireless communication between Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) rebels during Tuesday's operation in Sirnak province spoke of up to 35 casualties.
"As you can see the organization has suffered heavily. We are still sweeping the area. We do not have an official statement yet" on the PKK's losses, he told a news conference.
The communication was intercepted after Turkish artillery and gunship fire targeted two groups of PKK militants when they were moving toward a military outpost in the mountainous region, he said. The intercepted messages also suggested the rebels might have shot dead fellow militants who were seriously wounded and could not move.
The Turkish military has intensified operations against the PKK since October 3 when the militants crossing from hideouts in neighboring Iraq assaulted a border outpost, killing 17 soldiers. Beside operations inside Turkey, it has also carried out seven air raids against PKK camps in northern Iraq, including one in which senior PKK members were targeted in the mountainous region of Zap, a major rebel stronghold.
Turkey's Parliament last week extended by one year the government's mandate to order cross-border military strikes against the PKK in northern Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region, which has been in effect since October 17, 2007.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/18/2008
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Somali pirates released 22 sailors they kidnapped last month after the South Korean ship owner paid a ransom, an official said Friday as India announced it plans to send a warship off the troubled nation's coast. The eight South Koreans and 14 Myanmarese were freed on Thursday. They had been held since their 15,000-ton cargo ship was seized off the coast of the east African nation on September 10.
Koo Ja-Woo, an executive director of J and J Trust, which owns the ship, said his firm paid an unspecified sum to the pirates through a foreign middleman with experience in dealing with the seizure of ships. "As a result, we could secure the early release of the sailors. But I can't disclose the amount," he told Yonhap news agency.
J and J officials and South Korea's Foreign Ministry were not immediately available for comment. The ministry said earlier the South Koreans were expected to return home on October 26.
Meanwhile, India said Friday it was deploying a warship off Somalia to protect its merchant vessels. The move comes after the MT Stolt Valor carrying mainly Indian crew was hijacked on September 17 by Somali pirates in the gulf. "The government has approved the deployment of one warship with immediate effect to patrol the route followed by Indian flagships between Oman and Yemen," a Defense Ministry official said. The number of warships could be boosted later, he added. The "anti-piracy patrol" vessel will have helicopters and marine commandos on board, said a ministry statement late on Thursday.
The deployment follows weeks of protests by shipworkers and families of the detained crew who have been demanding rescue efforts for the MT Stolt Valor's crew of 22. The includes 18 Indians, two Filipinos, a Bangladeshi as well as a Russian. "The presence of the Indian Navy in the area will help to protect our seaborne trade and instill confidence in our seafaring community, as well as function as a deterrent for pirates," the statement said.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/18/2008
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#1
This is why the pirate problem continues...
Posted by: Abu do you love ||
10/18/2008 10:39
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A body of Muslim scholars led by influential Sunni cleric Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi has urged Shiite Iran to prevent sectarian strife between Sunni and Shiite Muslims.
The International Union of Muslim Scholars issued a statement late Thursday saying it "invites the Islamic republic of Iran to assume its responsibilities to stifle sectarian sedition and extinguish the flames of this sedition."
The union issued the call following a meeting on Wednesday in the Gulf state of Qatar which was attended by the body's vice-president Iran's Ayatollah Mohamad Ali Tashkiri. The meeting, which was held behind closed doors, came after controversy triggered last month by the Egyptian-born Qaradawi who described Shiites as "heretics" and accused them of "invading" Sunni societies.
The dispute between Qaradawi and Shiite scholars emerged in the aftermath of statements the former made to the Egyptian independent al-Masry al-Youm in which he warned of a Shiite infiltration of Sunni nations. Qaradawi said at the time that he was responding to criticism by Tashkiri and another prominent Shiite cleric, Lebanon's Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, of earlier remarks he had made about a Shiite "invasion."
In its statement the union underscored "the need for mutual respect between" Sunnis and Shiites and said there should be a stop to any attempt to "spread one faith across regions dominated by the other faith."
Sunnis represent the majority of Muslims in the Middle East, but Shiites form the majority in Iran and Iraq and have a substantial presence in Lebanon.
Sunni leaders in the region have voiced concern about a Shiite resurgence following sectarian strife between the two communities in Iraq after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein's Sunni-dominated regime in the U.S.-led invasion of 2003 and its replacement by a Shiite-led government.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/18/2008
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After months of in-depth consultations Indonesian lawmakers have decided that bikinis are acceptable attire for beaches in the mainly Muslim country, an MP said Friday.
The move will bring a sigh of relief from Indonesia's lucrative tourism industry, which has expressed concern over a new anti-pornography bill being pushed by conservative Muslim parties.
"Tourists will be able to wear bikinis in special tourist areas, such as in Bali, so Indonesia's tourism industry won't be hurt by this legislation," Democrat Party lawmaker Husein Abdul Azis told AFP. "We are listening to the protests of stakeholders and people at large," he added, referring to fears the tourism industry would suffer if bikinis were criminalized.
Indonesia has declared 2008 "Visit Indonesia Year" and hopes to attract seven million visitors, earning 6.7 billion dollars in foreign exchange revenues. However, tourist arrival figures indicate the target is unlikely to be reached.
Politicians, artists, rights activists and tourism entrepreneurs on the mainly Hindu island of Bali, Indonesia's premier tourist destination, have vowed to launch a campaign of non-compliance if the pornography bill is passed.
But Azis, a member of the committee drafting the bill, said dramatic changes had been made to earlier versions in a bid to iron out problems. Lawmakers said the bill could be passed by the end of the month.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/18/2008
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No whining. This is Rantburg and Fred is Fred. You should know better than to to have taken the bait.
If you can still read this, then you still have a chance to save your eyesight. Here's what you'll need to get the image off your retinas. Get to work!
The leader of the Palestinian group Hamas said on Friday that the global financial meltdown was God's way of punishing the United States for its support of Israel and its occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan.
"We see it as God's punishment for the criminals. Nothing is more unjust than occupying an Islamic state. Nothing is more unjust than keeping the Palestinian people under occupation for over 60 years," Ismail Haniya told worshippers before Friday prayers in the Gaza Strip. "They deprived our people of money and now God has deprived them of money. They besieged our people and now they are besieged by the punishment of God," Haniya said.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/18/2008
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#1
And here I thought that G*d was punishing USA with Obama
#3
But, of course, the fact the arab world in particular, and the muslim world in general, are Humanity's collective *rsehole, basically, is not a punition of allan, it's just they're not muslim enough. See, they can't lose!
#4
Greed and stupidity result in their own natural consequences. God merely allows it to happen just like all the crummy things the Paleostinians have brought upon themselves.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
10/18/2008 11:10
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#5
Greed and stupidity result in their own natural consequences. God merely allows it to happen just like all the crummy things the Paleostinians have brought upon themselves.
A Chinese engineer taken hostage in Pakistan seven weeks ago escaped from his Taliban abductors and found his way to an army post, the military said Friday. The Taliban said one of two Chinese hostages they were holding had gone missing, while the other had been severely injured in the escape bid. "How severely injured?"
"We chopped his head off."
The men had gone missing, along with their local driver and a security guard, on August 29 in northwest Pakistan near the Afghan border, where officials said they had been checking an installation.
Pakistan has been under severe pressure from the Chinese government, long one of its most imporant allies and strategic counterweight to arch-rival India, over the hostages, with Beijing publicly requesting that Islamabad rescue them. "One Chinese engineer has been recovered," Pakisani Army spokesman Colonel Nadeem Ahmad said, without giving further details.
Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan told AFP the second hostage was injured before he was re-captured. "Last night an incident happened after which one Chinese engineer was hurt and the other went missing," Khan said.
A separate Taliban source said the hostages were being moved from one location to another when they made an escape attempt. He said that the re-captured man had severely injured his leg falling down a steep mountain slope. "They were near the town of Matta in the Swat Valley when they made a run for it," he said.
Pakistani Army officials who declined to be identified by name said the man who escaped had come into contact with local anti-Taliban tribesmen who then guided him to a nearby army post.
The Taliban have demanded that the government release 122 fighters captured in the area during the ongoing military operation.
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari completed a four-day state visit to China on Friday, though it was unclear if the fate of the hostages was discussed.
The local driver and security man were released soon after they were kidnapped. Islamic militants have been known in the past to target Chinese workers in Pakistan. China is one of Islamabad's closest allies as well as its largest arms supplier.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/18/2008
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#1
I wonder if the Chinese will slip in a few martial artist "engineers", who are in fact vicious unarmed and armed killers. Though they are rare, even among martial artists, there are some who are walking death machines.
Armed, you need at least a 20 foot gap, if you have an automatic weapon with the safety off, to have a chance. Any closer, and they can close the gap and kill you before you can effectively react.
I hate to think what one would be like if he had a knife.
#4
In our early defensive handguns training, each of us had a plastic pistol and were attacked by a guy with a rubber knife starting 21 feet away. By the time we got our pistol out and presented, the guy with the knife had us cut in the throat and other places. It is very sobering.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
10/18/2008 13:14
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#5
Personally, I prefer thermonuclear weapons at 500 miles, or a gattling gun for close-in work.
Seriously, if you can get the training, ask your local police department if they'll train you to use either a large flashlight or a baton for self-defense. It isn't any good against a guy with a gun unless you're REALLY, REALLY good, but against someone with a knife you're practically unstopable.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
10/18/2008 15:50
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GENEVA - Some 19,500 Iraqis applied for asylum in wealthy nations during the first half of 2008, still by far the top nationality seeking refuge abroad, the United Nations refugee agency said on Friday. But the overall number of Iraqis filing asylum applications continued to decline, down 18 percent from the last six months of 2007 and almost 10 percent below the first half of last year.
"In spite of this downward trend, Iraqis still accounted for 12 percent of all asylum applications lodged in the industrialised world in the first half of this year," said Ron Redmond of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). "The situation on the ground in Iraq has improved somewhat, which may mean fewer people are fleeing," he said. "It is also true that barriers have been erected, increasingly in recent years, that make it more difficult for people to seek asylum."
It's a problem that will solve itself over the next couple of years as Iraq continues to recover from the war and insurrection. People will return and the UNHCR will be out of a job.
In all, 165,100 asylum applications were lodged from January to June in 44 developed economies worldwide, including 38 countries in Europe as well as Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea and the United States. That six-month toll was up 3 percent from the same period in 2007.
Most of those seeking asylum filed for protection on arrival at borders, in airports, and in police stations in the countries where they hope to stay, Redmond said. The asylum figures do not include refugee resettlement programmes in which pre-screened people are expressly sent to host countries.
Iraqis fleeing violence or persecution typically head for neighbouring Jordan and Syria for "initial protection, then they go north to Europe," Redmond said. Some 60 percent of Iraqi asylum-seekers filed claims in only four countries -- Sweden, Germany, Turkey and the Netherlands. Sweden, with 3,900 applications, has been the "main destination country" for Iraqi asylum-seekers for some time, Redmond said.
Asylum seekers from Russia were the second largest group, with 9,400 new claims lodged in industrialised countries during the period, followed by China with 8,700 applicants, according to the Geneva-based agency. Some 7,400 Somalis sought asylum in the period, the highest level since 2003, "reflecting the deteriorating situation in the country," the UNHCR said. Asylum seekers from Pakistan and Afghanistan were fifth and sixth largest with 6,300 each.
The United States remained the largest single recipient of new claims by asylum seekers during the period, with 25,400 applications, or 15 percent of the total. Canada was the second preferred country, with 16,800 applications, followed by France with 15,600 and Britain with 14,500.
The 27 countries of the European Union registered 103,500 new asylum applications during the first six months of 2008. Excluding Italy, which only started providing statistics this year, 26 EU countries recorded 96,300 claims, some 11 percent less than during the second half of 2007 and 3 percent less that the first half of 2007, according to the UNHCR.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/18/2008
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#1
Baathist asylum seekers? I could understand their concern.
WASHINGTON - U.S. and Russian officials will meet in Geneva next month to discuss whether to extend a treaty limiting nuclear arsenals that expires late next year, the State Department said on Friday. Russia has been asking whether Washington is serious about replacing the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, signed in Moscow in 1991, which set ceilings on the size of the Russian and U.S. nuclear arsenals.
The two countries have already held extensive discussions about a post-START agreement "and we expect to continue those discussions," the State Department said in a statement. "The parties to a START will meet in Geneva in mid-November to initiate this process."
The parties were obligated to meet no later than a year before the START treaty expires next December to begin consideration of whether or not to extend the treaty.
State Department spokesman Gordon Duguid said he thought the meeting would be held at the "working level" -- meaning senior officials, below cabinet level.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/18/2008
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#1
Right... We'll control all your weapons. Agreed? Splendid!
Foreign and Iraqi observers alike have been noting Prime Minister Nuri al-Malikis increasingly assertive conduct, dating back to his ambitious operation last March to wrest control of Basra from militias that had reduced the southern city to chaos. But even veterans of Iraqs Byzantine politics are wondering what brought the prime minister to issue a decree this week declaring that ministers and various senior government officials may not travel outside the country until they get approval from him.
The decree, released by the National Media Center, says ministers must send a written request to the Cabinets secretariat-general and wait for approval. The order seems especially odd, because the government officials have already been bound by this rule for the past year. Some speculate that this is a rebuke to one of the approximately three dozen Cabinet ministers, who are from a variety of political parties, who might have wandered abroad without permission.
It is not clear who that might be, although Oil Minister Hussein al-Shahristani has been in London meeting with representatives from 35 energy companies to discuss development and exploration in Iraqs oil industry. In June, the oil ministry opened six oil fields and two gas fields for international bidding, a move expected to lead to the return of foreign oil companies to the country 36 years after they were expelled by Saddam Hussein.
Malikis order may have nothing to do with Sharistani, a nuclear scientist who was imprisoned for a decade during Saddams regime for refusing to work on developing an atomic bomb. But there is said to be no love lost between the fellow Shiites. Shahristani is considered too independent and regarded as someone who may not support the prime ministers program. The minister travels frequently in his bid to develop the oil sector.
On the other hand, Maliki also has feuded with the foreign minister, Hoshyar Zebari, a Kurd who also travels a lot, and he has clashed with other members of his sometimes dysfunctional Cabinet. So, why he felt the need to issue a reminder and via a publicly released decree remains unclear.
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.
By Kathleen Gilbert
ANKARA, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- Turkish military said that its warplanes hit targets of the outlawed Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) in Qandil region in Iraq's north on Friday. The Turkish General Staff said in a statement posted on its website that the warplanes have all safely returned to their bases in Turkey.
RAJSHAHI, Oct 17 (BSS): Masud alias Murgi Massud (35), a front-ranking leader of the outlawed Purbo Bangler Communist Party (ML-Lal Potaka), ...
(APP): The Security Forces, backed by gunship helicopters, warplanes and artillery fire killed 60 miscreants at Jargo Banda near Peochar in restive Tehsil Matta of Swat district. 
(APP): The Security Forces backed by gunship helicopters, artillery and jet fighters killed another 10 militants in restive Loisam area in Bajaur Agency on Friday. Official sources in Frontier Corps told APP that nine to 10 miscreants were killed in intense exchange of firing with security forces at Loisam in restive Bajaur Agency bordering Afghanistan. 
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez says that oil prices, which have dropped by half in the last few months, will probably keep falling. Chavez is a price hawk in OPEC and has over the last few weeks been lowering what he considers the likely range for world oil prices, which have plunged due to fears that recessions around the world will slash demand. 
JEDDAH - Imams (preachers) of Saudi mosques have come in for severe criticism for not being able to guide Saudi youth away from extremist ideologies that pose a serious threat to the security and stability of the country.
Three Palestinians have been killed by the Israel Defense Forces in the West Bank in the last several days, prompting concerns that violence in the area is back on the rise. 
(SomaliNet) In the latest battle pitting Islamist insurgents against government and peacekeeping troops, mortar attacks in Somalia's capital killed at least 14 people and wounded dozens more on Friday, witnesses said. 
The Communist Party of Nepal (Maoists) is planning to change its name. Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, who is also party Chairman, has said the party has been thinking of renaming for more than two years now. Finance Minister Baburam Bhattarai said there was no need to append "Maoists" to the party's name. "The different factions of Communist parties of the country had the same root -- the Communist Party of Nepal," he said on Friday. "And now that our party has been established as the major party of the country, we don't need to add any tail-name".
Somali pirates released 22 sailors they kidnapped last month after the South Korean ship owner paid a ransom, an official said Friday as India announced it plans to send a warship off the troubled nation's coast. The eight South Koreans and 14 Myanmarese were freed on Thursday. They had been held since their 15,000-ton cargo ship was seized off the coast of the east African nation on September 10.
After months of in-depth consultations Indonesian lawmakers have decided that bikinis are acceptable attire for beaches in the mainly Muslim country, an MP said Friday.
A Chinese engineer taken hostage in Pakistan seven weeks ago escaped from his Taliban abductors and found his way to an army post, the military said Friday. The Taliban said one of two Chinese hostages they were holding had gone missing, while the other had been severely injured in the escape bid.
GENEVA - Some 19,500 Iraqis applied for asylum in wealthy nations during the first half of 2008, still by far the top nationality seeking refuge abroad, the United Nations refugee agency said on Friday. But the overall number of Iraqis filing asylum applications continued to decline, down 18 percent from the last six months of 2007 and almost 10 percent below the first half of last year.
oreign and Iraqi observers alike have been noting Prime Minister Nuri al-Malikis increasingly assertive conduct, dating back to his ambitious operation last March to wrest control of Basra from militias that had reduced the southern city to chaos. But even veterans of Iraqs Byzantine politics are wondering what brought the prime minister to issue a decree this week declaring that ministers and various senior government officials may not travel outside the country until they get approval from him.
