A Tokyo District Court judge handed Kimiko Kishiguchi a suspended two-year prison sentence Friday for attempting to set a former Yokota Air Base captain on fire last year. Well, she did only "try".
Judge Takeshi Kimura found Kishiguchi â a 27-year-old menâs club hostess â guilty of dousing Capt. Samuel A. Pupich, who is now assigned to a U.S. base, with a gasoline-kerosene mixture outside Fussa train station June 25, 2002. According to police reports, Kishiguchi and Nanae In, a 33-year-old South Korean woman whom Pupich had met at a Tokyo bar, were at the station, where Pupich was to pick up In. When In opened the door to Pupichâs car, Kishiguchi doused the captain with fuel and tried to ignite it. In fled the scene and Pupich sped away, unharmed. Iâve spent so much time at this train station, I can picture the scene in my mind. Car parked at the crub, the door opens, and instead of his little honey pot jumping in, our horny captain gets a lap full of gasoline. Then speeding around the traffic circle praying "No sparks, please, no sparks!".
Fussa police arrested Kishiguchi and In in January and charged them with suspicion of attempted murder. Prosecutors reduced the charges on Kishiguchi from attempted murder to âthreatsâ and released In in January â with a caveat she remains under investigation and could still face legal proceedings. Kishiguchi admitted to the accusations, but claimed In controlled her mind. Claimed that torching the captain would enable her to take his "power", or something like that.
In his ruling, Kimura said Kishiguchi received the two-year sentence because the crime was premeditated and extremely dangerous. âOn the other hand, Kishiguchi regretted her act deeply and wrote a letter of apology to the victim and her mother promised that she will watch and oversee her daughter strictly,â the judge said. âTaking those things into consideration, I attach a stay of execution of three years.â A letter of apology is a "get out of jail free card" in Japan.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/18/2003 12:10:55 PM ||
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She got off because it was obvious that he deserved it.
A NORWEGIAN man who broke into a church mortuary and chopped off the head of a corpse in order to display it during a party was jailed for two years today, officials said. Under the influence of both drink and cannabis, the 26-year-old had broken into a chapel with three friends .... the group had noticed several coffins awaiting burial, and proceeded to break open four of them. The young man hacked off the head of one of the corpses with a knife. He then stuffed the head into a plastic bag and took it to display at the "heavy metal" rock music party he was attending, the court heard. A little bit of Africa comes to Oslo, Only if it was really Africa, he wouldnât have cut the head off a corpse but a living person! Oh dear, this person needs some counselling, Iâd suggest. Preferably INSIDE a penitentiary
Posted by: Anon1 ||
08/18/2003 8:39:53 AM ||
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I think this young fella is just a little headstrong.
Hundreds of insurgents in a convoy of trucks attacked a police headquarters in southeastern Afghanistan, triggering a gunbattle Sunday that killed 22 people, officials said. It was one of the largest shows of anti-government force in over a year. The assault began shortly before midnight Saturday when about 400 guerrillas traveling in trucks drove across the border from Pakistan and attacked the police headquarters in the provinceâs Barmal district, about 125 miles southeast of Kabul, said provincial Gov. Mohammed Ali Jalali. It wasnât clear how he knew the men came from Pakistan.
Assuming they did, and I'm assuming they did, it's not at all clear how the Pak authorities missed four hundred beturbanned heroes, waving rocket launchers and howling at the moon as they raced for the border in a convoy of trucks. Now me, I notice things like that...
Firing rockets, heavy machine guns and grenades, the attackers easily took over the office. About 15 to 20 Afghan police were in the compound at the time and seven of them — including the district police chief — were killed, Jalali said. The rest, realizing they could put up little resistance, beat it fled. Jalali said between 15 to 20 insurgents were also killed. Provincial police chief Daulat Khan said the attackers retreated with the bodies. The insurgents held the police station until dawn Sunday before destroying the building, getting back in their vehicles and fleeing to Pakistan, five miles away, Jalali said. It was unclear why the attackers retreated, but Jalali said they likely did so because by daylight, word of the attack would have been passed on to the U.S.-led coalition, against which they would be little match. Coalition forces have air power at their disposal and routinely use it when insurgent positions are identified.
Besides, when daylight came there was no moon to howl at...
Previous battles between insurgents and government forces backed by the U.S.-led coalition have rarely involved more than 80 guerrilla fighters. Anti-government forces usually move around in small groups on foot. "For a large number of people in vehicles to cross the border in daylight requires some guts as well as some coordination," a senior government official said on condition of anonymity. He said the issue would be discussed when Pakistani Foreign Minister Khursheed Kasuri visits Kabul on Thursday, and Afghan authorities would press Pakistan to do more to police its side of the border.
I think that's one of those conversations that starts "What the hell is the matter with you people over there? Are you crazy?"
Jalali said the insurgents responsible for Sundayâs attack included Taliban and fighters loyal to Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, a former prime minister who heads Hezb-e-Islami, a faction that has called for attacks against foreigners in Afghanistan. He also blamed Pakistanâs intelligence service for playing a role in organizing the assault.
Posted by: Paul Moloney ||
08/18/2003 12:14:50 AM ||
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#1
I would say it is time to clean house,since Purev does not seem capable.If Karzi and the coalition does not strike with devasting force then they might as well fold thier tents and go home.
#2
If I had to wager a guess, I'd say this had as much to do with tribal in-fighting as anything. The easiest thing for an Afghan spokeman to say these days is "Taliban".
#3
With success comes confidence. For these guys, confidence is closely followed by over-confidence. They'll try again, going for a bigger target with a bigger force. Put a Predator up with a AC-130 gunship, and they'll chop one of these jihadi convoys into little bloody chunks.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/18/2003 8:47 Comments ||
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#4
How about we equip these guys with a panic button so we dont have to loose 20 people?
#5
good guys killed: 7 (all locals)
Bad guys killed:15-20
This is sustainaible for some time. So no need to go into Pakland now. And pakland with its huge population, its large number of raving loonies, its terrain, it complex politics, is not the place we want to go into while we still have issues in Iraq and elsewhere.
Afghanistan: Check
Iraq: Check, but not complete
Iran: Revolution in early stages.
PA: Regime change in early stages.
Saudi: Wait till more progress in Iraq, Iran, PA
Pakistan: Not till after all of the above, at earliest.
#6
flash91, we didn't loose 20 people. Seven government police out of a force of 15-20 were killed in a battle with 200 to 400 Taliban (depending on the source) and the bad guys lost at least 15. Sounds like the cops put up a pretty good fight.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/18/2003 9:40 Comments ||
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It happened again: Just hours after a deadly raid on a police station killed 22 people, suspected Taliban fighters attacked another police compound in southeast Afghanistan, setting it ablaze and taking four policemen hostage, officials said Monday. The latest attack took place Sunday night at Tarway, a village in Paktika province a few miles from the Pakistan border, provincial police chief Daulat Khan said. Khan said there were several hundred assailants. "They set the police station on fire, took four of our men and fled to Pakistan," he said. It was not possible to independently confirm the attack. Other policemen who were in the police station in Tarway fled the scene and the remoteness of the area made it impossible to contact authorities. Nadir Khan Zadran, another police chief in the area, estimated there were 200 attackers and said they were members of the former Taliban regime, ousted in the U.S.-led war in 2001. It was unclear if they were the same group that carried out a similar assault earlier Sunday at Barmal, much farther to the north, but also in Paktika province.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/18/2003 11:38 Comments ||
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nothing more about alleged taliban seizure of Zabul province? Looks like that was incorrect. Now they seem to be shifting to Paktia. Always make these attacks within a few miles of Pak border - still a good sign, they are not yet established near prov capital. Strat seems to be to scare away friendlies from border villages, then infiltrate there.
#9
Right across the border from paktika is Waziristan, if you recall from earlier last week this is the province in pakistan that openly defied the weapons bans. It's also one of the provinces that was leaning towards sharia law for implimentation (much like the NWFP).
Paktika is the same province where Shikin is, anther hot spot as far as coaltion forces are concerned. This is definately the work of riled up Waziri's. I wouldn't be suprised if part of this has to do with a perceived american threat from afghanistan. (I know it sounds strange but the psychology is there). The Police stations are probably seen as collaborators in the "puppet karzai regime."
as for Steve's comments about afghan cops.. I've met enough of them and have worked closesly with a good deal of those that I met. You have to keep in mind that most of the police are former soldiers. Some of the chiefs have even fought against the russians when they were teenagers.
Saudi Arabia has extradited to Yemen four suspected militants, including two men who are believed to be linked to last yearâs attack on the French supertanker Limburg, a Yemeni security official said on Monday. The official told Reuters that Yemen had also handed over to Riyadh two Saudis who had been detained for their suspected ties to militant groups inside the kingdom. Plus a first round draft choice and a mullah to be named later.
"The four Yemenis were in Saudi jails. They include two people who we believe were involved in the attack on the Limburg," said the official, who declined to be named. Yemen has closely cooperated with the U.S. "war on terror" in an effort to rid itself of an image as a stronghold of militant groups, including al Qaeda. "You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy."
Over the past year, Riyadh has handed over to Yemen four men wanted for suspected links to al Qaeda. Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Ladenâs family is originally from Yemen. Itâs something in the water.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/18/2003 4:15:24 PM ||
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Saudi Arabiaâs highest religious body has condemned violence by Islamic militants and deemed helping terrorists "one of the greatest sins." The statement from the Council of Senior Clerics came a day after Saudi authorities arrested at least 11 suspected militants and seized a large weapons cache in the southern Jazan province. The government has cracked down heavily on Islamic militants since May 12 suicide bombings in Riyadh killed 26 people, as well as the nine attackers. The bombings also touched off a public debate over whether the strict form of Islam preached in the kingdom fostered intolerance and extremism. Public debate? In Saudi?
The Council of Senior Clerics said in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency that participating in terrorist acts is "a dangerous criminal act ... punishable by Islamic law." Terrorism, "is an act of sabotage, and an absolute aberration. (Those behind recent attacks and plots) shouldnât have been moved by corrupt statements and slogans that cause division and corrupt the nation," the statement said, adding that justifications for violence have "no religious grounds." "Unless itâs directed against the jews."
The council also urged Saudis to cooperate in ridding their society of violence and warned against "harboring or giving (terrorists) shelter, as it would be considered one of the greatest sins." The Council of Senior Clerics has great influence over what is said in mosques, taught in schools and discussed in the media. Humm, did the royals threaten to take away their turbans?
Posted by: Steve ||
08/18/2003 9:48:54 AM ||
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From Arabic News: The Fatwa which was issued on Saturday vowed support for the measures taken by the government to "avert seduction from the home of Muslims," and considered the explosions that took place recently in Riyadh as " criminal acts," rather than "Jihad (struggle) for the sake of the God." The commission called for trying those who issue Fatwas supporting the explosions.
An Anti-Fatwa-Fatwa?
Posted by: Steve ||
08/18/2003 12:30 Comments ||
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The Council of Senior Clerics said in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency that participating in terrorist acts is "a dangerous criminal act ... punishable by Islamic law." Terrorism, "is an act of sabotage, and an absolute aberration.
Of course, the clerics then added that "this has absolutely nothing to do with our religious freedom fighters."
Swedenâs armed forces will operate only during office hours for the rest of the year to cut costs, military headquarters said on Friday. They will also cut fighter plane patrols to a minimum, keep navy ships in port, mothball armored vehicles and stop using large caliber live ammunition during exercises. The center-left Social Democratic government has told the military to cut spending by 450 million crowns ($54.89 million) this year as part of an overall effort to keep the budget from falling into deficit. Militarily non-aligned Sweden spends just over 40 billion crowns per year on defense, or some 1.6 percent of gross domestic product. A parliamentary defense commission said in a recent report that the likelihood of Sweden facing a military threat in the foreseeable future was very small. Itâs not like you were going to use it anyway.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/18/2003 11:46:50 AM ||
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But Sweden, ever fearful of an invasion from Finland and held in an anvil hold by economic giant Norway, issued a strongly worded warning that any attempt to destabilize it's borders would fail. A series of beacon fires are set up all along the borders that will quickly spread the alarm. An old but effective technology, each beacon is insight of the other. "we can light one beacon using a torch" said a spokeswoman, "that will be the signal to light each beacon in concert" she added.
#2
Swedish Green Party protests the use of beacon fires, claims that they contribute to global warming and the loss of old growth forests cut down to fuel the fires.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/18/2003 13:28 Comments ||
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Neutrality is a great gig if you can get it.
"And how much iron ore this month, Herr Reichsfuhrer?"
Posted by: Matt ||
08/18/2003 13:30 Comments ||
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They could sell some surplus items to raise money. I would, for example, be willing to purchase this surplus item.
#6
Are you fellows sure that Sweden has fallen into such financial straits that they would even consider the white slave trade as an economic way out of their problem?
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
08/18/2003 14:11 Comments ||
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AP - we can hope, can't we?
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/18/2003 14:18 Comments ||
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Soon the Swedes will be the slaves of the Nokia empire. Today Sweden tomorrow St. Pete.
Stop the Presses!!!
Amnesty International on Tuesday urged the United States to call off plans to try terrorist suspects before military tribunals, and to give international observers access to prisons in Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay. ummmmmmm....no.
The international human rights organization said it was seriously concerned about persistent allegations of ill-treatment and the refusal of U.S. authorities to grant access to independent human rights organizations and lawyers. ...like the unbiased Amnesia International.
"Allegations of abuses such as arbitrary arrests, prolonged incommunicado detention, ill-treatment, interrogations without legal counsel and threats of unfair trials by military bodies are raised each year in the U.S. State Departmentâs reports on human rights practices in other countries," Amnesty International said. "Now they are being made against the U.S. government in the context of its âwar on terror.â" Well boo hoo hoo...
A Pentagon spokesman said the U.S. Defense Department would have no comment on the report until Tuesday. Weâll release them under house arrest if Amnesty International members adopt them and allow them to live in their homes. Any takers?
"Concern about the interrogations or the possibility of coerced plea bargains is heightened by the USAâs ongoing plans to try selected detainees in front of military commissions," Amnesty said. "These executive bodies will allow a lower standard of evidence than would be admissible in the ordinary courts and will have the power to hand down death sentences." Whatâs odds did the algorithm come up with that Amnesia would take this position, Fred?
#1
The US needs to tell them that there is a WOT on and the answer is no. We are at war and that these Bagram and Gitmo chaps did not sign on with the Geneva Convention beforehand, so they get no perks. Sorry, fellahs, now go piss up a rope, like good little boys.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
08/18/2003 22:56 Comments ||
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is Amnesty SERIOUSLY CONCERNED about the fate of the ENTIRE FEMALE POPULATION OF SAUDI ARABIA? or just a couple of terrorists locked up in gitmo?
Itâs about 100 degrees outside, under a blazing Punjabi sky, but Amr Hamza seems to be on a roll. In a rally to celebrate Pakistanâs independence day last week, Mr. Hamza is calling on the faithful - about 10,000 of them, mostly members of the religious extremist party Jamaat-ud Dawa, or Society of the Call - to defend Islam against its enemies. "Are you ready to crush the Hindus between your teeth?" he shouts, and the entire crowd rises to its feet and says "Hanh," the Urdu word for yes. "Are you ready to crush the Americans between your teeth?" he asks. "Hanh."
That's Urdu for "Yar!"
Rallies such as this one, in towns and villages across Pakistan, show that jihadist parties such as Jamaat are alive and thriving, more than a year after they were banned by the government of President Pervez Musharraf. "In high-profile cases, the Musharraf government has arrested a few people, but itâs far more important to roll up the network of support for these jihadist parties," says Samina Ahmed, project director for the International Crisis Group, a think tank in Islamabad. "But the network will remain in place until the government takes sustained action."
Which is scheduled for two or three weeks after Doomsday...
Like many observers here in Pakistan, Ms. Ahmed argues that Pakistanâs military continues to maintain its long alliance with religious parties, who share a common goal: the so-called "liberation of Kashmir." This alliance was put on hiatus after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, she adds, when Pakistan broke its alliance with the Taliban government in Afghanistan, and broke relations with religious parties at home. But in the leadup to the national parliamentary elections last October, Pakistanâs military, under commander-in-chief Musharraf, began open negotiations with the religious parties. The military released from jail many of the extremist leaders — including Jamaatâs Hafiz Saeed and Jaish-i Mohammadâs Maulana Azhar — whom it had jailed on charges of terrorism. "The mullahs and the military both believe that Pakistan has a rightful claim over Kashmir, and both believe in the jihad, the fight for Kashmir," says Ahmed. "But it is certainly in the interests of Pakistan to contain these groups, both because of its international reputation, and also because more Pakistanis are being killed in these attacks than anyone else."
To include Kashmiri civilians, who aren't tortured and killed by the Indos, but by the jihadis who've come to "save" them.
While 90 percent of the votes went to mainstream parties in national elections last October, a coalition of religious parties made gains that allowed them to control two key provinces along the Afghan border, Northwest Frontier Province and Baluchistan. While Western diplomats here publicly say Pakistan hasnât changed its policy toward extremist groups, many privately worry that these two provincial governments may be tacitly supporting the resurgent Taliban. Government officials, however, say that the governmentâs ties with extremist groups ended after Sept. 11, and there is no going back to the old policy. "The policy of the government is clear," says Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan, spokesman for President Musharraf. "There is no room for extremism in Pakistan, and we are absolutely sincere in getting it eliminated on our territory."
Shaukat's obviously a liar, since extremism is actually starting to crowd everything else out of Pakland...
For the Jamaat-ud Dawa, which runs a network of social services, including 16 Islamic institutions, 135 secondary schools, five madrassahs, a college for science, and a $300,000-plus medical mission that includes mobile clinics, an ambulance service, and blood banks. Jamaat leaders reject the label of terrorism, but they say their mission under the Lashkar-i Taiba remains the same: preaching Islam at home, and fighting the enemies of Islam abroad (jihad). "Jihad is not terrorism," says Qazi Kashif, editor of Jamaat-ud Dawaâs newspaper.
"It's... ummm... something else."
"It is not against the civilians, it is against the oppression, against the occupying forces in Afghanistan, in Kashmir, in Iraq, in Chechnya, in Palestine, in the Philippines. Our first priority is our nearby regime in Kashmir, against the Indian Army." But another Jamaat member, Tahir Rabbani, sees the present war in much larger terms. The duty of jihad, he says, will eventually demand a final battle between Islam and the West. "Our task is to end oppression, and until Islam is established over the entire world, the jihad will be continued forever," he says. "There can be no peace without jihad."
And there we have it, the voice of sweet reason...
Posted by: Paul Moloney ||
08/18/2003 12:21:03 AM ||
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Kill them before they kill us.Terminate with extreme prejuidice.No mercy.
TIKRIT, Iraq â U.S. troops shut down a major bomb factory near Saddam Husseinâs hometown of Tikrit on Sunday and arrested two people in connection with bombing activities here, a U.S. Army commander said.
In a raid on a village north of Tikrit, troops from the 4th Infantry Division seized C-4 plastic explosives, plastic caps, detonation switches and fragmentation shrapnel used in bombs, said Lt. Col. Steve Russell, commander of the 4th Infantryâs 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment.
"We definitely shut down a major operational and bombing site," Russell told The Associated Press. "There are still individuals we are looking for."
Also seized in Sundayâs raid was a 60mm mortar, seven rounds of ammunition, three grenades and four AK-47 rifles, he said. No shots were fired, there was no resistance from those detained and there were no U.S. casualties, he said.
"Soldiers are still at the scene searching the area," he said.
Saddam loyalists and remnants of the former regime have been using homemade bombs, often detonated remotely, against U.S. patrols and convoys. On Aug. 5, three 4th Infantry soldiers were killed in one such attack. Troops have been discovering improvised explosive devices almost every day, increasingly with the help of the local population, military officials said.
Russell said the troops in Sundayâs raid acted on a tip from residents, calling the cooperation "a very good sign."
He said the weapons and ammunition were hidden in trash pits on a field next to a residential complex, and the explosive was seized in houses.
The exact location of the raid and identities of those detained were not immediately identified.
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/18/2003 12:59:35 PM ||
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Our boy Steve, hard at work.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/18/2003 13:30 Comments ||
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How long before LTC Steve gets his action figure?
#3
Saw LTC Russell on TV when his snipers took out a couple of guys at the weapons souk. Yes, he cuts a striking figure and could probably do work in Hollywood if he wanted. But what really impressed me was his matter of fact justification for taking out gunnies. All business, but competent as well
Posted by: Michael ||
08/18/2003 21:57 Comments ||
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U.S. investigators searching in Iraq for clues to the fate of missing Navy pilot Michael Scott Speicher, shot down on the opening night of the 1991 Gulf War, have returned to an early hypothesis: that he died at or near the site where his F-18 fighter crashed.
Some of the documents found since the fall of Baghdad indicate that Iraqi government officials were befuddled by continuing U.S. government inquiries about the possibility of Speicher being held alive. U.S. investigators deduced from this that the Iraqis had no knowledge of Speicher being held. That is consistent with Iraqâs public position from the start.
#1
at this point, it would almost be better for the guy. His wife long ago married his best friend after (understandably) assuming he was dead in the early 90's.... bad, sad story all around
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/18/2003 12:33 Comments ||
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#2
This is a sad story. But Dan Rather had a chance to clear this up prior to the war when he interviewed Saddam and managed to miss asking the question.
Posted by: Douglas De Bono ||
08/18/2003 17:51 Comments ||
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#3
Maybe Dan can ask him the next time he talks to him.
The U.S. military acknowledged on Sunday that its troops in Iraq had "engaged" a Reuters cameraman, saying they had thought his camera was a rocket propelled grenade launcher. "Army soldiers engaged an individual they thought was aiming an RPG at them. It turned out to be a Reuters cameraman," Navy Capt. Frank Thorp, a spokesman for the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, told Reuters in Washington. This is one of the dangers that the Combat Camera units are warned about. Youâre kneeling with your ENG camera (RPG) on your shoulder and looking through the viewfinder (sight) at the subject (target) you are taping (aiming at). If they donât know who and where you are, you are at risk.
Cameraman Mazen Dana, 43, was shot and killed on Sunday while filming near a U.S.-run prison on the outskirts of Baghdad. Witnesses said he was shot by soldiers on an American tank. Under fire in a hostile area, they saw somebody pointing something at them and responded, correctly in my view.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/18/2003 10:37:53 AM ||
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Well, not a big deal. I wouldnât call it a big issue as it is easy to mistake a camera for RPG, especially if you are from a country where cellular phones of black people are mistaken for UZIâs . A classical example of myopia easily to prevent sent some opticians!
Posted by: Murat ||
08/18/2003 11:12 Comments ||
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#2
Murat, welcome back. We missed ya - we promise to shoot straighter the next time around.
#3
Where have you been, Murat, old chap? We have been scouring the country with search and rescue teams looking for you. Safe and sound now we presume?
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
08/18/2003 11:20 Comments ||
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#4
Welcome back, Murat! Maybe you can help us show the trolls some semblance of a debate now! Good to see you again.
Posted by: Dar ||
08/18/2003 11:29 Comments ||
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#5
That must have been quite an epidemic of myopic Turks during the 1915 Armenian cellphone rollout...
#9
Murat, as a former soldier of 11 years, I can say quite honestly that if a camera has a telephoto lens, particularly the huge ones that newsies love to use, it's EASY to mistake it for a weapon of some sort. I know, I've MADE that mistake.
Long black tubular object (pointed in my direction) = weapon aimed at me, life in possible danger, no time to spare, assume the worst, FIRE AT IT!
It's that simple, Murat. Ask a turkish soldier who has been in combat, and whom you trust to answer you honestly. Any soldier who is more concerned with his own life than that of the enemy will tell you the same.
But a reporter's not an enemy? Sorry. If they're on the battlefield, they're either enemy or ally. There's NO room on a life battlefield for neutrals unless they're wearing a Red Cross/Crescent.
A battlefield's already dangerous and confusing enough, we don't need idiots wandering around it saying "Wait! You can't shoot me! I'm a neutral party!"
The time you need to identify a neutral is the time someone ELSE can use to identify YOU and blow you to hell.
I'm generous, but not THAT generous, Murat.. I'm not going to die so that some reporter can get a better story.
Sgt. Ed Becerra
2nd Armored Cavalry,
Retired (Medical)
Posted by: Ed Becerra ||
08/18/2003 17:01 Comments ||
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#10
Ed I agree with you, these cameras can really look menacing from a distance and when you get attacked every day you might not check and doublecheck.
I'd recommend one of these small state of the art Sony camcorders. Fits in a palm and quality is only slightly less than that of these huge camera monsters. Just nobody will mistake them for a weapon. In a combat zone, sounds like the thing to use imho.
#13
ED >> You're absolutely right. You don't have time when someone's pointing a shoulder mounted piece of equipment at you to identify it. The soldiers were in the right, the reporter in the wrong.
Besides, I think Reuter's should recieve a statement of charges (a bill) for the 3-5 rounds wasted on him.
I have no love for any reporters. They kiss your a$$ while there's no shooting, but secretly hope filming you or your men getting shot dead in front of them. How else do you think they'll get their "photo-journalistic" awards from the rest of the media world? I'm just sad he didn't have a buddy close to him holding his battery pack. Can't say I didn't dance a little jig for him though.
Also, the other day in a FOX News article it read "Iraqi guerillas killed 3 US soldiers today. Elsewhere 2 Iraqi civilians were killed after attacking US soldiers." So when thet kill us they're "guerillas", but when they attack us and we kill them they are "civilians". WTF?
Posted by: Paul ||
08/18/2003 20:24 Comments ||
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#15
Yo Ed,
Seen from the pictures released just before this cameraman was shot his camera had not a telescopic zoomlens, to me this was a typical case of myopia. I donât know if you are familiar with the RPG, it takes a lot of imagination to confuse it with a camera.
Image:
Posted by: Murat ||
08/19/2003 3:27 Comments ||
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#16
Murat if a possable RPG is pointed in your direction you have about 2 secounds to kill him before he kills you.
Via Instapundit
The US army is hoping to stick up posters of Saddam Husseinâs face superimposed on Hollywood heroines and other stars in an attempt to enrage his followers and draw them out.
In one called âZsa Zsa Saddamâ, he has his head tossed back, his blonde locks flowing and a filter-tipped cigarette dangling coquettishly between his delicate fingers.
âZsa Zsa Saddamâ is the US armyâs latest ploy in the four-month hunt for the fugitive dictator.
In a campaign starting this week, US forces plan to put up the posters around Saddamâs home town of Tikrit.
As well as Saddam dolled up as a slinky Zsa Zsa Gabor, there is a busty Rita Hayworth Saddam, a grooving Elvis Saddam and even Saddam in the guise of British-born rocker Billy Idol.
"Weâre going to do something devious with these," said a chuckling Lieutenant-Colonel Steve Russell last week, as he checked out a range of spoof Saddam pictures taken from the Internet (www.worth1000.com).
"Most of the locals will love âem and theyâll be laughing. But the bad guys are going to be upset, which will just make it easier for us to know who they are."
Lieutenant-Colonel Russell, whose 1st Battalion, 22nd Regiment is spearheading the 4th Infantry Divisionâs search for the deposed leader, hopes to have the posters slapped up on walls around Tikrit from Monday.
No official decision has yet been taken.
The gambit is part of a game of cat-and-mouse Lieutenant-Colonel Russell and his unit are playing with Saddam loyalists in the Tikrit area.
Apparently intimidated by the US Armyâs heavy presence around town, more and more guerrillas are stashing their weapons and keeping a low profile, US commanders say.
US forces are trying to flush them out and hunt them while they can.
RPG alley
One tactic Lieutenant-Colonel Russell and his team uses is to make themselves the bait.
On most nights, Humvees packed with soldiers will drive up and down what has been dubbed "RPG Alley" to try to attract fire from locals armed with rocket-propelled grenades.
While that has had some success in recent weeks, now Lieutenant-Colonel Russell is turning to the poster campaign to see if he can taunt Saddam loyalists into showing their faces.
Officers from the 4th Infantryâs psychological operations unit say it is not necessarily a bad idea, although they tend to favour more subtle leaflet drops.
"Itâs mostly good for troop morale but if we can put these posters up in Tikrit and the enemy canât take them down, then at least it shows who owns the streets," said Sergeant David Cade, a psychological operations specialist. Yeehaw....come and get some, boys!Yet while the posters may help divide locals into the amused and the infuriated, they also run a serious risk of stoking fury among ordinary Iraqis who may not be pro-Saddam but still will not accept the idea of the Americans poking fun.
One of the posters shows Saddamâs head on Elvisâs dancing body, a gold crucifix hanging around his hairy chest.
Given fears in the Arab world that the invasion of Iraq was akin to a Christian crusade, some Iraqis say US forces would do well to think twice about leaving the cross hanging around Saddam Elvisâs neck.
"Maybe it is funny for the soldiers but I think most locals will find it very insulting," said Uday, a 22-year-old working as a translator at the US army base in Tikrit. Uday? Nice name asshat...who gives a sh$t what you think?
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/18/2003 10:07:11 AM ||
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EFL
TIKRIT, Iraq (Reuters) - Saddam Hussein has his head tossed back, his blonde locks flowing and a filter-tipped cigarette dangling coquettishly between his delicate fingers. Meet "Zsa Zsa Saddam", the U.S. armyâs latest ploy in the four-month hunt for the fugitive dictator.
In a campaign set to start on Monday, U.S. forces plan to put up posters around Saddamâs hometown of Tikrit showing his face superimposed on Hollywood heroines and other stars in an attempt to enrage his followers and draw them out.
As well as Saddam dolled up as a slinky Zsa Zsa Gabor, there is a busty Rita Hayworth Saddam, a grooving Elvis Saddam and even Saddam in the guise of British-born rocker Billy Idol.
"Weâre going to do something devious with these," said a chuckling Lieutenant-Colonel Steve Russell last week, as he checked out a range of spoof Saddam pictures taken from the Internet (www.worth1000.com).
"Most of the locals will love âem and theyâll be laughing. But the bad guys are going to be upset, which will just make it easier for us to know who they are." The gambit is part of a game of cat-and-mouse Russell and his unit are playing with Saddam loyalists in the Tikrit area.
Apparently intimidated by the U.S. Armyâs heavy presence around town, more and more guerrillas are stashing their weapons and keeping a low profile, U.S. commanders say. U.S. forces are trying to flush them out and hunt them while they can.
One tactic Russell and his team uses is to make themselves the bait. On most nights, Humvees packed with soldiers will drive up and down what has been dubbed "RPG Alley" to try to attract fire from locals armed with rocket-propelled grenades. (Iâm sure this tactic is great for merkin morale)
"Itâs mostly good for troop morale, but if we can put these posters up in Tikrit and the enemy canât take them down, then at least it shows who owns the streets," said Sergeant David Cade, a psychological operations specialist. (besides... he continued... Iraq is so drab, itâd be nice to spruce the place up a bit!)
One of the posters shows Saddamâs head on Elvisâs dancing body, a gold crucifix hanging around his hairy chest. (ahhh really do believe thatzz an insult to tha king... huh...)
Given fears in the Arab world that the invasion of Iraq was akin to a Christian crusade, some Iraqis say U.S. forces would do well to think twice about leaving the cross hanging around Saddam Elvisâs neck. "Maybe it is funny for the soldiers, but I think most locals will find it very insulting," said Uday, a 22-year-old working as a translator at the U.S. army base in Tikrit. Little Uday finds it insulting... I wonder why UDAY would find that offensive...
Posted by: ----------<<<<- ||
08/18/2003 8:56:25 AM ||
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#2
Now I understand why we might have allowed the gruesome twosome to have a home burial site. There is a good chance that daddy will be drawn to visit. Psyops sure must be an interesting vocation!
#3
Lt. Col Steve Russell: "But the bad guys are going to be upset, which will just make it easier for us to know who they are."
"Maybe it is funny for the soldiers, but I think most locals will find it very insulting," said Uday, a 22-year-old working as a translator at the U.S. army base in Tikrit.
Just found another one of those bad guys - no surprise there - who are the people in Iraq who get to learn English, if not Saddam's supporters?
#4
This is a good start. Humiliation is a powerful tool. A radio show, Saddam as Jack Benny for instance would be good also. A sitcom, My two Sons, perhaps, or The Husseins.
#5
They should dub "Hot Shots--Part Deux" and air it on Iraqi TV. Wonder if Saddam's lisp will be as funny in the original Iraqi?
Posted by: Dar ||
08/18/2003 13:13 Comments ||
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Duh--I meant to write "Arabic" instead of "Iraqi"--it's Monday.
Posted by: Dar ||
08/18/2003 13:46 Comments ||
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#7
Elvis would probably be recognized by Iraqi's, and maybe marilyn monroe, but remember these are pop culture icons that might not have the same associations for the Iraqi people that they have here. And for christ sakes, if your interpreter tells you it's a bad idea, you really should listen to him. He may not know psyop, but he knows the culture better than you do, Joe.
There's a lot of psyop soldiers who have a hard time taking off their gringo glasses when it comes to dealing with the cultural sensitivities and nuances of things. It's a real common mistake, but dammit they train us for that kind of thing.
At first glance this doens't seem like a good idea, I just hope they know something on the ground that I don't.
This is usually what we (as enlisted psyop) call "Psyop by GFI." (Good f*cking idea).
You can usually trace it to some officer who took the two week psyop O'course and thinks he's god's gift to Propaganda.
#8
Spot on DS, a seperation of church and psyops is a good thing. Keep the humiliation to a more human element. But a good laughing at is a terrible swift sword.
Posted by: john ||
08/18/2003 15:13 Comments ||
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#13
soldiers laughing...thats the whole idea!
Posted by: john ||
08/18/2003 15:13 Comments ||
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#14
"And for christ sakes, if your interpreter tells you it's a bad idea, you really should listen to him. He's only their interpreter, which is to say that he's an English-speaking Iraqi of indeterminate loyalties. "
It also means he's actively helping the American troops in Iraq, something that several Iraqis have paid with their *lives*, so unless you have proof to the opposite you ought to consider him an ally which may be actually trying to help.
#15
Aris is correct that there is risk to any Iraqi helping Americans in Iraq - several Iraqis have been killed. But whats the denominator - how many Iraqis ARE helping Americans - Aris thinks to assume its only a few - i count tens of thousands police, thousands of people in the various utilities, dozens of mayors and local councilors, etc. OTOH not all deaths of Iraqis are reported. So its not at clear to me how much of a risk a translator is taking. Which must be set beside what is in fact a good job, in a country with 60% unemployment. So any evidence the other way - I ISTR some discussion in April how most trained translators in Iraq worked for the regime, and were running around trying to find what jobs they could, with the press, etc. I would hope the army has been careful in vetting its translators.
It doesnt seem like the guy is not an ally - just that he is missing the concept of the op 0 given the relatively small number of fence sitters in Tikrit, and the relatively large number of Baathists, the idea is that provoking the Baathists to come out is worth some cost in alienating the fencesitters. Probably wouldnt try this anywhere else in Iraq.
#16
It also means he's actively helping the American troops in Iraq, something that several Iraqis have paid with their *lives*, so unless you have proof to the opposite you ought to consider him an ally which may be actually trying to help.
It's standard practice to plant spies in the ranks of your enemy. Saddam undoubtedly has moles in the ranks of the people hired by the US military. Aris is operating under the assumption that the murders of people who are working for the American military are random events, and express the popular will of the Iraqi people. (Aris would assume that, wouldn't he?)
My view is that these murders are carefully planned by Saddam's henchmen and targeted at the people who are actually helping Americans, rather than Saddam's spies among the coalition forces. Unfortunately, the only way to ascertain for sure that an Iraqi who works for our guys is truly loyal is when he ends up dead. And even then, he could just be a sacrifice.
Bottom line - the only time you can be reasonably certain of an Iraqi employee's loyalties is when he is killed, and even then, you can't be completely sure. Aris would like our boys to let their guard down so our enemies can rack up a higher GI body count, but the operative phrase with Iraqis, as with the Soviets, is "trust, but verify".
#18
"It's standard practice to plant spies in the ranks of your enemy."
Atleast you have come round to the idea that this Iraqi is in your ranks, rather than a man of "uncertain loyalties" by definition.
"Aris is operating under the assumption that the murders of people who are working for the American military are random events, and express the popular will of the Iraqi people"
You are operating under the assumption that everyone's as big an asshole as you.
"Unfortunately, the only way to ascertain for sure that an Iraqi who works for our guys is truly loyal is when he ends up dead."
Same thing with an American who works for your guys, ain't that so?
"And even then, he could just be a sacrifice."
Aye, let's kill them all Iraqis then, just to be certain. When Iraq is empty we can settle it anew with white Anglo-Saxon Protestants who don't speak a word in Arab. That's the only way we can know for sure.
"Aris would like our boys to let their guard down "
Actually I would very much like you to not immediately consider "enemies" the very people you supposedly went to liberate.
Mojo> You do understand that the only reason you people started calling this guy a "spy" was because he disagreed with you on the effect this poster was going to have?
And because he was helping your troops of course. A *very* suspicious thing for a Arab to do. He must be up to something.
#19
Alright Aris, you made a number of good points here, and I agree, that there is no reason to ascribe all sorts of weird and malevolent attributes to this Iraqi. But why do you have to spoil your remarks with this crack?
"When Iraq is empty we can settle it anew with white Anglo-Saxon Protestants who don't speak a word in Arab."
I've noticed before that you have a "thing" about WASPs. Don't know if you've ever been to the USA
but that's a pretty ancient stereotype, except among 70s-era leftists. And do me a favor, don't make any assumptions from my last name...you'll be wrong.
Posted by: R. McLeod ||
08/18/2003 21:11 Comments ||
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#20
Too true! You CAN'T judge a man by his name, Aris. After all, we know that R. McLeod is immortal, no? ^_^
* wanders off muttering something about "there can be only one..." and sharpening his sword *
Posted by: Ed Becerra ||
08/18/2003 21:34 Comments ||
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#21
Aris: Atleast you have come round to the idea that this Iraqi is in your ranks, rather than a man of "uncertain loyalties" by definition.
I'm not sure I understand the point of this statement. Iraqis who have infiltrated into our organizations under false pretenses are not part of us.
Aris: You are operating under the assumption that everyone's as big an asshole as you.
Aris, you really musn't hold back. Tell us how you really feel.
Aris: Same thing with an American who works for your guys, ain't that so?
Don't really see how the loyalty of our troops is comparable to the loyalty Iraqis we hire to do things for us. Our troops are tied to Uncle Sam by the bonds of years of schooling in our education system, the indoctrination of years of military training and finally, the fact that they volunteered for military service when they could have settled for better-paid jobs in the private sector. Iraqis, on the other hand, are an unknown quantity. Like the Germans and the Japanese in the postwar period, Iraqis have been subjected to years of propaganda about how we're savages bent on raping and pillaging our way through the country. Even the ones who might be well-disposed towards us will have their doubts about our intentions. Aris is just being his usual disingenuous self - what he's saying is that we should trust the enemy as much as we trust our own, which is just absurd on its face.
Aris: Aye, let's kill them all Iraqis then, just to be certain. When Iraq is empty we can settle it anew with white Anglo-Saxon Protestants who don't speak a word in Arab. That's the only way we can know for sure.
We didn't trust the Japanese and the Germans in the postwar period either. Last I looked, the Germans are still German and the Japanese are still Japanese. Aris is projecting his genocidal fantasies on the American psyche - after all, the Greeks know a little something about massacring Muslims from their experience in the 20th century.
Aris: Actually I would very much like you to not immediately consider "enemies" the very people you supposedly went to liberate.
We did not go to Iraq primarily to liberate them or even to locate WMD. We went there primarily to impress upon Muslims the consequences of sponsoring terrorists against us. Now if Greece objects to these goals, it is free to help al Qaeda in its efforts against American civilians - if it is not already doing so. (Of course, Greece has certainly done a good job of killing Americans without any al Qaeda help).
And the Iraqis are not our friends - yet. Perhaps in the fullness of time, this will change, as it did with the Germans and the Japanese.
#22
"I've noticed before that you have a "thing" about WASPs. Don't know if you've ever been to the USA but that's a pretty ancient stereotype, except among 70s-era leftists."
Well, the Catholics have uncertain loyalties since the Pope opposed the War on Iraq, don't they? Based on the "either you are with us or against us" principle, the Catholic church is a hostile organization and all its members are "enemy combatants". If Zhang Fei can not just justify the death of that Reuters reporter as an accident, but actively say that they should be hunted out and killed as enemies, I don't think it's too far of a stretch that he may be distrustful (at least) of Catholics.
And non-white folk often do other suspicious things, like tending to vote Democrat.
#23
"We went there primarily to impress upon Muslims the consequences of sponsoring terrorists against us."
Ah, yes, the ever changing "primary motivation" for the war. Is it this? No, it is that! Too bad, Bush and admin haven't thought up on one single particular primary motivation. Or many such motivations listed in order of importance, so that we know which the "primary one" is.
"Aris is projecting his genocidal fantasies on the American psyche"
No, Zhang Fei, I'm not the evil racist bigot that you are. It's *you*, not the "American psyche" in general that I'm accusing of genocidal fantasies.
"after all, the Greeks know a little something about massacring Muslims from their experience in the 20th century."
ZAMBOANGA, Philippines (AP) - Army forces in a speedboat killed four suspected members of an extremist Muslim group in a clash at sea after getting a tip from fishermen, the military said Sunday. The army special forces recovered the motor boat and a rifle of the four suspected members of Abu Sayyaf, who fell into the sea after being hit in the five-minute clash late Friday off southern Zamboanga city, army spokesman Lt. Col. Joselito Kakilala said. "You gummint ninnies couldnât hit the broad side of a ... ouch! [splash]"
Other military officials said the army forces aboard a speedboat approached the rebelsâ boat after being tipped off by fishermen that the gunmen were preparing to attack a trawler. "Dem guys are lookinâ to shoot up somethinâ. Old Zeke saw it for hisself, ainât that right Zeke?"
"Yup, I saws it. Dey look kinda crazy and kinda dumb."
"Okay, that sounds like Abu Sayyaf allright. Thanks boys, weâll take it from here."
Attacks by the Abu Sayyaf, a small but violent band notorious for beheadings and kidnappings, have waned considerably since a U.S.-backed military offensive drove them last year from their main jungle bases on Basilan island near Zamboanga. "We need reinforcements!"
"There ainât no reinforcements!"
"What? Damn! Somebody tell the madrassas to hurry up!"
A few hundred remain on nearby Jolo island, Basilan and Zamboanga city, where American troops conduct combat and counterterrorism training for Filipino counterparts aimed at wiping out the resilient guerrillas. A two-fer! Live fire training AND anti-terrorist ops!
Zamboanga, a bustling port city and headquarters of the militaryâs Southern Command, is about 530 miles south of Manila.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/18/2003 12:39:11 PM ||
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Zamboanga was one hell of a party town once upon a leave...
Not sure where Nepal news goes in the headers.
NEPALGUNJ, Nepal (AP) - Government soldiers killed 17 rebels in a gunbattle, even as the two sides were engaged in peace talks to end a seven-year insurgency in Nepal, officials said Monday. The soldiers were patrolling Sunday near the village of Doramba, 75 miles east of Katmandu, when they were fired on by the rebels, the defense ministry said in a statement. The guerrillas were killed in a gunbattle that followed, it said. No army casualties were reported. Sounds like the rebels got their training at Hekâs School of Grenade Throwing.
Soldiers recovered guns, ammunition and explosives from the site, the statement said. The details and identities of those killed could not be independently confirmed.
The rebels, who say theyâre inspired by Chinese communist revolutionary mass murderer leader Mao Zedong, began fighting in 1996 to abolish Nepalâs constitutional monarchy and set up a socialist state. The insurgency has killed around 7,000 people. They declared a cease-fire in January and agreed to peace talks after the government starting making progress in killing them stopped calling them terrorists, rescinded a bounty on their leaders and canceled a notice to Interpol seeking their arrest. The current round of talks is the third so far.
Word of the killings came just hours after government ministers Kamal Thapa and Prakash Chandra Lohani flew Monday to the rebel stronghold of Hapure, 250 miles west of Katmandu, and met guerrilla leaders for 90 minutes. The two ministers arrived eight hours late for the talks at the rebel stronghold, as monsoon rains delayed their flight. On Tuesday, both sides were scheduled to discuss a rebel demand for a new constitution, Thapa told reporters after returning to Nepalgunj, where the talks began on Sunday.
Thapa also said the government handed over a list of 233 people allegedly abducted by the rebels in the past few months and asked for their release or their whereabouts.
Rebel negotiators are demanding a special elected assembly that would draft a new constitution. They also want the assembly to decide if the king should continue as a constitutional monarch - or if the country should be turned into a communist state. Thereâs a great choice: "you must choose between a benign, mildly corrupt monarchy that will leave you alone or a communist state that will march you into the wilderness and make you a subsistence farmer prior to killing you." Hmmm, what to do, what to do ...
The government has said it would not compromise or negotiate on the issue of Nepalâs multiparty democracy and constitutional monarchy but was ready to make changes on everything else. Wrong tactic. Tell âem to piss up a rope and get the army trained and equipped to deal with them.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/18/2003 12:21:25 PM ||
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Details coming out:
Hambali, the Islamic militant whose arrest has been hailed as a breakthrough in the war on terrorism, was betrayed after members of his Jemaah Islamiah network fell out over money, according to a senior official in Thailandâs defence ministry. In a rare dispute within the tightly knit terrorist network, members of a JI cell in Singapore were angry that comrades in Thailand had frittered away a sizeable sum of money they had sent them to fund a suicide bombing team for operations in the kingdom. It figures, all that untraceable cash was bound to have tempted a few people.
When the Singaporeans were later arrested, they opened up to investigators, according to the defence official. "Those damm Thaiâs, we worked hard to steal that money!"
Their evidence led to the arrest in Thailand of a Malaysian national, Zubair bin Mohammed, who in turn knew the whereabouts of Hambali - Osama bin Ladenâs chief ally in south-east Asia. "The Singaporeans were told by the Thai group that no suicide bombers could be found," said the Thai defence official, who has been closely involved in the counter-terrorism investigations. "They said the money had been spent on mosques and âpersonal investmentsâ." "Hey, Bob, you want to blow yourself up?"
"What, are you crazy! Not me, how about you?"
"Nope, what ya wanna do with all this money then?"
"I could use a new stereo."
An official in Thai military intelligence told The Telegraph that bin Mohammedâs arrest last month, in a joint Thai-CIA operation, was extremely low-key so as not to alert Hambali, who was born Riduan Isamuddin in 1966. "The arrest of Hambali resulted from information Zubair gave under interrogation," the intelligence official said. A computer seized in Ayutthaya revealed connections between the two men, and police also found documents containing information on the embassies of the United States and some of its allies.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/18/2003 11:19:22 AM ||
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This isn't the first time they've tried to do things on the cheap and had a squabble. These guys really are tightwads. Must need to skim some off for the booze and broads before they go to the great raisin in the sky.
Hmmm, Thailand sort of sounds like Congress and W. I can fritter my money away better than they can.
I wonder if they were going after W in that neck of the woods?
The Malaysian wife of captured terror suspect Hambali is being questioned and could be an important witness to the activities of the al-Qaida-linked network he is accused of leading, the countryâs deputy leader said Monday. Noralwizah Lee Abdullah, 33, was arrested Aug. 11 with her husband in Thailand and handed to Malaysian authorities who brought her to a secret location. Police say she has crucial information about Hambaliâs activities, his associates and their whereabouts. And women remember everything, just ask my wife.
"We believe that Hambaliâs wife may have useful information for us," Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi told reporters. "She is certainly important as far as we are concerned." Abdullah, who is also Home Minister responsible for police, said Noralwizah would be held for questioning, possibly under a tough security law that allows indefinite detention without trial. Donât need any truncheons or giggle juice, just get a couple of female cops to sit down with her and start talking about how their husbands donât understand them and men are shit and sheâll do an Oprah and spill her guts.
Inspector General of Police Norian Mai said Malaysia would share any information obtained from Noralwizah with intelligence agencies in other Southeast Asian nations in order to cripple militant activities. At least five of Hambaliâs henchmen are still on the loose in Bangkok, the Bangkok Post reported Monday, citing an intelligence official. But Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra denied the report, saying the terrorist kingpinâs operations in Thailand were wiped out with last weekâs arrest. De Nile is still flowing in Thailand.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/18/2003 9:22:58 AM ||
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Thaksin doesn't want Thai tourism hurt. Rest assured, they are still being hunted, no matter what he's saying.
Posted by: Kathy K ||
08/18/2003 11:52 Comments ||
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Osama bin Laden, leader of terror network al-Qaida, is still alive according to an audio tape purportedly recorded by a spokesman for the group and broadcast today on an Arab television network. The message, which also claimed that Taliban chief and key Bin Laden ally Mullah Omar is alive, was broadcast on al-Arabiya television. Not a video of Binny, not a bad audio tape, not a letter or a fax, but a audio tape from a "spokesman".
The channel attributed the recording to Afghan-based al-Qaida official Abdel Rahman al-Najdi, who it said was on a US list of wanted al-Qaida members. So that makes him a reliable source.
"I would like to bring the good tidings to Muslims everywhere that Sheikh Osama bin Laden is well, very well and that Mullah Omar is also alive," the voice on the recording said. "I canât prove it, but trust me, I know he is."
The tape also urged Muslims to continue their resistance against US troops in Iraq, saying: "The Americans are begging the world to stand by their side in Iraq. Asking yes, begging no.
"I would also like to congratulate our brothers in Iraq for their valiant struggle against the occupation, which we support and urge them to continue," it added. "Weâll fight to the last Iraqi!"
"To our brothers in struggle in Iraq: the whole world has witnessed the collapse of the regime in Iraq and your steadfastness and victory against the invading US and British troops. They came to invade and no one could stop them occupying Iraq. But when the young men of jihad [holy war] started fighting in the name of God and the killing began day and night, they began looking for someone to help them and stand by their side." "Keep fighting, weâll be there,,soon. Trust me."
"The group of believers carrying jihad in the name of God planted fear and terror in the hearts of the Americans, who have violated all international laws and human conventions," the speaker added. Are we sure this isnât a French press release?
Reuters news agency, which monitored the broadcast in Dubai, said it could not verify the authenticity of the tape or the identity of the speaker. Being Reuters, that didnât stop them from promoting it.
Unlike Kuwaiti-born spokesman Sulaiman Abu Ghaith and other members of the militant network blamed for the September 11 2001 attacks on the United States, Abdel Rahman al-Najdi has not previously been identified as an al-Qaida member. New spokesman? Old guy retired, or just on vacation?
Saudi-born Bin Laden and Mullah Omar have been at large since the US-led war in Afghanistan. Bin Laden and his deputies recorded several video messages in 2001. An audio tape allegedly made by the al-Qaida leader was broadcast on an Islamist website in February 2003. It has been a long time since the last fake Binny tape. Guess their Osama impersonator found a better job.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/18/2003 10:23:13 AM ||
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#1
The old guy (Ghaith) is being held by Iran, if I'm not mistaken.
#2
"Reuters news agency, which monitored the broadcast in Dubai, said it could not verify the authenticity of the tape or the identity of the speaker."
Broadcast the poop scoop now, verify later, if Reuters gets around to it. Safer than pointing cameras at tanks in a war zone.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
08/18/2003 11:33 Comments ||
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#3
It would be super if we could have a picture of Binny holding up a Dawn from yesterday, wouldn't it?
Don't hold your breath.
Posted by: Brian ||
08/18/2003 13:52 Comments ||
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#4
BH -- I think you meant to say "hosted" instead of "held".
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
08/18/2003 16:29 Comments ||
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I've got the rough-in for the Futuring toy done. It's pretty crude, but what the heck, it's still in the early stages. E-mail me your feedback and I'll see what I can incorporate.
The way it's set up now, you can enter a watch item (form at the top of the page) with your estimate of its likelihood and a window for it to age off. Other readers can add their own estimates — higher, lower, or the same — and it'll calculate the overall average. I'll probably add comments for each watch item.
Side bets are off-line.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/18/2003 20:44 ||
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#4
Rantburg is more value oriented than the DOD. Fred's little algorithm has more Juche! Thanks, Fred.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
08/18/2003 21:45 Comments ||
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#5
Ummmm, what form? Sorry, Mac, Safari, standards, what standards?
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/18/2003 22:29 Comments ||
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#6
Never mind, it would help if I could actually read and hit the link. Very nice, yet another way for me to piddle away hours!
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/18/2003 22:30 Comments ||
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#7
Now, if we just have a standard deviation calculation, wait, belay that.........
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
08/18/2003 23:00 Comments ||
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#8
So who is going to handle the site for off-line betting? We could incorporate pay-pal or something........watch the monster grow.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
08/18/2003 23:03 Comments ||
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#9
Fred-
What prevents people from entering in many different aliases to skew the results? I know that this sounds sophomoric, but another web site allowed members to numerically rate other members based on their posts. Some idiots created over twenty different handles to flame the posters they despised and rate them negatively. And in the case of the other website, you had to register a unique email address.
The website owners had to pull the rating system because of it was screwing up the purpose of the website.
Because there is no money up front, the posts in Futuristic Toy will be skewed by idiots. And it won't be interesting anymore. And that would be a shame.
Ways to prevent this are probably easy to come up with, but too complex to manage.
Hopefully some of you smart people will come up with a plan.
#10
You could filter the regulars from the ones that never posted here before. Or have a condition that you have to be "known" to Rantburg (but not necessarily have to register). Or something... I'm not smart with these things so I'll pass the mic on to someone else...
A Muslim charity leader linked by prosecutors to Osama bin Ladenâs terrorist network was sentenced Monday to more than 11 years in federal prison for defrauding donors. Enaam Arnaout, 46, a Syrian-born U.S. citizen who says he has met bin Laden but opposes terrorism, was calm as the sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Suzanne B. Conlon. The governmentâs investigation of Arnaout and his Benevolence International Foundation, based in suburban Palos Hills until it was shut down in 2002, has been a major component of the war on terrorism. Arnaout pleaded guilty to a racketeering charge, admitting that he diverted thousands of dollars from his Benevolence International Foundation to support Islamic military groups in Bosnia and Chechnya. There you go, pleading guilty again. How is anyone supposed to protest your innocence when you plead guilty?
Conlon sentenced Arnaout to 11 years and four months in prison. He must serve nearly 10 years before he is eligible for parole. She declined to boost the sentence on the basis of Arnaoutâs ties to members of bin Ladenâs al-Qaida network, saying they supplied grounds for suspicion but didnât constitute evidence that he backed terrorism. She did give him extra time, saying the $200,000 to $400,000 he funneled to military groups deprived needy refugees of important aid. She ordered Arnaout to pay $315,624 in restitution and recommended that it be turned over to the United Nations for refugee work. Sounds like the judge is a big time lib.
Arnaout, looking tired after more than a year in solitary confinement, spoke briefly before the court, saying he had been kidnapped by the government. He insisted he was innocent. Then why did you plead guilty?
"I came to this country to enjoy freedom and justice," Arnaout said. "I came to have a peaceful life." "But how can I have a peaceful life when America is not yet an Islamic state?"
He claimed to have answered all the questions put to him by prosecutors in their investigation of al-Qaida. Prosecutors say he lied about his associations with bin Laden and his supporters. Among other things, they note that one of bin Ladenâs top aides, Mamdouh Salim, traveled to Bosnia with papers showing that Salim was a board member of Benevolence International. They also noted that a man described by U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald as "a famous member of al Qaida" was hired by Arnaout to serve as the charityâs top man in Chechnya. Sucks when the government plays the "hard evidence" card.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/18/2003 1:15:43 PM ||
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Was this guy nailed by the finding of computer discs in Bosnia? The ones that linked the Bin Laden family to the terrorist charities in that country?
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
08/18/2003 19:37 Comments ||
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Yes, AP. A lot of stuff came from those discs. I think he had also been in the eye of the FBI pre-Sept. 11.
Posted by: Michael ||
08/18/2003 21:53 Comments ||
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SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - South Koreaâs navy fired warning shots Monday after a North Korean surveillance fishing boat entered waters controlled by the South, the military said. The North Korean ship turned back and there were no further hostile exchanges between the two sides, South Koreaâs Office of Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.
The fishing boat intruded 594 feet into southern waters along the disputed western sea border, the statement said. South Korean navy speedboats fired five warning shots and the Northern boat returned to communist territory five minutes later. "Run away! Run away!"
The maritime border between the two Koreas is not clearly marked, and North Korean fishing boats often cross over into South Korean waters. South Korean navy ships occasionally respond with warning shots. Respond quickly, apparently.
South Korea is studying whether Mondayâs alleged violation was intentional. The navies of the two Koreas, which were divided in 1945, fought deadly skirmishes in the western sea in 1999 and 2002.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/18/2003 12:32:21 PM ||
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The maritime border between the two Koreas is not clearly marked...
Um...What are they supposed to use to mark a water boundary? A line of inflatable ducks lassoed together?
Posted by: Dar ||
08/18/2003 12:50 Comments ||
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bet the NK spy boats have a really good idea where the boundary is
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/18/2003 14:25 Comments ||
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594 feet is getting a bit exact on the high seas. Do both sides take advantage of GPS? Are the SKors equipping the NKORS with under-the-table GPS units now or the NORKS up on high precision celestial shots? /sarcasm
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
08/18/2003 14:46 Comments ||
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Alaska Paul - Civilian GPS units are available world wide, including the heavy-duty industrial models used by oil & mineral exploration companies. Would you be willing to bet cash money that the NorK's are NOT getting some supplied to them under the table in return for missile and nuke sales?
I wouldn't bet that, I'd be throwing my money away.
Ed Becerra.
Posted by: Ed Becerra ||
08/18/2003 21:39 Comments ||
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North Korean "fishing" boats must be as common as North Korean ice cream trucks. I doubt they catch much fish.
TOKYO (AP) - North Korea warned Monday that Japan could spoil upcoming six-way nuclear negotiations with its insistence on raising the issue of Japanese citizens abducted to the North years ago. Japan and North Korea officially cut diplomatic ties in October over the abductees. Last September, North Korea acknowledged its agents abducted or lured 13 Japanese nationals in the 1970s and said eight of them had died. The remaining five returned to Japan in October, but the North wonât let their families leave to join them. Not until Japan reimburses the NKors for all the grass these families ate.
Attempts to bring up the abductions "may create unnecessary complications" and "throw the discussion into confusion and divert its focus" said a news analysis in the state-run Rodong Sinmun newspaper on Monday. "And we ainât sorry, either!"
The talks will be held Aug. 27-29 in China between North and South Korea, the United States, Japan, China and Russia. Earlier this month, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said the issue of the abductions was just as important to Tokyo as the nuclear standoff. Good for them. Each citizen is important.
In talks with South Korea and the United States in Washington last week, Japan won backing for its stance on the abductions. Good for us, too.
Japanese reporters were told after the meeting that Japan intends to press North Korea in the negotiations to permit the families to return.
The Rodong Sinmun analysis said the main purpose of the multilateral talks, to be hosted by China, is to settle the nuclear issue, according to the official Korean Central News Agency. The nuclear talks will be the first time Japan and North Korea will have meet officially since diplomatic relations broke down over the abductions.
Australian Prime Minister John Howard sounded an optimistic note about the North Korean nuclear threat during a visit to China on Monday. "North Korea is the issue of the day - the issue, really, of the year - in this part of the world. We are moving in the right direction," he said.
The Russian Foreign Ministry also said a top Russian diplomat met with the Japanese ambassador Monday to discuss the upcoming talks. Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Losyukov and Japanese Ambassador Issei Nomura both expressed hope that "the optimal solution, providing for the nuclear-free status of the Korean peninsula, the security of the states located there and stability in Northeast Asia, will be found," the ministry said in a statement. And let their people go!
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/18/2003 12:29:25 PM ||
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Not so fast. The issue of Japanese abductees is being delinked from nuclear discussions after the Japanese prime minister met with German Chancellor Gerhard Schoeder, according to this article:
Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Monday indicated he would decouple talks on the fate of Japanese citizens kidnapped by North Korea from an upcoming international meeting about nuclear facilities in the communist state.
Koizumi was responding to North Korean threats of "strong measures" if the kidnappings are raised at six-nation talks in Beijing next week, aimed at ending a stand-off over North Korea's nuclear programme.
"The most important issue at the meeting of the six is nuclear weapons," said Koizumi after talks with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder. He added: "If necessary we must continue the kidnapping talks on a bilateral basis with North Korea."
Eight people were killed and about 150 injured in protests in central Iran after proposals to re-draw local boundaries were announced, state media reported. Two of the dead in the clashes in the town of Samirom, in Isfahan province, were police officers, officials said. Television pictures from Samirom - 530 kilometres (330 miles) south of the capital Tehran - showed gutted houses, burned-out cars and streets littered with stones and broken glass. But what did it look like after the riot?
According to the Associated Press news agency, demonstrators were apparently concerned that government plans to transfer districts from wealthy Samirom to its poorer neighbour, Shahreza, would have negative economic implications. However an unnamed provincial official told Reuters news agency that tribal enmities had been enflamed by the proposed new administrative zones which would cut one group off from allies in a region where tribesmen often carry weapons. That sounds more likely, Iâd say Tehran was worried about some local tribes getting a little too well organized.
Isfahan officials said later that the decision to re-organise the boundary had been put on hold and that a committee had been formed to look into the causes of the incident. Thatâll do it, a committee! And they can form a study group to issue a report, and then they can review that and make recomendations. That should only take a year or two.
Sunday also saw peaceful demonstrations against similar boundary proposals in the north-eastern province of Khorasan. Kind of like our redistricting proposals in Texas.
Two of Sundayâs deaths eight deaths were police officers attempting to restore order in the trouble which began on Saturday night. Officials quoted by the Iranian studentsâ news agency ISNA quoted officials as saying just under half of the 150 injured were members of public and the rest policemen.
Several people were arrested on Sunday but later released. Theyâll be picked up again as needed.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/18/2003 9:05:54 AM ||
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Redistricting is a bitch, but this is going to extremes! Something else to keep the mullahs minds on simmer.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
08/18/2003 11:25 Comments ||
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Another Sept. 11-style terrorism attack is ``highly likelyââ in the United States, which ranks fourth in an index assessing the risk to 186 countries, a research company said Sunday. The London-based World Markets Research Center ranked Colombia, Israel, Pakistan, the United States and the Philippines, in descending order, as the five countries most likely to be targeted in a terrorist attack in the next year, said Guy Dunn, author of the companyâs World Terrorism Index. This is the kind of crap that gets a big spread on Al-Guardian? Fred, Steve, PD and Zhang could have done this for free.
Prob'ly could have done it better, too. The only reason the U.S. is on the list at all is because of the Islamists trying to swarm us â virtually all American terrorism, with the exception of nutz like McVeigh, is imported. Even with the prospect of the turbans bringing a little of the Joy of Islam our way, I'd still put Algeria and Yemen ahead of us on the list, assuming it's based on probable body count. I might possibly tie us with Lebanon (indigenous terrorism in the person of Hezbollah, and imported gunnies, too â see Ein el-Hellhole) and India (ditto, see Kashmir and Gujarat). And let us not forget Indonesia, where the body count is already fairly hefty; if all the Bad Guys aren't in stir already, we can expect to see more booms and shoot-em-ups there, even discounting the fighting against GAM. Kenya's also a good candidate for high on the list; they're next door to Somalia, with a gooey-soft border, and their police are incompetent enough to make booming large numbers of people something of a romp. And Soddy Arabia, of course. If they aren't serious about their crackdown the whole country's gonna become Terror Central — like Karachi, only with fan belts and dish towels instead of turbans; and if they are serious about their crackdown, then things are going to get even more physical in the coming year.
The index, to be published Monday, assesses the risk of terrorism to the countries and their interests abroad, he said. The country least likely to be attacked by terrorists is North Korea, Dunn said. However, in the companion study "Righteous Retribution" published on a small web site based in Viriginia, North Korea was in the top five along with Saddam, Cuba, Iran and Berkeley.
The assessments used five criteria: motivation of terrorists, the presence of terror groups, the scale and frequency of past attacks, efficacy of the groups in carrying out attacks and how many attacks were thwarted by the country. The categories also were weighted differently. For example, 40 percent was given to motivation and 10 percent to prevention. Even they donât respect the Department for Homeland Security.
Too bad they don't respect the Feds. With the (possible) exception of the anthrax follow-up to 9-11, there hasn't been a successful large-scale attack within the U.S.A.
``Another Sept. 11-style terrorist attack in the United States is highly likely,ââ the report states. ``Networks of militant Islamist groups are less extensive in the U.S. than they are in Western Europe, but U.S.-led military action in Afghanistan and Iraq has exacerbated anti-U.S. sentiment.ââ Yasss, the vaunted Arab Street will rise up any day now and bite us.
But first they've got to come here...
In terms of motivation, Dunn said, ``The United States, as a global superpower, is considered a legitimate, high-profile target.ââ But in terms of the presence of terrorist cells, the United States has relatively few, ``although it is probably the most open society in the world,ââ he said. Terrorists also consider American interests in other countries soft legitimate political targets, he said. What an outstanding command of the obvious. Guy must have trained at the BBC.
Dunn said the United Kingdom, tied at 10th place with Sri Lanka, is a target partly because of its close relationship with the United States; its key roles in wars on Iraq, Afghanistan and terrorism; and the presence of sophisticated militant networks. But Britain also ``probably has the strongest counterterrorism capabilities in the worldââ because of years of fighting the Irish Republican Army in Northern Ireland, he said. The company, specializing in country risk, has hundreds of clients in 45 nations. Approximately 80 percent are multinational companies and banks, Dunn said. The remaining 20 percent are mostly governments, but also universities and charities. They include foreign ministries, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
Anybody know how to bid those contracts? We could grab some easy cash. I can see the possibility of supporting this website for years performing a vital public service...
Terrorism has moved from being a peripheral threat before Sept. 11, 2001, to being a key risk to business, and no longer is isolated in the targeted countries, Dunn said. In a client survey, 72 percent said they considered terrorism when making international location decisions, he said. ``What changed with 9-11 was that the threat was internationalized. .... All countries were at some risk. In essence terrorism has become a key risk to business. Companies have to take a much more specific interest in terrorism,ââ Dunn said. "And they canât do that unless they hire ... us!! And pay us big money. Then will tell them that North Korea is a great place to invest because itâs at the bottom of our terrorism index. Ainât we smart?
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/18/2003 12:22:45 AM ||
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As the military action in Afghanistan continues, the resolve of would-be terrorists will have been strengthened further.
This is part of an essay that one of World Markets Research Center's "analysts" pulled out of a deep dark cavern, right after 9/11. And where might that cavern have been located? (Hint: he uses it for another bodily function on a daily basis). The "research center's" whole premise appears to be that the most effective response to terrorism is appeasement and headlong retreat. With "analysis" like this, it's pretty clear that the "research center" is a non-profit organization, probably funded by Arabs and other enemies of the US.
#2
Terrorism has moved from being a peripheral threat before Sept. 11, 2001...
Masterful rhetoric. Makes one think reading that line that anti-terrorism is a passing fad and it will too pass with time.
The fact is that terrorism has been a threat against the USA for a long long time, but W's predecessor was getting head jobs while bin Laden was plotting 911 amoungst other mayhem.
I'd hire these folks... to clean my machine shop's bathroom... closely supervised.
#3
The London-based World Markets Research Center ranked Colombia, Israel, Pakistan, the United States and the Philippines, in descending order, as the five countries most likely to be targeted in a terrorist attack in the next year, said Guy Dunn, author of the companyâs World Terrorism Index.
The next time you see the words "analyst" or "analysis" thrown around in the big media, understand that "analysts" are just schmos like the rest of us, except some of them get taller pedestals from which to shout out their pet theories. Many of these ill-conceived theories would have never have seen the light of day if "analysts'" paychecks were docked for every inaccurate prediction. Basically, he's just flailing around for something that will make headlines.
Terror sponsors are on notice - the fire next time. This is why we're not getting attacked - the money is drying up because they know that they could be in the cross-hairs if anything of the magnitude of 9/11 happens again. And this time, all options may truly be open, with all that the phrase entails.
#4
"Terrorists will attack you" is a prediction worthy of Jeanne Dixon -- it's like getting a fortune cookie that says "Soon you will be asked for money".
When one of these "analysts" predicts that "Terrorists will attack downtown Houston on 11/15/03 at 9am", they'll get my full attention.
It ainât over til itâs over.
The hoped-for release of 14 European tourists kidnapped months ago in the Sahara desert reportedly hit a snag Sunday even as a German envoy arrived in the West African nation of Mali saying he was ready to bring them home. Germanyâs ZDF television reported it had information that the nine Germans, four Swiss and a Dutchman were set free by their captors and turned over to intermediaries involved in the effort. But rival public station ARD later reported that the liberation failed to take place. A military plane from Mali sent to pick up freed hostages in the northern town of Thessalit returned empty Sunday to Gao, from where it started, ARD said. ARD took a wild-assed guess speculated that the hostages were dispersed over a wide area and were still being assembled for liberation. The Europeans were captured by rebels fighting the government in Algeria, but were believed to have crossed into neighboring desert of northern Mali. The German envoy, deputy foreign minister Juergen Chrobog, said about an hour before the ZDF report that the captives were not yet free. ``There are no latest developments,ââ Chrobog said after arriving at Bamako airport. ``We have our aircraft here as you can see. We are hoping that we can bring them home very soon, but I donât know where they are â the hostages I mean. I donât know how long it will take." Maliâs foreign minister, Lansana Traore, said Sunday that negotiations were continuing. These are jihadis theyâre negotiating with â this could take a while.
The foreign ministry in Berlin refused to comment on the television reports, which named no sources. In Bern, Switzerland, foreign ministry spokesman Simon Hubacher also had no comment on reports of a release. The crisis began in mid-February with the captures in separate groups of 32 European tourists in the Algerian desert. In May, 17 hostages were freed during a raid on a desert hideout by Algerian security forces. Fifteen others remained in captivity. One of them, a German woman, reportedly died of heat stroke and was buried by her abductors in June. Algerian authorities say the hostage-takers are from the Salafist Group for Blood n Guts n Gore n Mayhem Call and Combat, one of two Islamic extremist movements fighting a bloody insurgency in Algeria for more than a decade. The group has been linked to Osama bin Ladenâs al-Qaida terror network. Hope we have a tracking device inside the suitcase with the money.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/18/2003 12:15:12 AM ||
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Posted by: Dar ||
08/18/2003 10:19 Comments ||
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Nee!
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/18/2003 14:17 Comments ||
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Dominique de Villepin (said to be a man) denied that France vetoed the deal in Mali because it was brokered by a man called Mo (said to wear funny hats).
The Berlin "Gaddafi Foundation" (yes it exists) is indeed bragging about having helped to reduce the ransom money.
#8
Bah--bragging about paying a reduced ransom to terrorists is like saying, "We got f***ed in the ass, but for only 10 minutes instead of 15!"
Posted by: Dar ||
08/18/2003 15:21 Comments ||
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It's over: The 14 â nine Germans, four Swiss and a Dutchman â were turned over to government officials late Monday, said Seydou Sissouma, spokesman for Mali President Amadou Toure, whose government has been negotiating for the releases.
The Europeans will spend the night in the far northern desert city of Gao and will be flown to the Mali capital of Bamako on Tuesday, Sissouma said.
The check must have cleared.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/18/2003 15:43 Comments ||
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Beat me to it by minutes.... BTW the Germans are not bragging about anything (they hardly have a reason)... Gadaffi does.
#11
TGA--I wasn't applying that to all Germans, just the Gaddafi Foundation you credited. It's a dubious honor and one I wouldn't brag about.
Posted by: Dar ||
08/18/2003 15:51 Comments ||
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The Gaddafi Foundation is not German but a Libyan "charity organisation" led by Saif Gaddafi, son of Muammar, which happens to have a PR-office in Berlin, equally run by Libyans. Of course I'd kick them out of Germany in a minute.
They do want to pay compensation for the La-Belle victims though. In that case I'd kick them out as soon as the check clears.
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.
