Middle East politics amounts to managing the decline of a failed culture. Nothing expresses Arab failure more vividly than Egypt, a banana republic without the bananas, now living on a $14 billion or so annual subsidy from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf States. With 70% of its population living in agricultural areas, it imports half its food, and would starve if not for the Saudi check.
Egypt is beyond the point of no return economically, and American foreign policy is beyond the point of no return intellectually. Americans of both partiesObama and Kerry on one side, and Sens. McCain and Graham along with the Weekly Standard on the otherbelieved that by waving the magic wand of democracy over this cataclysmically failed state, all would be well. I characterized this consensus as Dumb and Dumber earlier this year.
The outcome, of course, is that Russias Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov turned up in Cairo this week to hear his Egyptian counterpart declare that Americas erstwhile Arab ally wants to restore Russian-Egyptian relations to their level during the Soviet erawhen Egypt was an enemy.
...Vladimir Putin gets it, and we dont. He backs the Assad regime in Syria against Saudi-supported rebels. He is cracking down ruthlessly on Muslim terrorists in the Russian Caucasus, using Stalin-era forms of collective punishment. Nonetheless Riyadh is footing a $4 billion bill for Egypt to buy Russian arms.
#1
Wonder if Putin's going to collect enough American toys from the Gypts to set up his own little NTC in the boondocks? Of course if they have a hard enough time just keeping their own equipment up and running, they're in for an interesting experience with those toys.
#2
The Sunni Saudis as Defender of the Islamic Faith will not allow Pretender Shia Iran to go Nuclear widout the Saudis themselves also going Nuclear.
In Riyadh's mind, the burden is on both Mama Russia + US-Allies + UNO to make sure the above scenario never happens.
NO IRAN NUKE DEAL = MIDDLE EAST WAR + SAUDIS GOING NUCLEAR.
Lest we fergit, its PAKISTAN that historically desired to be the World's first Islamic Superpower, iff only to snot on Hindu India, NOT Iran or the KSA. POST-2014, FUTURE TALIBAN, ETAL-CONTROLLED? ISLAMABAD ISN'T GOING TO LIKE BEING UPSTAGED BY TEHRAN OR RIYADH.
In a unique battlefield commendation, a Marine Corps member of Delta Force has been awarded the nations second highest military honor for coming to the defense of Americans last year at a CIA annex in Benghazi, Libya.
Delta Force, a counterterrorism unit in the secretive Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), has been thought of as a strictly Army outfit. But it does take on qualified operators, as they are called, from other services.
The Washington Times has reported that two Delta Force members were among a seven-person rescue team sent from the U.S. Embassy in Tripoli to Benghazi on the night of Sept. 11, 2012. Their mission: rescue diplomats, security personnel and CIA employees pinned down by terrorists about a mile from the U.S. diplomatic mission where Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and aide Sean Smith were killed by al Qaeda-directed militants.
Two of those seven were Delta Force operators. The Times can now report that one was an Army soldier and the other a Marine.
The soldier was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, and the Marine received the Navy Cross for heroism.
The bestowal of the awards was done in secret. The medals rank just below the nations highest military award, the Medal of Honor.
The Navy provided a statement to The Times:
Yes, a Navy Cross was approved, but due to security and privacy concerns no further information can be provided at this time. It is not unusual for certain awards not to be publicized, and details of the circumstances and actions that justified the award to be withheld. Per DoD regulations, this information will not be released if it could potentially lead to a compromise of national security, or potentially create undue risk to the security and privacy of the awardee and his/her family.
#1
this information will not be released if it could potentially lead to a compromise of national security, or potentially create undue risk to the security and privacy of the awardee and his/her family."
or political difficulties for a democratic president.
#2
Yeah, it was a movie that caused this. Never forget that lie and coverup from Hillary and Obama, who should be criminally charged for what happened in the aftermath of Benghazi. Its not the act, its the coverup. Had Nixon invoked national security and stonewalled everything as well as Obama has, with the help of a sycophantic press, he would never have been impeached. Obama is Nixon with an obedient press corps.
#3
It is not unusual for certain awards not to be publicized, and details of the circumstances and actions that justified the award to be withheld. Per DoD regulations, this information will not be released if it could potentially lead to a compromise of national security
#4
Lets not forget it also worked for Obama for Fast and Furious. If Nixion had done a F&F and the coverup afterwards he would have been burned at the stake.
Obama and Hillary should at least be impeached for endangering the life of the video producer (and if he gets killed by terrorists some sort of homicide.).
#5
There were some "interesting things" going on in Cambodia, Laos, etc., which warranted conspicuous gallantry but national security matters never allowed them to see the light of day.
This one is considered classified as a political cover-up is in play. The ones in SE Asia and later in Africa were/are very sensitive. Big difference in the reasons for classification.
Posted by: Bill Clinton ||
11/17/2013 21:18
Comments ||
Top||
Doris Lessing, the Nobel prize-winning, free-thinking, world-traveling and often-polarizing author of "The Golden Notebook" and dozens of other novels that reflected her own improbable journey across the former British empire, died Sunday. She was 94.
Her publisher, HarperCollins, said the author of more than 55 works of fiction, opera, nonfiction and poetry, died peacefully early Sunday. Her family requested privacy, and the exact cause of death was not immediately clear.
#1
She suffered from BDS before it was even identified by modern medicine. The only known cure for Bush Derangement Syndrome, death! Arrrgh, wat 'n fok'n oplugting [relief].
#2
I dunno. We sorta need more intelligent, irascible people.
"I think a lot of romanticizing has gone on with the women's movement," she told The News Agency That Dare Not be Named in a 2006 interview. "Whatever type of behavior women are coming up with, it's claimed as a victory for feminism - doesn't matter how bad it is. We don't seem go in very much for self-criticism."
In 2001, she told the Edinburgh book festival that modern men were "cowed" by women.
"They can't fight back," she said. "And it's time they did."
There is a phenomenon which I call the Educated Barbarian. This is someone who could have been in school or university for many years, could have won prizes by the score, and at the end has read nothing, knows no history, and above all is totally incurious. Quite a large number of my young friends are like this. They're all utterly delightful. We have a wonderful time together. We gossip, we go shopping. We chat about our friends, but at the slightest mention of anything literary their eyes glaze over. Looking back at my misspent youth, I can remember people who were not particularly literary. They were not even very educated, but they would take for granted that they should have read War and Peace. They did not say, "Oh this is so difficult. Oh this is too long and I don't understand the long words." They just read it. That's what people were like then.
It is my belief that we value narrative because the pattern is in our brain. Our brains are patterned for story telling, for the consecutive. I'm sure if it. I mean, there is nowhere else this pattern could be but in our brains: it doesn't come from outer space. The pattern is being broken up all the time, which means the substance of our brains is being attacked by the kind of books that we're now used to, all in little bits, or the kind of programs we're now used to, or some of the films that we now see, which are so fast that sometimes I find it hard to keep up. None of the young people do. The other night I saw a very gray, very slow, very beautiful film. A young person in the room was saying "cut, cut, cut, cut, cut." He couldn't stand it. He's used to "flick, flick, flick, flick, flick." I'm used to the long, slow narrative and a look on someone's face that tells you about a life and the slow way two people cross a room so you can see what they are like from how they move, and so on. There are two completely different sensibilities here.
Now this inconsequentiality, which we are educating our children to, teaches them they have nothing to do with what's going on. If there's a narrative, you are a part of it. If it is little bits of plot all broken up, then the person does not connect with it, and I wonder if this leads to remarks like that of a young man who murdered someone and said, "Oh well, I didn't realize it would hurt him."
the brains of people in a place like Zimbabwe, who have probably never seen a fax or word processor or computer or any of the stuff that we take for granted, might be in better shape than [those of] our kids because they have not been assaulted all the time. They are of course going to catch up with us, but probably not as efficiently because they have governments which steal everything that comes their way. It might in fact save them. This is a fairly cynical remark, but it's a funny thing that I can have a conversation with a young teacher in the bush who is trying to teach without proper textbooks, without an atlas, without anything, who loves books as the people in this room do, who yearns for them, and who sees books as a source of life, but I couldn't have this conversation with my highly-educated young friends in Britain, who are not interested. They are not interested in ideas. They're not interested in anything in books. I'm merely describing something. I have no solution for it. As I said before, I think probably many of you are familiar with a lot of what I have said.
#8
Back in the 1960's someone connected with the Nobel awards committee told Doris she would never win the literary Nobel. When she finally did, she said, "Who are these people? They're a bunch of bloody Swedes."
The Obama administration will consider the new federal insurance marketplace a success if 80 percent of users can buy health-care plans online, according to government and industry officials familiar with the project. But one in five can't, as opposed to "won't". Isn't that about the number who were uninsured prior to the passage of the bloated monstrosity?
The goal for how many people should be able to make it through the insurance exchange is an internal target that administration officials have not made public. It acknowledges that as many as one in five Americans who try to use the Web site to buy insurance will be unable to do so.
The internal 80 percent target is the basis of a promise that has become an administration mantra in recent weeks: HealthCare.gov will "work smoothly for the vast majority of users" by the end of November. Doesn't anybody in the Administration understand that most Americans know that's two weeks away? Has anybody told Champ?
The catchphrase was coined by former presidential management official Jeffrey Zients shortly after the White House assigned him to oversee the Web site's repairs, according to a government official with knowledge of the project who spoke anonymously about matters that are not public. Former official? Retired, did he? No, apparently promoted to Repair Czar.
But Zients also said that "new bugs and other glitches will surface" in December and beyond that and will need to be fixed. Even if the site works well, he said, "that doesn't mean that the site will be sufficient for 100 percent of users or consumers to use for enrollment." But Jeffrey, why is that? Too complicated for conservatives? According to a government official familiar with the new target, the 20 percent who are unlikely to be able to enroll online are expected to fall into three groups: people whose family circumstances are so complicated that the inadequate Web site cannot determine their eligibility for subsidies to help pay for health plans; people uncomfortable buying insurance on a computer and those that have not yet received their ObamaComputer; and people who encounter technical problems on the Web site. But the problems are gonna hamper waaaay less than the 20% of the users. The Obamanauts optimism never wanes!
When HHS in 2011 invited contractors to bid on the chance to build HealthCare.gov, the department's "statement of work" did not include requirements typical of many IT contracts in which interested companies must spell out how the system would perform, according to an industry representative close to the project. The agreement that CGI Federal, the company chosen as the main contractor, signed on Sept. 30, 2011, also did not contain specific performance criteria, success measures or response times. Well, hardly any open-ended, no-bid, reward for campaign contributions has ... well, controls.
At a meeting late in the month at CGI Federal's offices in Herndon, White House presidential innovation fellows assigned to help repair the exchange presented estimates of how quickly people would need to get from one Web page to the next in order to reach the 80 percent goal, according to squealers a government official familiar with the discussion. They calculated that the system would need an error rate of less than 1 percent and a typical wait time of no more than 500 milliseconds -- half a second -- no matter what part of the Web site visitors were on. So how long could it take to get from "trash" to those metrics? Two weeks? Two years? Two geologic epochs? But there are still no concrete goals for the site's accuracy, including whether users are correctly informed whether they are eligible for federal help in paying for health plans or whether insurance companies are given correct information about their new customers. Well, I am certainly going to lie to get my big subsidy, just like everyone else! It's gotta be easier and safer than cheating on your taxes!
Administration officials have talked publicly in recent days about one of the measures: a reduction in errors that freeze Web pages or otherwise hinder the ability to sign up for insurance. They have said the error rate has dropped from up to 6 percent a week ago to less than 1 percent now. And if you can't believe Administration Officials, who can you believe?
On the other measure -- which assesses how quickly people can move through any part of HealthCare.gov -- one official said that the Web site has performed close to the half-second on most days. Certainly, this official is as trustworthy as any of the others...
But the current load on the system is light because many people are staying away following the rollout problems. Even then, the official said, "swings from good performance to bad performance have been frequent." Except no one knows how to measure the performance.
Posted by: Bobby ||
11/17/2013
06:15 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[9 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
NASA's program for Mooslims in Space has more of a chance for success than Obamacare enrollments at 80%.
#2
No one forces me to buy, I will not buy when I'm forced, no matter how "Essential" THEY say it is, Obama LIES and this is another.
I give NO money to thieves.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
11/17/2013 11:05
Comments ||
Top||
#3
well, they HAVE enrolled 80%....of 120,000. Success!
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/17/2013 11:11
Comments ||
Top||
#4
When HHS in 2011 invited contractors to bid on the chance to build HealthCare.gov, the department's "statement of work" did not include requirements typical of many IT contracts in which interested companies must spell out how the system would perform, according to an industry representative close to the project.
SAMPLE Work Requirements
Here the Statement of Work (SOW) should include a description of the actual tasks which the project will require. This should include what tasks need to be completed in order for successful completion of this project/contract. As with all other portions of the SOW, every effort should be made to include as much detail as possible.
As part of the Website Redesign Project the vendor will be responsible for performing tasks throughout various stages of this project. The following is a list of these tasks which will result in the successful completion of this project:
Kickoff:
Vendor will create and present detailed project plan including schedule, WBS, testing plan, implementation plan, training plan, and transition plan
Vendor will present project plan to SCG for review and approval
Design Phase:
Work with SCG to gather requirements and establish metrics
Create site design based on collected requirements
Develop site design proposal for SCG review and approval
Present written status at weekly meeting
Build Phase:
Vendor will complete all coding for approved site design
Vendor will provide SCG with a detailed testing plan
Vendor will include all content provided by SCG on redesigned web site
Vendor will conduct testing in both their iLab as well as in a limited beta release
Vendor will resolve any coding and site issues identified in testing
Vendor will compile a testing report to present to SCG for review/approval
Present written status at weekly meeting
Implementation Phase:
Vendor will implement the newly redesigned web site on SCG servers
Vendor will begin providing 24x7 web site support at this point forward until the end of the period of performance
Present written status at weekly meeting
Training Phase:
Vendor will provide training in accordance with approved training plan provided in the kickoff
Present written status at weekly meeting
Project Handoff/Closure:
Vendor will provide SCG with all documentation in accordance with the approved project plan
Vendor will present project closure report to SCG for review and approval
Vendor will complete the project requirements checklist showing that all project tasks have been completed
Vendor will conclude 24x7 web support at 11:59pm on the final day of the period of performance
Present written status at weekly meeting
Schedule/Milestones
This part of the Statement of Work should define the schedule of deliverables and milestones for this project. Since the SOW often accompanies the RFP for the project, it is imperative that all milestones, tasks, and schedule information are as accurate as possible since vendors will need to consider these items in their proposals.
The below list consists of the initial milestones identified for the Website Redesign Project:
RFP/SOW Release January 2, 20xx
Vendor Selection Review February 1-28, 20xx
Vendor Selection March 1, 20xx
Period of Performance Begins March 2, 20xx
Website Design Review August 31, 20xx
Website Implementation Review November 30, 20xx
Implementation Complete December 31, 20xx
Training Complete February 20, 20xx
Project Completion Review February 25, 20xx
Project Closure/Archives Complete March 3, 20xx
#7
Yeah, folks, sign up and get all your personal data hacked. Line up for a one way trip to the Muffin Monster identity shredder (no disrespect to the Monster, which is a great piece of equipment):
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
11/17/2013 16:22
Comments ||
Top||
#8
80% at minus 10% for turning in late, and the best case scenario is a solid C-.
For the GOP to win big again, it must take William F. Buckley's ruthlessly pragmatic approach to primary elections. In Buckley's view "conservatism, except when it is expressed in pure idealism, takes into account reality." That means we have to stop electing amateurs who serve as little more than ideological indulgences, who exploit resentments that play well enough among the base, but whose positions make them nonviable in general elections. I know, actually electing some Tea Party folks threw a scare into the media-socialists, but control is more important than fun.
Had the party followed Buckley's advice in 2010 and supported the most electable conservatives instead of the most ideologically extreme, Republicans would now control the United States Senate and Democratic leader Harry Reid would be in retirement in Nevada. Putting Harry out to pasture is a thought worth investigating, right?
President Reagan lived by the belief that "just because I'm your friend 80 percent of the time doesn't make me your enemy 20 percent of the time."
This is a lesson I learned the hard way: I spoke out against the possibility of Colin Powell's presidential candidacy in 1996 because his political moderation was so off-putting to me. The thought that he could be the standard-bearer of my Republican Party was offensive. But watching the retired general on Meet the Press in recent years has made me understand why Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush drafted him to a be a critical player in their administrations. In retrospect I realize how much better the GOP would have fared against Bill Clinton in 1996 if I had not let my hopes for a conservative stalwart get in the way of our best hope to beat Clinton. If Powell is/was a Rhino, would he have been better than Slick Willie a second time? Maybe.
"If it's just going to represent the far right wing of the political spectrum, I think the party is in difficulty," said Powell this year. "I'm a moderate, but I'm still a Republican." This war hero, should still be one of the leading voices in the party because of, not in spite of, his centrist political philosophy. Republicans can kick moderates like General Powell out of the party's mainstream every four years, or they can leave their ideological comfort zone, work aggressively to expand their political coalitions, and start stealing swing voters away from Democrats like Hillary Clinton. Unfortunately, the Republican Party of the moment bears little resemblance to the party of Ronald Reagan, who would have responded to Powell's critiques of the Republican Party with an all-hands-on-deck effort to win the war hero back. That's because President Reagan lived by the belief that "just because I'm your friend 80 percent of the time doesn't make me your enemy 20 percent of the time."
If the Republican party is big enough to reach out to disaffected moderates like Colin Powell, then it will be big enough to win the White House in 2016, even if Hillary Clinton is the Democratic nominee. The question is whether the GOP will go the way of Buckley or Glenn Beck. Nothing wrong with Glenn Beck, but can he lead the Pubs to victory?
Republicans can win again and we will. And we can do it by following the right paths of Ronald Reagan and Dwight Eisenhower. We can do it by fighting for the core principles of conservatism and emphasizing values that most Americans agree with. Mrs. Bobby is all over the Tea Party's view on smaller government, but can't get past what she sees as their social extremist bellowing. If we could just focus on smaller government, we'd go farther!
There will also be times when we will follow the lead of Reagan and Eisenhower by putting principled pragmatism before ideological battles that undermine our ability to win elections, elect majorities, and take back control of the White House. But time is wasting. Hillary Clinton's supporters are already preparing for political battle. Next time, we'd better be prepared to win. There is no substitute for victory, and I for one am damn tired of my party losing presidential elections. The Tea Party can influence, but it'll be a long, long time before a "Tea Party" candidate sits in the White House.
Link to Longer Interview
Interview excerpt: Are there any Republicans today who can carry on Reagan's legacy?
"I think so. If you look at governors who are ideologically conservative but moderate temperamentally--and running state governments and balancing budgets and reforming education and making pension plans sustainable--I think there are many examples across the nation of Republicans who are governing in a Reagan style, whether it's Scott Walker in Wisconsin or John Kasich in Ohio or Chris Christie in New Jersey or Bobby Jindal in Louisiana.
Posted by: Bobby ||
11/17/2013
05:16 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Once again from the RINO, "we just need to be like the other party in order to win" - see McCain, Romney non-success with that track record. Special Note - The Permanent Party Propaganda Machine (aka MSM) will never give the support even to a RINO that it gives to Obama et al. As with the old story about the frog and scorpion, it's in their nature.
Had the party followed Buckleys advice in 2010 and supported the most electable conservatives instead of the most ideologically extreme,
The friggin RNC wouldn't support period at all and has continued to avoid if not outright abandon anything other than basically RINOs. So don't talk about supporting anyone when you don't support those who made an effort only to see them stabbed in the back by people holding the purse in the Beltway.
#2
Powell has supported people who I consider to be an extremist socialist for President. Someone who did their best to unemploy my entire state. For a long while he was a tabula rasa for other people to project their beliefs upon, but he either has no core or a bad one.
The Republicans, in a fit of 'pragmatism,' put 1/3 the amount of money into the Virginia Gubernatorial Race that they did in 2009. They lost the attorney general's race in the recount in the margin of fraud.
Sacrificing core beliefs in exchange for victory will get you neither victory nor core beliefs.
#4
Buckleys basic premise was there ought not to be a conservative litmus test in the Republican Party. Thats quite different then supporting candidates that subscribe to Progressivism. The party doesnt need more Compassionate Conservatives. Moreover, neither does the country.
#5
I recall the media supported McCain in the republican primary but quickly turned him into just another conservative republican ready to throw gran ma into the street in the general election.
Every political consultant tells the republican/democrat to be just 1 smudge to the right/left of the opponent to capture the election. That worked well for guys like Obama if you are willing to lie to the American about your true agenda.
#8
yeah - we really need advice from Joe Scarborough, MSNBC host. Next? Economic advice from Maxine Waters
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/17/2013 11:36
Comments ||
Top||
#9
Any thing the Pubs could do to improve themselves and the country would be welcome, after all we are on the Road to Perdition with the present set-up.
#10
Well, Frank, I thought it was worthwhile. However, there is room for diversity a variety of opinion here, yes?
Posted by: Bobby ||
11/17/2013 11:56
Comments ||
Top||
#11
Control means nothing if elected Republicans are all the tame sort. Recall in 2005 Republicans held both houses of Congress, the presidency and a working majority on the SCT. What did we do? We banned light bulbs.
Fact is that being not quite as awful as the other guy isn't enough.
Posted by: Squinty Spawn of the Weak7917 ||
11/17/2013 12:15
Comments ||
Top||
#12
I don't mind you posting it, Bobby, at all. My take is that we can read and disregard any "help" our opponents give us
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/17/2013 12:16
Comments ||
Top||
#13
I thought it was worthwhile. However, there is room for diversity a variety of opinion here, yes?
To twist Voltaire's quote, I agree with your right to say it, but I'll defend to the death my right to not agree with what you have to say.
Posted by: Bobby ||
11/17/2013 14:12
Comments ||
Top||
#16
I dont know where this clown got his idea of Reagan, but I voted for him and served during his administration, and knew of him prior to his 1980 run. And the Reagan I know was stalwartly conservative, not this "anything goes, compromise your principles away" that the idiot who wrote this seems to think he was.
#17
Scarborough's implication that Powell was kept from the Trunk nomination due to opposition from those eeeeville KKKonservatives shows why he fits in so well with the rest of the shitstains at MSDNC - a willingness to lie with a straight face. Powell decided against a candidacy due to the unanimous opposition of his family, apparently including a direct threat from his wife to file for divorce if he decided to run.
Posted by: Ricky bin Ricardo (Abu Babaloo) ||
11/17/2013 16:19
Comments ||
Top||
Rep. Jared Polis said Friday the key problem with health care right now is that illegal immigrants aren't included in Obamacare, and said part of the solution is to pass a bill granting them citizenship rights.
The House is debating a GOP-written bill that would allow Americans to keep their health plans that have been canceled under Obamacare, but Mr. Polis, a Colorado Democrat, said the chamber should instead be looking at ways to make sure everyone in the country is covered by the Affordable Care Act -- including illegal immigrants.
"American citizens are essentially being forced to pay for the health care costs of people who are here illegally every day, until we pass comprehensive immigration reform," he said. "We're wondering why rates are going up. ... It's no surprise. When somebody doesn't have insurance, their costs are shifted onto other people that do."
Let's load up ObamaCare with poor immigrants who have lots of kids and also that will bring in millions of their poor relatives once they have citizenship/Documented Democrat status. The tax payers and those who actually pay for insurance will save money because all these people will have free subsidized health insurance. To a Liberal this actually makes sense because regardless the cost they will be reelected in perpetuity.
#3
The stupider party? Math is hard for these people. We need an ASVAB for national government elected and appointed positions. Maybe not necessarily as a qualification per the Constitution, but so we can publicly post their scores just like existing public filing requirements.
#4
Speaker of the House Boehner has already said immigration will not be addressed this year. There's no point because he doesn't have enough votes within his party.
#5
More likely the esteemed Congressman from Colorado is thinking that employers will be paying to put their employed illegals on insurance. "American citizens" will still be paying, just not directly through taxes.
#6
Speaker of the House Boehner has already said immigration will not be addressed this year.
Hmm, that's interesting. Because some nimrod with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce called Thomas Donohue seems to think Boehner is going to deliver up sweeping immigration reform on a silver platter.
#10
I wouldn't say it's stupid - more like a low-life animal cunning.
Last year, Governor Brown managed to convince California voters to approve a tax increase to "fund education." Left out was that said tax increase freed up state funds already earmarked for education. Hence more money in the state's general fund for use elsewhere.
This would be essentially the same move, but more devious. As GBUSMC sed, it would pull money from citizens and business (like a tax would,) to buy votes from particular interest groups, and free up funds at the federal and state levels for buying even more votes.
#11
U.S. business leader remains confident Boehner will seek immigration reform increase competition for lower class jobs and lower wages making the upper classes yet more wealthy.
#15
...gee, sounds like such a reasonable solution to a problem created by party with the solution. Do you think that, just maybe, Cmdr. Zero has threatened to veto anything that takes the heat off the Obamacare debacle other than Immigration "Reform."
So, big business gets cheaper serfs labor = more profits (assuming good business model;
Unions and Democrats get more serfs voters;
So Unions can run an extortion racket and Democrats can continue the process of taking taxing away from businesses and serfs voters;
Then "redistribute" to the serfs voters (after first passing through whatever money-snagging conduits laws they have made available using business-paid lobbyists (lawyers), they to help design money-snagging conduits laws benefiting businesses.
And what facilitates this process are our elected representatives, also lawyers.
#4
#3 Impeach his ass. Holder is one disloyal (but not to whom it counts), racist (in some circles, feature, not bug), lawbreaking motherf***er (ibid), and deserves prison time (the plate will be kept spinning until a Presidential pardon becomes useful).
#6
The Trunks should make sure funds are provided for the refurbishing of the John Mitchell wing of the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Sorry, Eric, a white boy has already established the precedent, it's not racist.
#10
SAM, I think that the president can only pardon someone who has been convicted. And possibly after the appeals have run out. Of course, that is a normal president, not Obama, who can do anything he wants to, because he won.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
11/17/2013 20:58
Comments ||
Top||
#11
RiV, thanks. Of course, silly me! Who am I to question the Dark Lord? ;-)
Posted by: Secret Asian Man ||
11/17/2013 21:23
Comments ||
Top||
[Pak Daily Times] Activists opposed to US drone strikes against al Qaeda suspects demanded Friday an end to the secrecy surrounding the attacks, saying the bombings have claimed numerous civilian lives. "We are questioning the entire issue of a policy that is done under the shadows of secrecy without accountability," said Medea Benjamin, co-founder of the CodePink anti-war group. "If indeed this is a program that is supposed to be designed for reaching high-level al Qaeda members who are about to kill us Americans, this program is very much off the mark," Benjamin told a news conference. Benjamin was accompanied by Yemeni families whose relatives were killed in drone missile strikes, as well as Yemeni civil society advocates. One member of the Yemeni delegation included Faisal bin Ali Jaber, who lost a brother-in-law and a 21-year-old nephew in a drone strike on August 19, 2012. Jaber's brother-in-law had been a holy man known for his opposition to al Qaeda, and his late nephew was a policeman, activists said. "What we see as a result, is how counterproductive this policy is, how it has led to a growing anti-American sentiment," Benjamin said. The drone operations have been approved by Yemen's president Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi but denounced by his own party as well as the National Dialogue, which gathers members of the country's civil society, according to Baraa Shiban, a member of the organization who also investigates drone attacks for a human rights One man's rights are another man's existential threat. group. "The image that is created by the American government doesn't really help us at the National Dialogue, Shiban said.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/17/2013
00:53 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[8 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
What we see as a result, is how counterproductive this policy is, how it has led to a growing anti-American sentiment.
Before you were all bitchin about Gitmo now this? Jeez, theres just no pleasing some people
#3
Shit in one hand wish in the other, see which fills up first.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
11/17/2013 11:42
Comments ||
Top||
#4
...do they also want us to consult with them say, 48 hours in advance of a proposed strike...? Station an "observer" with veto power next to the drone operators...?
Redneck Jim - my Grandfather used to say that. Some truths are trans-generational...!
[Pak Daily Times] I am not a fan of Mr Munawar Hasan's views but somehow I like him as a person. His propensity to share his views without any embellishments of verbosity or coverings of sugarcoated hypocrisy is worth appreciating. Through him we get an opportunity to showcase the logical conclusion of the way of thinking that our religious groups utilise to interpret the world around us. Sometime ago, he stated in an interview that it is better for rape victims to hush up instead of publicising their ordeal. Outrageously shocking it might be but in all honesty this is the logical outcome of the so-called Islamic sharia relating to rape crime. Rape, despite its severity as a crime, does not get mentioned in the scripture even once, though crimes like theft and consensual sex are repeatedly discussed. The requirement of four witnesses to prove rape would automatically lead us to the conclusion that we are all too afraid to admit but not Hasan who is bold enough to state it bluntly.
The Jamaat chief again proved true to his reputation when he answered Mr Salim Safi's question about martyrdom of Pak military personnel at the hands of myrmidon Death Eaters. The massive confusion that our national discourse suffers from was brought to the fore by the crispy clear answer of Hasan. I can appreciate the intensity of dismay and pain caused by his remarks, but the military establishment is also a contributor to the confusion that has today led to the sleazy debate on martyrdom. Without withholding fullest credit to all those who sacrifice their lives in the line of duty, I also find the hands of the military as an institution not fully clean.
No doubt, some recent speeches of the army chief General Pervez Kiyani were encouraging in terms of their clarity on the nature of the war that the Pak nation is confronted with. Unlike our mainstream politicians, he was very clear in declaring the war as our own war of survival against some determined enemies. I have been stating in my earlier pieces that nations do make new choices when they are faced with a changed world. Japan and Germany befriended the US in 1946 even though the armies of both countries were destroyed to a great extent by the US. We are also faced with choices in the changed world of today. Hamid Gul The nutty former head of Pakistain's ISI, now Godfather to Mullah Omar's Talibs and good buddy and consultant to al-Qaeda's high command... represents a stream of thought that characterised the army establishment's worldview in the 1980s. But the world has changed since the heyday of the Afghan jihad of Gul's golden era. Today, both Pakistain and its army leadership need a new doctrine after shelving the jihadist identity. The Pakistain army has to return to the ethos that characterised its parent institution.
The demon of Death Eater jihadi identity has to be fully exorcised from its body. 'Pakistain first' was the correct slogan of Pervez Perv Musharraf ... former dictator of Pakistain, who was less dictatorial and corrupt than any Pak civilian government to date ... , however much I may loathe his person. I will join the army in condemning Hasan as a traitor after the army severs its links completely with the jihadi outfits. Handling the fires of extremism, our army not only burnt its own fingers but also exposed the country to the risks of extremism. Merely a few declarations are not enough. It must join hands with the prime minister in repairing relations with the neighbours so that we can focus on radical groups.
No de-radicalisation can happen in Pakistain unless the military as an institution fully de-radicalises itself after purging all overly fundamentalist tendencies in its rank and file. Martyrdom in its religious sense is a contested notion ever since the outbreak of civil wars that characterised the periods since the third Caliph. In its secular sense a martyr is a hero who sacrifices his life for defending his country. In that sense there is no debate that the law enforcement personnel who laid down their lives for our country are our heroes and deaders. But if the religious sense of martyrdom is claimed, I am afraid we then run the risk of handing over control from our hands to the religious establishment and are then at the mercy of obscurantist minds. With clearer identification of religious discourse, and living like their imagined heroes from the Arab world, the Pak Taliban are better poised to win any match of martyrdom. Put this way, Munawar Hasan's dictum rings like a painful and bitter truth.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/17/2013
00:52 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[9 views]
Top|| File under: Jamaat-e-Islami
[Pak Daily Times] Seven persons, including four coppers, sustained injuries in a suicide kaboom on their vehicle in Bannu on Saturday. According to reports, a jacket wallahwent kaboom! near a security forces' van near River Kurram bridge. The vehicle was on its way to Bannu from Kohat. As a result of the blast, four troops and three passers-by were maimed who were shifted to CMH, Bannu. Security forces cordoned off the area after the incident and initiated an investigation.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/17/2013
00:52 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[11 views]
Top|| File under: TTP
[Tolo News] President Hamid Maybe I'll join the Taliban Karzai ... A former Baltimore restaurateur, now 12th and current President of Afghanistan, displacing the legitimate president Rabbani in December 2004. He was installed as the dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001 in a vain attempt to put a Pashtun face on the successor state to the Taliban. After the 2004 presidential election, he was declared president regardless of what the actual vote count was. He won a second, even more dubious, five-year-term after the 2009 presidential election. His grip on reality has been slipping steadily since around 2007, probably from heavy drug use... said on Saturday that any government officials found to be meddling in the election process would be removed from their post. He also admitted to having advised against his brother's candidacy.
The President's comments came amidst speculation about the integrity of the pre-election process being compromised, with bias toward certain candidates over others as election officials formulate the final list of Presidential and Provincial Council contenders eligible for the April vote.
"We had a meeting with the officials of both Commissions last week, the Independent Election Commission and the Election Complaints Commission," Karzai said. "I explicitly told them that if they encounter a government official, or have authenticated information that they are interfering in the elections, or are using government equipment and facilities to do so, they can ask us by all means to remove them from their post."
Although Karzai has urged public officials not to interfere in the elections process before, his comments on Saturday were of a particularly stern tone.
Experiences of past elections are in part why so many are anxious about the 2014 vote. During the Presidential election of 2009, there was widespread reports of ballot box stuffing, fraud and other improprieties such as voter intimidation by government officials and security forces.
The 2014 Presidential elections will be the first time that Hamid Karzai cannot run, as mandated by the term limit provision of the Afghan Constitution. However, facts are stubborn; statistics are more pliable... many have questioned whether the man who has been in the Presidential Palace since the fall of the Taliban would seek to hand-pick his successor.
The fact his older brother, Qayoum Karzai, is a candidate in the election has not helped mollify those concerns.
But on Saturday the President admitted that he had not been in favor of his brother's candidacy. In fact, he advised Qayoum against it.
"Mr. Qayoum Karzai, my brother who is also a Presidential Candidate, he did what he decided and will participate in the elections," Karzai said. "I advised him that I didn't see it necessary for him to nominate himself, but he has full liberty and as a citizen of Afghanistan, he used the right that the Constitution gives him."
Although fears of malfeasance in Afghan elections are nothing new, this year new issues have arisen around the Loya Jirga being convened next week to deliberate over the Kabul-Washington Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA).
Some have expressed suspicions that the Jirga could be used to push a delay in the date of the elections, prolonging Karzai's stay in power. Others have suggested the participation of Presidential candidates in the Jirga could provide them an unsanctioned platform for promoting their candidacies.
But President Karzai categorically denied any chance of the agenda of the Jirga being changed or the event being used for campaigning.
As NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A cautionary tale of cost-benefit analysis.... troops withdraw in the lead up to the end of the coalition's combat mission in December of 2014, the upcoming elections are viewed with a unique significance beyond that of a normal electoral cycle, making their credibility paramount.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/17/2013
00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[3 views]
Top|| File under:
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] A senior Hezbollah commander died on Saturday after he was maimed in Syria several days ago, a pro-Hezbollah website reported.
"The Islamic resistance in Hezbollah proudly weds a new Knight...Ali Shabeeb (Abu Trab al-Rweis) who died as he was performing his sacred religious duty," pro-Hezbollah website www.southlebanon.org reported.
The website did not mention where or when Shabeeb was killed inside Syria. Hezbollah is believed to have deployed thousands of fighters in Syria.
The powerful Shiite movement has said its fight alongside Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Before going into the family business Pencilneck was an eye doctor. If he'd stuck with it he'd have had a good practice by now... 's regime is aimed at combatting Sunni snuffies who, he claimed, are targeting Syria's Shiite and Christian minorities.
Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah vowed last week to keep his forces in Syria.
"We have said on several occasions that the presence of our soldiers on Syrian soil is to defend... Syria, which supports the resistance" against Israel, Nasrallah said.
"So long as that reason exists, our presence there is justified.
"Those who speak of our withdrawal from Syria as a condition to form a government in Leb know that it is an impossible condition.
"We won't negotiate on the existence of Syria (in exchange for) a handful of ministries."
Posted by: Fred ||
11/17/2013
00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[13 views]
Top|| File under: Hezbollah
[An Nahar] Heavy fighting ... as opposed to the more usual name-calling or slapsy... in a border region of Sudan's Darfur has killed 100 people, state radio reported on Saturday, while another source said Chadian soldiers were among the recent dead.
"The number of casualties has grown to 100" after battles between the Misseriya and Salamat tribes, Radio Omdurman said in a brief bulletin sent by SMS.
The dispatch did not say what time period its toll covered, but intense battles between the two groups have flared again this month in southwestern Darfur.
Radio Omdurman said fighting had stopped but a Misseriya leader told Agence La Belle France Presse battles continued on Saturday around southwest Darfur's Umm Dukhun town, with more than 50 killed on both sides.
Chadian troops in a joint force with Sudan were among those killed in recent fighting, a humanitarian source said Saturday.
The source did not know how many Chadians died in Thursday's fighting with Salamat rustics around Umm Dukhun, on the border with Chad.
"Chadian deaths are confirmed," said the source, who asked for anonymity.
Sudan restricts access to the remote area, making it difficult to confirm details of the fighting.
Soldiers from Chad and Sudan have cooperated to jointly patrol their border region since ties between the two countries began to improve in 2010.
Off-and-on festivities between the Salamat and a rival Arab tribe, the Misseriya, had already killed more than 200 people since April in southwestern Darfur.
In Thursday's incident, the Salamat attacked Umm Dukhun and a camp for displaced people on its outskirts, in what the source called a "big battle".
"They were eventually repulsed by the mixed Chad-Sudan forces, and pushed into Chad where the forces chased them for a while," the source said.
During the pursuit some of the Chadians were killed, "most likely inside Chadian territory", the source said, adding that Salamat casualties were apparently heavy.
Both the Sudanese military and Chad were sending reinforcements to the area, the source added.
Sudan's armed forces front man could not be reached for comment.
A Salamat source confirmed that fighting occurred in southwestern Darfur on Thursday, but he said he was not sure if the Chadians were involved.
Tribal violence and rebel-government battles have displaced at least 460,000 people in Sudan's Darfur this year, the United Nations ...where theory meets practice and practice loses... said on Thursday.
And Defense Minister Abdelrahim Mohammed Hussein said last week that violence between the various tribes has eclipsed rebel activity as Darfur's main security threat.
Two days of fighting between the Misseriya and Salamat in early November left more than 50 people dead outside Mukjar town north of Umm Dukhun, according to reports cited by the United Nations.
Tribal sources say the Arab militias have used rockets, artillery and heavy machineguns.
Non-Arab rebels rose up 10 years ago in Darfur, seeking an end to what they viewed as Arab elites' domination of Sudan's power and wealth.
In response, government-backed Janjaweed gunnies shocked the world with atrocities against civilians.
Analysts say the cash-starved government can no longer control its former Arab tribal allies, whom it armed against the rebellion, and violent competition for resources has intensified.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/17/2013
00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[8 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Syria
[Bangla Daily Star] Professor Robert Lanza claims the theory of biocentrism teaches that death as we know it is an illusion created by our consciousness.
'We think life is just the activity of carbon and an admixture of molecules -- we live a while and then rot into the ground,' said the scientist on his website.
Lanza, from Wake Forest University School of Medicine in North Carolina, continued that as humans we believe in death because 'we've been taught we die', or more specifically, our consciousness associates life with bodies and we know that bodies die.
His theory of biocentrism, however, explains that death may not be as terminal as we think it is. It is the belief that life and biology are central to reality and that life creates the universe, not the other way round. Ahah! Solipsism rears its attractive head again! I am reality and the rest of you guys are figments of my imagination.
This suggests a person's consciousness determines the shape and size of objects in the universe. If you utter the correct Words of Power you can make the continent tremble. I did it just last week. That's what happened to the Philippines.
Lanza uses the example of the way we perceive the world around us. A person sees a blue sky, and is told that the colour they are seeing is blue, but the cells in a person's brain could be changed to make the sky look green or red. But it would remain "blue." Whether you change the words or not. To a Vietnamese the sky is xanh, which is either blue or green, depending on what the speaker wants it to be. If he/she/it wants to refer to the color of the sky he/she/it says "xanh choi," which is the color xanh and the word for sky. At night he/she/it'd call it black, at sunset he/she/it might call it red or purple or multicolored. If it's overcast he/she/it might call it gray. But we'd both be seeing the same thing. I wouldn't be seeing it orange and he/she/it purple. Assuming we both speak the same language we'd be using similar words to describe it.
Biocentrism is classed as the Theory of Everything and comes from the Greek for 'life centre'. It is the belief that life and biology are central to reality and that life creates the universe, not the other way round. I think the universe will grind on quite unconcerned when I'm gone, probably sometime in the next ten years. I invite all of you to confirm or deny my belief, assuming you last that long. If all of you evaporate when I cross over into the Great Beyond, then I was wrong. On the other hand, if I'm just a figment of your imagination I can keel over dead and resurrect six or seven times without disturbing your dinner or your beliefs.
Our consciousness makes sense of the world, and can be altered to change this interpretation. This is the condition that used to be known as "insanity."
By looking at the universe from a biocentric's point of view, this also means space and time don't behave in the hard and fast ways our consciousness tell us it does. Descartes and Bishop Berkely are no doubt chuckling in their equally no doubt imaginary graves.
In summary, space and time are 'simply tools of our mind.' Go ahead. Imagine Lake Erie's someplace else and see what happens. Imagine real hard now.
Once this theory about space and time being mental constructs is accepted, it means death and the idea of immortality exist in a world without spatial or linear boundaries. If somebody pegs out in New Guinea and I don't hear about it is he still dead?
Theoretical physicists believe that there is infinite number of universes with different variations of people, and situations taking place, simultaneously. Many pages of science fiction have been written on this single unprovable theory. I remember one Keith Laumer wrote, where Herman Goering was a good guy. But he was doing a lot of drugs at the time. Laumer, not Goering.
Lanza added that everything which can possibly happen is occurring at some point across these multiverses and this means death can't exist in 'any real sense' either. I'd think it could in at least one of those multiverses.
Lanza, instead, said that when we die our life becomes a 'perennial flower that returns to bloom in the multiverse.' Some of us wink out of existence forever, some of us are gathered in to the Bosom of Abraham, some of us come back as cows, some of us are "perennial flowers." In terms of actual belief, I lean toward the "wink out of existence" theory, but in terms of hope it's me and Father Abraham all the way.
I have no idea what effect my consciousness might have on the actual existence of the afterlife. What if all this is actually real and it's the afterlife that's a figment of my consciousness? What if the Last Trumpet never sounds because my imagination doesn't stretch that far? Or I'm not listening because I'm an eternal flower with no ears? Does Eternity for everyone depend on my belief in it? Every time I ever watched Peter Pan, Tinkerbell came out okay, but I wasn't hoping every time, so I'm not too worried.
'Bottom line: What you see could not be present without your consciousness,' explained Lanza. 'Our consciousness makes sense of the world.' If I'm generating it, why does the universe seem so unconcerned at my existence?
Lanza cites the double-slit test to backup his claims. When scientists watch a particle pass through two slits, the particle goes through one slit or the other. If a person doesn't watch it, it acts like a wave and can go through both slits simultaneously. How do they know if they're not watching?
Posted by: Fred ||
11/17/2013
00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[7 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
... I detect that Fred does not subscribe to the thesis...
#8
If you could communicate with a baby one day before being born I imagine that every baby would think their entire universe is the womb and that there is nothing else beyond.
Yet after a traumatic event the next day the babies entire universe and existence changes forever without the possibility of returning to the old universe or existence.
[An Nahar] Turkey's prime minister welcomed the leader of Iraq's autonomous north to his country's own Kurdish-dominated territory for the first time Saturday, in a visit designed to kickstart a stalled grinding of the peace processor.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan greeted Iraqi Kurdish leader Massud Barzani in the Kurds' heartland of Diyarbakir, southeast Turkey, ahead of a series of joint engagements including officiating at a mass wedding.
Barzani has visited the capital of Ankara many times but Saturday's meeting was described by Erdogan as "historic" and a "crowning moment" in overcoming a decades-old conflict with the banned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).
Ankara hopes to use Barzani's influence as a respected figure among Turkey's Kurds to bring them back to the negotiating table.
"If Barzani has any importance in the eyes of our citizens, that importance will make its contribution," Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said on Friday.
Progress has stalled following a ceasefire called by nabbed Drop the gat, Rocky, or you're a dead 'un! PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan in March. His fighters suspended a promised withdrawal from Turkish soil in September, accusing Ankara of failing to keep to the terms of the bargain in giving greater rights.
The Turkish army reported on Friday that one of its convoys had been attacked, allegedly by PKK rebels, for the first time in months in southeastern Nusaybin district on the Syrian border.
Thousands of rebels remain holed up in the autonomous north of Iraq, an area under Barzani's control, using the region as a springboard for attacks on Turkish targets as part of their campaign for self-rule in southeastern Turkey.
But Barzani told AFP that Kurds should use non-violent means to gain the homeland they believe they deserve.
"Having our own state is the natural right of the Kurdish people, but that cannot be achieved through violence," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/17/2013
00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[4 views]
Top|| File under:
[BBC.CO.UK] Abdulla Yameen has won the presidential election run-off vote in the Maldives, officials say.
Mr Yameen secured 51.3% of the vote, compared with 48.6% for ex-President Mohammed Nasheed, the Election Commission said.
Mr Nasheed had won 47% in the first round this month, just short of the 50% needed for outright victory, in an election process mired in controversy.
He has accepted defeat, saying he supported the democratic process.
He had been seeking to regain power after he was forced to resign in 2012.
Mr Yameen, the half-brother of Maumoon Abdul Gayoom - who ruled the nation for 30 years - will be sworn in on Sunday.
Mr Nasheed, of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), said: "I graciously accept defeat. We lost by a very small margin. Democracy is a process. It is up to us to make it work."
He added: "The MDP has always asked for a government elected by the people. Today is a happy day for the Maldives - we now have an elected government."
Posted by: Fred ||
11/17/2013
00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[11 views]
Top|| File under:
[An Nahar] The Lebanese army locked away Book 'im, Mahmoud! on Saturday nine gunnies in the northern Bekaa after infiltrating Leb from Syria.
According to a communique issued by the Lebanese army "a military unit tossed in the calaboose I ain't sayin' nuttin' widdout me mout'piece! at a check point in Arsal and another in Brital in Baalbek nine Syrians, who tried to infiltrate into Lebanese territories."
The statement said that the army unit seized a quantity of light arms, ammunition and hand grenades with the men.
Another Algerian man was detained for not obtaining a legal residency permit.
"The detained men were referred to the competent authorities."
Syrians recently began fleeing the strategic Qalamoun mountain in Syria, were battles are raging.
At least 10,000 Syrian refugees fled the area towards the Lebanese towns of Arsal, Ras Baalbek and al-Fakha.
Heavy fighting ... as opposed to the more usual name-calling or slapsy... was ongoing on the main highway linking Homs to the capital Damascus, in the strategic Qalamun mountain range that spreads to Leb where regime forces can rely on allies from Hizbulllah.
Government troops also raided the Wadi al-Mawla village in the Homs countryside on Friday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, adding that two soldiers and nine men were killed in the attack.
The Observatory, which relies on medics and activists for its information, said that according to unconfirmed reports a number of women were also killed when the army entered the village.
The opposition Syrian Revolution General Commission, meanwhile, spoke of a "massacre" in Wadi al-Mawla in which "entire families" were killed and homes set on fire.
The report could not be independently verified.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/17/2013
00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[8 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Syria
Subpoenas hit allies of Scott Walker as his re-election campaign looms.
[WSJ] Americans learned in the IRS political targeting scandal that government enforcement power can be used to stifle political speech. Something similar may be unfolding in Wisconsin, where a special prosecutor is targeting conservative groups that participated in the battle over Governor Scott Walker's union reforms.
In recent weeks, special prosecutor Francis Schmitz has hit dozens of conservative groups with subpoenas demanding documents related to the 2011 and 2012 campaigns to recall Governor Walker and state legislative leaders.
Copies of two subpoenas we've seen demand "all memoranda, email . . . correspondence, and communications" both internally and between the subpoena target and some 29 conservative groups, including Wisconsin and national nonprofits, political vendors and party committees. The groups include the League of American Voters, Wisconsin Family Action, Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, Americans for Prosperity--Wisconsin, American Crossroads, the Republican Governors Association, Friends of Scott Walker and the Republican Party of Wisconsin.
#4
The left in Wisconsin may as well put on the brown shirts and jackboots now. They don't mean to compete in the political arena, they mean to silence their opponents by force (police raids) and threats of force (the gag orders on the subpoenas that isolate the recipient on pain of police action if they reveal the existence of the warrant).
Seems to me the way these processes are done, they would be unconstitutional because those affected (namely the donors) have no ability to hear the charges nor confront their accusers nor oppose what seem to be largely illegal search and seizure of personal information.
If this were the wild west, that Milwaukee mayor and his pet city attorney behind this abuse of the legal system would be swinging from trees for this (after conviction of course)
[Shabelle] Four villagers in north-east Kenya have chased down and captured two cheetahs which were killing their goats. The owner of the goats told the BBC that the cheetahs had been picking off his animals one by one, day by day.
The men waited till the hottest part of the day before launching the chase over a distance of four miles (6.4km). The cheetahs got so tired they could not run any more. The villagers captured them alive and handed them over to the Kenya Wildlife Service.
"I need compensation from them because the cheetahs killed most of my goats," Nur Osman Hassan told the BBC's Somali Service.
Correspondents say livestock is the backbone of the economy for the Kenyan-Somali community living in the arid north-east of Kenya.
'Daily kills'
Mr Hassan, from a village near Wajir town, said the cheetahs were attacking his goat herd over several weeks.
"These cheetahs killed 15 of my goats -- they were coming to my house daily to kill my goats," he said.
He said he decided to return to his village to organise their capture at a time of day when cheetahs get very tired and usually rest in shade.
"I was sipping a cup of tea when I saw them killing another goat," he said, explaining that this was early in the morning.
He said he waited until several hours later when the sun was high to go after them.
"I called some youths and we ran after them," he said. "We caught them and we brought them to the local authorities."
Posted by: Fred ||
11/17/2013
00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[7 views]
Top|| File under:
#5
I can think of some people on this side of the world that should take notes. Cheers for initiative and planning, and hopes that the publicity goads the authorities into paying them for the donated cheetahs.
Posted by: James ||
11/17/2013 15:00
Comments ||
Top||
[BBC.CO.UK] Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has reacted defiantly to the UK's call for an inquiry into alleged human rights One man's rights are another man's existential threat. abuses, saying "people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones".
He was speaking on the second day of the Commonwealth summit in Sri Lanka.
British PM David Cameron ... has stated that he is certainly a big Thatcher fan, but I don't know whether that makes me a Thatcherite, which means he's not. Since he is not deeply ideological he lacks core principles and is easily led. He has been described as certainly not a Pitt, Elder or Younger, but he does wear a nice suit so maybe he's Beau Brummel ... had urged Mr Rajapaksa to ensure an independent inquiry or face a UN investigation.
The abuses are alleged to have been committed mainly against Tamils since the end of the war in 2009.
Pro-government commentators have pointed to alleged abuses under British colonial rule to suggest Britannia has no moral right to criticise Sri Lanka.
And Mr Rajapaksa made an oblique reference to Bloody Sunday, when 13 civilians were rubbed out in Northern Ireland by the British army in 1972.
He said some investigations took 40 years to emerge, referring to an inquiry into the shootings which reported in 2010 and laid responsibility for the events on the army.
Mr Rajapaksa also accused his critics of ignoring deaths during the period of the civil war.
"Every day for the last 30 years people were dying... so we have stopped it," he said.
"We will take our time and we will investigate into 30 years of war," he added.
Mr Rajapaksa has said the end of the war has brought peace, stability and the chance of greater prosperity to Sri Lanka.
Basil Rajapaksa, President Rajapaksa's brother and a senior minister in his government, had already rejected Mr Cameron's call for an inquiry, saying it "definitely" would not be allowed to take place.
The government is carrying out its own investigation but denies non-combatants were killed in the last stages of the war when government troops routed Tamil Tiger rebels in their last stronghold.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/17/2013
00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[4 views]
Top|| File under:
[The Hindu] Eighteen days after his release at the end of a long spell of detention at his home here, separatist hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani is under 'house arrest' once again.
An order issued by the Srinagar District Magistrate under Section 144 of the Cr. PC said Mr. Geelani would remain indoors for the day on November 17 and would not move out to attend a scheduled rally at Palhalan village in Baramulla district on Sunday.
"We apprehended a law and problem there [Palhalan] on Sunday. He will be free on Monday," Inspector General of Police Abdul Gani Mir told The Hindu.
However, there is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened... political circles were critical of Mr. Geelani's detention. It showed Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's frustration, they said. The "massive response" to the Hurriyat leader's rallies was worrying the ruling National Conference leadership.
In the last 18 days, Mr. Geelani had addressed well-attended rallies at Sopore, Shopian and Kupwara. Buoyed by the attendance, he planned similar rallies at Palhalan on November 17 and one at Banihal on November 22.
The slogans raised at the rallies have been viewed as "provocative and explicitly anti-national" by some political parties and sections of the police and security forces.
He was released from his 235-day-long house arrest on October 29. He had immediately sought revival of the secessionist uprising and "total boycott of next year's Parliamentary and Assembly elections."
Posted by: Fred ||
11/17/2013
00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[12 views]
Top|| File under:
[CBC.CA] A bid by Toronto's city council to whittle down Mayor Rob Ford's powers via a series of special motions could be neutralized by the courts, according to the municipal lawyer hired by Ford.
"What can be done by city council can be undone by the court on an application to quash or an application for judicial review," George Rust-D'Eye told CBC News Network on Saturday. "George Rusty Eye"? They made that up, didn't they?
Ford announced on Friday that he was retaining Rust-D'Eye, a veteran legal expert on municipal law, to advise him should Ford proceed with a court challenge against city council's efforts to curtail his influence on municipal affairs.
Rust-D'Eye's legal fees will be paid out of Ford's pocket.
Speaking with CBC News on Saturday, Rust-D'Eye said the City of Toronto has specific provisions that grant "special powers on the head of council," and that "one would expect that if he has special responsibilities, then he should also be able to exercise those responsibilities and not be hamstrung by city council."
Councillors have already voted on two motions to restrict Ford's powers. On Friday, a 39-3 vote stripped away his ability to hire or fire the deputy mayor and appoint members of his executive committee. Another motion passed 41-2 to remove his authority during emergency situations.
3rd motion expected Monday
A third motion expected on Monday would reduce the mayor's staff and office budget to that of a regular city councillor.
The city council strategy is to render Ford a mayor in name only.
Ford, who is embroiled in a crack cocaine scandal and recently made a crude sexual remark at a live presser, has said he will fight the motions. Rust-D'Eye will provide municipal advice to the mayor's personal lawyer, Dennis Morris.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/17/2013
00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[6 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
...geez...imagine that...a place where political actions can be reversed...
#2
Ford is fighting a losing battle, He WILL be thrown out, legal or not.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
11/17/2013 11:08
Comments ||
Top||
#3
No comment. With the churlish, rogues gallery of pols we must endure, saying anything about this poor bastid would be most hypocritical. Oh well, it just slipped out.
[BBC.CO.UK] The Pak authorities have imposed a curfew in Rawalpindi, near the capital Islamabad, after eight people died in sectarian festivities on Friday.
The violence erupted as Shia Mohammedans staged a procession marking the religious festival of Ashura.
Dozens of people were maimed and many shops set on fire in festivities between Sunni and Shia Mohammedans in the city.
The curfew was briefly relaxed for three hours on Saturday but has now been re-imposed.
Officials have not made clear when the curfew will be completely lifted.
Security forces are patrolling the streets and entry points into Rawalpindi have been closed. Police say the aim of the curfew is to "avert further violence" after Friday's violence.
At least 35 people were maimed, many with gunshot wounds, in festivities that occurred when a Shia procession coincided with a sermon at a nearby Sunni mosque.
Dozens of shops and a seminary were set on fire.
Disturbances were also reported in the Multan and Bhawalnagar districts of Punjab province, with the army being called in to quell unrest.
The Rawalpindi unrest took place during one of the most religious occasions for Shia Mohammedans, commemorating the anniversary of the death of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Mohammed.
The authorities have stepped up security ahead of the mourning ceremonies, including the jamming of mobile phone networks.
Tens of thousands of police and soldiers have also been deployed across the country to prevent possible attacks against the Shia minority taking part in the commemorations.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/17/2013
00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[10 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
[Shabelle] The U.S. government is warning that a Kenyan terror group with links to the Somali group al-Shabaab ... Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda... may seek to target the American private sector in Kenya.
A recent report from the U.S. State Department's Overseas Security Advisory Council says the anti-West ideology shared by al-Shabaab and the Kenyan terror group al-Hijra indicate that the groups "may seek to target the U.S. private sector in Kenya."
The report was released in the aftermath of al-Shabaab's attack on Nairobi's Westgate Mall, a gunfire and grenade assault that killed at least 67 people.
The report calls for Americans to exercise extra vigilance in Nairobi, Kenya's capital, and the coastal city of Mombasa at clubs, hotels, resorts, shopping centers, restaurants and places of worship.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/17/2013
00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[4 views]
Top|| File under: al-Shabaab
[Libya Herald] There has been strong international condemnation of the festivities yesterday in Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... 's Gharghour district.
As well as sending condolences to grieving relatives of the victims and reiterating support for the Libyan authorities, the British government has condemned the violence.
"We urge all parties to exercise restraint and to refrain from further violence," said British Minister of State for Middle East and North Africa, Hugh Robertson. "It is essential that all gangs are integrated fully into state structures, or put down their weapons and return to civilian life."
Robertson said: "We urge the Libyan people to work together to fulfil the aims of the 17 February Revolution and we stand alongside them as they strive to build a more peaceful, secure and prosperous Libya".
The German Foreign Minister, Guido Westerwelle said he was "dismayed" by the bloody fighting in the Libyan capital Tripoli, resulting in so many dead and injured. "These events are a serious warning sign," he said. "I urge the government, parliament, and all political forces, to work together for a peaceful and democratic transition process in a united Libya."
Posted by: Fred ||
11/17/2013
00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[4 views]
Top|| File under: Arab Spring
(Rooters) - Activist hackers linked to the collective known as Anonymous have secretly accessed U.S. government computers in multiple agencies and stolen sensitive information in a campaign that began almost a year ago, the FBI warned this week.
The hackers exploited a flaw in Adobe Systems Inc's software to launch a rash of electronic break-ins that began last December, then left "back doors" to return to many of the machines as recently as last month, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said in a memo seen by Rooters.
The memo, distributed on Thursday, described the attacks as "a widespread problem that should be addressed." It said the breach affected the U.S. Army, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services, and perhaps many more agencies.
[Bangla Daily Star] At least 20 people were maimed as activists of BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami ...The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an independent branch there since 1975. It maintains close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores... clashed with police in Sitakunda upazila of Chittagong today.
The opposition workers vandalised several dozen vehicles and set fire to more than five others on Dhaka-Chittagong highway, halting traffic movement on the road for more than three hours from 4:30pm.
Two train trains -- Subarna Express from Dhaka and Meghna Express from Chittagong -- remained stranded for hours as the Jamaat-Shibir took position on rail trucks at Barabkunda from 5:00pm to 8:20pm, railway officials said.
Besides, Sylhet-bound Jalabad Express and a Comilla-bound demo train which were scheduled to leave the port city this evening had to delay to their departure time.
Of the injured, Karimul Mawla, 35, and Abul Bashar, 70, were maimed as police fired rubber bullets to disperse the agitators while Md Rafiq, 30, was hit on his head by stones thrown by the activists.
The three were admitted to Sitakunda Upazila Health Complex, our Chittagong correspondent reports quoting Dr Shahida Akther.
The clash started when hundreds of BNP-Jamaat activists organised a protest rally at Sitakunda Sadar upazila in the afternoon and blocked the Dhaka-Chittagong highway around 4:30pm.
As police went to clear the road, the activists started hurling brickbats at the law enforcers and blasted several crude bombs, said police and eyewitness.
In response, police fired rubber bullets and teargas shells.
BNP and Jamaat activists then started vandalising vehicles indiscriminately and torched several others in Bypass, Barabkunda and Sadar areas, halting traffic movement on the road for nearly three hours.
Zakir Hossain, officer-in-charge of Highway Police's Bara Awlia Station at Sitakunda, said nearly 52 kilometres on the highway remained blocked as the opposition activists were conducting sudden attacks in different areas of the road.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/17/2013
00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[7 views]
Top|| File under: Jamaat-e-Islami
[MYFOXDETROIT] Nothing quite communicates the wrath of a scorned lover like the middle finger. But in Bloomfield Hills, this middle finger is loud and proud - in the form of a near 12-foot high statue one man erected next door to his ex-wife.
Alan Markovitz recently moved into the home where the statue was erected, which happens to be next to the home where his ex-wife now lives with her new lover, whom she reportedly had an affair with while being married to Markovitz.
Markovitz tells Fox 2's Randy Wimbley his plan was to get even the ex-wife's new lover, and never meant for the matter be made public. However, there's more than one way to stuff a chicken... it soon grabbed local attention when the ex-wife's daughter posted a picture of the statue on twitter.
The installation of the statue also included a spotlight to keep the message illuminated at all hours of the day.
Markovitz owns three strip clubs in bankrupt, increasingly impoverished, reliably Democrat, Detroit ... ruled by Democrats since 1962. A city whose Golden Age included the Purple Gang... recently wrote a book about his entrepreneurship, which is reportedly being turned into a TV reality series on Cinemax.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/17/2013
00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[6 views]
Top|| File under:
[The Hindu] Over 700 Sikh pilgrims arrived from India in Pakistain on Saturday to attend the three-day celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev's birth anniversary at Nankana Saheb in the Punjab province.
News reports said the pilgrims were received at the Wagah border and strict security arrangements are in place for their stay.
The pilgrims will also visit other religious places in Lahore.
Earlier, a special train carrying them reached Wagah railway station in the afternoon.
According to news reports, 8,000 Sikh pilgrims from India, England, Canada, Australia, Afghanistan and other countries will take part in the annual celebrations at Nankana Sahib.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/17/2013
00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[9 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
[MAGHAREBIA] Faced with a string of liquidations targeting judges and lawyers across the country, Libya's justice minister on Sunday (November 10th) appealed for aid.
"The judiciary must be respected, and its orders must be enforced. The judiciary is not incapable, but the security situation strongly affects the performance of judiciary; the better security is, the better judiciary's performance will be," Interim Justice Minister Salah al-Marghani said in a presser.
He called on all those who love Libya to support and protect judges and prevent any harm against them.
"The protection of judges is a concern for us. We transfer all those who are threatened, or those who feel threatened. We opposed the idea of creating brigades to protect judges beyond state authority. We didn't accept in the past, and won't accept in the future, any prisons, camps, brigades or gunnies operating outside legitimacy," the minister said.
He noted, "We've been working for three months to form a judicial protection force consisting of 1,000 soldiers to defend judicial institutions."
"Those who commit violations will be held legally accountable regardless of their positions," the minister continued.
As far as justice was concerned, al-Marghani said, "We're about to sign a technical support agreement with the United States, one of the countries that support Libya, to provide judicial and criminal assistance to help us in many security cases as per the plans that we started to implement."
Meanwhile, ...back at the alley, Slats grabbed his rosco... Libya's Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) issued a statement urging the government to do more to protect justice officials.
The SJC condemned "the stark, gross accusations that lead to the blocking of justice", and called for "immediately stopping such practices against the members of judiciary" and holding those who contribute to them accountable for their actions.
The statement came two days after the murder of the attorney general of the Green Mountain Appeal District, Mohammed Khalifa al-Naas. He was killed when a bomb blew up under his car in Derna on November 9th.
"If judges are not protected, how can we be sure that they will issue fair judgments without any fear or bias?" asked Mahasen Bashir, a preparatory school teacher in Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... . "Libya needs the judiciary to stabilise, and judgments need to be enforced."
Sabriya Ali, a lawyer from Tripoli, said, "If we're guaranteed protection, things will move towards the better. Courts will redress grievances, and in cooperation with the Interior Ministry, criminals will be tossed in the calaboose Please don't kill me! and punished. In this way, thieves and killers will be deterred, and things will just move towards the better."
She added, "Members of the judiciary joined the revolution as of its beginning, and no one can accuse them of anything as they were the ones who released the first spark. Chancellor Mustafa Abdul Jalil is another proof, not to mention the demonstrations opposite Benghazi and Tripoli courts."
In his turn, Fathi Abdul Qadir al-Touhami, an engineer in Tripoli, said, "I think that when courts operate and pass punishments, this will be an important factor, coupled with active trade, in establishing stability and security. In this case, people will just pay attention to their own affairs and avoid the violations that courts will examine. Police will enforce judgments and the army will protect the country and borders."
"Security starts with protecting judges as the country will only rest when courts operate under their judges, issue judgments and have them enforced," commented Samira al-Turki, a secondary school teacher in Tripoli.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/17/2013
00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[5 views]
Top|| File under: Arab Spring
[CBSNEWS] A Moslem Brüderbund-led alliance said Saturday it is ready for a national dialogue to end Egypt's political standoff, for the first time not formally demanding the nation's toppled Islamist president return to power.
The country's military-backed government, however, signaled no intention to start talks with supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi ...the former president of Egypt. A proponent of the One Man, One Vote, One Time principle, Morsi won election after the deposal of Hosni Mubarak and jumped to the conclusion it was his turn to be dictator... . Underscoring that, judges also suggested Saturday that the government disband the Brotherhood's political party.
The call by the alliance of Islamist groups is the first formal proposition by Morsi supporters, who have organized near-daily protests demanding his return to office since he was removed in a popularly supported military coup July 3.
Mohammed Bishr, a leading member of the Brotherhood, told news hounds the proposition calls for the release of detainees tossed in the slammer Maw! They're comin' to get me, Maw! after the ouster of Morsi. The coalition also asked for the end of security crackdown on Brotherhood members and its allies, as well as the reopening of television channels supporting them.
"We are keen on the country's stability and to get out of the economic crunch," Bishr said.
The coalition said its call is directed to other national political forces, as well as the military and the interim government it supports. The coalition offered a two-week period for them to discuss the proposal.
While the proposal offered Saturday doesn't call for Morsi's return to the presidency, it insists on basing a solution on "constitutional legitimacy." The group didn't elaborate.
A front man for the Brotherhood and its political party said one way of restoring constitutional legitimacy is to re-install Morsi briefly, so he can call for new elections or name a new prime minister. The front man spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to journalists about the proposal.
It's unclear how the coalition proposal would fit into a military-backed plan already in place for returning Egypt to democracy. That plan calls for a referendum by the end of the year on changes to the Islamist-drafted constitution. That would be followed by parliamentary and presidential elections by summer.
Deputy Prime Minister Hossam Eissa told The News Agency that Dare Not be Named that Morsi supporters should accept the military-backed plan first as a starting point for talks.
"A call for dialogue has to be based on accepting the accomplishments (since Morsi's ouster) and the current arrangements," Eissa said. "With no acceptance, there is no dialogue."
Meanwhile, ...back at the shattered spaceship, Fffflirgoll the Arcturan slithered stealthily toward the control room, where the humans had barricaded themselves... a panel of judges told a court in Egypt it should disband the Brotherhood's political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party, and seize all its assets, state news agency MENA reported. A report by the panel said the party should be dissolved as another court order already banned the Brotherhood, the agency said.
The panel offered its opinion as guidance for the court, which is expected to rule on whether to disband the party in February.
MENA also reported that the panel offering amendments to the constitution should have a final draft of its recommendations ready by either Tuesday or Wednesday. Members of the Islamist coalition have criticized the work of the panel.
"The initial stance for the coalition is that we refuse whatever results a non-elected authority comes up with," Yousri Hamad, the vice president of the ultraconservative Salafi party, told the AP.
Magdy Salem, vice president of the Islamist Party, the political arm of the former myrmidon group Islamic Jihad ...created after many members of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood decided the organization was becoming too moderate. Operations were conducted out of Egypt until 1981 when the group was exiled after the assassination of President Anwar Sadat. They worked out of Gaza until they were exiled to Lebanon in 1987, where they clove tightly to Hezbollah. In 1989 they moved to Damascus, where they remain a subsidiary of Hezbollah... , said the coalition wants the solution based on the 2012 Islamist-drafted constitution.
Also Saturday, U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel spoke on the telephone with Egypt's military chief, Gen. Abdel-Fatah el-Sissi, who led the coup that ousted Morsi.
Assistant Press Secretary Carl Woog said in a statement that Hagel welcomed the end of Egypt's three-month period of emergency law and curfew, and reiterated that the United States values its ties with Egypt as well as freedom of expression.
"The leaders also discussed the importance of continuing progress on the roadmap toward inclusive democracy," Woog said.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/17/2013
00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[7 views]
Top|| File under: Arab Spring
#1
Underscoring that, judges also suggested Saturday that the government disband the Brotherhood's political party.
I was hoping they'd make the MB wear leotards and dance to "Thriller" in Tahir square, but I guess that's expecting too much.
[Libya Herald] Heavy fighting ... as opposed to the more usual name-calling or slapsy... has continued today in the east of Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... , though the casualty list has been markedly lower. Three people two from from Misrata, are known to have died and at least 45 others have been seriously injured.
The centre of activity today has been Tajoura hospital with a regular flow of ambulances bringing in the maimed. A doctor reported that there was also a steady stream of volunteers coming to give blood.
Late last night Tajoura-based militia manning a local roadblock, turned back a 30-vehicle convoy from Misrata. According to Tajoura sources, an agreement was reached whereby the Misrata commander agreed to stay outside of the district. However, by candlelight every wench is handsome... it is believed that the same Misrata unit returned and mounted a dawn raid on the nearby camp of Brigade 101. The base was overrun. When Tajoura units launched a counterattack later in the morning, the Misrata forces retreated, taking captured vehicles, weapons and ammunition with them.
Brigade 101 commander Mukhtar Herna was said by the Libyan news agency LANA to have admitted the loss of equipment and complained that the Misrata forces had not kept their promise.
Despite this, much of this afternoon and evening has been taken up with the erection of barricades along the coastal road leading into the capital. Libya Herald news hounds tonight saw obstructions erected from Ain Zara to the Gharaboulli city limits
Tajoura shopkeeper Mohammed Ghurrani said "the Misrata militias have been pushed back since last night to the eastern outskirts of Gharaboulli, almost as far back as Khoms".
In Suq al-Juma this evening rumours were circulating of up to 600 trucks with bully boyz coming from Misrata.
Elsewhere in the city, elements of the Misrata Brigade are reported to have occupied the Ministry of Justice on the Fallah Road.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/17/2013
00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[4 views]
Top|| File under: Ansar al-Sharia
#1
And why did Zero start a war in Libya again? Have things gotten any better for anyone?
[An Nahar] Nine axe-wielding assailants were rubbed out during an attack on a cop shoppe in China's restive Xinjiang province, state media reported Saturday.
The attackers killed two auxiliary coppers before they were themselves bumped off, according to the Xinhua news agency.
The assault took place around 5:30 pm (0930 GMT) in the Serikbuya Township of Bachu County in Kashgar Prefecture.
Quoting police, Xinhua said the attackers armed themselves with knives and axes and that two coppers were also injured alongside the two that were killed. The agency gave no further details.
The assault comes at a time of heightened tension within Xinjiang following a fiery attack in Beijing's Tiananmen Square last month which the government blamed on "terrorists" from the province backed by international Islamist hard boys.
Xinjiang -- a vast, resource rich province that makes up much of China's western flank -- has been the scene of several violent festivities, the most recent of which left dozens dead in April, June and August this year.
Ethnic Uighurs, a mainly Mohammedan minority who make up a majority in Xinjiang, routinely complain of rights abuses against them by the authorities.
In the most recent incident, three Xinjiang Uighurs drove their car loaded with petrol canisters into the gate of the Forbidden City in an attack on 28 October that left two dead, besides the three people in the car, and 40 injured, according to Chinese police.
Beijing blamed the attack on Uighur separatists backed by the violent Islamist hard boy East Turkestan Islamic Movement.
The authorities have, however, not provided any evidence to support this assertion, which has raised doubts among experts given the amateurish nature of the attack and the lack of an established Islamic bad boy foothold in China.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/17/2013
00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[7 views]
Top|| File under:
[An Nahar] Anti-government demonstrators barricaded roads and threw stones in Guinea's capital on Saturday in protest at a Supreme Court ruling handing September's controversial elections to the president's governing party.
Groups of protesters chanting "No to the electoral stitch-up" and "Death to the Supreme Court" burned tyres, overturned bins and stopped traffic on the main road into central Conakry, forcing traders to close their shops, an Agence La Belle France Presse news hound saw.
Riot police were deployed in large numbers to trouble spots across the city but there had been no major festivities with protesters and no reports of serious injuries by midday.
The court confirmed the results late on Friday of parliamentary elections that handed power to President Alpha Conde's party, rejecting a challenge by his rivals.
Provisional results published on October 18 had given Conde's Rally of the Guinean People (RPG) party 53 seats in the national assembly.
The outcome gave the RPG together with its allies an absolute majority in the 114-member parliament. But the September 28 polls have come under heavy criticism from opposition parties, which won a total of 53 seats.
The opposition coalition alleged "massive fraud", claiming the polls were marred by irregularities including ballot stuffing, voter intimidation and minors casting votes.
International observers also said serious flaws had affected the credibility of the vote.
Opposition leaders were due to meet Saturday to decide how to proceed after the Supreme Court's ruling.
In 2010 Conde became the first democratically elected president of the west African country, which has a long history of political and military turmoil and bloody crackdowns on protesters.
Legislative elections should have taken place within six months of his inauguration in December 2010.
But they were pushed back, with opposing factions unable to agree on conditions for the elections, leaving the role of parliament to be played by an unelected National Transitional Council.
The last parliamentary elections in Guinea took place in June 2002 during the dictatorship of General Lansana Conte, who died in December 2008 after 24 years in power.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/17/2013
00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[5 views]
Top|| File under:
[FOXNEWS] A bathroom fight Friday among football players from Winston-Salem State and Virginia State during a CIAA championship game luncheon left the WSSU quarterback beaten and charges filed against a player from the other team. The conference announced that the title game set for Saturday in Winston-Salem in North Carolina has been canceled.
Rudy Johnson, the starting quarterback for the Rams, was "viciously beaten" by members of the Virginia State team, Winston-Salem State Chancellor Donald Reaves said in a statement. He said one Virginia State player admitted his role in the beating.
School spokeswoman Nancy Young identified the suspect as 22-year-old Lamont Daniel Britt. A Forsyth County jail official says Britt, a running back from Portsmouth, Va., was being held there Friday night on a charge of misdemeanor assault inflicting serious injury.
"There is no excuse for the behavior of the Virginia State players," Reaves said.
Young said Johnson was assaulted in the bathroom at the Anderson Conference Center on the Winston-Salem campus during the luncheon.
"Today's event was supposed to be a celebration for both teams and for all the players who were being recognized for an outstanding season," Reaves said. "The actions from the Virginia State players certainly changed the outcome for everyone."
Virginia State Athletic Director Peggy Davis didn't return a phone call seeking comment, but the school issued a statement on its website saying it is fully cooperating with the CIAA in its investigation and couldn't comment further.
Both Winston-Salem State Rams and Virginia State Trojans are 9-1. The Rams lost to Valdosta State in the NCAA Division II championship game last year, and both teams were in position to earn postseason berths this season.
The Winston-Salem Journal reported that five Virginia State players were involved and Reaves said university police are trying to identify the others. One of Johnson's teammates told the newspaper that "Rudy was beaten up bad and he can't play."
Posted by: Fred ||
11/17/2013
00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[4 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
perfect training ground for the National Felons League
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] An imminent Sudanese government shakeup could be on the cards, President Omar al-Bashir Head of the National Congress Party. He came to power in 1989 when he, as a brigadier in the Sudanese army, led a group of officers in a bloodless military coup that ousted the government of Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi and eventually appointed himself president-for-life. He has fallen out with his Islamic mentor, Hasan al-Turabi, tried to impose shariah on the Christian and animist south, resulting in its secessesion, and attempted to Arabize Darfur by unleashing the barbaric Janjaweed on it. Sudan's potential prosperity has been pissed away in warfare that has left as many as 400,000 people dead and 2.5 million displaced. Omar has been indicted for genocide by the International Criminal Court but nothing is expected to come of it. hinted on Saturday in a speech to his National Congress Party (NCP) Shura Council.
"We will soon make changes in the executive and legislative bodies at the federal and state levels," the Sudanese leader said, according to Agence La Belle France-Presse.
His remarks came after the most serious split within his ruling party in years, as well as deadly protests in September over the government's decision to slash fuel prices.
"Reforms have to come from within party institutions," Bashir told the Shura Council, although analysts have been skeptical of the NCP's willingness to consider divergent opinions.
During the September protests, Amnesia Amnesty International said security forces were believed to have killed more than 200 demonstrators.
Analysts said the spontaneous demonstrations pointed to an urgent need for reform by Bashir's 24-year regime grappling with wars, internal dissent, economic crisis and international isolation.
In late October, more than 30 prominent NCP reformers announced that they would form a new political party, although they have not yet revealed details of their movement led by ex-presidential adviser Ghazi Salahuddin Atabani, according to AFP.
Later on Saturday, the Shura Council was expected to decide whether to formally expel Atabani and two other leaders of the breakaway group, AFP reports.
The 400-member council meets every six months and is the NCP's second-highest decision-making group, outside the general congress which is to be held next year.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/17/2013
00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[5 views]
Top|| File under: Arab Spring
[Libya Herald] The Grand Mufti, Sheikh Sadik Al-Ghariani last night condemned the killings at Gharghour, blaming both sides for carnage. He also called for all non-Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... based militias to be ejected from the capital and those responsible for yesterday's violence to be brought to justice.
Speaking on Aljazeera TV, he said that the demonstration had started peacefully but that it had been exploited by " some enemies of the revolution", but did not elucidate.
He indicated that both the killers and those who were killed were responsible, accusing them of being motivated by regional and tribal concerns.
"Those who fight for the sake of tribalism or regionalism are in the wrong and those who die on both sides, the killer and the killed, are in the fire of hell because they are not fighting for the right cause. They fight with the wrong intent", he declared.
Attacking the militias in general he said they were "out of control" and that people in the capital had grown sick of them. They had no legitimacy and were criminals, he insisted.
"These militias must not be supported by anyone, regardless of their background, whether they are from Misrata or Zintan or any other place," he said. If they commit crimes they had to be punished, he insisted, forbidding anyone or town or region from supporting them.
"These militias must dismantled and kicked out of Tripoli," he declared. "They must not be allowed to stay."
"The problem is not limited to the incident of Gharghour only", he stated. "People and government and all relevant authorities must fight these militias and work hard to kick them out of Tripoli now. They must not wait any longer."
Nonetheless, "those who committed crimes in the Gharghour incident must be pointed out and brought to justice for these crimes they have perpetrated regardless of where they come from, Misrata or Zintan or any other place," he insisted.
Last Saturday, following the deadly festivities between Misrati and Suq Al-Juma forces that triggered yesterday's tragic demonstrations, Ghariani also condemned what he termed the "blind tribal allegiances" of some towns and regions.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/17/2013
00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[6 views]
Top|| File under: Arab Spring
[MAGHAREBIA] Tunisian Prime Minister Ali Larayedh on Thursday (November 14th) called on terrorists to lay down arms and submit to authorities, TAP reported.
"Terrorists have no other choice but to surrender to justice, get integrated into society and agree to discuss through educational channels," Larayedh said during a visit to two National Guardsmen injured in recent Kebili clashes.
"Otherwise, they will keep on brandishing arms against the state and the society and will suffer the same fate as the terrorists killed or arrested," he noted.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/17/2013
00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[4 views]
Top|| File under: Arab Spring
#1
Iran knows the score - iff the US allows any or all of its smaller overseas allies to dev Nukes, espec in East Asia e.g. JAPAN, SOKOR, etal. vee Rising China, THEN THE US ARGUMENT THAT IRAN OR OTHER IN THE MUSLIM WORLD CAN'T HAVE NUCLEAR WEAPONS IS FINALLY-N-FOREVER DESTROYED.
To be "Gangsta", THE PROMISE OF OWG + "GLOBALISM" = "WHITEY" + JUDEOCHRISTIAN WORLD MUST GIVE UP + SHARE HISTORICAL DOMINANT POWER-N-AUTHORITY WID NON-WHITEYS + NON-JUDEOCHRISTIAN WORLD.
Iff Israel + Hindu India + perennially troubled Pakistan can have nuclear arsenals, then there is no valid reason for Iran + other to NOT be allowed the same.
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Iran has launched an "organized invasion" of the suburban areas of the capital Damascus, the Syrian opposition Defense Minister Asaad Mustafa told Al Arabiya News Channel on Saturday.
Mustafa said the suburb of Ghouta - where a chemical weapons attack took place in August - had been the subject of an offensive involving large military forces and "heavy" shelling.
"It is clear which forces are behind the organized invasion," said Mustafa. "It includes the Iranian forces, Hezbollah and the Iraqi forces," he added.
The opposition minister said that foreign groups loyal to Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Supressor of the Damascenes... 's regime were responsible for most of the offensive.
"They are the ones fighting and the regime forces are only there to 'picture' it," he said.
Mustafa accused the sponsors of the upcoming U.N.-brokered Geneva II peace conference of "allowing" the foreign forces to operate in Syria and called for their immediate withdrawal.
"The United States and Russia who are preparing for the Geneva II conference should not allow these invading forces," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/17/2013
00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[9 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
[Libya Herald] Saying they are shocked by the killings in Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... , Amazigh protestors which have been blockading the Mellitah complex, stopping supplies of gas to Italia, today suspended their action.
The Amazigh Supreme Council said they had taken the move "on the back of the unfortunate events that took place on Friday in Tripoli".
A member of the council, Ayoub Sufian, told the Libya Herald that the decision to suspend the Mellitah blockade was because of "the bloody festivities that caused so much death and terror".
However the Council stressed in a statement that the Amazigh community has not given up its insistence that Article 30 of the Constitutional Declaration be amended to give greater representation to minorities. Sufian said that the resumption of the blockade would depend on the decisions that will be made by the GNC.
The Mellitah complex was closed last month by gunnies and members of the Amazigh community from Zuwarah. Amazigh leaders said eight days ago that they allow the complex to restart as a goodwill gesture ahead of the GNC's expected discussion of Article 30. However it is not clear that any production resumed and the GNC in any event made no decision.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/17/2013
00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[5 views]
Top|| File under: Arab Spring
[Shabelle] Somalia, Kenya, and theUnited Nations ...a formerly good idea gone bad... Refugee Agency (UNHCR) this week signed an agreement outlining the return to Somalia of nearly half a million refugees from Kenya.
Raising the specter of returns has reignited fear among Somali refugees and will intensify a discussion in capitals across the Horn of Africa about the future of an additional half-million Somali refugees living in those countries.
There is an inceasing fear being expressed by refugees, the UN and international aid organizaations that an "induced repatriation" will occur where protection violations, increased insecurity in Dadaab refugee camp, and descreased food aid will lead refugees to return to Somalia. Just this week, reports show that 300 undocumented immigrants were tossed in the calaboose Drop the rosco, Muggsy, or you're one with the ages! in a single night in Eastleigh, suburb of Nairobi that is mostly inhability by Somali immigrants.
Undeniably, there has been political and economic progress in Somalia, and stability has improved. The country has a new elected government, private investment is on the rise, and the military has made important gains, especially in bringing more security to Mogadishu.
However, women are made to be loved, not understood... the central government's ability to translate these fragile gains into an inclusive political transition remains uncertain.
Security is still tenuous, particularly in the South-central region, where Al-Shabaab ... the personification of Somali state failure... maintains command of significant areas. A complicated web of local power holders controls other areas. Many in Somalia remain quite vulnerable to violence, and the vast majority of refugees and governments in the region and across the globe do not believe conditions exist now for the wide-scale, voluntary return of Somali refugees.
On a recent visit to Kenya, I met with refugees in a densely populated urban area in Nairobi and in the Dadaab refugee camp, the largest refugee camp in the world. Many told me they would like to return to Somalia one day, but only when it is peaceful and stable -- conditions they do not yet see. Others believe they will never be able to return.
One young woman, who fled Somalia after losing both her parents in the civil war, told me she has no reason to return. Another spoke of friends who have returned to Somalia to find their homes occupied by others. Still others told me of relatives who have been met with violence, rape and sometimes death.
These stories underscore the need to contemplate a range of options for Somali refugees, from returning to Somalia to resettling elsewhere.
The international community should undoubtedly support refugees who decide to voluntarily return to Somalia. Some are already doing so and more will as conditions allow. But we must also support those refugees who do not believe they can return safely and in a dignified manner, now or possibly ever. Our conscience and international law require it.
Such flexibility in policy does not come without a cost. It requires financial support to ease the burden on countries willing to host refugees until conditions in Somalia improve.
Some countries in the region have been generously hosting Somalis for more than 20 years, and the new wave of Somali refugees after the 2011 famine has created additional burdens.
Although the number of refugees has continued to increase, budgets to support them are declining. The international community must reverse this trend. Otherwise, host countries may decide to roll up the welcome mat.
Part of the refugee funding should be invested in enhanced opportunities for education and skills development, which will benefit displaced refugees now and will also be critical tools for Somalia's long-term success.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/17/2013
00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[3 views]
Top|| File under: al-Shabaab
scandal
n.noun
A publicized incident that brings about disgrace or offends the moral sensibilities of society. - Nope, no disgrace here, and "moral" is defined by circumstance...
A person, thing, or circumstance that causes or ought to cause disgrace or outrage. Disgrace would require self-assessment; outrage is RACIST...!
A politician whose dishonesty is a scandal; considered the housing shortage a scandal. Dishonesty in a Chicago politician is a feature, not a bug....
Damage to reputation or character caused by public disclosure of immoral or grossly improper behavior; disgrace. Look! Squirrel...!
Talk that is damaging to one's character; malicious gossip. If one's character is an illusion, is scandal possible..?
#4
He can claim nobody was MADE to sign - they agreed to do so. And having done so, they are not allowed to reveal what threats were used to get their agreement - but Brennan was not lying, depending on the meaning of the word 'made.' President Clinton established the precedent.
[An Nahar] A panel of Egyptian judges has recommended the Moslem Brüderbund's Freedom and Justice Party be dissolved, ahead of a court decision that could further drive the Islamists underground, state media reported Saturday.
The panel made its non-binding recommendations to the administrative court, which is deliberating a law suit to ban the party for its affiliation with the Brotherhood and contravening laws on the formation of religious parties.
The court will examine the recommendations in a hearing on February 15, the official MENA news agency reported.
The party, headed by Mohammed Morsi ...the former president of Egypt. A proponent of the One Man, One Vote, One Time principle, Morsi won election after the deposal of Hosni Mubarak and jumped to the conclusion it was his turn to be dictator... before his election in June 2012, has been decimated in a crackdown following the Islamist president's overthrow last July.
More than 2,000 Islamists including party operatives have been tossed in the calaboose Drop the gat, Rocky, or you're a dead 'un! since an August 14 crackdown on protesters that killed hundreds.
The findings of such panels--appointed by courts to study lawsuits and make their recommendations--are often adopted.
A separate court had already issued a temporary ban on the Brotherhood and ordered its assets seized ahead of a final verdict.
Much of the Brotherhood's leadership, including Morsi, is already in prison and on trial for allegedly inciting violence after his ouster, following massive protests demanding his resignation.
The Freedom and Justice Party swept Egypt's last legislative elections in 2011 and 2012, before a court ruling scrapped parliament.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/17/2013
00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[5 views]
Top|| File under: Arab Spring
[STREAM.WSJ] A previously unknown urban guerrilla group has claimed responsibility for the shooting of three alleged members of Greece's far-right Golden Dawn party earlier this month outside local party offices in a suburb north of Athens. The group, the "Fighting Peoples' Revolutionary Forces," said Saturday it had shot the three men in retaliation for the recent [...] Remainder behind the pay wall, but I think we got the drift: Commies vs. Nazis.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/17/2013
00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[4 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
As in Berlin pre WW II, Adolf's feces eating Bears vs the Commie Effeminate Twinks...the homo war...See "The Pink Swastika"
Posted by: Herb Gloluger9960 ||
11/17/2013 1:03
Comments ||
Top||
[MAGHAREBIA] Nouakchott police on Tuesday (November 13th) jugged Drop the gat, Rocky, or you're a dead 'un! performer Leila Moulaye, one day after they took Mauritanian rapper Hamzo Bryn into custody.
The two youths' detention came in response to their September 28th online release of a video titled "It started from Nouakchott" by Hamzo's Group "Soco Izi", which provoked a wave of protests from the more conservative fringes of society.
The video features a Mauritanian girl, Leila, who appears with her head uncovered. The video garnered more than 21,460 hits within three days of its release.
The NGO "No to pornography" strongly condemned the video, demanding that authorities take legal action against those behind it.
NGO activist Sidi Ould Hassan said, "These rappers are viruses for the youth. They set a bad example."
"Justice must condemn them to prevent other young people from imitating them. We are a Mohammedan country and we must be guided only by values of the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad Peace be upon him," he added.
Reacting to the uproar caused by the video, Leila Moulaye countered the attacks: "Why not make a video in modern dress? Why do so many people see culture as a sacred box where every citizen is condemned to remain shut away? Anyone who tries to escape from it is demonised," she told Le Rénovateur.
"Look around you," she added. "In schools, universities and markets, you'll see that my passion has done nothing to infringe the culture... I'm sure you'll meet many women on a daily basis who have their heads uncovered...."
"I'm really grateful to those who have supported... The thought of a united Mauritania scares some people. I'm talking about those who have always prevented young people from realising their potential," she noted.
Meanwhile, ...back at the game, the Babe was wondering why the baseball kept getting bigger and bigger. Finally it hit him... rapper Hamzo said, "People can say what they like! That won't change the way the wind's blowing. But I'd like to say to all those who are shocked at my video: shame on them, because they've just revealed their racist side!"
The arrest was also strongly criticised on the Mauritanian hip hop scene.
Baba Ciré Kane from the band "Star du Walo et du Fouta" said, "Young people need freedom to realise their potential. Here, people are hypocritical; how can they condemn this video while watching much more daring videos at home?" he told Magharebia.
Bass player Abdallahi Fall told Magharebia: "It's not acceptable to want to prevent young people from doing what they want to do. We've already seen that people don't help them, and if they act on their own initiative, people always try to stand in their way."
"Mauritania is a multicultural country, and every person must respect that diversity. We must not allow hard boyz to force their law upon us," he said.
"These rappers have done nothing wrong but our society is bent on traditions. Despite television and other modern means of communication, Mauritanians still do not accept that young people become empowered," said Marième mint Snih, a student at the University of Nouakchott.
She noted that the video was proof that young Mauritanians "can do interesting things if they are encouraged. This is what the government should do instead of repressing them".
This view was shared by Hawa Ba, a student at the girls' high school of Nouakchott, "In some circles of our society, girls are not accustomed to wearing the scarf and that should be understood."
"I do not agree with the accusation of rappers... I know Leila is a good girl... Here we are all Mohammedans and people know what they're doing," she said.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/17/2013
00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[5 views]
Top|| File under: Arab Spring
#1
Arresting rappers - my emotions approve but my libertarianism objects. I had best stop thinking about it or my brain will explode from the contradiction.
[An Nahar] A series of attacks in Storied Baghdad ...located along the Tigris River, founded in the 8th century, home of the Abbasid Caliphate... and north Iraq left four coppers dead and a dozen people maimed on Saturday, in the latest in a months-long surge in nationwide bloodshed.
The spike in violence, which has left more than 5,600 people dead so far this year, has forced Iraq to appeal for international help to combat militancy with just months to go before its first general election in four years.
Saturday's violence targeted police in the capital and the main northern city of djinn-infested Mosul.
In Storied Baghdad, two separate bombings targeting police patrols killed three coppers and maimed 11 other people, security and medical officials said.
And in djinn-infested Mosul, forces of Evil opened fire on a police checkpoint, killing one policeman and wounding another.
The unrest is the latest in a protracted surge in attacks that has pushed violence to its highest level since 2008, when Iraq was recovering from the worst of its Sunni-Shiite sectarian war.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki ... Prime Minister of Iraq and the secretary-general of the Islamic Dawa Party.... has called for Washington's help in the form of greater intelligence sharing and the timely delivery of new weapons systems in an effort to curb the bloodshed.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/17/2013
00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[6 views]
Top|| File under: Islamic State of Iraq
[Shabelle] Irish-born terrorist Samantha Lewthwaite, dubbed the White Widow, is wanted for seven murders in Kenya according to new reports.
The Daily Mirror reports that security forces in the African state believe Lewthwaite has become a volatile maniac, leaving a trail of death and destruction in a bloody Dire Revenge™ campaign against those who cross her.
She is now wanted for seven murders including the executions of two radical Mohammedanholy mans and two respected Protestant pastors according to police.
They believe she ordered the murders of four religious leaders in Kenya and three others linked to her al-Shabaab ... the Islamic version of the old Somali warlord... terror group.
Kenyan anti-terror police have named Lewthwaite as the chief suspect in the murder of Protestant pastors Charles Matole and Ebrahim Kidata.
She is also wanted for the killings of radical Mohammedanholy mans Aboud Rogo Mohammed and his successor Sheik Ibrahim Rogo after falling out with them.
Matole was shot in the head at his church in Mombasa. He was found on October 19 sitting in a chair still clutching his bible.
The report says security sources believe he was executed after mum of four Lewthwaite, 29, became 'paranoid' over his contacts with Kenyan intelligence officials.
The White Widow, linked with the recent Nairobi mall massacre, has also fallen foul of elders within al-Shabaab after demanding more control over its murderous activities and is locked in a power struggle according to the paper.
An intelligence source said: "Samantha Lewthwaite is fighting for greater control of al-Shabaab which is angering the organization's hierarchy.
"She has become paranoid and unreliable to the group after being on the run for so long. They believe her judgment is clouded and she could find herself out on her own very soon."
East Kenya police commander Aggrey Adoli told the Daily Mirror that he fears Lewthwaite may be plotting even more bloodshed. He also understands that she has launched a huge drive to recruit young radical Mohammedans to her deadly cause.
Adoli said: "We believe Samantha Lewthwaite is behind these seven killings as well as a gang of others.
"We believe she is involved in the recruitment of jihadists and propagation of al-Shabaab and al-Qaeda activities in the country with other like minded individuals. Once we apprehend Samantha Lewthwaite she'll have a lot of questions to answer.
"She is without a doubt an incredible threat to national and international security. We are working round the clock to bring her in to stop her causing more carnage."
"She is wanted on charges of "murder and inciting Mohammedan youths to violence."
Lewthwaite is believed to be hiding in Somalia. Adoli said: "We are doing our best investigating the murders and call on those with evidence to come forward."
Posted by: Fred ||
11/17/2013
00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[6 views]
Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Kenya
[MAGHAREBIA] Speculation about Ansar al-Sharia ...a Salafist militia which claims it is not part of al-Qaeda, even though it works about the same and for the same ends. There are groups of the same name in Tunisia and Yemen, with the Tunisian version currently most active... 's plan for Libya ended this week when the al-Qaeda proponents released a mission statement demanding the imposition of Islamic law.
#4
I double-link to find the original. WakPo admits they do not know anything about graphics so they asked some nobody from U of Miami. The nobody sez this style is used all the time in PR and Ad, but is not up to his pahsahnal jahnahlistic standahds.
Personally I find it quicker to the point and easier to get than the Life of Julia series.
Israel is working on coordinating plans for a possible military strike with Saudi Arabia, with Riyadh prepared to provide tactical support to Jerusalem, a British newspaper reported early Sunday. The two countries have both united in worry that the West may come to terms with Iran, easing sanctions and allowing the Islamic Republic to continue its nuclear program.
According to the Sunday Times, Riyadh has agreed to let Israel use its airspace in a military strike on Iran and cooperate over the use of rescue helicopters, tanker planes and drones.
"The Saudis are furious and are willing to give Israel all the help it needs," an unnamed diplomatic source told the paper.
The report comes as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in the midst of a blitz to lobby against a deal and cobble together an international alliance opposed to an agreement that allows Iran to continue enriching uranium.
On Sunday, Israel will welcome French president Francois Hollande, who a week earlier put the kibosh on a deal between six world powers and Iran that would ease sanctions in return for initial steps toward curbing enrichment. Netanyahu on Friday urged France to remain firm in its pressure on Iran ahead of a new round of talks on the Islamic Republic's nuclear program in Geneva, kicking off Wednesday.
After meeting Hollande, Netanyahu will head to Moscow on Wednesday to meet with President Vladimir Putin and lobby against the deal.
Should a deal be reached, according to the diplomatic source, a military option would be back on the table. Saudi tactical support, in lieu of backup from the Pentagon, would be vital for a long-range mission targeting Iran's nuclear program.
Saudi Arabia, a Sunni Muslim country across the Persian Gulf from Iran has long been at odds with Tehran, and fears a nuclear weapon would threaten Riyadh and set off a nuclear arms race in the region.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/17/2013
00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[10 views]
Top|| File under:
#9
this is probably also being coordinated with the French since the existence of Israel-Saudi cooperation gives the French more leverage in getting a non appeasement deal between Iran and the US/EU
I've also wondered where China in this. A nuclear Iran would seem to be very bad for China as it would up the price for oil.
Posted by: lord garth ||
11/17/2013 17:58
Comments ||
Top||
#10
China talks about how they're going to take back Taiwan. They talk about how they're going to take all of the Philipines' territorial waters. They talk about how unfortunately there's nothing they can do if the Norks go off the reservation (wink wink) against the South.
But I suspect their real Next Planned Shooting War is to take over the Russian Far East once the Iranian Bomb War kicks off.
#11
..yes, 'importing' oil from Siberia (or whatever the Chinese end up calling it) is a lot more secure and less costly then building a large blue water navy to protect their oil supply lines(see Japan circa 1941).
#12
Iff the MSM-Net is to be believed, Israel + the KSA have been working on an Iran attack plan for several years now.
As per #10, IMO no matter whether it begins wid JAPAN, PHIL, TAIWAN, INDIA, or even RUSSIA = RFE, it will devol into perhaps China's only opportunity this century to voluntarily/
diplomatically or forcibly all of its "strategic access" issues.
The longer China waits, the more difficult it will become as the US-Allies establish permanent GMD-TMD, + both China's regional allies as well as rivals, + Radical Islam, become MilPol stronger + go full-monty Nukulaar.
* E.G. TOPIX > ABE HAILS JAPAN'S RETURN TO WORLD STAGE.
* INDIAN DEFENCE FORUM > JAPAN DEFENSE MINISTRY FOR 60% CUT IN TANKS, COURSE FOR MILITARY REFORM [Tech-led/centered expansion].
* BIG NEWS NETWORK > JAPAN TO TAP TECHNOLOGY FOR MILITARY USE, ANOTHER STEP AWAY FROM PACIFISM.
* DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > INDIA TO HAVE 200 WARSHIPS IN NEXT TEN YEARS, up from 136 tote at present + to include up to three CV's in three separate major MR commands.
VERSUS
* OTOH INDIAN DEFENCE FORUM > CHINA TO BUILD SUPER NUCLEAR BOMBER CAPABLE OF CARRYING OF 200 NUCLEAR BOMBS [170-210 qty = bombload] | IDRW.ORG.
[DR. FU MANCHU, NOT-AN-AGENT-OF-SHIELD [or is He?] = "CAPTAIN AMERICA, WINTER SOLDIER" FLYING AIRCRAFT CARRIER here].
* WORLD NEWS > [Siasat Daily] IRAN: NO NEED FOR WEST TO DECLARE [inalienable = natural = self-evident] ENRICHMENT RIGHT.
FM Mohammed Javad Zarif.
"Iran holds these Truths to be Self-Evident ... ... And that among these Rights is the Right to Life, Liberty, + the Pursuit of Uranium or Plutonium".
* SAME > [WaPo] AN IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL DOESN'T HAVE TO BE PERFECT - JUST BETTER THAN THE ALTERNATIVES.
IMO read, SHORT-OF-WAR???
versus
* TOPIX > [Times of Israel] HOLLANDE: FOR DEAL, IRAN MUST HALT ITS NUCLEAR AMBITIONS.
Dare Hollande be the opposite of POTUS Bammer - HOLLANDE IS A LOUSY GLOBALIST + EU UNIONIST, BUT ONE HELLUVA OUTSTANDING NATIONALIST + PRO-SOVEREIGNTY FRENCHMAN???
[An Nahar] Chadian troops in a joint force with Sudan have been killed battling tribal fighters in the troubled Darfur region, a humanitarian source said on Saturday.
The source did not know how many Chadians died in Thursday's fighting with Salamat primitive around Umm Dukhun, a town on the border with Chad in southwestern Darfur.
"Chadian deaths are confirmed," said the source who asked for anonymity.
Soldiers from Chad and Sudan have cooperated to jointly patrol their border region since ties between the two countries began to improve in 2010.
Off-and-on festivities between Salamat and a rival Arab tribe, the Misseriya, since April in southwestern Darfur have killed more than 200 people.
Intense battles have flared again this month.
In the latest incident, Salamat on Thursday attacked Umm Dukhun town and a camp for displaced people on its outskirts, in what the source called a "big battle".
"They were eventually repulsed by the mixed Chad-Sudan forces, and pushed into Chad where the forces chased them for a while," the source said.
Tribal violence and rebel-government battles have displaced at least 460,000 people in Sudan's Darfur this year, the United Nations ...where theory meets practice and practice loses... said on Thursday.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/17/2013
00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[7 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Sudan
[Shabelle] The attacks on Somali-owned shops spread like a wildfire through the townships around Port Elizabeth, a city on SouthAfrica's southeastern coast.
When it was over, more than 100 small businesses mostly run by Somali nationals had been looted, some destroyed by petrol bombs, and their owners driven from the area by rampaging residents.
The scale of the violence over four days in September was unusual, but xenophobic attacks on Somalis and other African migrants in South Africa's impoverished townships are all too common.
Many people accuse "foreigners" of taking their jobs, or of putting South Africanshopkeepers out of business by undercutting their prices.
Xenophobic violence in South Africa drew international attention in 2008, when riots targeting black African immigrants spread through townships around Johannesburg and elsewhere in the country, leaving more than 60 people dead and thousands displaced.
Since then, sporadic incidents have continued, though they have received little attention.
Amir Sheikh, chairperson of the Somali Community Board of South Africa, said that around a hundred Somali nationals are murdered every year in this country, most of them shopkeepers in the townships.
Sheikh said that young Somalis who sought asylum in South Africa to escape Al-Shabaab ... the personification of Somali state failure... , the Death Eater group that still dominates large areas of Somalia, and to seek better opportunities, are now moving back home to escape the violence.
"Many of them realize that this dream is just an illusion, and if they are to die it is better to die back home," he said. "There is no difference between Mogadishu and the townships of South Africa."
More from GlobalPost: Say goodbye to Kenya's 'nursery for terrorists'
The September attacks in Port Elizabeth were sparked by accusations that a Somali shopkeeper had shot and killed a 19-year-old South African man in a dispute over cell phone airtime.
However the complaint may have been flimsy, as the shopkeeper accused of the murder was later released by police due to a lack of evidence.
Facing pressure over the continuing violence, the South African deputy minister of foreign affairs in June met with Somali community leaders and promised to launch a program to bring together local and foreign business owners.
But according to Sheikh, nothing has happened since the meeting.
"What we are getting from the South African government is lip service," he said.
Last month Elizabeth Thabethe, South Africa's deputy trade and industry minister, drew criticism for her comments about foreign migrants running small shops in the townships, known here as "spaza shops."
"You still find many spaza shops with African names, but when you go in to buy you find your Mohammeds and most of them are not even registered," the South African Press Association quoted her as saying.
Sheikh said that apart from the attacks on township shops, institutionalized xenophobia exists in South Africa, with African migrants facing discrimination at schools and hospitals.
"It's not only in the townships but even in the government offices," he said.
A report titled "Somalinomics" released last week by the Johannesburg-based African Center for Migration and Society argued that foreign-owned businesses create economic benefits to local communities.
Foreign-owned spaza shops -- local convenience stores often run from homes -- help consumers by providing better, more flexible services, and cheaper products, the report said.
"Both government and individuals are quick to turn their frustrations with economic hardships against foreign businesses," Roni Amit, a senior researcher, said in a statement.
"In fact, many South African consumers would be in a far more precarious position without these shops," Amit said.
"Unfortunately, the dominant voices are often those of competing shopkeepers who turn to xenophobic sentiments to veil their reluctance to adopt competitive practices that make everyone better off."
Posted by: Fred ||
11/17/2013
00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[7 views]
Top|| File under: al-Shabaab
[An Nahar] Algeria's 76-year-old President Abdelaziz Bouteflika ... 10th president of Algeria. He was elected in 1999 and is currently on his third or fourth term, who will probably die in office of old age... was on Saturday designated his party's candidate in the 2014 presidential election, despite having been largely unseen for months because of health woes.
Bouteflika, in power since 1999, returned home in July after nearly three months in La Belle France recovering from a mini-stroke, and presided over a cabinet meeting on September 29 for the first time this year.
Saturday's announcement was made by Bouteflika's National Liberation Front (FLN), which has 208 seats in the 462-seat national assembly.
"The central committee has chosen the president of the party, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, to be the FLN candidate in the next presidential election," said a party statement issued after a meeting in the capital.
"The choice was a natural one given the positive assessment" of his three terms as Algerian head of state, FLN head Ammar Saidani said in a speech at Saturday's meeting.
Bouteflika has not himself spoken of being a candidate in 2014.
A limit on the number of consecutive presidential terms was removed by a constitutional amendment in November 2008, allowing Bouteflika to stand for a third term in office.
On Saturday, Saidani insisted that the FLN decision to propose Bouteflika as its candidate in next year's election was constitutional.
"The former U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected four times, and he was in a wheelchair," he said.
"Mr Bouteflika's period of convalescence, which is coming to an end, does not legally prevent our president from seeking a fourth term in office," Saidani said.
Several members of the FLN central committee boycotted Saturday's meeting.
They called it illegal because of Saidani's controversial election as chief at an August meeting in which only some 273 out of 340 members of the central committee were present.
Saidani said 288 members of the central committee attended Saturday's meeting.
The gathering also urged Bouteflika to speedily revise the constitution to consolidate reforms announced in April 2011 to head off any spillover of Arab Spring violence.
Those reforms were seen by the opposition as timid at best.
One of the few remaining veterans of the war of independence against La Belle France, Bouteflika came to power after helping to end the country's civil war in the 1990s.
But in addition to health concerns in recent years, his rule has been dogged by corruption scandals implicating members of his inner circle.
The army of the North African country has chosen all of Algeria's post-independence leaders, and Bouteflika was no different.
With its support, he was elected in 1999 as the ruling FLN's candidate -- and as the sole contestant -- after the other six withdrew, charging that the poll would be fraudulent.
A dapper figure known for wearing a three-piece suit and tie even in the oppressive Saharan heat, Bouteflika is seen by many Algerians as a father figure who helped end the murderous civil war that killed at least 150,000 people from 1992.
The FLN has been in open crisis since parliamentary elections in May last year, and the internal turmoil worsened when Abdelaziz Belkhadem was ousted as party chief in February.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/17/2013
00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[6 views]
Top|| File under: Arab Spring
#1
The hideous and imbecilic dwarf as prez for life...the model for Barry Hussein Long Legged Mac Daddy...
Posted by: Herb Gloluger9960 ||
11/17/2013 0:58
Comments ||
Top||
#2
Combover Rulez
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/17/2013 10:56
Comments ||
Top||
[An Nahar] The Gazoo Strip's Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, prime minister on Saturday ordered the reopening of a Paleostinian news agency closed in July for alleged "false" reporting of Hamas aid to Egypt's Moslem Brüderbund.
"Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh ...became Prime Minister after the legislative elections of 2006 which Hamas won. President Mahmoud Abbas dismissed Haniyeh from office on 14 June 2007 at the height of the Fatah-Hamas festivities, but Haniyeh did not acknowledge the decree and continues as the PM of Gazoo while Abbas maintains a separate PM in the West Bank... ordered reopening Maan (agency) from tomorrow morning," government front man Ihab al-Hussein told AFP.
The decision was taken at a meeting between Haniyeh and Paleostinian faction leaders to discuss renewing unity talks. Paleostinian president the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas ... a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial... 's Fatah movement was not represented at the meeting.
Islamic Jihad ...created after many members of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood decided the organization was becoming too moderate. Operations were conducted out of Egypt until 1981 when the group was exiled after the assassination of President Anwar Sadat. They worked out of Gaza until they were exiled to Lebanon in 1987, where they clove tightly to Hezbollah. In 1989 they moved to Damascus, where they remain a subsidiary of Hezbollah... delegate Khaled al-Batsh said that at the start of the talks he asked Haniyeh to reopen Maan and the local offices of Saudi-owned pan-Arab TV channel Al-Arabiya, which were closed on the same day.
Batsh told Agence La Belle France Presse that Haniyeh made no immediate decision on Al-Arabiya but that the factions would pursue the matter with him on Sunday.
At the time of the closure a Maan staffer and a Hamas official told AFP the agency's Gazoo office was being temporarily shut for a report -- citing Israeli sources -- saying that Hamas gave refuge in a Gazoo hotel to runaway leaders of the Egyptian Moslem Brüderbund.
Saudi-owned pan-Arab channel Al-Arabiya did not reveal the reasons for its office closure.
Morsi, a veteran Moslem Brüderbund leader who went on to become Egypt's first freely elected president, was toppled in a military coup on July 3.
Since then, hundreds of his supporters have been killed and some 2,000 Islamists have been rounded up a in a military crackdown.
On July 14, Egyptian Sherlocks began questioning Morsi and members of his Moslem Brüderbund over their escape from jail during the 2011 uprising that put them in power.
The enquiry relates to the escape by Morsi and dozens of Brotherhood members from Wadi Natrun prison during the revolt that ended former president Hosni Mubarak ...The former President-for-Life of Egypt, dumped by popular demand in early 2011... 's three-decade rule.
An Egyptian court in June said the Islamist Hamas rulers of Gazoo and Leb's Shiite Hezbollah movement helped prisoners escape.
Hamas is the Paleostinian chapter of the Moslem Brüderbund, which has branches across the Middle East.
In its coverage of the Egyptian upheaval, Al-Arabiya has aired live footage of anti-Morsi protests in Cairo's Tahrir Square and called the coup that overthrew him a "second revolution."
Posted by: Fred ||
11/17/2013
00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[2 views]
Top|| File under: Hamas
[MAGHAREBIA] The director of a Sidi Bouzid primary school received a letter from salafists threatening teachers with death, Shems FM reported on Thursday (November 14th). The teachers were accused of blasphemy. Security forces were immediately deployed in the school.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/17/2013
00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[7 views]
Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in North Africa
[The Hindu] The killing of Hakimullah Mehsud, the head of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain (TTP), in a recent drone attack in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas has once again brought the debate back centre stage -- within Pakistain at the national level, and between the United States and Pakistain at the bilateral level. While "illusory sovereignty" and "spoiling the internal dialogue with the TTP" seem to be the primary slogans within Pakistain, "come what may, we will go after the Death Eaters" seems to sum up the American attitude. But are the drone attacks simply about these slogans and attitudes? Or, are there more serious and complicated issues than what is generally discussed at the populist level?
Sharif's four assertions
During his visit to the U.S. in October, Pakistain Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... put forward four primary theses against the American-led drones programme, forcefully arguing that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) should cease using them. First, there was the general Pak perception that the drone attacks have increased extremism within Pakistain, resulting in further Death Eater attacks within the country. Second, it impinged on Pakistain's illusory sovereignty, as the drones fired from across the Durand Line in Afghanistan fly over Pakistain territory and fire missiles, killing innocent civilians. Even if bully boyz do get killed, the collateral damage is high. Third, as a result of these two, there is a growing anti-American sentiment within Pakistain, affecting Pakistain's cooperation with the U.S., thereby further impinging on the American war against terrorism. Finally, continuing attacks undermine Pakistain's efforts towards initiating a dialogue with the Taliban. How true are these perceptions that are widespread within Pakistain?
Undoubtedly, there is an element of truth in these four assertions. And, ironically, within them lies Pak duplicity. First, are the drones the primary reason for growing extremism within Pakistain? Or for that matter, 9/11 and the follow-up American invasion into Afghanistan? There is a blinkered perception in Pakistain about the extent of extremism pre- and post-9/11 and the drone attacks. Viewed in historical and sociological perspectives, the growth of extremism within Pakistain, with its roots in the 1980s, grew exponentially during the 1990s. Afghanistan and Kashmire became the much-needed ideological excuses for the military and the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to pursue their "strategic depth" and "thousand cuts" vis-à-vis Afghanistan and India respectively.
Any historical analysis of sectarian violence in Punjab, Malakand and the tribal regions will reveal the scope of radical tumult by the late 1990s. Had it not been for this churning within Pakistain, neither would the Taliban have been born, nor the al-Qaeda found the region an ideal refuge and base to prepare for 9/11. Linking extremism within Pakistain only to drones and 9/11 reflects an ostrich-like attitude. It perhaps provides a convenient explanation, worse, an excuse for both the State and society to externalise an internal issue. The radical onslaught today in Pakistain is a direct result of what happened in the 1980-90s, both internally and externally; irrespective of 9/11, the American invasion and the drones, Pakistain would have gone through what it is going through now.
Link with illusory sovereignty
The second major instance of Pak duplicity is over linking drones with illusory sovereignty. There has been a tacit understanding between the political and military leadership vis-à-vis the U.S. on the use of drones. Starting from Gen. Musharraf to Gen. Kayani ... four star general, current Chief of Army Staff of the Mighty Pak Army. Kayani is the former Director General of ISI... , were they not kept in the picture on the drone programme? Perhaps the CIA may not have shared the operational details, but it certainly should have explained to them the target and focus.
Drones, by nature, are not supersonic and stealth creatures; they fly at low altitude and are visible. If Pakistain had not agreed to their use, what stopped Gen. Musharraf and Gen. Kayani from issuing orders to fire at them? How many times has Pakistain fired at these drones, or its air force chased these drones away from Pak airspace? Is Pakistain incapable of firing at the drones, thereby allowing its airspace to be violated?
It is difficult to accept that Pakistain does not have the capacity to fire at drones using missiles, or chase them using fighter aircraft. Hypothetically speaking, if India were to use similar drones in Pakistain Occupied Kashmire, will Islamabad and Rawalpindi keep complaining only about violation of airspace? Pakistain's illusory sovereignty argument does not make any sense.
The illusory sovereignty argument over the use of drones also contradicts Pakistain's earlier understanding with the U.S. Before the CIA took the drone programme into Afghanistan, across the Durand Line, were not drones being used from the Shamsi base in Balochistan ...the Pak province bordering Kandahar and Uruzgun provinces in Afghanistan and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran. Its native Baloch propulation is being displaced by Pashtuns and Punjabis and they aren't happy about it... ? What was the understanding between the CIA and Pakistain's military at that time, when the latter allowed the former to use the Shamsi airbase by the U.S.?
These are hard questions that Pakistain should ask its political and military leadership. Unfortunately for the U.S., the anti-American sentiment has greatly clouded the judgment of Pakistain's civil society on this issue. Perhaps Mr. Nawaz Sharif is correct; drone attacks have increased anti-American sentiments, but the politicianship has allowed this purposefully to happen -- to let the Americans take the full blame.
On dialogue
Finally, the issue of drones preventing Pakistain from initiating a dialogue with the Taliban, especially the TTP. True, the killing of Nek Mohammad, a former Taliban fighter, in 2004 did affect the dialogue then between the bully boyz and Pakistain; however, after that, there were multiple dialogues between the military, the ISI and the TTP. Perhaps the drone attacks and the killing of Hakimullah Mehsud is a good omen for Pakistain. The TTP may get destabilised and will provide a better opportunity for Pakistain to negotiate with them -- from a position of strength.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/17/2013
00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[6 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
[Pak Daily Times] Religious and politicians have condemned sectarian festivities in Rawalpindi and termed them an attempt to destroy peace in the country. At least 10 persons were killed and several injured in festivities near a mourning procession at Fawara Chowk of Raja Bazar in Rawalpindi. JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman Deobandi holy man, known as Mullah Diesel during the war against the Soviets, his sympathies for the Taliban have never been tempered by honesty ... demanded that the government immediately investigate the tragedy as it was a conspiracy to destroy peace. The JUI-F chief also telephoned Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and expressed his concern over the festivities. PPP leader Bilawal Baby Bhutto Zardari ...Pak dynastic politician, son of Benazir Bhutto and grandon of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. As far as is known, Bilawal has no particular talents other than being pretty and being able to memorize political slogans, but he had the good luck to be born into the right family and he hasn't been assassinated yet... said in a statement that while the entire nation was praying for a peaceful Ashura, the Punjab government "lacked full attention to maintaining law and order". He said the provincial administration could have averted the incident through "simple pre-emptive administrative steps". PTI Chairman Imran Khan ... aka Taliban Khan, who who convinced himself that playing cricket qualified him to lead a nuclear-armed nation with severe personality problems... appealed to people to ensure that nefarious designs of "hatemongers" and enemies of Islam and Pakistain are thwarted by a show of unity across the land. "Those who are spreading this message of hatred amongst Moslems are clearly enemies of Islam and Pakistain and are deliberately destroying the stability and peace of the country. PTI condemns all such agendas," he said. Condemning the festivities, Awami Moslem League chief Sheikh Rashid Ahmad demanded a judicial investigation into the tragedy. He claimed that people involved in the festivities were never seen before. MQM leader Altaf Hussain and JI chief Syed Munawar Hasan also expressed grief over the loss of life and property in Rawalpindi.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/17/2013
00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[9 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
[An Nahar] Caretaker Interior Minister Charbel called on Saturday on the resident of the northern city of Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... to cooperate with security forces to maintain security in the city, urging officials to resolve their political disputes during a national dialogue session.
"The Lebanese have sharp political disputes, which is deeply reflected on Tripoli that is paying the price," Charbel told news hounds at the Tripoli Grand Serail during the launching of stage-two of a security plan to be implemented in the city.
He hailed the efforts exerted by officials and city figures to implement security in the city.
Charbel expressed hope that the security chaos in the northern city would reach an end and politicians would resolve their disputes during all-party talks.
He pointed out that the security plan will be implemented in all the areas witnessing tension, including Jabal Mohsen and Bab al-Tabbaneh neighborhood.
"The security plan aims at preventing the residents of Tripoli from engaging in armed battles," Charbel added.
Tripoli is Leb's second city and is the scene of frequent Syria-linked battles, that pit Sunnis from Bab al-Tabbaneh against Alawites in Jabal Mohsen.
Most Sunnis support Syria's revolt against Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Horror of Homs... , while Alawites, who belong to the same Shiite-offshoot sect as Assad, support his regime.
The latest fighting ended when the army deployed along Syria Street, which separates the two districts and acts as the makeshift frontline.
Tripoli suffered horrific boom-mobilekabooms near two mosques in August, killing 45 people.
He stressed that the end of arms spread across the country require a "strong political chaos."
Charbel also urged media outlets to cooperate with security forces to maintain stability in Tripoli instead of "inciting rift."
The authorities have implemented a similar plan in the Hizbullah stronghold of Beirut's southern suburbs where several blasts have also left hundreds of casualties.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/17/2013
00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[7 views]
Top|| File under:
[Pak Daily Times] Multiple bomb kabooms shook Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... on Saturday, killing two and injuring at least a dozen people. In one of the incidents of violence, a policeman was killed and two others injured after a police van hit a roadside kaboom in Dera Ismail Khan ... the Pearl of Pashtunistan ... . A police official said the van was on its way to Hangu when it was targeted using a remote-controlled device. Earlier, a suspected jacket wallahmaimed four Frontier Corps personnel and two passers-by in Bannu. Official sources said the suspected suicide bomber rammed his cycle of violence into a security forces vehicle, injuring the six men and damaging the vehicle. According to police, the suicide bomber was killed in the attack. Security personnel cordoned off the area and started a search operation after the incident. Another bombing injured three people in Beautiful Downtown Peshawar ...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire. . Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) personnel said that approximately five kilogrammes of kaboom, fitted in a cylinder, blew up near a police van on Kohat Road in Budhber area on Peshawar's outskirts. As a result of the kaboom, the police van was completely destroyed while three people sustained injuries. Rescue teams reached the site of the blast while security forces cordoned off the area. The injured were shifted to the Lady Reading Hospital. Bombings took place in the province as at least 10 people were killed in sectarian festivities in Rawalpindi on Friday.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/17/2013
00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[11 views]
Top|| File under: TTP
[Libya Herald] There have been relatively small demonstrations in Misrata against the fighting that has been taking place in Tripoli, echoed by a similar gathering in Zliten. Those who took part were protesting the violence itself between Libyans.
Demonstrators handed out a statement saying they had been moved to protest by the shedding on blood "in our beloved capital".
Condemning tribalism and regionalism they called on Libyans to resolve their differences peacefully. They regretted every drop of blood shed on Friday at Ghaghour and sent their condolences to the bereaved.
They also demanded that Laws 27 and 53, dealing with the removal of all militias be implemented "without fear or favour with a single mechanism under state control".
Posted by: Fred ||
11/17/2013
00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[3 views]
Top|| File under: Arab Spring
Kevin Fasick looks like he could break open Alec Baldwin like a cheap shotgun.
My old trainer, Smokin' Joe Frazier, once told me, "Son, an empty wagon makes the most noise."
Alec Baldwin is the emptiest wagon of them all.
This reporter got up close and apparently way too personal for the Bloviator outside his East Village home on Friday -- and the big mouth roared.
His chubby face contorted with rage, Baldwin bellowed at me to back away and then charged like a bull, pushing me into a parked car.
#2
Alec has enough money to hire people to do that sort of thing FOR him. He doesn't have to do it himself. Gunzels and Beef aren't that expensive. Oh, and retain a Lawyer and set up a set of hand signals.
#3
Every time he says something aweful they bury for a couple weeks, do a quick PR stint, and promote him.
In point, he has had a number of otherwise career enders with blacks, and they were followed respectively with the Cap1 series with C. Barkley and then again recently with his silliness with the black cop/SLJ new appointee.
It deviates from the successful vikings theme. So why can't cap1 let him go? Why does he not ever lose a job? How did he get a gig with good actors in Red October?
Its the same reason Bill Mahar gets his pass. If any powers do anything more than a bathroom intervention it will draw attention to just how aweful the entertainment industry really is. Remember back with Kanye had a bodyguard punch Perez Hilton because Hilly called Kanye a gay slur? Two A-list - music and television (at the time I think he was co/host of a couple TV shows), no news.
#4
The think I like about Baldwin is that you can always count on him to be a jerk. You need someone to play the part of a jerk in your movie? Baldwin's the guy. You need a buffoon to promote your credit card. There's no bigger buffoon than Baldwin. It's his schtick.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
11/17/2013 16:58
Comments ||
Top||
[Libya Herald] The joint call to march on Gharghour after Jummah prayer by the Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... Local Council (TLC) and local activists was well received. More than 1,500 protestors waited after the prayer in Alharida square for others from Fashloum, Ain Zara and Suq Al-Jumah to join them before they could begin their march to evict the brigades from Gharghour. They carried placards and the national flag of Libya. They also brought white flags in large numbers to signal their peaceful intent -- something that would later make no difference to the outcome, which would see some 43 dead and more than 460 injured.
The call for peaceful march came after last week's deadly festivities which rocked Tripoli. The fighting was triggered by the death of the brigade based in Gharghour, a few days after he was injured during an argument at a checkpoint argument.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
11/17/2013
00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[7 views]
Top|| File under: Arab Spring
[Libya Herald] The number of people killed in Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... during last night's festivities has reached 43, with a further 460 injured, according to the Ministry of Interior.
This figure may include three Misratans who were also killed, according to Libyan news agency LANA. It is understood that dead and injured Misratans were taken back to their home city last night, and no numbers for their injured have yet been reported.
In a statement, the Ministry of Interior said it had monitored yesterday's protests and had not seen evidence of weapons amongst protestors. The demonstration was peaceful until the first shots were fired, from an "unknown place," according to the head of the Supreme Security Committee Hashim Bishr. Members of the Misrata brigade stationed in Ghargour then immediately opened fire on protestors, Bishr said. Protestors say that the shots came from the brigade which, they said, first had gun sex and then directly at the demonstrators.
The office of the Attorney General was now in charge of investigating last night's events, the Ministry of Interior added.
Three days national mourning for the dead was declared yesterday. Today, Tripoli University announced that it would close for three days after eight students were killed in the festivities. Flags outside government buildings and leading hotels in the capital have been flying at half-mast today.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/17/2013
00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[5 views]
Top|| File under: Ansar al-Sharia
[Libya Herald] Six Tawerghans were murdered this morning in a raid on the Tawerghan refugee camp in Fallah district, a Tawergha official has told the Libya Herald.
The six were killed, according to refugee activist Emad Ergai, when three gunnies arrived at about 9.30 am in a vehicle marked "Steadfast Misrata" and started started shooting indiscriminately. Ergai also claimed that five others were maimed, two of them critically. The two were taken to Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... Central Hospital, he said. The other three were being treated in the camp clinic.
The allegations are, however, unconfirmed.
According to a Facebook site, one of the dead was named Abdulmutallab Abu Bakr Abu Zataya. He is said to have been shot in the head. The site said the attackers had been armed with Kalashnikovs and initially could not enter the camp because the gate had been shut as a precaution following yesterday's slaughter in nearby Gharghour.
It is unclear if the alleged attacks are linked to yesterday's tragedy.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/17/2013
00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[6 views]
Top|| File under: Arab Spring
[Bangla Daily Star] Accusing the opposition leader of killing innocent people in the name of hartal ... a peculiarly Bangla combination of a general strike and a riot, used by both major political groups in lieu of actual governance ... , Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina ...Bangla dynastic politician and current Prime Minister of Bangladesh. She has been the President of the Bangla Awami League since the Lower Paleolithic. She is the eldest of five children of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of Bangla. Her party defeated the BNP-led Four-Party Alliance in the 2008 parliamentary elections. She has once before held the office, from 1996 to 2001, when she was defeated in a landslide. She and the head of the BNP, Khaleda Zia show such blind animosity toward each other that they are known as the Battling Begums.. yesterday asked how much blood the BNP chief needed to quench her thirst.
"The opposition leader is not happy over the way she unleashes violence. She wants more destruction and anarchy. She needs more blood," Hasina said.
"I don't know how much blood would satisfy her thirst. I want to ask her how much blood of people she would take."
The prime minister made the comments while addressing a programme at the Gono Bhaban, where she handed over cheques to the victims of Jamaat-Hefajat mayhem at Fatikchhari in Chittagong on April 11.
She said the "vengeful opposition" is burning people to death; even kids are not spared. "They don't want development, they want dead bodies."
Urging the opposition to refrain from destructive acts in the name of hartal, Hasina said there is no public involvement in their movement.
She said, "The BNP does not believe in democracy, it believes in terrorism."
About her dialogue offer to the opposition leader, the prime minister said she requested her to sit for talks in the interest of the people.
"The way she turned down my proposal is not decent and the language she used is not political. She told me that she won't sit with me," the PM said.
She said Bangladesh was turned into a haven for snuffies and Death Eaters during the last BNP-Jamaat rule. "They want to take the country back to that dark chapter," she added.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/17/2013
00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[4 views]
Top|| File under:
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.
The Obama administration will consider the new federal insurance marketplace a success if 80 percent of users can buy health-care plans online, according to government and industry officials familiar with the project.
According to a government official familiar with the new target, the 20 percent who are unlikely to be able to enroll online are expected to fall into three groups: people whose family circumstances are so complicated that the 
But there are still no concrete goals for the site's accuracy, including whether users are correctly informed whether they are eligible for federal help in paying for health plans or whether insurance companies are given correct information about their new customers.
...the creepy-looking former dictator of Pakistain. Zia was an Islamic nutball who imposed his nutballery on the rest of the country with the enthusiastic assistance of the nation's religious parties, which are populated by other nutballs. He was appointed Chief of Army Staff in 1976 by Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, whom he hanged when he seized power. His time in office was a period of repression, with hundreds of thousands of political rivals, minorities, and journalists executed or tortured, including senior general officers convicted in coup-d'état plots, who would normally be above the law. As part of his alliance with the religious parties, his government helped run the war against the Soviets in Afghanistan, providing safe havens, American equipiment, Saudi money, and Pak handlers to selected mujaheddin. Zia died along with several of his top generals and admirals and the then United States Ambassador to Pakistain Arnold Lewis Raphel when he was assassinated in a suspicious air crash near Bahawalpur in 1988...
Hamid Gul
Pervez 
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] A senior Hezbollah commander died on Saturday after he was 
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
[Bangla Daily Star] Professor Robert Lanza claims the theory of biocentrism teaches that death as we know it is an illusion created by our consciousness.
[WSJ] Americans learned in the IRS political targeting scandal that government enforcement power can be used to stifle political speech. Something similar may be unfolding in Wisconsin, where a special prosecutor is targeting conservative groups that participated in the battle over Governor Scott Walker's union reforms.
David Cameron
[The Hindu] Eighteen days after his release at the end of a long spell of detention at his home here, separatist hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani is under 'house arrest' once again.
[MYFOXDETROIT] Nothing quite communicates the wrath of a scorned lover like the middle finger. But in Bloomfield Hills, this middle finger is loud and proud - in the form of a near 12-foot high statue one man erected next door to his ex-wife.
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
[An Nahar] A series of attacks in Storied 
Israel is working on coordinating plans for a possible military strike with Saudi Arabia, with Riyadh prepared to provide tactical support to Jerusalem, a British newspaper reported early Sunday. The two countries have both united in worry that the West may come to terms with Iran, easing sanctions and allowing the Islamic Republic to continue its nuclear program.
Bouteflika
Nawaz Sharif
[Libya Herald] The joint call to march on Gharghour after Jummah prayer by the 
...Bangla dynastic politician and current Prime Minister of Bangladesh. She has been the President of the Bangla Awami League since the Lower Paleolithic. She is the eldest of five children of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of Bangla. Her party defeated the BNP-led Four-Party Alliance in the 2008 parliamentary elections. She has once before held the office, from 1996 to 2001, when she was defeated in a landslide. She and the head of the BNP, Khaleda Zia show such blind animosity toward each other that they are known as 
