Residents of a southern Somalia town who do not pray five times a day will be beheaded, an Islamic courts official said Wednesday, adding the edict will be implemented in three days.
Public places such as shops and tea houses in Bulo Burto, about 124 miles northeast of the capital, Mogadishu, should be closed during prayer time and no one should be on the streets, said Sheik Hussein Barre Rage, the chairman of the town's Islamic court.
Those who do not follow this edict "will definitely be beheaded according to Islamic law," Rage told The Associated Press by phone. "As Muslims, we should practice Islam fully, not in part, and that is what our religion enjoins us to do."
He said that the courts are announcing the edict over loudspeakers in the town.
The decision is not binding on courts in other towns. Somalia's Islamic courts have made varying interpretations of Quranic law, some applying a more strict and radical version of Islamic law than others.
As a result of such disparate variations, residents in the capital of Mogadishu complained, forcing the Council of Islamic Courts officials in October to set up an appeals court with better-educated judges.
The Council of Islamic Courts have swept through most of southern Somalia since taking over Mogadishu in June.
Their sometimes strict and often severe interpretation of Islam has raised the specter of Afghanistan's ousted Taliban regime, and contrasts with the moderate Islam that has dominated Somali culture for centuries.
Some of the courts have introduced public executions, floggings of convicts, bans on women swimming at Mogadishu's public beaches, and the sale and chewing of khat, a leafy stimulant consumed across the Horn of Africa and in the Middle East.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/06/2006 12:45 ||
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#1
The Bad Guys are giving lessons in just how bad this is going to get. Somalia today -- tomorrow?
(SomaliNet) The Sudanese government has made its final rejection of a joint U.N.-African peacekeeping force in Darfur and
Analysts say thousands more Sudanese civilians will die and many more will be forced to flee their homes unless the West can somehow muster strong sanctions against Sudan's government.
analysts say Sudanese civilians will be the ones to bear the costs of that opposition thousands more will die, they fear, and many more will be forced to flee their homes unless the West can somehow muster strong sanctions against Sudan's government. 'Tain't gonna happen. The Russers and the Frenchies and the Heathen Chinee won't let it. Call it the Axis of Obstinacy.
"Khartoum will not stop the massive war crimes taking place in Darfur until it is forced to," said Tom Cargyll of Chatham House, a British think tank. My guess is that they'll keep right on with them, since they're occurring as a matter of policy. Nobody's gonna stop them, so the black guys are toast. And their wimmin, too.
Last month, the U.N. compromise deal was announced by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan as a major diplomatic breakthrough to bring peace to Darfur one that would allow him to keep his pledge to solve the Darfur crisis before he steps down as U.N. chief later this year. Annan said Sudan had agreed in principle to a "hybrid mission" of some 20,000 peacekeepers mostly from Africa to deploy in Darfur under U.N. command to replace an overwhelmed African Union (AU) force. However, Sudan's foreign minister said there was a misunderstanding and a "mixed operation" in Darfur did not mean a "mixed force."
This means that Sudan still maintains that no U.N. peacekeeper could deploy in Darfur, but the U.N. was welcome to provide logistical and financial support. "International troops are a colonization of Sudan," Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir later said.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/06/2006 00:00 ||
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A "unilateral" ARCLIGHT strike down through the center of Khartoum, with promises of more if Sudan doesn't "reform", would put a stop to it tout suite. The only way to deal with dictatorial governments is to get their attention. Nothing gets someone's attention quite like an ARCLIGHT strike - unless it's a nuke.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
12/06/2006 13:24 Comments ||
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(SomaliNet) Sudanese militia will not be tolerated in the Sudan town of Malakal, Southern Sudan's President Salva Kiir said during a visit to town last week.
Serious clashes between former Sudanese rebels from South and Sudan's national army left at least 150 people dead. Analysts consider this as the most serious breach of the 2005 deal to end two decades of war.
Meanwhile, United Nations peacekeepers in the Sudanese town have been helping both sides bury their dead. The UN warned over the weekend that some corpses had contaminated a portion of the Nile River and water purification tablets were being distributed.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/06/2006 00:00 ||
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Burying the dead seems to be the only thing the UN can accomplish in a "peacekeeping" role.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
12/06/2006 13:25 Comments ||
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Foreign-Driven Reforms Not Welcome, Says Brahimi Be gone, infidels!
DUBAI, 6 December 2006 There is consensus in the Arab world that foreign-driven reforms are not wanted, Lakhdar Brahimi, former special adviser to the United Nations Secretary-General, told delegates at the Arab Strategy Forum.
There is consensus in our region that most of our regimes are not performing well. Very serious reform is needed. This concern has reached the governments and they recognize that they need to reform, Brahimi said at the second days plenary session titled The Future of Arab Regimes: Stagnation and Change? The future of Arab regimes? Funny he should ask that, since it is whatever Allan wills it. Is he some kind of heretic or something?
But there is also consensus that foreign-driven reforms and agenda are not wanted. They do not work and are not welcome, Brahimi declared to applause from the audience. He also stated that the success or failure of a regime is based not on the length of time it has served, but on what it is seen as having done for the people and the country. He'd better hope no one at home is listening to any of this ...
Lisa Andersen, dean of School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University, said that public perception of Arab regimes is confused. Opposition to regimes is sliding into opposition to states, which is a crisis, she said while referring to the situation in Iraq and Lebanon as a case in point.
Speaking at a session titled US November Elections: Implications for the World, Rami G. Khouri, Editor-at-Large, The Daily Star, said that the region is seeing peculiar new alliances like the one between Shiite Iran and Sunni Islamic groups. Were finally seeing the full consequences of the end of the global cold war in the region. Now it is a regional cold war.
A majority of regimes in the region, Khouri pointed out, are desperately trying to get the protection of the US. At the same time, political Islamists are gaining mass appeal. In the last 10 years, every single election held in the region has been won by political Islamists. There is a massive split in public opinion in countries in the Middle East, he said.
However, the world may have to live with the absence of a counter-balancing global power for a while, said Victor Chu, chairman, First Eastern Investment. It will take time for China to be a global leader that can restore the balance of power.
"Just sign here."
"What's that?"
"It's our UNSC Democracy, Disability, and Dismemberment Policy."
"Uh, how much?"
"If you have to ask, you can't afford us."
"Maybe we should talk to Tsar Putty, first..."
"Okay, okay - 10% off, one-time offer. Take it or leave it."
Talking about the impact of last months American Senate elections on US foreign policy, speakers said that the Democrat victory puts increasing pressure on the US to make a policy change in Iraq.
Robert Malley, director, Middle East and North Africa Program, International Crisis Group, said that the results of the recent elections were largely determined by foreign policy on Iraq. Though a Democrat-led Congress may not be able to influence foreign policy change, Iraq is an exception to the rule.
#2
I'll bet. Our icky reforms are so repulsive to their Arab world sensibilities:
One man OR woman, one vote.
Treating women like human beings rather than things.
Ending death sentences-or any sentences-for apostasy. In fact, let's just make that ensuring freedom of religion.
Stopping your sons and daughters and grandmothers from blowing up neighbors and friends when they disagree with your political aims.
Nope-we'll do it our way. Women, cover up. Poor people wo want a voice, shut up. Non-Muslims, tits up. 14-yr-old martyrs for Allah, blow up. My, aren't things looking up now! The reforms done our way in the Middle East will once again show the world that our culture needs no western intervention, no reform to 21st century ideals. Our old ways are best. Allah says. The reformed caliphate is on its way! Lulululululu!
#4
We should let it be known that if Democracy in Iraq fails the US policy will be to support dismemberment of totalitarian states along ethnic lines so as to avoid human rights abuses and genocide.
The Europeans made a mess when they drew the borders. Someone is gonna have to clean up that mess at some point.
Sure - it can be eradicated, just like any other infectious pathogen. Just gotta kill off the carriers, the hosts, and the infected asshats who refuse treatment. Oh, and take the nest away.
JEDDAH, 6 December 2006 Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah yesterday emphasized that Islam would remain strong despite the efforts by enemies to destroy the religion and weaken its followers. I can tell you that there is no power on earth that can defeat your faith, the Saudi Press Agency quoted the king as saying. But watch out for Jooos! They will do stuff, terrible stuff, nasty stuff, they are behind every bush - wait, we don't have bushes, um - except for those nasty ones with the biting flies (heh), I mean rock! They are behind every Bad Thing! They are Jooos!
King Abdullah made the remarks while receiving Interior Minister Prince Naif, who is the chairman of the Supreme Commission for Naif Ibn Abdul Aziz Al-Saud International Prize for Sunnah and Contemporary Islamic Studies, and the commission members at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh. I receive you, oh Half-Brother! (Cue TV cameras!)
Islam is currently under attack, but its sons are capable of defending it with their faith and morals. You will certainly emerge victorious by the grace of God, the king said and praised Muslims for their strong faith in God and their religion. I congratulate every Muslim for his adherence to Islam. This is a faith that will not face any danger at all. No, of course not! Except for Jooos!
King Abdullah urged all Muslims to join their hands in the fight against deviants. I am sorry to say that some members of this deviant group are our children but they are enticed by Satan, he said, referring to Al-Qaeda sympathizers in the Kingdom. Right hands only! Now join up in a big circle, oh, wait, can't do that with only one hand, um... The Jooos did it! I blame the Joos!
The Interior Ministry recently announced the arrest of 136 militants plotting to carry out terrorist operations inside the country. Oh Allan, save us - deviants! Prolly Jooos! Abdullah also praised Prince Naif for his efforts to promote research and studies on the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him). It is the duty of every Muslim to support the Sunnah, he added. And Research! Research our unchanging 1400 year old Islam, Dear Half-Brother! More research is needed!
The Supreme Commission of the Prize had chosen King Abdullah as the recipient of the prize in appreciation of his many efforts in the service of Islam and Muslims, particularly the initiative he had taken to hold an emergency summit of the Organization of the Islamic Conference in Makkah. Wow - who'da thunk it! The King Wins! Wotta Guy! Best Janitor in the Sunnah, the Ummah, in all of Islam!
During the meeting Prince Naif presented a certificate, citation and shield to the king. Behold, Dear Half-Brother! The Certificate! Untouched by Jooos!
Earlier, Prince Saud ibn Naif, deputy chairman of the commission, thanked the king for his support to the prize. Your Majesty has said earlier that this prize is a blessed addition to Saudi Arabias efforts in the service of Islam and Muslims, Saud recalled. The prize was distributed to its winners by Crown Prince Sultan on Sunday during a ceremony attended by Saudi and foreign dignitaries. Thank you for supporting The Prize! Surprise! We award you with it! Circle-jerk!
The Prophets Sunnah Prize was awarded to Basim Al-Jawabra, a Jordanian national, for his research titled Infidelity Charges in the Light of the Prophets Sunnah. Who? Jawabra... Sounds like Jooo! Where's al Bishi!
In the same category, another prize was given to Saudi national Nawal Al-Eid for her research paper titled: The Rights of Women in the Prophets Sunnah. Eid? Eid?!!? Oh, it's only a woman. Research? You're joking with the King? Hurry up. Next!
Mohammad Waqiallah Ahmed, a Sudanese national, won the Contemporary Islamic Studies Prize for his research titled: Islam in Current Western Curricula Review and Criticism. The winners were selected from 306 research papers submitted to the jury. Ah - more Research stuff! Wonderful! Sudan? Wha? Move along.
#1
Dot com, apparently you've never disturbed those biting flies that rest in the desert bushes during the hottest part of the day. Else you would remember both bush and fly.;) Der Katze
#4
I can tell you that there is no power on earth that can defeat your faith
It is not "power on earth" that will defeat their
"faith":
Ephesians 6:12 For our wrestling is not against
flesh and blood, but against the principalities,
against the powers, against the world's rulers of
the darkness of this age, and against the
spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly
places.
#7
Don't laugh, they've got the money, the will, and even the warm bodies.
We have nukes and the means to deliver them. All we need are the balls.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
12/06/2006 13:32 Comments ||
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#8
I can tell you that there is no power on earth that can defeat your faith,
The Kingy needs to study that nuclear physics thingy.
This is a faith that will not face any danger at all.
In this he is actually correct. Islam resolutely refuses to face up to the imminent danger it is in. There appears to be not a single hope that they will ever indulge in a moment's retrospection that would instantly reveal how Islam's obsession with jihadism will bring about the Muslim holocaust.
Much as I dislike the notion of losing one quarter of this world's population, Islam's steadfast refusal to re-evaluate its antagonistic doctrine rightfully entitles it to annihilation. This impending obliteration is entirely wrought by their own hand.
The self-congratulatory wanking shown in the above article provides strong evidence of just how little hope there is for any revision or reformation on Islam's part. Nature long ago established the penalty for entities that cannot adapt symbiotically. It is now time that the host body went about shedding itself of this crippling parasite.
Had me going there for a minute. After the other day's interview with the official headchopper and the Soddy tourism PR campaign, I thought it was going to be an interview with the actual janitor. Of course, that prolly would have been much more enlightening.
A new religious syllabus for schools has caused a fury among church groups and politicians after recommending teachers cut down on education about Christianity while increasing lessons in Islam and Hinduism. Teachers in Buckinghamshire were directed to spend 40 per cent of religious education on Christianity, while giving Islam and Hinduism equal play at 20 per cent each. Just ten percent was then to be devoted to other religions - including Judaism - with a final ten per cent on "general concepts".
It was recommended that younger children receive just 36 hours per year of religious education, with that number upped to 45 in the lead up to the GCSEs. However when the lack of time devoted to Christianity sparked protests, Buckinghamshire education authorities reportedly removed those numbers from official documents.
Councillors accused authorities of a cover-up, saying that while the need to teach children about other world religions is obvious the lack of education on Christianity in a Christian country was going too far.
However the Buckinghamshire County Council reportedly hit back saying the changes would not impact taxpayers as printing errors meant the document had to be redrafted anyway. Oh. Well then. Never mind.
The council also insisted Christianity remained the focus of the syllabus, and insisted the new policies provided flexibility for the schools and promoted goodwill, seeking to inform rather than influence children. As long as they hit their target numbers.
However critics reportedly insisted the nation's religion was being turned in to a sideshow in the name of political correctness. I thought it was being rendered non-existent, and I thought ArchDruid Williams was leading the way.
#5
Gee, if you teach anything about religion at all in US schools, the ACLU has a dog-stroke.
Wrong Moose. Anything about Christianity. The ACLU has been AWOL from numerous complaints by parents and students about public education establishments imposing classes about other religions.
How about if parents take their children to Sunday School just like in the old days and set a good example by going to church themselves?
Hokey, you say?
Ain't happening anymore?
But you can see what's moving into the vacuum. No matter what you think some people at some point in their lives will look for something and if all they can find is old Mo and his death cult the cancer spreads.
Who will show them a better way? The public schools?
Yusuf Whats'isnamenow, used to be Cat Stevens, was on TV last Sunday morning (when all the good folk were supposed to be in church). He described how he freaked out while swimming off Malibu, thought he was gonna drown, thought it was a miracle when a wave washed him to shore and then went looking for religion. It's pretty sad what happened after that. Somebody gave him a Quran and nobody had ever taught him any better. Hey, it was just another book on the shelf. He doesn't sing about love and romance anymore. If he sings at all it's all about Allan.
BEIJING (AP) - The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog Sorry - that always cracks me up. Okay, I'm better, now... Always makes me think of Fluggy, the 3-headed watchdog in the first Harry Potter movie...
agency said Tuesday that sanctions alone would not resolve the standoff over North Korea's nuclear weapons program. I love finger-wagging bureaucrats. They taste like chicken. I hate chicken. It tastes like finger-wagging bureaucrats. Bleh.
In a speech at one of China's top universities, Mohamed ElBaradei, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, also said there had to be development in countries such as North Korea - formally the Democratic People's Republic of Korea - to create a sense of security. Because we all know how threatened the Norks feel ... Seems to me, and I could be wrong on this but I'm not, that when the Korean war erupted it was a mismatch because the industrialized North was so much stronger than the agricultural South. The two ends of the Korean horse started out in approximately the same place. No doubt there's a reason that doesn't involve hard work, determination, and capitalism for SKor's success. I'm sure it'll come to me eventually. No doubt there's some reason it's physically impossible for the Norks to do the same thing.
"The solution will have to address the security, economic and other concerns of the DPRK. Quite often these nuclear crises underline a sense of insecurity that clearly needs to be addressed, and a sense of imbalance, economic discrimination also needs to be addressed," he told students at Tsinghua University in Beijing. He's an expert, so listen carefully - and don't try this at home... in your Commie Dictatorship thingy. You can tell he's an expert. Nothing he said made any sense.
North Korea's top nuclear envoy Kim Kye Gwan said after meeting his U.S. and South Korean counterparts in Beijing last week that his country would not unilaterally abandon its atomic weapons program. The envoys also failed to produce a date on restarting six-nation disarmament talks. So the outlook for progress isn't very spiffy. I guess we'll hafta give in, huh? Oh, we don't have to yet, as long as we give them money.
The multinational negotiations have been stalled for over a year due to a North Korean boycott. The progressives, of course, blame Bush for the Nork boycott.
Efforts to resume the talks have taken on a new urgency since the North tested a nuclear device on Oct. 9. Naw, it just means that we don't have anything to talk about anymore.
#1
Sanctions won't resolve the issue? Neither will diplomacy, all by itself. The two together have a much greater chance. Just like drilling in ANWR won't solve the oil crisis - maybe not solve it, but it can be a part of the solution.
Now if France would just get the sanctions against Iran lined up, mebbe they'd move on to North Korea.
Posted by: Bobby ||
12/06/2006 6:40 Comments ||
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STUDENTS at the Islamic school from which two boys were expelled for desecrating the Bible were shown videos of a banned cleric calling Australian Christians "evil" and non-Muslim schools "sewers".
Teachers at East Preston Islamic College say students have also been seen downloading and copying material from a website that attacks the Bible as promoting "vicious criminal acts".
The Australian yesterday revealed the school in Melbourne's north expelled two boys and suspended a third over the desecration - a Bible was urinated on, spat on and burnt - during a school camp for boys from years 7 to 10 boys last week.
The Australian has obtained a videotape from the school's library of a lecture given for Australian Muslims by the firebrand British convert Abdur Raheem Green, who was blocked from coming to Australia last year.
In the video, believed to have been taped during a visit in 2003, Green describes Australian non-Muslims as "evil people" and says Muslims in this country must openly criticise Christianity and lure people to Islam.
"If we leave (Muslims) in these (non-Muslim Australian) schools they will be destroyed," he says in the sermon.
"You know very well what takes place in these schools ... it is all about evolution, Christmas, Easter, St Valentine's Day - a barrage. And you expect your children to survive? You think you live in a sewer and you come up smelling of roses?
"Merely living in the company of evil people will inevitably begin to rub off on us and we will begin to acquire their characteristics."
A teacher, who asked not to be named, confirmed that the tape, marked East Preston Islamic College, has been shown to students at the school. It is not known if the tape was seen by the three boys who desecrated the Bible.
Another teacher said yesterday he had seen students at the school downloading and copying pages from the website Evilbible.com.
"For far too long priests and preachers have completely ignored the vicious criminal acts that the Bible promotes," the website says. "The so called God of the Bible makes Osama bin Laden look like a boy scout."
Principal Shaheem Doutie has apologised for the desecration by "ignorant" and "illiterate" children and insists his school promotes religious tolerance. Mr Doutie, who has been at the school since April, said he was unaware of any radical material in the library.
He had previously instructed library staff not to accept any radical material and said he would take steps to remove anything still there.
The desecration was yesterday condemned by Muslim and non-Muslim leaders who called on the community not to overreact.
The Catholic Archbishop in Melbourne, Denis Hart, said there was a good relationship between the Muslim and Christian communities in Melbourne. He said all holy books should be respected.
Yasser Solimon, a former head of the Islamic Council of Victoria, said his community was shocked by the desecration, which should be seen as "the actions of stupid boys rather than any reflection on the school or the wider community".
you gotta have a dissimulation thrown in.
"I think this needs to be seen in the context of five years of certain types of reporting on global events like the war on terror, what is happening in Iraq, attacks on the Koran by some soldiers in Guantanamo Bay and the Abu Ghraib prison scandal," he said. "It is sad to see the hatreds of one generation being passed on - we need leadership here to stand up collectively to this."
#1
The desecration was yesterday condemned by Muslim and non-Muslim leaders who called on the community not to overreact.
That's right Bruce, take it like a good dhimmi.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
12/06/2006 13:29 Comments ||
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#2
So the school head has matriculated students in the seventh and ninth grades (or perhaps that would be the American equivalent of sixth and eighth grades, if they start reading in kindergarten, like the Brits do) who are illiterate and ignorant? Shut the school down now -- they hadn't even noticed that they aren't achieving their primary goal of basic education!
#3
Yet another fine example of Islamic colonists slamming the culture of their host country.
At some point so-called Islamic "schools" will have to be recognized for what they are. These sites are the Western equivalent of Pakistani Madrassahs. Just as Mosques are Islam's weapon depots, these "schools" are their indoctrination centers.
This is just one more good reason for stripping away Islam's status as a recognized religion. If that was done, they would have no legal pretext for setting up these "schools". As private academies they would not enjoy tax-free status and a host of other immunities that they currently do. If this is deemed impossible, then Wahabbism needs to be banned and all Saudi-funded religious apparatus in America dismantled immediately thereafter.
Who is willing to bet that the majority of these "schools" here and abroad do not already program their charges with the sort of hateful garbage covered in the above article? I'd wager the majority of them do and I doubt I'll find much argument on this point.
RESTRICTIONS imposed on Melbourne terror suspect "Jihad" Jack Thomas are unconstitutional because they require Federal Court judges to act as police, the High Court heard yesterday. In the first major test of the Howard Government's anti-terrorism regime, lawyers for Mr Thomas asked the full bench to consider whether federal courts had the constitutional scope to restrict a person's behaviour in order to protect the public from a terrorist act.
In August, a federal magistrate approved Australia's first control order against Mr Thomas, subjecting him to a curfew from midnight until 5am, limiting his phone and internet use and banning him from contacting terrorists, including the elusive Osama bin Laden. The secretive hearing that imposed the control order on Mr Thomas came just days after the Victorian Court of Appeal quashed his convictions for receiving funds from al-Qa'ida and holding a false passport.
Mr Thomas's lawyer, former federal court judge Ron Merkel, argued yesterday that the section of the Criminal Code that covered control orders was invalid because it conferred non-judicial powers on federal courts, contrary to Chapter III of the Constitution. Chief Justice Murray Gleeson questioned whether control orders differed to apprehended violence orders, which are frequently used in domestic violence disputes to limit access between estranged partners. "A fear that a person may commit a violent act becomes the basis for restraints ... against conduct which is not unlawful," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/06/2006 00:00 ||
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The Dems are on a roll. Here are some excerpts from an email newsletter I got called "Secrecy News":
In another sign of shifting ground in the post-election Congress,
Senators Arlen Specter and Patrick Leahy yesterday introduced the
"Habeas Corpus Restoration Act of 2006," which would reinstate
federal court jurisdiction over Guantanamo detainees and other
suspected enemy combatants.
The bill would repeal two provisions of the Military Commissions
Act of 2006 enacted in September that limit habeas corpus.
"Habeas corpus" refers to the ability of a detainee to seek
judicial review of his case.
"The Constitution of the United States is explicit that habeas
corpus may be suspended only in time of rebellion or invasion,"
observed Sen. Specter. "We are suffering neither of those
alternatives at the present time. We have not been invaded, and
there has not been a rebellion." And that, folks, is the mentality that we are up against. "This bill would restore the great writ of habeas corpus, a
cornerstone of American liberty for hundreds of years that
Congress and the President rolled back in an unprecedented and
unnecessary way with September's Military Commissions Act," said
Senator Leahy. The source is from the Federation of American Scientists website, and displays the introduction to the bill from the Congressional Record.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
12/06/2006 15:35 ||
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#4
We have not been invaded, and
there has not been a rebellion."
Stupid SOB, someone should march his ass to the giant hole in NYC. What the hell does he think happened there? He is right on the second point, but a rebellion is soon to follow if we can not elect leadership with with more than a single digit IQ. Arrgggg!!!@!
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
12/06/2006 16:54 Comments ||
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#5
"Veto that is sure to great it. "
He hasn't vetoed other bills that were worse than this, so I wouldn't be too sure about this one.
#6
I saw this topic as just another wake up call. Spectre and Leahy have not changed their agena one iota. These guys are like a virus trying to invade the body. What we are short now is in T-cells, so the viruses can run all over body without being stopped. I hope that the Congress has sense to knock this bill down on a vote. I also hope that the President vetoes it if the Congress votes for it. I have little faith now that the President and the Republicans will do what it takes to make sure that sh*t like this does not happen. Color me cynical and color me vigilant.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
12/06/2006 17:26 Comments ||
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#7
and the word is agenda not agena. Heh.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
12/06/2006 17:27 Comments ||
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#8
The same people who if told an alien invasion spaceship fleet is on the way to conquer Earth and enslave all its people, immediately think, "Quick, we must get an injunction to stop them until we can file suit!!!"
#10
exJAG, somebody, help me here - the Commissions act dealt with habeas rights for US citizens inside the US? I thought it was all about alien enemy combatants - the illegal kind - held outside the US.
"Liberty" has never been an element of any sort, much less a central one, for US treatment of foreign enemies, in time of war, outside our territory. Subject to my assumption above being confirmed .... sheesh!
#11
Correct, Verlaine -- the Commissions Act was an attempt to roll back and clarify three execrable Supreme Court decisions. It deals only with (1) unlawful (2) alien (3) combatants -- who still get vastly more Geneva and constitutional protections than they're entitled to anyway.
In sum, the Supreme Court thinks they should have the right to file habeas petitions, while Congress (well, the old one, anyway) does not. In my post about it back in October, I noted what a close vote it was, as well as Specter's ongoing perfidy.
I agree with Glenmore that there's a good chance this bill will pass, and little reason to be confident of a veto.
#12
I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the MCA give the President the authority to revoke (effectively if not formally) a US national's citizenship if they were considered an enemy combatant? And wasn't Padilla picked up inside the US? The MCA provisions on habeas didn't apply only to foreign nationals outside the US.
I don't mean to presuppose that there isn't a reason to do exactly that. But let's be clear about what the law is saying.
. . . the principal utility of this report is its succinct description of the internal and external players in Iraq and an outline of their respective goals, many of which are malevolent. As a guide to the game the ISG Report is first rate. However, the study recommendations are extremely disappointing.
The report concludes from the outset that the failure of local and regional actors to act rationally,and not any obviously crazy American policy, lies at the heart of Iraqi instability and the threat of regional Sunni and Shia clashes. The question is whether any American redeployment any American policy for that matter can alter this given the premise? Not obviously, but it doesnt keep the ISG from trying.
The heart of ISGs proposed solution is to add moving parts to the problem. . . .
The normal approach to a difficult problem would be to bound or simplify it. But the ISG recommendations try the exact opposite: it adds complexity to the already complex situation. . . .
Posted by: Mike ||
12/06/2006 17:28 ||
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#1
Watching Baker and Hamilton with Brit Hume on Fox right now. They're actually serious about this "dialog" with Iran and Syria.
They actually think we can coopt Syria, into shutting off Hezb and helping Israel. By yapping.
They seem to think we can intimidate Iran by being forceful in talks.
#3
As I read it, the bulk of their recommendations were - and have been - the plan already. Train more IF, transfeer more responsibility to them, and back off. Talking to Syria and Iran is new, I guess, but not likely to do any good (since they're the source of a lot of the problems), and that's really the business of the Iraqi government, not us.
Whether it's enough to 'win' - where 'win' is defined as a stable and humane government - only time will tell; we will have given all sides plenty of chances to act rationally, but in the end it is up to them to decide whether they want to commit suicide or not.
#6
The report and bloviations on it have nothing to do with Iraq and everything to do with DC. It will be forgotten the day after the State of the Union.
#10
I look at who's on ths commitee and it's all the same old faces...and Vernon Jordan. Vernon Friggin Jordan. What was his recommendation? That Iraqis should get more pussy?
#11
Nimble, I've been saying that for some time, and I expect this non-event will indeed be forgotten, but long before the SOTU next January.
The whole thing's DOA at the WH, of course. But there are some pernicious myths embedded in it that need to be nuked.
Apparently Alan Simpson told a bloggers' conference call that things in Iraq are "spinning out of control". Huh? Hardly. Lots of things suck, but there mostly the same things that sucked 6 and 12 months ago. No governorates have seceded, no army units have splintered or refused orders, no territories are under control of adversaries when/if we care to contest it, nothing the various enemies can do is or will slow down the slow but inexorable increase in ISF capabilities, the hawza in Najaf haven't changed their opposition to the Iranian velayet-i-faqih model of governance and there's no sign it has begun to appeal to significant numbers of Iraqis, and on and on. Meanwhile, there seems to be some positive movement in Anbar (tribal alliance vs. AQ, splits in Sunni hostility to central govt. and coalition). Compared to November 2004 and select other time periods, there's far less going on and less that's troubling going on - even though the sectarian situation in Baghdad and Diyala are critical.
Sorry - all this bloviation, and I've only dealt with one premise!
I'll limit my rant to one more. Many, including it seems some Rantburgers, implicitly accept what I find to be extremely dubious, if not improbable - that Syria and Iran exercise any sort of control over what goes on in Iraq. This premise, of course, underlies the entire "engage Syria/Iran regional conference" stuff (minus the hallucinogenically idiotic b.s. about the Arab-Israeli conflict).
I cannot see where Damascus or Tehran can deliver much of what we want, even if they tried. The various factions in Iraq are doing what they damn please for their own reasons. Former regime officers who head up insurgent cells in Mosul or Ramadi don't look to Damascus for guidance or inspiration - they have their own, mostly very practical, reasons to do what they do. They fear the only future for them in a "new" Iraq is a noose, penury, or some other thing most people would fight to avoid. Likewise, the loose constellation of thugs, criminals, and little strong-men that are associated with Sadr steal because they want the money, torture and murder because they like power and want to wreak vengeance on the Sunnis, and agitate against the coalition because it's their political card. Nothing Tehran does or says will change any of that.
Like BASF, Syria and Iran don't create conflict in Iraq, they make the conflict there worse. Money and jihadi personnel and passive IR triggers and EFPs and safe havens, sure, those are factors the neighbors contribute. But motivation and real decisions about actions on the ground - doubtful.
So while it's a measure of the utter silliness of public "debate" these days that this idiotic diplomatic offensive suggestion can even be advanced without widespread open derision, it's even worse than that: the premises on which the silly proposal is based are false.
Everybody, from non-insane Dems to "realists" to many war supporters to WH, State, and DOD types to many in CENTCOM and MNF-I have been tirelessly searching for any solution to Iraqi security problems OTHER THAN military ones. Sorry, folks. There has never been and will never be a real solution to Iraqi security challenges that doesn't begin with the submission or real co-optation (not carving off some sissy types who will take part in a unity govt.) of the Iraqi Sunni community.
Much of the oxygen for Shi'a militias and other formations will be removed when/if the 3-year war of barbarous terrorism committed, abetted, and tolerated by the Sunni community is stopped. Only way to stop it is military, not socio-economic or political. What's left of the Shi'a militia problem would be quite soluble in the context of a subdued Sunni segment. And having finally eliminated that central security problem, dealing with Sadr etc. might even be as easy as it was before in Najaf and Karbala, notwithstanding the intervening bad developments which we have mostly stood by and watched, deer-like.
#12
Verlaine,
First of all, your BASF quote really cracks me up.
Second, sorry if I've missed your input on other threads but, given your solid point you make that destroying the Sunni insurgency is a military problem we are trying to deal with in too many non-military ways, can't a case be made that Tater and the various militias that are going after the Sunni are potentially a net positive.
I know they are undermining the sovereignty of the state, anti-American, pro-Iran, out of control, etc. However, the net effect might be to run the Sunni out of areas where they are causing trouble (a bit of 'ethnic cleansing' but potentially necessary) and intimidate some of their Sunni neighbors into withdrawing passive support for the insurgency.
I don't necessarily agree, but wanted to throw the idea out there for discussion given your strong points.
#13
Tommy Franks is on Fox right now - and is cherry-picking the report.
He favors new emphasis on the reconstruction and economic efforts.
Doesn't seem impressed with the political jaw-jaw with the nighbors idea. But says talking is better than fighting.
Not playing up stronger military action.
Seems to think that, domestically anyway, that this bipartisan effort was "good" for the simple reason that the screeching stopped for a minute or two.
Mincing words a bit now - preferring "success" over "victory", but saying they're not all that different. Weirdness.
I just found this out via Mrs. Ret; go to the link and select a card. Xerox will print and send. You do not get to pick the recipient, but there are several canned messages or a spot to write your own thoughts and prayers.
Posted by: Ranchin B. Hard ||
12/06/2006 09:44 ||
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Done. I sent two, with different messages. It's an easy way to remind the guys out there that we don't take them for granted -- they see and read the MSM message, too, and it worries them.
Robert Gates won approval by a Senate panel Tuesday to be the next defense secretary after a daylong hearing in which he said the U.S. is not winning the war in Iraq and there could be a "regional conflagration" if the country is not stabilized. At a Senate confirmation hearing that was long on praise for Gates and short on criticism, the man President Bush picked to replace Donald H. Rumsfeld said he is open to new ideas about correcting the U.S. course in Iraq. He said the war would be his highest priority if confirmed as expected. A finer display of fellatio has not been seen in the Senate chambers since, well, since the legendary name Long Dong Silver was evoked. You do what you gotta do to get confirmed. The Dems couldn't wait to vote for this guy so that Rummy would finish packing his desk and leave.
In a closed-door meeting following five hours of open testimony, the Senate Armed Services Committee voted 21-0 to recommend approval of Gates' nomination, said panel chairman John Warner, R-Va. It appeared likely that Gates would win Senate confirmation by the end of the week.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/06/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
IRAQ can easily be "secured" iff the USA truly wants it to be. ASYMMETRIC WARFARE = the ultimate form of damage is what the Strong State DOES TO HURT = DESTROY ITSELF. WOT > WAR FOR THE WORLD = WAR FOR ANTI-US OWG > ITS DOUBTFUL THE ANTI-US, VOLUNTARY = BY NECESSITY = BY DESIRE = FORCIBLY, OWG-happy AGENDISTS-LEFTIES ARE GONNA CARE WHETHER THE USA KILLS ITSELF ANDOR THE WORLD KILLS THE USA. They will suppor anything from the Right Center-Moder Left andor Non-Aligned, etc. directly = indirectly that puts Gubmint in charge of everything + everyone. CLINTONISM > HATED FASCISM/NAZISM = also WELL-MEANING BUT ERROR-FUL LIMITED COMMUNISM = DE-REGULATED COMMUNISM; ULTRA-RIGHT SOCIALISM = form of ULTRA-LEFT SOCIALISM; FEDERALISM = LIMITED CENTRALISM/STALINISM, etc.
#3
Jon Stewart of Comedy Central's The Daily Show, quipped that the only question asked was, "Are you Donald Rumsfeld?", and upon hearing the negative, confirmed Mr. Gates. He's a deliberately ignorant, nihilistic ass, but occasionally Mr. Stewart gets something right.
Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has said that he will not give up his position as the chief of the army before polls next year. In an interview to a private Indian TV channel, the Pakistani ruler, who came to power in a coup in 1999, said he would continue to hold the job as the army chief as long as the constitution allowed him to.
"The constitution allows me to hold it till 2007, so I will hold it. So if the elections, as I said are in November, I will be in uniform," Musharraf said.
Musharraf said it was not easy to give up the army uniform. "It's not easy, because there are some perceptions. At this moment what Pakistan is facing needs a unity, a unity of command over important organs of state, which includes the military, the political and the bureaucracy."
The president, however, did not give a definite date for the polls, saying they could be held late 2007 or early 2008.
Musharraf also told the network that he would not allow exiled former Prime Ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif to contest elections next year as both of them have been convicted by court.
Both of them are convicted. One of them has gone out (of Pakistan) for 10 years for an agreement, by himself. And the other is out since, Musharraf said.
In reply to a question whether he was scared of the duo, he said: I am not scared of anything and anybody.
Describing the upcoming polls as the mother of all elections, he said he hoped moderate forces would win. I have a desire and I have a hope. I think that should happen. I have a hope that moderate forces must win. I have started calling it the mother of all elections after I borrowed the term from Saddam Hussein.
Posted by: john ||
12/06/2006 06:21 ||
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Neener, neener - I am not scared of anything or anybody!
NEW DELHI India is unlikely to accept Pakistan President Pervez Musharrafs four-point solution to Jammu and Kashmir, with Indian officials expressing their disbelief to such a solution.
Top South Block officials told Khaleej Times that if India agrees to this proposal then Jammu and Kashmir will get a great deal of autonomy which will only pave way to strengthen separatist movement. Such a step can never be prudent, and especially so at the time of thriving peace process aimed at confidence building between the two sides. His (President Musharrafs) proposals will surely help build up a separatist movement in demand for a separate nation. Separatists have had been fighting for this since long, and any solution aimed precisely at this would not be in the interests of India and Pakistan towards resolving the issue amicably, a top Ministry of External Affairs official said. Which is why Perv suggested it, of course.
New Delhi is of the view that any move to declare troop reduction and announce the opening of LoC, as suggested by President Musharraf, will alter the administrative character of Indias sovereign state. Though India has already gone for troop reduction time and again suiting its need, it has always expressed its reticence towards granting autonomy to Kashmir. Since about fifty-teen other states within India would then ask for the same deal.
President Musharrafs statement that Pakistan is prepared to give up its claim to Kashmir, if India considered four proposals is also not something that New Delhi is ready to figure out when foreign ministers of both the sides are to meet soon, said officials. Separatist leaders have anyway expressed their unhappiness over Pakistan saying that it is against independence in Kashmir.
Veteran freedom movement leader and Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front chief Yasin Malik told Khaleej Times that they had been always fighting for independence, and would continue to do so even in future. This sort of statement (by Musharraf) where he talks of joint autonomy to settle his own goals, indicates that Pakistan and India are together playing petty politics against the people of Kashmir. "And it cuts me out of power!"
Talking to Khaleej Times, another separatist leader safe within PakistanShabir Shah said such a proposal was not be in the interest of Kashmir. However, he said President Musharrafs suggestions exhibits remarkable flexibility, as compared to India. Pakistan has been showing significant flexibility so that decisive dialogue on Kashmir commences. Unfortunately, Indian stubbornness has been very disappointing. "Since all the Indians want to do is kill us."
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/06/2006 00:00 ||
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Well, I'm confused. Yesterday it was "No way, Jose," and today it's "Take it, it's yours!" Pakistan is willing to give up its claim to all of Kashmir if India agrees that the disputed Himalayan region should become self-governing and largely autonomous, Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf said in an interview broadcast Tuesday on Indian television.
Musharraf said Pakistan would agree to predominantly Muslim Kashmir becoming an autonomous region, still technically divided between the two countries but with a porous border, and loosely administered by both nations, independent NDTV reported. His proposal also includes a staggered withdrawal of troops from the heavily militarized region, NDTV said.
Asked by NDTV, "So you are prepared to give up your claim to Kashmir?" Musharraf responded: "We will have to, yes, if this solution comes up."
Posted by: Fred ||
12/06/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Me Perv, me say anything to get umh big american aid.
#2
So.. Indian troops withdraw, leaving Pak forces just a few hours away in Pakistan proper.
Jihadis free to impose Taliban style government so "autonomous" Kashmir becomes a Pakistani fiefdom.
With Pakistan now controlling the high ground and the headwaters of the major rivers, the gangetic plains, the Indian heartland, becomes vulnerable to attack.
Interesting solution you got there Perv. I'm sure the Indians will just jump to accept it.
And what exactly do you mean by "autonomy" ?
The right to elect their own government, to tun their own affairs? The Kashmiris already have that.. it is called an elected state government.. something no state in Pakistan has.
How about "representation without taxation"?
Kashmiris get to elect representatives, have their boys as ministers in the Indian federal system yet no tax imposed by Delhi is legal unless it is approved by the Kashmiri legislature..
They already got that...
How about land rights? No outsider should be allowed to buy or own land, to becomes a resident of the state?
They already have that.. no Indian may buy land or settle in Kashmir.. this is guaranteed by article 370 of the Indian constitution...
So what exactly do you want Perv? An autonomous Taliban region?
Posted by: john ||
12/06/2006 5:44 Comments ||
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#3
So what exactly do you want Perv? An autonomous Taliban region?
Yes.
I hesitate to point this out, but force is one of Afghanistan's problems. NWFP Governor Ali Mohammad Jan Orakzai said on Tuesday that the use of military force was not the solution to problems in Afghanistan, and hoped that the proposed jirgas on both sides of the Pak-Afghan border would help restore peace in the region. How is it that the use of military force by the Talibs isn't a problem, but the use of military force against them is?
The foreign offices of both countries have been working on the modalities for the jirgas, and Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri will visit Afghanistan tomorrow to discuss arrangements with his Afghan counterpart, said Orakzai at press conference at the Peshawar Cantt Railways Station, after the inauguration of the Peshawar Express that will run between Peshawar and Rawalpindi. A chance should be given for negotiations because peace cannot be restored by the use of military force in the troubled region, he said. Federal Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad, who attended the inauguration, said that Pashtuns could not be defeated by force, and their hearts can only be won by love and jirgas. Sure the Pashtuns can be defeated by force. The way to do it would be to select one subtribe of Pashtuns and demand their surrender. If they didn't, then they would be wiped out. Move on to the next subtribe and repeat. If necessary, repeat a third time, but it probably won'e be necessary.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/06/2006 00:00 ||
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Pashtuns could not be defeated by force, and their hearts can only be won by love and jirgas.
November 29 2006 0140 LT, Malacca Straits - Bulk carrier underway had to take evasive action to prevent boarding of pirates in a small high powered craft at port beam. The crew activated fire hoses. Boarding averted.
November 28 2006 1900 UTC, Kuala Bintulu Anchorage, Malaysia General cargo ship was boarded by robbers armed with pistols, knives and crowbars. The forecastle store was broken into and ships stores stolen. The robbers jumped into the water when the ship raised the alarm. Port control was informed.
November 28 2006 2030 LT, Gulf of Aden Bulk carrier underway was approached by an unlit vessel which suddenly increased speed as it approached the vessel. Boarding was successfully prevented by prompt evasive action taken by the vessel including sounding of the alarm mustering the crew and activating fire hoses.
November 22 2006 0150 UTC, Off Port Harcourt, Nigeria 10 robbers armed with guns boarded an offshore processing ship. They kidnapped seven workers and left the ship. Ship reported to Nigerian authorities and they intercepted the pirate boat. The Nigerian authorities engaged in a shoot-out with the robbers. They rescued five hostages. One hostage was killed and the other one was injured.
Natter, natter, natter...
PARIS (AP) - Six world powers made "substantive progress" but failed to reach an accord on a U.N. resolution to punish Iran for defying U.N. demands to halt its nuclear program, the French Foreign Ministry said after talks in Paris Tuesday. We were this close.
Tehran made a new threat of retaliation if the powers opted for sanctions. We will kill you all if you threaten us!
"We made substantive progress on the scope of the sanctions targeting proliferation-sensitive activities. There remain several outstanding issues, upon which we will reflect over the coming days," the French ministry said in a statement. "We are now close to a conclusion of this process." Yeah, we can see the end of it, too - from way over here. Zip. Zilch. Nada.
The talks brought together diplomats from the United States, Britain, China, France and Russia - the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council - as well as Germany and a representative of EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana. Lunch!
The United States and France were hoping the Paris talks would secure agreement on sanctions against Iran. But Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said earlier that imposing wide-ranging sanctions would be "irresponsible." That's why they talked. To come to a concensus that it was a total waste of time.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad vowed Tuesday to stick by the nuclear program and issued a new threat to downgrade relations with the 25-nation EU if European negotiators opted for tough U.N. sanctions. He gave no details on how ties might be downgraded. The EU is Iran's biggest trading partner. We don't care what you do or say. We will have our nukies! We will punish you!
The Security Council has been at odds over how to deal with Iran's defiance of an Aug. 31 U.N. deadline to halt uranium enrichment. Western powers accuse Iran of seeking nuclear bombs, while Tehran insists it only wants nuclear energy. Sheesh.
The Europeans and Americans want tough sanctions; Russia and China have pushed for dialogue, despite the failure of an EU effort to bring the Iranians to the negotiating table. Stalemateski is good.
A European draft U.N. resolution tabled in October would order all countries to ban the supply of materials and technology that could contribute to Iran's nuclear and missile programs. Lavrov said Russia supported such measures. Yeah, but...
But Russia has resisted the imposition of a travel ban and an asset freeze on companies, individuals and organizations involved in those programs. It might affect our cash flow...
Kristen Silverberg, a U.S. assistant secretary of state, urged Russia and China to back the European proposals. "We think it's time for the Russians and the Chinese to accept the European text," Silverberg said in Berlin. *snicker*
In Washington, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said officials in Paris were trying to resolve their differences over both language and substantive issues. "We are looking for consensus and unity here," he said, adding that he hoped an agreement would be reached soon. "We are coming up to the time (when) the credibility of the U.N. is at stake." Lol - we be waay past that, Sean, my boy.
The draft resolution would exempt a nuclear power plant being built by the Russians at Bushehr in Iran, but not the nuclear fuel needed for the reactor. Boneski.
Russia proposed major changes that would limit any travel ban, asset freeze or mention of Bushehr. Cashski.
Meanwhile, French presidential candidate Segolene Royal said she would press the international community to ban Iran's access to nuclear power altogether if she is elected next year. Dreamski.
The Socialist's stance on Iran is tougher than France's position. Paris wants to punish Tehran for failing to halt uranium enrichment - which can produce material for atomic warheads as well as energy - but it says that, in principle, Iran can have access to nuclear power. Bullshitski.
Iran says it is entitled as a signatory to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes. Boomski.
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Iraq's prime minister reversed course Tuesday and said his envoys will talk with Iraq's neighbors about the possibility of a regional conference on quelling the violence here, despite opposition to the plan by some key political allies.
Al-Maliki, a Shiite, told reporters that his envoys would talk with other governments in the region, most of them Sunni-dominated, about how they might help establish security and stability in Iraq. ``After the political climate is cleared, we will call for the convening of a regional conference in which these countries that are keen on the stability and security of Iraq will participate,'' al-Maliki said.
The prime minister's statement fell short of an unconditional call for a conference. At al-Maliki's press conference in Baghdad, the Iraqi leader said a frequently delayed national reconciliation conference would convene this month. He also said he planned to reshuffle his six-month-old Cabinet, to increase its ``effectiveness and strength,'' but offered no further details.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/06/2006 00:00 ||
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MACARTHUR [paraphrased] to post-surrender Japanese >"Either govern yourselves for yourselves, or the US Army will govern for you the Army way" - politely diplomatically, firmly emphatically..
VERSUS
BAVARIAN GOVERNATOR GEN. PATTON to ex-Nazis > "Do anything wrong or agz the Occupation Forces-Govt and I'LL HAVE YOU IMMEDIATELY SHOT, OR HUNG FROM THE NEAREST TREE/GALLOWS. YOUR CORPSE HAS THE RIGHT TO COMPLAIN TO EISENHOWER".
#2
Wierdly and mysteriously, the predom majority of post-Surrender Japanese or post-Surrender Germans didn't cause any serious troubles for either Mac or Patton. Even local attempts at armed or violent underground resistance to the Allied Occupation didn't last very long.
#3
"local attempt at armed ... resistance" in the first few months after the German surrender, the US occupiers mobilized 50,000 troops to go house to house in part of Germany to find weapons that could be used against the occupation troops after a few incidents. The US spent several years prior to 1945 training thousands of officers for civil affairs posts in occupied Germany. The US has never had enough troops in Iraq to do a similar weapons sweep and has never had enough civil affairs people available.
France and Germany on Tuesday urged Syria to stop supporting forces that "want to destabilize Lebanon," and said Damascus could enjoy warmer relations with Europe if it helps revive stalled Middle East peace efforts.
The two countries "want Syria no longer to support forces that want to destabilize Lebanon and the region, and to build a relationship of equals with Lebanon," according to a joint statement issued as French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Angela Merkel met. "By changing its stance, Syria can hope to restore the normal relations that it is seeking with the international community, particularly the countries of the European Union," it said.
The statement didn't elaborate on what "normal" relations with European countries might mean for Damascus.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/06/2006 00:00 ||
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"And I'm not going to my execution, either, so there!"
Saddam Hussein challenged the chief judge in his Kurdish genocide trial Tuesday, telling him in a letter that he no longer wants to attend the hearings and that he was ready to face the consequences. In a handwritten Arabic statement made available to The Associated Press, Saddam cited what he claimed were repeated "insults" by the chief judge, Mohammed Oreibi al-Khalifa, and prosecutors trying him for his role in the 1987-88 military campaign, code-named Operation Anfal.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/06/2006 00:00 ||
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As in most systems, under Iraqi criminal procedure (the one under which the Tribunal operates) the defendant need not be at the court session - it's at the discretion of the chief judge to compel his presence or not. These little tantrums by Saddam have usually been a test of wills with the trial panel, but I'm not sure the current chief judge cares all that much. And I think Saddam just doesn't want to sit there on TV while the graphic evidence of his huge crimes are set out for global review (similar to the first trial, where the introduction of documentary evidence caused the defendants to slump, and their histrionic "defense counsel" to go generally limp, for a time).
The defendants have TV available to them in their cells in the courthouse, as has been explained to the press in the past. So if Saddam wants to pout in his cell, and Judge Mohammed agrees, then we'll have an empty seat up front, left side.
One interesting thing to see would be if other defendants followed suit. These defendants are a lot more substantial as individuals (esp. Gen. Ahmad and Ali Hassan Majid) than the Dujayl bunch - I think we might seem some of them charting their own course even if Number One decides his best tactic is to stay out of view. In Dujayl, Saddam constantly tried to orchestrate group behavior on things like courtroom "boycotts" - with mixed results.
#3
The Israeli govt never used to play the terrorist's hostage game. Remember the Entebbe rescue raid in Uganda? Hell, even a movie was made about it with Charles Bronson. What has happened to the Israeli govt to now sink so low to even entertain the thought of releasing terrorists for hostages?
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
12/06/2006 16:23 Comments ||
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What has happened to the Israeli govt to now sink so low to even entertain the thought of releasing terrorists for hostages?
The continual grind of PC, UN and Euro condemnation.
Israel must recognize that these forces are their enemy and begin acting on that basis.
To wax masturbatory delusions of grandeur; if I had the power in Israel I'd do the terronutz one better, first I'd call for the media blackout, and then for everyday they keep an IDF soldier hostage I'd kill a terrorist prisoner and send them their nose in a brown paper bag. If I ran out of prisoners (or brown paper bags) I'd start D-9ing known terror-sympathizing neighborhoods one building a day. I'm not sure of Israeli laws but I wonder why Kuntar continues to live to this day.
Seriously, it seems there is little room for any negotiations w/any arab organization. All the ones at war w/israel cannot be satisfied by any land deals, the only thing that would satisfy them is no israel. IMHO, the israelis need to go on the offensive and make their enemies capitulate. For every kassam, there needs to be a disproportionate and horrifying response. The world will bitch, but they would bitch anyways.
#6
AP: What has happened to the Israeli govt to now sink so low to even entertain the thought of releasing terrorists for hostages?
Zenster: The continual grind of PC, UN and Euro condemnation.
Israel must recognize that these forces are their enemy and begin acting on that basis.
The argument in Israeli politics has always been about how to get the Arabs to accept Israel and llve in peace. Both the iron hand and the olive branch have been tried, but no Israeli government has really accepted the necessity of permanent war. Unfortunately, as Zenster points out, when your opponent considers you a blot on the landscape and will only accept your eradication, it's either perpetual struggle, evacuation or extermination. It's a hell of a future for a nation to face.
A senior official in Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement has accused the ruling Hamas party of blocking efforts to form a national unity government. 'If Hamas wanted to form a (unity) government, then why did Ismail Haniya keep his post as prime minister and organize a regional tour (scheduled to last until the end of the year)?' Fatah parliamentary whip Azzam al-Ahmad asked during a radio debate with Hamas Information Minister Yousef Rezka.
Haniya's tour, his first since taking office, sees him visit several Arab and Muslim countries, including Syria ands Iran. It has been criticised as it comes while Hamas and Fatah are discussing the formation of the mooted unity government. The talks have since been deadlocked.
Information Minister Rezka termed 'illogical' al-Ahmad's calls for the resignation of the prime minister. 'Haniya's resignation is agreed to take place when the talks are completed and the formation of the new government begins,' he said.
Al-Ahmed said Abbas and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) have been holding meetings in Ramallah to discuss options which can be taken to end the deadlock. 'These procedures can begin with a speech by the president and might end with early parliamentary and presidential elections,' he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/06/2006 00:00 ||
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Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Tuesday that comments he made on Monday about kidnapped IDF soldiers Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev were misunderstood, and that he did not mean to imply that they were dead. "From Israel's perspective, we believe they [the kidnapped soldiers] are still alive," Olmert told reporters in Kiryat Malachi.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/06/2006 00:00 ||
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For the good of Israel it would be better if these soldiers were regarded as dead and retribution taken rather than even thinking about negotiating away even one (never mind 1000) terrorist prisoner to effect their release.
Field upon field of more than 1,000 battered M1 tanks, howitzers and other armored vehicles sit amid weeds here at the 15,000-acre Anniston Army Depot -- the idle, hulking formations symbolic of an Army that is wearing out faster than it is being rebuilt.
The Army and Marine Corps have sunk more than 40 percent of their ground combat equipment into the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to government data. An estimated $17 billion-plus worth of military equipment is destroyed or worn out each year, blasted by bombs, ground down by desert sand and used up to nine times the rate in times of peace. The gear is piling up at depots such as Anniston, waiting to be repaired.
The depletion of major equipment such as tanks, Bradley Fighting Vehicles, and especially helicopters and armored Humvees has left many military units in the United States without adequate training gear, officials say. Partly as a result of the shortages, many U.S. units are rated "unready" to deploy, officials say, raising alarm in Congress and concern among military leaders at a time when Iraq strategy is under review by the White House and the bipartisan Iraq Study Group.
#1
Don't expect the Dems to put a dime into getting it back in service or replacing it. But the Republican are not much better they let it get this way. This situation is criminal neglect.
#2
The upcoming supplemental request by Army includes funds for new replacements. Congress better shit or get off the pot. We're just about out of toys to play with. Do they really want to have no viable Army ? Because fatasses like them would be the first to get snuffed if anyone ever rolled into the homeland.
Posted by: Bobby ||
12/06/2006 6:50 Comments ||
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This could actually be a Bush/Rumsfeld phalkup.
They allowed things to deteriorate instead of making it everybody's war.
In WW2, there was gas rationing, tin can recycling, victory gardens, etc.
Not today, don't want to trouble the couch potato civilians for some support, no sir.
#9
Part of the blame can be laid at the feet of the unit / squadron commanders; even back in my active duty days, there was a chronic shortage of spare parts for our jets, but since the squadron CO wanted to make Captain and the Wing commander wanted to make Admiral, they would rotate 'up' assets from the squadrons just getting back from a deployment to those getting ready to go. This shell game was choreographed in such a way that those units showing a less than perfect readiness were those that wer in an authorized stand down mode. One deployment the carrier CO wanted all airplanes listed as 'up' airborne in 2 hours; there were a lot of red faces when it was discovered that 'well they were up intil the engines, ejection seats, radios, etc were discovered missing.....'
If those responsible had painted the true picture, perhaps the spares shortage would not be so huge today.
#10
Wait, TW. I thought it was Joe M for Prez. Is he lessening his goals now? And how will JOEM for UN Sec Gen really mesh with Ann Coulter for US Ambassador to the UN? Methinks like oil and water.
Posted by: BA ||
12/06/2006 14:49 Comments ||
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#11
What the f**k does gas rationing have to do with spare parts production? That is a stupid example to make.
All this article did was state the obvious for anyone who has paid attention to Congress and military procurement for the past 20 years : Congress will sometimes fund the purchase of new equipment since that brings in jobs and ribbon-cutting ceremonies, but skimps on the parts and spares production. And during the 90s, the spares problem was much worse : Clinton never even tried to keep up with equipment replacement/maintenance requirements. What we are now seeing is the normal wear and tear on equipment that war brings. Also, notice that the article stresses that equipment is being worn out at "nine times the rate in times of peace". Well, DUH!! We are actively fighting a military campaign! It is the old mantra of "War bad, peace good" from the Left, except this time they are trying to say they are concerned with the military.
And another thing, after Rummy cancelled several of the gold-plated programs like the Crusader, he did try to get Congress to increase spending on spares. They refused, with several of the Repubs backing the refusal, since their districts got hit by the program cancellations.
#12
Congress will sometimes fund the purchase of new equipment since that brings in jobs and ribbon-cutting ceremonies, but skimps on the parts and spares production.
Also why there was always a push for 'more troops': they aren't as expensive as weapons. There's also no voting bloc to offend with a RIF.
#13
Oh, I'm sure JosephM wouldn't have a problem with Ms. Coulter, BA -- he likes Americans. No, I don't think we want JosephM to run for president, where consistently clear communication is preferred; but his understanding of the interweaving of Islamists and the Spetz-whatsis Soviet Special Forces, his thorough grasp of outre' conspiracy theory and cant, and the opacity of his communications at the most delicate of moments perfectly suit the chief diplomat/chief executive officer of the United Nations. Had our beloved JosephMendiola taken over after that dreadful Kofi Annan, the nefarious elements at the UN would have quickly been frozen in their tracks -- likely mid-word -- enabling the serious members and staff (like Rantburg's occasional correspondent from those parts) to accomplish the necessary. Perhaps as the end of the Korean chap's tenure approaches, JosephM's candidacy can be readdressed. ;-)
#14
So true, Shieldwolf. Anniston Army Depot is one huge place. I drive past it (though you can't really see into it) on my way to the in-laws.
This makes it completely obvious the need to PRE-plan so many things for DoD it's almost ludicrous. And the spin in the article is ridiculous. They want to blame Bush (w/o noting Congress's defaulting on this bill), but then when Bush does shove something through Congress, they whine and moan about him being a bully. Can't have it both ways, punks. It's completely obvious (like Shieldwolf says) that equipment wears out a LOT faster in REAL combat than in peace time. Add on top of that the effects of fine sand of Iraq and its impact on our "toys" and I'm surprised they can keep half the stuff together. Of course, these guys are salt of the earth and can probably rig up stuff the Inside the Beltway types would NEVER even imagine to keep things going.
Posted by: BA ||
12/06/2006 22:09 Comments ||
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The Maronite Church on Wednesday called for early presidential elections to help settle the serious crisis which is threatening to split Lebanon.
The council of Maronite Bishops, in a declaration of the church's principles, also urged leaders of the community and other Lebanese spiritual groups to agree on a "code of honor" to settle differences through dialogue, reject violence and armed confrontations and refrain from agitation.
The Maronites are Catholics, and this formulation follows to the letter Bendedict XVI's recent statements on Christian-Islamic relations.
The Maronite declaration of principles called for ratifying an agreement with the United Nations on an International Tribunal to try suspects charged with the 2005 assassination of ex-premier Rafik Hariri and other related "terrorist" crimes. It warned against linking Lebanon to regional and International disputes and called for the formation of an "entente government" to contain the explosive situation.
If the entente government could not be formed, the statement noted, efforts should be exerted to form a government of "independent" figures to adopt a new elections law based on the principle of small electoral constituencies that can "truly represent" the various Lebanese communities. The statement also called for the full implementation of the Taef Accord, which ended the Lebanese civil war in 1990, and stressed on the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homeland.
The Maronite Church stressed on the need for settling the question of armed Palestinian factions in Lebanon.
Commenting on Hizbullah's weapons, without mentioning the Shiite faction by name, the statement said weapons in Lebanon should be "strictly controlled by the legitimate security forces."
The council of Maronite Bishops also called for an urgent meeting of the Lebanese parliament to tackle the serious crisis which is splitting the nation.
The council, which held its monthly meeting at suburban Bkirki under patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir, called on Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri to convene the house to deliberate the issue that has paralyzed constitutional institutions.
The statement noted that the "confusing situation through which the Lebanese are going is regrettable. Constitutional institutions have been paralyzed". It said: "nothing is left except Parliament, but it doesn't convene. That is why," the statement added, "we plead with its speaker Nabih Berri to convene it so it may find a way out of the crisis".
Beirut, 06 Dec 06, 14:58
Top Iranian Military Commanders: In Case of Attack on Iran, We'll Target U.S. Troops in Gulf; U.S. Warships 'Have No Maneuverability and Are Easily Sunk'; Iranian Suicide Squad Commander: We'll Carry Out Suicide Operations in Gulf Countries
To mark Iran's Basij Week and Navy Day, in late November 2006, Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Commander Yahya Rahim Safavi and Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps Navy Commander Admiral Sejad Kouchaki both threatened that Iran would strike U.S. military targets in the Gulf in the event of an attack on Iran. IRGC Commander Safavi made threats against "the 200,000 U.S. troops" stationed in the region, threatened to close the Straits of Hormuz, and said that Iran had not yet given orders to the Iraqi people to fight against the U.S. troops in Iraq. IRGC Navy Commander Kouchaki threatened to sink U.S. warships in the Gulf.
In addition, Firooz Rajai-Far, commander of the Martyrs Brigades, commander of an Iranian volunteer suicide bomber organization, threatened that her group would carry out suicide operations in the Gulf countries if the latter permitted the U.S. military to use U.S. military bases in those countries to launch an attack on Iran.
The following are the main points of reports on the threats:
IRGC Commander Safavi: 200,000 [U.S.] Troops In Their 33 Bases Are Highly Vulnerable
To mark Basij Day, on November 21, 2006 IRGC Commander Yahya Rahim Safavi said, "Any time it wants, Iran can implement its control of the Straits of Hormuz, from whose waters 17 million barrels of oil [per day] leave [the region]...
"The Americans are sunk in the quagmire of Afghanistan and Iraq, and there is no way for them [to move either] forward or backward. Assuming they attack Iran, [then] their 200,000 troops, in their 33 bases, are highly vulnerable. American politicians and military commanders both know this.
"They can start a war, but [the decision to] end [the war] will not be in their hands. In the meantime, we still have not told the Iraqi people to act..." [1]
Iranian Navy Commander: "American Warships Are Heavy... And Easily Sunk"
On November 27, 2006, the Iranian news agency Mehr reported that IRGC Navy Commander Admiral Sejad Kouchaki had said, "We are fully monitoring the route taken by the American [warships in the Gulf], and because American warships are heavy, they have no maneuverability, and are easily sunk." [2]
Iranian Suicide Bomber Organization Threatens Suicide Operations Against U.S. Targets in Gulf
On November 20, 2006, the Kuwaiti daily Al-Rai reported: "An extremist Iranian group is threatening to carry out suicide operations in the Gulf countries that are allies of the U.S., in the event that the U.S. uses its own bases in these countries to attack Iran." [3]
The paper quoted the commander of the Kataeb Al-Istishhadiyeen (Martyrdom Brigades) organization, Firooz Rajai, [4] as saying: "If the [U.S.] bases in the [Gulf] countries are used by the American forces as a point of departure for an attack [on Iran], these [countries] should not expect to enjoy security while we [Iran] have none." She added: "If some of the [Arab Gulf] countries provide America with bases or camps for them to use for conducting an attack against Iran, is it logical for them to expect security?"
The report also said: "Rajai further clarified that the Martyrdom Brigades, which was founded in 2002, currently included 56 volunteer suicide bombers, and was independent and unconnected to the [Iranian] government or the IRGC.
"She said that she had been one of the students who took over the U.S. Embassy [in 1980] after the Islamic Revolution of 1979, and that she would be willing to do it again were [the Embassy] to reopen."
Rajai has been in the Iranian media a number of times, as leader of an Iranian organization of volunteers who have registered to carry out suicide operations against American targets and interests in the region:
· On May 27, 2004, the reformist daily Sharq reported that Rajai-Far was an activist for a local Iranian organization called Hizbullah, and quoted her as saying that "martyrdom operations are the only option to expel the Americans and British from Iraq." [5]
· On June 5, 2004, Sharq reported that Rajai-Far had been one of the organizers of a conference for signing up volunteers for suicide operations against American targets in Iraq and against Israel. The report also said that she had been among the "students who support the line of Imam Khomeini" in their occupation of the U.S. Embassy.
Sharq also quoted Rajai-Far as saying, "The violence of martyrdom operations is the same as the violence of the war, and there is no escape from [this violence]. Although the target of the [martyrdom] operation is military, civilians may also be killed - and this is exactly what the Americans do. When civilians are killed in their [the Americans'] attacks, they blame the inaccuracy of their weapons, and act innocent." [6]
#3
She said that she had been one of the students who took over the U.S. Embassy [in 1980] after the Islamic Revolution of 1979, and that she would be willing to do it again were [the Embassy] to reopen."
She must love being suppressed/submissive as what future has a women under the Mad Mullahs!!!!
#4
"American Warships Are Heavy... And Easily Sunk"
Taking on the US Navy worked SOOO well the last time they tried it (in 1988). After 12 hours what was left of their Navy was pretty much gone.
#5
In addition, Firooz Rajai-Far, commander of the Martyrs Brigades, commander of an Iranian volunteer suicide bomber organization, threatened that her group would carry out suicide operations in the Gulf countries if the latter permitted the U.S. military to use U.S. military bases in those countries to launch an attack on Iran.
This actually gives me hope. We know (no offense Rantburg Ladies) with a woman at the helm, under the MM's, there are NOT that many "volunteers" to go kaboom. Article states later it's only 56 "volunteers."
And, when I've seen the sea trials of the USS Reagan (the carrier) on Discovery Channel and it was quoted as saying it's top speed was 30 or so knots, I don't think the USN is as "heavy" or "unmanuverable" as the dear Admiral thinks, lol! Seeing the Reagan going full speed and tilting her entire deck 15 degrees from horizontal is quite the site to see for a ship that large!
Posted by: BA ||
12/06/2006 13:54 Comments ||
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#6
I'll huff, and I'll puff
and I'll blow your house down!
Hat tip: Big Bad Wolf to the Three Little Pigs
Posted by: Bobby ||
12/06/2006 14:10 Comments ||
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#7
No offence taken, BA dear. There really isn't any comparison between our professional Rantburg ladies and the Iranian version of Moving Black Objects. I'd be as proud to load for them, at need, as for the Rantburg gentlemen, knowing they are each good for "one bullet, one enemy."
#8
The Japanese sacrificed 10,000 kamikazes and failed to stop our fleet. The fleet's defenses have improved somewhat since those days, while (to say the least) the suicide attackers have not improved at all.
#9
One more time ... Why not take these proclamations seriously? Make sure they are broadcast to the American public so they understand the layers of threats that Iran continues to make against us. A weekly White House newsreel of these warpath rantings by our foes would go a long way towards militating the American public against jihadism.
Not doing this continues to support Islam's ostensible and very wrong label as The Religion of Peace [spit]. If public opinion is ever going to be shifted to the war-footing this nation needs to be on, it is these flagrantly hostile declarations by our enemies that should be given a thorough airing.
The Bush administration may well go down in history as being the most inept at utilizing modern media to promote its vision. All the more tragic in that, by comaprison to the rudderless democrats, at least they DO have some sort of vision.
#10
How many "news" networks, outlets, does Bush control?
Who actually watches Tony Snow's performance, the main means of disseminating Bush's position on everything, other than the MSM?
If you watched TV, you'd know that when it comes to getting the word out on topics such as this it's pretty much limited to Fox. And that's available to what - maybe 20%, 25%, 30% of the US population? It was 17.3% in 2000...
There isn't a MaGIk wANd when the entire media establishment, sans fewer outlets than you have fingers, are determined to torpedo everything you do.
Sad, that. I think we agree that Hunter / Killer Teams just might be needed to correct this imbalance. Meanwhile, let's apply some common sense to our condemnations.
#11
"The Bush administration may well go down in history as being the most inept at utilizing modern media to promote its vision. All the more tragic in that, by comaprison to the rudderless democrats, at least they DO have some sort of vision."
Agree 100%. It amazes me how inept they appear to be at getting the word out, at even defending themselves. As if the press is going to go easier on them when they see blood in the water?
I don't. My television has not been powered up for over five years now. Not even to watch movies or DVDs, VHS, nada, zip, zero, bupkus. You should see the layer of dust on my remote. I am doing my best to punish the MSM by killing their viewing numbers in exchange for their treason.
There isn't a MaGIk wANd when the entire media establishment, sans fewer outlets than you have fingers, are determined to torpedo everything you do.
So, you're saying that the MSM would refuse to air a five or ten minute weekly White House press conference devoted to getting this message out? Media channels that refused to carry a presidential address to the American people would take some sort of noticeable hit if they did.
Sad, that.
It most definitely is, but Bush's inability to rally, if not actual support, at least the strength of fluency by regularly working the media has become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Lack of exposure has snowballed into near-obscurity.
I think we agree that Hunter / Killer Teams just might be needed to correct this imbalance.
No "think" about it, .com. On this we have always agreed and my support for such a notion only increases with passing time, as does my desire to see it extended further down into the ranks of Islam's command chain. Summary execution of jihadist imams on a worldwide basis still represents one of the single most cost-effective ways of stifling Islam's propaganda machine and recruitment activities. A dozen or two well-orchestrated hits could achieve this in just a few month's time.
Meanwhile, let's apply some common sense to our condemnations.
Believe it or not, your accusations of BDS notwithstanding, it is more a lamentation than condemnation. However much I disagree with numerous aspects of Bush's domestic agenda, I have always backed his approach to foreign policy. As has been mentioned here before, there is nothing to debate about terrorism. The disservice he has done to both himself and the American people is largely self-inflicted. As others have noted, Bush has THE bully pulpit of all time and has not utilized it to anywhere near its full effect, which is my major point.
Yes, the MSM is torpedoeing much of the White House's agenda, especially in the Global War on Terrorism. For that they need to held accountable. I do so by refusing to be co-opted into their commercial merchandising of the American viewing public. I now reside exclusively on the Internet. I think you are allowing my critical posture regarding Bush to blind you to some realistic appraisal of why this administration has fallen flat in the last several months. I'm not hollering about stupidity. It's more a case of ineptitude, which is something altogether different.
#14
Not watching TV is not a badge of courage or intellectual superiority - it's cutting off available information. Nothing more. Quit being a snob - it's simply foolish.
Actually, the network outlets do not consider us to be at war, merely entrenched in a bloody quagmire that is solely Bush's fault. It's not WW-II and FDR's dead. So is patriotism in the MSM. Nevermind that every leading DhimmiDonk was in favor, vocally so, about going into both Afghanistan and Iraq - WMD's were only part of their reasoning regards Iraq, same as Bush - that is all conveniently and conspiratorially forgotten. So no, the MS outlets won't be giving Bush a steady diet of their valuable airtime. He does interviews regularly, so their newsies get that valuable face-time, where he makes his pitch and points. Since you've cut yourself off, you don't actually know bupkus - cuz the rest of the MSM only mines them for mistakes or faux pas - gotcha journalism.
You know I agree about selective whacking - you talk mainly about imams - I agree: a most worthy collection of targets. I am even more interested in domestic wetwork, which definitely puts me outside the pale. To say more would be stupid, but I believe our grief starts here at home and our solution must also start here. It's only getting worse, domestically, too. We can thank the MSM - no pass from me.
Bush is a guy who does what he thinks is right. We'll always, all of us, wish for more or different focus and intensity. Such is reality. He's said he will not allow the Mullahs to get nuclear weapons. I believe him. That's it.
You do, regularly, dismiss 6 years in which Bush has done what he thinks is right - and it overlaps considerably with the goals we both desire, I believe. Where it doesn't, you sometimes wax nasty or, at the least, are unwilling to accept that you do not know what he knows, you do not know what he plans to do, you do not know what resources he has to work with, and you do not acknowledge the restraint under which he must operate.
We're on the same side, but bashing the team captain is mostly non-productive and a morale-killer. That's my take.
#15
Not watching TV is not a badge of courage or intellectual superiority - it's cutting off available information. Nothing more. Quit being a snob - it's simply foolish.
Where do I make any claims like that? I hate commecial broadcast television and that's that. The Internet is proving itself to be a superior avenue for news gathering and blogs like Rantburg are proof it.
We're on the same side, but bashing the team captain is mostly non-productive and a morale-killer.
So, no one is suppoed to speak up if the coach begins making the wrong calls? There has to be a balance struck somewhere. Perhaps, that is what is being explored at places like this. I would certainly say so in light of my own avowed determination to publically defend Bush against impeachment for any pre-emptive strikes against Iran or North Korea.
#17
Lol, c'mon. Your snobbery literally screams, lol. That's some funny shit.
You can criticize the Team Captain, if it makes sense. Sometimes what you say doesn't take that nasty little bitch called reality into account. You expect to get what you want. We'd all like that, lol, but when's the last time it happened when it was up to hundreds of others, approx 536 others, to make it so? I'm as frustrated as you. Hell, maybe more... cuz what follows is so far from the foreign actions needed.
I definitely would go straight to jail if what I wanted to do "locally" was declared publically and perceived as threat, lol, so I refrain. The strain is killing me, too, lol.
#19
In September 1988, the minelayer Iran Ajr was captured and scuttled during Operation Prime Chance. On 14 April 1988, Iranian mines nearly sank the USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG-58); four days later, U.S. forces retaliated by sinking the Iranian warships Joshan and Sahand and several small armed powerboats in Operation Praying Mantis.
Iran added patrol boats, submarines and surface-launched anti-ship missiles in the 1990s. Iran replaced Western ships with purchases from Russia, China, and North Korea. It engaged in naval exercises with Pakistan and India.
Ummm ... no. I expect only one thing, the right to free speech, which this site does a particularly superb job of protecting. Thank you Fred and all the moderators.
#23
You really are a "Chin", I guess, posting from Taipei. Oh look! The Big Chin wants to swallow the little, tiny, micro Chin. So yeah, bash Bush. I'm sure he'll come rushing to save you when the Big Chin gets hungry...
#25
And to think that Iran was coming to the US begging for talks
And we all know just how incredibly productive the last several years worth of "talks" between Iran and Europe have been. Why don't you try having some "talks" with the Chinese communists. I'm certain they'll make all sorts of glowing, wonderful promises to you. Just like they did with that cemetary of human rights, Hong Kong.
You live in one of the most dynamic and productive democratic powerhouses in all of Asia, if not the world and have the unmitigated gall to drop in and sneer at those who are most dedicated to defending your tiny nation against one of the single largest remaining global threats.
Do me a favor, go brew a nice big pot of scalding hot tea and then spill it in your lap.
#27
I'm very interested in this MSM & the administration get the word out angle you guys have touched on. I've thought about this situation some. Hence, I'd like to raise some constructive criticisms for conjecture. Seems to me that Tony Snow is just one man but does have great access to FOX. Q: Could the present admin not hire several Tony Snow types to flood the other msm outlets? I.E. - a group of media "fixxer teams" that counter all the lies, half-truths, and deceits by omission propogated by the msm wrt Iraq/WoT/Iran etc. It would take some money and finding some people w/talent, but I dare say this website not only attains the right info to counter strike the msm & the ignorance of the average folk but also has the right minds and articulate posters to back it up. I realize the msm may not give a lot of time to alternate (i.e. conservative) view points (except for fox) but I have to think if pestered enough and if the admin was aggressive enough, the msm would have to air it. Another factor is that imho the admin needs to harshen up their tone wrt islam. No more religion of peace references. That only placates the lefty whackos. I really think that the 70% of Americans in the middle know deep down the real deal. Any thoughts?
#28
There are Pubbie "consultants" that roam the airwaves - trying to get on the talking head shows, FOX is the easy one, since they always put one of each on to spit at each other, lol.
The other outlets don't invite them very often and, of course, what topic are open and what a operative is allowed to say is tightly controlled by the host.
The exceptions are things like Lynne Cheney - who took Wolfie Blitzer's head off for being a disingenuous ass. One of the funniest things I've ever watched, heh.
Sometime Russert allows some pretty open wheeling and dealing, but he wants the Pols, not operative, so you need to get the real Pubbies on - and give them a steroid shot beforehand.
Truth is, the message doesn't get out because the MSM controls the avenues to their outlets pretty carefully and don't allow anyone to wander too far, unless it's a Bush-Bash, of course - that's always welcome. The fact that Olbermann and O'Donnell still have jobs sorta proves that point.
I dunno. They own the game. Fox is pretty much IT in the TV world. We can count the reliable online / print outlets with any audience size on one hand.
#29
Good points. I guess that's why talk radio is so popular and has taken over a lot of news business from the traditional outlets. I would really like just once for GWB to have a press conference and call shenannigans/bullshit on certain stories and those msm outlets that perpetuated them. Heck, I'd love for him to dime out a whacky journalist or some editorial page by name and call them on their idiocy. Some Dennis Miller-like sarcastic thrashing would be awesome (though GW seems like too nice of a guy to do it). Speaking of which, GW needs a Miller type to thrash morons in the media on a regular basis - too bad that isn't part of Snow's job description - now that would be entertaining.
#30
We'll Carry Out Suicide Operations in Gulf Countries
Oh the horror. Yawn. Gee, do you suppose they'll sit still for that? Or come over and beat on you. I guess that would leave you hoping that the other nations will blame the US and beat on them instead, or the US will somehow protect the MMs' sorry a$$es.
#31
I think you've nailed something about Bush that goes to the core of the problem - and it's as much perception as anything. He's a guy who thinks like a Yale MBA - sort of a genial CEO. Loyal to a fault - I think Tenet and Minetta prove that one. Delegates, truly delegates to subordinates - and authority is commensurate with responsibility... think Rummy. And he forgives them when they fail - expects them to learn and try again... think Abizaid, Casey, et al. I used to work for a guy like that, and when he retired I immediately left, his replacement was an authoritarian asshole who didn't know fuckall about the computer services biz, and ran off to Saudi as a contractor, lol.
It's clear Bush has stainless steel or titanium skin. He is not freaked out, like everyone else is - and assumes he must be. Calm, nonplussed, plugging away doing what he thinks is right. Interviewers figure it out - the public perception is dead wrong. That's why I'm sure he'll keep his word on Iran.
If he had an alligator, someone who could and would go after the zoomers, chew some ass, scare the bejeezus out of 'em, it would be very sweet - at least for us. Not sure if it would actually "rally" the public - that's a perception / belief born of this echo chamber, lol... untested out there among the majority who're fed Katie Couric and Wolfie Blitzer everyday. Funny thing is, it would not change Bush one iota. He'd still be doing what he's doing. And everyone would still be infuriated and frustrated and freaked out and bubbling with BDS.
#32
Am I right that Wolf Blitzer is CNN? And CNN has been losing market share steadily for years... as have the worst of the BDS-suffering mainstream media producers, like the LA Times, NY Times, Washington Post, etc. And the market share of conservative talk radio keeps rising. So I suspect the number of people who actually believe the vicious nonsense so unrelated to reality that's been pumped out by the MSM continues to fall to some asymtote correlatable to the number of donors to the Democratic Party (a smallish number, most of whom like to throw good money after bad in large amounts). It's just that so many of the believers actually work in the journalism-related industries, and tend to be awfully noisy.
And of course, sites like Rantburg are largely parasitic on the journalism profession, so we get a concentrated dose here... Now I'll go read the article, after trying to digest everything y'all said in the thread. I hope it's as interesting! ;-)
#34
I realize the msm may not give a lot of time to alternate (i.e. conservative) view points (except for fox) but I have to think if pestered enough and if the admin was aggressive enough, the msm would have to air it. Another factor is that imho the admin needs to harshen up their tone wrt islam. No more religion of peace references. That only placates the lefty whackos.
All good points which I myself have been making as well, Broadhead6.
#35
I became convinced that the President would go after Iran, when he put the current crisis in context of future "generations" of Americans. I became more convinced when he only said that ONCE. Similarly, the great President Reagan would make singular statements and when he moved he would say, I told you so.
GWB: whatever you do, do it quietly and brutally and we will read about it in our morning papers and NOT in some leak to CNN weasels.
#36
True, Bush obviously doesn't give a rat's ass about polls, and I admire that. (unlike the Huxter who was so frickin' co-dependent he needed to be liked no matter what that did to the posterity of the country). However, I wish Bush had some hard-ass guy out there telling the real story and going after the assholes in the media. Here's a thought - Maybe a job for Bolton?
#38
Bolton for Press Secretary/MSM breaker. Melikey. And, when he's busy doing his hair, maybe Ms. Coulter could step in?
Of course, there's always JOE M too! That'd REALLY throw 'em!
My take...Yes, Bush needs to "get the word out" more and more eloquently. However, I truly do believe that the majority of "flyover" country gets it. They may not be visiting RB every day, but Fox News is creaming the Cable competition full-tilt. Yeah, we lost some during the last election, but that was AFTER constant 24/7 wailing and nashing of teeth by the MSM, the Newsrags, the Newsmags, etc. I truly believe (as some have stated here before) that as the younger generations age to voting age, they'll come around to our side. They're not afraid of the internet, and in fact, use it for non-mainstream news.
Add to that, that 98 of the 100 top fastest growing Counties in the nation vote Repub full-tilt. Throw on top of that the "Roe effect" that Taranto (Opinion Journal) screams about, and the future does TRULY look brighter, as long as the Repubs don't go off the reservation too much more (spending, illegal immigration, etc.).
One final court of public opinion is slowly being taken away from the LLL too. The Supreme Court. In some ways, I believe Bush's picks to sit on this bench are as important domestically as the WoT is globally. In fact, when the "Human Rights" groups/ACLU/Amnesty Int'l/et al get through with their crusade to give the jihadis every "right" in the book, this could very well backfire. Like .com said, Bush is not only sticking to his guns by what he's DOING, but he is a "big picture" or "long term" thinker. I take him at his word that he'll deal with Iran as needed. I truly believe his eye is not only on what needs to be done immediately, but looking long term and how to "hand off" this war, as it will NOT be completed by Jan. 2009, when he leaves office. For that, I'm completely thankful, and willing to take our lumps in the media department. Truly a "watch the hand, not the mouth" situation.
Posted by: BA ||
12/06/2006 22:32 Comments ||
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President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran, who flaunts his ideological fervour, has been accused of undermining Iran's Islamic revolution after television footage appeared to show him watching a female song and dance show. Looks like they think he has served his purpose and has dug his own grave deep enough.
The famously austere Mr Ahmadinejad has been criticised by his own allies after attending the lavish opening ceremony of the Asian games in Qatar, a sporting competition involving 13,000 athletes from 39 countries. The ceremony featured Indian and Egyptian dancers and female vocalists. Many were not wearing veils. I'll bet he didn't even know he was digging his own grave.
Women are forbidden to sing and dance before a male audience under Iran's Islamic legal code. Officials are expected to excuse themselves from such engagements when abroad but TV pictures showed Mr Ahmadinejad sitting with President Bashar Assad of Syria and Ismail Haniya, the Palestinian prime minister, during last Friday's ceremony in Doha.
Religious fundamentalists, usually Mr Ahmadinejad's keenest supporters, are asking why he attended a ceremony that violated his own government's strict interpretation of Shia Islam. Just because Ahmanutjob's supporters are keen doesn't mean that he is.
The Baztab website, considered close to Mohsen Rezaee, a former revolutionary guard commander with links to powerful sections of Iran's political hierarchy, said Mr Ahmadinejad's presence had offended Shias in Iran and elsewhere. "The failure of Ahmadinejad to object and his constant presence has damaged the image of Iran's Islamic revolution and its commitment to Islamic rules in contrast with the Arab countries in the Gulf," it said. No, he was actually starting to make a bit of progress. You're the ones who are screwing it up.
The president's aides insist he was not present during the singing and dancing. His press secretary, Ali Akbar Javanfekr, claimed Mr Ahmadinejad had left for Doha airport before the performance. See, he knows the difference between piety and perversion!
However, Baztab posted footage which purported to show Mr Ahmadinejad in his seat after the show. Jalal Yahyazadeh, a rightwing MP, said: "We have heard from some sources that Ahmadinejad was in the stadium at the time. Those who created the conditions for his presence should be investigated as quickly as possible." Nice knowin' ya, Nutjob. It'll be interesting to see who else they have decided have served their purpose but have to go.
You know, it will be interesting to see how serious they really are about this. If Ahmanutjob just gets excused from his post and has to say 10 Hail Marys, we'll know it was just political and the rulers there are full of $hit as we all expect. However, if they really care, they'll have him executed. Cough cough.
#16
um, yeah, that would explain the old Swedish custom of belly dancing....
Belly dancing did not originate in Arabia. Its beginnings can be traced back to India. Curiously enough, the practice was once an exclusively male domain in that the birthing of a reborn avatar was intended to be performed by a man. Centuries of this notion's solid disproof by maternal functioning finally saw the migration of this art form over to the women folk. As mentioned, this was originally not supposed to be a form of entertainment. The exercises are intended to facilitate childbirth. It should be no surprise that professional belly dancers are reputed to have a much easier time delivering children. Their consumate skill at accomodating certain other fun activities will remain undiscussed.
#17
As to Ahmadinejad, his transgression is a splendid example of just how cannibalistic Islam's power structure is. It reminds me very little of the Soviet Union, where there were so many arcane laws and regulations that any given individual was already guilty of something and merely awaited the time of their arrest.
Thousands of pro-Syrian Shiites expressed anger at the death of one of their protestors who was killed during a weekend clash with anti-Syrian demonstrators in a Sunni neighbourhood, as tension continued to engulf the streets of the capital Beirut. 'Death to (Prime Minister Fouad) Seniora,' chanted the crowd during the funeral procession on a main road leading to the Martyrs Cemetery in Beirut's Shiite southern suburbs. 'The blood of the Shiites is boiling.' "Look at us seethe!"
Ahmad Mahmud, 20, was killed during street fights that occurred Sunday night in a predominantly Sunni Moslem neighbourhood near where the opposition has been holding mass protests since Friday to topple the government of Seniora. The clashes have prompted pro- and anti-Syrian officials to call for calm amid fears that sectarian violence would engulf the country as it did between the years 1975-1990. Hasn't prompted Hassan to tell everybody to go home, though, you betcha...
During the funeral ceremony, Sheikh Abdel Amir Kabalan, interim president of the Higher Shiite Council, appealed for calm and unity among the Lebanese. 'We present the martyr as a sacrifice for Lebanon's national unity,' he said. 'It is forbidden for Shiites to kill Sunnis, for Sunnis to kill Shiites and for Christians to kill Muslims,' said Kabalan. So how come they do?
Earlier, leaders of Lebanon's anti-Syrian camp Tuesday called for dialogue amid fears of an outbreak of civil strife as pro-Syrian protestors prepared for the funeral. Druze member of parliament (MP) Walid Jumblatt told a news conference in Beirut that 'dialogue is the only solution... to this crisis.'
Jumblatt, an outspoken critic of Syria, accused the Damascus regime of dealing with Lebanon not like a 'state deals with a neighbouring state, but as a bunch of gangs dealing with a state.' The Druze leader called for calm among his followers and asked them not to attend classes at universities with a majority of students loyal to Shiite pro-Syrian groups Amal and Hezbollah for several weeks. 'We want to avoid any provocations, so please I call on the Druze students not to attend the universities until the Christmas vacation is over.'
Lebanese Premier Fouad Seniora reiterated his call for dialogue, saying 'the solution of Lebanon's problems will be dealt with inside the constitutional institutions such as the governmental palace and the parliament and not in the streets.'
The deep political division in the country started a few months after Israel's 33-day war against the Shiite militant group Hezbollah. Clashes and fist fights have been erupting in several Sunni Muslim neighbourhoods since Sunday near where tens of thousands of Hezbollah and Amal followers along with supporters of their Christian ally General Michel Aoun were protesting to topple the anti-Syrian government. Lebanese soldiers went into action again late Tuesday after riot police were overwhelmed by Shiite protestors who entered a Sunni neighbourhood, prompting residents to retaliate by throwing stones. Calm was restored after an hour of unrest, which followed a day of tension after the 20-year-old pro-Syrian Shiite protestor was killed.
A police statement called on the 'organizers of the demonstration to tell the demonstrators to refrain from harming residents and passers-by, or else they will be detained and referred to the courts.'
Meanwhile, the Hezbollah-led protest in downtown Beirut continued for the fifth day around the government palace where Seniora's office is located, with demonstrators calling on the premier to resign. Troops and anti-riot police have deployed in force around Beirut to keep the peace, and the Seniora government has received strong public backing from Western and Arab countries. 'Arab countries cannot sit and watch the situation that could get worst,' Arab League secretary general said during a mediation visit to Beirut on Monday.
The United States accused demonstrators trying to topple the government of working with Syria to halt investigations into the 2005 assassination of former premier Rafik Hariri. The assassination was widely blamed on Syria and its Lebanese allies.
EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana warned Monday that an international aid conference next month could fall through if all Lebanese factions did not work together closely to prepare it. The conference was meant to secure assistance to help Lebanon overcome the results of the July-August Israeli war against the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah. According to estimates that war caused more than 3.5 billion dollars in damage.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/06/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
'The blood of the Shiites is boiling.'
I didn't know Halliborton microwave beam was already operating.
#2
'We present the martyr as a sacrifice for Lebanon's national unity,' he said. 'It is forbidden for Shiites to kill Sunnis, for Sunnis to kill Shiites and for Christians to kill Muslims,'
Anyone notice the omission? It is NOT forbidden for Muslims to kill Christians.
Six world powers failed to reach an accord despite "substantive progress" on a UN resolution to punish Iran for its nuclear activities, the French Foreign Ministry said after closed-door talks in Paris on Tuesday.
The five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany remained split over key questions of visa bans and asset freezes for Iranians linked to nuclear development, which Russia is resisting, a top European diplomat said.
After months of diplomatic wrangling, the United States and France had expressed hope that Tuesday's talks would produce a resolution imposing sanctions on Iran for defying UN demands to stop uranium enrichment. The process can produce material for atomic warheads as well as electricity.
"We made substantive progress on the scope of the sanctions targeting proliferation-sensitive activities. There remain several outstanding issues, upon which we will reflect over the coming days," the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement late Tuesday night. "We are now close to a conclusion of this process."
Posted by: Fred ||
12/06/2006 00:00 ||
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Okay, there goes my Boggle, again. Is JPost up to WND standards? I think not.
While Iran continues to deny that Israel has the right to exist, Iranian and Israeli representatives are holding clandestine talks in Europe to settle an old Israeli debt, Ha'aretz reported Wednesday. Iran is still owed hundreds of millions of dollars for oil it supplied to Israel in the years before the Islamic Revolution in 1979, and representatives of the two countries, now sworn enemies, are holding contacts meant to settle the debt, according to the report in Haaretz.
The report was attributed to anonymous Israeli and Swiss officials involved in the negotiations. Two mediation processes involving different parts of the debt are now ongoing between Iranian and Israeli representatives, the report said, and a third ended recently in a ruling that Israeli fuel companies owe Iran tens of millions of dollars.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/06/2006 00:00 ||
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Iranian rep. You've until 10/10/2007 to pay.
Israeli rep. What happens on 10/10/2007?
Iranian rep. You're dead.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Tuesday that imposing wide-ranging sanctions on Iran would be "irresponsible." "Our Western partners wanted to impose broad sanctions. We believe that to impose these kind of sanctions is irresponsible. We will achieve the opposite results," he said at a meeting in Brussels. There are moves at the UN Security Council to penalize Iran for refusing to cease uranium enrichment, a process that produces the material for nuclear reactors or bombs.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/06/2006 00:00 ||
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Obviously, as it might cause the neo-Tsars to eat an ounce less of caviar.
The campaign is picking up speed. It makes me think of Ovid: Adde parvum parvo magnus acervus erit.
[Add little to little and there will be a big pile.]
Dearborn resident says her complaint to Fitness USA manager about patron went unheeded.
DEARBORN -- Fitness USA, a gym chain, is investigating an alleged civil rights violation involving a local Muslim woman who says her afternoon prayer was interrupted by a fellow patron, and that her complaint to management about the situation was rejected. "The manager told me, 'You have to respect her (the patron), but she does not have to respect your God,'" said Wardeh Sultan of Dearborn. "I've had my membership for seven or eight years, and I've never had a problem with praying there. Who the hell goes to a gym to pray? Where would you pray? In the weight room? On a Nautilus?
"I told that manager, 'I can't believe you said that'" Sultan said. I can. If I go to her mosque are they going to accomodate my workout?
"Honestly, I feel humiliated and I feel ashamed, right now, to go back to Fitness USA." What she should be feeling is stoopid.
Local representatives of Fitness USA, which operates branches throughout Metro Detroit and in two other states, referred all inquiries regarding the matter to their corporate offices. "We will, as we will with any complaint involving our staff and a member, be doing a full and thorough investigation of the matter and take any appropriate action we need to take," said Jodi Berry, executive director of Fitness USA. "We want every member to get a good exercise experience every time they come to the club." Since when does a "good exercise experience" involve a good pray?
Berry said she learned of the complaint on Monday. The allegations are among a series of recent complaints by Muslims who say they are free to practice their religion in the United States, until someone tells them they cannot. Recently, the same Fitness USA facility enacted a new dress code to allow Muslim women to wear more modest clothing, in compliance with some Islamic practices. I go to Gold's Gym. I don't think they have a dress code.
Two weeks ago, six Muslim clerics were removed from a U.S. Airways flight after three of them said their evening prayers in the St. Paul-Minneapolis International Airport. How many situps did they do?
Passengers and employees of the airline said later that their suspicions were aroused when the men were overheard making comments critical of the United States, and because the men had one-way tickets and no baggage. The airline and the civil rights office of U.S. Department of Homeland Security are investigating that incident. Sure sounds like a setup. I suspect the gym incident is, too. Imad Hamad, regional director of the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, which lodged a formal complaint with Fitness USA on behalf of Sultan, said the recent spate of conflicts results from a growing intolerance of Islam and a growing restiveness among Muslims that their rights to speak freely and worship are increasingly at risk. Seems more like they represent a feeling of the oats by the turban and automatic weapons crowd. "They (Muslims) are resenting that they are to be suppressed from expressing themselves freely, like others," Hamad said. "It's OK for a Christian fellow or a Jewish fellow to pray, and it would be regarded highly and respected. I can't recall ever having seen a Christian or a Jew praying at Gold's Gym. I did see a Catholic genuflect once, but that was after he walked into something dangling off a Nautilus machine. He was back on his feet in less than half an hour.
"When it comes to a person of Muslim faith, especially if a woman is wearing the head cover or a man with a typical clergy outfit, yeah, it is becoming like something that is offensive to people and making them nervous." No. I think it's the ostentatious arrogance of it that gets to us. So piss off.
Sultan said that, like all pious Muslims, she prays five times daily. "I love bonking my head on the floor at the gym. I do it in the grocery store, too. And at the Jiffy Lube."
She also wears a veil and a long dress, in observance of her faith. Born in Jordan, of Palestinian descent, Sultan arrived in Detroit 17 years ago, before moving to Dearborn. She is an American citizen. Sultan said she came to the United States to secure her freedom and to avoid intolerance. "We're here in the great United States and for this happening, it truly breaks my heart," she said. The thought of you doing the treadmill in full Islamic paraphernalia truly makes me snicker.
"You know, things are starting to change backwards, instead of frontward. We need to keep this United States, our country, up on our shoulders. We don't want it to go down."
Now I hear Tony Bennett / Frankie...
I left my heart
in San Francisco in an Amman shithole,
high on a hill dome it calls to me
to be where little cable cars believers bonk their heads climb halfway to the stars on rugs of holy threads...
#1
You know, things are starting to change backwards, instead of frontward. We need to keep this United States, our country, up on our shoulders. We don't want it to go down."
Then get your covered meat butt out on the street where we can see you demonstrating against terrorists and we're more likely to believe you're in it with us.
#2
I happen to worship at Gold's also. There are some f**king moonbats in there. I see their f**king little hats. If I ever see one on the floor, I will accidentally drop around 300 pounds right on top of the asswipe.
#4
This is a "copy cat" after the Minneapolis airport "immam 'O' gram". Whether it is part of an organized attempt or not I cannot say definively. However, the end game of these actions is to desensitize our reaction to incidents of this nature.
#5
Years ago> ACLU = "about Communism/Socialism". Since too many ACLU lawyers love to talk about Socialism while wilfully intentionally NOT MOVING TO EITHER THE USSR-CHINA, etc Commie paradises on Earth, can only only mean 'Tis about SELFISH UNILATER POWER + $$$ WHILE SOMEONE ELSE FIXES THEIR MESS FOR THEM - you know, Universal anti-Materialist Utopia/laissez Faire + Equalism + Fairness + Social Justice + Leadership + anti-Gubmint Governmentism???
#8
C'mon, guys, she had just raised the weights on the "Butt Blaster", and was just askin' Allah to help her finish that set of reps. And to punish that dirty infidel hussy on the ab machine for hogging it for the past five minutes....and to make the mirrors stop making her thighs look fat....
#9
"The manager told me, 'You have to respect her (the patron), but she does not have to respect your God,'" said Wardeh Sultan of Dearborn."I told that manager, 'I can't believe you said that'" Sultan said.
There's the issue. In Sultan's culture infidel are not permitted to speak to their muzzie overlords in such a fashion. Violates sharia ya know.
I read the entire article but it's not made clear to me how or in what way Sultan thinks her prayer time was interrupted.The journalist that wrote the article neglected to add what I deem an important part of the story. That information would put Sultan's alleged (cough) "humiliation" in context.
Posted by: Mark Z ||
12/06/2006 6:47 Comments ||
Top||
#10
on Freyas (PBUH) day, Find the nearest mosque and do a workout inside.
a) Use of the mass media by creating a media-friendly incident in which the Islamist victim(s) is portrayed as a target of anti-Islamic bigotry by infidels the un-ummahed.
2) Islamist recruitment
a) Free use of the mass media to recruit Islamists from the pool of "moderate" Muslims.
This is the propaganda form of asymmetric warfare - using the MSM's constant foraging for class/racial/ethnic warfare "incidents" to fill air time - in order to promote Islamist objectives.
I look at these episodes as carefully-planned and orchestrated propaganda theater productions.
So far, we've seen oppressed clergy and an abused woman. That probably means the next story will involve children.
#12
I pray to Allah to give me a quick and lucrative settlement from Fitness USA.
Posted by: Wardeh Sultan ||
12/06/2006 8:56 Comments ||
Top||
#13
Amendment XXVIII
1. The following of Islam, of the teachings of Mohammed, or the Koran, is not a religion but a foreign political movement.
2. Congress shall have power to regulate Islam and any property under powers delegated to by this Constitution. All other powers not prohibited to them shall be reserved to the states.
3. Any ruling based on protecting Islam as a religion shall be vacated and be grounds for impeachment.
Good gawd, muzzie woman, get a grip. I'm a devout Southern Baptist, but you'll never catch me praying in a gym, for Pete's sake, unless it's to invoke the Almighty to help me with my last set of reps. What they (and many who repress Christians and others in the U.S.) don't get is, we have FREEDOM OF SPEECH. Just because you don't likey what I say, doesn't mean you can repress my words. The truly un-holy alliance of the muzzies, the MSM, and the LLL in their "Free speech for me, but not for thee" campaign.
Posted by: BA ||
12/06/2006 11:36 Comments ||
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#15
Proves the old addage too, of "Give them an inch and they'll take a mile." Note that the gym has already changed it's "Dress code" (didn't even know gyms had dress codes, except for nekkidity, I guess), and others have already given the muzzies "muzzy only" rooms to workout because they wanted to do it in a full-out burkha? QUIT kow-towing and we'll win this war a LOT quicker.
Posted by: BA ||
12/06/2006 11:38 Comments ||
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#16
I'm waiting for the day when some islamo-doofus stalls traffic in a major city because the call to prayer came while sitting at a red light.
#17
Time (past time!) to play "muslims and cowboys".
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
12/06/2006 13:51 Comments ||
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#18
So just how does the 'non-flying imans' relate to the burka barbell set? Let her pray in the shower ( just thinking about the wet burka gets me in a lather.....)
#19
I keep wondering to myself how far this idiocy is going to go before we have a modern John Brown incident.
Posted by: Dar ||
12/06/2006 15:19 Comments ||
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#20
I pray anytime, anywhere, including the gym, but since my God is ominprescient, I do it silently and it offends no one. Banning prayer is a farce, as no one can invade your thoughtful conversation with the Almighty. It's about relationship, not ritual.
#21
Yep, what #20 said, I whole heartedly concur. I pray in the car on the way to work, the way home, on my lunch break, when I hear a tragic story, in a tree stand enjoying nature and waiting for that monster buck to come along. It's all about relationship.
BTW - Luckily for the klingers momo talked allan down from 500 prayers a day to just five. What a guy.
#23
Dar---we will introduce a new acronym for your incident: MJB Modern John Brown, heh
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
12/06/2006 19:02 Comments ||
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#24
Born in Jordan, of Palestinian descent
Descended from the biggest pack of whiners on earth. That explains just about everything.
Amendment XXVIII
1. The following of Islam, of the teachings of Mohammed, or the Koran, is not a religion but a foreign political movement.
2. Congress shall have power to regulate Islam and any property under powers delegated to by this Constitution. All other powers not prohibited to them shall be reserved to the states.
3. Any ruling based on protecting Islam as a religion shall be vacated and be grounds for impeachment.
Word, Jackal. If America cannot find the courage to do this, our only other constructive response will most likely involve nuclear weapons.
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.
(SomaliNet) The Sudanese government has made its final rejection of a joint U.N.-African peacekeeping force in Darfur and 
(SomaliNet) Sudanese militia will not be tolerated in the Sudan town of Malakal, Southern Sudan's President Salva Kiir said during a visit to town last week. 
Foreign-Driven Reforms Not Welcome, Says Brahimi
Islam Cannot Be Defeated, Says Abdullah
Abdullah also praised Prince Naif for his efforts to promote research and studies on the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him). It is the duty of every Muslim to support the Sunnah, he added.
A new religious syllabus for schools has caused a fury among church groups and politicians after recommending teachers cut down on education about Christianity while increasing lessons in Islam and Hinduism. Teachers in Buckinghamshire were directed to spend 40 per cent of religious education on Christianity, while giving Islam and Hinduism equal play at 20 per cent each. Just ten percent was then to be devoted to other religions - including Judaism - with a final ten per cent on "general concepts". 
BEIJING (AP) - The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog
RESTRICTIONS imposed on Melbourne terror suspect "Jihad" 
Robert Gates won approval by a Senate panel Tuesday to be the next defense secretary after a daylong hearing in which he said the U.S. is not winning the war in Iraq and there could be a "regional conflagration" if the country is not stabilized. At a Senate confirmation hearing that was long on praise for Gates and short on criticism, the man President Bush picked to replace Donald H. Rumsfeld said he is open to new ideas about correcting the U.S. course in Iraq. He said the war would be his highest priority if confirmed as expected. 
NEW DELHI India is unlikely to accept Pakistan President Pervez Musharrafs four-point solution to Jammu and Kashmir, with Indian officials expressing their disbelief to such a solution.
Pakistan is willing to give up its claim to all of Kashmir if India agrees that the disputed Himalayan region should become self-governing and largely autonomous, Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf said in an interview broadcast Tuesday on Indian television. 
NWFP Governor 
Recently reported incidents
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Iraq's prime minister reversed course Tuesday and said his envoys will talk with Iraq's neighbors about the possibility of a regional conference on quelling the violence here, despite opposition to the plan by some key political allies.
A senior official in Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement has accused the ruling Hamas party of blocking efforts to form a national unity government. 'If Hamas wanted to form a (unity) government, then why did Ismail Haniya keep his post as prime minister and organize a regional tour (scheduled to last until the end of the year)?' Fatah parliamentary whip Azzam al-Ahmad asked during a radio debate with Hamas Information Minister Yousef Rezka. 
Thousands of pro-Syrian Shiites expressed anger at the death of one of their protestors who was killed during a weekend clash with anti-Syrian demonstrators in a Sunni neighbourhood, as tension continued to engulf the streets of the capital Beirut. 'Death to (Prime Minister Fouad) Seniora,' chanted the crowd during the funeral procession on a main road leading to the Martyrs Cemetery in Beirut's Shiite southern suburbs. 'The blood of the Shiites is boiling.' 
Jumblatt, an outspoken critic of Syria, accused the Damascus regime of dealing with Lebanon not like a 'state deals with a neighbouring state, but as a bunch of gangs dealing with a state.' The Druze leader called for calm among his followers and asked them not to attend classes at universities with a majority of students loyal to Shiite pro-Syrian groups Amal and Hezbollah for several weeks. 'We want to avoid any provocations, so please I call on the Druze students not to attend the universities until the Christmas vacation is over.' 
Meanwhile, the Hezbollah-led protest in downtown Beirut continued for the fifth day around the government palace where Seniora's office is located, with demonstrators calling on the premier to resign. Troops and anti-riot police have deployed in force around Beirut to keep the peace, and the Seniora government has received strong public backing from Western and Arab countries. 'Arab countries cannot sit and watch the situation that could get worst,' Arab League secretary general said during a mediation visit to Beirut on Monday. 
Six world powers failed to reach an accord despite "substantive progress" on a UN resolution to punish Iran for its nuclear activities, the French Foreign Ministry said after closed-door talks in Paris on Tuesday. 
"They (Muslims) are resenting that they are to be suppressed from expressing themselves freely, like others," Hamad said. "It's OK for a Christian fellow or a Jewish fellow to pray, and it would be regarded highly and respected. 
