US Denies Role in Djibouti Immigration Crackdown From the Agonist via Winds of Change
The United States says it has not played a role in recent moves by its anti-terror partner in East Africa, Djibouti, to expel as many as 100,000 illegal immigrants. The immigration crackdown follows warnings by Washington about possible terrorist threats on Western interests in Djibouti. Were they illegal or just undocumented?
The Djiboutian government ordered the expulsion of the countryâs huge illegal immigrant population in July. The immigrants, who make up 15 percent of the tiny east African nationâs population, were given until August 31 to leave. But authorities recently extended that deadline until September 15. Djiboutian officials say the immigrants, who are mostly from neighboring Somalia, Ethiopia and Eritrea, are being expelled because they pose a security threat and are a drain on Djiboutiâs struggling economy. Why would cheap labor be a drain on their economy?
But citing anonymous Djiboutian and Western sources, local and international media have also reported that Washington put pressure on the Djiboutian government to crackdown on illegal immigrants to better protect American troops stationed in the former French colony. ed: hat tip stevie
If the Djiboutianâs are sucessful in this effort, we can hire their border patrol guys at rock bottom prices.
I'd suspect we might have had something to do with the crackdown. Djibouti represents a safe haven for our operations. It'll be considerably less safe, given swarms of eye-rolling jihadis popping in from Somalia...
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/12/2003 3:59:03 PM ||
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Because cheap imported labor sends part/most of their salaries to their families and that money is not going to buy goods from the local shops (thus not creating jobs in the shops). In the meantime the locals are jobless and peniless so they don't shop anymore and the shops close doors.
#2
Meanwhile the borders of the US itself are wide open to illegal immigrants / terrorists and the United States is doing nothing except giving lip service to its own illegal immigration problem to protect American Interests in american itself.
#3
Nah, if we were involved we'd be telling them how to get drivers licenses, fake social security cards, and free health care... AND telling them how in their native language!
#4
It's hard to crackdown on Illegal Immigration in the US because we have so much border land. And alot of it is just barren desert, where we can't be 24/7.
As if it wasn't bad enough, Illegals who made it through are getting paid to help others get through also. It's why Latino's are the fastest growing ethnic group in America.
Posted by: Charles ||
09/12/2003 17:15 Comments ||
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#5
Its easy to crackdown on illegal immigration in the US. If the Feds went after the people/companies hiring the illegals the job market would dry up and the illegals would stop immigrating. Problem solved.
#6
And for those who pretend that the *COST* of enforcing the borders is too high, September 11th should remind us just exactly how *COSTLY* it is to leave things as they are.
#7
Umm, getting back to the point: just why are the Djiboutis expelling all the immigrants? As in, what's the security threat? Is it confined to an ethnic group (e.g., Somalis), or is there a more generalized problem?
If I were the Djiboutis, I'd be some concerned about being the jelly in the Ethiopian-Eritrean sandwich. I'd also be concerned about becoming a province of Ethiopia so that they can get their ocean-port back. So throw the immigrants, and thus potential fifth column, out now.
Tossing 15% of the current population is going to have enormous reprecussions, so there has to be a big reason why, and this news report didn't tell us.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/12/2003 18:38 Comments ||
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#8
Simple (or so I say):
1) Deny Federal money to local and state governments who refuse to enforce existing federal immigration laws (i.e. report and/or deport illegals). If they refuse to enforce federal laws then should receive no federal money.
2) Deport illegal aliens. If we need to - establish camps to hold them (no, this is not internment camps (ala WWII Japanese) or Concentration Camps (ala Nazi Germany) and does not target ANY ethnic group. These are JAILS for people who BREAK FEDERAL LAW.
3) Close down or heavily find employers of illegal aliens.
4) If we need the workforce - Create a way for them to come here LEGALLY (with approprate background and criminal checks).
5) Crack down on the people who bring people across the border illegally.
6) Change the rules so that a child born in the USA of an illegal parent do not automatically receive citizenship.
The problem is - most politicians dont want to face down the so called 'Latino' voters and others who want 'undocumented' workers.
Heck, while I'm at it lets hope for world peace to boot!
#9
Djibouti is a small place, there's not much arable land, and water's scarce. Its location and the fact that it's the best port on the entire Horn of Africa, make it a desirable location, and helps keep it from being totally destitute. With a population of just 350,000, if 50,000 are illegal, it can put a serious drain on everything.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/12/2003 20:51 Comments ||
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#10
Guess which state in the US had the greatest increase in Hispanic immigration? Mine, North Carolina--last time I looked we didn't share a common border with Mexico--guess they all must have teleported here courtesy of Gene Roddenberry huh? It's the morons in Texas/Cal letting this happen.
Posted by: Not Mike Moore ||
09/12/2003 23:56 Comments ||
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#11
Ranchers along the border in Az.have started patroling thier lands using cameras mounted on unmaned drones.
Course the Border Patrol,and ACLU are haveing fits over this.
Last Christmas, Mike Corcoran sent his mother an unusual Christmas list: He wanted night-vision goggles, a global positioning system and a short-wave radio. Corcoran, then a Marine sergeant in Afghanistan, wanted the goggles so he could see on patrols. They cost about $2,000 each. According to an Army internal report released earlier this summer, many ground troops like Corcoran decided to dip into their own pockets to get the equipment they needed to fight in Afghanistan and in Iraq. "There were a lot of reports of that prior to the war, people would go out and buy their own gear," said Patrick Garrett, a defense analyst with GlobalSecurity.org. "The Army ran out of desert camo boots, and a lot of soldiers were being issued regular black combat boots. Soldiers decided that wasnât for them, so they paid for new boots with their own money."
Nothing new here. I remember doing the same...
According to the Pentagonâs "Operation Iraqi Freedom Lessons Learned" draft report, soldiers spent their own money to get better field radios, extra ammunition carriers to help them fight better and commercial backpacks because their own rucksacks were too small. Senior Airman Joe Harvey, based at McGuire AFB in New Jersey, said his clothing allowance is $200 a year from the Air Force, and that most aspects of the uniform, including four sets of combat and dress uniforms are provided.
The clothing allowance chips in toward cleaning and tailoring, not buying stuff...
"But of course with all the wear and tear they donât always last that long," said Harvey, who deployed to Iraq for the war. "Now with some of the units if you rip a pair of bduâs (battle dress uniform) they will give you a new pair. But for the most part you are responsible for buying any new uniform you need except for boots. Your unit will always supply with a free pair of boots." Harvey said the costs stack up during promotions, when each airman has to purchase new stripes and get them tailored on. Corcoran, who has since left the Marines, purchased a bunch of items before he deployed. One necessity: baby wipes, because as he said, "a lot of the places youâll go, you wonât be taking a shower."
Back in my day, we didn't have baby wipes. We stank...
Corcoran also bought his own rucksack, and modified a sling for his M-16 so he was better prepared for patrols. He bought an electric shaver to remove stubble that would keep his gas mask from sealing correctly.
The military doesn't issue electric shavers because there's no guarantee there's going to be power available to run them. Used to be, when you can in you were issued a shaving kit, and from there on it was your responsibility to keep it up to date...
Corcoran got all the items on his Christmas list, including the $2,000 goggles. The short wave radio was meant for entertainment, but he ended up hearing messages urging jihad, and he picked up intelligence from enemy fighters. And there is one item many soldiers purchased and carried into the desert that wasnât part of the regular equipment. "Another cool thing to bring with you is an American flag," Corcoran said. "Just in case you plan on conquering anything."
Posted by: Yosemite Sam ||
09/12/2003 10:55:29 AM ||
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The short wave radio was meant for entertainment, but he ended up hearing messages urging jihad, and he picked up intelligence from enemy fighters.
#2
The short wave radio was meant for entertainment, but he ended up hearing messages urging jihad, and he picked up intelligence from enemy fighters.
Well, he may have picked up INFORMATION from the enemy fighters, but I'm pretty certain that those sheet-heads have no real intellegence. ^_^
Ed.
Posted by: Ed Becerra ||
09/12/2003 13:27 Comments ||
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The short wave radio was meant for entertainment, but he ended up hearing messages urging jihad, and he picked up intelligence from enemy fighters.
We're picking up Intel from simple radio's, and Liberials are complaining about bad Intel?
Posted by: Charles ||
09/12/2003 17:19 Comments ||
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There are frequently large differences between what is ISSUED and what's DESIRABLE. If you don't get issued what you want, that's tough. If you don't get issued what you NEED, that's dereliction of duty for someone. I'm not sure if what this troop wanted was in the TO. If it wasn't, then the Army/Navy/Air Force/Marines thought he could do his job without it. If it's not REQUIRED ISSUE, and you want it anyway, then darned right, you buy it yourself.
When I was in 'Nam, the Air Force didn't issue rifles to people in most line of work. When I went TDY, I needed one, but wasn't "authorized" one. Ended up talking one old supply sergeant into "giving" me an M-1 that was considered "surplus". Came in handy on at least two occasions, and is a darned sight better as a killing weapon than the popgun M-16. Not as rapid fire, but for knocking someone down and keeping him down, it works exceptionally well. Really, really hated to have to turn it back in when I left...
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/12/2003 20:58 Comments ||
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So I guess he picked up the BBC on his shortwave huh? Thanks to all you Rantbourgeois for pointing out the anti-American spin on the BBC--I didn't believe it until I listened closer--Y'all are RIGHT on this one!
Posted by: Not Mike Moore ||
09/13/2003 0:03 Comments ||
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Assailants fired rockets at two bases housing international peacekeepers in the Afghan capital, slightly injuring a Canadian worker. Hekâs boys are as good with rockets as they are with grenades.
No one claimed responsibility for Thursdayâs attacks, which came amid tightened security because of the second anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. On Thursday, insurgents attacked a U.S. patrol in Zabul. The attackers retreated after coalition soldiers called in air support, dropping two precision-guided bombs and firing 630 rounds of 30mm ammunition. There were no casualties. An Afghan intelligence official said the attacks on the peacekeepers were likely the work of Taliban insurgents and al-Qaida, but offered no proof. "Proof? Itâs all around!"
Now, now. There's no proof. It coulda been Samoans or Lapplanders, even Veps — why pick on the poor, put-upon Talibs?
The first attack occurred at about 10 p.m. Thursday in the eastern part of the city at the main base housing German and Canadian soldiers of the International Security and Assistance Force, or ISAF. A small rocket smashed through two metal shipping containers and hit the ground next to a tent where about seven Canadian civilian workers were sleeping, U.S. Maj. Kevin Arata said. One worker was slightly injured in the back by a piece of shrapnel. He was treated on the base and quickly released, Arata said. The man from Vancouver, who wasnât identified, was helping install kitchens at the camp. Trying to plunge the plumber, were they?
German soldiers guarding the gate perimeter and Kabul Police Chief Gen. Basir Salangi said that two other rockets also were fired Thursday evening, in what appeared to be separate attacks. Arata said a rocket landed more than a half mile from a different Canadian base on the western edge of the city about an hour later. "Mahmoud, these rockets are the bomb! I can put one within a half-mile of our target!"
Salangi said a third came down west of the cityâs airport, which is also used by the peacekeeping force, about 3 1/2 miles from the main base. Arata was unable to confirm that attack. "West" of the airport? Airportâs mighty big. Howâd they miss?
A police intelligence official sent to investigate the blast at the main base, Nehmatullah "Legume" Jalali, said it appeared likely to have been carried out by Taliban insurgents and al-Qaida. He offered no evidence to back up the claim. "Evidence? Itâs all around!"
Arata said patrols sent out after the attacks had made no arrests and failed to identify the launch site, and that the international force had no information on who was responsible. "We think it was a group of radical Esquimeaux."
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/12/2003 9:57:35 AM ||
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Sounds like the same 120mm B-40 rockets the VietCong used to attack American bases in Vietnam. If you were lucky, one in ten would fly in the direction it was aimed. In one attack on Tan Son Nhut (a HUGE airbase), eleven of the fourteen rockets fired didn't come within a mile of the base. The only one to cause any 'damage' was the one that took out about 1/3 of the 13th green at the golf course. If the Taliban are as 'successful' as the VietCong were, our guys don't have anything to worry about. Being killed by one of these rockets is such a fluke, you could almost consider it about as dangerous as a lightning storm.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/12/2003 10:34 Comments ||
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So Vietcong made much easier to get the par on that green. I would have had an investigation on all the lousy golfers of the base. :-)
#3
The same rockets were the primary offensive weapon of the anti-Russian resistance in Afghanistan. Most of the logistics effort in the latter part of that war went into supplying rockets for this sort of attack. Of course, they used much larger numbers of rockets. See "The Bear Trap".
#4
An IR equipted blimp that could stay on station over camps at night would be an effective way to track personel movement.
Would it be effective to rig several likely rocketlaunch points with command detoanted claymores?
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/12/2003 12:54 Comments ||
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Let 'em shoot. If you waste these clowns, they might throw somebody in there that knows what they're doing. Then you got problems. These guys seem happy when they hit in the same hemisphere that the target's in. Then they strut home and impress the chicks with their tales of Attacking the Infidels.
EFL:
The United States has banned five Saudi Arabian pilots from flying into or otherwise entering the country, a Bush administration official said Wednesday. We heard about a few pilots being banned. Now it turns out theyâre Saudis, what a surprise!
The pilots, who work for Saudi Arabian Airlines and regularly flew into the United States, were told in late August that they could no longer enter the United States. The administration official said he was not aware of any appeals. The official said a check of multiple databases over the summer turned up information that indicated an association between the pilots and known al Qaeda terrorists. Is there anybody in Saudi who isnât?
The official said there is no information to indicate the five had been involved in plotting terrorist activity involving aircraft or any other mode of attack, the official said. "But we ainât taking no chances."
Since September 11, 2001, the names of pilots, co-pilots and engineers from some foreign carriers have been checked against watch lists. Over the summer more intensive reviews involving more databases were performed and these five names "appeared, or appeared several times," the official said. Saudi pilots on a watch list, what are the odds? (1 to 1)
Posted by: Steve ||
09/12/2003 11:33:25 AM ||
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Amazing, ain't it? The majority of the Sept 11th hijackers were Saudis, and now the majority of the pilots that have been disallowed to fly into US airspace are Saudis too!
I wonder if GWB has noticed this and begun to put two and two together.....?
#2
One of these clowns will fly into a football stadium filled to capacity, using an alias he borrowed from an approved Pakastani pilot. Once this happens will we even know? Do we plan to run his juiced reamins through some kind of strainer hoping that he is carrying a wallet with an accurate driver's liscence?
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/12/2003 16:13 Comments ||
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In his own words, William Sampson tells of his torture and survival in a Saudi prison. No smart-ass comment from me. The link takes you to a page that has links to the five-part series by Sampson, recounting his ordeal and the torture Canadadian officials said didnât happen.
Posted by: growler ||
09/12/2003 10:25:44 AM ||
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His experience is horrifying and sickening. Damn the Saudis--they're hardly worse than Saddam and his thugs.
Oh, I'm sorry--I forgot they are our "friends". What crap.
Posted by: Dar ||
09/12/2003 11:19 Comments ||
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I wonder for how long after the 2nd largest proven oil reserves in the world are flowing regularly that the Saudis will remain our friends.
Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh approved a death sentence Thursday against a Spaniard of Syrian origin convicted of planning terror attacks in Yemen. The source quoted in a Yemeni army publication, said the president of the republic, who also heads the judicial council, approved the death sentence against Nabil Nankali after it was issued by the higher court. Nankali was convicted by the preliminary court as well as the court of appeals of planning and conducting terrorist attacks and the assassination of government officials in Yemen. He was arrested in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, in 1997 along with a number of accomplices who were later rounded up in the capital and in the Red Sea port city of Aden. They were all tried and convicted by an Aden court. Nankali was also found guilty of training terrorists on ways to prepare explosives and conduct attacks.
G'bye, Nabil! Give our regards to Himmler!
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
09/12/2003 00:39 ||
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Last weeks rant about the guy who exploded a fire-cracker in his anus while immitating Jackass the Movie inspires me to suggest a new punishment for terrorists that engage in explosive activity. I call it the permanent blow job.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/12/2003 9:12 Comments ||
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Deputy Foreign Minister Abdullah al-Radi was quoted Thursday as saying Yemen wants the United States to extradite 110 Yemeni suspects detained at the U.S. military base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Speaking to the state-run Al-Wihda newspaper, al-Radi said Yemen would try the suspects once they have been extradited. The interview was the first time the Yemeni government had said the number of its citizens held in Guantanamo exceeds 100. Last year a government official spoke of some 70 Yemenis at the facility reserved for U.S. captives in the war on terror.
110? Out of a total of 660? But they'll put them on trial? How about if we keep them? None of them has escaped from Guantanamo yet.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
09/12/2003 00:35 ||
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Why not try them in absentia, sentence them, and then we terminate them. Save transport cost.
Yemen has arrested six Saudis who are suspected of belonging to the al-Qaida terror group. The six will be deported to Saudi Arabia next week along with Bandr Abdel Hakim al-Ghamdi, recently arrested on suspicion of playing a role in deadly bomb attacks in the Saudi capital. The official would not say when the six alleged militants were detained. Yemen and Saudi Arabia are co-operating against Islamic extremists, having both suffered suicide bombings and other attacks. Al-Ghamdi is accused by the Saudi authorities of belonging to a cell of 19 militants connected to the May 12 suicide bombings in Riyadh, which killed 26 bystanders. Several other Saudis wanted for the Riyadh bombings are believed to have crossed into Yemen. It was not disclosed whether the six slated for deportation Thursday were among the Saudis wanted for the May attacks.
They'll do for now...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
09/12/2003 00:31 ||
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I wonder if they'll magically escape before they handover can occur...
#2
I hope these guys really ARE Al Qaeda, and not just a handful of itenerant Saudis picked up to make the Yemenis appear to be doing something against terror. Can we ever know for sure? They're Saudis, so there's a high probability, but I'd sure like to hear the evidence before they're 'diminished'.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/12/2003 10:40 Comments ||
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A former Saudi Arabian spy chief claims that the kingdom has been tirelessly seeking to bring Usama bin Ladin to justice. Countering criticism that the Saudi authorities had been lax in dealing with al-Qaida, Prince Turki al-Faisal said he had asked Taliban officials to hand over bin Ladin as far as back in the late 1990s.
That worked well...
"In the first meeting, Mullah Muhammad Omar did not refuse the idea. After waiting two months, I was sent again to Kandahar to remind him of his promise. I went and found Mullah Omar completely rejecting the idea," the former spy chief said. Now ambassador to the United Kingdom, Prince Turki said in an interview with the London-based al Hayat newspaper that he had tried to broker a deal with Sudan when bin Ladin was living in the African country in the mid-1990s. He said the deal finally fell through when Sudan insisted that bin Ladin should not be tried after being handed over.
Coulda just killed him and gone on with life...
In the interview that coincided with the second anniversary of the September 11 attacks on US targets, Prince Turki labeled bin Ladin as a "butcher".
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
09/12/2003 00:09 ||
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"In the first meeting, Mullah Muhammad Omar did not refuse the idea."
#2
Wouldn't it be nice to know how much Prince Turki has donated to Bin Laden's causes?
Posted by: TJ Jackson ||
09/12/2003 1:54 Comments ||
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lol, that prince turki guy is the one that handles the funding of al queda for the saudis... oh yeah... he's trying real hard to get him. As a matter of fact in the late 90s when the pakistani ISI was trying to decide if it should back bin laden they asked the Saudis to make sure they didn't step on any toes. Turki's response "Bin Laden has commited no crime against Saudi Arabia and we have no charges in place against him" (wink, wink, nudge, nudge)... what a joke...
EFL. Follow up from yesterday
German federal prosecutors said Friday that neo-Nazis arrested for planning a bomb attack on a Munich synagogue had additional targets in mind. Munich police have arrested a group of neo-Nazis that were planning a massive bomb attack on the construction site of the cityâs planned synagogue. Working on an informant tip, police raided the Munich apartment of a suspected neo-Nazi and found more than 14 kg (30 lbs) of bomb-making material, including 1.7kg of the explosive TNT, weapons and a metal pipe. They arrested four suspected members of a Munich band of neo-Nazis, charging them with a planning a bomb attack and membership in a terrorist organization. "Everything was there for a bomb, only the alarm was missing," a police official told the SÃŒddeutsche Zeitung. Reports indicated the attack was going to take place during a cornerstone-laying ceremony attended by Rau, Bavarian Premier Edmund Stoiber and high-ranking members of the Jewish community on Nov. 9. The interior minister, however, said investigators werenât sure Nov. 9 was the target date. On a personal note: I have been invited to attend the ceremony as well.
Police say the seizure of bomb-making material was the largest found in Germany in the last decade and the largest in connection with right extremists since the end of WWII. Federal Prosecutor Kay Nehm said Thursday night his office was going to take on the case and was going to investigate the group of round 25 neo-Nazis, called the Kameradschaft SÃŒd - AktionsbÃŒro SÃŒddeutschland, to which the four belonged. Nehm also said Thursday that a case against three suspected members of the Islamic terror cell Al Tawahid, who had also planned attacks against Jewish targets, would head to trial in the coming months. Violent antisemitism, Islamists and Neo-Nazis: When shall the two meet? Or have they already?
Posted by: True German Ally ||
09/12/2003 5:23:20 PM ||
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Islamists and Neo-nazis??? Yeah right!!!!
Posted by: Rafael ||
09/12/2003 17:56 Comments ||
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Why the surprise, Rafael? These groups have been bosom buddies since the 30s.
"Wenn in Berlin junge Neonazis âSieg-Heilâ skandieren, greift, wie es sich gehört, die Polizei ein. Wenn jüngere Männer ersichtlich arabischer Herkunft unter Sieg-Heil-Rufen über die Brücke marschieren, schaut die Polizei zu."
The commentary says that Neo-Nazis get stopped by police when they shout "Sieg Heil", but complains that the same doesn't happen when "men of visible Arabic descent" do the same.
The commentary was written by a very trustworthy senior correspondant of that serious newspaper. So these things obviously happen.
#10
I might add though that I can see that antisemitic islamists show sympathy for the Nazi ideology. The question is, will the two actually work hand in hand? The Neo-Nazis hate Turkish (and other immigrants) as passionately as the Jews. (Neo-Nazis also have a pronounced anti-American stance.) But maybe they come to an "useful idiot" agreement?
from Victorino Matus an assistant managing editor at The Weekly Standard.
Scottsdale, Arizona
Snip
The Hyatt Gainey Ranch played host last month to the 25th annual American-German Young Leaders conference. Sponsored by the American Council on Germany and Atlantik-BrÃŒcke, the confab brought together a dynamic group of young Germans and Americans from the fields of government, business, and the media. The theme was "Assessing the U.S.-German Relationship: A Partnership Amid Tensions," and for four days we debated the future role of the United Nations, the lessons of Iraq, and the global economy.
Snip
But the key moment came at a lunch with Joe Arpaio, Maricopa Countyâs meanest and toughest sheriff, and one of the most shameless self-promoters in America, which is saying something.
ARPAIO is known in Arizona for his "Tent City," in which inmates live outdoors ("just like our troops in the Middle East," he points out), eat reduced-calorie meals, and wear pink underwear. He also boasted about his chain-gangs, which line the highways picking up trash. Women serve on the chain-gang, too, he told us, since heâs a big believer in equal rights. And then there was the time inmates were forced to eat green bologna. And on and on and on. Most of the Americans listening to his rant laughed incredulously and brushed off his pronouncements as exaggerations meant for shock value. The Germans, however, were horrified.
Underwear in his prison is dyed pink. Pillferage of underwear was a major budget buster for his operation until they began dying it a color that lacked "street cred." Underwear stopped disappearing.
I think there was also an element of rebellion in his choice of pink. How can you run a sucessful rehabilitation facility where petty theft by the criminals is tolerated?
"Disgusting," said one, loud enough for other tables to hear. A few even walked out. Several Germans dared to question the sheriff about recidivism rates (Arpaio had no concrete numbers) and accountability ("I have no boss" other than the voters, he explained). But having heard it all before, Arpaio was ready with comebacks, wisecracks, and retorts. When he concluded his speech, the controversy spilled out into the lobby, where some Germans, a few members of the Bundestag in particular, were engaged in a heated debate about human rights violations and questionable comparisons to East Germany (and wondering why they were subjected to Arpaio in the first place). The result was an ad hoc session contrasting the differences between American and German values.
Some of the German delegates were genuinely angry not only at Arpaioâs remarks, but that he was a featured speaker. There were dark warnings that Arpaioâs electoral success did not bode well for America. "We are going down the road to tyranny. The United States is losing its attraction as a role model of democracy for the world," exclaimed one delegate. Another was disturbed by the Americans laughing at Arpaioâs snarky comments. Another felt an all-too-familiar onus: "I feel guilty for not having stood up to him," he said.
The Americans were, for the most part, silent and taken aback. A few chimed in to explain that Arpaio is famous for exaggeration. Some tried to reassure the Germans that the sheriff was not a sign of things to come--that the nation still has safeguards to prevent the rise of a dictator. Nevertheless, one of the larger issues was the apparent divergence concerning the rights of criminals. "Itâs not that we donât share the same values," explained one American, "but we do have different experiences. From the time of our Founders, weâve placed a lot of weight on the individual and liberty." Another American provided a better context, explaining that the rise of Joe Arpaio and his methods came at a time in the early 1990s when crime rates were dangerously high.
"I underestimated the German response," said Elmar Thevessen, news director for ZDF television. "I thought they would book it under the âwild, wild westâ stereotype. But they took offense because of our deep belief in human dignity." Thevessen is familiar with Sheriff Joe since he visited Tent City in 1996. "It is true Arpaio puts on a little show every time he speaks. But by the same token he represents a system of humiliation that extends far beyond the unusual treatment of the detainees." Thevessen was sure to clarify that he wasnât soft on crime. "âBeing tough on criminalsâ--I am all for it! But violating the principle of human dignity--which was instilled into the German constitution by our American friends--is not the right way for a democracy to achieve its goals and protect its values."
Not that all Germans felt as strongly. "There is so much worse out there in the world," said one German. "And besides, you should see some German prisons. They arenât exactly the greatest either."
The vociferous German reaction, though surprising, should be welcomed. It is a good thing that the Germans of today hold human rights and dignity so close to their hearts. (Would we prefer they instead embrace order and conformity?)
THE NEXT DAY, several delegates took Arpaio up on his offer to visit the prison. According to one German, there were no signs of human rights violations and that given a choice between living in an indoors facility or on the tent grounds, she would opt for the latter. (This did, however, upset some of her colleagues who felt she was playing into the hands of Arpaio by having visited the jail at all.)
Snip
Iâm sure that the German delegates will return to their country with many stories about the evil warden of shanty town jail.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/12/2003 9:04:55 AM ||
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And the Europeans thought Rumsfeld was scary......heh heh heh!
Posted by: Baba Yaga ||
09/12/2003 10:16 Comments ||
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#5
Nope, I was too busy alerting Amnesty International about the "pink cruel and unusual punishment". I mean, executing people is bad enough but THIS is so over the top! Btw, nothing about it in the German press.
#6
Sherrif Arpaio has been in the news for this stuff before, but any serious look at his operation seems to conclude he is doing strange but valid things. Like those tents: the prison did not have sufficient room to house prisoners in anything approaching humane conditions, so rather than what some other places have done - turn out prisoners arbitrarily - he found a way to cope. Unusual, but not cruel, and not circumventing the sentences imposed by the courts.
Now, "This did, however, upset some of her colleagues who felt she was playing into the hands of Arpaio by having visited the jail at all." Huh? Would they have felt that way if she had come back with stories of over-the-line treatments rather than just off-the-wall? Instead, "given a choice between living in an indoors facility or on the tent grounds, she would opt for the latter." Ooh, how horrible, she must have been brain-washed!
Posted by: John Anderson ||
09/12/2003 18:21 Comments ||
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John
I think I have seen the same documentaries that you have. His system seems to be valid for petty offenders. Being a popular politician, he presents no documentation of his results. No need to as the voters are happy that his program isn't sucking local taxz dollars like otehr programs tend to. His results can't be miserable, though, as I'm sure his opponents have sponsored studies to undercut what he is doing.
Would love to the the EU or UN take on his operation.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/12/2003 20:24 Comments ||
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I'd bet my left nut he's a Repooplican--playing to the lowest common denominator in the American sheeple--giving the Yahoos a Springer moment they can revel in. I bet O'Reilly loves him!
Posted by: Not Mike Moore ||
09/12/2003 23:27 Comments ||
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Tuff toikinâ from the worldâs most expensively coiffeured two-bit mot-merchant...
Dominique [who is a man] de Villepin, Franceâs foreign minister, defended his countryâs honour... Yes, so many philosophical questions need to be answered
...yesterday from charges that its behaviour over Iraq has been motivated by money and cowardice. Non! Abseulement non! Eet wuz monaiii, cowardeece, et... un geuwd dause ov populeest antee-Americaineeeszum!
In a rare meeting with British and American journalists, he spoke angrily of the misrepresentation of French motives and the unfair portrayal of France by foreign politicians and the press. "I hear people talking about France having ulterior motives to get oil contracts in Iraq," he said. "It is absurd." He also rejected the "caricature of France as a pacifist country which refuses to assume its responsibilities". What responsibilities? We canât even look after Numero Un!
M de Villepinâs fighting words served as a prelude to the meeting this weekend of Security Council foreign ministers in Geneva. France is still unhappy with Americaâs proposed resolution to expand international involvement in Iraq. M de Villepin said he wanted the resolutionâs emphasis changed from dealing with violence to rebuilding the country. His remarks came as many, both inside and outside France, wonder how long President Jacques Chirac and M de Villepin will keep up their diplomatic battle with America. As long as itâs popular, presumably.
French businessmen especially have been agitating for France to make up with America. Judging by M de Villepinâs performance yesterday it will be some time yet. Asked if he regretted the short-term political impact of Franceâs position on Iraq, M de Villepin, a published poet and historian of Napoleon, let rip with: "In the life of men, as in the life of nations, there are difficult moments. In France, we need courage and sang-froid and wet, clammy skin, to move to the next stage and to do what is necessary." If you really do find some courage an level headedness, weâll let you apologise if you ask nicely.
To those who questioned Franceâs motives in resisting first war in Iraq and now Americaâs handling of the country, he said neither he, M Chirac nor any other French official had any concern beyond the "principle of responsibility". Well that clears it up then.
He added: "Thereâs no problem with Franco-American relations because we are dealing with issues much bigger than that. We must learn how two allies, two friendly countries can find solutions for the world. It is not by navel-gazing that we find solutions." I wouldnât bother looking for this Frenchmanâs guts either.
He said France was in a stronger position now than at the time of the first resolution on Iraq, because it had remained firm and had threatened to use its veto. Respec to you Dom. You da man.
"Abstention would have been washing our hands," he said. "Itâs never a brave act and we were never likely to do it." Heh. The French donât wash. He said it, not me.
He hoped that Franceâs arguments would now be examined by America with "more clarity and less passion". Supply it and find out.
He tried to resist the kind of gloating so evident in the French press about American and British problems in Iraq but he noted: "Iraq was not a terrorist country before the war." That war had brought "various divisions" and "created favourable conditions for instability and terrorism". Are we here to discuss French domestic and foreign policy?
Posted by: Bulldog ||
09/12/2003 6:47:55 AM ||
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#1
"Dominique [who is REPUTED TO BE a man]...."
Did he say anything substantive at all? At least he acknowledged the argument that France is accused of being oil and profit motivated. He dissmissed it without providing any substance, but still he acknowledged it.
#2
As an avid follower of the English-language websites posted in Phrawnce by poor trapped souls (Merde in France, Dissident Frogman, Pave France, etc) what strikes me is the absurdity of their being offended by the anti-Phrench sentiment in America. It pales in comparison to the anti-American sentiment in Phrawnce, much of it published by sources with strong Govt connections.
It seems there is nothing new in this other than they remain in the role of obfuscators, apologists for Arabs, and UN nay-sayers. The irony is that the anti-UN sentiment in the US is growing by leaps and bounds, as a result of their abusing it in such a crass and craven self-serving political ploy. Since it is all that remains of Phrench stature, it will be a blow to them and to their successors when M Chirac and M de Villepin have reduced it to the shell it will be when the US finally accepts the overwhelmingly obvious evidence that it is primarily a hindrance and anchor - with little redeeming value - and withdraws.
C'est la vie, eh?
Posted by: .com (Abu This RoP⢠Asshats) ||
09/12/2003 9:56 Comments ||
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..when the US finally accepts the overwhelmingly obvious evidence that it is primarily a hindrance and anchor - with little redeeming value - and withdraws.
Unfortunately, this is probably not going to happen on GWB's watch. He seems to think that the UN actually adds value while events have shown otherwise...
I don't think we'll withdraw from the UN. We'll just not go to it with anything important (unless, as in the present situation, making the effort has PR value in securing cooperation from others). However, by staying in, we get to use our veto in the Security Council to keep the UN from doing anything truly mischevious against us.
Posted by: Mike ||
09/12/2003 13:27 Comments ||
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Dominique ( who may be 'male' but isn't a man ) would have us forget much.
Simple cowardice...
â¬...how convenient to 'forget' about the legacy of French imperialism that led to WWI's clash of rival Empires
â¬...how convenient to 'forget' about the tyrannical 'peace' of WWI that led to the rise of Hitler and WWII
â¬...how convenient to 'forget' about the Vichy French complicity in the holocaust with the Nazi's
â¬...how convenient to 'forget' about the post war re-imposition of French exploitive colonialism in Algeria and Vietnam in bloody wars
â¬...how convenient to 'forget' about Suez in '56, one of many French post war interventionist failures
â¬...how convenient to 'forget' about the Saddamized colonialization of Iraq that perpetuated a fascist regime for French Oil profits.
So OK frogs... let's just propagate the lie that America deserved 911... let's just propagate the lies about Chile and their failed little fascist state... let's blame it all on America... because distractive fabrication is the French way, so we all don't dwell on your 20th century exploitive Imperialistic history and how it demonstrates how devolved your culture has become... The 'Big Lie' the way of the coward... the way of France.
EFL
Swedish police say they have identified a man they want to question in connection with the killing of Foreign Minister Anna Lindh in the capital, Stockholm. A police spokesman told the BBC that the man is in his 30s, has long dark hair and is said to be psychologically disturbed. Police say they have identified a suspect from fingerprints found at the scene of the crime. Investigators hope that the knife used and clothes worn by the killer, both of which have been found, will yield vital clues that will lead to his apprehension. Despite the murder, the authorities have announced that the referendum on whether to join the European single currency will go ahead as planned on Sunday. Lindhâs death has led to the suspension of the Yes and No campaigns ahead of the referendum and at the moment the polls suggest that the nay-sayers remain in front, but there is speculation that a wave of sympathy for Lindh could alter that. Thatâs doubtful.
Posted by: Bulldog ||
09/12/2003 5:58:30 AM ||
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Whenever they fail to identify the race of the perp I start to assume the person was Moslem. Anyone have any info that might disprove my assumption.
#2
Investigators hope that the knife used and clothes worn by the killer, both of which have been found, will yield vital clues that will lead to his apprehension.
Maybe they should add ânakedâ to the description, it might help.
Posted by: The Kid ||
09/12/2003 14:16 Comments ||
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"Whenever they fail to identify the race of the perp I start to assume the person was Moslem."
You mean when they fail to identify the religion of the perp? :-)
The brutal and violent death of Swedish Foreign Minister Anna Lindh in a Stockholm department store brings back some memories of the killing of Pim Fortuyn in The Netherlands last year. It is interesting to note that it now emerges that Lindh had received some very serious threatening mail and e-mail in the weeks leading up to her death and it beckons the question, as it did in the Fortuyn case: why was she not given more protection? Apparently in Sweden only the King and the Prime-Minister get government bodyguards, but especially in view of the violent death of Swedish Prime-Minister Olof Palme in 1986 one would have thought that security would extend to more than just one cabinet member. Imagine Colin Powell getting stabbed while shopping at his local Wal-Mart.
Her death comes shortly before a referendum on Sunday which should decide whether the Swedes want to abandon their currency in favor of the Euro. If her death (she was stabbed to death, no arrests have been made) was somehow related to this referendum the perpetrators could come both from the right (opposing Mrs. Lindhâs pro-Euro stance), but they could equally come from the far-left, interpreting the adoption of the Euro as a pro-business and pro-globalization move. On the other hand it could be a deranged nut, but I doubt that given the timing of the murder. Letâs see what the impact will be on Sundayâs referendum.
#5
I doubt whether there'll be an effect on the referendum voting. There wasn't in the Netherlands after Pim Fortuyn's death. It might encourage some ppl to vote who wouldn't have otherwise, but I'd strongly doubt whether her murder would change an individual's choice. Things would be different if now we knew she had been bumped off by one mainstream political body or another.
Hundreds of officers have been searching the city for a heavily-built man in his 30s, about 1.8 metres (five feet 11 inches) tall, with long dark-blond hair and bad skin. Police believe the killer is a repeat offender who may be psychologically disturbed.
Yank, it's a little paranoid to think an Islamist would be behind this. It's not their style, for one.
Several members of an Islamic group have been charged in Germany for suspected links to al-Qaida and plotting anti-Jewish attacks. German prosecutors said on Thursday that they had filed charges against two Jordanians and a Palestinian for being members of al-Tawhid, a Palestinian group suspected of planning attacks on Jewish targets.
That's Zarqawi's European mob, lest we forget...
An Algerian was also charged with supporting the group. All of them were arrested in April 2002 and German prosecutors said they were planning an attack near a Jewish building in Berlin. They also allegedly plotted to throw hand grenades in restaurants in the western city of Duesseldorf that were owned or frequented by Jewish people.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
09/12/2003 00:09 ||
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Police in India say they have shot dead a man suspected of masterminding last monthâs twin bomb blasts in Bombay, which killed 52 people and injured more than 150. "Two persons were shot dead by the police. One of them was Nasir, the mastermind behind the bomb blasts," the cityâs police commissioner was quoted as saying by Reuters news agency. The police said the two men were killed in an encounter in one of the cityâs suburbs, without giving any further details. The police have so far arrested four people in connection with the 25 August blasts. "Resisting arrest" seems to be popular these days.
Posted by: Steve ||
09/12/2003 2:49:04 PM ||
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This is a few days old but the New Republic is running a new blog by Gregg Easterbrook.
THE FIRST TIME AN INDIAN PILOT IN HIS RUSSIAN AIRCRAFT USES AN ISRAELI RADAR SUPPORTED BY AMERICAN COMPUTERS TO SPY ON PAKISTAN, AT LEAST THE WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION WILL BE HAPPY: When I lived in Pakistan, the newspapers attributed every national setback to "the Zionist-Hindu conspiracy." Now it turns out there actually is a Zionist-Hindu conspiracy!
Ariel Sharon begins his state visit to India today, but more important from the power-shift standpoint, Israel will sign a deal to sell India $1 billion worth of advanced military equipment. The primary item in the deal, the "Phalcon," is a globalizer's dream. Phalcon is an electronics plane similar to the U.S.-built AWACs. Phalcon uses Israeli radar mounted aboard a Russian aircraft and integrated with American battle-management computers and surveillance hardware. In 2000, Israel wanted to sell the Phalcon to China; Washington gasped, and the sale was dropped. By late 2001, Israel was ready to sell to New Delhi; Washington asked for a delay as one of the favors granted Pakistan after 9/11. Now three of these AWACs-juniors will be sold, and Pakistan has nothing like them. Here, an Indian newspaper trumpets U.S. approval of the transaction. Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan has gambled his government, if not his own life, on switching to the U.S. side in the anti-terrorism war. Yet the United States still won't lift the restrictive tariffs on Pakistani textiles, an action that not only would be consonant with our preaching about free trade but would also improve living standards for typical Pakistanis; and a better life for the typical person in nations such as Pakistan will do more to combat fanaticism than any electronic gizmo.
The United States also still won't let Pakistan take possession of the F16 fighters we ostensibly sold to Islamabad more than a decade ago. When Musharraf visited George W. Bush at Crawford ranch this spring, the Pakistani leader was sent away mortified without his fighter planes. Imagine if Bush visited Pakistan, and Musharraf sent him away without whatever Bush had come to ask for? (At least Washington has finally returned Pakistan's downpayment; Islamabad is now trying to buy two squadrons of used F16s from Belgium.) The United States says Pakistan cannot have advanced military aircraft because of its Bomb program. Yet now, by allowing Israel to sell India the Phalcon, the United States now says India can have advanced military aircraft despite its Bomb program.
Musharraf also has the habit of lying through his teeth to Bush, both on the subject of the Kashmir jihadis and on the subject of ISI support to the Taliban. If we can't trust him, why should we trust him? We could have been friends, but he blew the opportunity.
It would be nice to think that what's drawing Israel and India closer is that both are democracies struggling to overcome the plague of Islamic fanaticism. But there's another factor--New Delhi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has been called "India's Likud." How reassuring! Check the BJP web page, which declares that the party "has nothing against Muslim Indians, some of our best friends are Muslim
as distinguished from Muslim invaders. But it has no doubt that we were and are a Hindu nation."
Compared to all that might have gone wrong, it might be argued that India is the greatest global success story of the past half-century. India has become the world's largest democracy and a reasonably liberal society; it has not fallen apart under ethnic pressure or population expansion, and keeps increasing agricultural output faster than its population grows. Back in the 1960s when Paul Ehrlich was predicting that hundreds of millions of Indians would starve and all Indian society would collapse into Hobbesian anarchy, who would have believed that India today would be democratic, reasonably stable, basically self-sufficient in food and a world leader in engineering? The proverbial visitor from space might consider what is being achieved in India more important to the human future than what is being achieved in the United States.
Until such time as wave of Islamic fanaticism ends, however, Pakistan seems more closely tied to U.S. interests. Good point, and the posts below highlight the fact that although we often grow impatient with Perv, he is a key ally in the WOT.
And right now Washington simply assumes that Islamabad will toe the U.S. line, at considerable risk to itself and without getting much in return. This may be dangerously short-sighted. I'm not sure that this is a totally accurate portrayal of what's going on behind the scenes and although Easterbrook is a keen, non-partisan observer of Washington, I doubt that he's party to top level dealings.
But cheer up, Pakistan. Today you find sympathy for your national predicament being expressed in The New Republic, which is at the very nerve center of the Zionist-American conspiracy! Nice dig at his bosses and editors like Peretz. Easterbrook can be annoying but he often has keen original observations. He raises some interesting points although it?fs not clear if he believes we should have protested the sale to India or sold the planes to Pakistan.
Check out his football columns. Not bad for a policy wonk writer.
Posted by: Tokyo Taro ||
09/12/2003 6:05:05 AM ||
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Posted by: .com (Abu This RoP⢠Asshats) ||
09/12/2003 11:29 Comments ||
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Perhaps we should sell the Hindus some of our low mile LA class subs - in case they want to interdict something. Let'em get a taste of an American made boat and the Kilos will be history.
We would ne to retrofit with the latest French sonar of course.
The five Pakistani militant outfits, including Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba, banned last year by President Pervez Musharraf following mounting international pressure, are back in business with changed identities, a media report said on Wednesday.
Damn! They're right on top of things, aren't they?
A report in Herald magazine said four of Pakistanâs top sectarian outfits have effectively regrouped and are operating their networks as openly as before. The military dominated government in Pakistan has been able to do little to stop the funding from Saudi Arabia and other countries to the terror groups, even in cases where Pakistani missions abroad were aware of the identities of sponsors of these organisations, the report said. It said JeM, which was formed by Maulana Masood Azhar after his release from an Indian prison following the hijacking of an Indian Airlines plane from Kathmandu to Kandahar in 1999, now operates under a new name — Khudam-ul-Islam — and its military training camps in Batrasi, Manshera and Balakot are back in action. Jaishâs finances are handled by five men from Lahore and Sheikhupura in Pakistan and the outfit has a network of donors from different countries. The report identified the five men who collect funds for the outfit as Hafiz Tariq Masood, Qari Eshan and Shabaz Haider of Lahore and Qari Abdul Hafeez and Mohammed Tariq in Sheikhupura. "These men were the key to the Jaishâs organisational gains in Lahore, where the group has established 21 local offices in a short span of three years," the report said.
The Pak intel artists are somehow unable to find this sort of thing out, perhaps because of their habit and knocking and then going away when somebody says there's nobody home. Or it could be because all the records were destroyed in an unfortunate fire...
Similarly, Lashkar-e-Taiba, whose parent organisation has changed its name from Markaz Ad-Dawa to Jamaat Ad-Dawa is back in action with its leader Hafeez Mohammad Saeed busy touring Punjab province to reorganise the group and recruit more fighters. "The Lashkar donation boxes are also back in many cities, including the posh F-10 Markaz Market in Islamabad," the report said. While Lashkarâs militant camps were shut down following Musharrafâs assurances to US President George Bush, Saeed continues to enjoy considerable support in military circles, thanks to his friend and former ISI chief Lt Gen Hamid Gul.
The report said Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan changed its name to Millat-e-Islamia after the ban and continues to draw huge amounts of money from its foreign patrons. Its leader Maulana Azam Tariq contested the last general election to the national assembly and won as an independent. Tariq is a vocal supporter of Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali and Musharraf and a bitter critic of the opposition agitation against the presidentâs constitutional amendments. Tariq was given a get out of jail free card by Musharaff in return for directing some of the Islamist votes in support of the government.
The report said the ISI has listed the names of 14 of SSPâs top office-bearers, most of whom remain at large even after a lapse of nearly 20 months since the ban was implemented. According to intelligence reports SSP continues to receive anywhere between 200,000 and 300,000 Saudi riyals a month through one Wajid Ali who shuttles between Jhang and Jeddah to organise and regulate the flow of funds. Of the most wanted SSP activists, 11 are based in Saudi Arabia, six in London, three in US, two each in Germany and France and one each in Canada, Norway, Italy, Hong Kong, Qatar, Dubai and Bangladesh.
We should perhaps do something drastic about our three...
The Shia sectarian extremist Tehrik-e-Jafria, which was also banned for indulging in killings of Sunnis, continues to get money from wealthy businessmen and Iran, the Herald report said. "Pakistani security officials are convinced that Iran is supplying money as well as weapons to TJP militants, while Iranians in major Pakistan cities are secretly providing training to Shia militants," it added.
On the other hand, you hear about a lot more SSP/Lashkar e-Jhangvi killings of Shias than you do TJP killings of Sunnis...
Posted by: Paul Moloney ||
09/12/2003 2:55:40 AM ||
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Hey! You can't do that! Hey! Stop that!
Changing names. Slick. No wonder nobody over there could figure it out.
Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Ameer Qazi Husain Ahmad said on Thursday President General Pervez Musharraf wanted to remove the Quran and Sunnah from the Constitution and add the Legal Framework Order (LFO).
And this is a bad thing because...?
Addressing a JI leadersâ workshop at Mansoora, he said General Musharraf was a United States ally in the âso-calledâ anti terrorist campaign against Muslims and he was trying to amend the Constitution. He said, âThe articles based on the Quran and Sunnah could be ejected from the Constitution.â He said some âwesternizedâ women had urged the Hadood Ordinance be taken out of the Constitution because it discriminated against women. Mr Ahmed called this move a âpart of the American agenda to secularise Pakistan.
Oh, horrors! Oh, hold me, Ethel!
He said the US had tightened its hold on Islamic movements and had even banned Islamic welfare trusts and it wanted to âcrushâ the madrassas. âThe September 11, 2001 attack is Americaâs lame excuse to crush Muslims. Christians, Jews and Hindus have united against Muslims,â he said.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
09/12/2003 00:17 ||
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#1
Of course, the Muslim's violent activities and insulting rhetoric had NOTHING to do with it...Maybe shooting your mouths off in all directions at once wasn't such a bright idea after all, huh?
#2
"holy" 'sh#t' what are all 'those' 'quotes' for?
Posted by: Rafael ||
09/12/2003 0:56 Comments ||
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Pervez Musharraf earns a full support here he is clearly taking some steps in the direction of secularizing his country. There will always be some ameers and sheiks and other sect leaders trying to sabotage such steps and characterize secularism as an attack on Islam.
F#%@!k those ameers and sheiks who try to ride the Islam as camel jockeys.
Posted by: Murat ||
09/12/2003 4:40 Comments ||
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There are times I wonder if there aren't two Murats.
One is so rabidly, so agressively, and so irrationaly Anti-american , anti-west and adept of conspiracy theories that I wonder if he is a troll, a Turk who has spent two much tilme reading books from el cheapo French leftist intellectuals or a covert Islamist (French meaning: partisan of Shariah, and theocracy).
And the other one is rational, quite nice and apparently an admirer of Mustafa Kemal.
There are times I wonder how to say Jekill and Hyde in Turkish.
#6
I've always felt that a soul coerced into behaving properly by laws and threats just won't get the same credit at the pearly gates as one a soul that chooses the right path.
The CID police on information provided by intelligence agencies raided the hills of Orangi Town, adjacent to Manghopir Area, on Wednesday night and arrested two men suspected to be members of Al Qaeda. The suspects have identified as Ahmed Ali and Mustafa. The police recovered arms and ammunition from them. They have been taken to an unknown place for interrogation.
I hope it's a very painful and extended experience...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
09/12/2003 00:14 ||
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President General Pervez Musharraf said on Thursday Pakistan was hunting down Al Qaeda, Taliban and other extremists who remain a threat, two years on from the September 11 attacks in the United States. âWe are operating against Al Qaeda, we are operating against Taliban and we are also operating against sectarian and religious extremism in Pakistan,â Gen Musharraf said in a question-and-answer session aired on the BBCâs website. He admitted that reports of Al Qaeda and Taliban elements finding sympathy in Pakistanâs tribal areas and using it as a base for launching attacks in Afghanistan were âpartially trueâ.
"Define 'partial.'"
"'Bout 99.44 percent..."
âShall I say itâs partially true â one canât deny, I will be the last person to deny that nothing is happening in the tribal areas of our borders with Afghanistan,â he said.
Oh, have we quit denying the obvious?
âCertainly there are elements who may be hiding there and certainly there are abettors who sympathise with them.â He acknowledged the difficulty in tracking down suspects along the porous border with Afghanistan. âOn both sides of the border, there are places which can be utilised as a sanctuary by extremists. I do admit that the border is extremely porous... I cannot at all claim that I can seal the entire border.â But he said Pakistani forces were cracking down on militants. âOn our side of the border we are very effectively on the ground with intelligence organisations set up having access to the entire tribal belt of Pakistan. And a very effective quick reaction force is available, so we can act now on intelligence which we get. So certainly thereâs things happening on our border and we will act against them, as I said, and our forces are fully capable of doing that.â
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
09/12/2003 00:09 ||
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I believe Musharraf is really trying to crush al queda... they and the extremism they personify are now a threat to his power... unfortunately I don't think the ISI is on the same page...
Snuffies Militants hurled a grenade at a patrol of Indiaâs paramilitary Border Security Force (BSF) in Srinagarâs Lal Chowk injuring the 19 bystanders and a trooper. Rehana Hamid, a student, died instantly and four other civilians were in a serious condition after the attack. Al-Omar Mujahedin, claimed credit responsibility for the attack.
That's unusual. They manged to injure a trooper, along with the obligatory 19 bystanders...
In more violence a man was waxed shot dead during a fight between gunnies militants and the BSF Wednesday near the town of Awantipora, 30 kilometers south of Srinagar. Residents alleged the victim was deliberately shot by troopers in an ambush.
Homicidal maniacs Militants shot dead a retired soldier in the southern district of Doda Wednesday.
Hey! I take that personally!
A civilian was greased shot dead in the village of Sumbal, on the outskirts of Srinagar.
Indian troops killed two gun artists militants in two encounters in southern Poonch district overnight.
Bet they did it on purpose, too...
Islamists Unidentified assailants shot dead a congress leader Gulam Nabi Tak in front of his house in Doda district. The gunman appeared before the house of the Congress leader and opened fire on him.
Indian-held Kashmir agriculture minister offered his resignation after media reports linked him to Islamic militants. âIt is a conscious decision. I do not want to embarrass the coalition government,â Abdul Aziz Zargar told Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed. Local media in Kashmir had linked Zargar to the militants who attacked a Hindu temple in September 2002 in Gujarat, leaving dead 33 people.
"Abdul, I'm deeply saddened to lose your valuable services. Get the hell out."
Police in Indian-held Kashmir arrested a holy man senior separatist overnight and seized a substantial sum of cash, a police officer said Thursday. Nayeem Ahmed, who heads the separatist National Front, was arrested in the Hyderpora district of the summer capital Srinagar, the officer said. Meanwhile, Javed Mir, vice chairman of the pro-independence Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) and about 12 supporters were rounded up by police while protesting against alleged security force excesses and harsh anti-terror laws in Kashmir.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
09/12/2003 00:09 ||
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At least 3,800 members of the Iraq-based anti-Tehran Mojahedin E-Khalq (MEK) Organization are now in the custody of the U.S.-led forces, said General Ricardo Sanchez, Commander of the U.S. Forces in Iraq, Thursday, September 11. "There is no problem with the MEK, because they are now under detention and they have been separated from their combat equipment," he added. Thatâs nice.
Thousands of MEK members, who were stationed in different Iraqi bases some close to the Iranian borders and others in other parts of Iraq, have enjoyed support from the ousted regime of Saddam Hussein. The U.S. troops rounded the MEK forces in a base in north-central Iraq after stripping them from heavy weapons, such as tanks and armored vehicles after the occupation of Iraq. Got their own private camp, do they?
General Sanchez denied reports that the MEK have continued to carry out combat operations against neighboring Iran. "That is not correct.. They (MEK) are contained and they are not carrying combat operations.. I can guarantee you that," he said answering a question. Hard to do ops when youâre locked up. Course, the Iranians donât believe it.
Regarding the ultimatum given by the U.S. forces to armed militias in the holy city of An-Najaf to disarm by Saturday, Sanchez said: "There is a very clear policy that has been established by the Coalition Provisional Authority on disarming or the ability to own weapons.. It is that the Iraqi people can have a weapon such as AK-47 (machinegun) in their homes, but they cannot carry the weapons in public without a weapon control card, and that is a policy that we will continue to enforce." "Got to have a carry permit to pack heat."
"It is very clear also that our policy as at normal issue will operate independently in this country and if we should encounter militias that is operating independently, then we will take appropriate action." "We got plenty of shovels"
On the Honduras troops that were supposed to join the large Spanish force now stationed in southern Iraq and whether they were supplied with enough equipment, General Sanchez said:
"Not all of the equipment that was on the original list have been provided, but they have sufficient equipment to enable them to be effectively conducting their operations." "Their guns are clean and they have plenty of ammo."
Posted by: Steve ||
09/12/2003 11:03:43 AM ||
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Part of me wishes we could use these guys Northern Alliance style but I'm pretty sure they're hated throughout Iran..
#3
The MEK is not anti-Iranian because they want democracy or anything like that; they consider the mullahs soft and want Taliban-style suppression of any social or technical advance beyond the 14th century CE, and death for non-Muslims. Well, except for weapons. And TV's for government people. And...
----
' "There is a very clear policy that has been established by the Coalition Provisional Authority on disarming or the ability to own weapons.. It is that the Iraqi people can have a weapon such as AK-47 (machinegun) in their homes, but they cannot carry the weapons in public without a weapon control card, and that is a policy that we will continue to enforce." '
They are allowed one pistol and one rifle (note, an AK47 may be made or altered to auto-fire, but it is not a machine gun) per person, and businesses much the same, without registration or other paperwork and fees: I think the carry permit is per person, not per weapon. I could wish for some similar law here... I do wonder how one problem was resolved - cabbies complained that their cabs were their places of business so they should not have to pay the permit fee.
Posted by: John Anderson ||
09/12/2003 18:53 Comments ||
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#4
They backed Saddam during the Gulf War IIRC, so I'd guess they ain't exactly loved back home (just a hunch like...) IIRC their goal is to turn Iran into a 'Leftist Islamist State' wow, does that mean there'll be real state control over the bonyads? What a great idea, it'll harder to pretend that 'it's nothing to do with us' when cash mysteriously moves from Bonyad X to the Ansar-e Hezbollahi. Plus any nationalisation of clan Rafsanjanis assets has to be welcomed (it's for the good of the people after all...)
Posted by: Dave ||
09/12/2003 18:57 Comments ||
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U.S. mistakenly kills Iraqi police Witnesses say troops fired on police chasing a car Ooops sorry, the next time Iâll ask first before shooting ya. My god do they only send hillbillies to Iraq.
FALLUJAH, Iraq, Sept. 12 â U.S. soldiers mistakenly killed 12 Iraqi police officers Friday as they chased a car full of highway bandits toward an American checkpoint in a small town west of Fallujah, witnesses said.
THE U.S. MILITARY in Baghdad said it had no information on the incident. Begins to sound familiar.
There were other unconfirmed reports of violence in the region Friday after a message carrying the name of Saddam Hussein appeared on at least one building in Fallujah. The message praised the people of the city for their resistance to the American occupation and named it capital of al-Anbar province. The nearby city of Ramadi, west of Fallujah, is the capital of the Sunni dominated al-Anbar province.
Fallujah police were chasing a white BMW without license plates that they identified as one used by highway bandits on the road connecting Baghdad with the Jordanian border. The officers chasing the four men in the BMW were in pickup trucks.
U.S. Army troops manning a checkpoint on a road leading to the resort village of Saddamiyat al-fallujah, formerly used by senior officials of the Saddam regime, opened fire on the BMW and the trucks when they did not stop. Sir they are heading this way what are your orders. Shootâm Johnny. Euhhh which one sir. Shoot first ask later private.
âŠâŠâŠ. âŠâŠ.. âŠâŠâŠ OK sir theyâr stuffed. Good work private go identify them. Ueeuh sir. Yes Jhonn. I think they where police officers sir. God damn Arabs they look all the same call the headquarters to train a dozen new officers .
Witnesses said 12 police officers and all four men in the car were killed in the hail of fire.
The chase began when the BMW drove by a bakery owned by Ibrahim Alawi, the Fallujah police chief who recognized the BMW as one being used by the bandits to rob travelers along the Amman highway.
If Bush had spent only a fraction on the myopia problemâŠâŠ.
Posted by: Murat ||
09/12/2003 8:47:07 AM ||
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Good one Murat! Finally a post where you actually have a point that I can (slightly) agree with. Of course, not being in a terrorist-infested country, I don't know what I would do if a dozen unshaven 'cops' with AK47s hanging out the windows came towards me at break-neck speed...Actually I'd whack them...
Posted by: steve d. ||
09/12/2003 8:57 Comments ||
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#2
The police were driving in a mob of non-marked trucks, and had a pickup with a .50 cal mounted in the back. Gee, we didn't realize they were police?
Our guys should get an "Attaboy!" but they'll get criticized instead.
First, several of the dead have recovered from their wounds... the toll is now 8.
Then, some details:
" Another wounded policeman said the sudden appearance of one of the police vehicles, an unmarked pickup truck with a machine gun mounted on top, may have prompted the Americans to begin firing."
In Fallujah.
Well, this would be a little like wearing your favorite novelty antler hat in the woods on opening day of deer season.
Sorry for the mixup, and we do hope more of the dead recover soon.
Posted by: Mark IV ||
09/12/2003 9:20 Comments ||
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"Blue on blue" incidents are always sad. Believe it or not, Murat, our hearts go out to the Iraqi cops and their families.
Somebody needs to scare up some blue and red "party lights" and "police" decals so this doesn't happen again.
Posted by: Mike ||
09/12/2003 9:22 Comments ||
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#5
but thats the problem mike, aint it. The military seems to be doing their jobs well, but what are Bremer et al doing? Why dont the Iraqi Police have red and blue lights, etc? Didnt anybody think to get stuff like that stockpiled? havent we been there months now? not to belittle the challenges and accomplishments, or to go with the quagmire crowd, but it does seem like this occupation could have been handled better. I bet McArthur didnt send Japanese police out without police lights.
#7
What a load, Murat - you really are a bitch. It's so easy to sit on your fat ass and find fault. Geez, I wish I'd a thought of it. Get 'em some purty uniforms and cars with party lights, fishin' pole antennas, and whoopededoo sirens, for crying out loud.
If anyone here, including Murat, can say that they would not have fired on these vehicles, one sporting a .50 cal no less, in fucking Fallujah as MarkIV points out - then they are lying sacks of shit. You have obviously never ever been under fire or felt anything like what these troops have experienced for these long months. No excuses accepted --- you're liars and gutless second-guessers. Shit. Total fucking shit. What cowardly pussyboy crap.
On another topic... "The chase began when the BMW drove by a bakery owned by Ibrahim Alawi, the Fallujah police chief who recognized the BMW as one being used by the bandits to rob travelers along the Amman highway."
Apparently overlooked, thus far, is this amazing tidbit: these Police officers, and we're talking about the Chief no less, make their own donuts.
Posted by: .com (Abu This RoP⢠Asshats) ||
09/12/2003 10:20 Comments ||
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This is truly a regrettable incident. It seems there was a lack of communication between the Iraqi police and American patrols. They need to work more closely together than this to avoid foul-ups like this in the future, or, at the very least, clearly define their jurisdictions down to the inch so they have no more deadly overlaps.
Of course, more details will come out of this in time, but this is not a way to get more Iraqi police volunteers out of a hotbed like Fallujah.
Posted by: Dar ||
09/12/2003 10:45 Comments ||
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If Bush had spent only a fraction on the myopia problemâ¦â¦.
If they're dumb enough to let the Turks patrol the north, stuff like this won't be an accident...
#10
"The chase began when the BMW drove by a bakery owned by Ibrahim Alawi, the Fallujah police chief who recognized the BMW as one being used by the bandits to rob travelers along the Amman highway."
I understood that to mean "the Fallujah police chief recognized the BMW (owned by the bakery owner) as one being used by the bandits"
This may yet turn out to be an American fuck-up, depending on what came first, the Americans taking fire, or firing at the police first.
I'm starting to think the situation is slowly careening out of control. Stricter measures have to be taken. None of this white gloves crap.
Posted by: Rafael ||
09/12/2003 17:55 Comments ||
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#11
Hey, Murat. Maybe they thought they had cellphones. That "myopia" does that, you know?
If they were Armenian cops, the only thing you'd be pissed off about is that we didn't kill enough of them.
#12
"...the Americans taking fire, or firing at the police first." Doesn't say, but I suspect it was a running battle - so the cops would appear to be firing in the direction of the troops.
But yes, why weren't the cops identifiable? Decals and bubble-gum-machines were available before, and are in use elsewhere. Pictures at the mosque bombing (admittedly a long way from Fallujah) show a destroyed cop car with both.
Posted by: John Anderson ||
09/12/2003 19:02 Comments ||
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Ten to one the "Fallujah" cops just jumped into the first vehicles they could get to, rather than try to get into real police cars, which may not have been readily available. What you appear to have is two rival gangs, shooting at each other, with some of the bullets coming in your direction. Yep, I'd slap it on 'auto' and cut loose, too. It's a shame, but it's an incident where a LOT of things were done wrong, by all the groups involved.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/12/2003 21:58 Comments ||
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Mike >> Nail on the head.
LH>> Valid points. Bremer isn't mush better than the last one if you ask me.
Friendly fire never is, and it's another unfortunate incident. Looking at it objectively. Night OPS, the US were already on a mission engaged with bad guys, the white truck with the hvy MG was a valid target. (it wasn't a bread truck). There are however, too many variables. were the soldiers infantrymen or MP's/ ADA / Tankers/ etc. Training does make a difference. Also, everyone's running around waving guns. I don't know about you, but it's better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6. I think a lot of soldiers feel that way.
It's just sad that Iraqi's that were trying to make a difference for their country died doing their duties in an unfortunate manner.
Posted by: Paul ||
09/12/2003 23:02 Comments ||
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EFL:
Tehran has made an unexpected and unacceptable demand that could derail Russian-Iranian cooperation on the Bushehr nuclear plant, a senior Nuclear Power Ministry official said Wednesday. To address concerns that Iran is secretly developing nuclear weapons, Russia has said it will freeze construction on the $1 billion plant and will refuse to supply fuel unless Iran agrees to return all of the spent fuel. Both sides in recent weeks have said that an agreement was close to being signed. On Wednesday, however, Deputy Nuclear Power Minister Valery Govorukin said Iran is now demanding that Russia pay for the spent fuel, Itar-Tass reported. Usually it is the other way around; countries get paid for receiving and storing spent fuel, he said. Govorukhin chose to go public with Iranâs demand as the board of directors of the International Atomic Energy Agency debated in Vienna a U.S.-backed resolution that would find Iran in non-compliance of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, which it has signed. They gave Iran till Oct 31, Iran walked out in a huff.
Govorukhin insisted the dispute was commercial and said both sides have agreed to start talks, Itar-Tass reported. Should Iran refuse to withdraw its demand, Russia would have to charge Iran a higher price to include the cost of buying it back, he said. Donât forget to include shipping, handling, environment fees, sales tax, etc.
Alexander Pikaev, a security expert with the Carnegie Moscow Center, said Iran might have concluded that it can produce fuel compatible with the Russian-made reactor itself and, thus, be deliberately making unrealistic demands in order to disrupt the deal altogether. If Iran used its own fuel in the power plantâs reactors, it could then enrich the spent fuel to weapons-grade using one of the centrifuges that it possesses. Iâm sure thereâs a chapter in the koran on how to produce fuel for nuclear reactors.
The Nuclear Power Ministryâs decision to publicize Iranâs demand during the IAEA debates may be an attempt to create international pressure on Iran to drop its demand and sign the agreement on the return of spent fuel, Pikayev and Ivan Safranchuk of the Center for Defense Information said.
Moreover, Pikayev said, it may be a sign that Moscow has decided to end its lucrative nuclear cooperation with Teheran altogether because of its own security concerns. The Nuclear Power Ministry may have decided that it is time "to wash their hands" of Iran rather than continue cooperation with a country that avoids making its nuclear program fully transparent and draws constant fire from the United States, Pikayev said. Somebody been talking to Putin?
Safranchuk, however, said he believes the ministry will complete the reactor unless Iran refuses to sign the fuel return agreement. Their money looks real good to the Russians.
Earlier this month, the ministry said Iran had already reviewed a draft of the agreement and was ready to sign it. Officials said the agreement would be signed as soon as the check clears Russian government agencies finished reviewing it.
Govorukhin himself said in late August that the ministry intended to sign it within a month. Ministry officials said Russia should complete construction of the first reactor at Bushehr plant in 2005 but may send the first batch of nuclear fuel to Iran as soon as this year. Now what do you suppose theyâd want the fuel for if the reactor isnât going to be completed until 2005?
Posted by: Steve ||
09/12/2003 2:11:38 PM ||
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Or is Prez Putty is trying to have it both ways, again? The plant is the major component of a nuke bomb factory - Russia is even more duplitious than the French where whoring for dollars is concerned. Given the strange bedfellows arrangements of the Black Hats with the Taliban and Al Q, what makes Putty think they won't turn around and give some nuke stuff to the Chechens somewhere down the road. It would be their style.
Putty's as unreliable as Chirac regards acting responsibly or for any greater good.
Posted by: .com (Prez for Life - My Isles of Langerhans) ||
09/12/2003 14:49 Comments ||
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Either we bought off the Russians, or Putin caught the Tehran Turbans supplying the Chechens and they've suddenly wised up to the possibility of a muchroom cloud in Gorky Park.
Posted by: Douglas De Bono ||
09/14/2003 9:12 Comments ||
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Demonstrating Moroccoâs effort to combat Islamic extremism, a court jailed five militants accused of preparing terrorist attacks and of having ties to al-Qaeda. A criminal court in the capital, Rabat, convicted the five Islamic militants on Thursday to sentences ranging from five to 15 years in prison. Theyâve been busy in Morocco.
Among them was Tayeb ben Tizi, considered the leader of the group, which was accused of having "contact" with the al-Qaeda terror network of Osama bin Laden and planning attacks with the goal of installing Islamic rule in the North African kingdom. Moroccan officials have led a crackdown against suspected Islamic militants since five suicide bombings in Casablanca on May 16. The attacks, which targeted a hotel and Jewish and Spanish sites, killed 45 people, including 12 of the attackers. The Justice Ministry said that as of Wednesday, 906 Islamic militants had been brought before judges since the sweep started. Like I said, busy.
Morocco is desperate to prevent the kingdomâs slide toward the kind of full-blown Islamic insurgency that has ravaged its neighbor Algeria for more than a decade, claiming an estimated 120 000 lives. Looked over the fence, decided they didnât want any part of that.
Posted by: Steve ||
09/12/2003 1:30:27 PM ||
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What? They're not toast? WTF? I was starting to give King (Abdullah or Mohammed - one of 'em is bound to be right) credit for being the real deal of the ME. I hope 15 yrs in a Moroccan prison is a major bitch - as depicted in Hollywood movies. It must be, right? Hollywood doesn't lie! As for Kingie, this is a major letdown. Roundups are good, and 900+ is nothing to sneeze at, but hey Bro - ya gotta do a serious number on 'em when ya got 'em. Wanna rent some space at Gitmo? (Ooooooh! Gitmo!)
BBC article via Worldwire
Hundreds of children sold by their parents to fishermen in Ghana have been reunited with their families. The children - some absent for up to 10 years - were freed as part of a scheme by the humanitarian International Organisation of Migration (IOM), which is helping the fishermen with equipment and business loans. Families of 173 children welcomed their offspring in a special ceremony organised by the IOM in the fishing town of Yeji, on the bank of the Volta River.
"Hiya, son! Welcome home! Sorry I sold you..."
The BBCâs correspondent in the area, Kwabenah Sapong Arkosah, said the children were relieved to see their parents and already talking of going to school following months of counselling by the IOM. He said all of the liberated youngsters, including girls as young as four looked very malnourished, some of them brutalised. The chief of Yeji, Nana Yaw Kagbrese told Reuters that the children were very happy to be returning home. "But it was also sad to see children so young who had had to work like adults," he said.
Have the reasons they were sold gone away?
The organisation says there are still an estimated 3,000 children working for fishermen. The children are sold to the fishermen by their parents who cannot afford to feed or school them. The fishermen value the children because their small hands are ideal for handling fishing nets. The children - some taken away when they were as young as three - had been forced to work from dawn to dusk fishing on Lake Volta in central Ghana. When the nets got caught on the bottom of the lake they had to dive down to free them. More than 1,200 have so far been traced by the IOM.
"I can't dive that deep, boss!"
"Here, lemme tie a rock around your neck..."
The IOMâs project co-ordinator Ernest Taylor told the BBC that the children were severely traumatised after being denied basic rights. "Sometimes they work from dawn till deep in the night and are poorly fed - most of them eat garri, staple food in the country, without fish or meat, even though they are engaged in fishing they are hardly given fish," he said. n the fishermenâs village, the children have been sleeping in very crowded rooms and could not even wash their clothes, said Mr Taylor. The fishermen, who claim they were not aware they were doing wrong, said they were helping the "parents to earn some kind of a living", when they paid the destitute families up to 1.5m cedis ($180) per boy.
"It's wrong to buy little kiddies and work them until they drop? When did that start?"
The IOM persuaded the fishermen to release the children, pointing out that they were infringing childrenâs rights and that it was wrong to promise parents that the children would be sent to school when in fact they were only engaged in fishing. As a goodwill gesture the IOM offered the fishermen counselling, training and equipment to continue with their business, without using child labour. And the parents are being helped to set up small businesses so they can earn enough to take care of their children.
"Well, here I am in the middle of Ghana. I think I'll start a small business. Whadda we got to sell around here?"
"Silt."
"Fine. I'll open a silt stand."
The operation to reunite the children with their parents began in October, 2002, under the auspices of the Ghanaian Government, the International Labour Organisation, Catholic Relief Services and local charity Apple. Decided not to play this as anti-UN, go for the reparations angle, or point out that Kofi Annan has problems at home. I am glad that the UN and charities appear to have handled this situation effectively.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/12/2003 12:47:24 PM ||
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They're not the only slaves in Kofi's home:
*Kofi, Ghanian* - The U.S. State Department's annual report on human rights practices, released in February of this year [2003], describes a religious tradition called "Trokosi" in Ghana: "Although the Constitution prohibits slavery, religious servitude--Trokosi--exists on a limited scale. In June 1998, Parliament passed and the President signed legislation to ban the practice of Trokosi in comprehensive legislation to protect women and children's rights. Human rights activists believe that the goal of eradicating the Trokosi practice is attainable with the new law; however, the practice persists." But how limited is it? Some reports say there are around 5,000 Trokosi slaves within Ghana. But local humanitarian groups say the figure could be as high as 10,000 to 12,000. Under this system, virgin girls are given to priests to appease the gods for crimes committed by relatives of the family.
Posted by: John Anderson ||
09/12/2003 17:42 Comments ||
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Israeli police stormed the Temple Mount compound Friday to disperse adherents of the Religion of Peace Muslim worshippers who attacked infidels threw stones after noon prayers. Officers also fired tear gas and stun grenades, police and witnesses said. There was no immediate word of injuries, Ha'aretz reported.
Yup. Another atrocity visited upon innocent Muslims...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
09/12/2003 11:53 ||
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How nice of the UPI to omit that they were throwing stones at worshippers praying at the Western Wall.
I'm just waiting for the Israelis to open that "Final Can of Whoop-Ass."
Does anybody know if Pay-per-view will cover the Israeli Military's Main Event featuring Hamas this weekend?
Posted by: Daniel King ||
09/12/2003 12:01 Comments ||
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#2
As undercard to the Shane Moseley - Oscar De La Hoya bout IIRC
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/12/2003 12:13 Comments ||
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#3
JPost:
Police arrested two Palestinians Friday afternoon on suspicion that they were the main instigators of the stone-throwing incident earlier at the Temple Mount.
Police suspect that the two Palestinians incited a large crowd of Muslim worshippers, mostly Arab youth, to throw stones at Jewish worshippers praying at the Western Wall.
The two were caught as they were leaving the sanctuary of the mosques and were taken for investigation.
A large police force was forced to enter the Mosque area near the Temple Mount in Jerusalem to face a large group of Arabs throwing stones onto Jewish worshippers at the Western Wall.
Hundreds of Arab youths, who were in the area for Friday prayers, threw stones down from the Temple Mount and from Mosques in the area.
Israel Radio reported that police used stun grenades and tear gas to disperse the rioters.
There were no inuries on either side.
Jerusalem Police chief Cmdr. Mickey Levy said Friday that Yasser Arafat was trying to fuel tensions on the Temple Mount. Levy said Arafat was behind Friday's stone-throwing incident.
The radio reported that the riot may have started as a reaction against Israel's decision to remove Yasser Arafat from his Ramallah compound.
Police quelled the riot and all is now quiet on the Temple Mount.
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/12/2003 12:15 Comments ||
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#4
Israel should shut down the temple Mount to Moslems just as the Jordanians forbid Jews from going to the Wailing Wall for decades. Hold the Mosque hostage for Palestinian good behavior since the building is the only thing they respect.
#5
Just friggin' dynamite the thing and then claim there never was a mosque to begin with.
Posted by: Laurence of the Rats ||
09/12/2003 12:19 Comments ||
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#6
Now that India and Israel are warming up to each other, maybe India could loan them some Hindus to tear down the mosque like they did in India.
Posted by: Yosemite Sam ||
09/12/2003 12:47 Comments ||
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#7
Sam,
I don't think there was ever a Hindu temple on that particular spot however if you have any evidence that there maybe, possibly could have been then I'm quite sure the VHP/RSS/BJP would be quite happy to loan Israel some mercenaries, or they could offer some consultancy services on how best to tear down a Peace Monument Mosque.
#8
rg117 - you mean you didnt know that after the destruction of the Second Temple, some Indian merchants came along the silk routes and built a small, but very holy temple there;)? No way of knowing for sure, since the Waqf doesnt allow archaeological work on the mount - so it certainly COULD be true.
#9
You mean the Palestinians have the nerve to actually protest the stealing of their land and the murdering of their people?!
Don't they know that the US military Israeli tanks and guns will make them behave kosher (whether they like it or not)
Posted by: Bruce ||
09/12/2003 18:22 Comments ||
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#10
The Dome on the Rock is a fraud. Never was an original Muslim holy site... The IDF have every right to storm, and remain. FFS, getting the Muslims out of Jerusalem would be a good start at 'closure' of the whole sorry episode.
Bruce, the Israelis design and make their own tanks. And as for the "murdering of their people", you dimwitted f**k, take a bus ride through Irael, will ya?
#13
Bleeding Heart Bruce >>> Cry me a river. Everwhere else on the planet it works like this:
A war is started and a war ends. The land, resources, etc., belong to the victor. The Paleos live in the Twilight Zone. They lost. Sad face.
If you live in the US, then you should be ashamed of yourself for what the US Government did to the Native Americans. But, you know what..... read what I wrote above about wars.
Now go to bed. You know you need your sleep for your classes tomorrow at Bezerkly U.
P.S. I do agree with one point you made.
Israeli tanks and guns will make them behave kosher (whether they like it or not)
Yup, works EVERY time!
Posted by: Paul ||
09/12/2003 23:12 Comments ||
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#14
Stevey's got a new nic already? I banned him again yesterday...
Posted by: Fred ||
09/13/2003 0:02 Comments ||
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Libyaâs Leader of the Revolution Colonel Muammar al Qathafi yesterday called on the Libyans to approve pulling out from the Arab League, considering that the Arab leaders are not committed to the Arab future and that all they do is talk about an Arab union when they have no intention to implement it. "Talk, talk, talk, I might as well listen to Oprah."
Al Qathafi addressing women officers said that "Men no longer defend their dignity or their honor and withdrew from the confrontation arena," the official Libyan news agency quoted him saying in a report. "They donât make men like me anymore! Why, back when I was younger, I spat in the americans eye and....whatâs that, did anyone hear a plane, whereâs the bomb shelter?"
Al Qathafi said that he reached a conclusion that Arabs are not interested in unity or union, nor their future or destiny. He indicated that Arab media never handled the proposals in his keynote speech heralding the 35th year of the great al Fateh Revolution, in which he called for the establishment of an Arab Union, in line with the proposals made by Arab states. "I told them Iâd lead them to victory, but did they listen?"
Al Qathafi indicated that Arab media ignored this issue and focussed on other trivial issues that do not serve their union or their future. Therefore he "advised the Libyan people to accept withdrawal from the Arab League, as the Arab world is not serious. There is nothing there but fraud and indifference with Arab future." Donât think heâs gonna get invited to any more parties.
Toldja so. He's gonna become an African. Wait'll he gets his corn rows...
Posted by: Steve ||
09/12/2003 11:15:58 AM ||
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Wow, I find myself agreeing with him.
Arab 'leaders' are frauds, etc.
#3
how many damn spellings of his name do we have to endure??
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/12/2003 11:53 Comments ||
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#4
I've always had a preference for Khadaffy Duck - I think it came from someone here... ;-)
Posted by: .com (Abu This RoP⢠Asshats) ||
09/12/2003 12:00 Comments ||
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#5
I agree with Frank. If Quaddaffi was such a good leader he would send out a style guide on how to spell is name. If he is such a great leader of Arab unity why doesn't he step down from power and merge his nation with Algeria or Egypt to help create the rump of a future Arab Union. Oh, but power is power and words are words.
#7
Mummar has been making this point for about a year now without actually following through. It seems all he wants to do is talk, talk, talk. If only he had the honor to...
#8
Mummar's word is gold. He is every bit as reliable as boxing promoter Don King. What he's really saying is, "fie on you for insulting my mustache."
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/12/2003 16:07 Comments ||
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#9
mhw,
I think of them as hesitation marks. I still think Muammar's trying to reform. He just has no idea how to go about it.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/12/2003 20:53 Comments ||
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#10
al-Qathafi!?!? Damn--now I'm really annoyed--I'm going to lobby the UN for the return of Peking, Gaddhafi, Rhodesia, Bombay, Siam, Qatar pronounced catarrh instead of guitar--OY
Posted by: Not Mike Moore ||
09/12/2003 23:00 Comments ||
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An arresting wire broke during a fighter jet landing on the George Washington on Thursday afternoon, injuring about a dozen crew members, including five who had to be airlifted off the Norfolk-based aircraft carrier. One crew member was seriously injured, according to Cmdr. Lydia Robertson, spokeswoman for the Naval Air Force Atlantic. Another spokesman for the Navy said none of the injuries was life-threatening, although some of the injured were taken to the Level I trauma unit at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital. The F/A-18 Hornet caught the flight deckâs No. 4 landing wire, but the jet fell into the Atlantic Ocean after the 4-inch-thick cable ``parted,ââ Robertson said. The pilot ejected from the single-seat strike fighter and was rescued. Robertson said she did not have complete information on the types of injuries or the conditions of the injured sailors. The snapping of the wire may have directly caused or led to some of the injuries, she said. The five most seriously injured were sent initially to Portsmouth Naval Medical Center, but some were rerouted to local hospitals based on their medical needs, Robertson said. Families of the injured were notified throughout the evening.
Posted by: Yosemite Sam ||
09/12/2003 10:24:38 AM ||
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"The snapping of the wire may have directly caused or led to some of the injuries"
Ya think? A 4 inch steel cable under tons of strain snapping and flailing around the deck like a angry snake? Lucky somebody didn't get cut in half.
Posted by: Steve ||
09/12/2003 10:40 Comments ||
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#3
I remember hearing somewhere that one navy synonym for "aircraft carrier" is "most dangerous five acres in the world."
It says something for our carrier crews that incidents like this are so rare.
Posted by: Mike ||
09/12/2003 11:51 Comments ||
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#4
I think it is interesting that it happened at all. The catapults and cables follow very rigid inspection and use schedules. Did we overuse this cable due to the opstempo, or is manufacturing quality decreasing due to increased demand?
#5
Yeah, its a dangerous place alright. I spent 3 1/2 years on one. The cables are QA'd, and replaced on a schedule based on average wear and tear. However, there is no way that you can gauge the specific time that an individual cable will fail. There is too much individual difference in strain on each landing. That is why everyone stays WAY clear of them at all times.
Posted by: Bill ||
09/12/2003 14:05 Comments ||
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#6
My older brother was a shooter on the Teddy Roosevelt. Dad says that he was looking the wrong direction and almost lost his head to a plane wing. He always liked the stupidly dangerrous jobs. He did another tour as a flight instructor. The only thing more dangerous than allowing an inexperienced pilot shuttle you around is to make that same mistake on a daily basis.
I made a 6 week Midshipman cruise on the Saratoga years ago. Never went on the flight deck, as the air intake on the A-7's made me nervous.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/12/2003 14:27 Comments ||
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#7
Never went on the flight deck, as the air intake on the A-7's made me nervous.
But those things looked really great with the blunt nose right above the intake. Like a flying truncheon with which to beat the enemy senseless. :)
#8
They looked like an aviation version of a great white shark.
I have never heard of an arresting wire failure. I know that they are disposed of over the side after a certin number of traps (I thought the number of was three.)
The Navy used to use a synthetic line for deck handling that was equally scarey. We had to see a film every year about the dangers of Synthetic Line Snapback. The line would snap under pressure and explode in the opposite direction of the tension. The flick showed where the kill zone of the line was. At the end of the flick the narrator was fianlly shown below the waist and of course being a victim of snapback had prosthetic legs. Kind of chilling and made you very careful on deck when lines were being handled.
The Navy has since moved to a different synthetic cord that has no snapback. When it parts it just falls directly on teh deck. Technology is a good thing.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/12/2003 20:37 Comments ||
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The crew of a Navy spy plane that landed on Chinaâs Hainan Island in April 2001 after colliding with a Chinese fighter jet did not destroy all classified materials aboard, and it is "highly probable" that some fell into Chinese hands, Navy investigators concluded. This was nothing a well placed cruise missle couldnâve fixed...
The report, which was released in response to a Freedom of Information Act request by Janeâs Defense Weekly, blamed the Chinese fighter pilot for the collision and did not fault the Navy crew for failing to complete the destruction of classified information aboard the EP-3. Specifics about the classified materials were deleted from the released version of the report, and the report did not address the possible impact of any compromise of official secrets. "The destruction of classified material was accomplished while the aircrew was probably still in shock from the aircraft collision and the subsequent rapid descent of the aircraft and with very little time prior to landing," the report said. Good work guys/gals... way to keep your heads...
Ever been in a falling airplane?
It also found that "destruction of all classified materials onboard did not occur," and concluded that "compromise by the Peopleâs Republic of China of undestroyed classified material on PR-32 is highly probable and cannot be ruled out." PR-32 was the mission designation of the U.S. plane. Itâd be interesting to learn what we lost... guess weâll read about it 50 years from now.... sigh...
After the Chinese F-8 fighter struck the Navy planeâs No. 1 propeller, causing the U.S. plane to shake violently and snap-roll to the left at about a 140-degree angle of bank, the aircraft commander gave the order for the crew to prepare to bail out. Procedures do not require that destruction of classified material begin in that situation. After the No. 1 engine was shut down and the plane became more controllable, the crew was directed to "prepare to ditch," meaning they would stay with the plane as it attempted to land. Although not required at that point, the crew began to destroy classified material, the report said. Some material was jettisoned out a hatch, and equipment was smashed with an ax and other hard objects, such as metal containers. Upon landing on Hainan Island, some of the remaining classified papers were shredded.
Having been in a near-identical position once myself — a P2V, rather than a P3, a 37mm round through the wing rather than a busted propellor — I can't find any fault with their reactions. Once you've got your parachute on and you're watching the ground (or water, in this case) come closer at a rapid rate, you're not thinking real seriously about the paperwork. The cipher gear's the important stuff, and I imagine that was scrubbed first thing.
Posted by: ----------<<<<- ||
09/12/2003 9:56:31 AM ||
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#1
Two questions--
1.--Don't crews have something akin to a thermite grenade or any flammable liquids to help destroy such equipment and material before it can be captured?
2.--Is this the first instance of the Chinese getting US military secrets without going through the Clintons?
Posted by: Dar ||
09/12/2003 12:58 Comments ||
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"Don't crews have something akin to a thermite grenade or any flammable liquids to help destroy such equipment and material before it can be captured?"
For land based equipment, yes. A guy I used to work with told me they had thermite blocks on equipment racks in case they were over-run(Don't ask what or where). But, never, never on a aircraft. Too big a risk of accidental ignition.
Posted by: Steve ||
09/12/2003 13:10 Comments ||
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#3
I thought we knew that already. I seem to remember reading about it. Not what we lost, but that they weren't able to destroy everything.
#6
I don't think so. We've been flying this sort of mission for better than 50 years. The Russians used to fly up and down our coasts, too, and probably others I don't know about. All flights are in international waters, and for the number of flights flown there have been only the smallest number of incidents. The Chinese broke the rules and they've probably been expecting one of their platforms to "have an accident" ever since.
And the amount of loss probably wasn't that enormous. We don't use thermite on planes, but we do use things like water-soluble paper and modularized equipment that gives you nothing when one of the modules has been dropped overboard.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/12/2003 21:26 Comments ||
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#7
TGA! Shame on you! Do you believe we'd actually risk people to slip the Chinese some bad data? No, a thousand times no! The US doesn't act that way. Now, I DO know of a couple of instances where certain "packages" went astray, and it caused a certain group to waste more than seven years trying to do the impossible, but that was 'somewhere else', he, he he...
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/12/2003 21:30 Comments ||
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VIENNA, Austria (AP) - After days of intense lobbying by the United States, diplomats appeared likely to set an October NovemberDecemberJuly 2010 deadline for Iran to prove it is not trying to make nuclear weapons.
Ahead of Fridayâs meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agencyâs Ministry of Silly Walks board of governors, Iran warned it will not accept any deadline that carries the possibility of future U.N. Security Council involvement.
But diplomats said that by late Thursday, more than 20 members of the 35-nation board had indicated they would vote in favor of the resolution, with an unknown number besides France likely to abstain. "Do we have to make a decision? Euuh, gross!"
Russia, whose vote carries substantial political weight, had initially opposed the concept of a deadline but now was leaning toward abstaining instead of opposing, said the diplomats. China was also expected to abstain, though a member of the Chinese delegation said it was still awaiting instructions from Beijing on how to vote.
A meeting of the board resumed Friday after being suspended Wednesday to allow the 35 member nations to meet informally. They were expected to vote on a U.S.-backed resolution urging Iran to essentially disprove by October that it is running a covert nuclear weapons program. The United States and its allies have used the two-day suspension to lobby other countries for support.
While not outlining consequences, the resolution sets up the possibility of U.N. Security Council involvement. That would happen if the board rules at its next meeting in November that Iran ignored IAEA demands and was not complying with part of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. Diplomats said the document might be weakened slightly, with sentiment growing to strike a key word. The resolution originally called on the board to arrive at ``definitiveââ conclusions about Iranâs program at its November meeting. Now, the diplomats said, most board members were leaning toward dropping that word over U.S. objections. My, the French have been busy beavers, havenât they?
The U.S.-backed push for a deadline got a boost after the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency came out in support of it earlier in the week, saying he favored ``an immediate disclosure of all nuclear activitiesââ on the part of Iran. Reflecting the concerns driving America and its allies, IAEA Director General Mohammed ElBaradei, in separate comments, warned that he and his agency might soon be unable to verify whether Tehran was diverting nuclear material into a weapons program unless Iran quickly agreed to fully cooperate. Those fears, expressed at a closed session of the board meeting, were relayed by diplomats present.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/12/2003 9:47:53 AM ||
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#1
tick tock...
Posted by: .com (Abu This RoP⢠Asshats) ||
09/12/2003 12:02 Comments ||
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Simple equation. What is worse: (1) UN does nothing and Israel destroys nuclear sites creating fallout.(2) UN puts pressure on Iran to dismantle program.
I guess it depends on if you live downwind or not.
#3
While not outlining consequences, the resolution sets up the possibility of U.N. Security Council involvement.
Then this doesn't mean diddly-squat. Iran ain't gonna give a shriveled turd anyway, but a demand made without a clearly defined consequence for not meeting that demand isn't going to carry any weight. At least, not where it counts. And then there's another largely ineffective element, the UN Security Council.....
#4
Yank - In your wildest dreams you don't believe the Black Hats will voluntarily dismantle, do you? I'll wager on "Not a Chance" - and give you 10-1 odds for the UN horse. UN. Pfeh. It only works when the UNSC is united (rarer than verified Elvis sightings), the US agrees to foot the bill, and ... Aw fuck it. It doesn't work - and hasn't worked in forever. What works is following our own foreign policy. Everything else is just fluffing the limp lolly.
Posted by: .com (Abu This RoP⢠Asshats) ||
09/12/2003 12:43 Comments ||
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#5
After all these kind of things have been so effective in N Korea... oh.. wait...
The UN wont do anything no matter what.
Tell them if they dont behave they will have to take...france...
#6
Ooooooooo...a deadline! Is this a deadline for when they will be extending the deadline or the first deadline in a series of deadlines they'll need when the Iranians tell them to go fuck themselves and they won't want to look like the useless saps they are?
#7
I think Iran would play the Saddam game of bait and switch and Israel will bomb the sites anyway. The real hope is that with enough international noise the student movement in Iran might gain some traction, overthrow the Mullahs, and end the problem for good.
Oh, and the question is what people will vote for in the UN, not what Iran will actually do. The UN has had many votes that were not based on reality. They might want to set up an Oil for food program with Iran and everyone get get rich while the Mullahs hide their WMD.
#8
As a US taxpayer, I want to see a UNSC resolution to assign a rotating intimidator who has to mass 200,000 troops on the border of prospective nuclear poliferator in the middle of the desert summer to convince the perpetrator to accept inspections.
Can Canada be assigned the next poliferator, please? ... Anybody listening?
Russia would like the deadline to be two years out or so. They still have quite a bit of construction to accomplish. None of these three month push-push deals. They can't have this weapons program up and running in less than 8 months. Stop pushing. They need more time.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/12/2003 21:05 Comments ||
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#9
"Russia, whose vote carries substantial political weight, had initially opposed the concept of a deadline but now was leaning toward abstaining instead of opposing, said the diplomats. China was also expected to abstain, though a member of the Chinese delegation said it was still awaiting instructions from Beijing on how to vote.
Well, duh. They both want to see:
1) If the US can support another major
operation without the UN. (Who will, as
pointed out earlier, be setting "Final"
deadlines into the year 3999.)
2) Russia's blood bath in Chechnya will continue
to be page 31 news.
3) China will wait until it knows for sure the
US is at it's operational limit before
launching on Taiwan. (I wonder why it hasn't
happened already.)
4) Neither of them will send troops to support
any actions anyways.
Solution: As previously stated. Don't sweat them
silly Iranians. The world will know
when they've gone to far, before the
Israeli jets land back at their home
base.
Israel...you gotta love'em. They're like (in bad
Mexican/Jewish accent)
UN? We don't need no stinkin' UN.
...and them the problem is solved. (No
Frogs required.)
Posted by: Paul ||
09/12/2003 22:48 Comments ||
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Attackers hurled a hand grenade and fired rifles at pro-Yasser Arafat demonstrators in this Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, injuring 15 people, a Palestinian official said Friday. Ah, the fabled Palestinian solidarity.
Col. Khaled Aref, a senior official of Arafatâs Fatah faction, said three of those injured during a Thursday night march in support of the besieged Palestinian leader were critically wounded. No group claimed responsibility for the attack, but Aref blamed it on a rival Muslim group that had previously fought with Arafat loyalists. About 400 people took to Ein El-Hilwehâs narrow alleyways in southern Lebanon upon hearing of Israelâs threats to expel Arafat from his West Bank headquarters. "With our soul, with our blood we redeem you Oh Arafat," the protesters chanted. When the crowd reached the campâs Safsaf neighborhood, a hotbed of Palestinian Muslim extremists, attackers threw a hand grenade and fired automatic rifles at them. "Stop that chanting, Iâm trying to sleep, Dammit!"
The crowd dispersed after the attack. "Run away Disperse! Disperse!"
Early Friday, the situation was tense with armed Muslim militants on Safsaf street corners and gun-toting Arafat loyalists outside their offices throughout the camp. Sounds like any other normal day in El-Hellhole.
Ein El-Hilweh, on the outskirts of the southern port city of Sidon, has been the scene of frequent bombings, assassinations and shootings involving Palestinian factions vying for the campâs control. Thatâs why we call it Ein El-Hellhole.
Lebanese troops man checkpoints outside the camp, but do not enter. "Are you nuts, I ainât going in there."
Aref blamed Thursdayâs attack on followers of Muslim militant leader Abdullah Shreidi, who died in July from wounds sustained in a May assassination attempt. A long slow painfull death, I might add.
Shreidi led the extremist Usbat al-Nour faction, an Islamic fundamentalist group that split from the radical Usbat al-Ansar group, which is on the U.S. list of terrorist organizations. His shooting in May sparked fighting between supporters and Arafat loyalists, killing eight people and wounding about 30 others.
And a wonderful time was had by all. Except for the dead guys.
Posted by: Steve ||
09/12/2003 9:00:44 AM ||
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Wow, they hurled the grenades and fired the rifles - instead of the other way around. Pretty hard to keep all that hi-tech stuff in mind when taking to streets and redeeming and vying and dispersing and splitting off into factions and everything.
Posted by: .com (Abu This RoP⢠Asshats) ||
09/12/2003 10:32 Comments ||
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#2
this sort of frivolity and leisure activity should be encouraged - keeps em off the Israeli streets
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/12/2003 12:46 Comments ||
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#3
Good point! Should we make random night drops of small arms at regular intervals around the camp - sorta like an Easter egg hunt a Ramadan Eid gift?
#6
Steve - So how about dropping a tight formation of half-ton pallets of Qu'urans? We can explain that we forgot to remove the protective heavy plastic wrapping? I'm trying to be constructive here. Just saying no, nope, no good, isn't helpful! Sheesh! 8-)
Posted by: .com (Prez for Life - My Isles of Langerhans) ||
09/12/2003 15:02 Comments ||
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#7
It must be a bitch to be a Lebanese and to watch these yokels run rampant in the north; the Hizbullah yokels run rampant in the south; and the Syrian troops running rampant wherever they choose...
_________borgboy sez it must be the 'Will of Allah' pbuh
The United States wants to hold most of the inmates of a US prison camp in Cuba for the duration of the war on terrorism instead of trying them before military tribunals, Defence Secretary Donald H Rumsfeld said. The 660 or so men held at the Guantanamo Bay naval base are imprisoned not as punishment but âto keep them from going back and fighting again and killing people,â Rumsfeld said Wednesday. He said most would be held until what the United States describes as the global war on terrorism is over — a fight that Rumsfeld has said could last years, if not decades.
Too bad. So sad...
The defence secretary said he expects some suspects to be tried before military tribunals but prefers that most continue to be imprisoned indefinitely. âOur interest is in not trying them and letting them out,â he said in a question-and-answer session after a speech to the National Press Club. âOur interest is in — during this global war on terror — keeping them off the streets, and so thatâs whatâs taking place.â
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
09/12/2003 00:22 ||
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If there is any possibility of a nutso Democrat (I am not referring to one in the vein of Truman or Kennedy) then the people at Guantanamo should get a speedy trial and be shot. One of the nice things about the US system is that there is plenty of time between election and the new President taking the oath and assumming command. :-)
#8
raptor - I think he was referring to Cuba/Castro/Expanding Gitmo?
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/12/2003 14:05 Comments ||
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#9
No offense Super Hose, but I don't suppose you've ever considered the irony of day after day pounding on how "oppressive" the Islamic nutcases are about everything from liquor to porn to women's rights WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY endorsing the misguided "war on drugs", have you?
If you honestly believe that all adults have the INHERENT right to make decisions for themselves, then your support of the "war on drugs" backs you into a bit of a corner, doesn't it?
#10
I'm kind of wondering what will happen when a hurricane cuts across Southern Cuba. Do they have walls at Gitmo or are they still in chain-link fence cells?
I understand the libertarian position on drug use and don't disagree with it in principle.
There are some folks in the drug trade and the illegal arms trade and in organized crime in general who have debased themselves to such levels that they no longer belong in society.
A human who would dismember another human for profit, religion or "honor," cannot be allowed to exist in the society with my children and your children. In Dostevesky's days they were sent to Siberia without opportunity for reprieve.
Works for me. An Aleutian island would do just fine. The society this group of refuse decided to form once they were collected in such a place is of no concern to you and me. It is between them and their God.
I see no possiblity of my plan being adopted so a Super Max or Gtmo is fine by me as long as the humanity of the guards is no debased by having to deal with them.
I am not a fan of the death penalty because I think it plays into the hands of the killers. Why should I dirty my soul with a killing of human excrement. The dismemberers should be sent away and forgotten.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/12/2003 20:53 Comments ||
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#12
Yank, I read somewhere that the "dog kennels" were emptied months ago. All the Gitmo jihadis are now indoors.
Separatists in Chinaâs Muslim northwest are getting help from international terrorists, including instruction in âseveral training camps in Pakistan,â the regionâs Communist Party secretary said on Thursday. Wang Lequan, who also is a member of the partyâs top-level Politburo, said the government is winning the battle against forces that oppose Beijingâs rule in the Xinjiang region. But he said the efforts are hampered by assistance from terrorists abroad. âWe are fighting hostile forces that are trying to undermine stability in China,â Mr Wang said at a news conference for visiting foreign reporters. âWe have found some training camps in Xinjiang after the September 11 incident, but not many,â he said. âThe religious extremists in this population are a very trivial number.â Mr Wang said the Taliban helped train many of the Xinjiang separatists. He identified Pakistan as a place where assistance continues. âThey have several training camps in Pakistan,â he said, without elaborating.
I don't think he had to. I wonder if the Paks will take the hint or try to lie to the Chinese like they do to us?
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
09/12/2003 00:12 ||
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Making friends everywhere. Keep it up - I don't think you've pissed off the Tierra del Fuegans yet...
#2
the government is winning the battle against forces that oppose Beijingâs rule in the Xinjiang region
I believe that. I doubt the Chinese will pull any punches, if push comes to shove.
Posted by: Rafael ||
09/12/2003 0:53 Comments ||
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#3
Bout time we heard from the Eastern front.
We're winning the battle over a trivial number of extremists. That's one to buck up one's spirits.
It will come to shove. Who would have ever thought one possible future is the US, Russkies and Chicoms joining forces to fight a common enemy, nazis in turbans?
#4
Better in China than Afghanistan. Not that I'm advocating that as a strategy, no...that would be...bad...
Posted by: Brian ||
09/12/2003 2:42 Comments ||
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#5
Hard to pick a side between the tight turban tops or our little asian buddies.
Posted by: Douglas De Bono ||
09/12/2003 9:19 Comments ||
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#6
I'd go with the little Asian buddies, where pragmatism keeps raising its ugly head no matter how many times they try to whack it.
A "pragmatic" Islamist uses black powder because there's no C4 available.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/12/2003 11:26 Comments ||
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#7
I don't think you've pissed off the Tierra del Fuegans yet...
Don't be so sure. There was the little matter of a bombing in Argentina several years ago that an Iranian diplomat is supposed to have been a part of. I'm sure some of the others with him were Paks. Argentina and Chile "share" Tierra del Fuego. I doubt the Argentines are terribly fond of turbans, regardless of color.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/12/2003 12:34 Comments ||
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#8
Ok, ok... well, uh, um, what about the far flung Isles of Langerhans, huh? Peace reigns there, I betcha. ;-)
Posted by: .com (Abu This RoP⢠Asshats) ||
09/12/2003 12:46 Comments ||
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#9
Are there any Islamist explod-a-dopes on Easter Island? Or Pitcairn?
There's a thought for ya...
Posted by: Ed Becerra ||
09/12/2003 13:36 Comments ||
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#11
Or Krakatoa, oh wait... that was a splodeyisland I guess. I'm sure that proves something, though I haven't a clue what. Maybe it means that even islands can become insane. Or that they get religion and it kills them. Or something.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has named parliament speaker Muhammed Naji al-Otri as the country's next prime minister. State news agency, SANA said Otri's appointment came after President Bashar accepted the resignation of the cabinet of Prime Minister Muhammed Mustafa Miro. President al-Assad asked the outgoing government, formed in December 2001 to "quickly complete the outstanding tasks on its agenda until a new government is formed," SANA said. The president had hinted at the change of guard last month, stating that pushing through reforms would be the main task of the new cabinet he planned to form. Wednesday's change of prime minister is the first since al-Assad took office in 2000, succeeding his late father, Hafiz al-Assad.
Now the question becomes whether the new gummint will make any changes. The Boy President's actually been making noises about a multi-party Syria...
Economy Minister Ghassan Rifai had earlier said he wanted to accelerate the pace of economic reform, but added that Syria did not intend to plunge into privatization as it reformed the state-dominant economy. "We need to be faster. We need to be more courageous. We need to cut down on the paperwork," Rifai said.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
09/12/2003 00:09 ||
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This guy strikes me as being just about as relevant in Syria as the Palestinian PM is in his particular sphere of non-influence. Am I missing something?
Israel's security cabinet on Thursday agreed in principle to expel Palestinian President Yasser Arafat from the region. Palestinians, led by none less than Arafat himself, reacted to the Israeli decision with unrestrained rage. Palestinian prime minister-delegate Ahmad Qurei shelved efforts to form a new government, saying Israel's decision will "blow up" the entire region. "This step undertaken by the Israeli government is a dangerous act that threatens every opportunity for peace," he said in a statement. Thousands of Palestinians rallied to the veteran leader's compound in the occupied West Bank city of Ram Allah late on Thursday. Arafat vowed to stay put in his headquarters as Palestinians poured onto the streets of cities across the West Bank and Gaza Strip after word spread he would be expelled. "You are brave people, my loved ones. Abu Ammar is staying here," he said, using his nom de guerre while blowing kisses to the masses who had gathered. Members of Arafat's Fatah movement urged civilians to remain around the clock outside of the president's headquaters to protect him from any Israeli attempt to remove him.
Toldja so. Watch attention switch from Hamas to Yasser, as he basks in the adulation of his boomers people...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
09/12/2003 00:09 ||
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Another day, another Palestinian hissy fit.
Did he do a rendition of Sally Field's "You Love Me!" speech, too?
Posted by: Baba Yaga ||
09/12/2003 1:19 Comments ||
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Posted by: Mike ||
09/12/2003 6:28 Comments ||
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#3
Having hundreds of people hanging around the entrance to the office means that the entire Force 17 will have to be on guard to protect Arafat from being harmed by either one of the unhinged or from just getting tired and cracking his skull when he falls. This probably makes organizing terrorist attacks marginally more difficult and getting intel on future attacks marginally easier.
#4
Just like a tramp metal magnet or a sediment trap. Good show, Arafish! Thanks for the tactical advantage!
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
09/12/2003 8:56 Comments ||
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#5
I think that the idea of announcing Arafat's impending removal without doing it is a way of saying to him, "The next suicide bomber will finish you off." The Israelis will leave him alone until one more homicide bomber detonates. Then he's outtahere.
Posted by: Arnold Kling ||
09/12/2003 9:12 Comments ||
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#6
Quick, how fast can the IDF put up a fence to contain them? Clearly these are the fools who support arafat, and therefore terrorism...
#7
Time for some heavy metal and humongous speakers, totally surrounding the compound. Play it at about 230 decibels for several hours, then go in and wrap the squirming, screaming bodies in blankets and take them to an interrogation shelter. NOBODY will offer any resistance.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/12/2003 11:11 Comments ||
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#8
OP - When I hear refs to this tactic it always brings to my mind the funniest Bruce Willis bit I ever saw, from The Last of the Boy Scouts. He's ex-Secret Service and these bad guys have him tied up in a chair. One of them is hitting him in the face as hard as he can, but Willis' character hardly bats an eye. In frustration one of them asks what it takes, what causes him real pain. He says, "Play some rap music." I second that opinion.
Posted by: .com (Abu This RoP⢠Asshats) ||
09/12/2003 11:26 Comments ||
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#9
Hmmmm...wonder if some sneaky Israeli will start rumor that an Israeli force is coming for Arafat,and while all the good citizens rush to protect Arafat,those tricky Israelis go after someone else without having to worry about civilians getting in way."Be vewy,vewy quiet,I'm hunting Hamas"
Posted by: Stephen ||
09/12/2003 15:45 Comments ||
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#10
Mossad should spread rumors of a Pal civil war. That Arafat has been providing info to help Israel target Hamas members and Hamas wants him dead.
If that doesn't get the shooting started Israel can use a sniper to take out Arafat and blame it on Hamas.
Three brothers have hacked to death their two sisters in Jordan, a day after parliament rejected an amendment that stiffens sentences for people convicted of so-called honour killings. The brothers killed their sisters, aged 20 and 27, in the capital of Amman earlier this week using axes to âcleanse the family honourâ, according to officials on Wednesday.
Squeaky clean now, ain't it? Except for having three idiot murderers in the family, of course, but that doesn't count...
A Jordanian official confirmed a report in the English-language Jordan Times that said the incident occurred after the younger woman fled home to live with her sister who had wed a man without her familyâs knowledge two years earlier. The deaths raised to at least 12 the number of women murdered by relatives to reserve the âfamily honourâ.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
09/12/2003 00:09 ||
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And here's the lesson, ladies - be sure to snuff the male relatives before moving out.
#2
Whetever happened to "Thou shalt not kill"? No such thing in Islam? Or do they get a different version?
Posted by: Rafael ||
09/12/2003 1:01 Comments ||
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#3
Rafael, I don't think it's considered a bad thing if it is because someone has offended your sense of honor. Especially if the offender is someone who they consider property or subhuman in the first place.
Posted by: Baba Yaga ||
09/12/2003 1:46 Comments ||
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#4
The deaths raised to at least 12 the number of women murdered by relatives to reserve the âfamily honourâ. I'm confused( but that happens a lot ), is that twelve this year, since the dawn of time, or just maybe this week
Posted by: Someone who did NOT vote for William Proxmire ||
09/12/2003 6:06 Comments ||
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#5
The article goes on to state "Activists said parliamentâs rejection of the new law gave men âa licence to killâ their female relatives.
âAfter they rejected it in early August, three women were reported killing in 10 days. This is surely not a coincidence,â an expert was quoted as saying."
Plus two for the gene pool. I imagine these fellers will get a hefty fine (seems they've already performed their community service).
We in the West have lost this kind of spirituality, because of our unhealthy preoccupation with earthly matters like economics and hygiene. Obviously we judge other cultures too quickly and against our own biased standards.
Et cetera.
Posted by: Mark IV ||
09/12/2003 9:05 Comments ||
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#6
Barbarism and depravity defined... legally.
Posted by: .com (Abu This RoP⢠Asshats) ||
09/12/2003 11:57 Comments ||
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The last serious rival to Russia's preferred candidate for Chechen president has been barred from standing in presidential elections. Businessman Malik Saidullayev said on Thursday the Chechen supreme court ruling was inspired by Kremlin officials who want to ensure victory for Akhmad Kadyrov. Saidullayev said: "We will appeal to the Russian Supreme Court in the next few days. We will get the explanation for the ruling tomorrow." The main opponent to Kadyrov, Saidullayev was the only serious alternative in the presidential race after the withdrawal of three other contenders. One of these, Aslanbek Aslakhanov, Chechnya's lone deputy in Russia's lower house of parliament, announced he was quitting the race only a few hours earlier. Kadyrov was also indirectly accused by Saidullayev of using murder and kidnapping to intimidate his supporters. The candidate's team said armed people with portraits of Kadyrov pinned to their breasts had shot dead on Tuesday the son of one of Saidullayev's main election campaigners.
If I was going to send my myrmidons to assassinate somebody, I don't think I'd have them pin my picture to their shirts. But then, I'm not a Chechen...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
09/12/2003 00:09 ||
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#2
Main Entry: myr·mi·don
Pronunciation: 'm&r-m&-"dän, -d&n
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English Mirmydon, Latin Myrmidon-, Myrmido, from Greek MyrmidOn
Date: 15th century
1 capitalized : a member of a legendary Thessalian people who accompanied their king Achilles in the Trojan War
2 : a loyal follower; especially : a subordinate who executes orders unquestioningly or unscrupulously
Opinion by Shaheen Chughtai, al-Jazeera
After the United States overthrew the Taliban in Afghanistan and then ousted Saddam Hussein in Iraq, President George Bush assured his compatriots the world was a safer place. But two years and two foreign wars after 9/11 triggered Bushâs War on Terror, Americans do not feel safer, according to a US survey. While US troops are busy fighting âterrorâ abroad, their compatriots are often terrified back home.
Actually, we're not, usually. In fact, I'd say our attention span's short enough that we're coming to feel overly secure again, much more interested in Ben and Jen and Britney's honkers than in Zarqawi, Binny, the ayatollahs or Sheikh Yassin...
Worse still, Bushâs so-called War on Terror is creating more hostility, thus raising the risk of attacks against the US â a catastrophic policy failure.
The alternatives aren't something the rest of the world would like. I suppose we could give Osama a nice group hug, assuming we could find him, and tell him all is forgiven, but he (or his successors) would keep trying to kill us all because we don't wear turbans and our wimmin are free to drive around in cars, drink beer, get laid for recreation, and even hold opinions. That'd never do. The other alternative would be to briely raise the temperature in Mecca and Medina to 4000 degrees (Fahrenheit or Celcius, it wouldn't matter to the recipients, would it?) and slaughter all the turbans we can find. Because we, unlike our adversaries, are a civilized people, we don't want to do that. Instead, we follow a middle ground, trying to defeat the actual perpetrators of actions of terrorism â notice there aren't any quotes around the word â without killing too many innocent by-standers. If you don't like it, that's really pretty tough. Buy yourself a turban and get in line.
Many Americans remain fearful because they are sceptical the battle against global terrorism will end soon, says Professor Robert Shapiro, a specialist in public opinion and mass media at the University of Columbia, Massachusetts. âThe $86 billion that (President George) Bush just asked for â thatâs not for a quick fix,â he says.
"It's not a sprint, it's a marathon." Rumsefeld said that, a month after 9-11-01.
âAnd there are reminders. At the airport, train stations, you see things you didnât see before: heavily-armed police at public events, like concerts.â
That's because wild-eyed homicidal maniacs attacked us two years ago and killed a few thousand of us. Forgot, did you, Robert?
Such disturbing novelties help explain why 75% of US citizens think the world is more dangerous than it was a decade ago. That is sharply up from 53% surveyed by the Washington-based Pew Research Centre a few days before the attacks on 11 September, 2001.
Comes as a surprise, huh? (Where do they get these people?)
Similarly, the proportion who believe the US is more likely to face a biological, nuclear or chemical attack jumped from 51% to 64%.
Since they Bad Guys are assiduously pursuing those types of weapons, they might be justified...
Today, around 40% of Americans say they often worry terrorists may attack their country with nuclear weapons â a relatively novel concern.
In response to a relatively novel threat. Y'see, we're civilized enough not to use WMDs against people unless they use them against us first. The terrorists aren't...
âThe threat of terrorism is now part of the fabric of American life,â notes the Pew survey, titled Two Years Later, the Fear Lingers. Released the week before the second anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, it reveals three quarters of Americans fear occasional acts of terrorism are now "unavoidable".
That's because we're at war with terrorism, both as a concept and as an organized activity. When you're at war, you strike your enemy and your enemy tries to strike you. Sometimes he succeeds. Even the public recognizes that, when they're not watching the teevee...
After the World Trade Center collapsed in a swirling mountain of ash, sympathy for the United States swelled around the planet. As an editorial in Franceâs Le Monde newspaper famously declared: âWe are all Americans nowâ. But Bushâs challenging call of âYouâre either with us or against usâ has received mixed reviews. According to another Pew study â Views of a Changing World â the US has become markedly less popular in most countries surveyed.
Allow me to clutch my teddy very tight at this point and holler "Oh, no!"... There. Got it out of my system. Let's get on with killing turbans and ignore the Frenchies and their hangers-on...
Polling 16,000 people in 20 countries this summer and more than 38,000 people in 44 counties the year before, the study finds the war against Iraq has further widened divisions between the US and its European allies. A majority in five of seven NATO countries surveyed now wants greater independence in diplomatic and security matters: from 57% of Germans to 76% of French citizens. Only in Britain and Italy did the US enjoy anything like the popularity it had before.
We noticed that. Both sides are still dealing with the repercussions. Guess the world's changed, like it or not. And now we know who's against us. We're even discovering why they're against us, in a lot of cases...
Some observers dismiss what they see as superficial sentiments or crude cultural defensiveness. âThereâs a lot of anti-Americanism in Europe, a lot of jealousy,â says Dr Vernon Bogdanor, an international relations specialist at the University of Oxford in Britain. The cause, Bogdanor suggests, may be a sense that Europeans lack influence over US actions.
If it had been 3000 dead Frenchies, they'd probably feel different. If it had been the Brandenburg Gate instead of the World Trade Center, they'd probably feel different.
But Bushâs domestic critics have taken notice. Howard Dean, a Democratic presidential candidate and former Vermont governor, has blamed the president for transforming the âtidal wave of support and goodwill that engulfed us after the tragedy of 9/11â into âdistrust, scepticism, and hostilityâ.
It's nice to have good will. A pile of dead turbans is better...
For many in the Muslim world, public support for the US has been replaced by fear and loathing.
My mind must be going. I can't remember that public support, no matter how hard I try...
Anti-US sentiment used to be more restricted to the Middle East, but US popularity over the past year has plummeted among Muslims worldwide, from Nigeria (71% to 38%) to Indonesia (61% to 15%), the survey finds. Even in Kuwait, whose people were grateful to US forces for expelling Iraqi troops in 1991, more than half now fear the US could turn against them one day.
It's easy to avoid. Don't attack us. Don't harbor those who attack us. Don't finance those who attack us. What's so difficult about that concept? If you don't do that, we don't care if you make faces and jump up and down, though we might think about it next time you need help...
Dr Emad Shaheen, a political scientist at the American University in Cairo, lists three key factors that have encouraged disliking of the US in much of the Muslim world. These are the direct US attacks against Afghanistan and Iraq, support for Israel as it suppresses the Palestinian uprising, and the perception that the Bush administration is pursuing an ideological struggle against Islam. âThe War on Terror is seen as really a War on Islam,â says Shaheen. âPeople see US actions against Muslim organisations, other actors, even educational bodies, and there is a feeling of an onslaught against Islam,â he says.
Actually, it's a war on Islamism, which is a slightly different creature. There aren't any Sufi terrorist organizations I'm aware of. There aren't any Ismaili terrorist organizations I'm aware of. There are Shia terrorist organizations, and there are a rapidly proliferating number of Salafist terror machines. Guess who the enemy is?
âThey see the demeaning and dehumanising treatment of Muslim prisoners in Guantanamo Bay, they see US-made F-16s hitting the Palestinians â and how the war in Iraq was prosecuted.â
They ignore the dehumanizing treatment of Afghan citizens by the Talibs and the strutting al-Qaeda bully boys lording it over the natives. The U.S.-made F-16s retaliate against the people who kill five-year-olds in their beds. And we prosecuted the war with Iraq with special efforts not to kill any more people than we absolutely had to. But we'll never get credit for that...
The result is a damaging blow to stated US policy goals. âMore attacks against the US can be expected,â says Shaheen, referring both to resistance activity in Iraq and operations from international groups such al-Qaida.
That's because the war's not over yet, and it won't be for many years...
It does not sound like a safer world.
It's not. But it's not safer for Islamists, either.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
09/12/2003 00:09 ||
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#1
Too bad Al-Jazeera doesn't have a "right-of-reply" type deal, where they could (should) publish Fred's comments to this article. You never know, someone from that part of the world might actually learn something from the other side's opinion.
Posted by: Rafael ||
09/12/2003 0:50 Comments ||
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#2
And there are those who believe we can deal with people who's perspective on commonly shared experiences is so alien from our own beliefs! This article demonstrates that the Arabs and Muslims in the world regard good will as weakness and the inability to take direct action as morale exhaustion. Perhaps they spend alot of time with Democrat presidentail candidates.
Posted by: TJ Jackson ||
09/12/2003 1:52 Comments ||
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#3
OT : âThey see the demeaning and dehumanising treatment of Muslim prisoners in Guantanamo Bay"; typical double standards at work; in early 2002, Algeria released moroccan draftees that had been held prisoners since 1976 in desert or underground camps, w/o any legal justification. In 2003, Polisario front also made a similar release. As far as I know, muslim "public opinion" never cared much about them, nor about the dozens that still remain.
#4
The world has never been "safe" for anyone. It became much less safe 1400 years ago when the horror seed of the religion called Islam, the RoPâ¢, was invented out of thin air by a demented failing merchant "revealed" to a woman-hating tiny-dick depraved moron Mohammed, may bees pee upon him. Hell, I hope they shit fire upon him. If they don't, we will.
In typical Al Jizzwadi style, the author / apologist / propagandist who wrote this shit mongers his pathetic hope that we are terrorized. He quotes the mercantile phools, cowards, gutless turds, and self-haters who would've been killed and eaten by anything less than a free society. Blinded by his own hatred, he actually believes this pap will dishearten free people - particularly Americans.
Once again, the demented Islamists True Believers of the RoP⢠demonstrate that haven't the first clue about America. To paraphrase a poster here on 9/11, and quoting a common poster from my youth, "When faced with annihilation, defiance is the only recourse." In addition to missing this fundamental aspect of American thinking, they have miscalculated our capabilities by at least a generation. The petrified mentality of the RoP⢠is not conducive to critical thinking, as they have very recently begun to discover.
The RoP⢠has cast the Arab world in amber, turned Pakiland into the world's largest insane asylum, and imported that same insanity into Asia. It has even been imported into Europe and North America with impunity due to blindered and frightened political blundering. It has begun its insect-like work to undermine these places, as well.
On 9/11/01 it reared its ugly, barabaric, brutal, backward, regressive, sick, perverse, down & twisted head in America - and at great cost to us it nonetheless actually did us the huge favor of showing its true face of hatred and cowardice. Al Qaeda has managed, with that one act, to undermine the implacable nature of the asshat RoP⢠Islam. This dementia fervently prays for our destruction. It avidly explores ways to use our own freedoms and institutions and technologies against us, as it is bankrupt in all of these areas. It depends upon us to give in and, eventually, give up - for it is a collection of cowards who kill innocent people and cannot face us with any trace of honor.
It fears us, for we are mighty when we are resolved. It blathers about our freedoms being denied it, when it would happily destroy them were it to triumph. It cowers when we finally turn to confront it. It runs from us and hides in caves and behind the skirts of the women it enslaves. It cries out in pain when we locate a nexus of its hatred and strike back. It dies when freedom is allowed to shine. It has made war upon us of its own accord. We did not invite this hatred nor the attack upon us. Only one of them or a fool, perhaps which we have suffered in our midst in error, would believe the absurdity that we deserve this enmity.
What has begun is one of the Great Wars of Man. They have chosen the wrong opponent and have already lost, because we will never forget, nor will we ever forgive - and we are capable of destroying it to the root... and so we shall. With that tiny statement of fact, it is doomed - for the good of all mankind.
Posted by: .com (a.k.a. Abu This Asshat RoP⢠True Believer) ||
09/12/2003 5:00 Comments ||
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#5
These folks better pray that our war on terrorism works as we are fighting it. We know exactly how to make the world a safer place, and have the means to do it. We simply lack the will to turn every Arab country into a glass parking lot. So far.
Posted by: Ben ||
09/12/2003 7:03 Comments ||
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#6
"If it had been 3000 dead Frenchies, they'd probably feel different."
Not so sure. They lost 15,000 due to the heat, and they don't seem too broken up about it.
Posted by: Ben ||
09/12/2003 7:08 Comments ||
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#7
. . .They lost 15,000 due to the heat, and they don't seem too broken up about it. . . That merely reduced the welfare rolls (a good thing?)
#12
Seems to me the only difference between 9/10/01 and 9/12/03 is in 01 we nievly felt secure and safe.
In 03 we know better.
Do I fear the Islamists,no.
I am aware and wary of them as never befor,yes.
Will I cover my head and tremble in fear,no.
I will gleefully blow thier ass' away,
#13
don't give a damn if we are liked or not. we as people have not changed - except for the fact that we are now defending ourselfs. Should've of happened years ago but we had a prez more concerned with his dick and legal problems to actually deal with real and present threats.
#14
The way I see it, we're surrounded by a screaming horde of wild-eyed turbans, locked in mortal combat. Do we have time to listen to the neighbors complain about the noise and the occasional shrapnel that falls on their lawn?
Posted by: Fred ||
09/12/2003 12:03 Comments ||
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#15
I doubt seriously that the world is a more dangerous place today than it was two years ago. I do believe more of us are aware, and aware at a deeper level, just how dangerous the world is, and we've taken action to protect ourselves, our family, and out nation from that danger.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/12/2003 12:26 Comments ||
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#16
It's a terrible thought I know, but I often wonder what would have happened if the Spanish, flush with gold from the new world had continued their reconquesta into North Africa instead of fighting other Christians in Europe.
#17
Who's it more dangerous for, Shaheen? Us or you? Call Binny, Sammy, and Mullah O up on the Al-Jiz hotline and ask them how safe they feel. I'll bet they don't feel as safe as I do.
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.
