Source: Rightword.net, Translated by Jiahd Unspun
Some Afghan sources told the London based "Al Hayat" newspaper that Gulbuddin Hekmatyar the head of the Islamic party intends to give his support for Mullah Omar as prince of believers. The sources underlined the reorganization of the anti-American groups in Afghanistan benefiting from the American concern about the preparation for the war on Iraq. They added that the Taliban, Qaida and the Islamic party organized many mobile camps for military training to their elements in order to adapt with this new situation of the Iraqi crisis which will distract the American and British troops. The three groups appointed one of the Arab Mujahedeen as the leader of operations in Khost which is the most active front in resisting the Americans. It is worth mentioning that some Western intelligence sources including American ones had stated recently that a meeting between Mullah Omar and Hekmatyar took place two months ago. It is believed that they agreed on cooperation to remove the Karazai regime and kick out the American troops from the country. But yesterday Hek was saying he wasn't allied with the Talibs and Qaeda... Has he changed his mind again? Or just can't make it up?
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
02/26/2003 08:42 pm ||
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Tony Blair is set to face one of his toughest tests of his premiership on Wednesday when MPs debate a motion on the government's stance on Iraq. Anti-war critics predict at least 115 MPs will back an amendment against the government's hardline stance when Parliament gets its latest vote on the Iraq stand-off. A further 47 Liberal Democrat members are believed to have signed their own amendment expressing doubts about the pace towards war.
The UK Government has made it clear that Saddam Hussein has as little as two weeks to start disarming or face the possibility of military action. As he tried to win over critics to his stance on Iraq, Mr Blair said inaction would make a future war more appalling, as well as undermining the UN. There was no "rush to war" and Saddam had been given 12 years to disarm voluntarily, he added.
The chairman of the Labour Party, John Reid, said he regretted any rebellion, but said the majority of people supported the government's stance. "It is about 20% of people who are saying, in effect, we are not going to use any military action against Saddam Hussein, come what may," he told BBC Two's Newsnight. "I regret that. But I think it doesn't represent the 75% of people who say in the last instance we will be prepared to do this, especially through the United Nations."
Mr Blair said he "detested" the Iraqi regime, but even now Saddam could save his government by disarming peacefully. Chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix said on Tuesday that there is no room for negotiation over the Al-Samoud missiles. Mr Blair predicted that Saddam would start "playing games" over the missiles. Mr Blair's stance has won support from Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith. But Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy criticised Mr Blair for his "shifting arguments" over tackling Iraq, which had left the British public "highly sceptical". Readers might remember arch-populist Kennedy from the anti-US-war march.
The prime minister met German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer and King Abdullah of Jordan on Tuesday as part of his diplomatic drive. After Mr Blair's meeting with King Abdullah a joint statement was issued by Downing Street. It said that both the UK and Jordan favour a "peaceful solution through full Iraqi disarmament" but that time was running out. Mr Blair also held talks with General Tommy Franks, head of US central military command, who is meeting defence officials in London.
Posted by: Bulldog ||
02/26/2003 11:52 am ||
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#1
Dammit, twas me again Fred, mis-posted and mis-attributed. And I edited it for length.
#3
What is even more significant is that the Tories, Blair's political opposition, unanimously backed Blair on both votes, giving REAL substance to the term "Loyal opposition".
#4
If the next UNSC resolution was because Tony Blair needed help back home, then this vote just killed that need to even screw with the council. Tony is secure and we don't need no stinkin comments from across the room [or channel]. Let's roll!
Posted by: Don ||
02/26/2003 18:58 Comments ||
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The Associated Press
Wednesday, February 26, 2003; 2:21 PM
The House of Commons backed Prime Minister Tony Blair's determination to disarm Iraq, voting Wednesday to reject his opponents' assertion that the case for war is "unproven."
Blair prevailed despite a substantial rebellion within his Labor Party's ranks, mirroring the divisions which opinion polls have demonstrated in the wider British public.
Lawmakers voted 393-199 to defeat an amendment which said "the case for military action against Iraq (is) as yet unproven."
It was not immediately clear how many members of Blair's Labor Party backed the amendment, but about 100 had signed the measure.
Legislators planned to vote later Wednesday on the government's own Iraq motion, which expresses support for working through the United Nations and urges Saddam Hussein to seize a "final opportunity" to comply fully with the Security Council's demands.
(via Drudge)
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/26/2003 13:50 Comments ||
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The owner of a pizzeria in Denmark used to ban just dogs from his establishment. But now he says he also wants German and French customers to keep away because of their countries' opposition to a US-led war against Iraq. Aage Bjerre, who owns Aage's Pizza in Nordby on the island of Fanoe, has said he is tired of French and German attitudes toward the United States, calling them "disloyal" and "anti-American". On Friday, Mr Bjerre put two home-made pictograms on the restaurant door with a bar across each one. One features the silhouette of a man sporting the colours of the German flag, the second those of the French flag. "I am very angry with the Germans and the French," he told JydskeVestkysten newspaper. "The French are cowards and they are banned for life, and as long as the Germans behave disloyally towards the USA, I can't be bothered to make food for them," he said.
A pot of herbs was thrown through the window of his restaurant at the weekend, but Mr Bjerre says that apart from that incident he has been getting a lot of positive reaction to his stand. "I have never sold as much as I did over the weekend," he said. Mr Bjerre could be in breach of Denmark's anti-racism legislation, but told the newspaper he would carry on with the ban regardless.
I still don't think it's a good thing to exclude entire groups of people based on their nationality. The guy that tossed the pot seems to fit the profile of those he wants to keep out, though...
The ban is not expected to affect Mr Bjerre's business just yet because the tourist season on the island starts after Easter and peaks during the summer. The island, 320 kilometres (200 miles) south-west of the capital, Copenhagen, is a popular spot for visitors from neighbouring Germany. Of the approximately 100,000 tourists who come, some 60% are German, and then mostly Scandinavians and Dutch. There are few French visitors to the island, which has a year-round population of 3,300. But if Germany decides to participate in an American-led action against Iraq, Mr Bjerre says he will lift the ban.
That sounds fair, but I think there's probably more chance of the Frenchies changing their stance because the owner of a pizza parlor's mad at them — Jacques should be telling him to shut up any time now.
Posted by: Bulldog ||
02/26/2003 09:56 am ||
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#1
Did the pot that got tossed through his window have a peace sign painted on it?
#3
Within free societies we debate and argue...
...to no end, which is what usually brings down civilizations or at the very least bogs down institutions.
#4
To no end? The institutions of democracy serve to channel conflict so that it doesn't become violent. It seems to me that civilisation means solving political problems by debate and argument rather than murder and rape. If debate and argument bring down civilization then why have elections and deliberative bodies and juries? Debates and arguments are the fields of play in the competition of ideas.
Posted by: phil ||
02/26/2003 17:04 Comments ||
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#5
"I still don't think it's a good thing to exclude entire groups of people based on their nationality."
Agreed, it's a wide brush tarring a lot of people. Still, it's fair to say most people prefer to act like part of the herd. It's legitimate to target a people, if only to stir those with original perspectives to stick their heads above the parapet.
#6
I think that our discussion of the incident the other day was good. After all, it is the leaders of France and Germany that brought on the primary issue (how do deal with the Iraqi situation). We should not be discriminating this way. On another note, what kind of "herbs" were thrown in the pot through the window?
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
02/26/2003 13:36 Comments ||
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#7
Basil and Thyme?
Maybe the guy just wanted to improve the taste of Danish pizzas? Or he was a pissed off business neighbor. The story is circulating in Germany now and tourists may think about heading elsewhere. Denmark has many islands.
Although I think Turkey may be sunnier and a lot cheaper this summer...
#8
I read the discussion from the other day as well and, even though you bring up some good points, I believe you're missing the important ones.
For one thing, what this guy is doing is issuing a statement. I don't hardly believe that he thinks that he can influence German and French foreign policy this way. And take into account that he's basically bankrupting himself to make this statement and I have to admire his principled stand.
As to "generalizations", and don't get me wrong on this one, TGA, I know more and more good Germans that aren't too happy about Schroder and it warms my heart every time I hear of another one, we can blather on about how "not all [insert nationality here] are bad, so how can we possibly issue a blanket statement about their nation?" until we turn blue in the face, it won't change this simple fact:
Nations are ruled by their governments and nations will therefore, naturally and logically, have to be treated according to those governments' behavior, no matter how many 'good' or 'bad' citizens live in said countries.
There were lots of good Germans during WWII as well, yet, thankfully, that didn't keep us from entering a war with all of them, based on the "blanket generalization" that Germany was bad.
Or how about Iraq? I guess we might as well pull our troops back, because I KNOW that there are good Iraqis who hate Saddam, so who am I to issue a blanket generalization saying that we have to go to war against them?
I wish you all the best of luck in getting Schroder kicked unceremoniously out of office, TGA, but until you do, you'll have to live with the fact that we have to behave according to who IS in control of Germany, not who we'd LIKE to control Germany.
#9
I certainly share the sentiment about Germany and France, but in a free society you don't get to discriminate against people for their nationality. I'm always game for making fun of the French (especially when they make it so easy) but the policy debate is one of ideas and should take place in a way that no one is deprived of their rights. After all this is what we wish for the Iraqi people (and all people). Within free societies we debate and argue; outside of free societies we bomb and infiltrate special forces...
Posted by: phil ||
02/26/2003 16:38 Comments ||
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#10
"I still don't think it's a good thing to exclude entire groups of people based on their nationality."
I see nothing wrong with a private owner of a business electing who he does business with...at least he is honest about it and clear about his motivations being ones of political disagreement rather than racism. It is hardly like such an act can be proven to be exerting unusual hardship on French and German people, like the situation was for blacks in the South back in the day.
#11
Hey wait a minute here. I'm very anti-French and anti-German these days, but this guy is as out of line as was that restaurant in SKor that said "Americans Not Welcome Here." I remember many people here, including me, being very pissed about that.
I sympathise with the man, but he'd do better by sticking a big ol' Stars and Stripes in his window...
Posted by: R. McLeod ||
02/27/2003 2:41 Comments ||
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#12
Phil,
Discussion is all well and good,but at what point do you think talk is no longer viable and a waste of time.
#13
Raptor: it depends. These Palestinians who are blowing up their children to commit mass murder certainly believe talk is no longer viable and a waste of time. Imagine of they had chosen to have a non-violent movement rather than one terror.
The great achievement of the Western democratic system was that it offered peaceful and non-violent means of resolving conflicts, as opposed to tribal vendettas, etc.
It is a different story of course when you're dealing with dictatorships. What is the line from the Untouchables: you get farther with a loaded gun and a kind word than just a kind word.
RW said above "...to no end, which is what usually brings down civilizations or at the very least bogs down institutions." I totally disagree. I want my institutions bogged down: it's called separation of powers and checks and powers etc. And far from bringing down civilizations, I thought that our system of deliberation and tolerance of dissent has been the root of our strength and what makes our way of life worth defending.
If we're talking about the UN: The French and the Germans are fools who don't know how to deal with dictators. Of course their diplomatic strategy is a waste of time, just as it was in Bosnia. It's way past time to act in Iraq.
But if I meet a Frenchman on the street I'm not going to spit on him or punch him or ban him from my business because I think talk is a waste of time. I'll just go on my way and let him go his.
Posted by: phil ||
02/27/2003 7:30 Comments ||
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Taken from "The Chicago Maroon", which would be a good name for Jesse's autobiography.
Civil rights activist Jesse Jackson, who had just returned from an antiwar protest in London, challenged audience members at Rockefeller Memorial Chapel Thursday evening to look past the pro-war rhetoric and remember the biblical Golden Rule: do unto others as you would have done unto you. Jackson's talk, part of Rockefeller Memorial Chapel's series on religion and violence, focused on the pending war with Iraq. Here's one for you Jesse. Thou shalt not commit adultery, you sanctimonious scam artist.
"The goal is not that the lambs overthrow the lions. The goal is that the lambs and the lions work together," Jackson said recalling a biblical verse, "When the extremes find a common ground, they [the lion and the lamb] will lie down together." Until the lion gets sick of the arrangement and rips the lamb to shreds.
As a means of achieving this end, Jackson has been in contact throughout his career with leaders around the world. Recently, in a letter to Saddam Hussein, Jackson asked that Iraq replace secrecy with transparency. While Jackson has yet to hear back from Hussein, representatives from the region have since communicated with him. Maybe Mullah Omar and the Taliban? It took awhile, but you know how the phone service is over there.
"Iraq's in a very defensive mode. The cycle of kill and be killed must be broken by some force civil," Jackson said, calling on the United States to pursue an alternative to war. "I hope that one of our appeals to Saddam and to Bush will be heard." Don't bet on it. No human shield duty for Jesse? I figured he'd be a natural.
Jackson, who believes we should pursue "co-existence over co-annihilation," recounted three experiences in which his conversations with men most would consider tyrants brought about positive change. I'll deal with anyone if it advances the cause of...me.
"I took Castro to church. The result was freed prisoners. I went to Serbia and spoke to Milosevic. Milosevic freed three prisoners. I brought 600 victims out of Baghdad because I took the risk of talking to Hussein," he said. They probably gave him what he wanted just to get him the hell away from them.
Jackson, whose mentors include Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, and Mahatma Gandhi, related memories from the civil rights movement and drew parallels to the antiwar protests in London and around the world. "A new global peace movement has been born," he said. "The people rose up to peace." Ghandi was one of his mentors? How old was Jesse then? Was he even born?
Recalling Martin Luther King Jr's. last birthday in 1968 when King called friends and family together in a church in Atlanta, Jackson spoke of the need to pursue peaceful solutions in Iraq. "He spent his own last birthday to fight poverty and enforce civil rights laws," Jackson said. "What would Jesus do now? I do not think that dropping 800 missiles over Baghdad would be his answer." "What would Jesus do now?" He'd probably kick you in your hypocritical, scheming, lying ass.
Jackson believes that without an imminent threat to world peace, the United States is not justified in attacking Iraq. By the time it's "imminent" it's too late... and did you happen to hear about that September 11th thing Jesse? It was in all the papers.
"[Hussein's] not a threat to Iran, to the Persian Gulf, or to Europe," he said. "Saddam Hussein is not liked, he also is not feared as much as al Qaeda. Iraq is no threat to its neighbors unless it is attacked." Sure. Ask Kuwait. Or Iran.
Jackson called this time of crisis an opportunity for audience members and people in general to speak out on their beliefs. "Together we can change history," he said. Whatever solution is finally reached, Jackson contends it must be a compromise: "No one can fully search for victory in this conflict." Sorry to disappoint you, Rev. But that's what we're going for.
Jackson concluded: "We must do a difficult thing. We must live together." Third-year in the College Jenna Anderson was glad to have Jackson on campus speaking about an issue as pressing as Iraq. "I feel that Jesse Jackson is a cultural icon and I feel it's necessary to hear him when he speaks," she said. Jenna, Bugs Bunny's a cultural icon too. And he probably has more common sense then Jesse.
#1
Paul's on the money - he's been spending tax-deductible charity money on himself for decades - self-promoting is his game and racial shakedown is his meal ticket. He needs an audit yearly and some responsibility for the sham operations he runs...what an a-hole
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/26/2003 17:47 Comments ||
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#2
You gots to adjust your mentality,
To gets with reality,
And ends the brutality.
AMEN brothers.
#3
For some of our icons we sure need an iconoclast. Follow the money. Where did our little friend get his ticket and perdiem for his latest trip across the pond?
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
02/26/2003 14:50 Comments ||
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#4
Jackson was preaching to the choir.... he wasn't challenging anybody on this one. Another staged media event by one of the great shakedown artists of our time. He also needs a serious bitch slapping with a history book. Not a threat to Iran or Kuwait or its neighbors? Shut yer yap Jackson, we've got work to do.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
02/26/2003 15:03 Comments ||
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#5
Right on Jesse! Support the man who has murdered millions and tortures children...Leave him be, he's no threat to us. Hey Jesse, remember the 1960s when all those white kids went south? Why'd they do that? What was happening to blacks in Little Rock was "not a threat to them." You think they went because they realized it was the right thing to do to help free oppressed people? Or was it all about the cotton?
Posted by: R. McLeod ||
02/27/2003 2:44 Comments ||
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#6
Yea,J.J.is a slimy toad.Don't forget he is a buddy of Slick Willy(Clinton)
Thanks to Paul for the headzup!
A Liberal MP has apologized for saying about Americans: "I hate those bastards." MP Carolyn Parrish was speaking to reporters about Canada's diplomatic initiative on Iraq. At the end of her comments Parrish said, "Damn Americans ... I hate those bastards." Bitch. I never liked her, either...
A CBC reporter says Parrish then laughed as she was walking away. "Hyuck hyuck hyuck! That was such a thigh-slapper!"
In a written statement issued Wednesday afternoon, Parrish says she made the comments in the heat of the moment in a private conversation. She says they do not reflect her opinion of the American people. "My comments do not reflect my personal opinion of the American people and they certainly do not reflect the views of the government of Canada," she said in her written statement. "My comments certainly do not reflect my personal opinion. I'm a politician. I never say what I really mean, everbody knows that. And we all know that the Gummint of Canada has no opinions."
Canadian Alliance Leader Stephen Harper said Parrish's comments won't make relations between the two countries any better. "They don't do Canadians any good â Canadians who are trying to cross the border for business, Canadians who are trying to sell lumber or agricultural products or manufactured goods to the United States," said Harper. Old habits are hard to break, aren't they? Used to be, Americans paid you no mind when you called them names...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
02/26/2003 07:51 pm ||
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#1
I'm really ashamed to have this idiot as my unwanted and not voted for representative. My only hope is that these morons will be voted out in the next elections.
Posted by: marek ||
02/26/2003 20:24 Comments ||
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#2
ahh haha ha ah ....not
damn shame the joke didn't convey properly..
what area/territory does this bitch MP represent? What products do they have that we can boycott? hmmm...let's see...Google says Ontario. Now let's see what products are made in Ontario....
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/26/2003 20:32 Comments ||
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#3
Hey come on, you've got friends up here. Unfortunately leadership has been of scarce supply here recently. Historically though it is a different story. Canada declared war on Japan on Dec.7th '41, the very same day of the attack on Pearl Harbor, whereas the U.S. and Britain did it on Dec.8th. So there!!
And please remember you've got friends up here, regardless of what some ignoramus flaps his gums about.
#6
Sounds like the Hillary of the Great White North. Goes to show ya, Canada's Liberal Party or our own DNC, they both feed from the same stinking trough.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
02/26/2003 23:03 Comments ||
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#7
Canadian's like France, have a huge inferiority complex...they're the Gary Coleman of North America...just a wannabe America Jr.
Posted by: Bill ||
02/27/2003 0:21 Comments ||
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#8
Hey, don't take cheap shots at Canada because of some stupid bitch...and I'm an American. The Canadians are, overwhelmingly, our friends. Let's not get stupid, ok?
Posted by: R. McLeod ||
02/27/2003 2:47 Comments ||
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#9
PS: This bitch is from Ontario and is an extreme Pro-Palestinian lefty...google her.
Posted by: R. McLeod ||
02/27/2003 2:51 Comments ||
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#10
She claims she said this in a private conversation. Gimme a break, she was walking away from a press scrum. Although she did think no one would hear her. What a loser.
Yesterday was a tough one for Chretien: got dumped on by both Germany & the US. Two losers in one day, must be some sort of record.
#11
Come on,Guys and Gals,Canada has been our ally for at least a century.What can you expect from a beuracratic pollitcian.We all have to deal with dumb ass',as regards J.Jackson.
#12
Regardless, only Canadian public pressure can change the current fact that this bitch is a Canadian elected representative. If they do nothing and leave her in office then the Ontario, if not overall Canadian, public, will have spoken. I will act accordingly in what I buy.
I have no doubt that a majority of the Canadian populace is pro-freedom, pro-American, and not anti-semitic (as per the recent Toronto College incidents for palestinians)...yet they remain silent too often. This is also the case here in the US and as you can see, I choose not to remain silent here.
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/27/2003 7:50 Comments ||
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The killing of nine Shia Muslims near an Imambargah in Malir, Karachi, puts us on notice that religious terrorism is not at an end; and that the government remains responsible for it in more ways than one. Because of dereliction on the part of the government, more disorder is now in store. Already, the mourners of the latest victims have gone on the rampage, attacking two fast food American franchises in the city.
That makes sense. It wasn't Americans who attacked the mosque, but Kentucky Fried Chicken owners are less likely to be armed and dangerous than the people who did.
Allama Sajid Naqvi, the leader of banned Shia religious party, was found fulminating against America in Lahore; and Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan was supposed to have said that this was âan act of the enemyâ, implying the usual âforeign handâ. The police chief has vented his self-righteous anger by suspending a few of his Malir officers. The terrorists were not caught and most probably will never be caught. Up until recently, whenever there was a terrorist incident in Pakistan (ie: every other day) the Indian counterpart to the ISI got the blame, but nowadays the Americans have taken over as the Mullahs favourite boogeyman. Of course the Pakistani media are full of stories about Mossad being active fighting alongside the Indians in Kashmir, as part of that well known Hindu-Jewish-Crusader conspiracy against Pakistan
The systematic Shia murders that took place in Karachi targeted the countryâs best doctors and industrialists in 1998-99; and the murderers were not caught because the jihad was on full steam. You can't demoralise the Jihadis by arresting their buddies just because they murder a bunch of doctors and businessmen, after all, these guys are doing the army's dirty work!
Many of them were caught later when, after the murder of American journalist Daniel Pearl, the Americans put pressure on us and brought in the FBI. All of them belonged to the jihadi militias fighting in Afghanistan and Kashmir. One by one, all the killings that we had routinely attributed to the âenemy abroadâ were laid at the door of the jihadis who had concentrated in Karachi as a safe haven along with their Arab friends. Good thing these sectarian groups have promised to be good boys, so there shouldn't be anymore problems
The latest research tells us that the madrassas continue to be nurseries of hatred and extreme views. In comparison with students from Urdu and English medium schools, a survey found that over 60 per cent of the respondents in seminarians are opposed to giving rights to the minorities. What is remarkable is that despite indoctrination 60 per cent of the pupils from the other two education streams responded positively to giving rights to the minorities, proving once again that the general non-clerical population of the country is neither sectarian nor warlike in its thinking. In response to the question whether equal rights could be given to Ahmedis and Hindus, the Urdu school response was nearly equally divided, but the seminarian response was negative up to 80 per cent. Not surprisingly, the English medium schools were pluralist in their thinking with over 60 per cent positive responses. No wonder the Brussels-based International Crisis Group chaired by former president of Finland, Martti Ahtisaari, expressed its dissatisfaction last year with Pakistanâs response to the UN directive to reform its madrassas. So nearly 40% of English language schools of the middle class are opposed to equal rights for the infidels, and they are considered bastions of pluralist thinking?
Posted by: Paul Moloney ||
02/26/2003 10:01 am ||
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#2
The Muslim countries run from continent of Africa, which has thirteen of them. They then
move south through Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Crossing into the Persian Gulf
and scrolling into Iran, they across through the Caspian Sea into the âstansâ of Central Asia. Coming into Asia Pacific and finally into south East Asia; they are in all fifty-seven of
them.
The so-called Islamic world comprises a fifth of humanity and at least a quarter of the
world's natural resources having some 70 per cent of the world's energy resources. however
the total GDP of the total fiftyâseven countries totals no more than US$1200 billion
which is less than that of France, almost half that of Germany and less than a quarter that of
Japan.
There are less than 400 universities in the total fifty - seven Muslim countries, most of which are sub-standards low-level colleges. In contrast, Tokyo city alone has 120 universities. Japan in totality has over 1000 universities. Consequently, the entire Muslim world produces 2500 PhDs, whereas Britain annually, alone produces 3000 doctorates.
There were times when Muslims were torchbearers of knowledge but then it was all followed by a period of deep slumber. Things started to go haywire in the early thirteenth century, when the Muslim world began to stagnate and Europeans surged ahead. Thus, 'there are historians -- who argue that the eastern Muslim world flourished until the sixteenth century, when "the Muslim people, taken collectively, were at the peak of their power". Revisionist historians take exceptions to the dates as the time decline set in, but do accept that decline eventually took place'. But that all is a matter of drawing the line here and not there.
Regretfully, right now Islam or its followers, like other religions, have also known such
periods, whereby, in frustration are going through a period of hatred and violence. This
is by no means all over or we have seen even most of it. Consequently, for a long time now,
there has been a rising surge in rebellion against the Western domination and a bloodlust to reassert Muslim values and re- establish Muslim importance. The Muslims have slid through sequential stages of defeat. Like the loss of domination on the world stage to
the advancing power of Russia and the West.
With the invasion of science and foreign knowledge and weak governance at home, there
has been successive weakening of authority of Muslim citizens in their own countries. You
know Turkey is the only functioning democracy in the total fifty-seven countries. (It is also
a hybrid of military âdemocracy at that, just like Pakistan)
In explaining that sense of defeat, you can draw a parallel by thinking of how France would
have felt when Germany captured it in World War II. That sense of shame and defeat hangs in all French psyche and reaction even today. It is the same sense of inferiority, the sense of
shame that an average Muslim has when they start comparing and contrasting themselves with the West.
If you take that sense of shame and inferiority and shame, and enhance it, manifolds you will
start to appreciate what, causes the intellectual groups of Muslims go berserk and maniacal. It is the same thinking that actually impels men to hijack commercial jetliners and ram them into skyscrapers, or blow themselves in buses, this desperation makes them believe
that they are actually pulling ahead and winning.
The fact of the matter lies in the point that Muslims as a people are obsessed with the
memory of their history--recent, revolutionary, and ancient. Yet, paradoxically, they have yet to come to terms with much of their present. As a group Muslims believe or are made to believe the most gullible facts about themselves, their history, and their religion.
The adult literacy rates are abhorrently low and plethoric throughout the Islamic world.
With exception of Brunei and the Commonwealth of Independent States - the four former soviet states, namely Kazakhstan (97-98%) Kyrgyzstan (95-98%) Tajikistan (97-98 %) Turkmenistan (97- 98%) Uzbekistan (88%). these have achieved the literacy rates mainly because the soviet system insisted on the whole lot to pass the high school in matter of three or four generations. But elsewhere illiteracy is rampant and languishes in the depths and breadths of the Muslim society.
Pakistan has never been well governed. A country has seen military interventions in its civil systems for half of the 54 years of its existence.
Another country similar in circumstances to that of Pakistan is Turkey. Incidentally, the former country is a role model state for Pakistanâs General Mushraff who also happens to be an admirer of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk - the Turkish despot dictator who started an unfinished revolution. From The National War of Independence (1919-1923), eighty years have passed Turkey continues to be worn down by economic and political crises, suffering from a loss of confidence in politicians and institutions. The statist mentality of a single-party period. The country is staggering under a debt load, which is nearly equal to the size of its total GDP. Economists have been fretting since long that its government will be unable to embrace the financial discipline necessary to avoid a default that could leave the economy in shambles. *1
Additionally, Turkey will lose $2 billion to $4 billion in tourist revenue alone.
(American monetary reward to turkey for putting soldiers there is the same amount that US would have paid for bailing out Turkey, when it would have defaulted as it has been said,"aid will help put Turkey on a favorable long-term path". The budget target set by IMF for Turkey, aiming to shrink the debt to manageable proportions. The target calls for a government budget surplus, excluding interest payments, equal to 6.5 percent of gross national product, a goal Ankara met in 2001 but missed in 2002.)
Is Pakistan any different from the foregoing description? Mushraff is planted to prolong the military rule itself, which with own manufacturing facilities, agribusinesses, construction firms, stakes in schools, hotels, constitute a virtual parallel state. It is no smaller than the civilian sector itself. Or the black economy that riddles that country. Paradoxically the Pakistan military is grimed in corruption but still exempted from investigations by the courts.
IS IT BY ANY MEANS A MATTER OF SURPRISE TO NOTE THAT VALUATION OF UNISYS IS TWICE THE AMOUNT TO THAT OF ENTIRE KARACHI STICK EXCHANGE?
Readers would be familiar with the concept of the Human Development Index. It measures a country's achievements in three aspects of human development: longevity, knowledge, and a decent standard of living. Expenditures Rankings by HDI and by GDP per capita can be quite different, showing that countries do not have to wait for economic prosperity to make progress in human development. Costa Rica and Korea have both made impressive human development gains, reflected in HDIs of more than 0.800, but Costa Rica has achieved this human outcome with only half the income of Korea. Pakistan and Viet Nam have similar incomes, but Viet Nam has done much more in translating that income into human development.
So, with the right policies, countries can advance faster in human development than in economic growth. And if they ensure that growth favours the poor, they can do much more with that growth to promote human development.
Twenty-nine of the worldâs 100 largest economic entities are transnational corporations (TNCs), according to a new UNCTAD list that ranks both countries and TNCs on the basis of value added.
Of the 200 TNCs with the highest assets abroad in 2000, Exxon is the biggest in terms of value added ($63 billion). It ranks 45th on the new list, making it comparable in economic size to the economies of Chile or Pakistan. Nigeria comes in just between DaimlerChrysler and General Electric, while Philip Morris is on a par with Tunisia, Slovakia and Guatemala.
For a change, they would have to accept, that is if they want to set the house right; that Pakistan is almost a failure country and crumbling fast. It has not participated or benefited from the process of globalization and now is gradually becomes poverty-ridden progressively, by almost 2 percent every year.
Failed states are countries in which the central government does not exert effective control over, nor is it able to deliver vital services to, significant parts of its own territory due to conflict, ineffective governance, or state collapse. Current examples include Afghanistan, Somalia, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Sudan. Failing statesâthose in which the central governmentâs hold on power and/or territory is tenuousâalso pose a serious threat. They are often countries emerging from, or on the brink of, conflict such as Angola, Bosnia, Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe, Liberia, Burundi, and Cote DâIvoire. Others, like Colombia, may have relatively strong central governments but are cause for concern, due to their lack of control over parts of their territory.
Countries such as including Pakistan, Georgia, Albania, Yemen, Nigeria, and Indonesia, are becoming causes of concern as well as these countries queue-up of becoming clearly failing states.
At present, the preponderance of state failures is in Africa. While the problem is not exclusively African, the prevalence of failing states there suggests the need for correcting focus on the problems posed by failed and failing states. But one wonders all the while why there preponderance of failure in Islamic countries more than others.
Pakistan is another Yugoslavia in the making. And the following goes for entire Muslim world as much as it goes for Pakistan , the prerequisite for any real change is self-criticism, a reliable and ruthless search for the abstruser reasons why things have gone wrong in the Islamic world, why others are strong and Muslims are weak, why its societies are becoming dilapidations .
Critics do exist in the Muslim world, but so far, their voices have been voices calling in
the wasteland. The obligation of holy war therefore will have to begin at enemy within
and enemy at home, against the enemy of social, moral, and economic poverty.
-------------------------------------------------
*1 The choice of role models and metaphors is important we use to describe the world we live is very important. They influence the way we approach it, the style and extent of our attempts at shaping it. Probably that is why they insist on viewing the glass as half-full rather than half -empty.
#6
great post, Ishmail, very informative.
one query: Indonesia put as a cause for concern as in at risk of becoming a failed state?
It's pretty big and powerful, with a strong military.
also: poverty and cultural shame alone IMHO are not the sole causes for the rise of Islamism: there are poor and undeveloped countries that are not muslim and who do not embrace radical religion as a solution nor seek to destroy the West. And there are wealthy and proud Islamic individuals who join the Jihad.
Rich and highly intelligent people join cults even in the western world, economic success is not an accurate predictor. There is a psychological component to the rise of Islamism linked specifically to the current interpretation of that religion, especially to some hadiths and quotes from the koran being adhered to literally.
Turkey has evacuated its embassy in Baghdad while the dominant party in parliament considered a proposal to allow U.S. troops into the country. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, head of Turkey's Justice and Development Party, said the proposal to admit up to 60,000 troops with tanks and equipment will probably be approved when it goes before parliament Thursday. The party holds 362 of the 550 seats in the legislature. In explaining the embassy evacuation, Foreign Minister Yasar Yakis said, "there is the possibility there may be reactions in Baghdad." Murat referenced this one in comments earlier today, with the orginal source as Milliyet. A link to Milliyet is on the news page now.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
02/26/2003 08:02 pm ||
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ABC News story, blah, blah, then they get to the good stuff:
When and if the United States does go to war, military sources say the United States is preparing a monster new weapon to be used during the first nights. Ooooh, monster weapons!
It's called MOAB, short for "massive ordnance air burst" bomb. It is a modern, bigger version of the 15,000-pound "Daisy Cutter" used in Vietnam, the Persian Gulf War and Afghanistan. Sources say MOAB â still experimental â is a 21,000-pound bomb that will be pushed out the back of a C-130 transport and guided by satellite. I can just picture a Herky bird squeezing this puppy out the back door. Bet it looks like it's taking a big dump.
Because it is not dropped by parachute, as was the old Daisy Cutter, the aircraft can let it go from far higher altitudes, making it safer for U.S. pilots. Herk pilots will like that.
The MOAB's massive explosive punch, sources say, is similar to a small nuclear weapon. A very, very small one, but we get the point.
It is intended to obliterate a command center hidden in tunnels and bunkers or a concentration of Iraqi tanks. If it's a air burst weapon, I can't see it doing too much to buried command centers. Anybody on the surface will be toast. Wonder if you can set the fuse to go off underground?
Whatever the target, it must be far from cities where civilians might be hurt. ABC is worried about civilians.
But one important aspect of using this type of weapon, sources say, will be psychological impact on enemy troops. It is intended to terrorize Iraqi troops, drastically reducing their desire to continue the fight. Ah, no, it's intended to kill large numbers of Iraqi troops. That will drastically reduce the desire to fight of anybody left alive.
Posted by: Steve ||
02/26/2003 06:27 pm ||
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#1
MOAB - great acronym. I live in Moab, Utah. This makes me proud. There's a "monster new weapon" named after my hometown!
Posted by: J. Michael Krause ||
02/26/2003 18:06 Comments ||
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#2
And both the weapon and your city are probably from the Biblical Moab, son of Lot. It literally means either "from the father" (refering to Lot) or "beautiful land" (an odd name for a daisy cutter).
Posted by: Just John ||
02/26/2003 18:52 Comments ||
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This weapon is almost certainly not needed. The regular Iraqi will be surrendering within a few hours of the beginning of a war. The Republican Guard won't last more than a day. The special guard and the security forces may hold out but they won't mass in one place.
#6
If it's a air burst weapon, I can't see it doing too much to buried command centers. Anybody on the surface will be toast. Wonder if you can set the fuse to go off underground?
Can't see that as a possibility, considering the FAE needs oxygen as fuel and area to disperse for the vapor to be most effective.
Posted by: Dar Steckelberg ||
02/26/2003 15:09 Comments ||
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FAEs like ethylene oxide take their oxigen with them. Their flammable limits are like 2% to 100% fuel/air ratio. Now there is some hazmat! I am glad that they've got the delivery system perfected. I would hate to be on a herc crew with a jam going out the door. Bad moment...no pun intended!
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
02/26/2003 15:21 Comments ||
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But don't they still need volume to disperse to be effective?
Posted by: Dar Steckelberg ||
02/26/2003 15:32 Comments ||
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"It is intended to obliterate a command center hidden in tunnels and bunkers . . ."
Maybe it can be fused to act as a ground-penetrator along the lines of the old Barnes Wallis "earthquake bombs" -- the famed "Grand Slam" and "Tallboy" dropped from RAF Lancasters in WWII.
Or maybe the ABC reporter doesn't know what he's talking about.
Posted by: Mike ||
02/26/2003 15:37 Comments ||
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How about it creates a vacuum that might exhaust the air from bunkers? Or, overpressure caving them in? Just a thought.
#13
Assuming it is just a larger version of the airburst bombs used in the past, the biggest and/or worse portion of the blast is the overpressure -- that is what is comperable to a small atomic blast. That can collapse bunkers, tunnels, etc. With one that big it has got to develop a trendouse amount of overpressure.
Posted by: Sam ||
02/26/2003 16:38 Comments ||
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"This weapon is almost certainly not needed. The regular Iraqi will be surrendering within a few hours of the beginning of a war."
#15
They way it would work on a bunker is it would suck all the O2 out killing every one inside.Works the same for apc's and tanks not destroyed by blast and heat.
This article from Stratfor suggests that the US must go to war, regardless of what happens. The reasons provided are practical and compelling. Fundamentally, the attack on Iraq is a necessary first step in an approach to dealing with al Quaeda- and there is no other option on the table to deal with that organization. Bush must go forward.
#1
Yeah Iraq must go. The status quo in the Mid East is not in our interest. Once we conquer Iraq we will have a position of great strength. The other Mid East nations will have to reform or face the consequences...
Posted by: phil ||
02/26/2003 16:51 Comments ||
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I just came across the Pearl Video on this site. I downloaded it. Waited. Then watched it.
The word "islamofascist" makes sense to me now. Although "islamonazist" makes even more. Goebbels would have been proud.
It's not so much the violence. You'll see worse in a horror movie.
But it is infamy condensed in three minutes. And it compels you to take sides. There is no abstaining.
Not here. And not in the Security Council.
#4
My position at the Security Council is this: A resolution with a (short) ultimatum.. lets say March 20. Then I want a clear message from Blix, a yes and no, whether Iraq has fully and unconditionally cooperated. I don't need a Blix speech, just a yes or no to this question. And unless I hear a clear yes (without any buts) I'd vote for immediate military action.
I've seen the German Foreign Minister on television yesterday and I couldn't stand his wobbling anymore, his refusal to answer clear questions.
With a better strategy on both sides of the Atlantic we could have avoided all this mess. Now we just need to make the best out of it.
I'd still be happier if Saddam fully disarmed. But either the knife at his throat isn't sharp enough or he doesn't know what a knife is. He'd better find out fast.
Btw I never questioned the action against Afghanistan.
As the Turkish parliament was debating the entry of 62,000 U.S. combat troops into the country, the Navyâs Fast Sealift Ship USNS Capella was preparing to berth at Turkeyâs Iskenderun seaport. Loaded down with hundreds of trucks, communications equipment and supplies, the Capella is the third roll-on/roll-off cargo ship to arrive at Turkeyâs eastern-most port. Teams of U.S. soldiers were seen inspecting rail head facilities inside the port as dozens of flat-bed rail cars were being staged near the docks. Cool, rail transport is much faster than trying to drive a convoy along roads. We've got a lot of practice using them, the loading will be quick.
Hundreds more vehicles â many of them from the Germany-based 1st Infantry Division have already been unloaded along the docks as the United States lays the logistics foundation for an invasion of Iraq. Deeper into eastern Turkey â along the main road leading to the Iraqi border â Turkish construction workers were busy building a bridge bypass over a muddy river flowing into nearby Syria.
The old crumbling bridge spanning the rushing river is too weak to handle the dozens of 60-ton M1-A1 Abrams tanks that will have to cross over the bridge if Turkey approves the combat forces. A new white gravel road already snakes its way down to a new crossing site where engineers were maneuvering loud, clanking earthmovers. Workers said they had been hired by EMTA, a Turkish contractor that routinely fills construction contracts at Incirlik. The rush job began two weeks ago, they said, with a deadline of Saturday. That's interesting, isn't it?
Heavy rains in recent days, however, were complicating matters. With the riverbanks swelling, crews were racing to pump water out of the construction area while still working on the crossing point. With U.S. war planners eager to position combat units along Iraqâs northern frontier as soon as possible, the bridge is just one of many unfinished details still hanging in the balance. There has been bad weather all over the Middle east. Could slow things down.
Posted by: Steve ||
02/26/2003 02:18 pm ||
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All may not be well for Adib Shaaban, senior aide to Saddamâs powerful son Uday and Iraqâs highest-ranking would-be defector. His attempt to flee to the United States, first revealed exclusively in DEBKA-Net-Weekly 97 (February 14), may not have come off. First a recap: Shaaban — charged with Udayâs most sensitive missions — traveled to Jeddah in early February, saying he needed to put through some gold transactions ahead of the war. From Jeddah, he flew to Beirut and disappeared. But he never really went to the Lebanese capital. Instead, he made his way undercover to Damascus Monday and was picked up by an unmarked plane that flew him out of the Middle East. At least, thatâs how Shaaban scripted his plan. But like so many things in the murky world of intelligence, the plan went awry â as is strongly indicated by the fresh information reaching DEBKA-Net-Weekly.
Got sold out along the way, did he? Any Soddies involved in the plot?
Our sources suggest that upon landing at Damascus on Saturday, February 8, he walked straight into the arms of waiting Syrian military intelligence officers who took him to their isolated headquarters in the capital. He is probably still there under heavy guard, as Syrian leader Bashar Assad fights off conflicting demands from the White House and Saddam Husseinâs presidential office for his handover. Further discoveries by our intelligence sources of the defectorâs secret duties would further enhance his value for Washington and make Saddam more anxious to keep him and the secrets in his head out of his enemiesâ hands.
— Shaaban was the senior go-between for Baghdadâs business with Damascus.
— He was privy to the clandestine movements of al Qaeda operatives from Iraq to Lebanon via Syrian sea and air ports.
— His hand was on the contraband route along which smuggled Iraqi oil reached world markets through Syriaâs Mediterranean terminals.
Saddam and Assad share a stake in keeping this intelligence bomb out of Western hands les he lay bare the full extent of Syriaâs operational support for al Qaeda or the degree to which Assad violated UN sanctions against Iraq. So why did Shaaban take the chance of heading for Damascus?
He may have had no choice in the matter. In Jeddah, the Saudis may have decided that this potato was too hot for them to hold and hustled him aboard the first flight out, which was bound for Damascus. Alternatively, the defector may have flown directly to Damascus — a kosher destination given his job as go-between — intending to continue from there in secret to Jeddah to knock at the door of a US consulate or make his way to the West under his own steam.
He couldn't just head for the consulate in Jeddah without going to Damascus first? That doesn't make sense...
He was last seen on February 15 in Damascus telling reporters that the âIraqi opposition fabricated the taleâ of his disappearance and defection to a western embassy in Beirut âwhile I was still in Baghdad.â This indicates that he was betrayed to Uday by someone close after he had taken off from Baghdad and was still in the air. He may therefore no longer be alive.
That's likely the case, unless they're drawing the experience out just for him...
For the time being, Assad is holding this high card close — handing him over neither to America nor Iraq. He is biding his time until he sees how the first round of the US military offensive against Iraq turns out. If Saddam, his sons and army weather the American assault, Shaabanâs value will rocket, an ace in the hands of the Syrian president for sale to the highest bidder, Washington or Baghdad. For the moment, DEBKA-Net-Weeklyâs intelligence sources say, the chances of Shaaban making it to the West are nil. Saddam was too quick for him — or else Assad was faster than both. Interesting, if true. Explains why he hasn't shown up anywhere. Of course, he could be in a sound-proof room in Tel Aviv.
Posted by: Steve ||
02/26/2003 06:34 pm ||
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yeah except he is back in baghdad and although few news outlets mention it, he even made an appearance to refute statements that he had tried to defect. now he is a photography association guy and Udai's flunky, which would make him privy to some interesting stuff, but udai has been out of favor for a while. Qusay saddam's other son is the guy to watch out for.
ever seen dune? It's sort of like the harkonen boys. and I mean that with all the subtle refferances that are involved.
what we are seeing here is that his dissapearance had so much hype that it was everywhere, his reapearance made some news, but not enough. sounds like debka didn't do all of their research.
I'll try and dig up when he made his statement refuting his defection. it was done feb 15th, and although feb 16th was when the majority of newspapers were talking of shaaban's dissapearance, it was alreay a cold trail by then. it's what happens when media all research off eachother.
U.S. neighbors both north and south are moving to ease the United Nations standoff that has arisen out off competing resolutions on disarming Iraq by the United States, Britain and Spain on one side and France and Germany on the other. Mexico appeared to be the first among a handful of undecided U.N. Security Council members to shift toward the U.S. position on Iraq, The Associated Press has learned. The change in policy for Mexico was first presented in a key address by Mexican President Vicente Fox on Tuesday and then outlined in a new and confidential foreign policy directive obtained by The Associated Press. We had Fox's speech yesterday...
Canada, meanwhile offered a plan that could reconcile the bitter differences posed by the U.S.-British-Spanish resolution, which is seeking U.N. authorization for war, and a French-Russian-German proposal to continue weapons inspections at least into July. Canada has circulated a two-page proposal suggesting Iraq be given until the end of March to complete a list of remaining disarmament tasks identified by the inspectors. The council would then be asked to vote on whether Iraq was complying with its U.N. obligations, diplomats told AP. An end of March cut-off, followed by probably a month of argument and recrimination, ending in another cut-off another month or two down the road...
A senior Bush Administration official said it was unlikely Russia would veto the U.S.-British-Spanish draft despite Moscow's repeated statements that it opposes war. I'd expect a "reluctant" abstention...
There were signs Tuesday that Angola could be swayed to the U.S. position when Angolan Ambassador Ismael Gaspar Martins said he wanted more "dialogue with the United States to see how we can accommodate each other." I just felt a pain in my checkbook...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
02/26/2003 11:37 am ||
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Rent-an-Ally
Posted by: phil ||
02/26/2003 17:09 Comments ||
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As my mom said after 9/11, start the printing presses.
No firm statement yet either way. TF1 declares that France is putting aside the idea of a veto for the moment. The Communists and Socialists urge a veto, but Chirac's party, officially repesented in the parliament by Alain Juppe, talks instead of looming "noises of mobilization." Meanwhile, we have this odd statement from the increasingly erratic Chirac, after meeting with Spanish prime minister, Aznar: "We oppose all new resolutions." Huh? I thought France was promoting a new one. Maybe Paris at this point just wants the whole issue to go away. I still don't have a clue what Chirac is up to; but I certainly think there are many subtle signs that the French don't want to veto - especially if the Russians and Chinese simply abstain. Solitary French isolation at the U.N., combined with encirclement of Anglospheric nations in the E.U. is becoming France's nightmare. Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch, could it?
In the event of war, American and allied forces could not assure the safety of civilians who deliberately position themselves as human shields against attack on Iraqi targets, the U.S. general who would run the war said in an Associated Press interview. "We'll do our best to avoid noncombatant casualties and, I will tell you, we will not be 100 percent successful," said Army Gen. Tommy R. Franks, the commander of U.S. Central Command. "We aren't going to look for them to avoid them. We have more important things to worry about. If they catch one, that's tough noogies."
Franks was at his Persian Gulf command post for meetings Wednesday with the land, sea, naval and special operations commanders who report to him from Kuwait, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. He was due to return to his headquarters at Tampa, Fla., later in the week. That's too bad. That implies he's not going to be running the war later in the week.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
02/26/2003 11:28 am ||
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MB read a wonderful quip somewhere to the effect that the US Marines are going to consider human shields as speed bumps on the road to Baghdad.
Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein said he would refuse any offer of exile, even to avoid a war, telling CBS's "60 Minutes II" that he will die in his country to "maintain our honor." "And if lotsa other people do, too, that's tough..."
Saddam's comments were made during a three-hour interview with Dan Rather. The network, which termed the conversations between Saddam and Rather as wide-ranging, planned to air many of the Iraqi president's comments Wednesday on "60 Minutes II." The network provided excerpts of the interview. "I have taught my children the value of history and the value of human stands. ... Whoever decides to forsake his nation from whoever requests is not true to the principles," Saddam said after being asked if he would go into exile. "We will die here. We will die in this country and we will maintain our honor." Sounds good to me...
He added that whoever offers Saddam asylum "is in fact a person without morals." Yeah, yeah. We get the point...
It was thought that Saddam would consider an offer of exile to save his country from a possible war. The United States is amassing thousands of troops in the region while U.N. inspectors search the country for suspected weapons of mass destruction. Toldja he wouldn't.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
02/26/2003 10:53 am ||
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You guys crack me up...
I asked an Israeli once how does the IDF tell Palestinians and Israelis apart. He said all the Palestinians look the same.
Looking at these Iraqi military types, it seems the Saddam look is quite popular.
#4
I just wonder...couldn't Dan Rather have hidden a little electronic device in the CBS camera telling the U.S. the exact location where he went to meet Saddam?
How long does a Cruise Missile take to reach Baghdad? Less than 3 hours, right?
Ok Dan, sorry but its for your country and peace in the world...
#5
TGA---I do not think that Mr. Rather would sign on to such a job. Also, Saddam is too highly mobile and canny. Just on a twisted note...would it not be a hoot if Rather interviewed one of Saddam's doubles instead of the real McCoy Saddam?
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
02/26/2003 13:04 Comments ||
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#6
Absolutely possible. When Austria's far right politician Joerg Haider went to Baghdad he was talking to a double of Saddam. I just hope that the CIA knows who the right guy is when the smoke settles.
#7
"I just hope that the CIA knows who the right guy is when the smoke settles"
kill em all - no questions then
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/26/2003 14:09 Comments ||
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#8
Whatever but they should make sure that the right one is among them.
Actually I pity the doubles. Bet they are killed and replaced in regular intervals.
#9
"I just wonder...couldn't Dan Rather have hidden a little electronic device in the CBS camera telling the U.S. the exact location where he went to meet Saddam?" -- Sammy's not a total dope: Dan had to use an Iraqi gov't filming crew.
Posted by: Tom ||
02/26/2003 14:26 Comments ||
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Patriot missiles which were sent by the Netherlands to Turkey to back Turkey's air defense in case of a possible military action against Iraq started to be unloaded in Iskenderun port on Wednesday. Ro-ro ship named ''Rozano'' which departed the Netherlands on February 18 and approached to Iskenderun port on Tuesday started to unload military equipment it was carrying. Besides Patriot missiles, heavy vehicles and ambulances were unloaded from the ship. These vehicles and ambulances were transferred to Iskenderun Naval Support Detachment Command. Another Ro-Ro ship named ''Gute'' which departed from the Netherlands on the same day is still waiting in the Gulf for completion of procedures. Rozano and Gute will be contracted ro-ro ships bringing the Patriot batteries and other support equipment. That's why I couldn't find any mention of them carrying US equipment.
Meanwhile, Dutch personnel who will work during and after the deployment of missiles in Turkey is expected to be in Turkey in the afternoon. The Dutch government had decided to send three Patriot missiles upon the demand of Turkey. The Dutch sent these before NATO finally got off it's ass.
Posted by: Steve ||
02/26/2003 11:03 am ||
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U.S. Ro-Ro ship named ''Rozano'' started to unload military equipment in Iskenderun Port on Wednesday while the cargo ship named ''Cappella'' is still kept waiting in the port. U.S. personnel in the port helped the unloading. Heavy vehicles like military lorries were unloaded from the Ro-Ro ship at first. Tank transporters and other supply trucks.
Meanwhile, a ship named ''Gute'' which was stated to carry military equipment and materials was kept waiting and a third ship which approached to the port on Tuesday evening was carrying commercial goods. In the meantime, Incirlik Base in Yuregir town of southern Adana province had a very active night which could be considered one of the most active nights these days. There is busy plane traffic at the base early in the morning while cargo ships land and take off from the base. Cargo "ships" = C-5s, C-17s, etc.
Three cargo planes and one Prowlers landed at the base in the morning. Sources said that families of some of U.S. personnel started to leave the base. Evacuation of dependents prior to combat starting. Getting ready in case Iraq tries to hit Incirlik with a missile.
Posted by: Steve ||
02/26/2003 11:04 am ||
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#1
Iskenderun - is that not the town featured in "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade"? I think it's the place where Marcus Brody is kidnapped by Nazis.
Posted by: J. Michael Krause ||
02/26/2003 18:15 Comments ||
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These are some of the major headlines and their brief stories in Turkey's press on February 26, 2003. The Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
U.S. SOLDIERS WILL BE DEPLOYED IN SIX TENT-SITES
Tent-sites will be set up in Gaziantep, Diyarbakir, Mardin, Malatya, Batman and Silopi in southeast Anatolia for 62 thousand U.S. soldiers with the secret agreement between Turkey and the United States. U.S. soldiers who will arrive in Iskenderun by seaway will come to Gaziantep and will be sent to other centers. Soldiers will use Habur to enter northern Iraq.
MILITARY FEELS UNEASY
Ankara got angry against the attitude of Kurds which opposed allowing soldiers to enter Northern Iraq. The suspicion that the United States made Talabani and Barzani to take this step prevails. Military experts say, ''approval of the motion will be a mistake in case Northern Iraqi army does not give Northern Iraq assurances.''
AK PARTY PERSUASION ROOM
Justice and Development Party (AK Party) administration will convene its group extraordinarily this morning to convince many parliamentarians who oppose to the motion regarded with deployment of United States soldiers in Turkey. The strategy, which will be covered to convince the parliamentarians, was developed in foreign ministry the day before. AK Party leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan, giving hints about the meeting, pointed out that, ''we will discuss the issues with you in a meeting. We will reach a final decision before taking a group decision.'' Arm twisting to ensure measure passes
UNITED STATES TO TAKE WRITTEN COMMITMENT
Crisis of written commitment between Turkey and the United States pertaining to Iraq crisis was overcome. The United States in the end shed green light to the request of Turkey for a written memorandum of understanding. In case an agreement is reached in economic issues, it will be linked with a written memorandum of understanding. Foreign Minister Yasar Yakis, who confirmed the news reports, pointed out that the military and political agreement started to be written. Turkey feels they got burned by the US failing to follow-up on our promises during GW1, so they wanted it in writing this time.
62 THOUSAND U.S. SOLDIERS COMING
The motion on dispatch of Turkish soldiers abroad and deployment of foreign soldiers in Turkey has been sent to parliament. The number of foreign soldiers who will come to Turkey is equal to two army corps. The government will determine the conditions of deployment, transition and cooperation with Turkish Armed Forces (TSK).
MINISTERS DON'T SIGN MOTION, THEY PUT THEIR SIGNATURE UNDER ITS REASON
Government members put their signature for ''the preamble and reason'' the previous day. The real motion could be formed yesterday. There was not any agreement with the Americans yesterday. The motion was formed after it was ''signed.'' "Sign here, we'll fill in the blanks later."
ONE IS GOING, ONE IS COMING
As Turkey is discussing the motion which will allow in foreign troops and send Turkish soldiers abroad, the United States continues to deploy ships of military equipment in Turkish ports. Two ships unloaded almost 900 military vehicles and equipment in Iskenderun port the previous week while a U.S. cargo ship unloaded new equipment yesterday. Very quietly unloading the ships while discussions were going on. Read another report that some of the first vehicles off-loaded were tank transporters. They'll be ready when the tanks come off the ships, if they haven't already. Saw a report in a Texas paper that Fort Hood set a new record for deploying their equipment to the docks. Expect the same on the Turkish end.
Posted by: Steve ||
02/26/2003 10:17 am ||
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#1
Very quietly unloading, with Geraldo Rivera on the scene.
Turkey beefed up its defenses Wednesday, shipping Dutch ground-to-air missiles into a southern port as Washington increased pressure for permission to deploy troops for a possible invasion of Iraq. AWACS air reconnaissance aircraft were also due to arrive at a Turkish base to monitor airspace around neighboring Iraq, which Washington says is hiding weapons of mass destruction. With a multi-billion dollar financial package at stake, concerns rippled through Turkey's markets about whether parliament would approve a motion allowing U.S. troops to open a secondary, northern front against Baghdad. Turkey has, in U.S. eyes at least, been dragging its feet over financial and military terms for the deployment. The state-run Anatolian news agency said Secretary of State Colin Powell had telephoned Turkish Prime Minister Abdullah Gul to stress the urgency of a parliamentary vote on the deployment of 62,000 troops, aircraft and helicopters. But officials said debate would start at the earliest Thursday. "Discussion of the motion was not included in today's agenda of parliament's general assembly. The motion will be discussed in the general assembly tomorrow," a parliamentary source told Reuters Wednesday.
Good. This has dragged out too long...
While the ships of the U.S. Fourth Infantry Division — a body of 20,000-30,000 men backed by heavy armor — waited near Turkey, a ship began unloading Patriot air defense missiles in the port of Iskenderun. The missiles were provided by the Dutch government under a bilateral agreement to protect Turkey against any Iraqi retaliation. Large trucks and heavy lifting vehicles marked with the Dutch tricolor flag drove, under sunny blue skies, through the open front of a roll-on roll-off ship onto the quayside. That would be one of those ro-ro ships that docked yesterday.
Turkish military patrolled the harbor, on the Mediterranean coast, and marshaled traffic. The Patriots are the first consignment promised by the Netherlands to Turkey under a bilateral arrangement. They could be mounted around military bases or cities. The Netherlands provided the missile crews as well.
The AWACS aircraft were due to arrive under a NATO agreement in the Anatolian city of Konya later Wednesday to patrol the skies near the Iraqi border.
Posted by: Steve ||
02/26/2003 10:06 am ||
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Turkey beefed up it's defenses?
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/26/2003 9:15 Comments ||
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Posted by: Frank G ||
02/26/2003 9:32 Comments ||
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#4
Something seems to happen, according the news alert of the Turkish newspaper milliyet, the Turkish embassy in Bagdat has been evacuated. The local transportation firms have been ordered to recall their fleet of 12.000 trucks of which 3.000 are expected being currently in Iraq. Per immediate all the Iraq border gates are closed for traffic towards Iraq.
Posted by: Murat ||
02/26/2003 9:37 Comments ||
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#5
Murat, how about a source? I'm predicting we're still on for the new moon. BTW...I've been reading about new moons, and it seems like a day or two before and a day or two after, it's still very dark except in early evening and twilight hours ;-) If we are on, I expect the pace will get exponential - starting now!
Could it be that the Samoud missiles break his neck? After all this finally is a very VISIBLE material breach if Saddam doesn't follow UN orders to destroy them. At least better than these WMD we all know that he has but haven't found yet.
In that case the wording of the new US resolution should clearly state "material breach" and "all actions necessary" (not these stupid "serious consequences").
The Samoud issue cant be ignored by France and Germany. If under extreme military pressure Saddam blatantly refuses to comply with a legit UN order then a few more months won't change his mind.
I don't see how the French could justify a veto in that case.
#8
Here's a website that computes moonrise/fall and more twilight info than you could ever want. Also note that in the mountains with north south ridge lines the local horizon can be several degrees above or below the "flat" horizon, depending if you are on a peak or in the valley.
Posted by: Dave ||
02/26/2003 11:51 Comments ||
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#9
i dont see why the samoud missiles should break his neck. First they'll say yes, they will destroy them. then they'll say they are destroying them, but wont, then we'll need more inspections to prove they havent destroyed them. Then they'll say they will, they didnt before due to a technical problem or misunderstanding. Then they'll destory one and stop and wait for Blix to get excited about this. Meanwhile when the US and UK say this is absurd and a violation Chirac and Schroeder will "run interference" for the Iraqis - defend these actions at the UNSC, and attempt to delay any US-UK action.
All Saddam has to do is delay till the weather is hot. He doesnt believe (and he's probably right) that the US can keep its forces in the Gulf till the weather cools down in October. Meanwhile, other problems in North Korea and elsewhere are ignored, the gulfies get nervous, the uncertainty continues to hurt the US and world economies, etc.
#10
I might be wrong, but looking at the moonrise/fall data, it looks like we'll have enough night before moon/sunrise all the way up to the 10th or 11th. Maybe up to the 13th. How many hours do we need it to be totally dark?
Posted by: Patrick ||
02/26/2003 13:02 Comments ||
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Iraq announced yesterday that an accidental fire took place yesterday in an oil field in the northern city of Karkouk, and thereby denying news which was reported by passengers of an explosion resulting from a "damaging act." The secretary of the Iraqi ministry of information, Ode al-Ta'ei, said "what had happened was not a damaging act, nor a bomb." He explained "the reason behind the fire in one of the oil wells is ordinary. This often happened when oil fields are drilled." He stressed that the fire will be totally extinguished today.
However, citizens from Karkouk who arrived on Tuesday to Irbil said that a large explosion took place on Monday evening in an oil well in Karkouk, 300 Km to the north of Baghdad. The commander of the border point which separates Iraq from the Kurdish self-rule area said that fire had flared after the explosion in a Benzene field to the east of Karkouk, and black smoke covered the sky of the area. Numerous citizens fled from the area following the explosion thinking war against Iraq has started. Could be a normal oil field fire or maybe somebody was laying charges to blow the well and had a "work accident".
Posted by: Steve ||
02/26/2003 10:08 am ||
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In other news, Iraq denied reports of twelve traffic accidents on the streets of Baghdad, and several dozen pregnancies occurring in the Mosul region.
Chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix says his teams should be given "a few more years months" to work in Iraq, in an interview to be published in Germany. "Even if Iraq immediately, actively and unconditionally cooperates with us, we would still need a few more months," Dr Blix told the German weekly Die Zeit.
If the Iraqis were remotely serious about disarming, that could be worked out. But they're not, so it won't be...
Dr Blix was asked whether he would demand more time for inspections during a report to the United Nations Security Council on March 7. "At the moment it is not even clear whether the Iraqis really want to cooperate.
To some of us, it's pretty clear they don't. But I'm glad Hans realizes it, too...
"On the other hand this country had eight years of inspections, four years without them, and now 12 weeks with them. Is it the right time to close the door?" said Dr Blix, whose comments were published in German.
Sure is...
Dr Blix said that Baghdad had cooperated "substantially" with his inspectors but added that "Iraq could do more and it would be acknowledged". A key test will be whether Iraq meets a Blix demand for the
destruction by March 1 of the Al-Samoud 2 missiles, found by the UN to be exceeding the allowed range of 150 kilometres. The destruction of these missiles "is not negotiable", Dr Blix told reporters in New York on Tuesday.
Hans draws the line in the sand. Will Sammy cross it? He told Dan Rather he wouldn't destroy the missiles...
The head of the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) said that the authority of the Security Council was "on the line" in enforcing Iraq disarmament and that this task could only be achieved with a credible threat of force. "We need a united and resolved Security Council," Dr Blix said. He welcomed Germany's decision to abandon its categorical rejection of war against Baghdad even with a UN resolution sanctioning military action. Germany has now united with France and Russia in calling force "the last resort" in dealing with Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. Berlin joined the Security Council as a non-permanent member in January for two years and holds the rotating presidency for the month of February.
There's a difference between "No, no, a thousand times no!" and "Well, maybe."
The Die Zeit interview was conducted after the United States, together with Britain and Spain, presented a draft resolution to the UN on Monday that would pave the way for the use of force. Dr Blix said that he was convinced that the United States was not actively seeking a war with Iraq. "I am fairly convinced that Washington itself does not want a war," Dr Blix said. "I am talking about [President George W] Bush and his entire team."
Regardless of what the Frenchies and the Arabs and the lefties say...
Posted by: Spot ||
02/26/2003 10:19 am ||
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A few months here, a few months there and pretty soon you're talking about 12 years
Posted by: Joe ||
02/26/2003 8:53 Comments ||
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Doesn't the UN and Blix realize how foolish they look when they switch opinions from non-compliance to compliance every time Saddam throws them a bone?
Posted by: Jim ||
02/26/2003 9:10 Comments ||
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#3
Blix simultaneously acknowledges that Iraq will never comply without the pressure but then does all he can to keep that pressure to a minimum. Is he just Mr. Congeniality or has he just fallen in love with all the limelight associated with his new found celebrity presitge and knows it will end we go to war? I kind of feel sorry for him because he's assuring that for future generations his name, Blix, will become anti-synonymous (antonymous?) with the word blitz. I bet the grand-kids will be sooo proud.
#4
This is pathetic, I'm sick of Blix and his Incontinent Dog and Monkey Rodeo.
For the last time Hans, it's not about how much time your clown act has, it's about what Sammy does with the last few minutes he has left before he assumes room temperature. Time for GWB to shut this side show down and get down to the business at hand. LET'S ROLL!
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
02/26/2003 11:08 Comments ||
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Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar effectively dismissed French-led proposals to allow Iraqi President Saddam Hussein more time to comply with U.N. resolutions, saying it would "strengthen the tyrant". The tough stance from the Spanish leader, who is backing U.S. calls for a new resolution in the U.N. Security Council saying Iraq has "failed" to disarm, came only hours before he was due to meet French President Jacques Chirac in Paris. "To give more time to a tyrant is simply to strengthen the tyrant and we are talking here about a tyrant, Saddam Hussein, who is equivalent in historic terms to figures like Hitler and Stalin," Aznar told the COPE radio network.
Cheeze, Joe. Don't hold back. Tell 'em what you really think...
"I do not support giving much more time to a tyrant because he will not use it to disarm, but rather to arm himself," the Spanish leader said. "Saddam Hussein is a tyrant who will only disarm when he is under insupportable pressure." The United States, Britain and Spain have sponsored a draft U.N. Security Council resolution that would declare Iraq had "failed" to honour its disarmament obligations. Spain currently holds one of the revolving seats on the council. France opposes the move, which distributed proposals to intensify inspections and continue them for at least four more months. These proposals are backed by Germany and Russia, and to an extent China in the 15-nation Security Council. "The more time you give, that is to say, the more you alleviate the pressure on Saddam Hussein, the less he is going to cooperate with the United Nations from the point of view of his obligation to disarm," Aznar said. I'm liking Spain and their Prime Minister more every day.
Posted by: Steve ||
02/26/2003 10:21 am ||
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Get some Mr. Prime Minister. And Spain's not even one of those uppity Eastern European countries that don't know their place. Will Chiraq get all pissy about this too?
#2
Aznar's no dummy. He's the best PM the Spanish have had in a long time, and he seems quite willing to kick France and Germany in the nuggets whenever they start acting like supercilious assholes. Which is pretty much all the time. IMO.
Plus, Barcelona is a truly great party city. What more can you say?
#3
I think that the Spanish do not like discovering barrels of ricin or other witch's brews in their neighborhoods, along with the nasties that brew it. I am sure that they have discovered more sh-t than they will publicly tell us. The Spanish government got the wake-up call and heeded it. The French got their wake-up call and punched the messenger in the mouth. Hats off to Prime Minister Anzar for showing true leadership.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
02/26/2003 13:54 Comments ||
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yes and soon not only GWB will know how to properly pronounce Aznar, even Alaska will :-)
#5
Alaska Paul's OK - he's just free-associating ANWAR, right Paul?
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/26/2003 14:35 Comments ||
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Frank---Don't know whether to wave, salute, or flip the bird on that one! Been to ANWAR in my plane. It is not as an emotional place as the Dems make it out to be.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
02/26/2003 15:15 Comments ||
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#7
Hmmm... Bulgarian, Italian AND Spanish wines. I can live with that.
Saddam Hussein is being threatened with trial as a war criminal if the United States goes to war with Iraq. If the Iraqi president and his generals "take innocent life, if they destroy infrastructure, they will be held accountable as war criminals," President Bush said Tuesday. And since we've been calling you at home for the past 3 months telling you to not fight when we come in, that should be a pretty clear message that we know who you are and where you live.
The White House spokesman Ari Fleischer offered a grimmer scenario. Saddam and his inner circle would be legitimate targets for U.S. forces, he said. "Grimmer" - Who's the editor at AP? is that a real word?
"If we go to war in Iraq, and hostilities result, command and control and top generals, people who are in charge of fighting the war to kill the United States' troops, cannot assume they will be safe," Fleischer said. In fact, its best to remind yourself that you are the target this time. We're not after territory or oil here, we're after your ass.
"If you go to war, command and control are legitimate targets under international law," the spokesman said. Asked whether that could mean Saddam, Fleischer replied, "Of course." Once again the White House Press Corps stupidity phasers are on on "stun"
A 1976 ban on assassinating foreign leaders was put into place by President Ford in response to criticism of CIA backed plots in the 1960s and 1970s. President Reagan extended the executive order in 1981 to include hired assassins. Bush could overturn the ban by signing a document, but Fleischer declined to say whether he is considering doing so. No since tipping our hand. Now, the last thing lots of people think of before they go to sleep is "man, whats going to happen if the Americans decide to get back into the clandestine killing business?"
Bush plans a speech on Iraq late Wednesday at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative Washington think tank from which he drew many of his aides. He is expected to argue that Saddam is a menace to the Iraqi people and getting rid of him would make the Middle East more stable. Once again, pointing out the obvious for those people who still dont get it.
Offering Congress and the American public a peek into war and postwar preparations, the Army's top general said Tuesday that a military occupying force could total several hundred thousand soldiers. Iraq is "a piece of geography that's fairly significant," Gen. Eric K. Shinseki said at a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Any postwar occupying force, he said, would have to be big enough to maintain safety in a country with "ethnic tensions that could lead to other problems." Shinseki said he couldn't give specific numbers of the size of an occupation force but would rely on the recommendations of commanders in the region.
Those are plans that will be modified according to the ground realities. At this point they're overviews...
"How about a range?" asked Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan, the senior Democrat on the committee.
"Tell us what the future holds, oh Gypsy!"
"I would say that what's been mobilized to this point, something on the order of several hundred thousand soldiers," the general said. "Assistance from friends and allies would be helpful." And hey since were over there, if we, say have to go into Syria or Iran (for example) we wont have to go through all that messy UN stuff to get permission to set up bases.
Afterward, Levin called Shinseki's estimate "very sobering."
It's nice to see Levin sober, I guess, but the answer's also pretty vague. It depends on what we want to do in the wake of Sammy falling, and it depends on how the occupation goes. Troops in Japan were drawn down fairly quickly under McArthur, and the large number of troops we maintained for years and years in Germany were in response to the Russians, not the Germans. But if Iraq gets swarmed by exploding Paleos in the wake of the war, or my screaming combat ayatollahs across the other border, or the Turks and Kurds fall upon each other with cudgels, then the numbers and missions may vary. And if we have to go into Soddy Arabia to, ahem, "restore order," then the figure's still different. I guess Levin will just have to have a drink and wait to see what happens.
In a speech prepared for Wednesday delivery to the Council on Foreign Relations, Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., is calling on the Bush administration to work with the United Nations to name an international administrator to oversee reconstruction of Iraq. Well, my ideal candidates would be Condoleeza Rice, Margaret Thatcher or Ann Coulter.
The UN could maybe run the whorehouses, I guess. They've got experience at that...
A U.S. civilian administrator "would put America in the position of an occupying power, not a liberator," How being viewed as a "liberator" is somehow bad is beyond my little peabrain.
says Lieberman, who is running for the Democratic nomination for president in 2004. "And it may well widen the gulf between the United States and the Arab world." Gosh, we woundn't want to make them mad at us, they might commit acts of terror against us here at home (oops, too late!)
In northern Iraq, which was pried from Saddam's control to protect Kurdish civilians after the 1991 Persian Gulf war, White House and State Department officials were holding a meeting with political opponents of Saddam's government. Zalmay Khalilzad, of the National Security Council staff, and David Pearce, who is in charge of the Iraq desk at the State Department, were helping to plan the kind of government that would take over in Baghdad after an ouster of Saddam. The anti-Saddam Iraqis are a diverse group, with sometimes conflicting interests. Kurdish leaders, for example, are uneasy with U.S. plans to station troops in northern Iraq in the event of war.
To Iraq's north, Turkey fears that Iraqi Kurds would try to create their own state if Saddam was overthrown, encouraging secession by Turkey's own Kurdish minority. State Department spokesman Philip Reeker said the Bush administration supports the territorial integrity of Iraq â meaning it was opposed to the country's breakup â and multiethnic rule in Baghdad.
So now can we move on to the next problem?
Bush, meanwhile, predicted Saddam would try to "fool the world one more time," by disclosing some weapons that he had previously denied having. But the president insisted the only way the Iraqi leader could avoid war was "full disarmament. The man has been told to disarm. For the sake of peace, he must completely disarm." On Wednesday, continuing his talks with world leaders, Bush was due to meet with President Geidar Aliev of Azerbaijan, which is 250 miles northeast of Iraq and has backed the U.S. call for Iraq's disarmament.
Posted by: Frank Martin ||
02/26/2003 10:40 am ||
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Considering that Sadam has already targeted a U.S.Priesident then he has placed himself outside of the protections of U.S.and International law.
If the U.N.does not back-up the war then they have no right,reason,or excuse to be in post-Sadam-Iraq(screw-em).
#2
"A U.S. civilian administrator "would put America in the position of an occupying power, not a liberator," How being viewed as a "liberator" is somehow bad is beyond my little peabrain."
try rereading Joe's statement. He is opposed to a US administrator BECAUSE he wants us to be viewed as a liberator.
And mentioning Thatcher is not a bad idea. It least it goes in the right direction - IE just because it might be a UN administrator doesnt mean we have to accept whoever they give us. If they give us the civil administration equivalent of Hans Blix we go back to plan B, a US administrator. A suitably hawkish Brit would be an excellent choice. Or an Aussie. How about Richard Butler?
#4
"would put America in the position of an occupying power, not a liberator. Typical liberal response. He want's to be a liberator, but doesn't grasp that means you'd actually have to actually liberate them first...or maybe he's ok with just being a "liberator" and then letting them fall into civil war afterwards. Either way shows typical liberal callousness towards the oppressed Iraqi people.
As for Levin calling it "sobering" - was he drunk?
#6
Havel for administrator! Havel for administrator! Actually, I think Sen. Lieberman (who, let us not forget, is gung-ho for the war, no matter what else he's doing on the domestic political front) has a point. We're going to be in a tough political situation after the war because of all the crap the Weasels have been spreading around. I'd be very very careful, to say nothing more, of going to the UN for anything at all having to do with running Iraq (unless it's applying to a specialized arm for specific help, as liberalhawk says) but finding some non-US dignitary who is pro-Western and has a lot of prestige would be, at the least, an important symbolic plus - and symbols DO matter.
Posted by: Joe ||
02/26/2003 17:04 Comments ||
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#8
A U.S. civilian administrator "would put America in the position of an occupying power, not a liberator,"
I must've read that sentence a dozen times, but I think I filter anything suggesting UN competance right out of my head. I reject the good senators postion anyway.
Posted by: Frank Martin ||
02/26/2003 11:50 Comments ||
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#9
"would put America in the position of an occupying power, not a liberator. Typical liberal response. He want's to be a liberator, but doesn't grasp that means you'd actually have to actually liberate them first...or maybe he's ok with just being a "liberator" and then letting them fall into civil war afterwards. Either way shows typical liberal callousness towards the oppressed Iraqi people. "
Lieberman supports US intervention in Iraq (perhaps you are confusing him with Levin?) And he certainly recognizes a need for US troops to miantain order. The dispute is over the organization of the post war Iraqi admin.
#10
"I must've read that sentence a dozen times, but I think I filter anything suggesting UN competance right out of my head. I reject the good senators postion anyway."
The specialized arms of the UN are competent - WHO, FAO, World Food Program, etc. The UN is a failure as a POLITICAL body, for reasons to complex to go into here. The UN WILL be involved in post-war Iraq - the US DOD has already mentioned plans to have the UN World Food Program in on the ground very quickly. The question is can they help on the political side - they DO have experince AND competence with "nation building" see Cambodia, East Timor, etc. OTOH they could be handicapped the post war politics of Iraq, esp with France and Russia pushing their own interests against the Iraqi people. While I wouldnt rule out a suitable UN administrator, a "coalition of the willing"administrator not in UN employ, but not an American might he a better idea.
Vice President Hamzah Haz urges his opponents not to resort to slander to destroy his political career. Haz on Tuesday appealed to his critics not to use smear tactics against him. Asked who his political opponents are, the vice president and leader of the Islam-based United Development Party (PPP) simply said: âI donât know.â However, he did say the press should not sell cheap news — a reference to recent media speculation that police arrested one of his daughters during a drugs bust last Thursday night in Jakarta. If Indonesia was a normal country, Mr Veep's own words should be enough to "slander" him, regardless of anything his daughter might have done.
Haz has described the reports as slanderous and says they are part of a systematic campaign to end his political career. But he is yet to file any lawsuits over the alleged libel.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
02/26/2003 09:36 pm ||
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Palestinian security services apprehended five senior members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine earlier this week, who are suspected of carrying out an armed robbery at a private bank in the village of Beit Jala, west of Bethlehem. According to sources in Bethlehem, the men allegedly entered a branch of the "Al-Quds" bank with drawn weapons, and stole some $100,000 from the tellers there. Two hours after the robbery, a special Palestinian task force, composed of various Palestinian security forces, managed to apprehend the group. The members of the task force said that they were amazed to discover the identity of the five, especially G.P., who was considered one of the PFLP's more prominent leaders and a relative of Bethlehem's former intelligence chief. He is also considered close to the heads of the PFLP: Secretary-General Ahmed Sa'adat, who is held under arrest in Jericho, and Abed al-Rahim Maluch, held in Israel. In the PFLP, all the best people are in jug...
According to a PFLP source, "the issue is embarrassing and difficult for all of us, but it has been transferred to the authority of the heads of the organization and we hope that it will be resolved soon." So far, the five have refused to return the money that they are accused of stealing. The men said that they intended to distribute the loot among the families of those killed in the intifada and those who have relatives imprisoned in Israel. "Yeah. We wuz gonna mail it to 'em from Paraguay..."
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
02/26/2003 07:32 pm ||
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hmmm "Al-Quds" bank sounds very much like the shylock Arafat's organization, doesn't it? why that hook-nosed.....whoop! wrong enemy? or trying to fund the anti-Fatah civil war?
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/26/2003 20:47 Comments ||
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Politics, bulls**t!!! it's just another gang war over there.
Foreign Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Silvan Shalom will exchange portfolios on Thursday, after Prime Minister Ariel Sharon agreed to give Netanyahu an unprecedented mandate to save the economy. Netanyahu laid down several conditions, including receiving the status of acting prime minister when Sharon is abroad, heading the socio-economic cabinet, and obtaining control of the Government Companies Authority. Sharon had not responded to these conditions by press time.
Drives a hard bargain, doesn't he? Ummm... What about what's good for the country? (Can't believe I said that. I'm so naive...)
Netanyahu at first turned down Sharon's offer of the Finance portfolio, saying he was only interested in remaining foreign minister. Sources close to him said he changed his mind after it was made clear to him that he would in effect become "prime minister of the economy," with the authority to completely change economic policies.
I'm not sure the Finance portfolio is big enough for Bibi's ego...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
02/26/2003 07:05 pm ||
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Eh, it's a living.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
02/26/2003 22:49 Comments ||
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Bibi will take what he can get. He still wants Sharon's job.
Another inauguration gift for Roh.
North Korea has reactivated its nuclear reactor at Yongbyon within the last 24 hours, a U.S. official said, raising the stakes in its diplomatic showdown with the United States. Banging its spoon on its high chair.
But there were no signs that North Korea had restarted its nuclear fuel processing facility, which would be of even more concern to the United States, the official told Reuters. Saving that for D-Day Iraq. It's going to be a long year.
Tired of being upstaged, KADEK tries to steal "Rant Of The Week" title from North Korea.
Separatist terror organization, Kurdistan Freedom and Democracy Congress (KADEK) â its previous name being Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) â call on Kurdish people to get prepared for "serhildan" (public uprising) for March 8. Talking on MEDTV, a pro-PKK Kurdish TV based abroad, by telephone, Osman Ocalan, member of the KADEK council, said, "The Kurdish people must prepare themselves for a public uprising in spring. The serhildan will begin on March 8 until the end of May and it will take an important place in history."
I think Kurds in Iraq are going to be busy for those three months. They have to wash their hair or something...
KADEK recently announced that they had ended the peace process and declared a so-called "War of Defense". KADEK also underlined that they would use tactics of creating an uprising in this unilateral war of "defense". Ocalan also claimed, "The next few months are very critical. There will be a system crisis and turmoil in the region. If the Kurdish people rise the democratic serhildan (popular uprising) in the next months, no power will be able to underrate them."
Ocalan claimed that a secret special war was imposed in order to break the will of the Kurdish movement. He also called for "national unity" calling on Kurdish organizations. Threatening the Turkish government, terrorist Ocalan said, "A secret special war is imposed. They try to imply the policy of destruction and denial. Kurds are deprived of any rights. Our President â Abdullah Ocalan, the leader of the terrorist organization PKK (KADEK) â is in isolation. We want steps to be taken toward a solution. If Turkey continues this policy, it will pay a high cost."
Stating that 95 percent of the last war occurred in the mountains, Ocalan claimed, "Of course there will be mountains too but not like the old. Cities, villages, all parts of Turkey and Kurdistan will be a battle field. It will include not only military targets but the whole life. All institutions of the system will be targets. It will be a war in service of a political struggle. The Kurdish people must support it by every means. They must debate on the practice. We have said that youth must rush to the guerrilla lines."
Accusing Justice and Development Party (AK Party) of attacking Kurds, Ocalan said, "The AKP government attacks Kurds. The Kurdish people must give both AKP and the state a lesson." Ocalan also called on people to boycott the by-election in Siirt. Ocalan also claimed that Turkey measured its own existence with the destruction of Kurds and the disagreement between the U.S. and Turkey arose from the Kurdish question. "KADEK and other Kurdish organizations were targeted," added Ocalan.
He also warned Syria and Iran claiming that Iran and Syria had recently attacked Kurds. "Turkey tries to establish alliances with Syria and Iran against Kurds. Iran launched operations against Kurds on its borders. There are attacks on Kurds by Syria. To this day Syria has established friendly relations with Kurds. But after the new government, they attacked Kurds," said Ocalan on MEDTV.
Ocalan said, "When it is time to take steps toward a solution on the Kurdish question, Turkey targets all the Kurdish forces and KADEK. Therefore all fears must be put aside and responsibilities must be shouldered. We say that the forces in the south are blind and they have to take steps according to KADEK's wishes. In case that a unity is not established, Turkey will make them ineffective in the south. There must be a plan to solve the Kurdish question both in southern and northern Kurdistan. The war will not bring gains to anybody. There is no winner in war. Therefore everybody must take steps to avoid war." "Secret Special War" - Our Kurdish Phrase of the Day!
Posted by: Steve ||
02/26/2003 04:16 pm ||
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I'll rate this an "E" for effort. However, it lacks that air of barely concealed ass-kissing and brown-nosing of a fearful NKor lackey aware of the ever present possiblity of getting fired and literally starving to death. "serhildan" lacks the punch that juche packs.
An adequate and promising performance, but less than sterling when compared to the Masters. Practice makes perfect, Ocalan.
According to reliable information from Tabriz, Assa Iara reported that Iran has recently begun to strengthen its military positions bordering on Turkey. The same approach is being applied even more strongly in the Iranian-Azerbaijani border. âPundits attribute these emergency military measures to possible US war against Iraq, topping of ethnic problems in the South (Iranian) Azerbaijan to the agenda of international organizations, enhanced US and Israeli influence in Turkey and Azerbaijan,â the report reads.
The information says that the number of the Ardabil army that is in charge of protection of the main Iranian-Azerbaijani border has been increased from 3,500 personnel to 16,000 and a 280-people special group has added to that. F-5 and Miq-29 jets have been brought to the combat readiness. The Sardurud defense staff located 10 km away from Tabriz has been provided with rockets and missiles. The Iranian armed forces also have been brought to combat readiness in the Nakhchivan and Karabagh part of the border with Azerbaijan. Moreover, an armored unit in Qazvin is ready to quell internal would-be riots in cities populated by Turkic and Kurdish speaking communities in the South Azerbaijan.
Intelligence devices have been installed in the Bilasuvar, Astara and Julfa regions of the South Azerbaijan to control mobile and wire line telephone talks in a 300-km distance from the border. Furthermore, mobile bridges in the Iranian-Azerbaijani border to ensure the passage of armored forces and tanks have been made ready. These mobile bridges can be fixed in any section of the Araz River for five minutes. Besides, the combat readiness activities have been carried out in the Hamadan military airport, the Rasht airport and the Enzali port. The Rasht and Enzali military staffs have been supplied with Jet-Ranger 206 intelligence helicopters. The South Azerbaijan National Freedom Movement gave this information to AssA-Irada. According to the movement, in total, the Iranian army consists of 700,000 personnel. Though the South Azerbaijan constitutes 13 per cent of the Iranian territory, 25 per cent of the army has been deployed in this region. Iran seems to be getting nervous.
Posted by: Steve ||
02/26/2003 04:29 pm ||
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They should be nervous.Hope the U.S. comander keeps a good eye on his left flank.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon ousted Foreign Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a surprise move after reaching agreement on a rightist coalition likely to toughen Israelâs line against the Palestinian uprising. Silvan Shalom, until now finance minister, agreed to take on the foreign ministry. Sharon began forming a coalition after his right-wing Likud partyâs general election victory on Jan. 28. In a move clearly engineered to unseat his main internal rival in Likud, Sharon asked Netanyahu to be finance minister. The hawkish former premier, who challenged Sharon for the Likud leadership late last year, refused to take the finance portfolio at a meeting with Sharon in the prime ministerâs office. Shalom, who has little foreign policy experience, A party man without experience. Sigh. Whatever his faults, Netanyahu could at least speak English well and hold his own in a debate.
is widely seen as loyal to Sharon and his appointment is unlikely to bring big changes to Israelâs foreign policy, foreign diplomats said. "I donât think this will make much difference to foreign policy. Sharon will strengthen his grip on foreign policy with a weaker person as foreign minister," a senior European diplomat said. Sharon was expected to make a new offer of the finance ministry to another loyalist, fellow Likud member Ehud Olmert, and keep on Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz in his post. Likud reached a coalition deal early on Wednesday with the centrist Shinui party, the ultranationalist National Union party and the National Religious Party (NRP), a champion of Jewish settlements on occupied land. The coalition forces signed an agreement giving Sharon a government with 68 seats in the 120-seat parliament. Seeing parlimentary government in action makes me admire the forsight of our founding fathers in setting up a two-party system here in the USA.
#1
Well, whether intentionally two-party or not I still say the founding fathers of the USA did a pretty damn good job setting up the system of governance they did, and US citizens are generally thankful not to have a parlimentary government. :-)
#2
A parlimentary system is our government without a senate. The purpose of the senate is to neutralize the size advantage of the big states, who could dominate the system and impose mandates on the little states. Canada and the EU are two places that come to mind where an elected senate would correct a whole lot of abuses. (heck, electing the EU officials would be a damn big step forward.)
#3
bibi couldnt be counted on to do Sharon's bidding. With a war coming up, Israel in need of US loans to help with its struggling economy, ferment in the PA, its probably wise of Sharon to keep bibi out of the foreign ministry.
#5
poor move. Bibi is a perfect fit as FM and PM (post-Sharon).
Posted by: kanji ||
02/26/2003 12:20 Comments ||
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#6
a lot of the modern orthodox who support NRP are just as fed up with things like ultra-orthodox draft exemptions as they secular are. The real contradiction is on foreign policy. when the Iraq war is done and Arafat has conceded a PM, expect US pressure to return to negotiations. If sharon says yes - expect NRP and NU to walk out. IF he says no, expect Shinui to walk out. Then more coalition talks, or a new election.
#7
Bibi wants the West Bank encorporated into Isreal, he was pretty clear about that in his book. I think they might be arguing about pulling settlers back to the Isreali side of the wall.
#8
Actually, Scooter, the Founding Fathers were aghast when a two party system developed. As with much of the Constitution, it just happened to work better than the people who designed it thought it would.
FBI agents are executing search warrants on the University of Idaho campus today. A student from Saudi Arabia has been arrested for visa violations. Details of what prompted all of this are just coming in, but we have learned the man arrested is a 33-year-old graduate student, a computer science major. Four sites on the campus were being searched, including the engineering lab. Members of the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force were reported to be on campus.
A press conference has been scheduled for noon today. If memory serves, I believe there are more nuclear reactors in Idaho than anywhere else in the US.
Posted by: Frank Martin ||
02/26/2003 11:48 am ||
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#1
Based on experience to date, all they'll get this guy on is the visa violation. Lots of FBI arrests seem to be going nowhere. Perhaps they're in too big a hurry to get the press release to actually build a case?
#5
More info coming in: The task force, which is a branch of the Spokane area FBI, arrested Sami Omar Al-Hussayen, a Saudi Arabian man who is the president of the university's Muslim Students Association, around 4 a.m. Wednesday on charges of visa fraud.
Posted by: Frank Martin ||
02/26/2003 12:45 Comments ||
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#8
You know seems to me the quickest way to resolve this and related issues,is for these"charity" organizations to say "Come on in,help us find these vermin and clean house."That would also reduce the loyalty doubts we Non-Muslums have.
Edited for brevity.
Tucked away in southern Mexico's jungly Chiapas state, scientists work around the clock using radiation and powdered blood to produce one of the area's most cutting-edge exports -- man-eating flies. Named for the corkscrew motion with which they burrow into flesh, the screwworm larvae can kill their victim — human or animal — in five days. The worm's Latin name, cochliomyia hominivorax, means "fly that devours men."
"They feed off fresh blood, not dead tissue as other species do. That's why they are extremely dangerous. It's very hard for an animal to defend itself against something like that," said Alfredo Alvarez, a biologist at the plant. One fly can lay up to 400 eggs in a wound. Within 24 hours these hatch into larvae and begin burrowing into the meat. In two days, an open sore in an eye, for example, will turn into a grapefruit-sized festering wound of raw, pulpy flesh. The larvae eat their way toward the victim's vital organs. "If the wound is in the stomach, they'll try to get to the liver or intestines. If it's in the head, they'll attack the eyes, the ears. They can reach the brain and then it's adios," said Alvarez, who is employed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service.
In the 1950s, U.S. scientists pioneered a strange but effective way of eradicating the pests. The flies are zapped with high doses of radiation to sterilize them then released into the wild to mate with their fertile counterparts. The females only mate once, so if they do so with the sterile flies, they will not reproduce.
Last month, the plant had its worst accident ever when a radiation machine malfunctioned. Millions of fertile flies were sent into the wild in Mexico and Panama. To date 50 cases of the disease have been found in animals in Panama and 44 in Chiapas. The damage could escalate and take months to repair. "It's a disaster for us. We're on national alert," said Alvarez. "The outbreak gives us an inkling of what could happen if the flies were used as a biological weapon in a terror attack. It could be very dangerous." Looks like we have a new stunt for "Fear Factor".
Posted by: Dar Steckelberg ||
02/26/2003 12:11 pm ||
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#1
I was wondering what happened to Zach De La Rocha...
Al-Qaeda's silence on last week's crash of an IRGC plane has increased the likelihood of sabotage, Tehran Times said Wednesday, quoting an aerospace expert. According to remarks by five eyewitnesses, the expert added, they reported seeing the flash of lights, sparks and glitters resulting from an explosion inside the cockpit. The expert went on to say that according to international standards the crashed Ilyushin airplane had been in best flight condition and the pilot, who had carried out a high number of sorties, did not send any message to the control tower concerning poor vision or impaired flight systems. The expert concluded by denying the possibility of technical problems or pilot error as the reason for the crash and cited terrorist operations as the most likely cause of the tragedy. A Russian-built Ilyushin-76 carrying 276 personnel of the Islamic Revolution's Guards Corps (IRGC) last Wednesday crashed into the Sirch mountain, southeastern province of Kerman killing all on board. Studies into the causes of the incident are still continuing. The IRGC are not bloodthirsty enough for Al Qaeda? Most likely they just flew the plane into the ground.
Posted by: Steve ||
02/26/2003 10:03 am ||
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#1
If there was sabotage, it wasn't by al Qaeda. It was by the Iranian opposition, or the Iranian commies. And, why would the government announce that? So, blame al Qaeda (who has no reason to attack Iran). I personally think it was weather or pilot error.
#6
WHY THE ISLAMIC WORLD IS A FAILURE
Two cultures - One loses a space shuttle and immediately starts looking inward for causes. The other loses a plane and starts to blame others (because of Al Queda's silence?) for the accident.
This is the picture of a winner culture (find the problem and fix it) and a loser culture (distort and blame others).
#7
Yank's comment was right on! If you are not willing to write it off as Allah's will, and you do not have an NTSB, and you are not willing to consider the possibilities of pilot error or maintenance issues, as well as sabotage then pick a scapegoat and run with it. As a pilot, my personal motto is: learn from the best, or die with the rest.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
02/26/2003 12:57 Comments ||
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#8
It was a Russian Ilyushin. Any questions?
http://edition.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/europe/10/04/siberia.crash.history/
Al-Bawaba once again provides proof that no one dare stand against the awesome power of the US and Israel.
On January 27, 2003 at around 10 a.m., an unusually powerful tornado struck the island of Cyprus, sweeping through the coastal city of Limassol, extensively damaging shops and homes, uprooting trees, tearing apart roofs and overturning vehicles. The enormous storm marked the first of its kind to hit the Middle East and Cyprus. Shortly following, an amazing story regarding the rare tornado had started circulating the Internet. Albawaba has obtained a copy of the story and is delighted to share it with our readers:
Do you think this shade of tinfoil suits my complexion?
At the time of the tornado, Israelâs main media channels and newspapers were in contact with sources in the meteorology sector, the Israeli Army and Air Force, as they were interested in finding out the cause behind the ârare phenomenonâ of the gigantic tornado, which hit the Mediterranean Sea. The army and other sources, on their part, said they had no information regarding the developments in Cyprus or Limassol. At the exact same time, in three different locations - - at Houston Space Center, the Israeli Air Force Headquarters âsomewhereâ in Tel Aviv area and Space Shuttle Columbia - hundreds of Israeli Air Force members and meteorology experts celebrated the success of the joint âexperimentâ carried out between the Israeli Air Force and NASAâs Space Center.
Ahah! An insidious experiment, carried out by mad scientists with no regard for the welfare or safety of the helpless millions around them...
The âexperimentâ was entitled: âThe creation of an artificial tornado, aided by dust stormsâ. After nearly two weeks in space, as Space Shuttle Columbia STS-107 passed above the eastern part of the Mediterranean across Israel, the final phase of the âexperimentâ was activated. This was an âexperimentâ in which dozens of Israeli and US Air Force aircraft took part in and which required large amounts of resources and high-technology equipment. The âcover storyâ for this âexperimentâ was âjoint regional training between foreign Air Forces and the Israeli Air Forceâ. Each of the heavy aircraft that flew played a role in the âexperimentâ to produce the âFirst artificial tornadoâ. The man in charge of supervising the entire âexperimentâ from Space Shuttle Columbia, on behalf of the Israeli Air Force was Ilan Ramon - Israelâs first man in space. A Colonel in the Israeli Air Force, Ramon was a fighter pilot who was the only payload specialist on STS-107. According to NASA, as a member of the Red Team, Ramon was the prime crewmember for the Mediterranean Israeli Dust Experiment (MEIDEX), a multi-spectral camera that measured small dust particles (dust aerosols) in the atmosphere over the Mediterranean and the Saharan coast of the Atlantic.
Wasn't this plot on a very early Superman cartoon? This mad scientist, see, in his secret Laboratory®, invents this ray to control the weather and tries to hold the world at ransom. But the Man of Steel™ comes to the rescue... Well, you get the picture. I think Batman saved us from this, too. And maybe Doc Savage...
Back to the tornado, four and a half years of research and joint experiments, which intensified up until the peak moment in which the âtornadoâ was âcreatedâ were fulfilled. The âcover storyâ for the âexperimentâ, which was revolutionary in its implications, was the effect of the âdust system in the airâ on the production of rain. The assumption that the Israeli top scientists assumed was that it is possible to create by means of dust coming from Africa and other âvarious additivesâ injected into the air from aircraft, situated at âdifferent altitudesâ, a hurricane or a tornado. Actually, the enormous success of the âexperimentâ resulted in a side effect, which found its expression in âtremendous amounts of rainâ which have recently fallen throughout Israel, from the start of the âexperimentâ till it reached its peak on January 27 in the âlethal tornadoâ that hit Limassol. The main reason that the tornado did not stay in the heart of the sea, across the territorial waters of Israel, but instead moved north to Cyprus was the sharp change in the blow of winds that dragged it to an unexpected destination, and that constitutes one central lesson learned. It is unnecessary, of course, to explain the implications of the possibility of âcreating a tornado according to orderâ or to direct it to a certain place or chosen destination and to activate it above a specific city or region. Watch out for hurricanes in Baghdad, bwahahaha!
It is possible to use this âeffectâ for blessed purposes such as the transfer of water to arid regions or the creation of large amounts of rain, which are to fall down according to demand and location. It is also possible to use this âeffectâ for âmilitary purposesâ and to create âtotal chaosâ in a given region and for a fixed period of time. What exactly went on aboard Space Shuttle Columbia STS-107 regarding the âtornado experimentâ and many other scientific experiments will always remain a mystery, as the shuttle disintegrated nearly 70 kilometers above the Earth, just a few minutes before its scheduled landing at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Columbia broke up during re-entry on February 1, killing all seven astronauts on board, including Ilan Ramon. With regards to the specific details concerning the âtornado experimentâ, it seems the world will never completely really know who and what were exactly behind the âexperimentâ, how it worked, was organized and activated and who originally came up with the idea. Unfortunately, any information regarding the âexperimentâ perished and vanished into spaceâs never-ending vastness, along with other âsecretsâ aboard Columbia STS-107. Resistance is futile, perpare to be assimilated!
Posted by: Steve ||
02/26/2003 11:16 am ||
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#1
The Illuminati and the greys strike again and return to their secret Nazi base under the North Pole.
#9
Why go to all that effort when you can purchase weather control devices for world domination at villiansupply.com
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/26/2003 12:16 Comments ||
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#10
Gotta wonder why they didn't test the weather control device in Iran, Iraq, Mecca or Paris for that matter. What is wrong with the evil zionists these days?
Posted by: Dr. Evil ||
02/26/2003 12:35 Comments ||
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is it to study what is or manipulate towards something new?
______________________________________________
MISSION DESCRIPTION
The main objective of MEIDEX experiment is the investigation of desert aerosol physical properties (optical, chemical etc.), the temporal variations of its sources, sinks and transportation,
Applications to the effect on the energy balance and chemistry of the ambient atmosphere, to weather prediction and climate simulation will also be attempted.
These activities include remote as well as in situ measurements of light scattering by desert aerosol particles in different wavelengths starting from the near UV to the solar infrared wavelengths, including two wavelenghts used by TOMS instrument for determination of aerosol properties as well as four of those used by MODIS. The supporting ground-based and air-borne measurements both consist of optical observations as well as direct sampling of dust particles. The airborne measurements will be planned so as to fly preferably under contemporaneous shuttle orbits. The colocation, correlation and simultaneity of shuttle, aircraft and ground-based data will make possible the validation of the remote spaceborne observations. The roles of the astronaut will be to observe the underlying terrain and identify dust plumes, their location and their extent, carry out the measurement sequence when dust plumes, the airplane or ground observation networks are overflown or the location of a dust plume is forecast as well as carry out visibility experiments.
Posted by: Bruce ||
02/26/2003 13:17 Comments ||
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#12
Environmental issues, such as global warming, the ozone layer, pollution, and extreme weather conditions, have become paramount topics on the world agenda. The Earth Observing System (EOS) program is designed to improve our understanding of the physical, biological, and social processes which regulate the entire Earth system. Satellite remote sensing provides comprehensive, long-term global Earth measurements necessary for understanding the global environmental system.
This world wide effort could have far-reaching implications for the benefit of people everywhere.
Posted by: Bruce ||
02/26/2003 13:34 Comments ||
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A Chechen rebel warlord has claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing last year of the government headquarters in Grozny which left 72 people dead and more than 200 injured. The Islamist warlord, Shamil Basayev, has released a series of pictures depicting the blast and a statement saying the suicide bombers who drove into the building last December were a father and his teenage son and daughter. The images were published on the Russian-language version of the Chechen separatist website www.kavkaz.org.uk, which said it received them by email. The email claimed that the 17-year-old boy paved the way for the attack by using a lorry to smash open the heavily guarded building's perimeter fences. His 43-year-old father and 15-year-old sister then used a Russian-made Kamaz lorry to take in most of the explosives which tore the front off the building. Mr Basayev heads the extremist element of the Chechen separatist movement, whose elected president is the moderate Aslan Maskhadov. The pictures of the incident help to verify Mr Basayev's claim that he ordered the attack, as they show foreknowledge of the incident, and feature the building shot from a long distance lens before, during and after the attack. The email was signed by Abdullah Shamil Abu Idris - the forenames of Mr Basayev - and said a group called the Brigade of Suicide Fighters was responsible for the attack. The email said the "heroic act" was carried out by "a simple Chechen family", an attempt to portray the attack as not the work of hardened terrorists, as Moscow says, but as an act of civilian sacrifice in a war on "Russian occupation". It's always a family affair with these islamists. Must be a flaw in the DNA from all that inbreeding.
Posted by: Steve ||
02/26/2003 09:44 am ||
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#1
I believe Islamist families call this "quality time".
#2
Al-Guardian is being ever so precious here, describing Maskhadov as a "moderate." Shamil is his right-hand man, which either makes Shamil a moderate, too, which he demonstrably isn't, or Aslan an Islamist nutcake, which is what his actions say he is.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/26/2003 9:48 Comments ||
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France's top chefs railed against the pressures of their job and the power of the critics after one of this food-obsessed country's culinary giants committed suicide, apparently because of a bad review. Bernard Loiseau, 52, whose restaurant and inn La Cote d'Or in Burgundy is one of the undisputed temples of Gallic haute cuisine, was found dead in his bedroom on Monday, his hunting rifle by his side. "He tried to do too much," said his wife, Dominique. "He was worn out; he'd just had enough."
Others were harsher. Mr Loiseau, they pointed out, had managed to retain his priceless three stars in the Michelin Red Guide, but lost a devastating two points in France's rival foodie bible, GaultMillau, falling from 19/20 last year to 17/20 in the 2003 guide. "Bravo, GaultMillau, you've won," declared the legendary Lyons chef Paul Bocuse, 80. "Your verdict has cost a man's life. We cannot let ourselves be manipulated like this: I'll give you a star, I'll take one away; I'll award you two points, I'll deduct them. The profession will respond. "Marc Veyrat, who this year became the first man to be awarded 20/20 by GaultMillau, said chefs at this level were "like fragile little boys, under pressure from all sides: from ourselves, to do better every time; from the public; and then, when we've reached the summit, from the guides and the critics, swords of Damocles hanging over our heads ... because for us, where we are now, there's only one way to go". Hey, you suppose that if we keep critisizing Jacques Chirac he'll eat his gun too? (Fred, hope this helps you earn points in the next Bloodthirsty Blog vote.)
Posted by: Steve ||
02/26/2003 09:50 am ||
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#1
Why didn't he just go on strike for a couple of weeks like everybody else does over there and chill out for awhile?
#2
You gotta wonder how much, er... money professional courtesy is involved in these ratings? Sounds pretty cut throat and the judges hold the whip hand.
#5
"I don't mind bein' dead, it's just bein' dead for such a long time."
-Lightnin' Hopkins, blues singer
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
02/26/2003 12:38 Comments ||
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#6
I love it--blame the critics instead of blaming the chef for his own actions.
How about blaming the hunting rifle, while they're at it?
Posted by: Dar Steckelberg ||
02/26/2003 13:46 Comments ||
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#7
For God's sake get a grip! Doesn't this say alot about the French. We're talking here about food. Yes good food is great and for a chef these critics' ratings are important - but Jeez. If you say my roast chicken sucks then I'm going to put a shotgun in my mouth and pull the trigger? Pull away - you self satisfied, preening, idiot.
Posted by: Patrick W ||
02/27/2003 0:59 Comments ||
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KCNA word of the day: "stifle".
Pyongyang, February 25 (KCNA) -- Although the U.S. bellicose forces are keen to impose tougher economic sanctions on the DPRK while persisting in their political and ideological offensives to isolate and stifle it, it remains unfazed by the threat. Rodong Sinmun Tuesday says this in a signed commentary. Send in the bellicose forces! They must have some Monty Python fans in the DPRK.
It goes on:
The invincible might of the Korean socialist system lies in the single-hearted unity of the leader, the army and the people.
The man-centred socialist system in the DPRK is politically, ideologically, militarily and economically indestructible. Pay no attention to those international aid requests.
Therefore, there is no need for the DPRK to get anything by threatening someone nor for it to get its "system guaranteed" by someone. Everything is going well in the DPRK. Nothing can destroy its socialist system. The U.S. warhawks are now floating a variety of misinformation about the just measures taken by the DPRK to cope with their moves to isolate and stifle it. But it is an expression of ignorance of the DPRK. Everything's great here. It's a Worker's Paradise.
The DPRK's proposal for concluding a non-aggression treaty with the U.S. is winning positive support from the world people. Please, please, please deal with us.
Much upset by this, the U.S. is resorting to false propaganda in a bid to shirk off the blame for the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula and strike the DPRK. But it is a serious miscalculation. At least we're not "running amuck". Not today, anyways.
The U.S. should stop this smear campaign and its moves to isolate and stifle the DPRK. Stifle, Kimmie! Stifle!
Posted by: tu3031 ||
02/26/2003 07:46 am ||
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#1
they're watching old "All In The Family" reruns on TV Land to pick up authentic "US jargon". Next thing they'll be calling us Meatheads
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/26/2003 9:31 Comments ||
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#2
Man-centred socialist system drool mode. Pretty basic stuff. I'm still waiting for the single, Li'l Kim.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
02/26/2003 10:54 Comments ||
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#3
Yeah, slow day in KCNA world. This was about the best they had. Maybe tomorrow.
#6
Well, if you give the writers of this propaganda some protein during meals, you might get some coherent text. Grass and bark may be great for cattle and porcupines, but it just does not generate good copy.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
02/26/2003 14:02 Comments ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
