By politicising their campaigns, aid groups not only alienate donors, they provide succour to tyrants and terrorists. OUR aid groups are playing with our ire - and their future - by turning into political activists. Amnesty International is perhaps the worst sinner, but now we find Red Thingy Cross and maybe even CARE Australia are also scarred by this modern disease. The ire such groups foolishly incite comes when people who donate good money for sturdy, practical help for the poor and troubled find they're actually funding an ideological crusade -- most often against the West.
The latest evidence of this disastrous politicking comes from the International Committee of the Red Thingy Cross, which this week leaked to the New York Times a memo on the 550 suspected terrorists imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay. Funny how it was this memo that was leaked, when the ICRTC's policy is to never reveal what it finds on visits to prisons -- even those run by Saddam Hussein then or China today. So what evil exactly did the ICRTC find at Guantanamo Bay that made its officials speak out, when they could witness the worst prisons in others parts of the world in silence? Well, the ICRTC memo claimed inmates were subjected to interrogation techniques that were "tantamount to torture" -- a weaselly way to insert a word that could make a front-page headline even here. These techniques included playing loud music, "sexual taunting", solitary confinement and exposure on this tropical island to "temperature extremes". SO cunning of these fiendish Americans, not to simply beat prisoners into a pulp.
Gadzooks! They're on to us!
Of course, the Guantanamo inmates are being questioned for information that might avert another catastrophe, but let's not bother about that detail. The Swiss-based ICRTC doesn't. Nor is this the only evidence that the Red Thingy Cross, for all its undoubtedly good and even brave work, has too many bureaucrats and field workers playing campus-style politics.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: tipper ||
12/03/2004
9:51:16 AM ||
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I donated once to the Red Cross, for the victims of the Bali bombing, since I have this fondness for Ozzies. But the Red Cross, until it abandons its increasingly anti-American slant, won't get another penny from me.
December 3, 2004: One of the most important aspects of winning urban warfare, especially for insurgent movement, involves the use of snipers. Booby traps and ambushes are all well and good, but nothing harasses the enemy or makes troops more afraid than a clever, well-positioned sniper in a crowded city. Fortunately for the US troops in Fallujah, this is exactly what the insurgents did not have. Snipers were particularly prevalent during the Fallujah battles and were heavily used against US forces. While still very dangerous, the insurgent snipers were far from expert. None had specialized sniper training and the quality of their weapons was very poor. Its very hard to be a precision shooter when all you've got is a battered, rusting AK-47 with no scope and partner with no binoculars to spot for you. Also, the insurgents tended to have no concept of movement. Marines reported that insurgent snipers would choose obvious hiding places, the minarets of mosques were a favorite, and not move after firing at US troops. A smart sniper would have picked an unlikely location and moved around after each attack. The insurgents' poor technique made them easy targets for airstrikes, bunker busters, and even counter-snipers. This is consistent with the poor marksmanship and just-about-everything-else skills of the rebels.
By contrast, Marine snipers did extremely well, with one corporal racking up 24 confirmed kills during the battle. Of course, he was equipped with state of the art binoculars, ammunition, a spotter, and a state of the art weapons system. Today's sniper equipment is far from simple. Two people are required to make a sniper team work, a spotter and the actual shooter. Depending on the environment and how long it is likely to take for the enemy to spot your position, firing position can take very little effort or a great deal. Stalking the enemy and moving into position can take as little as ten minutes or as much as three days (as was often the case in Vietnam), since soldiers, especially officers, are probably to some degree aware that they are considered a prime target, depending on the enemy's reputation for sharpshooting.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Steve ||
12/03/2004
9:50:18 AM ||
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And in this season of giving, it's time once again to remind everyone of the Adopt-A-Sniper campaign which helps ensure our snipers have the right equipment and know they have support back home.
Posted by: Dar ||
12/03/2004 10:04
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I understand that once our snipers move into an area things get very dicey for anyone with a rifle, RPG or ski mask.
The real gem of the snipers is the 50 caliber whatzit rifle that has a range approaching a mile. Neat thing about it is that it tends to cut bodies in half, shoots through walls and can make a small person explode. It has completely terrorized some of these idiots into surrendering. There was this story about Marines using this lovely weapon reporting they had taken a sniper on a mineret out and his "upper torso" fell to the ground after being hit. Hmmmm........I bet that made Abdullah give pause.
Does the Quran make provisions for virgins in the afterlife if you arrive in paradise in two or three shipments?
December 3, 2004: Close Air Support will never be the same. And not just because of the introduction of JDAM (GPS guided) smart bombs, but because of new tactics, and new equipment on aircraft. Since World War II, the United States has used air power to help troops fighting in cities, by pulverizing buildings where there is resistance. This has kept down American casualties, but caused lots of property damage, and dead civilians. The introduction of new ground combat weapons (like shells for M-1 tanks 120mm gun that can do a lot of damage to buildings, and do it precisely), and new sensors for aircraft (night vision targeting pods), have reduced the dependence on bombs. Take the new targeting pods. Sometimes the troops just want the pilot to just let them know what he sees. Such information can be more valuable than a few bombs. Troops also find low flying aircraft, which are not using any weapons, useful for dispersing crowds, or "herding" hostiles in the right direction. The pilots usually oblige, but many report going days or weeks without dropping any bombs. The bomb handlers back at the air bases and carriers don't care for the extra work (bombs have to be removed from the returning aircraft), but you have to do what the troops want.
Other types of aircraft are increasingly popular just the way they are. U.S. Army AH-64 attack helicopters are always a welcome sight (or sound, as they are most effective at night.) The latest AH-64s have superb night vision gear, and they also spend a lot of time just being the overhead eyes for the troops below. Same with the air force AC-130 gunships. Crewmen report feeling like radio announcers at a baseball game. They spend so much time just reporting to the troops below what they see. The AC-130s rarely come back with any ammo to unload, but then they often stay in the air all night, using their night vision cameras more than their weapons.
Information is power, and in warfare, it's often more useful than firepower.
Posted by: Steve ||
12/03/2004
9:45:36 AM ||
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One good thing about the advancement in smart bomb technology is that the bomb payloads are getting smaller and smaller, allowing the air support to hit targets closer and closer to friendly troops. Quite a change from WWII when you needed 1/4 mile or more between you and the target. I was also really impressed to read on Ratnburg about the new "smart" 155mm arty shells that can plunge like mortar shells a few days ago--although you still gotta respect the power of a 155!
Posted by: Dar ||
12/03/2004 9:58
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This has kept down American casualties, but caused lots of property damage, and dead civilians.
It would seem that in Fallujah, the dead civilians part was kept to a minimum.
#3
We need a follow on to the A-10. One that will survive combat with the French. We should expect that state of the art French as well as Russian armaments will be used by our future foes.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
12/03/2004 11:08
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EFL & Hat tip to The Corner Snip...
The Al-Jazeera network was founded in 1997, ostensibly to help the terrorists create a new movement in the static media of the paranoid Arab world, which are mostly government controlled, and was initially welcomed. What in the Middle East isn't government controlled?
Many media experts believed that the new network would create a revolution in the field of information dissemination, particularly in the Arab states on the Persian Gulf. Countdown with me! 4, 3, 2,...
However, at the same time, rumors arose suggesting that the network was established by U.S. and Israeli agents in order to present a bad image of Islam to the world. My dear friend, you need no help doing that.
Some regional experts expressed doubts about the allegations though, because the establishment of a media outlet with the aim of promptly informing Arab nations about the latest world news seemed to be a good idea. But the actions of the network gradually revealed the fact that Al-Jazeera officials, on the orders of Zionist agents, are trying to divide Islamic countries and tarnish the image of Islam. The first step to success is to always blame others.
Posted by: Dragon Fly ||
12/03/2004
9:39:32 AM ||
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The only thing that keeps me from laughing even louder is the raw evil that produces this sort of thinking.
The saddest/funniest bit is the recursive nature of this article. it still gives the Izzoids a bad image while decrying doing things that give the Izzoids a bad image.
They know something is wrong. Thats a big first step. Now they need to figure out what exactly is wrong. Thats going to take a while, it seems.
Posted by: N Guard ||
12/03/2004 10:00
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Bravo. This is brilliant. My hat's off to the psyc ops guys behind this one. Too funny.
#3
You sure its psy ops? It could be a for-real. At the evry least, it's a meme we should perhaps encourage.
Posted by: Mike ||
12/03/2004 10:56
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You sure its psy ops...
of course not, that's the beauty is it not? Now the viewers will have to watch and wonder if they are being played for fools by the joooos. It will force them to actually think for themselves about what they are watching.
heh, heh, heh.
#5
All the psyops guys really have to do when their opponents are psychoceramics is sit around and play cards. The other side's doing more to ensure their eventual self-destruction than we can. All we can do is help the process along with an occasional strategic shove.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/03/2004 11:25
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the Middle Easterners shouldn't feel bad. We, in the west, were played for fools by our own media for the last 40 years as well.
#7
So the point of the article is that any portrayal of muslim countries in a bad light is erroneous (ostensibly because muslim countries cannot be at fault?), or portrayal of nonmuslim countries in a good light must therefore be a Zionist conspiracy.
whew. the only way people read and buy that crapola is if they are too blinded by joooooo- and USA-hating to be capable of being objective.
#8
Right on, Planet Dan - I believe the reason that the Muslim countries fail is because the keystone of their culture is blame. The Euro's will suffer the same fate if they are not careful. Even Jewish culture has that flaw - though Jews, like our liberal left, tend to blame themselves rather than others. I believe Christian cultures do better because they believe in the idea of forgiveness and redemption - allowing people to acknowledge and move on.
#10
it doesn't really matter who planted the seed, now does it? The average Muslim is probably horrified by the beheadings, the hate spewed from the pulpits, the amunition being stored in mosques and the fight against democracy.
This allows good Muslims an acceptable venue to speak out against the evil they see being done in the name of their religion. Al Jazeera is propaganda and they know it. That they blame the Jews is just compulsive behavior.
#11
This dovetails with our discussion of the latest bullshit from Jihad Unspun, as posted here by Mike Sylwester.
Whatever the intention, Al J's tales of Jihadi heroism and American depravity have inspired thousands of ignorant youngsters to feed themselves into the meat-grinder of American firepower and fighting skill. Al J was directly responsible, for example, for Iraqi mujas driving their soft-skinned vehicles directly at American tank columns during the invasion last year, with the usual results. AJ had run several propaganda pieces championing this picturesque, albeit suicidal, tactic.
The same is true of the jihadis' ludicrous and lethal practice of "spray and pray" urban fighting, the object of much glorification on AJ video. As one recently returned serviceman described it to me, "the dumb fucks put on their Rambo headbands, jump into the middle of the street, and blast away with their AKs. We spot them and it's 'bye bye, Abdul'."
South Korea's President Roh Moo-hyun has warned the US not to drive North Korea into a corner by taking too aggressive an approach.
"Don't stir them up! They're crazy, y'know..."
He voiced concern about influential US circles who, he said, were calling for regime change in North Korea. Instead, President Roh urged a policy of persuasion and dialogue as a better way to get North Korea to change. He was speaking in a BBC interview on the first state visit to the UK by a South Korean president. "I feel that the more advisable course would be one that would not drive North Korea into a corner," he said.
He means a tighter corner than they've built for themselves...
His comments come at a delicate time in international efforts to persuade North Korea to rejoin talks on its controversial nuclear programme. In the interview, the South Korean president said no one would tolerate a nuclear capability in North Korea and it was not that the US government had been aggressive. "Let me assure you that the North Korean nuclear weapons capability will by no means, and under no circumstances, be tolerated," he said.
"What'll you do if they go forward with it?"
"Ummm... We'll hold talks!"
But he said some vocal circles in the US with considerable influence had been calling for regime change in North Korea, when the only way to induce it to embark on reforms was through dialogue. It is not the first time South Korea has insisted that resolving the crisis over North Korea can only be done peacefully.
"I mean, they like to goose-step, and they rattle sabers, and they're usually whacked out on white slag, but it can only be done peacefully...
But these latest comments appear to reflect increased nervousness at what is being described as a tense moment in negotiations. For months North Korea has been holding its breath and turning blue refused to rejoin multi-party talks, blaming what it called a hostile US attitude and apparently waiting to see what would be the result of the US election. Now this week it once again rebuffed attempts to restart a dialogue. It seems South Korea's president is worried that unless rhetoric in the US is toned down, it may be difficult to appease the NKors get North Korea to change its mind. Despite "considerable controversy" back home over his Iraq policy, Mr Roh said he will be looking to extend the duration of deployment of Korean troops.
Posted by: tipper ||
12/03/2004
9:38:29 AM ||
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Instead, President Roh urged a policy of persuasion and dialogue as a better way to get North Korea to change.
A better idea would be for ALL U.S. forces to be removed from South Korea so that Roh can carry out whatever policies he likes. If he wants to lick Kimmie's boots, he does so on his own.
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/03/2004 12:32
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IIRC though the S.Koreans have the third largest contingent in Iraq. Corrections?
Posted by: Don ||
12/03/2004 15:13
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Don,
that sounds about right. They can withdraw their folks back from Iraq to S.Kor and we can pull all 37K we have in S.Kor to Iraq. Let them and Kimmie have at it. We'll deal w/the winner. Sounds fair to me.
A top Iranian cleric said Iran will soon join the international nuclear club, saying the suspension of uranium enrichment will last for four months only. Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, chairman of the powerful Expediency Council, said at Friday sermon Iran "will be member of the club grouping countries that possess nuclear industry very soon," the Iranian News Agency, IRNA, reported. "Iran will not give up its legal and international right to possess peaceful nuclear technology," he said, stressing Iran agreed to suspend uranium enrichment for "only a period of four months to assure the International Atomic Energy Agency of its peaceful nuclear activities." "After that period is passed, Iran will discuss seriously the implementation of its uranium enrichment program and the use of nuclear technology for peaceful purposes," he said. "Tehran does not want to produce nuclear arms but will not give up its right."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
12/03/2004
9:36:39 AM ||
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Rafsanjani has been around since the very first days of Khomeini (Jan-1979) He & the brutal mullah's time is past.
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
12/03/2004 11:46
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Just a random thought here.
The following scenrio... US invades Iran after Iran declares self nuke power. Iran pops 2-3 in effort to stop US forces. Higher US casualties (500-2000) than Iraq. End result is the same. US wins with conventional forces only, then captures, tries and executes all involved with nuke use decision.
Now picture the scene in Moscow/beijing... Uh oh, the nukes didnot stop the Americans, Now what? (And they executed the leaders afterwards! they never did that before. eep.)
In norkland...Uh oh, it seems the nukes did not stop the Americans. now what?
Rest of Planet... Uh oh, etc.
Discuss
Posted by: N Guard ||
12/03/2004 15:54
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Time for Rafsanjani to catch "The Russian Cold".
Tehran's substitute Friday prayers leader, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, said no other force in the region could ever rival the might of the Iranian Navy in the region. Addressing thousands of worshipers who had gathered at Tehran University's campus for the prayers, Rafsanjani pointed out that even during the days of the Iraq-imposed war, the Iranian Navy managed to provide and maintain security in the Persian Gulf the coast of which contains rich oil and gas resources, including the South Pars region, which holds 10 percent of the world's gas resources.
Commenting on nuclear issues, Rafsanjani said Iran is expected to join the club of world states owning nuclear industries soon. He emphasized that Tehran will never forsake its legal and international right to gain access to nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. The substitute prayers leader further said Iran has agreed to suspend its uranium enrichment activities for a certain period of time--not to exceed six months--to assure the IAEA about the peaceful nature of its nuclear activities. "I offer the world the assurance that Tehran is not pursuing nuclear arms, but will not forsake its absolute right," he said. Describing the IAEA's recent resolution that confirmed Iran's nuclear activities have not been diverted toward a military program as a 'success', Rafsanjani referred to the threats to refer Iran's case to the UN Security Council and to impose sanctions against Tehran as examples of threats Iran has been facing in the past two years.
It's not a lynch mob. There's no rope. Tar, feathers, a rail, yes. A rope, no.
Kofi Annan must be wondering whose dog he shot. A right-wing mob is gathering around him, howling for his head. And why? Because the gentle and generally accommodating leader of the United Nations has, as New York Times columnist William Safire recently put it, "brought dishonor on the Secretariat of the United Nations" through mismanagement of the U.N.'s "oil-for-food" scandal. The secretary-general must have been surprised indeed to learn that Safire and the anti-U.N. crowd hold the organization's honor so dearly.
The scandal itself is quite grave. The oil-for-food program was created in the mid-1990s to mitigate the human toll of international sanctions on the Iraqi people, but it was misused from the start. The blithely cynical administration of the program will almost certainly turn out to have been the worst managerial catastrophe in the U.N.'s history. Saddam Hussein manipulated the program to steal billions of dollars, and there is every reason to believe that he bribed political and business leaders to look the other way. He may even have bribed a leading U.N. official, though that official was not named Kofi Annan.
Investigators have not yet determined who, if anyone, committed criminal acts, nor whether Annan's son, Kojo, traded on the family name to help a company he worked with win a major contract administering the program. Of course, the vigilantes at Fox News and the Wall Street Journal editorial page won't be deterred by that hoary principle known as "innocent until proven guilty." But Kofi Annan's critics are not just jumping the gun; they are barking up the wrong tree.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: tipper ||
12/03/2004
9:31:59 AM ||
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The incident proved to them, as if they needed more proof, that the U.N. was not a place where the U.S. could transact serious business.
Thus the godsend of oil-for-food.
WTF? This is called "connecting the dots" in my mind, but what do I know, I'm just a stupid redneck voter from a red state? We're connecting these dots (bribes to specific countries) in order to see WHY countries on the SC voted the way they did (and still try and oppose our every move in Iraq).
What conservatives cannot accept, at bottom, is the premise that an international body, even one over which the United States exercises enormous sway, should be allowed to pass on the legitimacy or legality of American actions. And if you canât accept that, you canât accept the U.N.Sounds good to me!
Itâs striking that the Bush administration, for all its notorious unilateralism, has not yet joined the chorus (though neither has it tried to stem it).Don't know when this was posted, but Bush called for a FULL investigation yesterday. He may not SPECIFICALLY call for Annan's scalp, but the investigation should result in that.Annan infuriated administration officials when he called the Iraq war illegal and again when he argued against the recent assault on Fallouja.
And you see how quickly that stopped our troops, don't you? When will these MSM types recognize the UN does NOTHING to stop war, and in many cases causes it? From North Korea and Iran under the IAEA to Libya and Syria being appointed heads of the Human Rights Commission to this graft of BILLIONS to them ignoring Sudan (and that after their pledge of "never again" after Rwanda) to condemnations of Israel's actions against terrorists (but not against the terrorists themselves) and on and on, this "body" is DEFUNCT!
Posted by: BA ||
12/03/2004 9:54
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Such typical leftist crap. First deny then lie. When that doesn't work, leak the truth one piece at a time. "Although it's true that the UN is involved in one of the biggest fruads that the civilized world has ever seen, if you are a nuanced person and look at it closely, amputating the parts off from the whole, then you can, if you strain your eyes, see it in a light that won't make it look like what it really is".
Good luck with those circulation numbers LA Times. The "wait until the facts are in" worked for Clinton's blow job. I wonder if it will fly with a mass murdering dictator bribing kleptocratic bureaucrats with money meant to buy medicine and baby food for the oppressed of the world.
But, good luck in your endeavours, LA times. It does you proud.
#3
Kewl another 'Vast Right Wing Conspiracy'! Where do i sign up? The un started out as a very noble cause and FDR no doubt had a vision of a world goverment with it's seat here in the U.S. After 60 years we have a bloated organization that has basically two main purposes: 1) Spending 4+ Billion dolars and 2) Passing resolutions against Israel. The only small part that does seem to work correctly is the UNICEF organization. That's probably because the politicians are too scared to skim money off a childrens program ( but I think we should check).
Like I pointed out yesterday the un NSC is composed of members that really shouldn't be there. France has no business holding veto power over Canada let alone the U.S. Kicking France off the NSC would be a good second step in fixing the UN. The first step would be to fire Kofi, PRONTO.
#4
No, its time to really start being positive about a new international organization which excludes non-democratic governments, renders voice according to GNP if not a ratio of population to GNP, and focuses on assisting [not running] joint multi-laterial cooperation and operations rather than some world government fantasy. And based out of some democratic small [population/GNP] country.
Posted by: Don ||
12/03/2004 11:38
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I agree--it's time for a United Democracies or some such. No more of this BS with Syria, Libya, et al, leading a Human Rights committee or chairing other such commissions with blatant hypocrisy.
Posted by: Dar ||
12/03/2004 12:11
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Dar Don, why do we ned a new organization?
Who decides what is a democracy? Was Venexuela once upon a time? Is it now? Who throws out backsliders?
The idea of an "international organization" that can include or exclude members is a non-starter unless it is an alliance. Do you want another alliance with France?
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
12/03/2004 12:16
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#7
I think that bilateral agreements and cooperative groups of nations, based upon a specific agenda should be promoted. A group of parliamentary democracies work together on a common problem and propose solutions, come up with a plan, implement it, critique it and be done. We do not need a bloated bureaucracy that is always looking for a reason to justify itself. Task oriented agreements and be done with it.
The thousands of UN bureaucrats will have to go to retraining and find real jobs.
And, no, the French govt is NOT included in this plan for now. They have a history of sticking it to us. They are our enemies, and their obstructionism, deception, and aiding and abetting our enemies has cost us US lives.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
12/03/2004 12:41
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#9
The UN has been outdated for at least 25 years. Let's get the US out of the UN and the UN out of the US. Yesterday, not soon. I'm tired of these corrupt foriegners living in and enjoying the US and then stabbing us in the back every chance they get. Send them all home to their flea-bitten, scorpion-infested 3rd world paradises, and turn the UN building over to the US military to use for housing of homeless veterans!
#10
One observation I've made through the years, in Switzerland, Sweden, France, the UK, and the US:
All people, and especially politicians, who strongly support the UN, are socialists who would like to have a world-wide political body with powers above and beyond the legitimate powers of a government by and for the people.
The very notion of a world body politick is statist and detrimental to freedom by nature. Ask yourself what Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry would have thought of such a prospect.
#11
Want a giggle? Look at IHT.com today and their take on the UN via UN staffers. After all this time, it turns out the "charges.. are totally unfounded and verge on the hysterical"... and the stink is just a "politically motivated attempt to discredit the organization".!
#13
I think most of us who read this site know that the abuses of the oil for food program were no big surprise (where is that surprise meter when I need it?)
Saddam did not build his 12 someodd palaces at 1.5 Billion a pop with food stamps or coupons from Krogers. Everyone knew the program was being abused. The infant mortality rate in Iraq was in the toilet, the hospitals were a shambles and the only people with all their teeth were Ba'athists.
All of this righteous indignation over the oil for food program is odd. We all knew that the Russkies, Frogs and Huns were getting rich off Saddam and their obstruction of US diplomatic efforts in the UN were bought off.
Its time we all admit the UN is broken, it was a great idea and had much promise but the malfeasance of the third world petty bureaucrats that came to populate it, have pretty much doomed the UN to the dustbin of history.
Put this fiasco with the oil for food program together with the Rwanda massacres and the massacres in Bosnia in front of the UN peacekeepers and you have plenty of reason to pull the plug. It is a failed institution with no will to take action. It has become a playground and welfare system for political science PhD's and gutless diplomats from all over the world.
I think the US would be well served to demand a top to bottom house cleaning.
NOW, lets talk about Darfur, there's another shining example of the UN taking strong action to avoid a humanitarian disaster.
#14
SOG dont forget the ongoing gang/kiddie rapes and murders in western Sudan while Kofi has his expensive luncheons to 'study' the program for a million or more deaths/rapes......
#15
Crazy fool, exactly my point. By the time the apparatik in the UN gets their word processing done, the problem is resolved. Everyone they were trying to save are DEAD.
Someone with access to the grim statistics total up how many people died in Ethiopia, Rwanda, Darfur, Bosnia and Chad while the UN twiddled and fiddled with their diplomatic hand wringing and memo writing.
We can seize and maintain the moral high ground if we can get some of the leftist in NOW, the NAACP and their ilk to come out and denounce the crimes in Darfur instead of whining about womens underwear and cold showers in Gitmo.
#16
Yeah. Get those NOW types to denounce the President when he makes one of his female subordinates give him blow jobs in the Oral Office...Oh, they didn't.
Well, this time will be different.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
12/03/2004 20:59
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Madrid's main court has ordered a Spaniard suspected of providing the explosives used in the deadly 11 March bomb blasts in the capital to be put under preventative detention. The warrant from the court said Antonio Toro Castro is suspected of "collaborating with a terrorist organisation and the provision of explosives." In total 191 people were killed and 1,900 injured in the synchronised blasts on commuter trains in the Spanish capital. Toro Castro had already been detained twice, but then released. The judge said the probe had "thrown light on the existence in 2001 of an offer of large quantities of explosives from Antonio Toro (and) Jose Emilio Suarez (Trashorras)," his brother-in-law. Under Spanish law a terrorist suspect can be held in preventative detention for four years. A total of 19 suspects are in detention on suspicion of having taken part in the March 11 attacks.
Posted by: Steve ||
12/03/2004
9:28:34 AM ||
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They wanna insure that Tony "The Bull" Castro doesn't become Tony "The Steer" Castrato...
Explosions, screams for help and hovering Black Hawk helicopters broke the stillness as this nearly abandoned copper mining town took on a new role as an anti-terrorism training center. A wide-ranging mock terrorist scenario played out Thursday before hundreds of onlookers as the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology officially began training here. Playas has been virtually empty for months, since the mining company that built it packed up and moved out, taking most of the town's jobs. But the institute - the town's new owner - is bringing new life in the form of terrorist response. "This is a rebirth of a town. The university is very excited," said Van Romero, the school's vice president of research and economic development.
Helicopters from the Homeland Security Department dropped off SWAT teams in full tactical gear, then took to the air as officers swarmed a home where bomb-making had been reported. As a robot removed and detonated a bomb, a suicide bomber set off an explosion in a bus. Thirty-seven first-responders operated a command center during the exercise, and the SWAT teams were made up of local law enforcement agencies such as the Dona Ana County sheriff's office. Sen. Pete Domenici and Rep. Steve Pearce, both New Mexico Republicans, were among VIPs removed to a nearby airport as part of the exercise. Domenici recalled his first reaction to turning the town into a training center. "I couldn't believe it when they called me up and said they wanted to buy Playas," he said. "I said, 'Are you crazy?'" But he said he soon realized the town's advantages for training. The 640-acre township built by Phelps Dodge Corp. in 1972 includes a 25-unit apartment complex, community center, grocery store, medical clinic and air strip, as well as 1,200 surrounding acres.
Plans to transform it into the National Emergency Response Training, Research and Development Center have been in the works for months. The institute finalized the deal to buy the town for $5 million in September after getting the go-ahead from the Homeland Security Department. "It holds great promise for New Mexico and the rest of the nation," Romero said. Phelps Dodge employee Tommy Townsend, who still lives in the town, said he welcomes the institute as the new owner and was impressed by the first exercise. The remaining residents now live at one end of town, and Townsend doesn't expect the training explosions to be a problem. "The fact is, it's gonna bring some jobs to this part of the world, so you can put up with some explosions," he said.
The institute has done military research for decades and has helped train thousands of police and firefighters as first responders in emergencies. Its classes cover response tactics applied to real-life scenarios and situations involving suicide bombers, bioterrorism and car bombs. Playas provides an ideal classroom to train first-responders in simulated terrorist attacks and other disasters. Romero said the community's isolation in a remote area of southwestern New Mexico works in its favor. "Nobody's going to sneak up on us," he said.
Posted by: Steve ||
12/03/2004
9:20:04 AM ||
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#1
This is where anti UFO training is being perfected. Three elderly Roswell Grays are running the show.
With faux insurgents, fake bombs, real concrete barriers and a little city of tents, training to prepare Reservists and National Guard members for Iraq is becoming more realistic. Over the past few months, one 40-acre section of Fort Dix has been transformed into "Forward Operating Base," a camp with new gravel roads and 100 tents that replicates an Army base in Iraq. Similar training bases are going up at installations across the country. On Thursday, the Army offered civilian base employees and the media a relatively rare glimpse at how the Army trains soldiers to fight in an Iraq where insurgent fighting continues to add to the American death toll. Fort Dix has trained more mobilizing part-time soldiers than any other base since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Before the camp was built, soldiers training at Dix stayed in barracks and rode uneventfully on buses to each day's drill. Now, the drills, like the war, are nonstop.
Simulated mortar fire interrupts moments that are quiet aside from the loud drone of electrical generators. The convoys to drill sessions are sometimes broken up by roadside ambushes. When soldiers sleep, it's in tents packed with a score of their colleagues. Meals for the more than 1,300 soldiers staying at the base are taken in a small dining tent without chairs. Within the next six months, officials plan to have showers, pool tables and facilities to repair military vehicles on the base - all features of bases in Iraq. Late Thursday morning, a contractor acting the part of an Iraqi insurgent hurled a box containing a firecracker into a checkpoint manned by members of the Virginia National Guard. In a hectic and smoky battlefield scene, one soldier acted out having a leg struck with shrapnel and a pretend insurgent was "shot" in the chest when a soldier fired a blank at him. Medics had to sort out the situation time and get the "injured" onto stretchers while other soldiers - whose sleeplessness was no act - stood guard. The medics treated the faux Iraqi with the chest wound before the GI with a leg wound.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Steve ||
12/03/2004
9:11:31 AM ||
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#1
Very interesting--only thing missing is the heat and sand!
Posted by: Dar ||
12/03/2004 9:41
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RE #1:
Yeah, but this is New Jersey so they've got the smell.
#3
2 months training then combat! I don't know if this is good or bad news. During GWI the roundout mechanized brigades spend the entire war getting ready to get started, of course there was plenty of force available without them.
#4
We still need to rebuild the Army with two extra divisions, the Marines with a pair of Brigade Combat Teams, and the Navy with some more assault vessels. The Air Force/ANG/AF Reserve may require some additional building, as well. We also need a new conventional bomber capable of carrying huge loads of conventional munitions to replace the ancient B-52. Nuclear capability is ok for deterrence, but we need a real nutcruncher to use on islamofruitcakes and the Sudanese.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
12/03/2004 13:17
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Hmmmm. They could also try to import some authentico Iraqi water for the trainees. I hear those runs are pretty nasty and take some getting used to. Especially when all you have is that military issued sandpaper to wipe with.
Long article, EFL:
China's military has launched the first of a new class of ballistic missile submarines in what defense officials view as a major step forward in Beijing's strategic weapons program. The new 094-class submarine was launched in late July and when fully operational in the next year or two will be the first submarine to carry the underwater-launched version of China's new DF-31 missile, according to defense officials. "When fully operational, it will represent a more modern, more capable missile platform," said one official familiar with reports of the new submarine. A second intelligence official said building submarines is a top priority of the Chinese, and the Type 094 will be "China's first truly intercontinental strategic nuclear delivery system." The new Type 094 was spotted by U.S. intelligence agencies at the Huludao shipyard, located on the coast of Bohai Bay, some 250 miles northwest of Beijing. The submarine is in the early stages of being outfitted and is not yet equipped with new JL-2 submarine-launched nuclear missiles. The submarine is believed to be based largely on Russian nuclear submarine technology, the officials said.
A 1999 report by the House Select Committee on U.S. National Security and Military/Commercial Concerns with the People's Republic of China stated that the new missile submarine will likely benefit from stolen U.S. nuclear warhead designs. The report stated that the JL-2 is expected to have a longer range than the DF-31 and that 16 JL-2s will be deployed on the new submarine. The range of the JL-2 is estimated to be about 7,500 miles, enough "to strike targets throughout the United States," the report said. "Instead of venturing into the open ocean to attack the United States, the Type 094-class submarines could remain near [Chinese] waters, protected by the [People's Liberation Army,] Navy and Air Force," the report said. The new submarine will be a major improvement over China's current ballistic missile submarine known as the Xia, which is equipped with medium-range missiles. The current Xia submarine is considered so noisy to underwater detection gear that its chances of surviving attack submarine strikes in ocean waters are limited.
Posted by: Steve ||
12/03/2004
9:04:28 AM ||
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Posted by: Frank G ||
12/03/2004 9:33
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7,500 mi range is nothing. But who needs range when it makes all that racket, keeping sonar operators awake from their beauty sleep.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
12/03/2004 13:38
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Western alarmists and China-lobbyists won't say so, but the PLA/N's submarine program has been a major disappointment. It has been over 30 years since the first Chinese nuclear sub was launched, and they still don't have a workable design in large-scale service.
The situation in conventional submarines is little better. Besides purchases of the Russian Kilo class, China is still building the "Ming" class.
The latter, believe it or not, is an updated version of the 1950s Soviet "Romeo" class, of which 84 were built in China. "Romeo", in turn, was an enlarged "Whiskey" class boat, itself based on the German Type XXI U-boat of WW2.
A lot depends on the exact nature of the upgrades, but the Ming would clearly be a suicide machine against western nuke boats or modern Japanese diesel-electrics.
A rebel group in India's north-east says it has lost six Volkswagon microbuses mobile bases in Burma during a major offensive begun at the weekend by Burmese troops. The National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Khaplang faction) said about 8,000 Burmese soldiers were involved. The rebel group is one of more than 20 fighting for greater independence or tribal rights in India's north-east. Burma's military ruler, Than Shwe, on a recent trip to Delhi vowed to fight separatists operating from Burma.
Kughalo Mulatonu, a leader of the Khaplang faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN), said pitched battles had been fought in the past few days between fighters of his group and Burmese troops. Mr Mulatonu said his faction had lost six mobile bases in the fighting with three Burmese brigades in Burma's remote western region of Sagaing. Indian military officials said Burmese troops had attacked rebels from Nagaland and Assam with renewed vigour after the first attacks were beaten back at the weekend. Burma is silent on the offensive and details of casualties during the fighting are not available. The attacks coincide with a month-long drive by about 6,000 Indian troops against rebels in the north-eastern Indian state of Manipur. The Indian army says it has overrun several bases of insurgents there although the rebels say all of their important bases are intact. Indian military officials say they are trying to co-ordinate the counter-insurgency offensive with Burmese troops but deny this is a joint operation. "We are on our own but our objectives are the same," said one general in India's eastern army who did not want to be named.
"The fact that it resembles a classic hammer-anvil operation is strictly a coincidence."
Separatist violence covers seven states in north-eastern India. More than 200 ethnic and tribal communities and more than 20 rebel groups are fighting for greater degrees of independence or tribal rights.
Before the British ocupation, India was a loose collection of ethnic groups with different languages ruled by a bunch of princes and warlords. Looks like some of them still long for the past.
Posted by: Steve ||
12/03/2004
8:55:34 AM ||
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German police have detained three men in anti-terror raids linked to a visit by Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi. The three Iraqi suspects were arrested in Berlin, Augsburg and Stuttgart and are being held as suspected members of the militant group Ansar al-Islam. Mr Allawi is meeting Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder - a leading critic of the Iraq war - and is expected to urge Germany to invest more in rebuilding. It is his first visit to the country since taking office six months ago.
The German Federal Prosecutor's office said police raided nine buildings in the three cities on Friday, searching for evidence on the structure of the Ansar al-Islam group and any hints of "concrete terrorist activities". Federal Prosecutor Kay Nehm said further details would only be released after ongoing searches had been completed and evaluated. US officials say Ansar al-Islam is part of the al-Qaeda network. The group is suspected of planning suicide attacks in Iraq and has published letters on its website from militant Abu Musab Zarqawi - said to be behind many attacks against coalition troops and fatal kidnappings. German authorities have said that Ansar al-Islam has about 100 supporters in Germany. Last December a 30-year-old Iraqi was arrested in Munich and is being held on suspicion of organising fund-raising and recruitment for the group. A meeting between Mr Allawi and top business leaders had already been cancelled for security reasons.
Germany has ruled out sending troops to Iraq, but is training Iraqi police and soldiers and has supplied 20 armoured personnel carriers. Mr Allawi is due to fly to Moscow after his talks with Mr Schroeder and the German defence minister. There is speculation that in Moscow a deal may be struck on debt relief, in return for honouring oil contracts awarded to Russian companies by ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
Posted by: Steve ||
12/03/2004
8:52:10 AM ||
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Donald Rumsfeld, America's combative and famously undiplomatic defence secretary, has survived the criticisms over his handling of the Iraq war and will remain in charge of the Pentagon, it emerged yesterday... Cue music.
#1
heh heh - he's not done yet. And he remembers 1979, Tehran
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/03/2004 20:56
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Undiplomatic----veddy veddy good. That is a prerequisite for head of DoD. We need a hard driving SOB that makes things happen. We do not need to fight the WoT sennnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnsitively. Rumsfeld gets results and thinks outside the box. I hope Condi does the same for State. They need a rebuild in the worst way, especially after the Kofi Kompliment yesterday. What asshats!
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
12/03/2004 21:01
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Newsflash: Bush stays at presidency despite criticism.
Posted by: ed ||
12/03/2004 21:08
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Pinch me, I'm dreaming. Bush wins, Rummy stays, CIA screams, Powell leaves. Good times.
#6
This must have gone over really well with the Iranians and the Norks.
Posted by: Matt ||
12/03/2004 23:19
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Between Rice at State and Rumsfeld at Defense, what we have here is a bad cop, bad cop combination. I have to believe GWB is sending a message with his appointments. Things are set to get real interesting in his second term.
#8
What is it here...? timurileng.blogspot.com, hulugu (son of tolui)... Are mongols incarnating right and l... no, not left, left seem to be containers for ovis refuse.
China has warned the EU that it risks damaging bilateral ties unless it lifts a 15-year embargo on selling arms to Beijing. Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui said the ban, imposed after the 1989 crackdown on protesters in Tiananmen Square, was "outdated".
Are the protesters still dead?
Mr Zhang also denied that lifting it would fuel an arms race with Taiwan.
"No, no! Certainly not! Why, we need weapons to oppress all sorts of people!"
The ban is expected to be discussed at a China-EU summit in the Netherlands on 7-9 December. "If the ban is maintained, bilateral relations will definitely be affected," Mr Zhang told reporters. "We think this is a kind of political discrimination." He denied that lifting the ban would affect relations across the Taiwan strait. China claims Taiwan is part of its territory and regularly threatens to use force against the island if it ever seeks formal independence.
They've threatened to use force even if the Taiwanese don't seek independence.
Germany and France have called for the arms ban to be lifted, while the US and some EU countries are in favour of it remaining in place. Washington has threatened to stop the transfer of some sensitive military technology to European countries if it were to be abolished. China pressed for the ban to be lifted at an Asia-Europe Meeting (Asem) in Hanoi in October, but was not successful. It will also be on the agenda of a visit to China by German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder from Monday.
Fifteen years on from Tiananmen Square, when hundreds of unarmed protesters were killed by Chinese troops, there are continuing concerns among the international community about the country's human rights record. But analysts say the row is more about geopolitics and domestic economies than human rights. The US is concerned that arms sold to China by the EU could be used against Taiwan asnd risk sucking the US into a regional conflict. France and Germany, meanwhile, believe China could prove a fertile market for their arms and related industries.
Posted by: Steve ||
12/03/2004
8:45:48 AM ||
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er, you mean they're not already selling them weapons clandestinely? I don't think I'll ever understand the Europeans.
#2
Article: France and Germany, meanwhile, believe China could prove a fertile market for their arms and related industries.
If war breaks out over Taiwan, and the Huns and the Frogs continue supplying China, it should be cool to see whether JDAM's do the same damage on German and French arms factories as they did on Saddam's.
#3
ZF: If war breaks out over Taiwan, and the Huns and the Frogs continue supplying China, it should be cool to see whether JDAM's do the same damage on German and French arms factories as they did on Saddam's.
Come to think of it, it might be wise to withdraw our troops from Europe before contemplating this step. The question also becomes whether the French are willing to lose Paris in order to help Beijing.
#4
All Europe doesn't want to jump into bed with the Chinese, only the French and their poodles. I would love to see us make this something of a wedge issue by dissolving NATO and establishing bi-lateral agreements with our allies and letting folks choose between the Anglosphere and the Sino-Francosphere.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
12/03/2004 11:04
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Agreed. NATO's finished. Serves no purpose if it won't go out of area, and with France in it, it's guaranteed not to be of any real service in the middle east. Replace it with a triad of US-UK-Poland, with second-tier status for Ger-Turk-Italy-Den-Neth-Norw. Maybe add Western Ukraine (South Poland?) when it splits off from Little Russia.
#6
Round eyes be sure to kow-tow real low before emperor. In this case, we should be sure to sell Taiwan several SSBNs, enough so that 1 or 2 are always on station in the eastern Atlantic.
Posted by: ed ||
12/03/2004 21:36
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Editors, I hope you'll be kind and let this go through today and tomorrow .....
Okay football fans -- especially you Army and yes, even you Navy fans out there! I need help!
What with one thing and another, I ended up not finding out the exact time and channel for the pre-game show that will include shots of several Army players. (They followed Will and a few others for two days.) I *think* it will be on CNN.
Could some very kind person post over at this WOC entry when the show comes on and let us know who is broadcasting it? I know this sounds pathetic but .... I'd really appreciate it. Even if I miss out on the actual airing I'd love to hear what they did choose to put on the air.
By the way, quarterback Zak Dahman was my student in the freshman IT/computer science course, too. Go Zak!
President Bush will be at the game. I had a chance at tickets, but couldn't get away to Philadelphia this weekend. Bummer.
Go ARMY! Beat NAVY! (or at least get great pre-game coverage ....)
Posted by: Robin Burk ||
12/03/2004
8:44:10 PM ||
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#1
Looks like it's on Aaron Borwn's show tonight (in a few mintues).
Thanks editors!
Posted by: Robin Burk ||
12/03/2004 22:20
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#2
Good luck to you and your boys, Robin. Navy is having a very good year...
And let me know whenever you are able to get to Philly!
#3
Hmmm. Brown had a short piece and they did show Will speaking, but given how long they filmed at the Point I suspect there will be more during the pre-game period tomorrow. They had half and hour or more last year IIRC .... I'll definitely keep my TV tuned to CNN.
Seafarious -- will do! And I know it's a long shot for Army, but Bobby Ross has done wonders with the team in just this one season so far. By the way, RBers should follow the link re: the Black Lion award - it honors the selflessness and service of Army's legendary player Don Holleder and the men of the 27th Infantry Reg (the Black Lions).
Holleder, an All-American as a junior, agreed to put aside his very likely chance at being named All-American in his senior year in order to play quarterback, where the team needed him most.
Holleder did lead his team to victory over Navy that year, but was killed in Vietnam after graduation ....
Posted by: Robin Burk ||
12/03/2004 23:06
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BTW, I should have written "the first Black Lion award given to an Army player". The award has been given annually since 2001.
Holleder died heroically, by the way. He assumed command of a battalion during an intense battle when the commanding COL was killed and died while personally attempting to rescue wounded soldiers during a major firefight. I'm not sure what sacrifice Will Sullivan made for the Army team, but knowing him, I suspect he did so with grace and a good will, playing where Coach Ross needed him rather than where he would be in the spotlight. A fine young man who will be an excellent soldier and leader.
Posted by: Robin Burk ||
12/03/2004 23:14
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#5
I hate the Army-Navy game. I spent all those years in the Army, but we have the Middies right next door...
Posted by: Fred ||
12/03/2004 23:35
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Got this over at Regime Change Iran.Seemed like a good idea to link to it.I do not have in contacts,but thought somebody here might.Here is a little snippet. ..." It was an exciting time and this young man kept the Free Republic community informed. He would risk his life sending me "on the spot reports" about these demonstrations and clashes, which I posted for him"..."We are asking anyone that has contacts in the administration or the state department to please contact us. We are seeking a way to help him get asylum. He risked his life for us; the least we can do is help him."
Posted by: raptor ||
12/03/2004
8:28:04 AM ||
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#3
call me skeptical, but this sounds like a perfect set up for an Iranian spy to me. How do you know it is him? In a world of double/triple/quadruple cross, this is not a game for amatures.
Story is a repeat from yesterday. Love the comments, but check the prior day before posting.
TEHRAN, Iran, (AP) - Some 200 masked young men and women gathered at a Tehran cemetery Thursday to pledge their willingness to carry out suicide bomb attacks against Americans in Iraq and Israelis. Sounds like a gathering of cockroaches looking for a can of Raid to me.
The ceremony was organized by the Headquarters for Commemorating Martyrs of the Global Islamic Movement, a shadowy group that has since June been seeking volunteers for attacks in Iraq and Israel. And the wild-eyed, Black Hat maniacs of Tehran do NOT....I say again, do NOT have anything to do with this.
A spokesman, Ali Mohammadi, described Thursday's group as the "first suicide commando unit," though another official has claimed members already have carried out attacks in Israel. Tick...tick...tick. The countdown to D-Day in Tehran continues.
"Sooner or later we will bury all blasphemous occupiers of Islamic lands," Mohammadi said. Mohammadi...Are you going in with the first team? Or are you too important, and will stay home to recrutit?
Sunday, Iran's deputy interior minister for security affairs told reporters the movement had no official sanction and said such groups could operate only "as long as their ideas are limited to theory." The group, though, has the backing of some prominent hard-line Iranian politicians. As Billy-boy said, "Deny, deny, deny!
The deputy minister, Ali Asghar Ahmadi, did not say if the government had tried to crack down on the military style training the group claims to offer or whether officials believed any of its volunteers had crossed into Iraq or into Israel. Uh, yeah. Sure. Like Schultz in Hogan's Heros said, "I know nussing. I know nussing!"
Iran has had no diplomatic ties with the United States since the 1979 Islamic revolution ousted the U.S.-backed shah. But it says it has no interest in fomenting instability in Iraq and that it tries to block any infiltration into Iraq by insurgents - while pleading that its porous borders are hard to police. Damn....BS meter just pegged!
Iran portrays Israel as its main nemesis and backs anti-Israeli groups like Lebanon's Hezbollah. It's followed closely by the Kurds, and the Sunnis.
Wives, husbands and children accompanied volunteers to the cemetery, which was decorated with posters denouncing America and Israel. Sounds like a party to me. Was Michael Moore there?
"I joined the unit to fulfill my religious task for Palestine," said a volunteer who gave only his age - 23. Clue time: The paleos are secular you idiot. You apparently want to die for a bunch of islamo-infidels just to kill joooos.
Thursday's ceremony included the unveiling of two-meter (6-foot) stone column commemorating a 1983 attack on U.S. Marine barracks in Lebanon as "the biggest suicide bombing operation against global blasphemy." That, just like the bridge in Falluja, will be revenged you scum sucking, POS. I had an OCS buddy who died in that rubble. Never forgive that. Never forget it.
In the early hours of Oct. 23, 1983, a truck carrying more than 2,000 pounds of explosives sped past a sentry post and exploded in the center of the barracks, killing 241 Marines. Then U.S. President Ronald Reagan ordered U.S. troops to withdraw from Lebanon a few months after the bombing. Reagan's biggest mistake...putting Marines in harms way without proper ROE's.
In 2003 a federal judge blamed Iran for the 1983 terrorist bombing in Beirut and said Tehran would have to pay damages to survivors and relatives. There is a special place in Hell for them.
#1
If I'm put in front of a camera and kept anonymous by a mask, I'm willing to say a lot of dumb s--t I don't believe either--especially if there's money or political advancement (or free cookies--yum!) involved.
Posted by: Dar ||
12/03/2004 9:52
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This would have been an excellent target for that orbital tungsten rod-dropping weapon I read about in Popular Science (or was is Mechanics?) a while back. Imagine, after professing a willingness to give their lives, that their wish to die is suddenly granted.
'Gutham-gutha' in the Senate
Daily Nawa-e-Waqt reported that the Senate was discussing the (uniform) bill when the opposition objected to the manner of presenting it. On this, law minister Wasi Zafar got up to reply but was greeted with shame-shame and lota-lota (corruption) shouts. He lost his temper and said 'main opposition kau muhn par joota marta hun (I fling my shoe on the face of the opposition.) When the lota-lota shouts increased he lunged at the opposition benches and challenged them to fisticuffs, all the time abusing them. The opposition led by PPP's Raza Rabbani and Safdar Abbasi lunged at him. Raza Rabbani and he got each other by the throat and would have done damage had not the others intervened. The house resounded to dirty curses, which were removed from the record by the chairman. He also closed the session.
AQ Khan's vision
Writing in Jang, Hamid Mir said that after AQ Khan was confined to his house he went to see him. AQ Khan said that George Bush would first get Pakistan to catch and hand over Osama bin Laden then destroy Pakistan. The great nuclear scientist insisted that Pakistan would hand Osama to America a few days before the 2004 election. He also insisted that Pakistan had already caught Osama bin Laden and was keeping him for the great moment. When Hamid Mir disagreed and he made bet with him on this.
Osama proves ulema wrong
Columnist Hamid Mir wrote in Jang that by announcing that he had carried out the 9/11 attacks, Osama bin Laden in his cassette on 29 October 2004 had revealed the falsehood of Muslim intellectuals and ulema that the 9/11 acts of terrorism had been committed by the Jews. In the beginning Hamid Mir too thought that the Jews had done it but in November 2001 when he was in Jalalabad he discovered that every Al Qaeda member had the photo of Muhammad Ata (the leader of the hijackers who crashed two airliners into the World Trade Centre buildings) on their lap top computers. After that he became convinced that Osama had done the deed. In fact as the latest cassette revealed Osama had thought of 9/11 in 1982 when the US destroyed Lebanon through Israel.
A necrophilia case
According to Jang in Yazman in South Punjab the daughter of one Tufail, died and was buried. His relative Ulfat along with a friend went to the grave at night and dug it open, but before he could take out the corpse someone came along. The grave was restored. But the culprits dug it up the next day, violated (bayhurmati) the corpse and put it back. After chchitraul (beatings) both only admitted to an attempt at stealing of the shroud.
Posted by: Paul Moloney ||
12/03/2004
5:37:00 AM ||
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#1
Ha! I fling my shoe at your face! Now I am shoeless and you are pissed!
Almost as good as the Taiwan Parliment, but a ways to go to match the US House of Representatives in the early years.
#3
You know, tu touches on a point I like about parliments. In our Congress, there's no heckling. If you watch the C-Span coverage of the Brits, you see it. Does anyone doubt that cries of "Shame! Shame!" or even "Lotta! Lotta!" wouldn't improve our Congress?
#4
Especially when Ted Kennedy gets up to speak in the Senate.
"Drunk! Drunk! Lush! Lush! Liar! Liar! Bad Driver! Chick Drowner! Doggerl Spouter!" are cries echoing throughout the Senate Chambers.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
12/03/2004 12:30
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Does anyone doubt that cries of "Shame! Shame!" or even "Lotta! Lotta!" wouldn't improve our Congress?
Sounds like a couple of Foghorn Leghorn Holling's and Kleagle Byrd's speeches
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/03/2004 13:05
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I say Frank G you make fun of my speechifying, but I tell you my beflowered friend, that there's just way tooooo much consuuuuuming going on out dere! And to answer that question that's locked in your noggin, Friz is like an abu name, like them sand hmmm folks have, my given, Christian name is Jubalation.
Posted by: Fritz H ||
12/03/2004 13:51
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#7
But the culprits dug it up the next day, violated (bayhurmati) the corpse and put it back.
...You know, I'm not sure what bothers me more: the act itself or the fact that it apparently happens often enough that they have a word for it.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
12/03/2004 23:42
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The U.S. military kicked off a buildup of forces in Iraq by 12,000 troops on Friday, with soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division leaving Fort Bragg, North Carolina to boost security for Jan. 30 Iraqi elections... This makes a total of 150,000 soldiers, far more that for any possible need to maintain election security. Far more than needed even for an invasion of Syria and Lebanon. With the arrival of Airborne units, every major modern ground warfare component is assembled: Leg infantry, Airborne infantry, Light Cavalry (Stryker), Heavy Cavalry, Heavy Armor and Support forces. Needless to say, the air and naval components are also fully available.
#3
Anonymoose, I will look for the deployment of carrier battle groups (or whatever they're called nowadays) to the eastern Mediterranean Sea and Indian Ocean to see if we're really gearing up for something. Also, you missed something that is over there -- amphibious assault capability. Take that! And that! Now go forth and sin no more.
Posted by: Tibor ||
12/03/2004 17:38
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#4
Tibor---I was going to say that. Where are the carriers? If I remember Frank saying that the Stennis and the Reagan are still in San Diego, then we will need some carriers from somewhere else.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
12/03/2004 17:41
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#5
Sorry to spoil the fun - i dont think this the invasion of Iran. Weve got some coalition partners getting ready to leave, weve got the Iraqi forces making steady, but still slow progress, and weve got a target rich environment as the rats run for cover from Fallujah. And we've got an election that HAS to be protected, and adversaries who will blow every asset theyve got to stop it. This IS to keep the lid on in Iraq.
#11
I agree with LH and Frank, but think a blockade of Iranian oil shipments is a possibility. That's why carrier battle (ready?) groups are crucial.
Posted by: Tibor ||
12/03/2004 18:20
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#12
You might consider that a lack of carriers might be more significant--the Arabian Gulf is just too easy to nuke, not necessarily with missiles. Instead, I would look for a shift of B-52s--which now carry 51 independently satellite targeted 500 pounders--recent news, solo or small group guided missile cruisers and SLCM-capable subs. As far as ground forces go, I would imagine 1/4 would perform a heavy armored thrust, with 1/2 border defense and 1/4 in reserve. The purpose would be to utterly trash Iran's nuclear production and then leave, probably taking out their air force and any known missile production, too. The Airborne would quickly snatch any isolated facilities, the Armor would engage and destroy any Iranian military that interfered, with Strykers along for light cavalry. Use the same basic concept as Gulf War I, except with a coordinated ground offensive at the same time. The Israelis may or may not play.
#14
This looks to me like we're in the process of creating options.
Maybe this is preparation for using military force against Iran. Maybe it isn't. The important thing is, the Mad Mullahs know it could be. I have a hunch 2005 is going to be one helluva nerve-wracking year.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
12/03/2004 19:25
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#15
Rumsfeld will not bite off more than we can chew. Buildup is to protect the elections - look for a declaration of victory shortly thereafter. If that happens - then Iran should be very afraid. A refit this summer - look for late fall when the temperatures moderate.
#17
JP: to paraphrase Gen Abazaid the other day: "We can chew a hell of a lot." I think the strategy here is not to conquer, just to destroy and leave. No reason to visit major population centers unless they have some facility that cannot be JDAM'ed. The rest of the attack it to stop the Iranian Army and Air Force from doing their thing, if they feel so inclined. The target list is the 350-or-so nuclear sites, less anything that can be destroyed by cruise missiles and JDAMs. Once all of them are reduced, we can retire and dominate the whole border region with artillery and anti-missle batteries. The optimum outcome is that their nuclear program is effectively halted for ten years, plus their scientists are no longer quite so enthusiastic about screwing around with physics.
#18
The American troop build most likely has a duel geostrategic purpose. One being the Iraqi elections of course. The timing of Iraqi election is made to order if one is examining the grand picture in the Persian Gulf region. Having ample troop strength plus air & sea directly on the Iraqi-Iranian border for the inevitable showdown over Tehran's offensive nuclear weapons build up.
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
12/03/2004 20:12
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#19
What's the force capability at that Afghan base on Iran's eastern border? What role would those forces play if we struck Iran?
#20
I would guess the same role as did Napoleon's Army in Italy. It forces the Iranians to commit forces on the chance of a second front. And if they don't...
#21
No reason to visit major population centers unless they have some facility that cannot be JDAM'ed. The rest of the attack it to stop the Iranian Army and Air Force from doing their thing, if they feel so inclined. The target list is the 350-or-so nuclear sites, less anything that can be destroyed by cruise missiles and JDAMs. Once all of them are reduced, we can retire and dominate the whole border region with artillery and anti-missle batteries. The optimum outcome is that their nuclear program is effectively halted for ten years, plus their scientists are no longer quite so enthusiastic about screwing around with physics.
Works for me, Anonymoose. No boots on the ground and effective denial of near-term nuclear capability. Toss in hits on the nuke sites' air raid shelters plus a decap strike or two and I'm one happy camper.
A Chechen national, who was believed to have links to al-Qaeda, was killed and 11 policemen were wounded in an operation against a gang of Chechen militants in Killi Paind Khan, in the outskirts of the provincial capital, on Wednesday morning. Meanwhile, a Chechen suspect told investigators that there were about 800 to 900 foreign nationals who had taken shelter in Wana.
Police officials said they had "successfully" completed the operation against the Chechen militants, which was launched late on tuesday night and continued till 7am on Wednesday. Police recovered a weapon and explosive devices from the hide-out of the militants.
Still waiting for them to come up with 900 dead Chechens, though. Hopefully, that's part of their definition of "success."
The officials said police and other law-enforcement agencies raided a house in Killi Paind Khan on the information gleaned from Abdul Ghaffar, another Chechen national arrested after a failed dacoity attempt on Monday last at Shara-e-Iqbal, Quetta.
"Yer money or yer life!"
"Break his elbow, Big Mahmoud."
"Owwwww!"
During the raid on Wednesday, the militants had not only opened fire on police teams with an automatic weapon but also hurled two hand grenades, injuring 11 policemen. As the police retaliated, [a bad guy] identified as Habibur Rehman, sustained multiple bullets wounds to his neck and shoulder and died on the spot.
"Ooooh! Habibur! That hadda hurt! Briefly."
During the operation, the law-enforcement agencies evacuated the houses in the neighbourhood of the hide-out to ensure safety of the residents. Inspector-General Police, Balochistan, Chaudhry Muhammad Yaqoob, flanked by Nazim City government Muhammad Rahim Kakar, said it had also been learnt during investigations that funds for the militants came from a foreign country.
Samoans again?
Yaqoob said Abdul Ghaffar had disclosed to investigators that a few years ago, he had come to Afghanistan from Chechnya, where he stayed for some time in Kabul and Kandahar and from there he proceeded to Wana area of South Waziristan. "There are about 800 to 900 foreign nationals who have taken shelter in Wana and they are regularly paid," Abdul Ghaffar told the investigators.
But they're not dead, right? So maybe the operation's not done yet?
Abdul Ghaffar disclosed during investigation that two of his accomplices had come to Quetta on Saturday via Bannu in a passenger coach on a "special task", while he and another militants rushed to Quetta on Monday, said Yaqoob. When the militants tried to rob a money changer's shop at Share-e Iqbal, Abdul Ghaffar was arrested and he disclosed the whereabouts of his other accomplices. The police recovered a TT pistol, two magazines, two self-activated bombs, weighing about 2.5 kgs with a time device, one hand grenade, one mobile phone set, and cash. Further investigations are under way, the IG police said.
Abdul Ghaffar's not real good at being a terrorist, is he?
Replying to a question about the other accomplices, Yaqoob said police and other law-enforcement agencies were making all possible efforts to trace Abdul Ghaffar's accomplices. The provincial police chief said police were hunting two Chechen accomplices who had left the house before the raid. All four were al-Qaeda-linked militants who had fled the tribal region of South Waziristan, 400 kilometres north-east of Quetta.
What about the other 896?
The Chechens' presence in Quetta is seen as a sign that foreign militants were moving out of Waziristan because of pressure from an ongoing military operation in the region.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
12/03/2004
4:48:33 AM ||
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Young Muslims from Europe are going to Iraq to train with insurgents, the European Union's top terrorism official said on Thursday. The trend is worrying counter-terrorism officials, both because of the potential for increased violence in Iraq, and because they fear militants who gain experience there will return to pose a threat in Europe. "There are cases of young Muslims from Western Europe going to Iraq to receive military training and that is an unfortunate and negative trend," Gijs de Vries, EU counter-terrorism coordinator, told Reuters in an interview.
Unfortunate for them, perhaps. These aren't the Afghanistan training camps of the 90's. In Iraq today, they'll get handed a AK and thrown to the Marines.
Have you considered killing them when they get back, if they miss the Marines? Maybe you could shoot them a few times on Amsterdam streets and then try to cut their pointy little heads off. And don't forget to leave a note.
"It is one of the reasons why it is very important to help Iraq stabilise so that peace can return and these (training) camps can be dismantled," the Dutch politician added. De Vries said a mix of motives ranging from "the belief that this is what religion wants from you to a sheer sense of seeking adventure" was driving young Muslims from Europe to go to Iraq.
"See Iraq, and die."
Security sources say fighters have travelled to Iraq from a number of European countries to join the insurgency against US and other foreign troops backing the new interim government. De Vries condemned what he called a "cycle of revenge attacks" in his home country and stressed the need for dialogue.
Why? You still have the bastards outnumbered...
"What is critically important is a dialogue between the people of across religious divides. There is no war between Christianity and Islam. That is what Mr [Osama] Bin Laden is trying to make people believe," he said.
There is a war between Islam and Christianity. Bin Laden declared it, and the turbans are flocking to his banner.
"The real clash is within Islam between murderous radicals, who misrepresent Islam, and the broad majority of people in Islam who do not want this kind of violence," de Vries added.
... piously. If they're fighting a war among themselves, why're we getting bumped off? What am I missing here?
He said the threat to Europe had not disappeared even though Qaeda, [after its] attacks on US cities, had been dealt a significant blow. "It is unfortunately inspiring individuals and groups elsewhere in the world to act according to what they think is Al Qaeda's message, so the threat, I am afraid, has not disappeared," he said.
That's what I just said, rephrased in Newspeak.
"What we must do now is act on the commitments ministers have taken to crack down on financing, to protect our passports against fraud, to exchange information and, for example, to improve our defences against biological, chemical, radiological or nuclear weapons being used," he said.
"And kill them when they go for a gun."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
12/03/2004
4:45:49 AM ||
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#1
Don't forget to specify next-of-kin on the insurance forms. Oh, and spring for the funeral expense coverage--you'll need it.
Posted by: Dar ||
12/03/2004 9:38
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#2
With all the advancements in health and longevity, Darwin still finds a way to cull the gene-pool of it's refuse.
#4
Oh Jahadists, go see Iraq, your Roach Motel. Oh, and praise be to HaHalah.
Posted by: Capt America ||
12/03/2004 12:29
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#5
Bin Laden declared it, and the turbans are flocking to his banner.
Yup, and theres a war between the US, and, uhm, Belarus. I just declared it, and, uhm, that guy with the funny hat over there is flocking to my banner. OBL is the son of a Saudi construction baron, and his right hand is a egyptian doctor, who would have died in obscurity if he hadnt offed Sadat. How do these guys get to speak for Islam? Same way Vinny on the block gets to speak for Roman Catholicism (now vinny has his followers too, doncha know) Which isnt to say that Islam dont have a PROBLEM, like a significant minority who really do follow nutjobs like these, and a much larger number who like to wear their t shirts to piss us off, and the remaining moderates, who are too wussy to speak out against the nutjobs. But no, the West isnt at war with Islam, despite the nutjobs.
#6
Yup, and theres a war between the US, and, uhm, Belarus. I just declared it,
And as soon as you knock down a trade center, blow a hole in the pentagon, blow a hole in an aircraft carrier and get funding to train tens of thousands of soldiers, we just might listen to you, LH.
I agree that most Moslems people want to live in peace. But then that could be said about the people in any war. Call them Moslem nutjobs if it makes you happy. But we are at war with Islamists.
Some suicide bombers who battled U.S. troops in Fallujah were doped up on heroin and speed, the Pentagon's top general said yesterday. Air Force Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and his aides said the suicidal jihadists used the drugs for courage or to motivate them into martyrdom.
"Here, Mahmoud! Try some of this Drano!"
"That's gonna fud me up, man!"
"What the hell? An hour from now you're gonna be flying meat!
"Uhhh... Yeah. That's right. Okay. An' lemme try some o' that other stuff, too!"
"Ahmed! Bring some muriatic acid for our friend's trip!"
Myers said some of the suiciders in Fallujah "are foreign fighters, but not exclusively."
"Like, where you from, man?"
"I'm not sure no more, man! Got any more o' that Drano? That is wicked stuff!"
But when asked to account for the fanaticism of some of the fighters, Myers said, "The other thing you need to understand is...the number of drugs found there as well." A top Pentagon source told the Daily News there were "numerous reports" out of the battle of U.S. soldiers stumbling onto small amounts of drugs and paraphernalia in insurgent safehouses around Fallujah.
"Kevin! Watch out! Don't step on that... Oh, hell. One o' you guys climb up and get him down."
"They found heroin and speed," said the senior military official. "They're using it to bolster their courage and get up the nerve and make them braver in the face of what they're getting ready to do."
"Yershhh! [Hic!] More Drano!"
"Don't give him no more, Mustafa! His hair's starting to dissolve!"
Asked if young Iraqis were convinced to blow themselves to bits after getting stoned or wired by insurgents, the official replied, "That is the reporting we're seeing."
"'Course, usually the bits of 'em we see are traveling by too fast to ask..."
Myers derided those who "spur on these young people to commit jihad, who were some of the first ones out of Fallujah" and "cheering from a very safe haven." Drugs and alcohol are forbidden by Islam.
Oh, do tell.
The Pentagon also acknowledged yesterday that the price of taking Fallujah was higher than previously reported, as the death toll for Americans in the city was raised from 51 to 71. Fighting continues in the ruined city, as insurgents who stayed behind or have slipped back into Fallujah are attacking U.S. troops trying to rebuild the city.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
12/03/2004
4:42:41 AM ||
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#1
The Pentagon also acknowledged yesterday that the price of taking Fallujah was higher than previously reported, as the death toll for Americans in the city was raised from 51 to 71
Don't ya love the way they try to make it sound like a cover-up or conspiracy? No doubt this is because some of them are first wounded, taken to a hospital and sadly, don't make it.
MSM reporters: Ignorant or on the other side. Take your pick.
#2
Fighting continues in the ruined city, as insurgents who stayed behind or have slipped back into Fallujah are attacking U.S. troops trying to rebuild the city.
Not a problem. When insurgents are found, kill them.
Don't you also love the way the reporting whips from "This is going to be the next Stalingrad!" to "What? Why so many casualties? You didn't tell us people were going to get killed!"
#4
These Jahadies are gonna get bitch slapped by Allah if they show up DUI (dying under the influence).
Posted by: Capt America ||
12/03/2004 12:42
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#5
The attack on Fallujah was done with great planning, speed, and execution. Now the mop-up will take time. Take a look at the sat images and see the sheer quantity of buildings. But just another job for the systematic US Marines and Army troop. Hats of to you and the tremendous job you have done eliminating this rat's nest.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
12/03/2004 13:04
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#6
Some suicide bombers who battled U.S. troops in Fallujah were doped up on heroin and speed
Sorta gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "blow your mind," don't it?
Posted by: Mike ||
12/03/2004 13:31
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Insurgents launched two major attacks Friday against police stations in different areas of Baghdad, killing 20 people, including six police officers. One of the attacks was a car bomb, police said. The attacks occurred in the western Amil district and in the Sunni Muslim stronghold of Azamiyah, where police said a car bomb exploded during a clash between Iraqi government security forces and armed rebels around the police station. Fourteen people were killed and 19 others injured in the Azamiyah blast, according to the Numan hospital. Azamiyah was a major center of support for Saddam Hussein.
Earlier, gunmen stormed a police station in Amil near the road to Baghdad International Airport, killing six police officers, looting weapons and torching two cars, officials said. Thick black smoke rose from the burning vehicles after the attack in the western Amil district as government forces sealed off the area. Police Capt. Mohammed al-Jumeili said the insurgents shelled the station with mortars, and then about 15 of them stormed its main courtyard and clashed with police inside. Several officers were wounded, he said. Detainees being held at the station were also hurt, al-Jumeili said. There was no word on the insurgents' casualties.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
12/03/2004
4:40:42 AM ||
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After spending much of the year as a battlefield between militiamen and U.S. forces, Baghdad's Sadr City district is now embracing peace and reconstruction. Anticipation is high for what the residents of the mainly Shiite district say is their overdue empowerment through elections Jan. 30. The outdoor markets are busy again and the gridlocked traffic is back. The bands of excited children who walked behind local militiamen heading to battle in the fall now clamor around machinery laying down new water pipes. Workers in orange jumpsuits are laying asphalt in dozens of potholes dug by the fighters to conceal roadside bombs meant to kill American soldiers. The clerics who replaced their turbans and robes with track suits to join the fight are back in mosques and seminaries.
... busily raising up the next generation of cannon fodder...
The daily lives of Sadr City's estimated 2.5 million people have not seen much improvement in the two months since fighting ended. But the large Baghdad neighborhood appears on such a euphoric high that the mounds of festering garbage, the constant seepage of sewage and shortage of clean water seem to matter little. In marked contrast to the skeptical Sunni Arab community, Sadr City's population is looking forward to the January ballot. Banners and posters exhort residents to vote, and booklets explaining the process are distributed house-to-house. Even the sight of U.S. military convoys darting through the district no longer draw resentful looks. Militiamen of the Imam al-Mahdi Army, who two months ago directed their mortars and rocket propelled grenades at American bases and Humvees, now protect the engineers and laborers working on U.S. military-funded projects. Some of them also have found jobs sweeping streets and fixing the potholes they themselves once dug. But despite the peace dividends, some ambivalence remains in Sadr City about the government of Prime Minister Ayad Allawi — as well as the Americans.
"Iraq is for sale: contact Ayad Allawi for details," fresh graffiti declares.
"The Americans came to Iraq to wipe it off the map," a woman speaker told a gathering Thursday of tribal sheiks and professionals to discuss the reconstruction of Sadr City.
Sheik Kareem al-Bakhatti, a senior tribal leader from the area who led the negotiations that ended the fighting in October, said authorities reneged on a promise to free supporters of radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr arrested in connection with the fighting. He also complained that large-scale development projects promised by the Americans during weeks of negotiations have yet to get off the ground. "Some projects started, but they are small and only a few," al-Bakhatti said. Nothing is being done to improve the area's environment either, he said. But overall, sentiments against the U.S. presence in Iraq and Allawi's government seem to be well in check while everyone's attention is focused on the election, which Shiites in Sadr City and elsewhere expect to ensure their deliverance from centuries of persecution in Iraq.
Some of the rural customs of Sadr City's inhabitants persist. It is not uncommon to see herds of sheep roaming the streets, for example. The conservative character of southern Iraq also is in evidence. Women are rarely seen in public without covering their hair. Being home to the single largest concentration of Iraq's Shiites — a majority that had been oppressed by the Sunni Arab minority for decades — Sadr City was a thorn in the side of the regime of Saddam Hussein, himself a Sunni. His feared security agencies closely watched the area for any sign of dissent. Detaining clerics, restricting the Shiites' freedom of worship and security house sweeps were not uncommon during his 23-year rule. "We have been marginalized for 14 centuries," a speaker told Thursday's reconstruction gathering, which brought together some 200 tribal sheiks and professionals from Sadr City. The speaker, Abul-Qasim al-Saadi, an aide to interim Vice President Ibrahim al-Jaafari, was alluding to the birth of Shiism in the 7th century and the persecution of its followers by the Sunni rulers of a then-young Islamic empire. "We have been third-class citizens for too long. We must now abandon the notion that we are weak," he said.
Political and economic empowerment could well be in store for Iraq's Shiites, but dreams of better days are, for the time being, taking a back seat for many in Sadr City who face a daily struggle to cope with erratic services and find basic supplies. The seven-member family of Murtada Farag, a retired tennis coach with a monthly pension of less than $100, is an example of both the economic hardships of life in Sadr City and the confusion felt by many over issues such as the U.S. presence, the government and al-Sadr's militia. Farag pays $40 in rent for the two-room house they live in. Already, two of his children quit school to help the family. "Elections are a good thing and they will bring a better government. Things will improve," said Seif, the family's youngest child, as everyone laughed over his confident tone.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
12/03/2004
4:39:37 AM ||
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#1
America - what other nation on earth could have made this happen. In some ways, I'm almost glad that we will get no thanks or praise for our efforts, that were achieved by blood. Instead, this is story, of biblical proportions, is just page A20 news. All the way from the grunts to the commanders in chief, they will get no thanks for a battle, of the likes that the world has never seen in terms of human compassion, patience, skill and wit. And I think that is good. Good because praise leads to pride and pride leads to arrogance and arrogance causes a fall. We came we conquered and we gave the people back the power. Just like GW did in our revolution, GW does today. It's a rare occurrence in mankind's history folks. Enjoy the moment.
#3
I am sometimes a little (?) dismissive of Europe in my comments here and elsewhere. Usually this is in response to someone who, speaking on BEHALF of Europe, has made some outrageous claim.
I'm only speaking on behalf of myself (though I think at least 61 million Americans share my sentitments)when I offer a heartfelt
"Thank you!", to
- the United Kingdom
- Portugal
- Norway
- Denmark
- Netherlands
- Italy
- Estonia
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Poland
- Czech Republic
- Slovakia
- Hungary
- Albania
- Macedonia
- Romania
- and Bulgaria
for supporting our efforts to eliminate the menace of Saddam, and offer the Iraqi people a chance of freedom!
And that's just Europe! Australia remains (in a tie with England) our stanuchest ally. And there are others who have provided support, but do not have personnel in Iraq at this time.
This "Thank You!" is sincere, and includes a reminder to those of you speaking on behalf of Europe that there are SOME Europeans who do not agree with you!!
The U.S., in a leadership role but with real support from REAL allies, freed both Afghanistan and Iraq. It IS a proud moment for the us, and a historic one for the world. Our President did the right things...and enough of us recognized it to re-elect him. Thank God.
I had a very hard time believing that this was not a hoax, but it checks out: The paper is legitimate and ran this on their front page, Sean Salai is a real reporter, the moonbat therapist Sheila Cooperman is a genuine psy-quack with an extensive public record, and AHA Director Gordon is discussing this on the Hannity show this afternoon (4PM EST). Florida Kerry supporters meet for group therapy
by Sean Salai
Twenty John Kerry supporters met for their first group therapy session in South Florida Thursday, screaming epithets at President Bush as they shared their emotions with licensed mental health counselors. The first of several free noontime therapy sessions at the American Health Association in Boca Raton was designed to treat what mental health counselors have dubbed Post Election Selection Trauma (PEST).
So what're they doing different?
"If I had a cardboard cutout of President Bush, and these people wanted to throw darts at it, I would let them do it," Robert J. Gordon, AHA executive director, told the Boca News after the session. "It's no joke. People with PEST were traumatized by the election. If you even mention religion, their faces turn blister-red as they shout at Bush."
Sean Hannity had one of those licensed psychologists on this afternoon as I was driving home from work. I switched stations. I don't have time for that silliness.
Although the meeting was closed to the press, AHA therapists obtained permission from participants to provide an anonymous transcript to the Boca Raton News.
"I'm scared," said one man. "Democracy is at stake and nobody is rising to protest this president."
"I want to be a patriot, but it's impossible to be a patriot in an immoral war," said another participant, a woman. "Bush is breaking up marriages and dividing families by keeping our troops in Iraq."
Gordon said the participants also granted reluctant permission to open up next Thursday's meeting to the general press.
Can I get a press pass? I've got some fruit that's been in the fridge too long.
Reporters will be forbidden from taking photographs or using the real names of patients. "The media outlets, especially Rush Limbaugh and his ilk on talk radio, scare our patients to death," said Gordon, facilitator for the meetings. "More than anything else, people with PEST tremble physically." Limbaugh scares this mostly Jewish crowd? How do they feel about, say, Zarqawi?
Gordon said the Kerry supporters in therapy are predominantly Jewish and older than 50. Most are registered independents and all live in Palm Beach County. "We mostly let them vent during the first session," Gordon said. "By the third session, we'll be doing some meditation exercises to aid some of their symptoms. We may use visualization and some techniques designed for bipolar disease and other mental disorders. That might help them adjust to reality." So might a swift kick in the arse.
According to AHA officials, symptoms of PEST are similar to post-traumatic stress disorder. They include nightmares, sleeplessness, hostility, listlessness, and emotional outbursts including threats to leave the country. "There's an overall sense of emotional helplessness and abandonment," said Sheila Cooperman, a licensed AHA psychotherapist from Delray Beach. "In psychology, we call it 'learned helplessness.' After you zap a caged dog twice, he stops moving because he knows there is no place to go. That's what happened with these Kerry voters. They've been zapped so many times that they're on the verge of giving up on politics." Just how many caged dogs has this evil moonbat zapped anyway?
Cooperman, also a practicing psychic, added, "One person today said he thinks the country is now run by fascists. The MSM?
Since he's psychic, he prob'ly knew that before the guy walked in.
Another felt personally threatened by the president's love for big business. Many believe Bush is going to draft their grandchildren. Can't tell the difference between Charlie Rangel and Dubya? Racists!
Charlie's the fat one...
The anxiety may not affect them every day, but it affects their energy level." An additional 30 people are signed up for two other AHA election support groups, which will meet for the remainder of the year and possibly beyond. Gordon said his patients' emotional problems typically started with the "hanging chad" debacle of 2000. "First, they need to realize they're not going to overturn the 2004 election," Gordon said. "They have to live with it. The problem is they have no faith because they think the religious right has hijacked the political system. We try to tell them there is still an election in 2008. You can't just give up and be apathetic." Sure you can, you'll feel much better.
I'm feeling very apathetic about this whole thing...
The AHA, using a holistic approach to health that has been mocked as new age voodoo by some national talk show hosts, has stressed to patients that their post-election emotions are normal and deserve to be taken seriously. Actually, it's the traditional Afro-Caribbean practice of Voodoo that is demeaned by this comparison.
"These people talk about the 2000 election being stolen," Gordon said. "They talk about Theresa LePore and the Ohio recount. They feel it's the 'Right House,' not the White House. They feel the world is not safe with George W. Bush as president. They spewed out a lot of anger. They are angry at the Democratic Party for being aimless and leaderless. A broken clock....
They have a right to these feelings." The Boca Raton News first reported on Nov. 9 that depressed Florida Kerry supporters were seeking trauma therapy in the wake of the Nov. 2 presidential election. One Boca psychologist alone, Douglas Schooler, eventually treated 20 Kerry voters with intense hypnotherapy for a sliding fee. The trauma specialist, whose bills were covered by clients' insurance companies, was later accused by some colleagues of unethically "cashing in" on the misery of Kerry voters. In interviews with the Boca News, Schooler said many of the Kerry supporters had visited him for severe mental problems prior to the election.
Y'mean they were nuts before they walked into the voting booth? Where's the story in all this?
Unlike Schooler, the AHA is a registered Florida non-profit and its therapists do not charge for sessions. Conservative talk show hosts Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh recently offered their own "free therapy," irking the AHA counselors.
#1
"Gordon said the Kerry supporters in therapy are predominantly Jewish and
older than 50."
It's the Boca UJA!
If it was some other group, I would be surprised. But I imagine these people get together regularly just to complain about something. The Weather, the Stock Market, In-laws, etc... This week happens to be the Post Election bitching week. Next week it will be the loneliness they feel during the holiday season.
#2
There is a nascent trend among the global LLL to have opposing positions declared a menace to public health. Laughable though it is now, this PEST epidemic would seem to be part of that trend.
Another example would be the bogus Lancet study that sought to characterize US policy as a public health hazard.
This new strategy follows the partial failure of an earlier LLL campaign, the attempt to criminalize opposition expression as "hate speech."
The new age quack industry, so-called non-traditional or alternate health care, would seem to be a fertile field for LLL recruitment and activism, supplying a large and pre-mobilized body of adherents who are characteristically fantasy prone and naturally disposed toward conspiracy theories.
Iran may be hiding equipment from the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency, foiling efforts to police a freeze of all programs that Tehran could use to make nuclear weapons, diplomats said Thursday.
"Quick, Ethel! My pills!"
The diplomats told The Associated Press that Iran has yet to respond to a request by the International Atomic Energy Agency - the U.N. nuclear watchdog - for a full list of the components used at the suspected military site of Lavizan-Shian after handing over a partial inventory in October. The incomplete inventories are particularly worrying because they reflect purchases by Iran's Physics Research Center, an organization run by the military, they said. Iran has insisted its nuclear program is strictly for peaceful purposes, and the agency has said it has found no direct evidence to challenge that statement. A linked issue is concern that nuclear equipment that has disappeared from that complex might be now at a nearby site, said the diplomats, who are accredited to the agency and spoke on condition of anonymity. Additionally, Tehran has ignored a months-old request to grant IAEA inspectors access to Parchin, a military testing ground linked to possible experiments with high explosives that can be used with nuclear weapons, the diplomats said.
"No-o-o-o-o! The big orange ones!"
Some diplomats familiar with Iran's nuclear dossier suggested the focus on the enrichment freeze allowed Tehran to deflect attention from the inventory list, the missing equipment, and the denial of access. The IAEA has not found any firm evidence to challenge Iranian assertions that its military is not involved nuclear activities. But an IAEA report in October says Iran's military Physics Research Center only partially responded that month to agency requests "for information concerning efforts ... to acquire dual use materials and equipment that could be useful in uranium enrichment and conversion."
The report said the IAEA continues to await "additional information and clarifications from Iran regarding this matter," and a diplomat said that request remained unfulfilled as of Thursday. The report expresses linked concern about published intelligence and media reports "relating to dual use equipment and materials which have applications ... in the nuclear military area." Diplomats said that phrasing alluded to Parchin, a military site 20 miles southeast of Tehran. U.S. intelligence suspects Parchin is being used to test high explosives, possibly for use with nuclear weapons. Iran has not responded to a months-old IAEA request for access. The agency can demand to inspect only if it has strong suspicions of direct nuclear activity. That is not the case at Parchin - high explosives do not normally fall under the agency's purview. Similarly the agency is waiting for a full inventory of dual-use components that can be used for nuclear programs from the military-operated Physics Research Center, formerly located at Lavizan-Shian.
A Western diplomat familiar with Iran's file said the partial list available includes equipment meant to eliminate power surges that help centrifuges run smoothly, adding that most of the other components also could be used for enrichment. The U.S. State Department earlier this year said Lavizan-Shian's buildings had been completely dismantled and that top soil had been removed from the site in attempts to hide nuclear-weapons related experiments. The October IAEA report notes Iran failed to produce for IAEA inspection a trailer that apparently contained nuclear equipment at Lavizan-Shian.
"It's a double-wide, we use it for visiting terrorists scientists."
Iranian opposition groups assert nuclear components at that site were moved to a nearby complex, where they say clandestine enrichment is continuing.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
12/03/2004
4:08:00 PM ||
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#1
Ain't that the berries? Just when the EU-3/IAEA gang are clicking glasses, the crapola hits the fan once more.
Riddle: When is an agreement with the Iranian Regime a good agreement? Answer: When it includes the coordinates.
Posted by: Capt America ||
12/03/2004 1:54
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#2
THe EU Dwarves/Iran "negotiations" are a sideshow. They're on the same side of the table. The real goal here is of course to contain the warmongering US hegemon.
Which also explains Jack Straw's arse-kissing for Kofi the other day. Remember, it's not about collective security or containing rogue states or promoting democracy or justice or peace. It's about containing the US.
Twenty John Kerry supporters met for their first group therapy session in South Florida Thursday, screaming epithets at President Bush as they shared their emotions with licensed mental health counselors. The first of several free noontime therapy sessions at the American Health Association in Boca Raton was designed to treat what mental health counselors have dubbed Post Election Selection Trauma (PEST).
"If I had a cardboard cutout of President Bush, and these people wanted to throw darts at it, I would let them do it," Robert J. Gordon, AHA executive director, told the Boca News after the session. This guy is a mental health professional???
"It's no joke. People with PEST were traumatized by the election. If you even mention religion, their faces turn blister-red as they shout at Bush." Although the meeting was closed to the press, AHA therapists obtained permission from participants to provide an anonymous transcript to the Boca Raton News.
Gordon said the participants also granted reluctant permission to open up next Thursday's meeting to the general press. Reporters will be forbidden from taking photographs or using the real names of patients.
"The media outlets, especially Rush Limbaugh and his ilk on talk radio, scare our patients to death," said Gordon, facilitator for the meetings. Three words: GET A LIFE.
"More than anything else, people with PEST tremble physically."
Gordon said the Kerry supporters in therapy are predominantly Jewish and older than 50. Most are registered independents and all live in Palm Beach County. You know fark.com has a special 'Florida' tag for stories like this. Perhaps its something in the water?
"We mostly let them vent during the first session, and take the money" Gordon said. "By the third session, we'll be doing some meditation exercises to aid some of their symptoms. We may use visualization and some techniques designed for bipolar disease and other mental disorders. That might help them adjust to reality."
According to AHA officials, symptoms of PEST are similar to post-traumatic stress disorder. They include nightmares, sleeplessness, hostility, listlessness, and emotional outbursts including threats to leave the country. I have better treatment (probably less costly too). Give them a 1 way ticket to the workers paridise North Korea or that stanction of freedom and tolorence Iran....
They've been zapped so many times that they're on the verge of giving up on politics." Cooperman, also a practicing psychic, added, "One person today said he thinks the country is now run by fascists.
The AHA, using a holistic approach to health that has been mocked as new age voodoo by some national talk show hosts, has stressed to patients that their post-election emotions are normal and deserve to be taken seriously.
"These people talk about the 2000 election being stolen," Gordon said. "They talk about Theresa LePore and the Ohio recount. They feel it's the 'Right House,' not the White House. They feel the world is not safe with George W. Bush as president. They spewed out a lot of anger. They are angry at the Democratic Party for being aimless and leaderless. They have a right to these feelings." Bullshit. Here is the cure and I won't even charge you for it: Slap them across the face a couple of times, tell them to get a farking life and deliver a good swift hard kick to the ass to send them out the door.
The Boca Raton News first reported on Nov. 9 that depressed Florida Kerry supporters were seeking trauma therapy in the wake of the Nov. 2 presidential election. One Boca psychologist alone, Douglas Schooler, eventually treated 20 Kerry voters with intense hypnotherapy — for a sliding fee. The trauma specialist, whose bills were covered by clients' insurance companies, Thats right folks -- *you* paid for it via your insurance premiums!
was later accused by some colleagues of unethically "cashing in" on the misery of Kerry voters.
In interviews with the Boca News, Schooler said many of the Kerry supporters had visited him for severe mental problems prior to the election. I wonder how much of their Election problems were 'suggested' by their therapists....
Unlike Schooler, the AHA is a registered Florida non-profit and its therapists do not charge for sessions. Conservative talk show hosts Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh recently offered their own "free therapy," irking the AHA counselors.
Sean Salai can be reached at ssalai@bocanews.com or 561-893-6427.
Kum Bay Ya, Ma Lord............Kum Bay Ya.....
Kum Bay Ya Ma Lord........Kum Bay Ya........
Kum Bay Ya Ma Lord..........Kum Bay Ya........
Oh Lord........Kum Bay Ya.........
And
We shall overcome
We shall overcome
We shall overcome some day
Oh deep in my heart
I do believe
We shall overcome some day
#3
C'mon down, my fellow mental health professionals! We're raking it in by the friggin' truckload down here! They'll do anything we tell 'em! A goddam laugh riot!
Posted by: Licensed Mental Health Professional ||
12/03/2004 16:43
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#4
Maybe the time would be better spent learning how to properly fill out a butterfly ballot.
An Indonesian militant jailed for the Jakarta Marriott hotel bombing has told the trial of Abu Bakar Bashir that the alleged Jemaah Islamiah (JI) leader played no role in the attack. Bashir is facing terrorism charges, and criminal charges relating to the 2002 Bali bombing. "Only five of us had knowledge of plans to bomb the Marriott," Ismail told the South Jakarta court. He told the court the five who knew were himself; two fugitive Malaysians, Noordin Mohammad Top and Azahari Husin; the suicide bomber, Asmar Latin Sani, and a man named Tohir.
How convenient. And of course we all believe him.
Ismail said Noordin, who along with Azahari is also wanted for the 2002 Bali bombings, picked the US-run hotel because it was "the easiest" target. Twelve people were killed in the bombing in August 2003. Ismail is serving a 12-year jail term for the hotel attack. Ismail said he met Bashir in 1996 in Malaysia but never saw the cleric giving inflammatory speeches calling for attacks on "Muslim enemies."
"He kept babbling on and on 'bout how the 'lion would lie down with the lamb'. We all thought he was crazy."
Tohir, who was jailed for 10 years for the hotel bombing, told the court Noordin was the mastermind of the Marriott attack and Bashir had never given the order or funds.
The one lies and the other backs him up.
The testimony was an apparent blow to part of the prosecution case against Bashir. The cleric is accused of inciting followers to carry out the October 2002 Bali nightclub bombings, and of plotting the Marriott attack while he was in custody. If found guilty he could face a death sentence. Prosecutors also say that Bashir, as JI chief, visited a rebel military training camp in April 2000 and relayed a "ruling from Osama bin Laden which permitted attacks and killings of Americans and their allies." But another witness, self-confessed JI member Yudi Lukito, said Bashir gave a speech calling for Islamic brotherhood at a ceremony held by JI in 2000.
Islamic brotherhood? That does it; guilty as charged.
The ceremony was held at Camp Abu Bakar, which was run by the Phillipine rebel group Moro Islamic Liberation Front on Mindanao island. "All Muslims are brothers so we have to help each other so as to kill more infidels!," Lukito, 30, quoted Bashir as saying at the ceremony. Bashir, 66, denied he made a trip to the Philippines in 2000. "In 2000 I was in Indonesia and I didn't go anywhere," he told the court.
Posted by: God Save The World ||
12/03/2004
3:46:28 PM ||
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#1
A couple of real fime character witnesses, there.
"Ya, chure, Mugsy dere wuz da brains o' de outfit! His Holiness didn't do nuttin! Nuttin, I tells yez!"
When George W. Bush won the state of Ohio, thus securing the Presidency for another term, my reaction was subdued. I didn't punch the air. I didn't scan the room for comrades to high-five. No, no, no. My support of America's bumbling incumbent was passive; it was "anyone but Kerry," steel tariffs and runaway budgets be damned. Bush won and I, an increasingly reluctant fellow-traveler of the Republican Party, was nonplussed. Bush won and I might be the only person in Scandinavia that was even moderately pleased.
Well, me and Per Ahlmark.
As unenthused as I was, Election Day in Sweden certainly was entertaining. Rewind to early morning, November 3, Stockholm time: Much to the chagrin of Europe's punditry, it was becoming increasingly clear that, regardless of the 10,000 lawyers waiting to file "they stole it again" injunctions, George Bush was going to win this one. To help dejected Swedes cope with the news, TV4 summoned bleary-eyed Ung VÀnster commissar Tove Fraurud to the studio at 5AM, where she would expound on Dubya the War Criminal and the gun-toting, bible-thumping rubes that voted for him.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: tipper ||
12/03/2004
3:28:06 AM ||
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#1
Europe doesn't have enough loathing to get the smile off my face.
Posted by: Matt ||
12/03/2004 13:44
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one can only hope that their loathing has become so over the top that they might finally get a clue. But the Muslims have been hating the Jews like this for centuries, so I'm not optimistic.
EFL.I have my doubts if this will work...
Hundreds of Thai school children and air force recruits have loaded an estimated 100 million origami birds onto military transport planes in preparation for a "peace bombing" of the violent Muslim south of the country. Look! Little paper birds, Achmed! They're soooo cute! I'm throwing my AK in the river!
The little pieces of folded paper, to be dropped from the air on Sunday to mark the birthday of Thailand's revered king, Bhumibol Adulyadej, are meant to sow peace, harmony and goodwill in the three southernmost provinces, where an 11-month insurgency has claimed nearly 500 lives. Yeah. Good luck with that.
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, whose government has struggled to get to the root of the violence, has defended his paper-bird scheme against opponents who say the government is just dumping 48 plane-loads of rubbish. Point: Opponents.
Some people in the mainly Muslim deep south, which has a century-long history of ethnic and religious hostility towards the largely Buddhist administration in Bangkok, question the symbolism behind the gesture. Jeez, I wonder why that might be?
In 1948, the Thai air force was called in to bomb parts of the south along the border with Malaysia to quell a rumbling Muslim separatist insurgency. Now that might work.
"The paper birds are not a traditional symbol for us," said leader of Abdullaham Abdulsamad of the Narathiwat Islamic Council. "It's a different culture. Our people do not understand what the birds stand for. We will take the little paper birds as a sign to kill the infidels. But, then again, we think everything means kill the infidels.
Thaksin's initial intention was to drop 62 million paper cranes, one for every person in the country. A media blitz, which included a cabinet meeting to teach ministers how to fold the birds, sparked origami fever the length and breadth of the land. Origami Fever! Catch it!
The birds will be flown to the provinces of Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani in Thailand's south, where they will be loaded onto 48 smaller planes for dispersal. Whatever the differences between Thai Buddhists and southern Thai Muslims, who are ethnic Malay and speak a Malay dialect, someone will have to clean up tonnes of paper afterwards. ...and it won't be us...INFIDEL!!!
#6
I can't decide which is the dumber, more pointless stunt: this, or a bunch of saggy-titted Marin County women arranging their naked bodies on a hillside to spell out the word "PEACE".
Posted by: Dave D. ||
12/03/2004 17:12
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#7
Perhaps Thai planes could drop saggy-titted Marin County women on the muslim areas?
#8
Oh, wow, dude! This is like, so Sixties! I remember when they dropped the Peace Bombs on Hanoi, and they exploded in rainbows and flowers and fluffy kittens, and then we all laughed and laughed and Ho Chi Minh passed around warm chocolate chip cookies and this really great weed, and...uh, I do remember that, don't I?
#9
hey man could it be that this sounds so 60s and Berkeley, cause like those flower children were wannabe Buddists, and these are like, REAL buddists?? I mean Im not sure its that surprising. And I wouldnt worry, my impression is that the Thais will try the lets all be part of the big boddisatva suffering humanity thing, and when it dont work, theyll come in guns blazing.
#10
"...and in other fake news today, 48 small transport planes were inexplicably shot down in Thailand's three southernmost provinces, Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani. There were no survivors and it was not immediatley clear who was responsible."
Posted by: Rafael ||
12/03/2004 18:04
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#11
thanks for rubbing that in
Posted by: Herb Tarlick ||
12/03/2004 18:11
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#12
Don' be such cynics. I think it's a wonderful lesson for the children. They will all work very hard, drop their little peace birds and feel very good about the efforts. When the newspaper comes out the next day, they will realize it was unappreciated and unheeded. Too bad, so sad.
#13
"peace bombs"
I like the sound of that. Let's name the next 30,000 pound class bomb the "peace bomb".
Posted by: ed ||
12/03/2004 21:10
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#14
Is this the sequel to Operation Vowel Storm?
Posted by: Eric Jablow ||
12/03/2004 21:10
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#15
Come on, folks. Let's try and look on the bright side of this. Mebbe this is a subtle message from little Sadako and her classmates.
"Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes" is the story of a girl who died of leukemia. On August 6, 1945, when the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Sadako Sasaki was just two years old. Though the bomb did not kill her and she suffered no immediate injury, she developed leukemia when she was 11 years old. Sadako had heard that a person could make her wish come true by folding a thousand paper cranes. Wishing for good health, Sadako began folding a thousand paper cranes. But she died at age 12, before her project was completed, it is said, and her classmates finished folding her cranes for her after she died.
Children send in cranes they have folded in prayer for peace. Sadako's classmates also collected donations from schools throughout Japan and used the funds to create a monument to children who had been victims of the atomic bomb. Piles of thousand-crane chains sent by people from all over the world surround the monument. To people everywhere, the story of Sadako has come to symbolize the hope that no child will ever again be killed by an atomic bomb.
I say, let's give these Thai Muslim rebels (and all other Islamic terrorists) pause to worry that there might be an honest reason to have so many paper cranes folded for them.
As the war on terror continues, it is vital to pause occasionally and remind ourselves how truly horrific an enemy civilization confronts. In militant Islam, America and its allies — and even some nations that have sidestepped this conflict — face a breathtakingly evil foe. In recent weeks, this Coalition of the Wicked has reconfirmed its barbarism.
They've already propelled themselves past the Nazis in some respects. See today's article on the Central American culture and its propensity for human sacrifice. This is evil beyond the comic book model of evil and into Armageddon proportions.
Until liberation, Fallujah was an Islamist house of horrors. U.S. soldiers discovered up to 20 blood-stained homes in which innocent hostages were detained and killed, often on videotape. Amid guns, rockets, and an unfinished car bomb, terror master Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's headquarters included computer and audio-visual gear for disseminating al Qaeda's hateful missives and real-life snuff films.
-Iraqi forces found a reputed toxic-weapons laboratory featuring poisonous chemicals and anthrax recipes.
-Roughly half of Fallujah's mosques doubled as military outposts. Their minarets became sniper's nests. American GIs found artillery shells, machine guns, and anti-tank mines at the Saad Bin Waqas Mosque on November 24. The Sunni shrine also housed a suspected mobile bomb factory inside a truck, rocket-propelled grenades, surface-to-air missile parts, and, a military spokesman told the Associated Press, "documents that detailed insurgent interrogations of recent kidnap victims."
-Dublin-born Margaret Hassan, 59, married an Iraqi, converted to Islam, and spent 30 years bringing Iraqis medicine, clean water, and other relief. She also denounced the Iraq war. Impossible-to-please Islamic extremists kidnapped her in October. A mid-November videotape showed an unidentified terrorist fatally shooting a blindfolded captive believed to be Hassan.
-James Mollen, 48, cheerfully spent 16 months improving Iraq's beleaguered schools and linking some to the Internet. Nonetheless, a Zarqawi-tied assassin fatally shot Mollen in the head as he drove through Baghdad November 24.
-When Iran's theocrats are not enriching uranium, they destroy their own people — even teenagers. As the December 13 National Review notes, a local Islamic judge sentenced a 14-year-old boy for breaking the Ramadan fast. Last month, he endured 85 lashes, then died. Earlier this year, officials publicly hanged a 16-year-old girl for having pre-marital sex.
-An Iranian group, seemingly with government supporters, is training 20,000 volunteers for suicide operations, the AP reports. The Headquarters for Commemorating Martyrs of the Global Islamic Movement (HCMGIM) recently let 300 applicants choose among preparing for suicide attacks on U.S. soldiers in Iraq, similar assaults in Israel, or assassination attempts on Salman Rushdie, the British author of The Satanic Verses against whom the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a 1989 fatwa. (Although Tehran later backed off of this death warrant, Khomeini died before rescinding it, so it technically remains in force.)
"This group spreads valuable ideas," Iranian lawmaker Mahdi Kouchakzadeh told the AP. "Iran's foreign policy makers have to take the dignified opinions of this group into consideration." Kouchakzadeh, a former Revolutionary Guardsman, attended HCMGIM's initial meeting, as did Revolutionary Guard General Hossein Salami.
British authorities on November 22 outlined an al Qaeda cell's thwarted plans to blast the London Underground and Westminster Abbey, crash planes into London's Heathrow Airport, and bomb three skyscrapers at Canary Wharf, including 50-story One Canada Square. Last August, British cops snagged eight terrorists including Dhiren Barot. He allegedly possessed maps of the New York Stock Exchange, Citigroup's Manhattan headquarters, Prudential's Newark, New Jersey base, and Washington, D.C.'s International Monetary Fund. These arrests raised America's terrorist-alert level last summer.
German politicians have proposed requiring imams to lead services in German to prevent them from concealing extremist speech in Arabic or Turkish. "We will have to step up measures to track down hate preachers and remove their residency rights," Interior Minister Otto Schily told Reuters November 16. Schily also advocated padlocking radical mosques.
Belgium recently announced plans to restrain anti-Semitic and anti-Western Arabic-language websites and radio stations. Police are shielding Belgium's justice minister after she and two other officials were menaced by mail. An Islamic convert allegedly warned he would "ritually slaughter" one Belgian lawmaker who criticized Muslim attitudes on women.
In Holland, both mosques and churches have burned since filmmaker Theo Van Gogh's November 2 murder, allegedly at the hands of Dutch-Moroccan Mohammed Bouyeri, 26. Van Gogh, 47, a grand nephew of the 19th-century Impressionist painter, produced a controversial movie about Islam's treatment of women. Police say Bouyeri, inflamed by the film, shot Van Gogh in Amsterdam, tried to sever his head, "as if he were slicing bread," one eyewitness recalled, then stuck a five-page letter into Van Gogh's chest with a knife. Addressed to Somali-born Dutch legislator Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who worked on Van Gogh's movie, the letter spewed death threats against Ali, plus Koranic passages, and anti-Semitic rants. "Hair-raising screams will be squeezed from the lungs of the non-believers," warned the Dutch- and Arabic-language letter. Bouyeri grew more fervent after leaving a relatively tame Islamic center for a more radical one. Amsterdam's Al-Tawheed mosque sold books that advised dropping gay people head first from tall buildings. Any who survived were to be stoned to death.
Dutch police first noticed Bouyeri while investigating Samir Azzouz, 18, another Dutch-Moroccan. Azzouz and a Dutch Islamist were caught in Ukraine bound for Chechnya. After searching Azzouz's apartment, Dutch cops found detailed maps of Holland's parliament, Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, and the Borssele atomic power plant. As Andrew Higgins chillingly related in the November 22 Wall Street Journal, two days after Van Gogh's death, Islamists aimed their knives at Dutch parliamentarian Geert Wilders, a critic of open immigration. They posted his picture on line beside this message: "The punishment is beheading, and the reward for doing it is paradise." Moderation against such fanaticism is inconceivable. Fundamentalist Islam must be transcended from within while militant Islam must be vanquished from without. Victory cannot come too soon. Until then, Geert Wilders grasps the stakes. "Bush was totally correct," he phoned Higgins while dashing between safe houses on the advice of police. "This is war, a world-wide war."
Posted by: tipper ||
12/03/2004
3:15:08 AM ||
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While the media focus attention on congressional turf battles associated with intelligence reform, US President George W Bush is taking steps - largely under the public's radar screen - to create his own hidden "army" of covert spies. Before getting into what the White House is doing, it's necessary to examine what Congress is doing and not doing about intelligence reform as a result of the collapse of the House-Senate conference attempting to bridge differences between the bills passed by each chamber.
Ostensibly, the core problem is the line of tasking authority for three "national" agencies currently within the Defense Department: the National Security Agency (communications and electronic intercepting and analysis), the National Reconnaissance Office (designs, builds and operates signals and imagery satellites), and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (formerly the National Imagery and Mapping Agency). Because of advanced communications electronics, these "combat support" organizations are able to transmit to tactical commanders (division and below) near-real-time information (eg, images and locational data on friendly and enemy forces, terrain, or groups of fleeing refugees) that could influence decisions and outcomes.
The real barriers, however, lie elsewhere. The principal impasse concerns turf in both the executive and legislative branches. In the former, under the Senate plan, the three "national" combat support agencies would fall under the new national intelligence director for budget formulation and execution and for determining work priorities in responding to the intelligence collection requirements of intelligence users from the president down to tactical commanders. Shifting these three agencies from the Defense Department is not a new idea; the "Scowcroft" commission recommended in November 2001 moving them under the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director in his capacity as director of central intelligence.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: tipper ||
12/03/2004
2:59:53 AM ||
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A very important distiction needs to be made between the outcomes of intelligence gathering. For example, the CIA gathers intelligence to inform political leaders, then acts at a low level on their commands. An individual agent may receive direct command from the White House. The military, however, gathers intelligence to support pre-existing commands, and to optimize its effectiveness in carrying out those commands. To put this another way, the CIA acts and reacts; the military plans then executes. The distiction here is only subtle until you examine it, then it becomes obvious why the two modes of operation should be separate.
Although similar articles posted here before in recent weeks, this article is longer and more detailed.
Posted by: Dar ||
12/03/2004
2:46:21 PM ||
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The strange thing is that Chalabi might be a Trojan horse - deliberately shunned by American officials to give him credibility with Iraqis. If this was a black operation, it would be one of the most subtle ones on record.
#2
If such a thing would happen as Chalabi gaining the head political position in Iraq, how fast do you reckon it'd be before we'd change the pullout timeline?
#3
J187: If such a thing would happen as Chalabi gaining the head political position in Iraq, how fast do you reckon it'd be before we'd change the pullout timeline?
I don't think a pullout is in the cards, whomever wins. The US presence in Iraq is going to be substantial for decades to come.
#4
Ah, but that pesky, explosive, life-of-its-own thing called negative public opinion could be lurking in the future...people have incredible force, if their minds are behind an idea. It's something we should keep in mind-not taking decades-long support from Americans for granted. What are the variables?
#5
This one demonstrated he can't be trusted and in the midst of near future action concerning Shi'ite Iran the last thing we need is Chalabi & Company reporting back to his mullah masters in Tehran.
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
12/03/2004 19:53
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#6
I don't know where to put this, but Mark, did you see the comment I made at Wheelus re: the closed thread on oil in Mauritania from yesterday?
Phil
Posted by: Phil Fraering ||
12/03/2004 20:01
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#7
Chalabi put US special forces through difficulties due to his grandstanding. Most Shites don't buy what he is selling.
Posted by: Capt America ||
12/03/2004 23:11
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#8
Phil, I saw the one in here un Mauritania. Could you direct to the link, or re-post it on the weekend
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
12/03/2004 23:13
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Edited for brevity.
NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer was paying a snap visit to Iraq, notably to meet leaders of a military training mission being set up by the alliance. "During his stay the secretary general is meeting with Iraqi officials, as well as commanders and members of the NATO training mission in Iraq," according to a short statement Friday by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. NATO agreed to send a military training mission to Iraq in June, but struggled for several months to agree the details, notably due to a reluctance on the part of France and other anti-Iraq war countries to deploy troops inside Iraq. The 26-member alliance is now rushing to deploy up to 400 instructors in the country ahead of January elections.
Posted by: Dar ||
12/03/2004
2:41:16 PM ||
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#1
yawn. NATO's finished. Next to useless outside Europe. Either expel France and Belgium or replace it entirely with a smaller organization comprising nations that truly are willing to help us in the middle east.
#2
Leave NATO alone in it's old age. Let it sit out the rest of history sitting in it's comfy chair and reminiscing about all the fights it never was in and all the damsels it never rescued. Eventually, it will just go silently into that good night.
Posted by: ed ||
12/03/2004 21:30
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THE Eureka Stockade's 150th anniversary march is facing an uprising of Victorians opposed to the choice of alleged terrorist David Hicks' father as its leader. Political leaders, community figures and grassroots Victorians have condemned the choice of Terry Hicks to lead Sunday's dawn lantern walk of about 1000 people. Ballarat-born Premier Steve Bracks described the decision as inappropriate, and federal Treasurer Peter Costello lashed the move. "He (David Hicks) was picked up in Afghanistan, and I don't think he was a sightseer," said Mr Costello.
'course not! He was a student!
"If his (Terry Hicks) qualification is that he is the father of David, I don't see what that's got to do with Eureka." Mr Bracks said the Eureka celebration was not there to be hijacked. "Eureka is for everyone. It's not for the National Front on the Right of politics who want to own it," he said. "It's not for extreme Left-wing groups who want to own it. It's for everyone."
This guy clearly isn't a leftist. Everything is supposed to be political.
The great-great grandson of Eureka leader Peter Lalor branded the move an "act of lunacy". Descendant Peter Lalor called on organisers to drop Mr Hicks. "It's just lunacy, and has the potential to set back what we've been trying to do over the last 25 years," he said. "This is really dividing the community. We're working so hard to keep this apolitical, and by inviting Terry along they run the risk of marginalising it."
The Herald Sun revealed yesterday Mr Hicks had accepted an invitation by march organisers to lead the event. Opposition Leader Robert Doyle demanded that Mr Hicks be dropped. "Eureka celebrations should be bringing us together, not dividing us. I hope what we can do is convince Mr Hicks that it would not be appropriate to march on Sunday." Prime Minister John Howard said it was up to the organisers but made a veiled swipe at the decision. "But the question of who is invited to participate obviously says something about the feelings and attitudes of those who are organising the gathering. Need I say more?" Mr Howard said.
Depends on how thick your audience is.
The decision to choose Mr Hicks was made by lantern walk organiser Graeme Dunstan, and is not supported by the City of Ballarat. "The decision to invite Mr Terry Hicks to lead the Eureka dawn walk is not a council decision and is not endorsed by council," said City of Ballarat chief executive officer Richard Hancock. "There is no leader of the walk, as is befitting of the democratic principles of Eureka."
"We know nothing!"
"That's when I fell for
The leader of the pack! [VROOM! VROOM!]"
"Hey! There ain't no leader of the pack! Get them motorcycles out o' here!"
Mr Dunstan, whose website www.peacebus.com says he starts each day with breakfast, coffee and "a small cannabis pipe", stood by the decision to involve Mr Hicks. "Terry Hicks was a perfect choice because he typified the spirit of the Eureka Stockade and he was fighting against injustice to free his son," he said.
"Like, want a hit off this small cannabis pipe, man?"
Terry Hicks said he would not be deterred, and denied he had made the walk a political football. "My great-grandfather was part of the Eureka Stockade," he said. "We are not sure of his participation, but he was there."
So, walk in the back.
Mr Hicks, whose son is being held in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, accused of training with terrorists, said his family connection added weight to his inclusion in the walk. But Mr Bracks said Eureka represented a battle for democracy. "Is it about ordinary people who wanted to have an independence movement," he said. "Put that aside about whether it's a Left movement, a Centre movement, a Right movement ... it's a move for democracy."
Bill Neal, 66, of Ballarat, said he was not in favour of Mr Hicks's involvement. "I think the whole idea has been hijacked. It was not the original intention of the 150th celebrations to be used this way," he said. Mr Neal said either a descendent of Peter Lalor or the Prime Minister should lead the march. Fellow Ballarat resident Raeline Bennett, 49, said: "If someone were to lead it, it should be a descendent." Ron Egeberg, who runs the Eureka Centre, said people had the right to have their say. "That's what Eureka is all about. I don't have an issue with Terry Hicks, but it's unfortunate people want to draw parallels between David Hicks and the Eureka Stockade."
Rather hard not to, though.
Ballarat-born Olympian Steve Moneghetti said he hoped forlornly people did not focus on Mr Hicks. "But at least it has given it some publicity. Maybe not for the right reasons, though."
Posted by: God Save The World ||
12/03/2004
2:36:29 PM ||
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Ok, first you're going to have to explain just what the hell the "Eureka Stockade" is, or was. One of the original lockups for the ne'er-do-wells that got sent to Australia? (just a guess)
This is the credit line I wished I'd had yesterday.
He's a plastic millionaire. Walter Cavanagh - also known as "Mr. Plastic Fantastic" - has a wallet nearly as long as a football field to carry his credit cards. Cavanagh owns 1,497 valid credit cards (he assumes a card is valid until he hears otherwise) with a potential credit line of about $1.7 million. The retired real estate broker, who lives in the small San Luis Obispo County [CA] community of Shell Beach, said his collecting began with a bet more than three decades ago. He and a friend were sitting in his apartment in 1969 and bet who could collect the most credit cards. The loser would buy dinner. Cavanagh managed to obtain 143 cards in a year and got a rib-eye steak dinner. He also caught the plastic bug. He has become so good at collecting the cards that he has a place in the Guinness Book of World Records, which gave him his nickname. He also holds the title for the world's longest wallet - a 38-pound monster that is 250 feet long and can hold 800 cards. Most of his collection is kept in bank safe deposit boxes. His cards include antiques in paper and aluminum. A number are from long-defunct department stores, gas stations and bars. They come from as far away as Germany and Spain. "Most cards are from such obscure places, you've never heard of them," Cavanagh said.
Posted by: Dar ||
12/03/2004
2:35:56 PM ||
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#1
I seem to remember seeing this guy on variety shows.
Article from WSJ will be available tomorrow w.o registration.
BY VIKTOR YUSHCHENKO
KIEV--For months, Ukraine's democratic forces warned officials in Kiev and other European capitals that our autumn presidential election would be neither free nor fair. Two of the main reasons for this conclusion were the incumbent government's unprecedented interference in the pre-election campaign and its censorship of the mass media.
During the first election round on Oct. 31, regional governors colluded with police and other state officials to stuff ballot boxes, falsify vote counts and intimidate election commissions. Ukraine's central and territorial election commissions turned a blind eye and overlooked our well-documented official complaints. In the end, despite massive falsifications by my opponent, the central election commission was forced to concede that I won the first round of voting.
During the Nov. 21 runoff vote, polling stations in the eastern regions remained open two hours after they were supposed to close officially. Some reported voter turnout exceeding 100%, while in other regions up to 35% of the ballots cast were from people's homes. Election observers were prevented from monitoring voting and counting procedures at thousands of polling stations, as permitted by Ukrainian law. Thousands of poll watchers from democratic parties together with average citizens witnessed traveling thugs with police escorts harassing election commissioners, destroying polling stations, stuffing ballots, abusing absentee voter certificates and switching commission protocols, to name just a few of the 11,000 violations officially filed by us in the courts. We are now patiently awaiting the Supreme Court's review of these complaints in the hope that justice will prevail.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: ed ||
12/03/2004
2:17:07 PM ||
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Those guys never seem to get enough of that, do they?
Five explosions hit Madrid at Friday evening rush hour -- three of them at petrol stations -- after a warning from the Basque separatist group ETA, police said. There were no immediate reports of injuries. The blasts went off in the northern and western sides of the city, not in the city center. Police described the bombs as low-potency. They went off just as millions of Spaniards were heading out of town for a long holiday weekend. A caller to the Basque newspaper Gara issued a warning on behalf of ETA, saying five explosive devices had been placed at gas stations along major highways leading out of Madrid, The Associated Press reported. The caller said the bombs were set to explode at 1730 GMT, Gara reported on its Web site, according to Reuters.
The gas stations were evacuated before the blasts, the news agency Efe said, AP reported. Spain's traffic department said four major roads out of Madrid were blocked. "We recommend not leaving Madrid for now if it is not strictly necessary," Reuters quoted a spokesman for the department as saying. ETA, which has been blamed for hundreds of deaths in Spain over the past several decades, is considered a terrorist group by the United States and the European Union. Authorities recently arrested top ETA leaders in France and seized large amounts of weapons and ammunition in raids. Because of the crackdown, the Spanish government had led the public to believe that ETA was weakening.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/03/2004
2:10:27 PM ||
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In response, Bambi will announce his intention to withdraw Spanish troops from Spain.
Posted by: Matt ||
12/03/2004 15:00
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ETA/Spain sorta reminds me of Native American tribal warfare....little bloodshed and much interest in counting coup.
A series of blasts has rocked the Spanish capital, Madrid, following a bomb warning from armed Basque separatist group, Eta, police say. The explosions occurred at petrol stations on the outskirts of the city as travellers left for the weekend. Police say the blasts, which followed an anonymous phone call, were minor, and no injuries have been reported.
The attacks, if confirmed, would be the first in many months launched by the Basque separatist group. Reports said a Basque newspaper had received a phone call earlier in the day from someone claiming to represent Eta. The caller warned that a series of bombs had been placed at petrol stations on major roads leading out of the city centre and would explode at 1730GMT. The blasts came as many left the Spanish city on a public holiday weekend. Ball's in your court, Bambi.
#1
Stan: "Dude, that sucks ass!"
Cartman: "Sweet! All the J*ws should be sent to Afghanistan."
Kenny: "Mmmmple mm mmmple mmplmmp."
Kyle: "You said it, Kenny."
Mrs. Broflofsky: "What, what, what?!"
Ike Broslofsky: "Wooowww! Afistan!"
Chef: "Children, I once got sweet lovin' under an afghan down by the fire."
Mr. Garrison: "I hear that you can get some hot back-door burka action in Kandahar."
Mr. Hat: "That's right, Mr. Garrison."
Mr. Mackey: "The Taliban are bad, mmkay. Don't be like the Taliban, mmkay."
Officer Barbrady: "Move along. Nothing to see here."
Uncle Jimbo: "When you an al Qaeda bastard, shout "He's coming right towards me!" before you shoot him."
Ned: "Then say "That all you got, biyatch?""
Timmy: "TIMMY!"
Big Gay Al: "That's super!"
Memphisto: "I'm deliciously sorry to hear that."
Mecha-Streisand: "ARGHHH!"
Mr. Hankey: "Don't forget to clean your ears."
Mrs. Cartman: "How about some Cheezy Poofs?"
Okay, enough.
Posted by: Tibor ||
12/03/2004 18:15
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Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the United States on Friday of pursuing a dictatorial foreign policy and said mounting violence could derail progress toward bringing peace and democracy to Iraq. What's the matter Putin? Another backdoor deal about to go sour in Iran?
Putin also criticized the West for setting double-standards on terrorism, pursuing Islamic fundamentalists in Afghanistan and Iraq while giving refuge to "terrorists" demanding Chechnya's independence from Russia.
Actually, I agree with him on that one...
The Kremlin leader's tough remarks came on a visit to former Cold War ally India, where he and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh issued a joint call for greater cooperation in stabilizing and rebuilding Iraq. Unilateralism increased risks that weapons of mass destruction might fall into the hands of terrorists, and would stoke regional conflicts, Putin said in a hard-hitting speech to an invited audience. "Even if dictatorship is packaged in beautiful pseudo-democratic phraseology, it will not be able to solve systemic problems," Putin said. "It may even make them worse". Bring it on Putin you little commie bastard.
Putin did not name the United States, but clearly had the administration of President Bush in mind when he said policies "based on the barrack-room principles of a unipolar world appear to be extremely dangerous." More of Putin's threats in the link
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
12/03/2004
1:54:33 PM ||
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#3
and a sudden availability of Canadians to perform at strip clubs
The National Hockey League is on strike, a man's gotta put food on the table somehow.
Posted by: Steve ||
12/03/2004 16:07
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See, Canadians are superior to us. They don't waste their time warmongering and speaking in tongues and generating homeless people. They're rational, like. Y'know, humanists.
Russia may use its strategic bombers to unleash preventive strikes against terrorists outside its borders, the commander of Russia's air force said Friday.
Wouldn't that be kinda dictatorial?
Gen. Vladimir Mikhailov's comments to the ITAR-Tass news agency aired on Friday were the most direct yet in Russia's rising rhetoric on attacking terrorists abroad. Mikhailov did not specify what targets the air force could potentially go after. Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov and other top officials have said that preventive strikes against terrorists could involve all means except nuclear, but they never went into such specifics as suggesting the use of strategic bombers. "If ordered, our missile-carrier aircraft will attack the terrorists with long-range, highly precise cruise missiles and aerial bombs. We will make use of everything we have," Mikhailov was quoted as saying.
Is there an echo in here?
The Defense Ministry said it could not confirm Mikhailov's remarks, make during a trip to Engels, in the central Volga River region. ITAR-Tass commented that Russia had initiated discussion of preventive strikes over a year ago "due to Washington's regular employment of this method in international affairs."
It'll be interesting to watch the libs convolute themselves over that state of affairs...
Meanwhile, Russia's Federal Security Service said Friday that an Arab mercenary who was killed in southern Russia late last month was a top representative of the al-Qaida terror network in the troubled North Caucasus region, which includes Chechnya. The dead man was identified last month as Akhmed Sambiyev, otherwise known as the "White Arab," now known as "the late" and security officials said at the time of the killing that he was either Syrian or Turkish. The Federal Security Service on Friday identified him as a Syrian called Marvan [Marwan]. He was killed on Nov. 25 when he put up armed resistance to arrest in the southern region of Ingushetia, which borders on Chechnya.
"[BANG!] Stick 'em up, Marwan!"
"Rosebud!"
The security service's press office said that Marvan had been active in Chechnya beginning in 2000 and had been close to the late Arab militant leaders Khattab and Abu Walid. It said he was responsible for training young fighters, explosives training, and distributing money coming from foreign terrorist centers. Last month, he had been identified as a top aide to Chechen rebel leader Shamil Basayev.
And now he's nothing but a fond memory and a lingering odor...
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
12/03/2004
12:53:00 PM ||
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Article: Russia may use its strategic bombers to unleash preventive strikes against terrorists outside its borders, the commander of Russiaâs air force said Friday.
Let me guess - a lot of these strikes are going to be in the former Soviet republics.
#5
It'll be interesting to see what % of planes that take off actually manage to carry out their mission without mechanical failure or other mishaps. I wonder if worries over this is why we haven't seen them do this before. These planes are part of their strategic deterrant, and if people see them crapping out, they aren't very scary anymore.
Posted by: Laurence of the Rats ||
12/03/2004 15:38
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Of course, Putin's definition of a terrorist could be pesky demonstrators thwarting his dreams of Greater Russia in downtown Kiev....
#7
This is nothing but bluster. Russia (Putin) has yet to respond to Beslan, and won't. The vuanted Russian Bear is a f**king pansy. The Bear will stab you in the back (Iran/Iraq), but hasn't the manhood to take on a problem straight forward and head long.
Posted by: Mark Z. ||
12/03/2004 16:07
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Is it manhood, Mark Z., or unfed soldiers with nonworking equipment?
#10
Mark Z. has it right. Nothing of any consequence has been done since Beslan. When you pull off a raid or attack, you don't put an ad out about it, you just plan it meticulously, rehearse it, and then you do it. Pooty poot has been consolidating his power to make Russia look more like the old USSR, but he has not been taking care of the real business. He had lots of support after Beslan, but he blew it by inaction and lack of decisiveness.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
12/03/2004 17:26
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Putin's Russia is a failing state with vague, incoherent superpower ambitions. Like an often- drunk Gerry Cooney way past his prime, they need to be handled very carefully: ignored frequently, flattered often, handled roughly when he gets his blood up.
#12
Putin has a nice "wag the dog" scenario in waiting whenever he deems it necessary to exploit it. Post-Beslan he'll be lionized at home for any action he deems to be directed against terrorists and internationally he's already been immunized from the worst criticisms by the US example in Afghanistan. He's just waiting for the right moment to maximize his personal political gain.
#14
There's also a rather serious public health issue in Russia - only 11% of conscripts are deemed fit enough for military service.
Almost every man I saw over there was in top condition. The only men I saw who weren't physically fit were either
1) drunk
2) drug addicts
3) disabled in some way.
#18
Well given the swell levels of readiness and general high quality maintenance the Russky strategic bomber group has received, I would say that for a while at least, the folks living just off the end of the runway are in more danger than the turban heads in Iran, Syria and Saudia Arabia.
Speaking of Iran, Syria and Saudi Arabia, isn't that who Vlad ole buddy pal of George W is talking about? Maybe France? Nope, obviously one of the Middle Eastern Big Three.
I think if they can get all of the deferred maintenance done on thier Bisons, Backfires and MIG's, the mullahs would be wise to write their wills, the Russians can be pretty heavy handed when riled. Just ask Berlin.
I think we should secretly give Russia some target lists and some spare parts.
#19
There is nothing ailing the Russian draftee pool that a doctor's bribe can't find. As a general rule, the kids don't have nearly the muscle mass of American 18 year olds and you rarely see fat 18 yr old boys.
If Putin attacks anywhere, I expect Georgia. He's trying to put together as much of the old Soviet Union as possible and an attack of Georgia will put the fright into the other former republics.
Posted by: ed ||
12/03/2004 21:25
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an attack of Georgia will put the fright into the other former republics.
Sorta depends on how the Georgia attack turns out. Most of the Soviet/Russian military triumphs since 1945 consist of tanks facing down civilians successfully. If they run into armed resistance in Georgia, it could prove embarrassing. In that case, he could be looking like just another third world thug. After all, they use Russian weapons.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
12/03/2004 21:53
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Forget it. Russia's military is a complete disaster: drunk, disorganized, demoralized, throughly corrupt, in a word, incompetent. They can't even put down a third-rate insurrection within their own borders.
Mark my words: Russia is a failed state. Pakistan North. They need urgent attention and a very tight embrace of the hug-your-enemies-closer variety. Not so different from what we apply to Musharraf. Ukraine and Georgia are not the endgame here; Iran is. Wean them off the Iranian tit-- bribe their nuclear industry, pay whatever it takes, but get Russia out of the nuclear business. A failing state with unguarded nukes and mafia-ridden security services is a catastrophe in the making.
As American forces closed in on Baghdad last year, senior members of Saddam Hussein's government devised a plan to send suicide bombers in vehicles packed with devastating high-energy explosives that were under UN safeguards. The disappearance of the explosive, known as HMX (high melting explosives), in mysterious circumstances at the end of the war caused a few nasty moments for President George Bush's presidential election campaign last month. A letter to Saddam from Dr Naji Sabri, the Iraqi Foreign Minister, five days before the fall of Baghdad, suggests taking the HMX from underground bunkers, where it had been kept under seal by the International Atomic Energy Agency, and giving it to suicide bombers. He wrote: "It is possible to increase the explosive power of the suicide-driven cars by using the highly explosive material [HMX] which is sealed by the International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA] and stored in the warehouses of the Military Industry Departments."
The Iraqi regime took credit for several suicide bombs towards the end of the war. After the fall of Saddam, one of the worst attacks - which killed 22 UN workers and the special envoy, Sergio Vieira de Mello, in August 2003 - had an explosive force that could only have come from military grade explosives. It now appears that senior officials in the Iraqi government were discussing the removal of the HMX before the fall of Saddam. The letter from Dr Sabri, obtained by The Independent, was sent on 4 April 2003 as US tanks were advancing on Baghdad. It said that the world was getting the impression that Iraqi civilians were co-operating with American soldiers. Dr Sabri suggested that the best way of preventing US troops getting too close to Iraqi civilians was "to target their vehicle checkpoints with suicide operations by civilian vehicles in order to make the savage Americans realise that their contact with Iraqi civilians is as dangerous as facing them on the battlefield".
In the last weeks of the US presidential campaign, the Iraqi interim government told the IAEA that the explosives had disappeared from the Al-Qaqaa facility south of Baghdad. The materials were believed to have disappeared after the fall of Baghdad on 9 April because of the failure of US troops to secure them. The mystery of what happened to the explosives may now be partly resolved by Dr Sabri's letter. Because of the special nature of the explosives, the IAEA had placed them under seal in storage bunkers before the war. The foreign ministry would have known what was stored there because it dealt with the IAEA and its monitors. There is no proof that the Iraqi presidency acted on the suggestion but there were a number of suicide bomb attacks on US checkpoints at the time. American soldiers now open fire on any car coming towards them that they deem suspicious. Many civilians have been killed. The letter was given to The Independent by Hoshyar Zebari, the Iraqi Foreign Minister, in Baghdad yesterday. He said it was found in the ministry's archives. There is no reason to doubt its authenticity. The interim Iraqi government may have known about it for some time but was nervous about releasing it at a moment when it might be accused of intervening in the US presidential election.
The letter, marked "confidential and immediate", was sent to Saddam's all-powerful secretary, Abed Hamoud. Advice on making an unconventional military attack might have been expected from the security services. But it may have been that Dr Sabri, unsure about how long the war would last, wanted to show his his loyalty to Saddam. He fled Iraq and lives in Doha, the Qatari capital.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
12/03/2004
12:50:23 PM ||
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Anti-terror police in Istanbul detained 12 people believed to be Chechen militants ahead of an official visit to Turkey Sunday and Monday by Russian President Vladimir Putin, police and media reports said. The spokesman in Ankara for the security department, Ramazan Er, confirmed that police detained 12 people in Istanbul in connection with the Putin visit and seized weapons, as well as computers and CDs. Er declined to elaborate, saying the investigation was still under way. Istanbul is not on Putin's itinerary. The NTV news channel said nine of the people detained in the operation, conducted jointly by anti-terror police and intelligence services, were Chechens, while the other three were Turkish nationals of Chechen descent. Two women were among the group, NTV said. Russia has accused Ankara of turning a blind eye to the activities of Chechen separatists, who enjoy popular support in Turkey, home to large communities of Turkish-speaking nations from the Caucasus -- an accusation Turkey has categorically denied. Putin's visit will take place amid a massive security cordon, with more than 3,000 policemen mobilized to assure the Russian leader's safety in Ankara, according to media reports.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
12/03/2004
12:46:25 PM ||
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Golly gee, look who's finally on the story. Now that the election's over, the NYT has to have something to write about.
A Swiss company that is being investigated on suspicion of fraud and abuses in the United Nations' oil-for-food program paid the son of Secretary General Kofi Annan more than $50,000 for consulting at United Nations meetings and other projects in the year it won a lucrative oil-for-food contract, investigators said yesterday.
Reeeeally? When did that happen?
Thanks for breaking that story!
Representatives of the company, Cotecna Inspection Services, which is based in Geneva, previously said that Kojo Annan, the secretary general's son, had no involvement in any United Nations contracts. But billing records from Kojo Annan, 29, and other documents provided by Cotecna to House and Senate committees investigating the United Nations program show that in 1998, he traveled to United Nations meetings in New York and Durban, South Africa, to develop "contacts" and work on unspecified "specific projects." In December 1998, Cotecna, which is privately held, won a $4.8 million United Nations contract to monitor goods shipped to Iraq. Ginny Wolfe, a spokeswoman for Cotecna, confirmed that Kojo Annan had attended these meetings but said that he had done so "to make contacts and build relationships with individuals who were important to know for purposes of Cotecna business marketing in Africa."
That's the second-order lie, one more will be coming before we get at the truth.
A Cotecna statement said it was "confident" that the inquiries "will reveal that Cotecna's actions were at all times ethical, lawful and professional."
No doubt. No doubt.
Cotecna deplored the leak of its confidential information, but pledged to continue cooperating with the Congressional investigations and the inquiry of an independent panel led by Paul A. Volcker, the former chairman of the Federal Reserve. On Thursday, investigators disclosed that Mr. Annan had used a Cotecna credit card for travel and other expenses that totaled $54,700 for his consulting in 1998. That included $17,000 for expenses incurred in extra hours of work from July through October for the United Nations-related trips, the investigators said. "That's not bad pay for a junior consultant who was supposedly being reimbursed at a rate of $500 a day for five days of work a month," one said.
That's a lot of billable hours and travel on steerage-class airlines...
Investigators said correspondence between Kojo Annan and Cotecna revealed disputes about what were legitimate expenses.
"That's a lot of our money to put into Durban's titty bars!"
"Look, do y'want the contacts or not?"
They said billing records suggested that he was not reluctant to use his name and father's post to commercial advantage. In one memorandum requesting compensation for eight days of work in July 1998, Kojo Annan included six days "during my father's visit to Nigeria."
"He needed me there. Nobody holds his coat like I do."
"In a Lagos titty bar?"
"Especially in a Lagos titty bar."
After a United Nations meeting of African members of the nonaligned movement in Durban, he wrote that "many contacts were established at the presidential and political levels, ministerial levels and with certain influential people."
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/03/2004
12:42:54 AM ||
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Great Kooko for Koko Puffs, the soon to be jailed Judith Miller crawls out of her cave to torch the secretary general's boy! Given that the NY Slimes went out of its way pre-election to refute her pro Iraq WMD articles, I smell a retraction lurking, addressed from Turtle Bay.
Posted by: Capt America ||
12/03/2004 1:48
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#3
Dang, now I can't find my little box of crow recipes. I think my wife threw it out by mistake while I was in the doghouse. I might have to eat my hat instead, but I'm bald and it's getting cold outside.
Also, I have to admit that I have seen some pictures of Claudia Rosett, and I think she's really, really pretty!!
.
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
12/03/2004 8:49
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#4
TW - I think the first lie was: Contecna "previously said that Kojo Annan, the secretary general's son, had no involvement in any United Nations contracts"
2nd lie: Kojo Annan had attended these meetings but said that he had done so "to make contacts and build relationships with individuals who were important to know for purposes of Cotecna business marketing in Africa."
#8
Mike, treat the crow like chicken...although they are smaller, so you may need two. Homemade pot pie with a Pillsbury croissant crust (or biscuit, for the traditionalists) is heartwarming this time of year. ;-D
PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH has chosen Bernard Kerik, the former New York police commissioner who helped to oversee the response to the September 11 attacks, to run the Department of Homeland Security. Mr Kerik, 49, will take over from Tom Ridge, who resigned this week. Mr Kerik's path to the top anti-terrorism position, replacing Tom Ridge, has been anything but conventional. A moustachioed, upright character who began his anti-terrorism career as a private security officer in Saudi Arabia, Mr Kerik won national fame in the ashes of the World Trade Center, and often appeared at the side of the former Mayor, Rudolph Guiliani, to discuss the bloodshed.
A military policeman in South Korea in the 1970s, his first anti-terrorism work was as a paid private security worker in Saudi Arabia. He joined the New York Police Department in 1986, first walking a beat in Times Square when it was still a haven for small-time hustlers. He rose to lead the city's corrections department, and was appointed commissioner in 2000. It was in that position that he became known to the rest of the country, supervising the New York Police Department's response to the terror attacks in 2001.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/03/2004
12:40:00 AM ||
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#1
Sounds like a good choice for the job. I do hope he's up to making Homeland Security more effective...and seen to be so.
#2
He spoke briefly at the RNC. If I were to judge by that performance, I'd say that he's far more dynamic than was Ridge. A good choice on that front.
#3
Anyone referred to as "Baghdad Terminator" has gotta be a good selection. Besides, he knows the local cops, knowledge that is woefully needed in the DHS job.
Posted by: Capt America ||
12/03/2004 1:57
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#4
Yes it is. I'd go you one better and say that our whole federal government is sorely in need of a Jacksonian style revolution.
Posted by: Steve ||
12/03/2004 11:20
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#6
He should make all us US citizens aware of what to look for in the line of threats. He should be setting up websites for making lists of things that citizens should have in emergency kits at home and in their cars. Make people feel and be empowered by being part of the solution to homeland security. Get neighborhoods organized in emergency plans.
Color coded warnings are just so much crap without some specific plans and means of action down to John Q citizen's level. I think that we have a lot to learn from the Israelis on this. This type of action will also create more unity in the country by unity of purpose. Ridge failed miserably in this area.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
12/03/2004 13:11
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#7
Say what you want, but there were no terrorist attacks on Ridge's watch. He had a tough job and he came away with just the always present criticism that he "could have done better". He was riding a bull, but he managed to stay on without getting bucked off. No small accomplishment in my book.
#8
Agreed, 2b. But, Ridge didn't do the political things needed to help people understand what he'd accomplished. Bits and pieces were reported here and there -- f'r instance, I read a long article about new technologies used to examine shipping containers in Wired Magazine -- but no summaries with numbers of bad things prevented, nor advice along the lines of AP's post. I realize that Ridge was under a great deal of pressure to make things happen quickly, as we all expected another 9/11 size attempt to follow on immediately (I still have a roll of duct tape and a pack of playing cards in my closet in case of a chem/bio attack) and, given the needs of the time, telegraphing his moves would have helped the terrorists. But Ridge did nothing to manage the mockery on the opinion-forming late night comedy shows (Tonight Show, etc), which only emboldened the mockers.
Anyway, I do think Ridge will be vindicated by history, but Mr. Kerik still has a lot of ground to make up in the charisma area.
I bet his New York Police Commissioner demeanor will be a big hit with all the bureaucratic ninnies in Washtown. BUT I bet they will only screw with him once. My take is that he is a dynamic charasmatic leader of the old school who will kick butts take names and give clear directions.
This will be fun to watch. I wonder if Goss would like to borrow him for about a week or two and sic him on the antibushies in the C(no evil except W)IA
I'm posting this link to an entry at Internet Haganah, a blog that some of you may read but others may not. Aaron does great work tracking down the websites of al-Qaeda and their sympathizers. This link shows some of the difficulties convincing web hosters to recognize exactly what they are hosting...
#1
I always email the Sales department in this sort of situation.
Hint to commissioned sales folks that their income is at risk and they will barge right into the CEO's office screaming something like 'this company supports Hizballa and it's costing me sales!'
#2
Could be just a stupid LLL kid with "servers" in his parents basement and a T1 hd rents. Their meme also can be "you are violating their free speech" which as we know doesn't work. Warning them they are going to lose all their valuble computer equipment when the FBI impounds it as "evidence" might work. A check with spamcop might also prove enlightening. I bet they host plenty of Spammers too.
THE first Iraqi tanks will be deployed on the streets ahead of the January 30 elections, senior US and British military officials said. The continuing toll of guerrilla attacks persuaded the coalition and interim Government to fast-track plans to equip the country's embattled security forces with heavy armour, The Times has learnt. Less than two years after Saddam's armoured divisions were pulverised by US-led troops, coalition advisers bowed to a request by Iyad Allawi, the Prime Minister, to reinforce his lightly armed military, which is equipped only with light weapons and trucks and buses highly vulnerable to attack by insurgents. Despite fears of the damage possible if tanks fall into the guerrillas' hands, US, Iraqi and British planners have created from scratch the new 1st Mechanised Brigade, equipped with veteran Soviet-era T-55 battle tanks and MTLB armoured vehicles.
A T-55 is plenty heavy enough to worry a jihadi.
Four T-55s mothballed by the old Iraqi Army have already been refurbished and transported on low loaders from the old army base in al-Muqdadiyah north of Baghdad to the training base at Taji. Commanders say they are ahead of schedule to have ten of the Russian, Chinese and East European-manufactured battle tanks deployed against insurgents — perhaps as early as Christmas — with 950 men and 44 armoured vehicles. Other elements such as the artillery battalion, likely to have 155mm howitzers, will be added later. Iraqi planners hope the full 3,000-man brigade comprising one tank, one artillery and two mechanised battalions, an engineering and reconnaissance company, air defence, communications and logistics units will be ready by the middle of next year. The tanks will be manned by experienced crews from the old Iraqi army, supervised by coalition "advisory support teams" that will train, mentor and accompany them on missions. Colonel Jani Marok, a Royal Marine serving as Chief of Plans in the development of the Iraqi Security Forces, said they would probably be deployed to guard key installations such as power stations, government facilities and "maybe in places such as Fallujah."
The T-55 was first designed in the 1950s but commanders say the Iraqi models have seen little use and are in good condition. They have a 100mm rifle bore main gun and night fighting capability. US Army Colonel David Styles said: "We drove them through Baqubah on transporters and you should have seen the looks on the faces of the Iraqi people. At first they thought, 'Oh just another American convoy', but then they saw that they were T-55s and noticed the Iraqi markings and there were a lot of cheers."
"Ahhh, T55s! What fond memories they bring back! It seems like the old Iraq again, the good old day! Why, I can remember back when the entire 42nd Division ran over Uncle Mahmoud..."
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/03/2004
12:34:31 AM ||
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#1
Oh, dear. I do hope the Iraqis are better drivers than, e.g. the Egyptians. (Mr. Wife tells stories of his taxi driver going full speed the wrong way down one-way streets with the lights off, "to save the battery.") If yes, there will be a few more buildings with holes in the walls before the men are fully trained.
#2
Good idea! I cringe when I see the video footage showing these Iraqi soldiers getting around in small trucks. Should paint a bullseye on those vehicles.
Posted by: Capt America ||
12/03/2004 1:59
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#3
Those tanks are pretty useless for practical purposes. Their engine machining is so poor that their useful life before engine rebuild is measured in hours. I've heard estimates as low as 1000 hours before a rebuild, with another 1000 before the tank is a basket case.
#4
I suspect the planners have accounted for this. There's probably plenty of spares/cannablisable units around Iraq. If not, there's lots of Eastern European countries who can either supply parts or the upgraded engines.
#6
Might as well get some use out of 'em. Against any other MBT, the T-55 is a deathtrap; but against semi-trained urban goon squads with AK's and the odd RPG, it's a hulking steel monster of death.
Posted by: Mike ||
12/03/2004 13:36
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#7
Shipman: certain hmmmm *cough* 3rd parties *cough* have been known to re-engine T-55 and 62s.
#8
Mike: Might as well get some use out of 'em. Against any other MBT, the T-55 is a deathtrap; but against semi-trained urban goon squads with AK's and the odd RPG, it's a hulking steel monster of death.
RPG's can defeat T-55 armor. However, I think T-55's can be useful for direct fire support during operations, when proximity to the enemy is such that tube artillery is hazardous.
#9
A lot of these jihadis have been trained in Soviet style operations which mean the T-55 is most likely nice direct fire support for infantry operations. But the tank is thin skinned and its 100mm gun was originally designed as an anti-tank gun, not a general fire support weapon.
I think I read somewhere that the left's pink cardboard tank is barely a match for the T-55.
#10
Folks, you're missin' the point here. Compared to white Toyotas that these troops are climbing in and out of, isn't even the T-55 and 62s a better alternative?
Posted by: Capt America ||
12/03/2004 14:06
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#11
CA: Folks, you're missin' the point here. Compared to white Toyotas that these troops are climbing in and out of, isn't even the T-55 and 62s a better alternative?
I think the firepower element is primary and protection element is secondary. Tanks are too maintenance-intensive to be used for routine convoy operations. (Russian tanks especially are reputed to have lousy engines). These T-55's are likely to be used very selectively and mainly for fire support.
#12
Not that the T-55 is the greatest tank in the world, but an RPG can even defeat an Abrams if the warhead hit the right spot. Moreover, if reactive armour is added to a T-55, it becomes an acceptable urban zone tank. And the Czechs and Slovaks have done some ammo development and have a HESH round for the 100MM. HESH is REALLY bad news if you are on the other side of the wall that it hits.
And besides which, steel is still better protection that cloth or even body armour.
One last thing, if the Iraqis are touchy about Israeli modifications, the South Africans, the Indians, or the Turks can do them {Turkey has the Israeli mods from their technology agreements}.
#14
Compared to white Toyotas that these troops are climbing in and out of, isn't even the T-55 and 62s a better alternative? In the Chadian civil war white Toyotas comprehensively defeated a large force of Libyan T-55/62s. Libyan casualties were in the thousands.
#15
Israel did indeed re-engine and otherwise modify a large number of captured T-54s and 55s after the 67 war, under the designation TI-67. Mods included a new powerpack (reportedly a Detroit 12V-71T), the 105mm NATO gun, appropriate fire-control, and air conditioning. These were used with some success against their original owners during the 73 war.
They were reportedly unpopular in Israeli service because of the very cramped interior. Israel has also used the T-55 or T-62 chassis for a heavy APC, but I don't have info on this.
There are many, many other upgrades for these tanks, including a similar one (105mm gun, etc.) done in Egypt.
Add-on spaced armor will mitigate the RPG threat to a great extent, though the vehicle is still vulnerable in close combat. The most appropriate use would be direct-fire support.
The 100mm does have a useful HE round for these operations.
The psychological impact should not be under-estimated; on the jihadis, friendly troops, and Iraqi civilians alike. Tanks are well thought of in that part of the world. This contrasts sharply with the western pop-culture/MSM meme that tanks are brutish dinosaurs and easy targets for a single rebel-hero fighter with a hand-held weapon. This meme, incidentally, dates back almost to the invention of tanks in WW1, when journalists first discovered that the monsters were not in fact completely invulnerable. For once, the masses of the Arab world have it right, while western MSM conformists are buying into a potentially fatal strawman by under-estimating the power of armor.
I know, I know but you forget that the tanks were manned by Lybian tankers not NATO or Israeli tankers. I remember when reading the actions reports that ist was evident that the Lybian crews panicked and didn't supoort one another. With each tank caring only about itself it was easy for the nimble Toyotas to run circles around the tanks at a range too short for the tanks engaging them.
#17
Ken Pollack's Arabs at War has an excellent section on the "Toyota War". Short version is: Arab armies suck enough to negate the benefit of armor, once you give the otherside a reasonable anti-tank weapon like the French Milan.
I'm not too enthusiastic about the idea of somebody using T-55s in an anti-insurgency role. Even modern tanks or IFVs like the Abrams or the Bradley aren't suited to convoy and patrol in Iraqi theatre conditions. South African armored cars - seriously. The South Africans would make a mint, and from what I've read, they're brilliant counterinsurgency platforms - not nearly as expensive as Strykers, but good enough for government work.
Re-engineered T-55s would be useful mostly for show, to frighten off the Iranians. I would guess that this is the point - a show-unit for display purposes.
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
12/03/2004 15:03
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#18
Chechen fighters made mincemeat out of the Soviet tank brigade that went into Grozny. I'm not sure that Iraqi terrorists wouldn't do the same to an Iraqi unit. But Iraqi troops have to learn how to deal with this by themselves eventually, and the T-55 is a relatively inexpensive platform in which to get their first lessons.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has met his chief election rival Yunus Qanooni to discuss a possible role for him in the new government, an official close to the president said. Karzai, who will be inaugurated as Afghanistan's first democratically elected president on December 7, is expected to form his cabinet the following week. He met Qanooni late Wednesday and they discussed the cabinet, the official, who asked to not be named, told AFP the same day. "There is a strong possibility that Qanooni will join the new cabinet," he added.
That'd be a good thing, I think. Qanoodi's one of the good guys.
Karzai, who won 55.4 percent of the vote in the October 9 election, faces a tough challenge picking a government to tackle regional warlordism, an insurgency led by the former Taliban rulers and a burgeoning drug industry, which threatens to turn Afghanistan into a narco state. Karzai, an ethnic Pashtun, must also ensure that the ethnic Tajik, Uzbek and Hazara minorities are represented in his new administration. Karzai has repeatedly said he does not intend to appoint a cabinet of warlords or people with a brutal military past — and many ordinary Afghans voted for him in hopes he would end the rule of the gun in the war-torn country. Qanooni, who resigned, as education minister in Karzai's US-backed transitional administration to run against his former boss, is an ethnic Tajik. He was a lieutenant of assassinated resistance hero Ahmad Shah Masood and has close ties to the Northern Alliance group of commanders who ousted the hardline Islamic Taliban regime in conjunction with a US-led air campaign in late 2001. Although Qanooni came a distant second to Karzai in the polls, winning only a little over 16 per cent of the vote, he represents an important power block. He hails from the resistance stronghold of the Panjshir valley north of Kabul along with Defence Minister Marshal Mohammed Qasim Fahim and Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah. Karzai did not win strong support in parts of northern Afghanistan, drawing his votes mainly from the Pashtun-dominated south and east of the country.
I'd guess most of Qanooni's support came from the north...
Qanooni could not immediately be reached for comment. But an official close to him confirmed to AFP that he had held a private meeting with Karzai in the president's heavily fortified palace. "Yes, I can confirm that the meeting took place," the official told AFP declining to give further details.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/03/2004
12:31:22 AM ||
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Saudi businesswoman Lubna Olayan, who angered religious conservatives when she appeared alongside men at an economic forum this year, has become the first female board member of a Saudi listed firm, bankers said on Thursday.
"So piss off, holy men! Thhhhp!"
Saudi Hollandi Bank said Olayan was elected to a three-year term on the bank's board by shareholders at a meeting late on Tuesday. "She is the first woman on the board of a Saudi joint stock company," a bank spokesman said.
How long before she's beaten to death by a couple policemen from the Committee to Protect Virtue and Eliminate Vice?
Olayan delivered a passionate plea for equality for Saudi women when she opened a high-profile economic forum in Jeddah attended by former US President Bill Clinton in January. "My vision is of a country ... in which any Saudi citizen, irrespective of gender, who is serious about finding employment, can find a job in the field for which he or she is best qualified," Olayan told the conference. Her speech was well received by delegates but the country's highest religious authority, Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Abdullah al-Sheikh, denounced it and condemned the "shameful" mixing of men and women at the conference.
"The brazen hussy! She was talking banking while the rest of us where looking at those heaving bazooms!"
This week Saudi women voted directly for the first time — without having to go through guardians — in elections for the board of Riyadh's Chamber of Commerce and Industry. They were not able to stand as candidates. Women have also been barred from voting or standing in Saudi Arabia's municipal elections early next year. All males over 21, excluding the armed forces but including prisoners, can vote.Â
Ah, so that's the model the "American Coming Together" and "ACORN" used in Florida!
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/03/2004
12:26:12 AM ||
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#1
..but the countryâs highest religious authority, Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Abdullah al-Sheikh, denounced it and condemned the âshamefulâ mixing of men and women at the conference.
Sorry "Sheikh", but you don't own those women. Don't like what they're doing? Tough titties, dude.
#2
Steve:How long before she's beaten to death by a couple policemen from the Committee to Protect Virtue and Eliminate Vice?
She probably has nothing to fear from the Muttawa.
They're a bunch of cowards who wouldn't attack anyone who is apt to fight back.
#5
Can you imagine one of these guys taking her chair over after she's 'warmed' it? Gives a whole new meaning to the word 'detox'. Wonder if she gets 1/2 the talk time or half the vote, cause you know, she's half a person.
#6
How long before she's beaten to death by a couple policemen from the Committee to Protect Virtue and Eliminate Vice? I wonder how many policemen from CPVEV will have seven bells knocked out of them by burly bodyguards? Such cowards really, really hate to be punching bags themselves.
Palestinian militant Marwan Barghuti would probably be unable to take office if he were to win the January polls, since he remains in an Israeli jail for the rest of his unnatural life, US Secretary of State Colin Powell said on Thursday. "You have an individual who is not available to assume the office, and it seems unlikely that he would be available to assume the office," Powell told Radio Sawa, a US-funded Arabic-language station. "So it would be problematic, if he is on the ballot," Powell said. "He's been certified as an independent, I understand, and if he wins the election then you have elected someone who is not in the position to fill the office."
I seem to recall, I mean I might have this wrong, but I seem to recall that in civilized countries, mass murderers can't be president.
The West Bank Fatah leader, who is serving five life sentences in an Israeli jail for anti-Israeli attacks, filed late Wednesday his candidacy for the January 9 election to replace the late leader Yasser Arafat. "I would assume that the Palestinian people, as they make their decision in the weeks ahead, getting ready for the election on January 9, will consider the consequences of voting for Mr. Barghuti, as opposed to voting for some other candidate," Powell said.
Which means he's a shoo-in.
"It is not for the United States to make a judgment for" the Palestinians, he added.
"Since they have this problem listening to anyone who makes sense."
Barghuti's candidacy, made just five days after he announced he would not run, astonished and angered the dominant Fatah faction, which had already chosen the moderate former Prime Minister Mahmud Abbas as its candidate.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/03/2004
12:22:50 AM ||
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#1
This may surprise RBers, but Israel will almost certainly release him if he is elected. And my money is on him winning. Opinion polls put him way ahead of Abbas. If he does win it will be a severe embarassment to Paleo supporters like the Europeans.
LOL. That should be enough to disqualify him as a viable candidate. He can't be trusted now. You've ruined it for him :)
Posted by: Rafael ||
12/03/2004 1:20
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#5
The Israelis could let Barghuti go after fitting him with a non-removable explosive vest, remotely activated, set on a timer, and with a tamper=proof feature that explodes if messed with. Barghuti would be a walking time bomb, nobody would come near him. Jack the Leper, heh heh heh.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
12/03/2004 1:40
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#6
Phil:
Israel will almost certainly release him if he is elected
I haven't read anything to that effect. Why do you say that? Israel's policy is never to forgive murderers -- and the guy is serving 5 life sentences.
#7
If Barghuti is elected, there will be an enormous pressure (and I don't mean EUros)on Israel to release him.
The whole story illustrates the need to introduce death penalty into Israeli law.
#8
I don't think they would release him. It would be like releasing a rabid dog. It might serve them right, but that danger extends far beyond just those who deserve it.
#9
I imagine he will appoint his Cabinet from amongst his fellow jailbirds, as well. Mahmoud the Jailbird Weasel becomes Mahmoud, Minister of Waste Management.
If he's what the Paleos want, then there won't be peace no matter who gets to be the new duce. Better to have an out and out bad man as leader of your enemy than some slimey, two faced, weasle who knows how to manipulate the media while sticking a shiv in your back.
And since the result will be the same, why waste chips fighting with the Europeans about whether he gets the job or not. Just finish the fence. Israel now has the tactics to pound the Paleos till the cows come home. Tell the Euros that if he starts shooting again, he won't be kept on life support in Ramalah like Arafish. That'd be a lot cheaper than keeping him in jail for another 30 years.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
12/03/2004 10:57
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#12
Debka always claimed keeping him in the slam was to protect him and increase his popularity amongst the pals. A deep laid Jooo plot in other words.
#17
And tries to emulate Paleolithic people, but doesn't have the smarts to make it happen. Hence, they remain always Paleostinians. They have a leadership problem, 'nuff said.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
12/03/2004 13:20
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#18
Paleos are a funny bunch. They choose the most despicable of the lot to be their "leaders," whose job it is to convince the youngest and most gullible that they should kill themselves. Then, these "leaders," in order to protect themselves, hide amongst the people they "serve."
The one hallmark of paleos is self-deception" although it manifests in different ways:
1. "We will push the joooooos into the sea"
2. "We will bring the joooooos to their knees by blowing up their children"
3. "We are peaceloving -- it's the jooooooos who are terrorists"
...Do we now remember the impassable peaks, the snowy haunts of the Taliban that were too high for us, or Kabul, the dreaded graveyard of all imperial expeditions? It was just a few months ago, it seems now, that we were admonished about the fury of retaliation to come for daring to fight during Ramadan, the impossibility of working with a nuclear and Islamic Pakistan, and the Wild West nature of Afghanistan's tribes so impossible to forge into the stuff of consensual government. And it was worse still than all that: the cries on the hard left of millions of refugees to come; the European warning about thousands of dead from indiscriminate American bombing; the need to adjudicate 9/11 by jurisprudence rather than arms; and the crazy conspiracy theories of pipelines, neo-cons, 'Jews,' Likuds, and CIA plots...
Posted by: ed ||
12/03/2004
12:18 ||
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#1
I typically hate to disagree with VDH, but I don't think there's any "forgetting" going on here.
I think it's a whole lot of eyes closed shut on details that completely contradict the cherished world-views of the lefties, UN sycophants, and all the various moonbats who march in WTO protests.
#2
Yet despite them all, and after this bloody month of November, here we are now on the eve of elections â the most unlikely of all events in the last half-century of civilization. Just think of it: In place of the past Hussein mass murdering and the present ogres of Fallujah, we are to witness an effort to jump-start democracy in the heart of the caliphate of old, right between the world's worst two governments in Syria and Iran, amid treacherous folk like the Saudis, Jordanians, and al Jazeera cheering the insurgents on. How did we come this far and get so close, when the unprincipled such as Jacques Chirac shunned the once-wounded democrat Allawi and sent his plane instead to fetch the murderer Arafat â a profiteer in the guise of a 'leader' who hand-in-glove with Saddam Hussein made France billions in Iraq and then lectured about morality to those who slammed the cash register drawer on his stealthy hands. How could we ever contemplate the chance of elections when the Saudis, the Syrians, and the Iranians sent millions of dollars and thousands of jihadists to stop it all â lest the virus of freedom spread?
The man can write. However, I disagree with one thing. He said they can watch from the sidelines as it steamrolls past them. I'd say let it steamroll right over the top of them.
From Jihad Unspun .... At about 10:30am Tuesday an Iraqi Resistance bomb exploded under a US military patrol on Airport Road in the al-Jihad neighborhood of Baghdad. One Bradley armored vehicle was destroyed and two US troops reportedly killed and three others wounded. .... An Iraqi Resistance car bomb exploded next to a US military column in the Duwaylibah area southwest of Baghdad at about 1pm Tuesday, destroying two Bradley armored vehicles and killing nine US troops aboard them. .... At 4:30pm Tuesday, Iraqi Resistance forces destroyed a US Humvee and a GMC car on Airport Road in the al-Furat neighborhood of Baghdad, killing five US troops and severely burning a sixth.
An Iraqi Resistance martyrdom fighter drove a car bomb into a US military column as it was marching along Airport Road near the al-'Amil neighborhood of Baghdad at about 9am Tuesday. The blast destroyed a US Bradley armored vehicle and a GMC command car, killing seven US troops aboard it. .... An bomb exploded under a US Humvee in ar-Ridwaniyah Tuesday, killing four US troops.
Fierce clashes raged on Hayfa Street in Baghdad's al-Karakh district on Tuesday afternoon. In the course of the fighting at about 3:30pm Iraqi Resistance fighters firing RPG7 and RPG8 rockets, disabled three Bradley armored vehicles and an Abrams tank.
Three occupation troops were reportedly killed
and two others wounded. ... At about 5:30pm Tuesday evening, Iraqi Resistance forces destroyed a Bradley armored vehicle near the petrol pump in the al-Bayya' neighborhood of Baghdad. One American soldier was reportedly killed. .... An Iraqi Resistance car bomb exploded next to a US column in the al-Mushahadah area, 40km north of Baghdad, destroying two US military fuel tank trucks, and a Humvee. The blast, at 10am Tuesday, reportedly killed seven US troops.
Iraqi Resistance forces in al-Ishaqi north of at-Taji detonated a bomb under a US Bradley armored vehicle at about 11am Tuesday, destroying the Bradley and killing three US troops and wounding two more. ... At about 3pm Tuesday Iraqi Resistance bombs exploded in the al-Bu 'Ithah area of ad-Durah in Baghdad's southern suburbs, destroying a Humvee and a military fuel tank truck belonging to US occupation forces. The attack left four US troops dead and seriously wounded two other American soldiers.
Iraqi Resistance bombs exploded in the 'Arab Jabbur area of ad-Durah at 4pm Tuesday, destroying a Humvee and disabling a Bradley armored vehicle. Four US troops were reportedly killed and one other wounded. ..... At 4:30pm Tuesday, Iraqi Resistance fighters firing RPG7 rockets attacked US forces in the Hur Rajab area, destroying a Humvee and killing two US troops. .... Iraqi Resistance fighters firing RPG7 rockets attacked a US patrol in the al-Ghazaliyah area at 2:30pm Tuesday, destroying a Bradley armored vehicle and killing three US troops and wounding a fourth.
Iraqi Resistance fighters firing RPG7 rockets attacked a Humvee and a truck loaded with supplies for US troops in the ar-Ridwaniyah area at 2pm Tuesday, destroying the Humvee and the truck and killing six US troops. ....
Iraqi Resistance fighters firing C5K rockets attacked US forces in the al-Mushahadah area of at-Taji north of Baghdad at 3:45pm Tuesday, destroying an American Abrams tank and killing four US troops. .... Iraqi Resistance forces detonated explosives under a US patrol in the Hur al-Basha area of at-Taji north of Baghdad at 3:30pm Tuesday, attacking the Americans with RPG7 rockets. The ambush left two Humvees destroyed and and reportedly killed four US troops and wounded three more. .... Iraqi Resistance forces detonated a bomb and damaged a US military truck in the at-Taji area north of Baghdad on Tuesday. The attack, which took place at 2:15pm reportedly killed one US soldier and wounded a second.
At about 7:45am Tuesday, an Iraqi Resistance bomb exploded on the highway in as-Sayyidiyah south of Baghdad, disabling a Bradley armored vehicle and killing one American soldier and wounding a second. ..... At 8:15am Tuesday, an Iraqi Resistance bomb exploded near the site of the former headquarters of the Iraqi chiefs of staff south of Baghdad, destroying a Humvee and killing three US soldiers. .... At 8:30am an Iraqi Resistance bomb exploded in the path of a US patrol in the al-Khadra' neighborhood of central Baghdad, disabling a GMC vehicle and killing a person aboard it. .... At about noon Tuesday, an Iraqi Resistance bomb exploded under a US Humvee in the al-Mahmudiyah area south of Baghdad, killing three US Marines.
Iraqi Resistance fighters firing C5K rockets attacked a US patrol in the az-Zaydan area of Abu Ghurayb at about 9am Tuesday, destroying a Bradley armored vehicle and killing four US troops and wounding a fifth. At 9:30am Tuesday, Iraqi Resistance fighters detonated bombs under a US patrol on the highway in Abu Ghurayb, and then attacked with RPG7 rockets, destroying a Humvee and a civilian supply truck and killing five US troops. At about 12:30pm Tuesday, an Iraqi Resistance bomb exploded west of Abu Ghurayb, destroying a Humvee and killing two US troops and wounding a third. Iraqi Resistance forces attacked US troops in the Kharnabat area of Abu Ghurayb, destroying a Bradley armored vehicle and a truck loaded with supplies, killing one US soldier and wounding five others. ....
At 5pm Tuesday evening, an Iraqi Resistance bomb exploded under a US military patrol in the al-Jannabiyin area near al-Latifiyah, disabling an Abrams tank and wounding two US troops. At about 5:15pm Tuesday, Iraqi Resistance forces detonated a bomb in the as-Sayyid 'Abdallah area of al-Latifiyah, destroying a Humvee and killing three US troops and seriously wounding two others.
An Iraqi Resistance martyrdom fighter drove a car bomb into a US Marine command post in al-Latifiyah, 25km south of Baghdad at about 7:30am Tuesday, destroying one Bradley armored vehicle and disabling another. The blast also destroyed two Humvees, killing 12 US troops aboard them. Three others were wounded in the attack. Five Iraqi civilians were also hurt to varying degrees. .....
At about 11:30am Tuesday, Iraqi Resistance forces detonated a bomb and opened fire with RPG7 rockets destroyed an American armored personnel carrier in the Anilha area in al-Latifiyah. Six US Marines were reportedly killed in the attack. ....
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
12/03/2004
12:11:33 AM ||
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Dang, I wonder why all this didn't make it to the American press. They're probably all on Bush's side.
#2
Mike, I'm beginning to think all this Jihad Unspun stuff is kinda like what Mike from The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress called a "funny once."
I suspect that by now roughly half the readers of this site could do a better job of writing a "Jihad Unspun" press release than "Jihad Unspun" do themselves.
Posted by: Phil Fraering ||
12/03/2004 0:21
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#3
sniff..... I sure miss Bagdad Bob..... sniff....
I give this a one the Bagdad Bob scale. No roasting stomachs, no slaughtering themselves..... what a pretender....
This sort of news is taken as gospel in parts of the world. Much like CNN is taken as gospel elsewhere. It's worth being aware of.
The only thing missing is the reports of U.S. soldiers converting to Islam and carrying out suicide bombings on their former colleagues. Azzam had such apocryphal stories about Russian soldiers during the second Chechen war.
You...you...you mean it's not?!?!? But, but Judy Woodruff said so...I feel cheated.
This sort of news is taken as gospel in parts of the world.
You may, or may not know how true that is. I hear it every day. You can add the much vaunted French press as well. It's not just Al-Jiz that gets all the scoops you know.
Posted by: Rafael ||
12/03/2004 0:57
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#9
In the Islamofascist hotbeds of the world; Riyadh, Islamobad, Dearborn; thousands of young heroes read these reports and take heart at the jihad's endless triumph and success. The message is clear: glory and loot await in the streets of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan. They are inspired to join in while there is still honor to be had, before all the Americans are killed. Spirits soaring, some will make the right contacts, buy their tickets, and march off singing to Iraq or Afghanistan, never to be seen again.
#14
Wow, Mike, you're really pushing for the asshat award this week. I'm getting quite fond of Aris in comparison. At least he brings facts, logic, and insight to the table. And though he can harp on fine shades of meaning, I'm not convinced that you've even got the overall picture.
Posted by: Tom ||
12/03/2004 9:32
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#15
"Can someone setup a travel agency that would facilitate precisely that?" Sobiesky
We have, after a fashion. It's the US marines. Also note that these media reports keep the stream into the kill box flowing.
Posted by: Dave ||
12/03/2004 9:32
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#16
The silver lining in all of this is that CNN, BBC, Al Jazz, BSunspun, etc., though still effective, have put a stake to the heart of the myth that if you read it in print it must be true. News in the 21st century will no longer be considered "news", as we once knew it, but rather, gossip to be verified - like the Globe or Sun.
#17
Redrum! REDRUM! *slap* Um--sorry... Forgot my meds this morning.
Posted by: Dar ||
12/03/2004 9:49
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#18
What I appreciate is Mike highlighting every sentence with the word kill in it
Hey - it takes WORK to ignore any real standards for factuality and focus on the ARTISTIC impact of the "information" coming out of Jihad Unspun.
Because it's all about how we FEEL, not about those white Eurocentric masculine fascist concepts like .... facts.
Posted by: too true ||
12/03/2004 9:54
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#19
Thanks for posting this tripe on pg 1 Mikey. Cripes, I guess I can make up Anti-American stuff and post it on pg 1 too
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/03/2004 10:20
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#20
Okay folks -- it's not appropriate to hammer Mike on this one. I approved the article last night. I thought it was humorous to see the JU boys spin about the Heroes of Islamâ¢, when in fact we know the truth. Don't know which editor put Baghdad Bob's puss on the article but it's appropriate. Highlighting all the claimed deaths of US personnel heightens the absurdity of the claims.
I have to say, I chuckled quite a while after reading it. Thanks, Mike.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/03/2004 10:47
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#21
Last Saturday JUS picked up an OP/ED piece by noted Boston Globe asshat columnist Derrick Z. Jackson. Derrick must've been so proud to be officially recogized as an anti-American propogandist. Big brownie points at the Globe for that.
#22
Actually, Steve, I think it *is* appropriate to hammer Mike S. on this one. With one exception (his comment re: Kojo Anan today) he has yet, in all his posts, to follow up and acknowledge when what he posts doesn't fit the facts as later determined.
I'd be more sympathetic if there was any real evidence he cares about factuality .... any inserted comments noting the "reportedly" that appears in this one over and over again (weasel words) ... any skepticism about JUS that comes close to his credulity on a number of topics ...
Posted by: too true ||
12/03/2004 16:12
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#23
by these statistics, I calculate that the US has roughly a bazillion troops in Iraq (give or take), not the reported 125,000
#24
I don't run Rantburg, but I would think that JU is as worthy of inclusion as the North Korean offical bulletins. OK, perhaps not as hilarious, but still important to new visitors to show what people around the world are getting as "news." No wonder XX% have an unfavorable opinion of the USA.
There are a lot of reasons to hammer MS, but this isn't one of them.
The website of the commentary was founded by an apostate from Islam (Ibn Warraq)and is skeptical of attempts to humanize Islam (Ibn Warrqaq says 'you can be a good person or a good Muslim but not both')Kamal
Nawash is a Palestinian immigrant to the US, an attorney, and founder and president of the Free Muslim Coalition Against Terrorism (FMCAT), a Virginia-based non-profit organization "made up of American Muslims and Arabs of all backgrounds who feel that religious violence and terrorism have not been fully rejected by the Muslim community in the post 9-11 era."... The Coalition was created to eliminate broad base support for Islamic extremism and terrorism and to strengthen secular democratic institutions in the Middle East and the Muslim World by supporting Islamic reformation efforts....
[this is the commentary] Gratifying as it may be to watch Muslims grovel for what happened on 9/11, the gratification is emphatically not worth the price. The aim of the current war is victory over an enemy, not emotional satisfaction in the self-abasement of those quixotically inclined to engage in it. If Muslims are sufficiently ashamed of their religion to regard its tenets as implicated in terrorism, they should stop apologizing and abandon it. If they insist that Islam is not implicated in 9/11, they should practice it in a way that is compatible with individual rights, and fight those who practice it differently. But in neither case do they have any business "apologizing" for 9/11.
Nawash's apology is a pointless attempt to occupy the middle ground between a mortified rejection of Islam and an unapologetic allegiance to it. But there is no such ground. The apology is also a perhaps unwitting subversion of what an apology is actually supposed to be. It should, with all due respect, be marked "return to sender."
Irfan Khawaja [commentator] is adjunct professor of philosophy at The College of New Jersey, Montclair State University, and Felician College.
#2
Zhang-Yep, same template-lash out at Bush when the problem is rooted in his own roost (remember Putin's attack on the West after Beslan).
This should initiate an adjustment in President Bush's 'soul' esteem, if Putin's betrayal of us in Iraq hadn't already done so. Putin is a very powerful man with a stained political history and a blackbelt in the art of corruption.
#5
e-larson, so true. It's no surprise this comes out the same day he says he's going to bomb outside their borders.
Putin always says something outrageous about the US on the same day he slips other bombshells into the press. Must be his new favorite shiny keys tactic.
#6
I used to think Putin was a pretty good guy till his backdoor antics in Iraq were disclosed.
He's just another little shit from a little shit government sticking his nose where it doesent belong. He is in bed with Chirac. Anything these two dopes can do to sidetrack the War and Peace effort in Iraq they will try. Just another way to try and cover their asses in their illegal dealings with Saddam. And have you ever seen such a hipocrit ?? " Putin also criticized the West for setting double-standards on terrorism, pursuing Islamic fundamentalists in Afghanistan (news - web sites) and Iraq while giving refuge to "terrorists" demanding Chechnya (news - web sites)'s independence from Russia. " I dont remember Bush ( or Clinton for that matter ) making under the table deals with Chechnan Terrorists. The little russian hound has made deals with Saddam, Iran, and who the hell else knows, and then has the balls to accuse the Bush of a double standard. Bush is probably laughing in his boots. Communist Rat Bastard !!!!
#7
Various EU countries, including the UK, have been giving asylum to Chechnian leaders. Not sure which ones and why, but I can see why the Russkis wouldn't like that.
On the other hand, there's a lot to dislike in Putin's tyrannical regime.
#8
He rounded on Britain for giving asylum to Akhmed Zakayev and the United States for giving refuge to Ilyas Akhmadov, spokesmen for Chechen separatist leader Aslan Maskhadov.
"Providing safe haven and support to terrorists, their accomplices and sponsors actually serves as a justification and, indeed, an encouragement of their crimes," Putin said.
Well, he's got a point there.
Posted by: Rafael ||
12/03/2004 15:47
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sticking his nose where it doesent belong.
You mean, sort of like Colin Powell denouncing Ukraine's elections?? Elections that would have put Putin's man in power, in Putin's sphere of influence. You can sort of understand why Putin would have a burr under his saddle right now. First Ukraine, then Belarus...where will it stop?
Posted by: Rafael ||
12/03/2004 15:56
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#10
"sort of understand ", " Well, he's got a point there "
fuckem !!
#11
He rounded on Britain for giving asylum to Akhmed Zakayev and the United States for giving refuge to Ilyas Akhmadov, spokesmen for Chechen separatist leader Aslan Maskhadov.
"Providing safe haven and support to terrorists, their accomplices and sponsors actually serves as a justification and, indeed, an encouragement of their crimes," Putin said.
Well, he's got a point there
Time for RB university to go into action. Can anyone summarize the cases for and against Maskadov? IIUC, the he was prez when Def Minister Basayev launched his attack on Dagestan, and other nefarious activities. Maskadov has always said Basayev had gone rogue, and he (maskadov) was not responsible for Basayevs acts, at the time, or since. Russkies say otherwise. Brits apparently dont consider this proof, nor does the US. Any further elaboration?
An apparent bid by extremists to assassinate Iraqi interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi on Friday was foiled after police arrested three suspected Iraqi terrorists, German Federal Prosecutor Kay Nehm said. "We saw a considerable threat to Allawi," he said at a news conference, adding: "There were increasing indications an attack was being planned." German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder met Allawi in Berlin amid tight security after police earlier on Friday stormed nine apartments and business in Berlin, Stuttgart and Augsburg, arresting three members of the banned terrorist group Ansar al-Islam.
Ansar incorporates al-Tawhid, which was Zaqawi's Euromob...
Nehm declined to say if those arrested had planned a bomb attack but he said telephone taps had alerted authorities and that parts of Allawi's two-day visit had been cancelled. Among events scrapped were a welcoming ceremony with military honours for Allawi in the chancellery courtyard as well as planned meeting with German business leaders. Nehm said police had been observing Ansar al-Islam members in Germany since December 2003 and that comments by one of suspects in Stuttgart tipped them off to the targeting of the Allawi visit.
"The apostate must be killed!"
"Ja, Fritz, I'd call that a tipoff!"
"I'll get the car!"
Investigations were continuing but so far nothing had been found which could have been used in an attack, said Nehm.
Catch-and-release, coming up...
Nehm declined to give any details on the three men arrested other than to say that they were Iraqi nationals. The three will be taken before a judge Saturday who will decide if they can be detained. He added that the trio appeared to have made an "ad hoc" decision to attack the Iraqi leader and there did not seem to have been any long-term planning.
"Mahmoud, do y'wanna go bowling tomorrow?"
"I dunno. We went bowling last week. Let's kill Allawi instead!"
"Good idea!"
Little concrete seemed to have come out of the talks with Schroeder offering Allawi training for bomb disposal experts.
That's not concrete enough? What's 'concrete'?
Germany strongly opposed the 2003 Iraq war and Schroeder has declined to send troops to Iraq. "It makes no sense to talk about the past. We all are aware of the different positions we had," said the German leader. Schroeder said Germany wanted to build on its training of Iraqi police and army officers being carried out in the United Arab Emirates and would be willing to expand this to include ordnance disposal. Germany has considerable expertise in this field but Schroeder stressed that safety concerns dictated training take place at German military bases - not in Iraq. Schroeder also pledged to set up German-Iraqi Chamber of Industry and Commerce and said German and Iraqi business leaders would meet in Germany either in late February or early March to finalise details. "We believe more can be done and we will do this where it is possible," said the chancellor. Allawi welcomed Schroeder's comments, adding: "Germany could play a big role in the reconstruction of Iraq."
Germany would do itself a big favor if they could figure out a way to get all these slackers off the dole and into an honest day's work. These wannabes have WAY too much time on their hands.
Posted by: Seafarious ||
12/03/2004
11:37:54 AM ||
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#4
If we met the Aztecs in 2004, the Left would demand that we ask ourselves why Aztecs are so angry at us. And we'd have Aztec sensitivity training for the FBI. And kids in school would learn about the wonderful Aztec religion as well as celebrate its sacrificial parties.
Carthage was destroyed. Aztecs were eliminated. Nazis were crushed. Bushido Japan got to test our nuclear bombs. And the Moslems...
#5
mojo: Yeah, nice folks, the Aztecs. That's why when Cortez showed up, all their neighbors were happy to help wipe them out.
The people profiled in the article are the predecessors of the Aztecs. When the Aztecs showed up, they discovered the abandoned (and burned) city. Turns out the Aztecs weren't much worse than their predecessors. Leave it to CNN to whitewash the history of the Aztecs - no mention is made of their equivalent atrocities, which included the practice of dining on the hearts of enemy captives by cutting them out while the victims were still alive.
#7
Ritual human sacrifice was a BIG part of all Meso-American religion: they all did it to some degree. The Aztecs carried it to its "logical" extreme - grotesque, nightmarish rituals (google "xipe totec" for a taste), many including children, on a scale never before seen.
The classic Maya were more "refined" - i.e. they didn't rip beating hearts out of living people.
Instead, they took noble captives of battle and tortured them publicly for extended periods before cutting off their heads ... sounds eerily familiar. *SIGH* Some things never change.
If this was posted earlier, please delete.
Amid a debate over the use of misinformation by the U.S. military, the Pentagon says it is investigating an October incident in which a Marine spokesman gave CNN misleading information about an attack on the Iraqi city of Falluja. In an October 14 interview from Iraq, 1st Lt. Lyle Gilbert announced that a major U.S. military operation was under way in Falluja -- three weeks before the offensive that eventually recaptured the city began. A senior Pentagon official told CNN that Gilbert's remarks were "technically true but misleading." It was an attempt to get CNN "to report something not true," the official said.... Yeah, that last remark was not meant to be a joke. But let's talk about misleading: Judy Woodruff reporting that the insurgency in Iraq is increasing, and at the same time showing pictures of combat operations from weeks, months, or who knows how long ago. Of course, this is supposed to give the impression that full-scale warfare is happening every day and night in Iraq. And they have the @#$^% to complain about the Pentagon providing misleading information???
Posted by: Rafael ||
12/03/2004
1:11:01 AM ||
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#1
Add to this the dreaded "e" word, escalation, and Judy is already having flashbacks of Vietnam. How friggin pathetic.
Posted by: Rafael ||
12/03/2004 1:15
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..the Pentagon says it is investigating an October incident in which a Marine spokesman gave CNN misleading information about an attack on the Iraqi city of Falluja.
Unless it's illegal to give false information to a news service, I don't see what the problem is. The military's plans are no one else's business but their own, and it is up to them to decide how and what they're going to reveal, if they want to, when they want to. End of story.
#3
So, only terrorists and totalitarians should be able to manipulate the media? Oh, that's right, it isn't manipulation when it is voluntary. These complaints emanate from the same shills who systematically concealed Saddam's crimes for a decade in the holy name of access. Now, they are outraged at a single incident of manipulation whose purpose was not to conceal atrocities for the sake of ratings, but to save the lives of American and Iraqi soldiers. The arrogance of these media beasts is unequalled in human history. They are a disease, a blight, a cancer on the Earth. The sooner they are eradicated, the sooner human progress can resume.
#4
The facts appear to be Lt. Gilbert said something which was true. The reporter's ignorance resulted in s/he mis-interpreting the statement. The Lt. is at fault for not properly appreciating the extent of the reporter's ignorance or taking sufficient action to alleviate that ignorance.
What is breathtaking is CNN publicizing this in the belief it's news. So I humbly suggest Fred change the headline to - CNN demands military compensates for their reporter's ignorance.
#5
Scott Ott at Scrappleface is on top of this one with CNN Duped by Pentagon Into Portraying Iraq as 'Quagmire' "It makes me wonder whether things are going as badly in Iraq as we've been reporting," said one CNN producer.Ya gotta love Ott for his great satire.
#6
If CNN does not want to lose what little credibility they have left amongst the folks, they'd better be careful about how they pursue this. They tend to forget that most Americans have a deep love of their military and will almost always side with the military more then the media.
#7
Am I the only one who thinks that the CNN reporters are all retirees from the Playboy mansion or Chipendales? Button up their collars and give them a pair of geeky looking glasses and viola! A CNN reporter. It would certainly explain why they are all such a bunch of airheads.
#8
If Lt. Gilbert saved one soldier or Marine from a hangnail by head-faking the jihadis, then the only debate should be over whether he gets the Bronze Star.
Posted by: Matt ||
12/03/2004 12:03
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#9
The newsies are pissed because they are shown to be ignorant, gullable, not resouceful, and just plain stupid. Like the Russians say, "Tough Schitskis."
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
12/03/2004 13:14
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#10
When did lying to a nosy newsie become a no-no?
At least ten foreign military instructors in operations with explosives have been killed in Chechnya recently, spokesman for the federal forces in the North Caucasus Ilya Shabalkin told Interfax on Friday. Most of them are citizens of Turkey, Canada, Algeria and Britain, Shabalkin said. According to intelligence available to law enforcement agencies, their poor qualifications and errors in assembling and planting home-made bombs causes the death of five to seven militants each month, he said. Most of them are young people aged 16-20, who were entangled in the activities of illegal armed groups through threats, deceit or promises of large payments, he said.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
12/03/2004
1:05:34 PM ||
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The final is 4 December in Sanya, China. In the interest of better world fellowship, there is a list of all the contestants at the link. Clink on each name for tasteful photos. Miss USA is the current betting favorite, followed by China, India, Antigua, and Mexico. Thanks to Power Line, which also has a group photo. Happy Friday!
Posted by: Steve ||
12/03/2004
10:49:45 AM ||
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#1
GOD I love Rantburg.
Posted by: Jonathan ||
12/03/2004 12:06
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#2
What no Miss Iran?
It's Miss Gibraltar.
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
12/03/2004 13:07
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#3
er...maybe it's the pic quality, but those legs look a little hairy....very nice, otherwise!
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/03/2004 13:32
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#4
Nice swimsuit, too-- hey wait a second, that's MY swimsuit! Whaddaya whaddaya?!
As has happened before the household survey shows a far bigger job increase than the payroll survey (last month the payroll survey was bigger however).
Employment rose in November, and the unemployment rate, at 5.4 percent, was essentially unchanged, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Nonfarm payroll employment increased by 112,000 over the month, with job gains in several service-providing industries.
Unemployment (Household Survey Data)
Both the number of unemployed persons, 8.0 million, and the unemployment rate, 5.4 percent, were about unchanged in November.... Total employment in November grew by 483,000 to 140.3 million...the proportion of the population age 16 and over with jobs--edged up to 62.5 percent. The civilian labor force rose by 439,000 in November to 148.3 million... It turned out that the economy matter less than I expected in the election. Partially because this was the one area in which the MSM actually pointed out Kerry's errors and misleading statements after the 2nd debate. However, an increase in the total number of jobs is vital if Bush's economic initiatives are to succeed and for the growth in the national debt to decrease.
Posted by: mhw ||
12/03/2004
10:41:51 AM ||
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BBC World said on Friday that an interview it ran with a man it identified as a spokesman for Dow Chemical Co, in which he said the U.S. company accepted responsibility for India's Bhopal disaster, was wrong and part of an "elaborate deception."
Or as CBS would say, "Fake, but accurate".
A spokeswoman for Dow Chemical in Switzerland also confirmed that the report was wrong. The BBC had earlier twice run an interview with a man it identified as Dow Chemical spokesman Jude Finisterra, who said the company accepted full responsibility for the disaster 20 years ago in the central Indian city of Bhopal.
Finisterra (Finis Terra) - Latin for "end of the earth."
This would have represented a major policy reversal for Dow Chemical which has said it has no responsibility for the Bhopal disaster. "This morning at 9 GMT, (and at) 10 GMT, BBC World ran an interview with someone purporting to be from the Dow Chemical Company about Bhopal," the BBC said on its latest news bulletin. "This information was inaccurate, part of an elaborate deception. The person did not represent the company. We want to make it clear the information he gave was entirely inaccurate." BBC World had earlier said the interview took place in Paris. It was aired on the 20th anniversary of the Bhopal disaster, when more than 3,500 died after lethal gas escaped from a chemical plant in Bhopal. The factory was owned by Union Carbide, now a subsidiary of Dow Chemical. A Dow spokeswoman, speaking from Switzerland, told BBC World that Finisterra was not a Dow employee. "Dow confirms there was no basis whatsoever for this report," Marina Ashanin said. "We also confirm Jude Finisterra is neither an employee nor a spokesperson for Dow."
"Jude who? Never heard of him."
"The bottom-line is this is not true," a spokesman for Dow Chemical in Zurich told Reuters. A spokesman for Union Carbide also told Reuters the report was false. The BBC gave no further details.
Posted by: Steve ||
12/03/2004
10:37:47 AM ||
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#1
The real clue was when Finisterra concluded the interview with "Bababooey"...
#4
Back in 1990, NBC ran an interview with a supposed Marine reservist who had turned consciencious objector and refused service in Desert Shield. The alleged deserter made a standard peacenik speech for the accommodating talking heads, with grave nods of approval from Bryant "flying saucer" Gumbel in particular.
The name he gave? Eric Blair (George Orwell's real name).
I am fond of saying that Joseph Goebbels invented the activist media. This is not hyperbole, exaggeration, or useless invective, it is the sober and obvious truth. Thanks to the internet, millions are becoming aware of it. The MSM criminal culture is living on borrowed time.
#5
It is a bitter irony that, in former times, the BBC itself was the instigator, rather than the credulous victim, of what many consider the greatest journalistic hoax of all time, the Swiss Spaghetti Harvest documentary of 1957.
(Swiss worker harvesting spaghetti, from BBC Panorama, April 1, 1957)
#6
Oh boy, AC. That link explains a lot. DAMN THE BBC!!! DAMN THEM TO HELL!!!!
"Did spaghetti really grow on trees, they wanted to know. Others were eager to learn how they could grow their own spaghetti tree. To this the BBC reportedly replied that they should 'place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best.'"
So all those hours in all those years spent blending purees and mixing in different ratios of sand and perlite were wasted?! Mamma mia! Wait till I tell the neighbours. Hey, maybe my Italian friends will finally stop sniggering at me.
SCOTT McKie and Victoria Anderson were looking forwards to a life of wedded bliss as they tied the knot. But an hour and a half - and a series of drunken assaults - later, divorce was looming fast.
"I do!"
"I do!"
"Bitch!"
"Arsehole!"
"I want a divorce!"
The tale of what has been billed one of Britain's least successful ever marriages ended with 23-year-old McKie being dragged from his own wedding reception by police, newspapers reported today.
I hate it when that happens, don't you?
"The party was just ruined!"
According to the reports, the happy marriage lasted for all of 90 minutes before Anderson, enraged at a drunken toast to the bridesmaids by her new husband at their reception, violently hit him over the head with an ashtray.
"Take this, you bastard! KAPOW!"
He responded by taking a hat-stand at the pub in a suburb of Manchester, northwest England, where the party was taking place, and hurling it towards the bar "like a javelin", according to witnesses.
"Look out! He's got a hatstand!"
Police were called and McKie headbutted one officer and punched another before being dragged to the cells, at which point 40-year-old Anderson cancelled their honeymoon and began divorce proceedings.
"Hello, Mom? We're not going to Bermuda!"
The sorry tale was recounted at Manchester Crown Court, where McKie pleaded guilty to a series of charges including attempted wounding and assault, receiving a community service punishment. McKie's lawyer told the court that everyone involved had been "very, very drunk at the time".
Gee, I never would have guessed.
Posted by: Steve ||
12/03/2004
10:30:39 AM ||
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"Do you, Britney, take this, uh, man, to be your lawfully wedded husband, form this minute forward, . . ."
Posted by: Mike ||
12/03/2004 10:58
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Damn, sorry I missed that reception. Add some RPG's and AK's firing in the air and it would've had everything...
#10
I'm planning on visiting the Neville Chamberlain Monument on my next trip to the UK.
Apparently the people of Birmingham (England) do actually have a Neville Chamberlain sculpture hidden away: details here. It was unveiled in 1937, 22 years after he'd been elected Lord Mayor of the city. I don't recall ever seeing one of him in London. There are plenty of monuments to Churchill around, natch.
I'm guessin' Night Court.
I don't think we have night courts (I could be wrong -there may possibly be some in the biggest cities, like Manchester). Most likely he spent the night in the cells cooling off and was dragged up before Hizonna in the morning.
US army Sergeant Hasan Akbar, accused of a grenade attack that killed two 101st Airborne Division troops and hurt 14 others in Kuwait in 2003, faces a court martial April 4, a military spokesman said today. "His court martial starts April 4," spokeswoman Jackie Thomas of the 18th Airborne Corps in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, said. Akbar, a recent convert to Islam who belonged to a logistics unit of the 101st, is accused of premeditated murder and faces the death penalty. The sergeant, who was 32 at the time of the incident, was jailed after it emerged that four grenades were missing from his tent. Grenades were hurled in the middle of the night at two officers' tents on March 22, 2003 at a camp housing the 101st near the border between Iraq and Kuwait, during the early days of the US military offensive in Iraq. A spokesman for his unit said he had had prior disciplinary problems.
Posted by: Steve ||
12/03/2004
10:18:45 AM ||
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Hang the bastard and let his body rot in the sun, right in the main square of Baghdad!
An Islamist website carried a statement in which the al-Qaeda linked group of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi claimed Friday's double attacks in Baghdad that killed at least 26 people. "The lions of the al-Qaeda Group of Jihad in the Country of Two Rivers struck the lairs of the apostates who cheaply sold off their religion and honour," it said, in a statement whose authenticity was impossible to verify. It referred to attacks on police in al-Adhamiya district of the Iraqi capital and al-Saydiya post in the al-Amel area that medics and interior ministry officials in Baghdad said killed a total of at least 26 people. "The lions attacked the Al-Saydiya post and killed all those at the scene, apart from two who managed to escape," the statement said. The assailants "set ablaze six parked police vehicles and took all the equipment" from the post, said the group, whose leader is the most wanted man in Iraq with a $25-million bounty on his head. The al-Qaeda group gave no details on a suicide car bombing in Al-Adhamiya, but added that two police patrols were also attacked in Baghdad on Friday and all the members killed.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
12/03/2004
1:01:59 PM ||
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The attacks were suicide bombers hitting a Shiite Mosque.
Bernard Kerik - chosen by President Bush to protect the US from security threats - is no stranger to danger. The nominee to head the Department of Homeland Security, known as "Bernie" to his friends and colleagues, has worked in the fields of law enforcement and security for decades. Mr Kerik is a tough-talking former street cop and undercover narcotics officer. His background is very different to that of Tom Ridge whom he will be replacing.
While Mr Ridge is a Harvard-educated, former congressman and governor of Pennsylvania, Mr Kerik's story is one of a battle against the odds to become New York City's top cop and then the country's head of domestic security. Growing up in a tough neighbourhood of Paterson, New Jersey, no one would have known that he would go on to lead one of the biggest police forces in the world, winning plaudits for overseeing the police department's heroic efforts in the wake of the 11 September 2001 terror attacks. His mother had abandoned him as a toddler and he spent his childhood in the homes of relatives and friends until his father was awarded custody. It was not until decades later, while writing his memoirs, that he discovered his mother had been an alcoholic prostitute who had been murdered in Ohio.
Mr Kerik dropped out of high school to join the army, where he became a military policeman stationed in South Korea. After a few years, he left to work as a security expert in the Middle East, including a stint with the Saudi royal family. But he had always wanted to be a policeman and it was to the New York Police Department that he turned. He joined the force in 1986 as a street cop and became a star undercover narcotics detective who helped bring down members of Colombia's Cali cartel. In 1991, he was awarded the NYPD Medal of Valor for his role in a shoot-out during a drugs bust in Washington Heights.
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Posted by: tipper ||
12/03/2004
10:11:55 AM ||
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#1
I have the hardback edition of Bernie Kerik's book 'The Lost Son'. The book is well worth reading, more so since the President has chosen Mr. Kerik as headman of Homeland Security.
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
12/03/2004 12:46
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My concern He is a NYPD guy. NYPD=gun grabbers.
Hundreds of thousands of Muslims have gathered in Bangladesh for what is considered the faith's second largest congregation after the Hajj pilgrimage.
"Big party at Mahmoud's house!"
The three-day Biswa Ijtema, or Islamic prayer meeting, is taking place in Tongi, just outside the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka.
Oboy! A tent meeting! Pass the snakes!
Organisers expect two million devotees from 65 countries by Sunday. Islamic scholars are reciting and explaining verses from the Koran and delivering sermons.
"Come one, come all! Spittle for everyone!"
The BBC's Waliur Rahman in Dhaka says discussions on politics are banned in the meeting and many sermons will call for world peace.
At least in public, anyway.
"Arrr! Kill all the infidels an' then we'll have some whirled peas!"
Scholars and theologians will show how the holy book of Islam shuns violence, organisers say.
You keep saying that long enough maybe someone will believe you. That is, if they can hear you above the sound of the explosions and gunfire.
The sermons are being delivered in several languages, including Arabic, Bengali and Urdu. Police said security had been increased in the area of makeshift tents constructed from jute sacks that cover 160 acres on the banks of the river Turag. Thousands of uniformed and plain-clothed security personnel as well as sniffer dogs have been deployed in and around the venue.
What's the over/under on the final bodycount?
Mohammad Rowshan Monir, of the event's organising committee, said: "So far the event has run smoothly but it is a massive logistical exercise." One Bangladeshi devotee, Golam Motin Talukder, 55, told the AFP news agency: "I came here to be righteous and to gain salvation. It is important because here we can be united with other Muslims in solidarity and equality." Another, Mohammed Nurujjaman, 22, said: "I came here to reform myself so I can be a proper Muslim." On Sunday, a mass prayer meeting will be held, attended by Bangladeshi Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, President Iajuddin Ahmed and the leader of the main opposition Awami League, Sheikh Hasina Wajed. Only the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia is thought to attract more Muslims.
Posted by: Steve ||
12/03/2004
10:01:04 AM ||
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What's the expression: never wank a pig - you both look dirty and the pig enjoys it? Heh, something along those lines.
"Many viewers complained to the government's Office of Communications (Affectum) that this was 'akin to bestiality', while a leading animal charity condemned the scenes as 'morbid and sordid'"
These are the sort of contemptible, clueless urban c**** who have managed to get foxhunting banned in the UK. Of all the everyday rural activities you could watch on TV concerning interactions between humans and animals, I'd wager manual stimulation of pigs is one of the very least traumatic for the animal concerned. The only dumb animal I feel slightly sorry for here is Rebecca. She really shouldn't be humiliating herself - she's utterly, utterly crap in front of a camera. Even when she's tossing off a boar, I'm sure.
#9
Opening bids to cut into al-Jazeera TV and run it: ? Just think of all the simultaneous coronaries, self-whippings, forehead slashings this could bring on.
Why can't embedded reporters be in the right place at the right time!
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.
South Korea's President Roh Moo-hyun has warned the US not to drive North Korea into a corner by taking too aggressive an approach.
Kofi Annan must be wondering whose dog he shot. A right-wing mob is gathering around him, howling for his head. And why? Because the gentle and generally accommodating leader of the United Nations has, as New York Times columnist William Safire recently put it, "brought dishonor on the Secretariat of the United Nations" through mismanagement of the U.N.'s "oil-for-food" scandal. The secretary-general must have been surprised indeed to learn that Safire and the anti-U.N. crowd hold the organization's honor so dearly.
Madrid's main court has ordered a Spaniard suspected of providing the explosives used in the deadly 11 March bomb blasts in the capital to be put under preventative detention. The warrant from the court said 
A series of blasts has rocked the Spanish capital, Madrid, following a bomb warning from armed Basque separatist group, Eta, police say. The explosions occurred at petrol stations on the outskirts of the city as travellers left for the weekend. Police say the blasts, which followed an anonymous phone call, were minor, and no injuries have been reported.
PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH has chosen Bernard Kerik, the former New York police commissioner who helped to oversee the response to the September 11 attacks, to run the Department of Homeland Security. Mr Kerik, 49, will take over from Tom Ridge, who resigned this week. Mr Kerik's path to the top anti-terrorism position, replacing Tom Ridge, has been anything but conventional. A moustachioed, upright character who began his anti-terrorism career as a private security officer in Saudi Arabia, Mr Kerik won national fame in the ashes of the World Trade Center, and often appeared at the side of the former Mayor, Rudolph Guiliani, to discuss the bloodshed.
Palestinian militant Marwan Barghuti would probably be unable to take office if he were to win the January polls, since he remains in an Israeli jail 
.... At about 10:30am Tuesday an Iraqi Resistance bomb exploded under a US military patrol on Airport Road in the al-Jihad neighborhood of Baghdad. One Bradley armored vehicle was destroyed and two US troops reportedly killed and three others wounded. .... An Iraqi Resistance car bomb exploded next to a US military column in the Duwaylibah area southwest of Baghdad at about 1pm Tuesday, destroying two Bradley armored vehicles and killing nine US troops aboard them. .... At 4:30pm Tuesday, Iraqi Resistance forces destroyed a US Humvee and a GMC car on Airport Road in the al-Furat neighborhood of Baghdad, killing five US troops and severely burning a sixth.
At least ten foreign military instructors in operations with explosives have been killed in Chechnya recently, spokesman for the federal forces in the North Caucasus Ilya Shabalkin told Interfax on Friday. Most of them are citizens of Turkey, Canada, Algeria and Britain, Shabalkin said. According to intelligence available to law enforcement agencies, their poor qualifications and errors in assembling and planting home-made bombs causes the death of five to seven militants each month, he said. Most of them are young people aged 16-20, who were entangled in the activities of illegal armed groups through threats, deceit or promises of large payments, he said.
Miss World-2003, Rosanna Davison of Ireland
Rosanna gets a kiss from her proud mother and father
