Bob Keeshan, who gently entertained and educated generations of children as televisionâs walrus-mustachioed Captain Kangaroo, died Friday at 76. Keeshan, who lived in Hartford, Vt., died of a long illness, his family said in a statement. Keeshanâs "Captain Kangaroo" premiered on CBS in 1955 and ran for 30 years before moving to public television for six more. It was wildly popular among children and won six Emmy Awards, three Gabriels and three Peabody Awards. The format was simple: Each day, Captain Kangaroo, with his sugar-bowl haircut and uniform coat, would wander through his Treasure House, chatting with his good friend Mr. Green Jeans, played by Hugh "Lumpy" Brannum. He would visit with puppet animals, like Bunny Rabbit, who was scolded for eating too many carrots, and Mr. Moose, who loved to tell knock-knock jokes. But the show revolved about the grandfatherly Captain Kangaroo, whose name was inspired by the kangaroo pouch-like pockets of the coat Keeshan wore.
#2
He was a good man, and I'll always remember watching his show growing up. It's a shame to see him go.
Keeshan did serve in the Marines, but if you heard the rumor that he served on Iwo Jima with Lee Marvin, it just ain't so. He got into the Marines in '45, but a bit too late to see combat.
Posted by: Dar ||
01/23/2004 14:36 Comments ||
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Sigh, boy, do I remember his show. Makes me feel old at how many of the people I grew up watching are gone. There's gonna be a long roll of the dead at this year's Oscars.
Posted by: Steve ||
01/23/2004 14:58 Comments ||
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#5
Mr. Green Jeans and Bunny Rabbit expressed sadness in his loss, the "Town Clown" could not be reached for comment.
Loved the Capt. A kid show that wasnt about screaming every 10 seconds.
Posted by: Frank Martin ||
01/23/2004 15:04 Comments ||
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#6
I have fond memories of watching The Captain--he came on after "Sunrise Semester" and was followed by "Romper Room." I'll take him (and Mr. Moose and Bunny Rabbit and Mr. Greenjeans and Dancing Bear) over the taxpayer-subsidized purple dinosaur any day.
Posted by: Mike ||
01/23/2004 15:46 Comments ||
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#7
I have 10,000 ping-pong ready to deliver.
Jeeeez... I was a fool for Tom Terrific and Mighty Manfred. :(
#16
Captain Kangaroo, the cereal train, and Battle Creek, Michigan. - you just new the day was lookin' up.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
01/23/2004 17:39 Comments ||
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#17
Cap'n K joins Mr. Rogers in Heaven today. And that makes Heaven an even better place to be.
Posted by: Mark ||
01/23/2004 18:47 Comments ||
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#18
This is a double blow. For any Rantbugers who lived in or around Chicago in the 1960's, Ray Rayner (WGN's Bozo The Clown and host of "Rocket to Adventure")died at the age of 84. Ray's shows were much like the Captain's, gabbing with Cudley Dudley and Garfield Goose, etc., plus showing cool serials and cartoons.
I'm 40 years old and have great memories of both Ray and the Captain. Rest in Peace, guys, and thanks.
#19
I tell ya, I wanted to cry when I heard that today, I loved watching Captain Kangaroo as a kid.
I hope he knew (and his family knows) how much happiness he gave us as children and how many fond memories today.
#21
Yup, Captain Kangaroo was one of my earliest positive non-family influences aswell - his show, along with The Rifleman (with Chuck Conners) sort of set my standards of canduct for the next 40 years.
It's funny - the single strongest memory I have is of one particular story read by Captain Kangaroo - "Stone Soup" by Marcia Brown. It laid out the story my life would take - starting off as a soldier, and then setting off to find a new way to survive. I now have a copy of that skinny book on my bookshelf, courtesy of my sister.
#22
Steve - the ones that'll really bring me down will be Clint Eastwood and Sean Connery
**knocking on wood**
but, God forbid, not soon
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/23/2004 21:30 Comments ||
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#23
Bob Keeshan was a product of Western Civilization.
He taught children to be better human beings. Yasser Arafat is a product of Islamic Culture. He teaches children to be better suicide bombers. This is further evidence of the superiority of Western Civilization.
OK, in a two horse race, no-one should expect better than even money. However seeing that Iâm a bonzer bloke, Iâll offer odds of 5/4 that the Dems will win. Any takers? (As in come in suckers)
Posted by: tipper ||
01/23/2004 10:28:18 AM ||
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You're gonna have to do better than 5/4 to get any action. Like about 7/1...
#2
Edwards is getting the women vote, so he's a strong contender. But Kerry and Dean are still in the lead. Although Deans lungs are starting to implode...
Posted by: Charles ||
01/23/2004 11:58 Comments ||
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#3
Yelling and screaming and finger-pointing cannot replace a message, and the Democratic message (higher taxes, pull out of Iraq, let the UN have control of US sovereignty, foreign policy by consensus, growth in the welfare state, more federal control of everything) does not sit well with a majority of the people. For the Democrats to win, they either have to lie, or they have to cheat, or both. I think the American people are smart enough to recognize a lie, and won't tolerate the kind of cheating that took place during the last election - or any kind of cheating, for that matter. I think the Democrat's chances of winning the presidency are about the same as a snowflake's survival in San Antonio's summer heat. I doubt they can even keep from losing a few more House and Senate seats.
RIP donkeys, you deserve it.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/23/2004 21:11 Comments ||
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An adventurous elephant has brought chaos to the morning rush hour in New Zealandâs largest city, Auckland. Burma, an Asian elephant, broke out of her zoo enclosure by dropping a log onto an electric fence early on Friday. Smart tool-using elephant
After crossing a moat, the two-and-a-half-ton animal began to roam around an adjacent public park. Looking for a beer
Although she posed no real threat to the public, police sealed off roads and access to a motorway while zoo-keepers guided her back to the enclosure.
Posted by: Steve ||
01/23/2004 9:19:47 AM ||
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#1
What's with all the elephant stories lately? Pachyderm fetishes are covered on another site. We do Paki's here, not Pachy's!
Posted by: Tom ||
01/23/2004 9:24 Comments ||
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#2
Snoop Doggy Dog's new video, from yesterday... "Elephants Gone Wild".
There has been an occasional speculation in the Sci Fi community that elephants are sapiant. They use tools, demonstrate mourning for their dead, and learn. And they drink beer. That qualifies them to be, at the very least, Aussie.
#7
"The Rantburg Chamber of Commerce, in association with the Rantburg Distillery and RantBeer, the beer that made Howard Dean lose it, present the First Annual Rantburg Pink Elephant Days Festival . . . ."
Posted by: Mike ||
01/23/2004 12:13 Comments ||
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#8
"Go back to your cage, or we will be forced to unleash the elephant-eating sheep!"
Posted by: Dar ||
01/23/2004 12:22 Comments ||
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#9
What's with all the elephant stories lately?
2003 was Rantburg's Year of the Bear; 2004 is the Year of the Elephant
The US Spirit Mars rover communicated with Earth for 10 minutes overnight, one day after suffering a serious breakdown that cut off communication. The AFP news agency reports that data sent by the rover was captured by one of the antennas of the international Deep Space Network near Madrid, Spain. Spirit had been refusing to speak to Earth, transmitting only a short beep to indicate it was still alive. The vehicle was about to drill into a rock when the breakdown occurred.
Down, but not out.
Posted by: Steve ||
01/23/2004 9:14:13 AM ||
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Silicon based life form threatened by Rover. Marvin the Martian defends himself.
#2
Reminds me of my laptop failure last year. It would beep but not boot. It may be quite a while before "Spirit" can be fixed -- NASA didn't buy Marvin's "in home service" plan.
Posted by: Tom ||
01/23/2004 9:42 Comments ||
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#3
This is encouraging news! If there is some signal still coming from Spirit, it's a likely indication of a software glitch instead of a hardware problem. The former can be patched or perhaps circumvented (by changing commands, changing order of commands, or otherwise changing parameters). The latter means Spirit may just be a million dollar pile of junk.
Posted by: Dar ||
01/23/2004 9:42 Comments ||
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#7
The AFP news agency reports that data sent by the rover was captured by one of the antennas of the international Deep Space Network near Madrid, Spain.
Nice how they make it sound like the Deep Space Network is like some sort of joint development, which it wasn't.
Yemen has revealed that it cooperated with Washington in tracking and killing a suspected Al-Qaeda leader after US satellites picked up the vibrations of the manâs voice, the Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat said on Friday. Curses, heâs revealed Project Big Ear!
It quoted Yemeni Vice-President Abed Rabbo Mansurâs comments on a missile attack on November 3, 2002 in which six Yemenis, said to be Al-Qaeda members, including one suspected of masterminding an operation against a US warship and a French oil tanker, were killed. Agents of the US intelligence agency, the CIA, fired the missile by remote control from a Predator pilotless aircraft in east Yemen, destroying the vehicle carrying the six suspects. And damm fine shooting it was.
"This special operation targeted Abu Ali, an Al-Qaeda leader ... who organised the explosion on the French oil tanker and whom we have hunted in vain for six months," said Mansour. "That is why we coordinated with the Americans ... who were able to detect and pinpoint Harithi thanks to satellites picking up the vibrations of his voice. We had no choice other than to cooperate with Washington because we donât have advanced technology", the vice-president added. He added that Harthi used several phones and constantly changed them. Ah, the vibration of his voice modulating radio waves. Had me worried there for a minute. Guess I can take the tin foil off now.
Posted by: Steve ||
01/23/2004 11:56:57 AM ||
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Yemen has revealed that it cooperated with Washington in tracking and killing a suspected Al-Qaeda leader after US satellites picked up the vibrations of the manâs voice, the Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat said on Friday.
There's a local company down the road in Sunnyvale that's working on a UAV that can track people by smell. The best counterresponse? - a bath.
(Note: you people didn't hear this information from me)
Fred, I hope you wonât mind my posting this. Itâs an attempt to draw the curtain back just a little on the Saudi mindset. The only links are those noted in the text.
There was a post yesterday and the day before about the plight of Prince Sultan who was kidnapped from Switzerland and is now being held under house arrest in Riyadh. These two posts coupled with the post of the New Yorker story by Lawerence Wright, which touched on the paranoia and mistrust common in the kingdom, reminded me of something that occurred while I was there and later how I learned why it happened.
In 1970- 1971, I was advisor to the communications branch of HQ Royal Saudi Air Force. At that time, British companies were building an air defense system under contract with the RSAF. The system consisted of radar stations located at: Dhahran, (north of) Riyadh, Taif, Tabuk and Khamis Mushayt. (Link to map .) The operation center was in Riyadh. These locations, as well as an RSAF office in Jeddah, were tied together using Tropospheric scatter and microwave radio.
One day I noticed that all operations and administrative circuits were to be routed through the manual switchboard at the RSAF operations center in Riyadh. For example, traffic from Tabuk (northwest) to Taif (west central) passed through the radio equipment at Taif to the Riyadh control center where it was patched at the switchboard to a circuit back to the switchboard at Taif. I advised the RSAF Lt Col in charge of the communications branch that this was not only a waste of bandwidth, but also created a dangerous choke point on the subtending microwave link between the Riyadh radar/tropo station and the control center. If any component of that link failed for any reason, the entire air defense system would be out of business. He thanked me for my advice and they continued to build the networks as planned.
Fast forward to 1974. A friend of mine was hired by Lockheed to oversee the day-to-day activities of the operation center. He later told me that one day in 1975 he received a call, from the same RSAF Lt Col mentioned earlier, to immediately pull all plugs from the switchboard and to allow no calls to be placed by anyone until further notice. Naturally, he caught all of the heat from angry Saudi Generals about this situation because they had no way of reaching anyone else, including HQ RSAF, where the order originated. (Most likely by Prince Sultanâs father, Prince Turki, Deputy Minister of Defense.) My friend told me he soon learned that King Faisal had been assassinated.
Shazaam! The light went on! An epiphany for me! Five years had passed before I learned why my suggestions regarding the asinine circuit routing, which had fallen on not-so-deaf ears, had been noted but ignored. Another lesson in command and CONTROL, Saudi style.
Posted by: Gasse Katze ||
01/23/2004 12:13:04 AM ||
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If you need to link back to yesterday's article, this should do it.
Posted by: B ||
01/23/2004 10:08 Comments ||
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#4
GK, that sounds simular to how Sadaam had public utilities installed in Iraq. For a despot control of services or even food distribution is critical to control. Western culture demands redundacy to prevent interuption of services(with the exception of the North American power grid - we do systems design in a direction that is 180 degrees in the opposite direction from how a despot would have the system design.
It's interesting to note that we installed a capability to program an offset into GPS during times of war in order to prevent enemies from using the system for targetting. Only problem is we can't use the offset function without screwing up commercial enterprises. We are hampered by our openness.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/23/2004 10:23 Comments ||
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The U.S. and Saudi governments yesterday announced a joint effort to crack down on four branches of a huge Saudi-based charity, charging that its offices in Africa and Asia are being used to funnel money, arms and personnel to al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations. American officials said yesterdayâs action against the Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation illustrates the increasing cooperation between Washington and Riyadh in attempts to choke off the flow of money to al Qaeda.
The stronger relationship between the two governments follows a string of deadly suicide bombings in the desert kingdom in May and November that are believed to be the work of Osama bin Ladenâs terrorist network or sympathizers. The two governments yesterday asked the United Nations to designate Al-Haramain branches in Pakistan, Indonesia, Kenya and Tanzania as terrorist organizations. Officials said the action, which will result in the freezing of Al-Haramain bank accounts in those countries, was necessary because the four governments have failed to crack down on the charity despite Riyadh and Washington having previously publicized dual crackdowns on al Qaeda financiers.
Yesterday, a high-ranking Saudi official joined the U.S. contingent for the announcement. Adel Jubeir, the skunk-like chief foreign policy adviser to Crown Prince Abdullah, Saudi Arabiaâs de facto ruler, addressed reporters at a news conference at the U.S. Treasury Department, which was led by Treasury Secretary John W. Snow and top State Department officials. "Weâre working closely with our Saudi friends," said State Department counterterrorism coordinator Cofer Black. "Iâve personally seen great improvement in the cooperation."
The two governments have often been at odds over ways to combat terrorism. The FBI complained bitterly that the Saudis dragged their feet in investigating the 1996 bombing of a U.S. Air Force dormitory that killed 19. Saudi officials said the Americans were arrogant and dismissive of Saudi cultural sensitivities. But last year, after high-level consultation between Crown Prince Abdullah and the White House, the two governments set up joint task forces in Saudi Arabia. Dozens of FBI, CIA and Internal Revenue Service agents now share offices in Riyadh with Saudi counterparts. They swap secret electronic intercepts and financial data and coordinate joint interrogation of suspected terrorists, people in both countries said. "No two countries coordinate counterterrorism efforts more closely than the United States and Saudi Arabia," Jubeir said. "At the end of the day, weâre the main targets in al Qaedaâs cross hairs."
Next to us infidels, of course...
U.S. officials yesterday released pages of declassified intelligence about Al-Haramain in the four countries. The documents allege that the charity was a major financier of terrorists in Indonesia, that a Tanzanian employee of the organization helped plan the 1998 bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa and that Kenyan employees planned assassinations of American officials. One former Al-Haramain employee in Pakistan "was identified as an alleged al Qaeda member who reportedly planned to carry out several devastating terrorist operations" in the United States, according to a statement released by the Treasury Department yesterday. U.N. designation of Al-Haramain branches will force Kenya, Tanzania, Pakistan and Indonesia to move against the high-profile foundation even though officials there have resisted doing so for some time, in part out of fear of appearing to do the United Statesâ bidding. Operating through the United Nations "gives political cover" to those nations to act against the charity, one U.S. official said.
U.S. and Saudi investigators continue to investigate Al-Haramainâs several dozen branches around the globe and are expected to announce more terrorist designations soon. The crackdown is controversial in Saudi Arabia because Al-Haramain, which takes in tens of millions of dollars a year, is "in effect the Saudisâ United Way," according to one U.S. official. Saudi officials said that under Saudi law, they so far lack the evidence to close down the charityâs headquarters in their country. Even so, earlier this month Saudi officials announced they had fired its chief in Riyadh in connection with the terrorism crackdown. Al-Haramain figured prominently in the indictment earlier this month of Sami Omar Hussayen, a University of Idaho doctoral student in computer science, on charges of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists. U.S. officials said the contracts he signed on behalf of Al-Haramain and Internet work he did for the organization were illegal, because the United States had previously designated two of the charityâs branches, in Somalia and Bosnia, as terrorist entities. That meant it is illegal under U.S. law to assist those groups.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/23/2004 12:07:04 AM ||
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"We're working closely with our Saudi friends" said State Department Halliburton paid liar
counterterrorism coordinator and Fox media flack Cofer Black. I've personally seen great improvements in the coverups/whitewashing cooperation. Then his lips fell off! Nope, nope wudn't no Saudis on them jetz what him them buildings!
Posted by: NotMike Moore ||
01/23/2004 1:27 Comments ||
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"Saudi officials said the Americans were arrogant and dismissive of Saudi cultural sensitivities."
Boy that makes me want to hurl. Bitch slap an Arab somebody. Sinsitivity!
#4
On Iraq and Afghanistan, , Bush presents a distorted picture. "The failure of democracy in those two countries would convince terrorists that America breaks down under attack, and more attacks on America would surely follow."
Yet, the use of American force in Iraq has attracted terrorism where it did not exist.
War on terrorism, yes. But not the Bush way.
A drive for democracy, yes. But not couched in dishonesty.
#5
LongLiveIsrael, filling half a million unmarked mass graves by torturing, raping and shooting 2 year olds in the head is the worst terrorism there is. Few could match Sadaam's record and not all the graves have been found.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/23/2004 11:10 Comments ||
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#6
I'm beginning to think that LLI is becoming a neoTroll. The guy/gals sentax is holding together and there is a vague logic. Since Murat stayed in the tatoo parlor too long we need a new house troll... I recommend LLI.
In June 2003 the Richmond MP, along with Bethnal Green and Bow MP Oona King compared the treatment of Palestinians in Gaza to the Nazisâ segregation of Jews in the Warsaw ghetto. Dr Tonge said at the time: "You are almost getting a situation like the Warsaw ghetto - people canât get in or out. They canât work, they canât sell anything. There is this gradual squeeze."
The boyfriend of a woman aggressively hassled outside Oceana nightclub by four young men ended his night in A&E after they smashed a baseball bat over his head. The 23-year-old plumber from Morden had been trying to defend his girlfriend when the four men turned on him. The force of the blow to his head was so powerful that the bat broke in two. His girlfriend, a 20-year-old shop manager from Morden, had been left by friends at 1am outside the popular Clarence Street club after a 21st birthday party last Saturday night. She was waiting for a lift from her boyfriend when the strangersâ car approached. The four men inside asked if she wanted a lift.
When she refused they began swearing and, after throwing a bag of chips at them in retaliation, they launched a vicious attack, punching her in the face and kicking her several times. She said: "I was petrified. I didnât stand a chance. I thought I was going to be dragged into their car. There were lots of people around but it was so busy no one could hear me screaming. They were swearing at me and telling me to get into the car. No one could see me being hit because we were out of view behind a wall. It was a miracle my boyfriend arrived when he did or I donât know what might have happened. Someone else might not be so lucky."
Staff from Oceana called emergency services. The couple were taken to Kingston Hospital where the man received stitches for head injuries. His girlfriend was left battered and bruised but the two were later discharged. The attackers are all Asian, in their early 20s and were driving an orange Fiat Punto. It is believed the incident was captured by the nightclubâs CCTV cameras. Tapes have been passed on to police.
Hat tip: InstaPundit. Edited for brevity.
For a group that holds itself up as champions of Democracy, Britainâs chattering classes sure can get their knickers in a knot with the will of the people offends their liberal sensibilities. Case in point: a recent stunt by BBC Radio 4âs Today program. As an exercise in grass-roots lobbying, Today asked its 6 million weekly listeners to propose a new law for the new year. A labour MP, Stephen Pound, was drafted to front the bill when it was all over. More than 10,000 new laws were suggested over the course of a couple weeks. Of those, five were short-listed and voted on via email and telephone by some 26,007 respondents. The results, as one wag put it, "blew up" in the face of Todayâs producers and presenters. Clearly expecting some sensible law mandating fat-free potato chips or renewed efforts to save the ruby-throated thrush of Upper Equatorial Guinea, the organizers were obviously aghast when the winner, with 37 percent of the vote, was a law allowing homeowners to use "any means" to defend their property from intruders.
The winning law quickly became known as "Tony Martinâs Law" after the Norfolk farmer who spent nearly four years in jail for killing a 16-year-old burglar who had broken into his home. Currently, the law allows the use of "reasonable force," but in practical terms it tends to weigh heavily in favor of the wrongdoer instead of the wronged, and draconian weapons laws mean homeowners are unlikely to have more than a cricket bat or soup ladle to defend themselves. Tony Martin, in a far-from-unusual act of gall, was sued for lost wages by a second burglar he merely winged. But after he heard the result, the Labour politician appeared to withdraw his support, arguing: "This bill is unworkable," as it "endorses the slaughter of 16-year-old kids." Mr. Pound was apoplectic. The bill was "unworkable," he said. "I canât remember who it was who said âThe people have spoken - the bastards,â" he quipped.
Posted by: Dar ||
01/23/2004 12:17:43 PM ||
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Gotta watch out for Mum, she's like Clint Eastwood with that soup ladle...
#2
"This bill is unworkable," as it "endorses the slaughter of 16-year-old kids."
-then by substitution, you endorse the slaughter, molestation, robbery, invasion of privacy, rape, or any other nefarious act of innocent law-abiding homeowners by 16 year old punks.
#5
The boomerang to the back of the head really hurts. It can make you choke on a fat-free UN approved veggy hotdog. I can't believe that the US is buying into that. It's going to end up as a tax on Twinkies and Mars bars with the proceeds funneled through WHO into somebody's pocket.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/23/2004 13:28 Comments ||
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#6
I am glad GK, (nice sarcasm btw) - except for Hillary, Pelosi, Kennedy, and a multitude of other douche bags who need to come back to reality.
Hambali, South East Asiaâs most dangerous terrorist until he was captured in Thailand last year, wanted to attack Australia but failed to establish a local network capable of staging bombings, it was reported here.
Bolsters my contention that it's more fun to be an Australian than it is to be a jihadi...
The Australian newspaper said CIA interrogators had put 200 questions to Hambali on behalf of the Australian Federal Police and Canberraâs spy agency, ASIO, about the intentions of the Asian terror network Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) in Australia. The responses confirmed the belief of both agencies that the JI cell covering Australia, known as Mantiqi 4, was the least developed and operationally capable of JIâs four regions, the paper said. The answers given to Austalian authorities revealed that Hambali had almost no success in establishing a local Anglo-Saxon network and instead relied on two Indonesian brothers, Abdul Rahim Ayub and Abdul Rochman Ayub.
Are both of them safe in jug now? I forget...
The one exception was alleged to be a local man who could not be legally named, but who has been under the sustained scrutiny of authorities. Abdul Rahim Ayub fled Australia in the days after the September 11 2001 attacks in the United States and remains on the run, while his brother was deported from Australia because of immigration irregularities.
I guess that's better than nothing. But it would be better if they were safe in the calaboose.
Hambali is now being held at the US military base on the Indian Ocean outpost of Diego Garcia along with two other key al-Qaeda operatives, its chief of operations Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and the confessed organiser of the September 11 2001 terrorist attacks, Ramzi bin al-Shibh, The Australian said.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/23/2004 12:59:44 AM ||
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The answers given to Austalian authorities revealed that Hambali had almost no success in establishing a local Anglo-Saxon network and instead relied on two Indonesian brothers, Abdul Rahim Ayub and Abdul Rochman Ayub.
Something to learn from this is that if one is looking for terrorists, the people to scrutinize closely are the ones that are likely to be terrorists. This means profiling. Screw all the "fairness" crap.
#2
Diego Garcia huh? I'd thought he was a Bagram boy...
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/23/2004 11:24 Comments ||
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Well, the Australian thinks so: By early September, with their lists of questions growing longer and more detailed, Australia joined Indonesia in requesting that some of its officials be allowed to sit in on interrogations about matters that directly concerned them. At that point they did not even know his whereabouts. Their request was promptly knocked back, but Australia was, for the first time, invited to submit its list of questions. Only later that month did word of Hambali's new home become known - a fortified military complex known as Camp Justice on Britain's Diego Garcia, a tiny island 1000km from any land mass.
With India to the north, Indonesia out east, Madagascar to the west and Antarctica down south, Hambali - and his two other captured al-Qa'ida cohorts Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and Ramzi bin al-Shibh - is beyond any hope of air or sea-bound rescue.
I'd wager he went to Bagram first, then was transfered to Diego Garcia. Hell, maybe everyone sent to Bagram ends up on DG. Camp Justice might just be Alcatraz South.
Posted by: Steve ||
01/23/2004 12:12 Comments ||
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I like the mental isolation being jailed on DG must provide.... it's a loooooong swim to escape lol
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/23/2004 12:24 Comments ||
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#5
... while his brother was deported from Australia because of immigration irregularities.
Oh, that such a thing could ever happen here in the US.
Posted by: Dar ||
01/23/2004 12:36 Comments ||
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#6
Lack of local support, you can't base decisions on what the pollsters tell you. He should have at least had a focus group on how to most effectively market his product.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/23/2004 13:03 Comments ||
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#7
For the necessary background information on the hellhole the Jihadis are in, known as the People's Republic of Diego Garcia, check out the link here.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
01/23/2004 13:29 Comments ||
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The outlawed terrorist organization PKK/KONGRA-GEL's leader Abdullah Ocalan apparently supports cooperation between leftist parties in the local elections. Republican Democracy Party leader Yekta Gungor Ozden, former Constitutional Court President, Independent Republic Party leader Mumtaz Soysal, the Socialist Democracy Party, the Labor Party, the Freedom and Solidarity Party, the Freedom Party and DEHAP have initiated talks to form a leftist alliance. CDP leader Ozden had supported the dissolution of DEP and OZDEP, DEHAP's predecessors, when he was the President of Constitutional Court. Ocalan, who met with his attorneys on Imrali Island yesterday, said he was glad that the leftist parties were cooperating. Ocalan regarded efforts to unify the left wing as positive. The terrorist leader said unification efforts should not only be made for the polls but for more strategic purposes and serve to democratize the entire country. Ocalan hoped for "all the leftists, democrats and Kurds to cooperate in a democratic Turkey program".
The more Ocalan sounds the voice of sweet reason, the more pressure will build from the EU to spring him. I don't know if it's an act or not. Murat might have an idea, if he's around. It probably wouldn't be the same idea as Berxwedan...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/23/2004 19:06 ||
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Fred, I don't remember reading any thing from Murat since the second round of booming in Turkey.
#3
I didn't do anything. They never stay long. It's an attention span thing. And having their arguments demolished by the commenters doesn't encourage them to stay. Next week we'll be getting bored and wishing one would come back.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/23/2004 23:13 Comments ||
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EFL
Earlier this week 20,000 women and girls clad in black sheets and headscarves topped by blue, white and red headbands, surged along the streets of central Paris, directed by hectoring men on loudspeakers, to protest the proposed French ban on the wearing of headscarves in state schools. Similar protests took place in Stockholm and other European capitals in solidarity â and, as thereâs something about wearing a shapeless sheet that renders Atkins a moot point, these gals were plenty solid. They held aloft banners on which were variations of âFrance est ma patrie; la voile est ma vie!â (âFrance is my country. The scarf is my life.â) In London, men and women protested (separately, of course) carrying signs proclaiming "secularism has failed the world" and chanting for "female dignity" and an end to "secular vanity."
The proposed ban is being condemned by many of Franceâs Muslims (there are five million Muslims in France, eight per cent of the population; the largest in Western Europe) as a form of "religious harassment." Native French see it as about time.
There are suburbs outside Paris, Lille, Lyons and other big industrial cities where Muslims make up the vast majority of the school-going population. Some classrooms may have two or three native white French girls and 19 or 20 headscarf clad Muslims. And the presence of the scarf and all that it implies in the way of religious imperialism has finally lit the tinderbox of the clash of values between the enlightened West and the bigotry of some Muslims.
First, it is divisive. Given the large majority of Muslim girls in the classrooms in industrial areas, it marks French girls whose families have lived on French soil since time immemorial, as âdifferentâ and strangers in their own country. Second, France has equality between the sexes, and wearing the scarf â in a Western secular country, as opposed to an Islamic society, where it is the norm and thus unremarkable â subconsciously gives males the advantage of not being âdifferentâ. Third, it puts the onus of male behavior onto the shoulders of girls. Who can blame a male for becoming inflamed if a girl is so bold as to reveal her hair? France considers this an unfair burden on schoolgirls.
The French government could turn a blind eye â indeed, has turned a blind eye â to the last two aspects, but it is the hijab-clad majority, with its implied criticism of native French girls as being âshamelessâ that is now being used as an excuse for young male Muslim aggression against girls, and for Muslim aggression against the host society.
In the projects where native French are very much in the minority, native French girls are being bullied into adopting the headscarf. Girls who are âboldâ enough, or disrespectful enough of the Muslim majority, are being gang-raped by Muslim adolescents on the grounds that they need a lesson. This is part of a new, rapidly developing âtraditionâ. Teaching white girls a lesson for not wearing a headscarf not only has its own argot, but there is a mobile phone ring tone associated with it, too. Small wonder that the parents of white daughters in the projects insist on them donning a scarf to leave their homes. So the aggressive fist of militant Islam reaches out to control the host community.
In any event, the issue of the headscarf is, in a sense, a phony one. It is not a religious requirement. Nowhere is it required in the Koran, which merely directs that women dress âmodestlyâ. In the suburbs of the French industrial cities, it is a cultural badge. A trademark.
Will the government surrender back down? The media interest tells me they wonât. In addition, the left has been strangely muted on the issue. I think the hijab - and the rape of western children/women who refuse to wear it, is going to be turning point in our PC views of the world. You canât have multicultural society if the groups canât coexist, respectful of others. The hijab, rightly or wrongly is quickly becoming an emotional symbol of the Muslim inability to coexist within a secular framework.
Posted by: B ||
01/23/2004 3:06:34 PM ||
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In the projects where native French are very much in the minority, native French girls are being bullied into adopting the headscarf. Girls who are âboldâ enough, or disrespectful enough of the Muslim majority, are being gang-raped by Muslim adolescents on the grounds that they need a lesson.
I still don't understand why they don't punish the rapists.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
01/23/2004 15:26 Comments ||
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--"secularism has failed the world"--
That slogan will win friends and influence people.
#3
I'm completely dumbfounded. If raping females simply for not wearing the hijab doesn't get the french populus incensed at muslims, what will!? What kind of barbaric culture creates such animals?!? The cultural bankruptcy of the arab states is moving north. Meanwhile, the french consider Israel to be the problem?!???!!!
#4
I can just about garanty(not in my pocket dictionary) if some group of thugs tried that in my neck of the woods(and the law did nothing)the perps would shortly get a visit from Mr.Vigilanty.
Posted by: Yosemite Sam ||
01/23/2004 17:25 Comments ||
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Take fifty French girls, send them to Camp Lejeune for eight weeks of close combat and small arms training, send them back to France to teach 500 others, continue as necessary.
Folks, this isn't a popular sentiment here at RB, but we MUST avoid the tempation to write off France as a casualty of war. If Western civilization is to survive, then Europe must endure, and that -- for better or worse -- means that the French must eventually save themselves. Our differences from (and disagreements with) Europe are legion, but a decadent and introspective Europe is the natural bride to the robust and practical Anglospheric groom. If Islam swallows all of Eurasia, then we are reduced to a miserable existence: a latter-day Sparta, forever vigilant but forever alone on a hostile, alien world.
This "hijab" affair may mean that the French are finally waking up. Their timidity is understandable: when the French finally say "Enough!" and act, the Arab world will respond with oil embargos while the domestic Arab population tears apart their own cities. The French will be completely vulnerable, uncertain of victory, and saddled with a defeatist fifth column.
When this happens, we must be there. We can gloat, we can say "We warned you," ... but only later. First, there will be work to do.
Sorry to ramble. Amen to everyone else's comments.
#8
An ungrateful France will get their asses saved once again by America, I'm sure, while we're being told how 'wrongly conducted' the saving was done.
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/23/2004 21:27 Comments ||
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"secularism has failed the world"
WTF???? There is not one "modern" religous state in the entire world. All the successful states are secular to a large part, from Europe to North America to Asia. The gross domestic product of New Zealand is what, ten times that of Egypt, with 1/10th the land and 1/15th the people, and a LONG way to anywhere else.
The Muslims should all be rounded up, settled in a half-dozen countries where they're most comfortable (Egypt, Saudi, Syria, Jordan, Libya, northern Sudan, etc.), and walled in, so they cannot harm anyone else. What they do to themselves is not our problem.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/23/2004 21:29 Comments ||
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In the projects where native French are very much in the minority, native French girls are being bullied into adopting the headscarf. Girls who are âboldâ enough, or disrespectful enough of the Muslim majority, are being gang-raped by Muslim adolescents on the grounds that they need a lesson.
The World-Famous Honor⢠of Moslem men.
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
01/23/2004 21:51 Comments ||
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are being gang-raped by Muslim adolescents on the grounds that they need a lesson.
Is this being accepted in a valid defense in France?
In sorting out which parts of the story told by Hamid Reza Zakeri are true, German federal police have their work cut out for them. The Bundeskriminalamt, known as the BKA, has produced Zakeri as a surprise witness in the German governmentâs troubled case against Abdelghani Mzoudi and declared that Zakeri can link Mzoudi to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. But before a five-judge panel Thursday in a Hamburg courtroom, prosecutors acknowledged that BKA agents still are assessing Zakeriâs credibility.
They can start with his name. As Zakeri cheerfully admitted during a telephone interview with the Tribune from a hotel room somewhere in Germany, the name is a phony one - bestowed on him, or so he says, during his previous years of service as an Iranian intelligence agent. Other parts of Zakeriâs story may prove harder to nail down, but also more consequential. Zakeri said the supreme Iranian leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and the countryâs former president, Hashemi Rafsanjani, both were fully informed well before Sept. 11, 2001, that a brutal attack on America was planned. "They were informed by al-Qaida," which "needed the Iranian governmentâs help," Zakeri said.
He said he knows this because he was working for a security and intelligence unit operating out of Khameneiâs office in early 2001, when Iran was visited by Osama bin Ladenâs chief deputy. Then, "four months and five days before 9/11," he said, one of bin Ladenâs sons, Saad bin Laden, turned up in the Iranian capital, met with Khamenei and Rafsanjani and gave them the details of the Sept. 11 plot. His account, he said, can be corroborated by the Iranian security agent who served as Saad bin Ladenâs bodyguard during the visit, and who now is living quietly in Najaf, Iraq.
Zakeri has much more to say: He remembers seeing Mzoudi at the Iranian intelligence headquarters "four years before 9/11." If confirmed, Zakeriâs testimony will not help the 31-year-old Mzoudi, who has denied charges that he knowingly assisted the Sept. 11 hijackers in their preparations for historyâs worst terrorist attack. Moreover, any proven conjunction between Sept. 11 and Iran would pose a challenge for the Bush administration, which has vowed repeatedly to punish any foreign government, as it did the Taliban in Afghanistan, whose fingerprints are found on the attack. The 11th-hour appearance of Zakeri, who said he is 40 years old and was born in the central Iranian city of Esfahan, has thrown Mzoudiâs trial into disarray. Zakeri, who is keeping his whereabouts a secret because he fears retaliation from the Iranian government, nevertheless insists that he is willing to testify at the Mzoudi trial, which is taking place behind bulletproof glass in a high-security Hamburg courtroom.
Dr. Ulrich von Jeinsen, a German lawyer who represents the families of some of those who died on Sept. 11 and who would like to see Mzoudi convicted, attended Thursdayâs session and said he was inclined to believe what Zakeri has to say. The BKA, von Jeinsen said, had "checked his position in the Iranian secret service, and itâs true. Now they will try to verify other details." The court will hear the results of those inquiries Jan. 29, at which time the five judges will either deliver a verdict in the case, as they had planned to do this week, or ask the BKA to provide more information about Zakeriâs assertions - and, possibly, to produce Zakeri himself.
Ali Nouri Zadeh, an Iranian-born writer for the London-based Arab newspaper Al-Sharq Al-Awsat who first interviewed Zakeri more than a year ago, has mixed feelings about the manâs veracity. "What he says is partly correct - 30 percent," Zadeh said. "Partly exaggerated - 20 percent. And 50 percent is nonsense."
Told that some German and American intelligence officials had greeted his revelations with pronounced skepticism, Zakeri replied: "I donât know why they say that. We got lots of evidence." At least some of what Zakeri said is inconsistent with known facts. Zakeri told the BKA, for example, that he had seen one of the hijack pilots, Ziad Jarrah, at a terrorist training camp in Iran in 1997, four years before Sept. 11. "I did not recognize the person then," he said. Only after seeing Jarrahâs picture in the wake of Sept. 11, Zakeri said, did he remember that "I had seen the person on the picture in Iran. ⊠I did not know his name before." However, 1997 is the year that Jarrah arrived in Hamburg from his native Lebanon to study aircraft design at Hamburgâs University of Applied Sciences. By all accounts he was the antithesis of a radical fundamentalist Muslim, spending his free time drinking, driving sports cars and living with a Turkish girlfriend. BKA interviews with Jarrahâs neighbors and fellow students suggest that Jarrah didnât become radicalized until 1999, the same year he and several of the other hijackers visited an al-Qaida training camp in Afghanistan.
Zadeh said he was able to confirm, with sources inside and outside Iran, that Zakeri did work for an intelligence unit of the hard-line Revolutionary Guards, a kind of fundamentalist counterpart to the regular Iranian Army, and then for a special security unit in Ayatollah Khameneiâs office. "Thatâs where he got his information and documents," said Zadeh, who said he has examined the documents and finds that some are genuine "and some are not." According to Zakeri, in July 2001, two months before the Sept. 11 hijackings, he visited Azerbaijan, the former Soviet republic with which the U.S. now has diplomatic relations, and gave CIA personnel at the U.S. Embassy there a letter addressed to President Bush that warned of a major impending attack on U.S. soil. Zakeri, who said he also faxed a copy of the letter to the White House, claims it described a scale model of the World Trade Center and other high-rise buildings that had suddenly and mysteriously appeared in a hallway of the Iranian intelligence serviceâs headquarters_and which he was told by a deputy intelligence minister would be the target of the attack.
In the Tribune interview, Zakeri was unclear about how much of the information he purports to possess was obtained firsthand, and how much was garnered from friends, acquaintances and other secondary sources after he left Iran. Zakeri claims a relationship with the CIA that dates from a meeting in Canada in 1992, after which he returned to Iran as an agent of the CIA - at least in his own mind. "I was thinking Iâm working for them," he said. The relationship, Zakeri said, culminated with an acrimonious meeting with the CIA and other American intelligence services in The Hague four months ago. "I told them the same story," Zakeri said. "They want me to say a different story. I said, `This is the truth that Iâm saying.â" The CIA has declined all comment on Zakeri, citing the ongoing trial in Hamburg. German news reports say Zakeri walked, unbidden, into the Berlin office of the BKA last week and proceeded to tell his story. But Zakeri claims it was the BKA that "brought me to Germany, to be a witness." He wonât say from where. "I live all over," he said. "France, Canada ⊠"
During 5 1/2 hours of questioning Monday, Zakeri told the BKA that among the al-Qaida figures who visited Iran was Saif Al-Adel, who is under a U.S. federal indictment in absentia for his alleged role in the 1998 bombings of two U.S. embassies in East Africa. According to a transcript of the BKA interview obtained by the Tribune, Zakeri identifies Al-Adel as the al-Qaida figure "in charge of the execution of" the Sept. 11 hijackings. Saudi intelligence officials believe Al-Adel, a former Egyptian military officer, gave the order - by telephone from Iran - that launched the first of several suicide bombings in the Saudi capital last May. Zakeri also told the BKA that Mzoudi, the defendant in the trial, had been "in touch with Saif Al-Adel." Mzoudi, Zakeri said, "was involved in the logistics of the operation of 9/11/01. His area of operations was to draft and send information to liaison persons, because he knew well how to handle codes."
Up to now, the case against Mzoudi has been entirely circumstantial, resting on evidence showing that he performed a number of logistical and "housekeeping" services for the principal hijackers, both before and after they left Hamburg to begin flying lessons in the U.S. In the Tribune interview, Zakeri denied news reports that he demanded money from German authorities in return for his testimony, and also accusations that he stole large sums of money from the Iranian government before defecting to the West. "Itâs not true," he said. "Iâm a poor man. Iâm living as a poor man."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/23/2004 8:26:45 AM ||
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"What he says is partly correct - 30 percent," Zadeh said. "Partly exaggerated - 20 percent. And 50 percent is nonsense." - that's pretty much the cultural norm in that part of the world. It is also why Jessica Lynch didn't recognize the heroic story of her Iraqi savior - he embellished the story. If Ahmed Washington had chocked down an olive tree in Lebanon, he would have told his dad a humongous whopper that included plagerism from the legends of Paul Bunyan.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/23/2004 12:46 Comments ||
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BKA interviews with Jarrahâs neighbors and fellow students suggest that Jarrah didnât become radicalized until 1999, the same year he and several of the other hijackers visited an al-Qaida training camp in Afghanistan. I find it unlikely that a guy who may or may not be interested in jihad is allowed to tour an AQ camp to see if matrydom might be something that might interest him. Jihadis don't have a bunch of executive search guys forwarding resumes to UBL so that he can conduct interviews at his camp.
It sounds like the IU basketball coach courting Patrick Ewing Jr.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/23/2004 12:51 Comments ||
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Jihadis don't have a bunch of executive search guys forwarding resumes to UBL so that he can conduct interviews at his camp. It sounds like the IU basketball coach courting Patrick Ewing Jr.
I think this is exactly how it works. It starts in the local mosque (school) where the Imam (coach) picks out the local prospects with talent. After he's had them under his wing for a while and determines they are properly holy, the imam calls the local al-Q executive search guy (scout). After a interview (workout) and a backround check, he'll forward his resume (transcript) up to al-Q HQ (college coach) and they'll let them know when to send him to camp. I'm sure they have a basic course (JV team) where they see if your hearts really in it. Anyone with real talent gets the full training course and gets sent into the field. Only after you've proven yourself (made Final Four), do you get to become(Draft pick)a full member of al-Q (Pro team).
Posted by: Steve ||
01/23/2004 13:23 Comments ||
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An excellent post Steve. (if that's your real name)
Are you suggesting we have a midnight Jihadi League?
I am surprised no one caught this. It was mentioned by James Taranto yesterday. Possible drink alert is in effect. A feminist still, and an actress again And someone who is still on the hook for treason IMHO
Ruthe Stein
Rumors of Jane Fondaâs retirement from movies arenât true, thank goodness. "Iâm going back to work,ââ Fonda told me in that distinctive patrician voice that makes you realize how ordinary most young actors sound. Sheâs already handpicked her first movie in 15 years. "Itâs a comedy. I wanted to do something fun,ââ said Fonda, who began her career with light-hearted fare such as "Barefoot in the Park,ââ co-starring Sundance founder Robert Redford. Wanna do something even more fun? Turn yourself in to the DoD and ask to be put on trial for treason.
I asked what it was about this movie that convinced her it was the right vehicle for her comeback. "The money,ââ Fonda said, her rich laugh filling the back room of the pizza parlor where we spoke. I think we get an idea of Janeâs personal vacuousness.
Her decision also has to do with timing, and thatâs related to Fondaâs reason for being at the Sundance Film Festival. Sheâs here to support "Until the Violence Stops,ââ a documentary about a global movement to put an end to genital violence against women. The film screened here Saturday night and broadcasts Feb. 17 on the Lifetime channel. Of course the film shows here. What better place to show it than in America, instead of where it actually takes place? Where it is safe because of our military and our free society. âDoâ a film about an atrocity then join a protest to prevent liberation of such people.
The movement developed from Eve Enslerâs "The Molestorâs Vagina Monologues,ââ which had a successful run in San Francisco. âNuff said. But you know what they say: The only good movement is a bowel movement.
"Iâm part of the movement,ââ Fonda proudly said. Did I tell you??!
"Eve changed my life. She has given me the confidence to go back to acting. Sheâs so brave, and it rubs off on people around her. Iâve begun to say, âYou know, what have I got to lose if I act again?â S -- , so itâs not perfect. So what? Itâs going to kick ass, and Iâll have a good time.â And I didnât feel that way until I met Eve.ââ Janes does rub off on you. I need a shower. Just what kind of drugs did Eve give you, Fonda?
Ensler said Fonda has given "much, much moneyââ to the movement. The actress often performs parts of "The Vagina Monologuesââ — she did "The Man Who Loved Vaginasââ segment at a Sundance party — and goes around the world for fund-raising "V-Days.ââ "Jane shows up. Itâs what she does,ââ Ensler said. Betcha the part of the world it doesnât sell are Islamic shitholes... Troy Garity, Fondaâs actor son (from her marriage to Tom Hayden), also has been at numerous V-Days. "He is a vagina-friendly young man. When people say, âImagine a world where there was no violence against women,â I always say, âMen would be like my son.â ââ I guess Troy wonât be wandering anywhere near a sports grill anytime real soon. And being âvagina friendlyâ means whatever he has, he has to strap it on.
Fonda became involved after attending her first "Vagina Monologues.ââ "I had resisted it. You know with my kind of controversies, I donât need to add vaginas and c -- . But it changed my life. I began to own my vagina, and I realized the extent to which I hadnât owned it before.ââ Congrats, Jane, on owning one of several organs in your body. Too bad your brain is taking a guided tour of your rectum.
That surprised me, considering Fonda is a Marxist feminist of long standing. "Thatâs an important thing to think about. I do fancy myself a feminist. You can be there in your head, but itâs not until you go there fully with your body that youâre really there. I feel a wholeness about owning my body now and not giving up parts of yourself for anybody.ââ My body is trying to keep my breakfast down; not easy listening to Janeâs Marxian-feministic propoganda.
With such important thoughts, it seems churlish to mention Fondaâs appearance. But I know youâre curious. She looks great, way younger than her 66 years. Fonda is so slim, she can tuck her dynamite white angora sweater into a pair of gray flannel slacks with no hint of a bulge. I will need therapy after that mental image.
Getting up to leave, Fonda put on a white jacket with an animal pattern. "Theyâre buffalo,ââ she said. "Itâs for my favorite ex-husband.ââ I assume she means Ted Turner, since the others were far from outdoorsmen. But they were all leftists.
Did any of that make any sense? Or is it just me?
Posted by: badanov ||
01/23/2004 7:49:06 AM ||
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Jane, a woman of contradictions.
She claimed to be for the peace movement- by supporting a regime that ruthlessly murdered millions.
She claimed to be a feminist - by selling herself as a sex symbol and then when she reached her sell by date at age 37, she hired capitalism's best plastic surgeons, put on a skimpy leotard and did exercies all day - so she could be still get men (and women) to pay to look at her as a sex symbol.
She claimed to be a marixist feminist - but made millions as a capitalist and gave little of it back to help the poor. When it wasn't enough, she married a filty rich capitalist, who used his empire to support the Paleo religious fanatics who treat women like dogs.
Now she claims to be a feminist who won't just give up her vagina for anybody - at the point in her life when no one wants it anymore anyways.
#7
As I stated yesterday, I have no interest in listening to anyone who wants to tell me about their privates.
With repsect to Jane this is a perfect opportunity. Wait until the new film enters production, then provide a press release to Al Jazeera stating the following: Millions of Americans Applaud as One of the Great Symbols of American Liberal Democracy comes out of Retirement. Be sure to provide the production location in the article. I expect that there will soon be many small Arab boys in teh area with ladders and AK's for some recreational 'bird hunting.'
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/23/2004 10:07 Comments ||
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Every guy I know loves 'em.
Dammit, BH, you beat me to it! ;)
The story of the Canadian deported to Syria after being denied entry into the United States continues. Yesterday, the Mounties raided a newspaper and a reporterâs home in Canada in a search for classified materials on this matter. The search and the warrants issued appear to confirm that Mr. Arar is, in fact, the subject of an ongoing anti-terrorism investigation. Found at Being An American in T.O.
EFL
The Foreign Office says the aeroplanes, to be paid for by the Global Conflict Prevention Fund, are "non-lethal". Itâs what the drop that kills people.
The move follows a row last year when the same fund was used to buy military helicopters to assist the Nepalese army to combat Maoist insurgents. Dennis Kucinich was not pleased.
Parliament has not yet been informed of the decision, which was reported in the Nepalese national newspaper. The UK Government was criticised by committees last year for "covert" use of the peace fund, which MPs called "a mistake". Rename it the âfreedom fund;â tell parliament that either an Islamic charity or Fidelity Inc. had already copyrighted âpeace fund.â
Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman Menzies Campbell told the Guardian: "Statements from Kathmandu are no substitute for informing parliament." [/righteous indignation]
But a Foreign Office spokesman said: "We donât accept that the same mistake has been made." He said Parliament would get a chance to approve the donation, adding: "The British Government is committed to supporting the Nepalese Government." He said the aircraft were "suited to search and rescue missions ", Yeah, thatâs the ticket. Weâre going to rescue them there Maoists but accepted they could assist Nepalese military operations. It is understood that the two aircraft are 9-seat transport and reconnaissance vertical-takeoff jets, suited for Nepalâs mountainous terrain. "Itâs not sufficient to concentrate on development issues," the Foreign Office spokesman said. "Maoist aggression is a problem in Nepal." Jack Straw told MPs last year that Nepalâs "Maoist terrorist groups ... are vicious beyond belief". But the Nepalese security forces have also been widely criticised for human rights abuses. What a surprise? Their attempts to put down the insurgency by beating terrorists with fluffy pillows so they get out the truncheons. Moaist sympathizers try to undercut outside help by highlighting the brutality of the reprisals aginst the terrorist attacks.
Last October Denis MacShane told the House that there was "credible evidence of human rights violations" being carried out by the Nepalese military. "Reports implicate the security forces in serious abuses such as illegal detentions, torture, disappearances, and summary executions," he said. The Foreign Office accepted that human rights abuses take place, but said Britain was pressuring Nepalese security forces to reform. Maybe the Maoists heard of the deal. BBC has Nepal Maoists may accept monarchy
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/23/2004 2:14:50 PM ||
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President Pervez Musharraf said he has "no sympathy whatsoever" for the Pakistani journalist who has disappeared since he was arrested with two French reporters convicted of violating visa rules. Freelance journalist Khawar Mehdi Rizvi was shown under arrest on state-run television soon after their December 16 arrest in southern port city Karachi, but authorities claim not to know where he is. Not looking good for our friend Khawar.
The three journalists were accused by state television of filming a fake militant training camp near Pakistanâs southwest border with Afghanistan, although this accusation was never mentioned in their trial. Fake militants? What, does this put your real militants in a bad light?
Musharraf accused Rizvi of trying to defame Pakistan by assisting the French pair in obtaining the allegedly false footage, which was broadcast on Pakistan Television (PTV). He described Rizvi as "a man contriving with the French journalists and trying to concoct a movie showing Pakistan in a bad light." So he was filming a documentary?
"Heâs a most unsympathetic man, doesnât deserve any sympathy whatsoever because he was trying to bring harm to my country and heâs the most unpatriotic man," Musharraf told CNN television in an interview from Davos, Switzerland. "He was trying to fabricate a story within Pakistan and purporting it to be Taliban activity from Pakistan and Afghanistan, I have no sympathy for him whatsoever." Rizvi, if you arenât already dead, Iâd suggest you consider relocating.
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) earlier Friday demanded that Pakistani authorities divulge Rizviâs fate and wherabouts. But Musharraf said he could not help. "I donât know where he is, Iâd like to find out where the hell he is," the president said.
Posted by: Steve ||
01/23/2004 9:55:15 AM ||
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Curious, French reporters using NYT journalism standards.
Posted by: Tom ||
01/23/2004 10:16 Comments ||
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I win! I picked him earlier in the dead pool!
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/23/2004 11:25 Comments ||
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President Pervez Musharraf said on Thursday that Pakistan was investigating a "definite possibility" that al Qaeda ordered or carried out two attempts to assassinate him last month. Musharraf survived two attempts on his life in the space of two weeks last month. The second, on December 25, killed 15 people and wounded 45. "We have unearthed a lot. We have in fact netted all the people directly involved in the action but we are trying to see who was behind them, the real links, as they say," Musharraf told reporters at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Does that mean Perv's going to jug Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azhar? Didn't think so.
"We think that yes, there is a definite possibility of some al Qaeda in the rear," he added. "We are now trying to see the linkage with our (Pakistani) extremist organisations, we need to establish that still."
I guess they're only visible from the outside, huh?
The president told politicians and business leaders that fighting sectarian and religious extremism in Pakistan was, alongside economic development, the toughest challenge he faced.
There's no difference between sectarian and religious extremism. And if you killed them, your economic development would come along much more politely.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/23/2004 12:22:45 AM ||
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Yup Yup! I'm your ally--just no peekin' in what's going on in the al Qaeda Northwest territories and everything's cool! Dubya sez "Rummie, Condi you sell that myth to the American sheeple!"
Posted by: NotMike Moore ||
01/23/2004 1:18 Comments ||
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A-Q, A-Q, look out! BTW I've been blessed with an old CD, 'Then Play On', by Fleetwood Mac. Man is good string work fun or what?
#4
NotMikeMoore - I realize the Left has to conclude that those who support the right are basically dumb but the evidence is directly to the contrary and that the intelligent are somewhere between generally and over-whelmingly right wing. A casual stroll through the blogosphere clearly demonstrates this. Academic studies are few and far between, but the subject is political dynamite in Left dominated academia. And note that academics are noticeable by their general absence from the blogosphere. All the high traffic sites are written by ordinary people.
My final argument is that I have yet to find a left-wing site that is even remotely funny, yet there are many right wing sites that are often hilarious. Rantburg being a case in point. And there are solid academic studies that show being funny is strongly correlated with intelligence.
So how do you react to the contention that being intelligent and being right wing are more or less synonomous?
Posted by: Phil B ||
01/23/2004 5:47 Comments ||
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Ahh,Mikey.Seems to me(from hearing the news)that the tribals in the NWFP have been commming down pretty hard on Al Q and thier suppoters.Must be those Paki troops that are set to sweep through the area.
Maybe you should get you news from more sources than just DU.
DPA,throw soe popcorn im the nukker,grab a beer and enjoy the show.
Members of the intelligence agencies raided a flat in a residential project in Gulistan-e-Jauhar and arrested Walid bin Azmi, a member of Osama bin Ladenâs Al Qaeda network late on Wednesday night. Sources said members of an intelligence agency raided a flat in one of the Dolmen housing projects in Block 15 of Gulistan-e-Jauhar and arrested bin Azmi, who is believed to be one of the four suspects involved in the bombing of US navy ship USS Cole on October 12, 2000. The sources said a mobile phone and Pakistani currency were recovered from bin Azmi. Meanwhile, intelligence agencies arrested another important Al Qaeda operative, Ibad Al Yaquti Al Sheikh Al Sufiyan, at Rabia City apartments in Gulistan-e-Jauhar late Thursday night. He was arrested following a lead given by Waleed Bin Azmi. Two satellite phones, one mobile phone, one laptop computer and two passports were recovered from Al Yaqutiâs possession. No details were available about the passports. Al Yaquti is a resident of Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
That comes as no surprise. And with a name that long, he's gotta be important.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/23/2004 12:20:46 AM ||
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There has been a hell of a lot of activity in Pakistan lately.
Posted by: Pete Stanley ||
01/23/2004 0:48 Comments ||
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For all we know, Musharraf may have actually decided to take the gloves off with regard to the jihadis (his survival demands nothing less) and start cleaning clocks. All these arrests have to have racked up quite a considerable number of interesting characters by now.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/23/2004 0:51 Comments ||
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Chicken or egg, though? Did Perv come down on AQ, and then AQ reacts by trying to kill him, or did AQ try to whack him and then Perv gets Well and Truly Annoyed.
My guess is this - when Perv started to investigate and jug the nuke scientists, AQ started gunning for him. After a quick change of underwear and bodyguards, Perv cranks up the 'ol Peshawar Paddywagonâ¢.
Posted by: Pete Stanley ||
01/23/2004 1:04 Comments ||
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Dan, yup... try to kill me once and it's funny, try to kill me again and I'm gunin for ya ;)
Btw, isn't this exactly what GW said he was gonna do... get our enemies to turn on eachother... Perv... Sauds... hmmm so far so good. They're stuck between a rock and a hard place... on one side they need to do PR to make it look like they're cracking down so that we don't come down on them... on the other they try to make nice and support the terrorist. The problem comes in when the PR they're doing starts cracking their unholy alliance, next thing you know they're shootin at eachother.
Pakistanâs president vowed Thursday to prosecute any scientists found to have sold atomic secrets amid growing suspicion that Pakistani experts aided the nuclear programs of Iran, North Korea and Libya.
"Le Gume, my suspicions continue growing!"
President Gen. Pervez Musharraf said his government has never exported nuclear know-how, but he said it was possible individual scientists may have sold secrets. Pakistan has acknowledged detaining "five to six" scientists and administrators for what it calls "debriefings." Most have not been released, relatives say, and no formal appearances or charges have been made in court. "Let me assure this gathering that Pakistan is an extremely responsible state," Musharraf said. "All the nuclear and strategic assets are under total custodial control. The Pakistan government has never and will never proliferate." The head of the U.N. atomic agency, Mohamed ElBaradei, said the allegations involved a "very sophisticated network of black market" operators and said he had not seen any evidence that the Pakistani government was involved.
"But then, we didn't look, either..."
ElBaradei, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said he had ideas to improve nonproliferation efforts in the wake of disclosures about Pakistan. "Clearly, it needs to be looked at," he said. "The [inspection] regime is under a good deal of stress."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/23/2004 12:19:50 AM ||
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" said he had not seen any evidence that the Pakistani government was involved."
Coming from the Deaf,dumb,and blind man himself thats make it just about a certaintiy that the Paki government(or elements within) is involved.
#2
"All the nuclear and strategic assets are under total custodial control..."
For now? Maybe.
"..The Pakistan government has never and will never proliferate."
This declaration really doesn't matter, since Musharraf himself admitted it was possible that individual scientists may have already peddled nuclear know-how. Musharraf is simply doing a little dance to avoid the snapping jaws of the crocodiles around him.
EFL, registration required General Musharraf recently banned a number of militias again because they had renamed themselves and were seen to be functioning as before. Their leaders too were supposed to be arrested but were not for various reasons. Lashkar-e-Taiba was banned again but its leader Hafiz Saeed was allowed to go free and fulminate against the policies of General Musharraf, especially the policy on Kashmir. He also boldly condemned the SAARC summit because it pledged free trade with India.
Jaish-e-Muhammad was banned again but its leader Masood Azhar, who was supposed to be under house arrest in Bahawalpur was found not to be under house arrest at all. While the police went looking for him he was reported to have taken shelter for some days with an adviser of the Punjab government. After the suicide bomber of 25 December was discovered to have been a member of the Jaish, the being at large of Masood Azhar should have been of great concern.
The militia most closely aligned with Al Qaeda and the Taliban, Harkat al-Jihad al-Islami, was never banned for some reason, but its leader Qari Saifullah Akhtar was too endangered to stay in Pakistan and was currently housed in Saudi Arabia in the protection of a prince.
General Musharraf is right when he says that threat to Pakistanâs security was from within Pakistan. People with close links with Al Qaeda are all here and are allowed by General Musharraf to roam freely and in some cases speak out against him in a most threatening way. The man who stands out in this regard is Hafiz Saeed the leader of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba. He was accused by India of having attacked the Indian parliament on 13 December 2001, which he denied, but he had earlier owned up to an attack on Delhiâs Red Fort in 2000. He was arrested in Islamabad on 31 December 2001, but according to his organisationâs weekly Jihad Times he knew that he was to be arrested and had reorganised his outfit in anticipation. He was in fact asked by âsomeone importantâ on the phone to come to Islamabad where he was to be arrested. He was let off by the Lahore High Court on 19 November 2002.
Hafiz Saeed and the state of Pakistan: Hafiz Saeed is a Kashmiri whose family lived in Simla before partition. Saeedâs father Maulana Kamaluddin was a religious scholar, so was his uncle Maulana Hafiz Abdullah who later helped in the organisation of Lashkar-e-Taiba. Hafiz Saeed graduated from Sargodha Government College and later did MA in Arabic and Islamiyat from Punjab University. In the University Old Campus he was a nazim of Islami Jamiyat Tulaba, the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami. After graduation in 1974 he was appointed lecturer at the University of Engineering and Technology (UET) Lahore in the Islamiyat Department. It is from here that he was sent for higher studies to Saudi Arabia. He graduated from King Saud University, Riyadh, and while in Saudi Arabia he was close to the famous Saudi scholar Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Baz who was the first to pronounce the fatwa of jihad in Afghanistan in 1979.
According to magazine Nida-e-Millat (22 March 2001) Hafiz Saeed took part in the election campaign of Jamaat-e-Islami in 1970 but was put off by politics after losing. He turned against democracy and was traumatised by the fall of East Pakistan in 1971. It was after the fatwa of jihad in 1979 by Bin Baz that he turned to jihad in Afghanistan and went to the training camp of Abdur Rasool Sayyaf where he also met the teacher of Osama bin Laden and Arab fighters, Dr Abdullah Azzam. He admitted that during his training he met Osama bin Laden a number of times. In 1986, the teachers of the Islamiyat faculty of Lahoreâs Engineering University had founded Markaz Dawatul Irshad, an Ahle Hadith organisation devoted to the Saudi brand of Islam and raising armies for the jihad in Afghanistan. In 1990 when Hafiz Saeed set up his fighting outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba it was in consultation with the professors in Lahore and the organisers of the Kunhar camp in Afghanistan where the Wahhabis had set up their own government. One of those professors that setup Markaz Dawah ul Irshad was Abdullah Azzam. Because of that, the Lashkar has all sorts of contacts with the global Jihad movement and is much more internationalist than other Pak Jihadi outfits. Because of itâs Wahhabi ideology it also is allowed to operate in Saudi Arabia.
The dominance of Lashkar-e-Taiba: The training camps of Lashkar-e-Taiba were run with Rs 350000000 annually. The Lashkar property at Chauburji Lahore is supposed to be worth Rs 75000000. And the Aqsa training camp in Hyderabad Sindh is worth Rs 50000000. The Muridke centre of Markaz Dawatul Irshad was said to be bought for the organisation by an Arab prince with Rs 180000000. Apart from external funding Hafiz Saeed was able to collect funds from the markets. The money from the boxes placed in the shops came to a colossal amount till the government banned the collection. At its height, Hafiz Saeed had 600,000 boxes placed in the various markets and employed 500 collectors who would see to it that the funds were contributed and then carried back to the centre. Each collector got a monthly salary and a motorbike. It was estimated that each box collected an average of Rs 200 per day, which took the daily income of Hafiz Saeed to Rs 120000000 daily! Lashkar-e-Taiba was indeed getting most of its funding from the people at large towards the end of its career. For many years, on the occasion of Eid Al-Adha, his organisation in Lahore got more skins of the sacrificial animals than any other organisation.
Posted by: Paul Moloney ||
01/23/2004 12:15:54 AM ||
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but was put off by politics after losing.- just another spoiled brat without the patience or smarts to make it happen within the system, but stupid and arrogant enough to think it would be easier to take the system on and win.
Hafiz Saeed had 600,000 boxes placed in the various markets and employed 500 collectors who would see to it that the funds were contributed and then carried back to the centre.
Proving once again that these terrorists are just mobsters pretending to be jihadis.
#2
General Musharraf recently banned a number of militias again because they had renamed themselves and were seen to be functioning as before.
[...]
Lashkar-e-Taiba was banned again but its leader Hafiz Saeed was allowed to go free and fulminate against the policies of General Musharraf, especially the policy on Kashmir. He also boldly condemned the SAARC summit because it pledged free trade with India.
Musharraf in a televised news conference: "I hereby declare that the organization named Lashkar-e-Taiba is officially disallowed. Banned. Illegal."
{television then returns to regular programming}
Hafiz Saeed: "Allrighty, from here on, our organization will now be known as Taiba-e-Lashkar!"
Fox News reports that Hassan Gul, senior Al-Qaeda operative, has been captured in Iraq. Gul is a Pakistani nicknamed "the Gatekeeper," and seems to have been a money man. Nothing on the wires yet...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/23/2004 21:51 ||
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This the same guy who was routing Ansar al-Islam gunnies from Europe through Syria to Iraq before the war or just somebody with the same nickname?
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/23/2004 22:26 Comments ||
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EFL from Inside the Ring column by Gertz and Scarborough
One of the Iraqi translators working for the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) lucked out. The translator came in to work on Tuesday with a special gift for Dan Sudnick, a CPA senior adviser for communications. The female translator was crying as she explained how grateful she was that Mr. Sudnick had encouraged her to take Sunday off from work (the normal Iraqi day off is Friday). As a result, she stayed home and was not standing in line when a devastating car bomb exploded outside the entrance to CPA headquarters that day. The bomb killed 20 persons and injured 60, many of them friends.
For the Iraqi workers, the jobs at CPA office, located in a former Saddam Hussein palace on the Tigris River, are the only sources of income for their families. "Our translator explained that she too was very poor and was supporting her family, but she presented a beautiful hand-carved box to Mr. Sudnick and told him it was something from her home that she had selected to give to him, something beautiful and precious, in gratitude for the kindness he consistently showed to her, that ultimately saved her life," said Bonnie Carroll, a reserve Air Force major and Veterans Affairs employee on loan to the Pentagon. "We all cried and hugged, and were one family mourning the losses and being thankful for those who were spared. Each day here in Iraq is a triumph of heroes who are coming forward to rebuild their country. I am in a constant state of amazement at their courage and strength and commitment, even if it means their lives, for this powerful cause." It would be good to grab 25 or 30 of these folks that weâre pretty sure are pro-American. They and their families can be packed up en-masse and moved to DC for work as translators. Fast-track them as citizens. A good percentage of Vietnamese transplants have been successfully integrated - I have no stats to back this up, only anecdotes.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/23/2004 7:29:21 PM ||
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Two members of the Iraqi Communist Party have been killed in a bomb blast outside the party's Baghdad offices. The two men died on Thursday evening when the blast almost entirely gutted the party's headquarters, the party said in a statement on Friday. "The hand of treachery, crime and terrorism has reached the offices of the Iraqi Communist Party in Baghdad, killing two comrades, Yasir Abbud and Shakir Yasim Ojail." The party called on the authorities to hunt down the killers and bring them to justice. "It is a cowardly and terrorist act that led to the killing of innocent people," said Hamid Majid Mousa, the chief of the Iraqi Communist Party and a member of the US-installed Iraqi Governing Council. Since the collapse of Saddam's Baath party, the Communists have become the most organised political group in the country with dues-paying members and small offices nationwide. The party operated underground during Saddam's days, and openly in the northern Kurdish areas that were outside government control. The party has one representative in the 25-member Governing Council, and could have been attacked because of its participation in the US-led government.
I'm not particularly fond of commies, but in Iraq they're like everybody else, I guess...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/23/2004 18:51 ||
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too bad and all, but,.. as they say,.. every cloud has a silver lining.
Posted by: B ||
01/23/2004 22:23 Comments ||
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The U.S. military said Friday it may fill in the spider hole that Saddam Hussein used as his final hiding place to prevent it from becoming a tourist attraction. Maj. Josslyn Aberle, a spokeswoman for the 4th Infantry Division, said the military has been considering destroying the hole and hut in the village of Adwar, north of Baghdad, which the former Iraqi dictator used before his Dec. 13 capture by American forces. "The 4th Infantry Division is discussing that it should be torn down so it doesnât turn into a local tourist attraction," Aberle said. Aberle said the Army wanted to prevent sightseers and others traveling to the site, which is in an area where U.S. forces are still conducting military operations. "A key reason to tear it down would be to reduce the amount of extra traffic going to the area, which only complicates our military mission," she said. Aberle described any final decision to destroy the site as more "political than military," and believed that consultations would more than likely take place between American military commanders in Baghdad and Iraqi leaders from the U.S.-appointed Governing Council.
Posted by: Dar ||
01/23/2004 5:44:01 PM ||
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I think they should dig it up and ship it to Fort Hood, reconstruct it and put it in their local museum. Ha! Make it a tourist attraction in fact. Heck, I'd go see it.
U.S. forces in Iraq believe they may be facing an Al Qaeda cell in Fallujah after a man with suspected ties to the terror network was captured last week. The man said to have been arrested was Husam al-Yemeni, said to be part of the leadership structure of Ansar al-Islam, the Al Qaeda-associated terrorist group based in Iraqi Kurdistan. Some U.S. officials described al-Yemeni as the first Al Qaeda operative captured in Iraq.
The first bigwig, anyway...
Officials said it was too early to be sure, but at least one guerrilla cell in Fallujah was believed to be linked to Al Qaeda. The officials said three other possible Al Qaeda operatives â two Egyptians and an Iraqi â had been captured in raids Sunday. Al-Yemeni is believed to be the right-hand man to Abu Zarqawi, a man the Bush administration says has worked directly with Usama bin Laden. Zarqawi, who is believed to have been operating in Iraq before Marchâs invasion, is still at large.
That's one. Fox News was saying just a few minutes ago there's another one snagged, too...
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/23/2004 4:34:38 PM ||
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I can't wait until we get our hands on Zarqawi.
I bet he holds a bevy of information.
Posted by: Daniel King ||
01/23/2004 16:47 Comments ||
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ohhh man! thats sweet.
(shades of the 'cows in berkeley radio ad')
al-queda? in IRAQ? nooooooooo.
Posted by: Frank Martin ||
01/23/2004 17:53 Comments ||
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Dan, it may be the same guy. Multiple press releases from different agencies on different days.
A senior Defense Department official tells us one of the alarming after-action intelligence reports that reached the Pentagon is that the communist government of Cuba shared intelligence on the United States with Saddam Husseinâs regime. The reports stated that Cuban intelligence, which is known to have extensive "coverage" of U.S. military bases, supplied information to Saddamâs intelligence service on the movement of troops and other military activities. The intelligence ties are believed to be an offshoot of Cubaâs covert oil-purchasing arrangement with Iraq under Saddam. Those deals have been under way since the late 1990s and involve oil tankers that were sent to Mexico. The oil then was pumped from the tankers to smaller boats for delivery to Cuba. The intelligence sharing also comes amid reports from Cuban exiles that Cuba became a safe haven for fleeing Iraqi government officials following the U.S.-led invasion. Asked about the Cuba-Iraq intelligence-sharing, a second U.S. official said the CIA had no information about it.
Posted by: Yosemite Sam ||
01/23/2004 3:09:44 PM ||
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Seeing how quick the Iraqi defenses folded I'm not sure if the information was all that valuable.
#3
Isn't Cuba also hosting the jammers that are blocking TV signals from getting into Iran?
Maybe the next target shouldn't be Syria, Iran, or North Korea, but a long-lasting problem a bit closer to home...
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
01/23/2004 15:24 Comments ||
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hows about destroying the jammeers in cuba in a say 4 hour time period and at the same time 'launch so huge revolution in iran', don't know how but there you go..
#5
You mean this is news? I thought it was self-evident Fidel Castro would share intelligence with Hussein (and Bioweapons technology with Iran.) I guess that's the price to pay for having grown in Cuba: the evil movements of that particular tyrant do not shock me at all.
EFL
The war in Iraq has created a growing market for the countryâs unpaid debts as banks and companies try to recoup some of their cash. -snip- background info on success of Bakerâs mission. Note when Jerry Lewis finally kicks off, expect the his kids to come calling to hire the man with the golden briefcase.
Economists expect that as much of 70% of the total will eventually be forgiven. Many banks and companies have already classed their Iraq loans or unpaid bills as lost. And thatâs where the speculators come in, because as the repayments get smaller there is more chance of the remaining debts being paid off. This attitude may seem predatory, but economists and traders argue that there are benefits. By creating a viable debt market, Iraq will be able to improve its credit rating, raise money more cheaply to pay off earlier loans and put itself on a better economic footing. As interest rates fall, it will be easier for Iraqi companies and consumers to borrow, boosting growth.
Trading in so-called distressed debt is nothing new. For some investors, especially in the US where the appetite for this type of product is highest, companies and countries which emerge from difficulties are often seen as safe investments. Their books have been scrutinised, debts restructured and the underlying business usually remains sound. In 1998, Russia defaulted on bonds sending markets into freefall. Since then it has persuaded creditors to write off about a third of its Soviet-era debts, restructured much of the rest and seen its economic growth surge. Itâs hoped that Iraq, home to the worldâs second-largest proven oil reserves, will follow a similar pattern.
While there is no trading of government debt, defaulted loans owed to commercial banks are changing hands for a fraction of their original face value. Sellers reckon that something is better than nothing, while buyers are lured by the countryâs prospects. Some investors also are betting that they will be able to swap their holdings for stakes in the newly-formed and profitable Iraqi companies. Demand as a result is picking up. Three years ago Iraqi debt was changing hands at less then 10 cents for every dollar of face value. Today it can sell for as much as 30 cents on the dollar.
It would, however, be misleading to think that the market is booming. Out of the $120bn outstanding, none of the government debt is traded. And only about $2bn of the $12bn in loans from commercial banks is saleable at present. There is no standard issue, or benchmark, making the market fragmented and complicated and ensuring wild swings in prices. And with a limited number of buyers and sellers a trade, tending to be between $5m and $15m, can take weeks to complete. Further complicating matters is the need for clear documentation which proves that the money wasnât used to purchase goods such as weapons.
Still, for a handful of European companies, it is worth the trouble. Exotix is a brokerage based at the foot of London Bridge, whose clients include commercial and investment banks, as well as specialist and emerging market investors. A look at their trading floor reveals nothing remarkable. Their prospectus is a different story, with the table of contents reading more like a Foreign Office danger list. Countries covered include Algeria, Sudan, Congo and North Korea. Some of the less dangerous are economic basket cases such as Argentina and Ukraine. According to Exotixâs managing director Peter Bartlett, Iraqâs debt market is at the "Neolithic stage" of its development. But he points to the way Yugoslavia has developed since it was attacked by the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and leader Slobodan Milosevic was ousted. Three years ago the country hardly registered on the investment horizon. Today volumes have almost tripled and an increasing number of investors are interested. "Itâs an investment for the future," said Mr Bartlett. "One day it will be a liquid market".
Some may argue that trading in distressed debt is profiteering, benefiting very few people other than the traders themselves and those wanting control of key national resources. But others maintain that re-establishing Iraqâs credibility on international financial markets is a vital step on the road towards a prosperous and free country.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/23/2004 11:44:48 AM ||
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Iraqâs leading Shiite cleric Friday called a halt to mass protests against US plans for handing over power, offering much-needed breathing room to the coalition as it counted the cost of a new wave of rebel attacks on Iraqi civilians. Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani issued the decree to give time to a UN study on the viability of free elections, a week after threatening to launch a civil unrest campaign unless polls were held before the end of June - when the coalition wants to install a new government. Threatened to cause trouble, everyone ran to stroke his ego by saying theyâd look into it and report to him, he says Ok, Iâll stop the protests while you do. Sounds like a politician we can reach a deal with.
Tens of thousands of Shiites have taken to the streets over the past week to back Sistaniâs demands, which in turn prompted Washington to seek UN support for its plan which envisions elections only in late 2005. Following a meeting Monday with US overseer in Iraq Paul Bremer and members of the Iraqi Governing Council, UN chief Kofi Annan said he would consider sending a mission to study whether elections could be held sooner than scheduled. Kofi sez heâll decide next week.
It is vital "to wait until the United States and the UN clarify their positions on the election procedure to choose the nature of the next Iraqi government," Sistani spokesman Sheikh Abdel Mahdi al-Karbalai said in a sermon at Karbala. That could take awhile, which is good.
While the potential UN mission would meet one of Sistaniâs key demands, it stirred the wrath of firebrand radical Shiite leader Moqtada Sadr, who branded the world body "dishonest" and subservient to America. Havenât heard from Sadr in a while, pity heâs still breathing.
"I refuse the participation of the United Nations in supervising elections, because it is not honest and it follows America," Sadr told worshippers at the Kufa pilgrimage shrine near the central holy city of Najaf. Well, youâre half right.
Sadr, who appeals mainly to the young and disenfranchised, also mobilised thousands of supporters earlier this week, fuelling expectations that Shiites will grab the helm in Iraq, with or without elections, leaving the Kurdish and Sunni Muslim minorities marginalised. Sadr needs to have a close encounter with a blunt object.
Meanwhile, the US-led coalition was facing an alarming shift in the nine-month insurgency that has blighted its presence in Iraq, with rebels now openly directing their fire at civilians and police. Shift? What shift?
Five Christian laundry women died after assailants raked their minibus with gunfire Wednesday as they were headed to work at a US base near Habbaniyah, west of Baghdad. The fifth woman died Friday after succumbing to her injuries, said their employer, the German-based contractor, Ecolog, a subsidiary of US firm Kellog, Brown and Root. Christian laundry women? Gee, you donât suppose that might have anything to do with why they were targeted, do you?
Posted by: Steve ||
01/23/2004 11:42:17 AM ||
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"it stirred the wrath of firebrand radical Shiite leader Moqtada Sadr, who branded the world body "dishonest" and subservient to America"
The UN is not my idea of subservient. Must be a cultural thing.
Posted by: Tom ||
01/23/2004 12:19 Comments ||
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"I refuse the participation of the United Nations in supervising elections, because it is not honest and it follows America," Sadr told worshippers at the Kufa pilgrimage shrine near the central holy city of Najaf.
Yeah, I guess that's why it took so damn long for the U.S. to finally go in take care of the Saddam problem. That's the UN "following" America, all right. What an asshat.
BBC Title Saddam fighters âon their kneesâ Here are three statements that Major General Odierno made:
A top American general in Iraq says the US army has brought supporters of Saddam Hussein "to their knees".
Major General Raymond Odierno also said he thought there would be a return to "some normalcy" within six months.
"These groups are still a threat, but a fractured sporadic threat with the leadership destabilised, finances interdicted and no hope of the Baathists return to power," he said. See how silly the first statement looks when the other two are removed. I wonder if the BBC did that on purpose? Maybe that Al Jazeera cast-off, that the Beeb picked up the other day, is already running classes for the rest of the staff.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/23/2004 8:35:56 AM ||
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While on a patrol in the town of Khalis, soldiers from 3rd Battalion, 67th Armor Regiment saw a man with an automatic weapon outside of a residence the morning of Jan. 21. The soldiers raided the building and captured six individuals and confiscated two AK-47 assault rifles, one pellet gun and stolen medical supplies. The supplies are believed to be stolen from Khalis Hospital. The supplies will be returned.
--Soldiers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade captured a suspected leader of a former regime element cell in Kirkuk in the morning of Jan. 21. Soldiers received information that the cell leader, Abu Sahad, was in the area and they established checkpoints, stopping and searching vehicles. The cell leader was attempting to drive through one of the checkpoints when he was captured.
--Working independently in the 4th Infantry Division, 1st Brigade Combat Team area of responsibility in the village of Jazarat Laqlaq, Iraqi Civil Defense Corps soldiers raided a building looking for individuals suspected of being involved in rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) attacks against Coalition Forces. Two of the targeted individuals were captured and soldiers located and confiscated five RPG launchers, one RPG and two AK-47 assault rifles.
--Soldiers from 3rd Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment raided seven locations in Bayji in the early morning of Jan. 22 looking for members of a Fedayeen cell. The soldiers captured nine individuals, including three people specifically targeted for suspected involvement in ant-Coalition activities. They also located and confiscated three AK-47 assault rifles, one 60 mm mortar round, one Dragonov rifle with Dragonov ammunition, one RPK machine gun, a small amount of 7.62 mm ammunition, 30 flares and improvised explosive device making materials.
The most powerful Shiite Muslim cleric in Iraq is hoping the Bush administration will allow the country to hold direct elections because otherwise he may be forced to support a revolt that could tear the nation apart, a spokesman for Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Husseini al-Sistani said Thursday. Sistani met with his supporters recently in which he discussed the ongoing showdown between his demand for elections and the U.S. refusal to grant them, said Noor Aldin Alwaadh, a spokesman for Sistaniâs Baghdad office. At the end of the talk, which lasted for hours, Sistani "was clear about it - he wants direct elections," Alwaadh said. "We are not the Taliban and we are not al-Qaida," Alwaadh said. "But if you want to hear me say it, fine. We will fight for our rights. We will fight ⊠we will not sacrifice our independence, and we do not want occupying forces in our country."
Sistaniâs views, and those of many ordinary Shiites, suggest that the United States may have little room for maneuver as it tries to engineer an orderly transition to Iraqi self-rule by the end of June. Earlier this week, Iraqâs Shiite leadership sent tens of thousands of followers to the streets, calling for direct elections in a stark demonstration of their power. The U.S. administration said thereâs not enough to time to organize elections by the end of June. Sistani hasnât specified a timetable for elections. But even if Sistani agreed to elections later this year or even in 2005, President Bushâs political advisers are eager to begin a U.S. withdrawal from Iraq well before Election Day in November.
Alwaadh said Sistani doesnât believe U.S. contentions that elections are impossible because of the lack of a census and suggested that Iraqis could use rosters from past United Nations-sponsored Oil-for-Food ration cards and supplement those names with foreign-issued identification cards for those returning from exile. There have been conflicting reports on whether Sistani might accept a U.N. finding that elections were technically impossible. When asked about a possible U.N. mission to Iraq now being considered, Alwaadh said Sistani hopes the United Nations would help oversee the elections. L. Paul Bremer III, the top American envoy to Iraq, plans to hand over power to an Iraqi legislative body selected by a series of caucuses across the nation. The groups would be selected in large part by local politicians and the U.S.-appointed interim Iraqi Governing Council. Many Iraqis complain that because those local politicians and council members were appointed by Americans, they will be beholden to the Bush administration. Some officials in Vice President Cheneyâs office and in the Pentagon still want postwar Iraq to make peace with Israel, allow the United States to base troops there and serve as a secular, democratic model for the Middle East.
Interviews this week in Baghdad and in Sistaniâs home base of Najaf suggest that the senior cleric is restraining less moderate Shiite religious leaders, trying to prevent violence and hoping that the Bush administration agrees to allow elections before itâs too late. Sistani has said that he prefers civil disobedience, but many on the street say they have little patience for such measures. "If there are no elections, there will first be a strike with a lot of violence in the streets," said Luai al Mansori, a member of the Hawza in Najaf, a group of Shiite scholars who issue fatwahs, or edicts, that are followed as the highest law by Iraqi Shiites. Shiites make up about 60 percent of the nationâs 26 million people. "The revolt will begin in Najaf because Sistani has more power here." Amir Abdul Karim, a perfume salesman in Najaf, agreed. "We will fight for the freedom and the direct elections ⊠the will of the people is more powerful than the Americans."
Any compromise short of elections, such as making the caucus selection process more open to the public, wouldnât be enough to placate men such as Mansori and Karim, said Alwaadh, the Sistani spokesman. "We wish that the Americans will leave by themselves and not by coffins, so we are hoping for direct elections," Alwaadh said. Sistani is mindful of Iraqi blood that was shed in the eight-year war with Iran, the invasion of Kuwait and two ensuing wars with the United States, Alwaadh said, and doesnât want more fighting. All heâs asking for, Alwaadh said, is the democracy promised when the U.S.-led coalition toppled former dictator Saddam Hussein, who tortured and killed thousands of Shiites in Iraq.
Alwaadh refused to comment specifically on whether Sistani would issue a call for violence if elections failed to materialize. Some Iraqis believe Shiite leaders want elections so they can use their majority vote to create a theocracy. The clerics have been "telling the Americans what they want to hear, but as soon as the Americans turn their face, they will bring Islamic rule," said Sadoun al Dulame, the executive director of the Iraq Center for Research and Strategic Studies, an independent think tank and polling agency. "They are just using the democratic language as a tool. All of the religious groups are pushing for a theocracy." Sistani has avoided appearing before demonstrators and has refused to meet with U.S. officials. Conflicting reports about his views frequently appear.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/23/2004 12:28:05 AM ||
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#1
Maybe GW should send James Baker to Baghdad to 'splain to Sistani that the US didn't get Saddam's yoke off his neck and these debt relief agreements so he can throw his weight around.
It's a power grab that is not in the best interest of all the Iraqi people.
#2
This sounds like the standard Arab Dire Threats (TM) with the normal allocation of seething.
The unavoidable fact is that direct elections will result in a shiite dictatorship irrespective of whether its a theocracy or not. IMVHO a federal constitution has to be in place before direct elections, otherwise there will be civil war. There may wll be a civil war with one, but its the best chance I can see.
I'm kind of alarmed the Iraqi administration is giving in to these threats. Maybe they are relying on the fact that the UN can't do anything quickly and can say well we tried.
BTW, no one seems to be anticipating what consequences a shia run state will bring.
Posted by: Phil B ||
01/23/2004 0:57 Comments ||
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#3
Assuming this guy is really speaking for sistani... someone needs to make him aware that we don't respond well to threats.
#4
didn't this guy "fight for his rights" from iran--he should shut his islamohole or we'll fill it with pork
Posted by: SON OF TOLUI ||
01/23/2004 1:54 Comments ||
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#5
"Saddam's yoke off his neck and these debt relief agreements so he can throw his weight around."
huh? we threw Saddam out so that Iraq could have democratic (small d) politics. That means popular guys, including, in a society like Iraq, Sistani, are going to throw their weight around. The admin, to their credit, understand this and are negotiating, and using the UN.
Why would direct elections mean a Shia dictatorship - the Shia are only 60% of the population, and are not united. a coalition would still be necessary. And any caucus system the US would propose will still result in a Shia majority.
#6
On the other hand, maybe Sistani is still frightened of the Sunni or irritated at the coalition efforts at affirmative action for Sunni thugs who want to join the new Iraqi armed forces.
#7
I expect to see the Kurds, Sunni, and Shia in civil war, but not until we're out of there. Perhaps our smashing Iran's thugocracy and doing some housekeeping in Syria between 2004 and 2008 will significantly delay the inevitable.
Posted by: Tom ||
01/23/2004 9:20 Comments ||
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#8
This is another "scholar" who substitutes "intense, lifetime study of Islam" for "Logic 101".
#9
Poor Sistani - he's about to realize all politics are local and that's bigger than he can control. He's a big man now, while he can get the press to glorify his anti-American stance, but if we set this up right, he'll soon have about as much political power as the Pope or Pat Robertson.
Posted by: B ||
01/23/2004 10:19 Comments ||
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#10
Explain nicely that we'll allow direct elections for places IN the new government, but that for the "constitutional caucus" (as it were), we want a more even-handed approach. Everybody has a voice. And if you don't agree, we'll shoot you.
#11
Jeb Babbin at National Review Online also has a four pager on the situation including a description of the local political system -All Politics is Local(Even in Baghdad.)
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/23/2004 11:04 Comments ||
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#12
"We will fight for the freedom and the direct elections ⦠the will of the people is more powerful than the Americans."
And the will of the people WAS NOT more powerful than the Baathists?
Let's see.... Baathists trounce population.... Americans trounce Baathists.... Q.E.D - Looks like elections will happen on our timeline.
Posted by: Sean ||
01/23/2004 11:28 Comments ||
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#13
#5 With due respect to your opinion LH, my concern is that 100% of the Iraqi people are due basic human rights under the law. I don't see that happening with Sistani leading the production of the new Iraqi constitution. Already he has introduced, via the interim governing council, Sharia law to permanently replace Iraq's family law. A giant step backward.
IMHO, if someone likes democracy as practiced in Iran, they're going to love Sistani's democracy.
#14
sistani has said he doesnt like the iranian system - he sees that its brought the clergy into disrepute.
muslim family law - Israel has religious family law, and for Israeli Muslims thats Sharia. May not be fun for an Israeli muslim woman seeking a divorce or inheritance (though they use a "moderate" strain of Sharia) but it doesnt stop the county from being a vibrant democracy.
We MUST get a democracy going in Iraq. It would be nice if they had equal rights for both sexes, but as long as they are at all close its ok.
#15
Sorry LH but you are being naive to think that Iraqis won't vote along ethnic lines. The Shias are an absolute majority and will vote as a block. The only hope I see for Iraq is a strong federal constitution similar to Switzerlands. Once there are direct elections it will be very hard to impose a constitution, and the Shias quite naturally will want a unitary state with them in charge. The Sunnis and Kurds will resist this. If the security forces don't split along ethnic lines then maybe it can work, but I personally doubt it.
Posted by: Phil B ||
01/23/2004 18:35 Comments ||
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The U.S. military is fighting to uproot a suspected cell of Osama bin Ladenâs al-Qaida terror network in the staunchly anti-American town of Fallujah, a military official said Thursday. Two Egyptians and an Iraqi, all believed to be couriers among al-Qaida terrorists and financiers, were arrested Sunday in a Fallujah apartment building where slogans supporting bin Laden were written across a wall in sheepâs blood.
That was pretty... uhhhh... not subtle, wasn't it?
Capt. Scott Kirkpatrick, of the Armyâs 10th Mountain Division, who led the raid, said the men were found with al-Qaida literature and photos of bin Laden. Kirkpatrick said the U.S. military doesnât know how big the al-Qaida cell in Fallujah is, "but it exists and we are making some very, very serious inroads into depleting it."
I'd guess it's fairly hefty. Fallujah's where the action is, if you're an Islamist.
Since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, foreign fighters in Fallujah have joined forces with Iraqi insurgents to attack U.S. troops and intimidate locals considered collaborators with the U.S.-led coalition. Two policemen and a civilian were killed Thursday at a highway checkpoint outside the city. On Wednesday, a bus carrying Iraqis home from work at a nearby U.S. military base came under fire, leaving four women dead and six wounded. U.S. military officials said such attacks were likely the joint efforts of al-Qaida Islamist fighters, locally known as the "mujahedeen," and diehard loyalists to former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. U.S. intelligence officials say there was little or no cooperation between al-Qaida and Saddamâs regime before the invasion. But they say some Muslim militants have entered Iraq, mostly from Syria, since Baghdad fell, in a quest to kill Americans and Muslims who assist the United States. Kirkpatrick said he couldnât divulge intelligence that links the men arrested in the raid to the terror group. All three were under interrogation at an undisclosed location. He said several other al-Qaida associates have been detained in recent raids, which often have turned up sophisticated communication devices and weapons caches.
The communications devices are more valuable than the weapons, which are a dime a dozen in Iraq.
Information from Iraqi sources and U.S. Special Forces led to Sundayâs raid of the three-story apartment building, which residents said American troops have visited at least twice before. A Knight Ridder photographer was present as soldiers conducting "Operation Owls" sawed through a metal gate outside the complex, stormed the building and arrested the three men - two in separate apartments and one in a courtyard office. No shots were fired and no injuries were reported. The families of all three men were in the building during the raid. The wife of one of them tried to persuade soldiers that her husband was innocent. She refused money that Kirkpatrick offered to repair a damaged door. "You have the wrong man. My husband, he is Egyptian!" the woman pleaded in English.
"The kiddies were just practicing their penmanship with the sheep's blood!"
By Thursday, the raided apartments were padlocked, and the wives and children had left to stay with relatives in other cities, residents said. Neighbors identified the arrested Egyptians as Khairi Khalifa, a middle-aged man who had fought in a non-Iraqi Arab unit of Saddamâs Fedayeen militia, and Amer Turqi, a 56-year-old Islamic hardliner who owns two popular downtown restaurants. The Iraqi was known only as Abu Thaa and worked as a maintenance man for the building, they said. Esam Abdullah Abbas, 31, has known the three men for nearly eight years. He said heâs participated in peaceful anti-American demonstrations with the Egyptians - activities he believes were the motivation for a raid on his apartment two months ago. Chipped doorways and broken locks are visible remnants of the earlier search of his home. Abbas said Fallujah residents are aware of the presence of foreign fighters, most likely from al-Qaida, but he doubted whether his neighbors were part of the network. "We are loud in opposing the American presence, so we expect these raids any time," Abbas said. "When I heard boots in the hallway Sunday night, I thought my time had come. When they left, I found out my friends were gone."
Maybe next week they can come for you. Say, what's that written on your wall in sheep's blood?
In recent weeks, he said, foreign Islamists have tightened their grip on Fallujah, threatening the owners of music stores for selling American pop, salons where unveiled women have their hair styled, boutiques with revealing clothes in windows and carpentry shops that sell wood to coalition contractors. Because the foreigners aid local fighters, who enjoy widespread support, residents seldom report the threats and almost never disobey the orders. "Fallujah is controlled by two powers - the Americans and the mujahedeen," Abbas said. "If we cooperate with the mujahedeen, we get raided. If we cooperate with the Americans, we get killed."
Life's tough, ain't it?
In a narrow alley in Fallujahâs historic woodworking district, Abdul Kareem Majed surveyed the soot-covered remains of his carpentry shop, which burned to the ground when a homemade explosive was tossed inside late Wednesday night. No one was injured in the bombing, but Majed said Arab men with foreign accents had warned him about selling supplies to contractors working for the coalition. "Iâm 100 percent sure Iraqis didnât do this to me," Majed said, as workers carted off melted metal shelves and charred furniture. "The foreigners threaten everybody, and thereâs nothing we can do. Our borders are open."
It's that Islamic brotherhood thing. Aintcha glad you're a Muslim, member of the master relgion, and an Arab, a member of the master race within the master religion?
More tales of foreign intimidation came from Hassan Hamad, whose downtown music shop is adorned with posters of scantily clad Arab and American singers, as well as signs advertising the latest arrivals in resistance music that preaches against the American occupation of Iraq. Twice in the past month, Hamad said, he found rolled-up leaflets wedged in his doorway when he arrived for work. The papers call for "emergency action" for the overhaul of his store, which the unknown writers said should stock only taped Quran verses and songs supportive of the mujahedeen. "The message was: Close your shop or we will blow it up," Hamad said. "So far, theyâve only written these threats. I guess Iâll just have to see whether they carry them out."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/23/2004 12:25:07 AM ||
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#1
"We are loud in opposing the American presence, so we expect these raids any time," Abbas said. "When I heard boots in the hallway Sunday night, I thought my time had come. When they left, I found out my friends were gone."
...If - and that's a BIG if - all he was doing is protesting, then I'm sorry he got rousted to that extent. But frankly, I think he at least knew what was going on, and he needs to thank Allah that we don't play by the same rules the last guy did.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
01/23/2004 0:36 Comments ||
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#2
"If we cooperate with the mujahedeen, we get raided. If we cooperate with the Americans, we get killed."
#3
...all believed to be couriers among al-Qaida terrorists and financiers, were arrested Sunday in a Fallujah apartment building where slogans supporting bin Laden were written across a wall in sheepâs blood.
mene mene tikul u pharsim
Posted by: john ||
01/23/2004 10:53 Comments ||
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#4
Why are these guys all bringing their wives and children with them? You would assume that they understand that the activity of formenting revolution by random bombing might be a hazardous operation. Send the kids to Pakistan. They can learn to be jihadis later on.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/23/2004 14:25 Comments ||
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The explosion Friday rocked the dusty blue bus, sending tattooed tribeswomen to the floor in a swirl of fringed scarves and screams. They were leaving town for a shopping trip to Baghdad, about 35 miles east, when insurgents apparently bombed a nearby American military checkpoint. None of the women was injured, but the blast destroyed the last vestige of their support for the guerrillas who make Fallujah the most consistently troublesome city for the U.S.-led coalition. "Now you see how it feels, how we have to jump and duck when we hear explosions," Samia Abdullah, a 45-year-old Fallujah resident, told a Knight Ridder reporter on the bus. "Day and night, we are afraid, and we are tired of it. I can no longer feel proud of the resistance. They have made these bombings our everyday life."
Such disdain for anti-American attacks is a new phenomenon in Fallujah, where violence in recent weeks included two deadly attacks on U.S. helicopters, frequent grenade assaults on convoys, roadside bombs that blocked traffic for hours and the brazen drive-by shooting of two French contractors whose car broke down on a road leading to the town. The celebrations that followed such attacks in the early days of the occupation are becoming more rare, several residents said, and martyrdom no longer seems noble when it means upturning the lives of ordinary Iraqis. "Iâm against the resistance now, and Iâm not afraid to say it," said Mahmoud Ali, 25, who was tending a roadside soda stand. "I can bring you a dozen friends who say the same thing. I wish the attacks would stop. Itâs affecting our whole stability, our whole life."
Fallujah residents took advantage of Fridayâs sunshine to wash their cars, sweep their courtyards and treat their families to lunch at the cityâs nicest kebob restaurant. But, as often happens, those simple joys were overshadowed by the sounds of gunfire and the shouts of American soldiers who twice came under attack while sweeping a main street for hidden explosives. "We need a strong hand to deal with those people," said Moussa Hasnoui, an Iraqi police officer who was turning cars away from a road where a rocket-propelled grenade interrupted a U.S. convoy Friday. "Overall, the situation is good and, God willing, it will continue to improve. But it canât unless we get rid of the rebels."
One of the largest obstacles to eradicating resistance is the cityâs Sunni-dominated Muslim clergy, who preach that the overthrow of Saddam Hussein will leave their flocks powerless in a new government with rival Shiite Muslims at the helm. At noon prayers in a green-domed mosque in the heart of the city, scores of young men sat rapt as the voice of an unidentified imam crackled over a loudspeaker. "We are losing a lot of believers, but donât beat your chests or tear your clothes in grief," he said. "God will deal with the Americans, and you can help by joining the mujahedeen (holy fighters). Kill the Americans. Destroy them; donât leave a single one alive."
In the past, those words would have inspired Abu Abdul Rahman, a 35-year-old resistance associate who wouldnât divulge his full name. For several weeks after the war, he said, he offered his farmhouse as a hideout for anti-American insurgents. His wife banned him from home for fear of a raid, and his two young sons begged him to stop dabbling in the resistance. These days, Abu Abdul Rahman said, heâs steering himself from the mosque, which is guarded by gun-toting men in scarves that reveal only their eyes. Last week, he added, he even found himself counseling a young guerrilla away from the fighters he once supported. "My family is right," Abu Abdul Rahman said. "There are too many informants now, too many spies working for the Americans. I still believe we canât rid ourselves of invaders except by force, but I wonât be the one doing it."
U.S. military officials said theyâd also noticed an incremental wane in local support for Fallujahâs fighters. On Friday, members of the Armyâs 82nd Airborne Division recovered pieces of a Black Hawk helicopter that crashed Thursday on the outskirts of Fallujah, killing all nine soldiers on board. Witnesses said rockets fired from a nearby palm grove downed the helicopter, and the military hasnât ruled out enemy fire. U.S. Army Capt. T. Franken surveyed the scene from inside an area cordoned off by armored vehicles. He allowed the daughters of a local shepherd to come inside the cordon for a closer look. The girls giggled and stared at the uniformed Americans. "We never used to see the parents letting their daughters come near us," Franken said. "When those kids right there grow up and know they can live peacefully, thatâs success. When you raise one generation of kids who donât have the pressure to fight, thatâs success." Franken paused as gunfire rippled from the trees around his team. "Do you hear that? Small arms fire," he said. "And guess what? Itâs not from us."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/23/2004 12:16:52 AM ||
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#2
It is old news but it nicely illustrates the Sunni mindset, that once we get rid of the Americans we will be top dog again. Well it aint gonna happen!
In any kind of civil war the Sunnis will be the big losers, and will desperately need the Americans to defend them against well organized and armed Kurds and numerically superior Shias.
Posted by: Phil B ||
01/23/2004 2:27 Comments ||
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#3
These fools better realize that if the U.S. pulls out of the Sunni Triangle,and looks the otherway.They will be squeezed by the Kurd/Shia vise and the blood will flow.The only thing standing between them and death is the U.S. Army.
#4
"Day and night, we are afraid, and we are tired of it. I can no longer feel proud of the resistance. They have made these bombings our everyday life."
What a joke. If this silly little twit actually felt "pride" in the resistance, he wouldn't be afraid of losing his life as a result of resistance attacks against U.S. forces, nor would he be complaining about the deaths of other Iraqis under the same circumstances.
Afraid theyâre gonna bust all the JI training camps said to be located there?
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Thursday warned a repeat of last yearâs hostilities in Buliok complex between the military and Moro rebel forces following the reported massing up of government troops in parts of Central Mindanao to pursue the Abu Sayyaf bandits. MILF spokesman Eid ("Lipless Eddie") Kabalu said that government troops have been deployed this week in several towns in Maguindanao and Sultan Kudarat province. âThe ongoing deployment of the colonial army belonging to the Armed Forces of the Philippines in said provinces has reminded the Moro [rebels] of the Buliok scenario,â he said in a statement posted at the rebelsâ website.
But the military immediately allayed the peopleâs fears of renewed hostilities between the government and rebel forces. Army Maj. Onting Alon, 6th Infantry Division deputy spokesman, said that soldiers were going after the Abu Sayyaf members seen in the area. âAbu Sayyaf chief Khadaffy Janjalani and some 70 heavily armed followers were sighted in the area on January 16. We have established contact with them on January 20,â Alon said in a radio interview. He claimed that the government troops killed two bandits following the encounter in South Upi, Maguindanao. Nobody was hurt on the government side, he added.
That means the guys in hospital in Sultan Kudarat at Bad Guys. It'll be nice if they're singing tunefully...
Alon said Janjalani and his men, who reportedly came from Malabang town in Lanao del Sur, fled to the coastal town of Lebak in Sultan Kudarat province after the encounter in South Upi. Janjalani and his men were originally reported to have landed in Palimbang town, also in Sarangani province in July 5 last year, but military sources months later said the bandits were able to slip past the dragnets set up by the military there. Alon said the fresh deployment of troops was aimed to neutralize the Abu Sayyaf bandits and was not directed against the MILF rebels in the area.
Citing intelligence reports, Alon said the Abu Sayyaf bandits are planning to resume their kidnapping activities in Central Mindanao from Basilan and Sulu. Owing to this, Alon disclosed that they have intensified their security measures in central Mindanao region in a bid to avert the groupâs possible kidnap attempts, with the deployment of soldiers in portions of Maguindanao and Sultan Kudarat provinces as part of the governmentâs heightened safety measures. An MILF report said the government troops have been deployed in the towns of Sultan sa Barongis, Ampatuan, Datu Saudi Ampatuan, Shariff Aguak and Datu Piang, all in Maguindanao; and Lambayong in Sultan Kudarat province. Kabalu said they fear the deployment of government troops there would eventually end up by repeating the February 2003 Buliok war, although he expressed hope that this would not happen because both sides are observing a cease-fire.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/23/2004 12:46:27 AM ||
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AT LEAST two people died and 7 others were wounded in an encounter in Maguindanao province between the military and suspected members of the Abu Sayyaf, GMA Network radio dzBB reported Thursday. The report did not identify the victims of the 30-minute firefight between government troops and the Abu Sayyaf rebels led by their leader Khaddafy Janjalani. The report said the wounded were brought to a hospital in Sultan Kudarat province. Military pursuit operations are ongoing against the Muslim extremist group who withdrew to the hinterlands of Maguindanao, the report said.
The way that reads, the Bad Guys were being led by Khaddafy. Might we hope he's one of the wounded? And in custody?... Nah. Too much to hope for.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/23/2004 12:43:43 AM ||
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Hereâs another take on the rumor circulating yesterday. Iâve been following this site for about a month. Theyâre a little alarmist, but also useful. They do not have permalinks on individual entries. Scroll down. EFL
22 January 2004; 1905 EST: UPDATE: We are aware of the denials issued by the United States Department of State and the reports of US denials carried by various news outlets such as Reuters that Osama bin Laden has not been captured. We became aware of the initial rumor of his capture at the time it began circulating earlier today, and we were fully aware of the official denial. We do have verifiable intelligence, however, of "unusual movements and activities" of special US forces in certain areas where bin Laden and al Zawahiri have reportedly been seen - however we will NOT disclose this information to avoid compromising the safety, welfare and special operations of our men and women of the military. According to two highly placed and credible human sources within the intelligence community, these movements are indeed related to a "HVT" (High Value Target) within al Qaeda. Our sources are firm in their assertions that there is a "significant advancement" in the ongoing war on terror.
Posted by: Pete Stanley ||
01/23/2004 12:54:12 AM ||
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#2
After hearing GW at the State Speech I think the hunt for bin hosen is top drawer. I hope they find his spindley ass in some hole. Long beard and all. You know I've got a mighty hate for the pimp.
#3
I tend to doubt all of these rumors that crop up because I recall that this isn't the first time this has happened - there was an earlier rumor that bin Laden or two of his spawn had been captured in Afghanistan that was loudly trumpeted across the airwaves until it turned out to be nothing but smoke.
IMO, if bin Laden were in custody we'd find out about it the same way we do when other top al-Qaeda are nabbed or the way that Saddam Hussein was - through either foreign media reports that are corroborated by statements from our own government or through breaking news on our own news networks.
Also, in all honesty I figure that if bin Laden's alive right now (and I tend to think that he is) he's likely in Iran with his family and top lieutenants and I don't see Iran turning him over peacefully - there's too much of a threat from his followers seeking to avenge his capture and too many people in the Iranian hierarchy that he could implicate for that.
Just my $0.02.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/23/2004 1:38 Comments ||
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#4
oh rubbish, he's not in Iran, he's in the friggin tribal areas of Pakistan, as if after over 2yrs, this amazing link with Iran has just came to light. Doesn't it strike you that this is just a little bit too convenient in helping some people advance their own agendas with regards to Iran? It intrigues me that some people are incapable of dissecting through the tons of bullshit which comes out of official and unofficial sources. You might want check under your bed, I think there's a couple of reds hiding there. While there has been a request for ppl to post factual articles, half of them are still gossip/innuendo and in some cases plain simple wishful thinking.
#5
Oldspook sez:"But equally probable that its false."
I agree. I just thought I'd put it out there. Looking at the other articles posted today, these folks might have picked up activity related to this. Who knows.
Igs, there were reports as early as Jan 2002 that bin Laden and Zawahiri were in Iran. The first reports were that they were prisoners, and reports have remained in that veinever since. Iran publicly maintains that they have senior al Qaeda leaders "In custody", whatever that means.
And check out this article from June '02, in which it is asserted that bin Laden was at least planning to pass through. Maybe he stayed?
And apparently the story is older than that, since I found a reference to a similar Sydney Morning Herald piece from Feb 02.
The amazing link to Iran has not just come to light. And there is a difference between what gets posted in white and what gets posted in yellow.
Posted by: Pete Stanley ||
01/23/2004 3:39 Comments ||
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#6
I assume when he's caught, it will be kept secret for as long as possible. Try to get his buddies to phone the main office, etc.
#8
OOOOO.... I get this mental picture of Bush's acceptance speech at the GOP convention. The room goes dark while in the spotlight Bush comes out with UBL's head on a pike.
#12
hmmmm, Horta in Afganistan, I never considered that but it does explain why theres so many damn caves and the acid etched words: "No Kill I" in them.
Posted by: Frank Martin ||
01/23/2004 13:57 Comments ||
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#13
Personally I think he's he's at the wrong end of the dust-to-dust continuum, but it would sure be nice to have a camera on the faces of the Democratic candidates and some selected world leaders at the moment the announcement reaches them. "Yeaarrrgh!"
Posted by: Matt ||
01/23/2004 14:39 Comments ||
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#14
Everyone wants to get in on the act....
"A spoof newsflash by a TV station in Lebanon saying that Osama Bin Laden had been captured in the northern city of Tripoli was taken more seriously than the programme-makers had expected.
Arabic TV stations have aired several 'Bin Laden' tapes. Despite several clues onscreen that the bulletin was a joke, the LBC station was inundated with calls." Bin Laden Hoax Backfires
Holmes! How do you do it?
Wherever European prosecutors turn these days, as they unravel suspected Islamic terrorist cells and track leads across the Continent, they keep coming across the fingerprints of one man: Abu Musab Zarqawi. Mr. Zarqawi, a one-legged Jordanian Bedouin currently thought to be hiding in Iran, has emerged as a central suspect in one Al Qaeda-related plot after another, investigators say, from allegedly smuggling suicide bombers into Iraq to orchestrating the recent car bomb blasts in Turkey and planning chemical attacks in Europe. "He is arguably one of the most dangerous people out there in terms of the number of things he has his hands in," says Matthew Levitt, a former FBI counterterrorism agent now with the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. "He has a lot of connections to a lot of people, and what makes him most dangerous is his affiliations," Mr. Levitt adds.
Boy. These guys are really quick on the uptake, aren't they?
Turkish police investigating last Novemberâs twin synagogue bombings in Istanbul arrested members of two Islamic groups they said had contacts with Zarqawi. Moroccan investigators concluded that Zarqawi organized and financed last Juneâs quintuple bombing of Jewish and Israeli targets in Casablanca that killed 35 people. Italian and German police recently arrested three men on warrants charging them with helping would-be martyrs to travel from Europe to Iraq, at Zarqawiâs behest.
"Le Gume, there's something about those cases... something they all have in common... if I could only figure what it is!"
Though intelligence analysts differ over Zarqawiâs exact relationship to Osama bin Laden, they agree it has become clear that he has used his leadership of Al Tawhid, a Jordanian extremist group, to develop links not only with Al Qaeda but also with Ansar al-Islam, a radical Kurdish group based in Northern Iraq, the Lebanese Hezbollah, and with North African cells in Europe. In a mark of his growing importance, the US government put a $5 million price on his head last October, after the Treasury Department named him as a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist." Emphasizing his rising status in jihad circles, Zarqawi issued what appeared to be his first audiotape earlier this month, posting it on the Internet. In a lengthy tirade against Muslim clerics for not embracing holy war fervently enough, Zarqawi acknowledged the losses his allies have suffered in the US-led war on terror and which seem to have catapulted him to prominence. "I address you after the approvers and backers [of jihad] have become in short supply, after the wounds have multiplied and the misfortune has worsened, and after many pioneering knights and legendary heroes have passed away," he said on the tape, according to a translation by the US governmentâs Foreign Broadcast Information Service.
He himself has avoided that fate despite frequent and widespread travel since he first appeared on Western intelligence agenciesâ radar in 1999. That year Jordanian authorities tied him to an aborted plot to attack a tourist hotel in Amman over the millennium, for which he was later sentenced in absentia to 15 yearsâ hard labor. "Initially he was geared to national operations in Jordan ... a prize target for regime change" to Islamic radicals seeking to overthrow pro-Western Middle East monarchs, says Magnus Ranstorp, a terrorism expert at St. Andrews University in Scotland. "But progressively he began acting more internationally, harnessing the diaspora." In 2000 Zarqawi traveled to Afghanistan, where, according to US intelligence, he ran an Al Qaeda training camp that specialized in chemical and biological agents before being wounded in the leg by a US bombing raid during the Afghan war in 2001. He then fled to Iran, and thence to Iraq, where doctors reportedly amputated his leg and fitted him with a prosthetic limb. It was that visit to Baghdad that prompted US Secretary of State Colin Powell to cite Zarqawi as evidence of links between Al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein, as he sought to persuade reluctant allies to join Washington in a war to overthrow the Iraqi dictator.
American intelligence officials have said they tracked Zarqawi to a meeting in south Lebanon in August 2002 with Hezbollah leaders, and that he was in Syria in October 2002 when two gunmen assassinated Lawrence Foley, a US diplomat, in Amman. Those gunmen, arrested soon after the attack, confessed and fingered Zarqawi as the mastermind behind the attack, according to Jordanian Prime Minister Ali Abu al-Ragheb.
Zarqawi is thought to have spent time in and around an Ansar-al Islam camp in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq before last yearâs US-led invasion of Iraq, and then to have fled across the border to western Iran, where he is believed to be living now. It is Zarqawiâs link to new Ansar cells in Europe that are of most concern to European investigators as they probe alleged terror groups from Germany and Italy to France, Britain and Spain. Two months ago, German police acting on an Italian warrant, arrested Abderrazak Mahdjoub, an Algerian known as "the sheikh" who Italian prosecutors charge was running a clandestine Ansar network that provided money and false papers to recruits from Europe who wanted to go to Iraq to launch attacks on American troops there. Italian police simultaneously arrested two men in Milan who they say belonged to the same ring, which they had penetrated by using wiretaps on their phones. Zarqawi, Italian prosecutors allege, sometimes used the same satellite phone that other men in northern Iraq used to contact recruits in Italy.
The exact nature of Ansar al Islam today is a puzzle, Western intelligence analysts say, since its headquarters was destroyed and its members dispersed by US bombs and then by pro-American Kurdish guerrillas last March. But it appears to have evolved considerably from the overwhelmingly local Kurdish organization that it once was.
That's because the Ansar hicks were related to Tawhid about the same way the Taliban was to al-Qaeda. They provided a safe haven for R&R, space for training â to include live-fire against the peshmerga â and cover. Ansar, an obscure bunch of bearded yokels in the hills of remote Kurdistan didn't appear to be much of a threat. Tawhid, the Arab core, was.
Evidence suggesting that the group is still active came last week from the CIA, which gave Norwegian prosecutors the transcripts of e-mails it had intercepted from Mullah Krekar, the Kurdish cleric who founded Ansar, allegedly ordering suicide attacks against US troops in Iraq.
Except that Krekar controls the Kurdish wing. Zarqawi's the guy who runs Tawhid.
Mr. Krekar was under investigation by the police in Norway, where he was granted asylum in 1991, for his alleged role in the murder of a Kurdish politician in 2002. That investigation has now widened to include his suspected role in directing attacks on American occupation forces in Iraq, his lawyer said this week.
Zarqawiâs ties to Al Qaeda are also a matter of debate among European and US intelligence agencies. Where once he appeared to be something of a free agent, he seems recently to have identified himself more closely with Mr. bin Laden. But "whether Zarqawi swore allegiance to bin Laden makes little difference to whether the two would work together at promoting a common agenda," Mr. Levitt said in recent testimony to Congress. "There is no precise organizational or command structure to the assemblage of groups that fall under Al Qaedaâs umbrella. Todayâs international terrorist groups function ... not as tightly structured hierarchies, but rather as shadowy networks that, when necessary, strike ad hoc tactical alliances bridging religious and ideological schisms." Zarqawiâs apparent role as a nexus between several such networks is of particular concern because of his alleged expertise in chemical and biological agents: Men whom authorities link to him were arrested a year ago in London and Paris in possession of small amounts of ricin, a deadly poison for which there is no antidote. And though European police have thwarted a number of alleged plots over the past two years, "the fact that no Islamic extremist attack has been committed in the European Union [since October 2002] should not be considered as a diminution or an absence of threat," the EU police agency Europol warned in a report last month.
Even as European investigators continue to pursue his lieutenants, Zarqawi himself seems safe for the time being, intelligence experts say, if he stays in his reported refuge in Iran. "He would be a great feather in the cap of the intelligence community if he were captured," says Dr. Ranstorp. "But he is one part of the great intelligence game, and unless Iran is offered an enormous tangible incentive, I doubt we will see him handed over."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/23/2004 12:14:22 AM ||
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#1
So, Iran has recently been found to be:
-harboring Zarqawi
-harboring other al qaeda
-associated with sept 11
-supporting Hezbollah
A U.S. anti-terrorism envoy said on Thursday that while two-thirds of known al Qaeda leaders had been captured or killed, a new generation of militants was the next area of concern.
Yes. It's the junior varsity...
Ambassador J. Cofer Black, U.S. State Department coordinator for counterterrorism, said the al Qaeda that masterminded the September 11 attacks had been severely weakened by the U.S.-led war on terrorism. "The al Qaeda of the 9/11 period is under catastrophic stress. They are being hunted down," he told the BBC. Repeating comments made by U.S. President George W. Bush in his State of the Union address this week, Black said two-thirds of the al Qaeda leadership had been "arrested, detained or otherwise put out of business".
That means they were zapped.
But he warned that young cannon fodder militants were still being drawn to the network headed by Osama bin Laden. "The next group of concern would be â I would say â a generation younger," he said, adding that the new generation tended "to be long on radicalism compared with short on training". Security analysts say the U.S.-declared war on terror has damaged al Qaeda, but some say it is too soon to proclaim that Washington is winning the struggle.
Why not? It hasn't been too soon to proclaim we've been losing...
But Black said relentless pressure from intelligence agencies was making it more difficult for al Qaeda to strike. "It is an organisation under stress," he said. "They spend more time worrying about their own operational security... which makes them less able to launch attacks."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/23/2004 12:04:40 AM ||
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#1
Idiots are pissed that the US isn't cooperating with the Jihad. Fucj=k your jihad. And fucj=k mo.
#2
I hope at some point soon Bush makes the final link, and declares ALL Jihadiis to be our enemies. That will present a stark choice for Islam: either disown the Jihadiis or face selective attacks from the US. Personally, since Jihadism is fairly recent to Islam, I think that there is still time for it's followers to reject it and purge their own ranks. Not much time, though, because soon the rest of the world will decide that they, too have failed to act agressively enough in the face of this culture war.
No, it isn't. Mohammed himself led the first jihads, and jihad is what carried Islam into the Iberian peninsula and to India. The only new thing about jihad is the spin that it means "internal struggle"; all of the major schools of Islamic study declare jihad to mean war to spread the faith.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
01/23/2004 7:03 Comments ||
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#4
Rivrdog, such a comment would convince the Islamic world that this is a crusade against them just as Bin Laden says.
Better for Phase 3 to be serious pressure on Pakistan and Saudi Arabia to cleanup their act and shut down support and madrasses; Pressure on Syria to pull a Libya; Support for democracy in Iran to overthrow the government.
#5
"â a generation younger," he said, adding that the new generation tended "to be long on radicalism compared with short on training".
Until we clean up the madrassas, they will just keep getting younger and less trained until they are just a bunch of 8 year olds throwing rocks and willing to strap on a suicide belt or carry a bomb that anyone disgruntled group/state is willing to finance.
Posted by: B ||
01/23/2004 10:33 Comments ||
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#6
A U.S. anti-terrorism envoy said on Thursday that while two-thirds of known al Qaeda leaders had been captured or killed, a new generation of militants was the next area of concern.
[...]
"The next group of concern would be â I would say â a generation younger," he said, adding that the new generation tended "to be long on radicalism compared with short on training".
No problem, these junior jihadis will have to be wiped out too. Since they have little training, they'll simply be a bit easier to bag.
Rivrdog, such a comment would convince the Islamic world that this is a crusade against them just as Bin Laden says.
#7
The only way to stop the junior jihadis is to stop their indoctrination, and to do that is to shut down the madrassas. To shut down the madrasses, the funding by fundos has to stop, and that path leads back to Saudi Arabia.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
01/23/2004 15:27 Comments ||
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#8
Al-Aska Paul - QED
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/23/2004 21:55 Comments ||
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He was told to stay away, but the leader of Ohioâs largest mosque was back leading prayer on Friday. Imam Fawaz Damra has a huge following in his mosque, but there are some who think he should step down. Police were worried the two sides might clash and they were ready with the SWAT team present. "Basically the police officers are here only keep the peace," said Bill Mauer of the Parma police. The mosqueâs board of directors thought there would be a problem, so before prayer they went to Parma police. Then the mayor stepped in and called both sides to meet behind closed doors. The mosque is in Parma and the board wanted to hire off-duty officers to keep Damra out. The mayor kept them on the clock and impartial. Damra has been indicted for allegedly lying on his citizenship application back in 1991. The mosqueâs board put him on leave. The elders of the mosque invited him back and almost 1,000 members of the mosque came to the afternoon service, many supporting Damra.
#1
Bill Maher? I thoughthe'd laid low since the Politically Incorrect failed due to his stupid statements...I didn't think he'd sunk to Parma Police spokesman...oh....nevermind
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/23/2004 21:49 Comments ||
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#2
The Religion Of Peace: Where you need a SWAT team to keep the peace in a house of worship.....
EFL - too chilling to cut much. Put Kony into the express lane for a bullet labotomy. Send a team after him; he needs to assume ambient temperature as soon as possible.
His voice whispering with awe, Patrick Akat tells of the day God sent a signal of sympathy and support for Ugandaâs terrifying northern rebellion. In a guerrilla hide-out in the wilderness of southern Sudan, the teen-ager saw a white dove descend and flutter above the head of rebel leader Joseph Kony as he addressed his child fighters. "As it flew, people started moving away (in wonder)," the former LRA child fighter told Reuters, explaining that the birdâs behavior was a sign of divine favor. Another day, as we trained, a star came out of the sky and flew over him. It was also a sign." Son, thatâs a sattelite.
Brainwashing and belief in spirits are key to Konyâs uncanny power, according to aid workers counseling children who have escaped from his Lordâs Resistance Army (LRA) rebel group. The LRA has snatched tens of thousands of children like Akat from their homes in its 17-year-old war against the government and forced them to work as frontline soldiers and sex slaves. Many escape, but the LRA constantly abducts new "troops" from mud and thatch villages dotted among swamps and tall grass. Within hours of kidnapping a new group LRA commanders will select one child for death -- usually an infant who tries to escape, is sick or fails to walk fast enough. On pain of being killed the rest of the group must beat him or her to death. The abductees, told a similar fate awaits them if they try to escape, are rapidly traumatized into obedience. "The kidnappers began beating me, telling me that they are now registering me to become a real soldier," another former LRA soldier, Kenneth Okorach, 16, told Reuters. "Then I was forced to kill some people ... In our group they told one person to lie down. They got a strong person to beat him. Then the rest of us children had to join in. Immediately I did that I prayed to God to forgive me." Anybody still feel that Kony should be negotiated with?
Listed by the State Department as a terrorist group, the LRA has displaced more than a million people and shut down the economy of perhaps a fifth of Uganda by a systematic campaign of violence. The group is fighting to topple the government and says it wants to win a better life for the Acholi. But it has never detailed its demands and observers note it avoids fighting the governmentâs army, preferring to attack civilians. Boys, praise the Lord. Fight for freedom!!! Shoot the two farmers, rape grandma, but save the kid - I like the way he looks in those tight jeans.
Experts on the cult-like movement say Kony, a self-proclaimed prophet and former altar boy, - characterize him as a fundi christian /what a surprise -
is a deranged personality who believes he must "cleanse" his Acholi tribe of sinners by killing anyone in it who supports the government. Estimated to be in his 40s, he has not been seen by outsiders for years. "He sees himself as the Acholisâ savior. The idea comes from his reading of the Bible and Godâs treatment of the people of Israel," said Els de Temmerman, an aid worker who has interviewed hundreds of former LRA children at a rehabilitation center she runs for them in this northern town. "He says âWe have to cleanse our people so only the good, faithful ones remain. So we are not killing our people, we are cleansing themâ," said de Temmerman, a Belgian. "It is a cult, pure and simple."
Just about the nastiest cult going...
"If you ask them why they did not escape earlier they reply because he reads our minds. We could not even think of escape because we could be caught immediately," de Temmerman said. Many of those who escape are killed by LRA hunting parties sent out to punish people they see as traitors. Their success is due to the LRAâs habit of keeping a strict record of the home villages and families of those they have abducted. Aid workers say Konyâs brainwashing techniques are so good that many former fighters, especially those who spent years in the bush, see him as a good person, and much misunderstood. "He is nice to children," said Akat. "His only problem is the hard orders he gives to his commanders to kill. Itâs them who kill and torture children. They do it behind his back." Those with the LRA shorter periods are less generous. "They really like killing people," said Okorach. "I think those people (in the LRA) are wasting their time." Video a sniveling apology before executing him. It may help the kids in deprogramming.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/23/2004 8:29:34 PM ||
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#1
"Another day, as we trained, a star came out of the sky and flew over him. It was also a sign."
"Son, thatâs a satellite"
would be nice if it was hellfire-equipped predator
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/23/2004 20:46 Comments ||
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#2
this guy sounds like the profit muhammid--give it 60 years -four successors--a holy book and some post-modern pillaging--et voila--we'll have a new religion
Posted by: SON OF TOLUI ||
01/23/2004 23:19 Comments ||
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EFL from BBC
... There are also far fewer weapons on the streets. I didnât see a single one in Monrovia not belonging to a UN soldier. But the weapons are still at large, some no doubt hidden in the thick jungle, and will remain at large until a massive disarmament campaign gets under way. Waiting for a the UN to announce itâs rebate program for crewfired weapons.
When the militiamen didnât get what they wanted - cash payments in return for their weapons - they went on the rampage and several people were killed. However, according to several senior UN military officers who requested anonymity, the UN then compounded its mistakes by agreeing, under pressure of the unrest, to pay $75 "up-front" to fighters who give in their guns, when the disarmament resumes. The UN shall never cave under pressure, unless the opposition has guns.
The $75 would be a "down payment" on a total of $300 that demobilised fighters get after taking part in a re-integration and re-education programme that should last several months. The problem with this, the officers I spoke to in confidence said, was that a second-hand AK47 automatic rifle "the favoured killing-tool in Liberia" costs much less than $75. A Rantburger pointed this out as soon as the upfront money was announced.
There is a real danger, they said, that the tactic of paying $75 "up-front" could actually attract arms into Liberia from the surrounding region, creating a profitable arms trade with potentially deadly spin-offs if guns get into the wrong hands... The UN says it is patrolling the borders to prevent this happening, but anyone who has seen Liberiaâs frontiers with Sierra Leone, Guinea and Ivory Coast, as I have, will know that this is a completely unrealistic claim. Most of the border is jungle that is, frankly, beyond the control of anyone. However, having put this figure of $75 into the equation, there is no way the UN can withdraw it without risking the anger of thousands of young, impatient, armed men...
A local health administrator and a handful of hardworking nurses have kept the place going but there is no running water, no electricity, no food and hardly any medicine there. Everything has been looted by armed men, including the wheels off a pair of wheelchairs that sit in an abandoned, empty ward. Those bastard wheelbarrow guys looted everything that could roll.
And then there were the fighters lounging on wooden benches in Zwedru marketplace, bragging about their exploits during the war. These fighters joined the Model (Movement for Democracy in Liberia) rebels after they chased out fighters loyal to the former President Charles Taylor in Zwedru in March 2003. Swaggering in front of their tiny girlfriends, these teenage boys called themselves war-names like "Viper" or "Bread and Butter" as they told me how they killed Charles Taylorâs militiamen in retaliation for his men killing their relatives in earlier rounds of fighting. When you plug Mr. Bread and Butter, it goes without saying which side lands down - and that goes for his buddy PB&J as well.
These boys were full of bravado, but after telling their stories they all frankly, and without embarrassment, said that they wanted to go back to school. I want to renegotiate my last few report cards with Mrs. Smith, and Iâve got to get back to my lunch money shakedown business.
If the disarmament is successful, perhaps theyâll do just that.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/23/2004 8:04:40 PM ||
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The amputated leg of an Iranian war veteran is being held at a morgue for a third week because its owner cannot afford to have it buried. Noorkhoda Biranvand, 40, was shot in the left leg during the 1980-88 war with Iraq but tissue began to die only recently, Kayhan newspaper reports. After doctors in Khorammabad decided to amputate, Mr Biranvand took religious advice and decided to have it buried. But it was impounded by the cemetery when he failed to pay the bill of $83. "Because he did not have the money, the leg has been in the morgue for 20 days," the paper says. The veteran appealed to an Iranian war charity, the Martyrs' Foundation, but they rejected his request.
What a bunch of cheapjacks. What a bunch of two-faced hypocrites! They'd have paid for the entire burial of poor Biranvand's carcass if he'd had the grace to keel over and collect his 72 virgins. Instead, they're probably making fun of him and calling him "Stumpy," while the leg rots.
My grandaddy lost one of his legs late in life, to diabetes, and had it buried in his cemetary plot. He used to tell people he had one foot in the grave and then cackle. Grandaddy was a very strange man...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/23/2004 19:17 ||
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Minor editing for terminology...
Some 2500 lemmings belonging to the Islamic group Hamas have swarmed into the streets of the northern West Bank city of Nablus to make faces, jump up and down, holler and shake their fists in support of its spiritual leader, Sheikh Ahmad Yassin, whom Israel has threatened to assist from the gene pool. The crowd departed from Nablus' Old City al-Nasir Mosque on Friday and tromped-tromped-tromped towards the centre of town. The marchers waived Hamas' trademark green flag and chanted "We will sacrifice our soul and our blood for you Saddam Sheikh Yassin!" and "For every threat to Sheikh Yassin, Israel will pay a high price."
They used to say the same for Sammy. Did him a lot of good, too...
Israel believes Yassin, who escaped an attempt on his life last year, personally ordered up a boomer at a border crossing with Gaza last week which prompted Deputy Defense Minister Zeev Boim to mark him for death.
... like he marked others for death. Fair sounds fair to me, but what the hell do I know? I'm just an infidel.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/23/2004 18:58 ||
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#1
If Israel had the morals of the Paleos they'd have dropped cluster bombs on every one of the clusterfucks
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/23/2004 20:38 Comments ||
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#2
Meanwhile, Yassin has gone to the madrasses matresses, while his loyal lemmings followers do their rehearsal for parts delivery his funeral. Meanwhile, Suha Arafish got her permanent parchment for all rights and privelages to live in the frog pond. And the fence is going up on schedule, despite Santa Ana Alamo-style ladder assaults by ill-parented kids on a bird-hunting trip. This is like the Firesign Theater...messing up my head.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
01/23/2004 21:01 Comments ||
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Via Lucianne:
THE Moroccan Senate today unanimously adopted a new family code which puts women on a more equal footing with their husbands, notably raising the age at which girls can legally marry from 15 to 18 and giving wives "joint responsibility" with their husbands in family matters. Approval by the Senate means the Bill - which also says polygamy can only be practised under highly restrictive conditions and makes it more difficult for men to divorce their wives - can now become law.
The revised code, which its prime mover King Mohammed VI has stressed is in line with the tenets of Islam, replaces a family code that womenâs groups said treated Moroccan women as perpetual minors, under the authority of men. The new code underlines the principle of "equality of rights and duties" within the married couple and abandons the principle of the "wifeâs obedience to her husband".... All of Moroccoâs political parties, including the Islamic Justice and Development Party (PJD), welcomed the kingâs proposals to revise the family code, with some calling it a "revolution". Moroccoâs leading Islamist association, Al Adl Wal Ihssane, said the changes to the code brought it closer "to a certain idea of justice within the family".
#1
Thank God--maybe there's some hope for Islam after all. Now all we need is for it to spread to Algeria, then Libya, then Egypt, then Jordan, then Iraq, then Iran, and finally to Afghanistan to head off this Taliban Lite⢠crap.
Posted by: Dar ||
01/23/2004 18:38 Comments ||
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#2
Morocco's King Mohammed has no taste for any of the extremist crap that the Wahhabis spew - the number of folks he jugged after the Casablanca bombings as well as the thousands of ordinary Moroccans taking part in anti-terror demonstrations is proof enough of that. Plus, he's also a descendant of the original Mohammed and would be one of the first in line to be the caliph in the event some new caliphate was actually a set up - a point that seems to be missed by all of the folks in Hizb-ut-Tahrir trying to set one up.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/23/2004 21:40 Comments ||
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#3
wrong boyo--only the shites [pre-iran] are in favor of a hereditary caliphate--the sunnis/deobandis favor election by council of the wisest--except that the ottomans 86'd that concept and believed in family values
Posted by: SON OF TOLUI ||
01/23/2004 23:27 Comments ||
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Secretary of State Colin Powell plans to attend the inauguration of Georgiaâs new president Mikhail Saakashvilli this weekend, offering Saakashvilli a symbolic stamp of U.S. approval. In addition to the planned festivities of singers, acrobats, dancing bears and a military parade, Powell may be stepping into the beginning of a civil war set off by the new president himself. Sources close to the president of a small Georgian republic, the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, say the Adjarans have uncovered a secret plot by Saakashvilli to seize the republic and its port capitol of Batumi in the aftermath of Sundayâs inaugural celebration. Adjarans believe that as soon as Powell leaves Georgia the new president intends to strike against them. Plots! Nefarious plots! Secret, nefarious plots!
The Adjarans not to be confused with the inhabitants of a similarly-named plant on Star Trek Enterprise, 400,000 citizens with no army but many guns, this week encouraged their police, customs and border guards, about 5,000 in all, to repel what they fear will be an invasion. Georgia has an army of some 30,000 troops, lots of equipment, and U.S. military trainers and equipment, including some advanced attack helicopters. Adjara, as an autonomous republic, has its own constitution and laws but does not print money or engage in foreign policy. No postage stamps and no aid from the UN, either. What kind of "republic" is this? Aslan Abashidze is the elected president of Adjara and from a family well-known for 600 years in Georgia. Abashidze is disliked by the Georgian government but very much liked by the Adjarans whom he has governed in a strict but democratic fashion. Abashidze is a Christian, as is much of Adjara, but he is famous for his kind treatment of the republicâs tight-knit group of about 500 Jewish families. Abashidze ousted Russian troops from the old synagogue in the capital city of Batumi — they had been using the temple as a "sports club" — rebuilt it and gave it back to the Jews.
Here is the plan our sources in Adjara believe is the likely scenario for the secret, nefarious plot seizure of their republic: [...] the Adjarans now say [the inaguration] will be in Kutaisi in the Republic of Georgia, a small city in the Caucasian mountains. At the ceremony will be a military parade, the first ever held in Georgia at an inauguration. Why Kutaisi instead of the capital, Tbilisi or at the monastery? Adjaran sources say because it is so much closer to Adjara and the troops wonât have far to march. Adjaran president Abashidze has told friends and supporters that the plot calls for the Georgian soldiers to go to Poti, a port city on the Black Sea near the border with Adjara. They will join the Georgian garrison there, cross the border by force of arms, and attack the capitol of Adjara, Batumi, with some 2,000 regulars and seize control of Adjara.  This is the plot? Even an Iraqi general could do better than this.
Russiaâs intelligence service is highly competent and the Russian government, presumably aware of this plot, has been making public noises of "impotent concern" over "tension in Georgia." The Russians are resentful of U.S.-sponsored NATO pressure to push them out of every country except their own. Turkey is interested too, since they guarantee the constitution of Adjara by the 1921 treaty of Kars. Tragical, comedic farce lives on in Georgia!
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/23/2004 6:23:10 PM ||
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EFL
There were no giveaways, balloons or barbecues, but business was booming this month at a bizarre Syrian bazaar â a used tank lot at al-Qamishli, located at the point where the borders of Syria, Iraq and Turkey meet. On sale: Russian T-72 tanks. No, not in mint condition, hardly top-of-the-line merchandise, the tank on sale was a Soviet product purchased by the Syrian army in the 1980s, well enough maintained and offered at a rock bottom price of $3,000 apiece. Damn!!! I gotta get me one of those!
#3
Has the Syrian army been downsizing lately ? I don't mean this as a joke, its just curious they would get rid of their best tanks, as it seems they are still operating T-55's and T-62's. Or are they ?
#8
buwaya, I can't answer your question on downsizing, but they are still operating T-55 and T-62's as well as the T-72's.
See "Syrian order of Battle" on the Strategy page. It includes the count of each in each unit.
#9
Scooter, the best part is the availability of repair parts. I think entreprenuers in Iraq and Afghanistan have opened highwayofdeath.com. It's like an online version of PEP Boys, but for Soviet tanks.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/23/2004 19:13 Comments ||
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#10
A T-72? I can see pulling up in my local gas station to get the inspection sticker. But it'd probably flunk on the emissions test.
In an article titled âHow the Arabs Appear to the Japanese,â the head of the Kuwaiti National Council for Culture, Art, and Literature, liberal columnist Muhammad Al-Rumayhi, reviewed the book âThe Arabs: A Japanese Point of View,â by Japanese researcher Nobuaki Notohara. The book, which was recently published in Arabic, included criticism of societal patterns, oppression, and the absence of self-criticism in the Arab world. In his review, Al-Rumayhi presents the book as required reading for anyone interested in reform in the Arab world. The following are excerpts from Al-Rumayhiâs article:(1)
"Whenever some Arabs meet at a scientific convention and Japan is mentioned, the participants compare Japanâs revival to the yearned-for Arab revival. They say that Japan succeeded in entering the new age while at the same time preserving its social culture. Apparently, this is the majority opinion among Arab observers. It appears that this is an apologetic view or justification aimed at saying, âYou can enter the age of modernization, globalization, and production without giving up your social heritage, the traditional political pattern, and the behavioral norms that are inappropriate for our time.â
"âAnd if they are told that the Japanese entered the new age because they changed the political patterns and social behavior to which they were accustomed and because they adopted new ideas, some Arabs respond to this with amazement and denial...â
"Now a Japanese man comes along who expresses, in excellent Arabic, the opposite of what certain Arabs think. This is what Nobuaki Notohara wrote in his book. As soon as I read the book, I thought it [worthy of being] a required book for every Arab statesman who believes that reform is still possible in our Arab region.
"The testimony of Notohara - who dwelled among the Arabs for some 40 years and saw both Bedouin and urban culture, who speaks Arabic like an Arab and who followed Arab literary works and translated them into Japanese - is to the best of my knowledge the first Japanese testimony written about Arabs in their own language..."
"The author points out the tension clearly apparent in the crowded Arab cities; [he] refers to the tension in the Arab street. He thinks that this tension stems from oppression. âThe people walk through the streets as if they were being followed, faces frozen and silent, and [there are] long queues. A person is harmed by oppression even in a taxi, as the driver chooses his passenger according to where he [i.e. the driver] wishes to go, and refuses to take someone he doesnât like.â The book concludes with a comment that âthe residents of the Arab cities are unhappy and dissatisfied. The people are silent and do not speak, but out of this suffocating silence we hear a cry!â
"Notohara believes that the reason for this atmosphere lies in the absence of social justice, and adds that he has the right to say something to the Arabs after all these years of living among them: âThe absence of justice means the absence of the fundamental basis for human relations. Thus, people in the Arab countries say time and again that [in the Arab world] everything is possible because the laws that exist are not implemented and not honored.â
"The law does not protect the people from oppression because it is violated, and Notohara cites many examples and adds: âOppression is the only thing that does not need to be proven in Arab countries.â"
"One of the phenomena of oppression that surprise modern Japanese is that âthe ruler rules for his entire life, while the Japanese prime ministerâs term lasts no more than a few years. In every [Arab] country there is a ban on some newspapers, and authors and publications are subject to censorship.â
"A Japanese individual does not expect to see such phenomena. â... Anyone visiting Japan sees cars with loudspeakers in the streets [verbally] attacking the prime minister and the ruling party without anyone harassing them... But in the Arab countries the regime and the ruler are one. In most Arab countries, the only criteria for respecting a citizen and for the extent of his patriotism is the degree of his loyalty to the ruler. All these are alien to us Japanese of the modern age...â
"The author is aware of the fact that Japan was in the past subject to oppression. But the Japanese freed themselves from it, and it became history. [The author] says: âI think that oppression is an incurable disease in Arab society, and therefore any author or researcher who speaks of the Arab society without being aware of this simple and obvious fact is not a serious researcher.â
"âAs a result of oppression, the people try to be conformist in their opinions, dress, and homes, and under such circumstances the individualâs independence disappears. Similarly, the phenomenon of public responsibility is absent. Oppression engenders fear and creates spurious respect [for the government].â"
"âDue to the absence of justice, there is no public responsibility. This is why Arab residents destroy parks, streets, public drinking fountains, and public transportation, thinking that they are destroying government property, not their own. Similarly, responsibility for... political prisoners [meaning those fighting for civil and human rights] who sacrificed themselves for society is lacking; society itself has abandoned these courageous people. People in Arab countries see the problems of political prisoners as a private problem of the family of each prisoner.â
"The Japanese individual wonders: âI can understand that the regimes [fight] prominent individuals, thinkers, authors, politicians, scientists, and artists, but why does the people itself abandon them?â
"According to the author, âthe Arab adopts his ideas from outside, while the Japanese shapes his ideas on concrete events in Japan that he experiences every day. In Japan, new facts are added every day, while the Arab makes do with reconstructing events from the distant past...â"
"The author compares Japan to the Arabs: âThe Japanese had to deal with the bitter and difficult experience of the Japanese military taking control of the emperor, the government, and the people and leading the country to war... But we recognized our mistake and decided to correct it. We expelled the military and decided to rebuild what was destroyed by the military oppression. We learned that oppression leads to destruction of national resources and the murder of innocents... Self-criticism is a great value in the life of every people, and people need domestic and external criticism.â"
"The author says that several times his Arab friends have asked him: âThe U.S. destroyed you by dropping two nuclear bombs on your cities. Why donât you hate America?â He answers: âWe must admit our mistakes. We were imperialist and we conquered peoples and destroyed many lands - China, Korea, and Oceania. We must criticize ourselves and then correct our mistakes. As to feelings, this is a limited personal matter that does not build the future.â
"Notahara insists that awareness of problems is the right approach to correcting them... The Japanese does not expect coming to a bank to withdraw money and having the teller give him less than the amount coming to him, or coming to the museum and having the museum director offer to sell him archeological exhibits...
"In his book, Notohara describes many instances; once he saw a nun in religious garb who paid a bribe. Why? Because in her institution, she could not get any attention without it. The author shows that the Arab value system contains many flaws that do not comply with the progress for which the [Arabs] yearn."
"I have tried to present in brief this book, which opens the eyes of anyone who wants to see. It presents two matters: Japan freed itself of many of its old values ... in order to enter the modern age, [and] the Arab value system requires revision...
"I think that we all need to read this book with open eyes and hearts."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/23/2004 3:35:27 PM ||
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#6
--Whenever some Arabs meet at a scientific convention and Japan is mentioned, the participants compare Japanâs revival to the yearned-for Arab revival. They say that Japan succeeded in entering the new age while at the same time preserving its social culture.---
And all it took were hundreds of thousands dead and 2 bombs.
Those Japanese military historians are right, by bombing them, we saved their culture. I'm wondering if that was acknowledged in the book. I can imagine what the Arabs think of that.
A Lebanese friend here told me of an Iraqi pal of his dad's...The Iraqi built up $100,000 in savings doing auto body repair in Baghdad. Goes to the bank to check on savings account and is told, "You're broke." Apparently, Uday or Douche would empty people's accounts. This Iraqi kicks up a storm at bank so then is visited that evening by Mukhbarrat. Scrams to Jordan same night, lands in US. Hated Saddam. Loves USA. He's thrilled we're there now.
My brother's brother-in-law is US Army Captain--J.A.G.--in Tikrit right now. Emails that Iraqis are thrilled at prospect of the rule of law and private property rights.Tommy is helping to set up a real court system. He feels like he's doing Human Rights work there. In my opinion, the US Army is doing more for Human Rights in Iraq than Amnesty Irrational ever did.
Nearly two-thirds of Americans (65%) feel the war was the right decision, which represents little change from December, shortly after Husseinâs capture (67%).
Nearly half of Americans (47%) say Bush pushes U.S. interests "about right," while 26% think he is too aggressive in pursuing those interests and 22% say he is not aggressive enough. Bushâs image is quite different from former President Clintonâs in this regard. In June 1995, 42% of the public felt Clinton did not press hard enough for American interests while 39% said he had advocated those interests appropriately.
Only about four-in-ten Democrats (42%) feel the war was the right decision, down from 56% in December. By comparison, independents have become somewhat more supportive of the war  66% now, 60% then  while Republicans overwhelmingly believe the war was the right decision.
While fewer than a quarter (22%) say the U.S. military effort there is going very well, another 51% believe things are going fairly well. Both ratings are up significantly since October, and the percentage of the public expressing a negative view of progress in Iraq has fallen from 36% to 24% in that period.
Nearly half of Americans (48%) say their greater concern in Iraq is that the United States will wait too long to withdraw its forces from the country. But a sizable minority (41%) are more concerned that the U.S. will put out too quickly, before a stable democracy is established. Democrats by more than two-to-one (62%-30%) say the bigger concern is the U.S. will stay too long in Iraq; Republicans by a smaller margin (53%-34%) voice the opposite concern.
EFL
The Conservatives have accused the Foreign Office of "dithering" over the English cricket teamâs planned tour of Zimbabwe in November. Shadow foreign secretary Michael Ancram said the trip would "give succour" to President Robert Mugabe. No it wonât. It will be an opportunity for the MDU to hold massive demonstrations - televised.
In a letter to Jack Straw, he called for the Foreign Office to advise the English Cricket Board (ECB) to cancel the tour. The ECB is to decide next week whether to go ahead with the tour. Mr Ancram said the Foreign Officeâs failure to take a lead on the matter was "stupefying". Mr Mugabe would use the tour to "bask in the media spotlight", Mr Ancram said. I doubt that Bobâs pig sty will look good on world-wide TV.
But Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, chairman-in-office of the Commonwealth, said the tour "should be used as an instrument of friendship. Even when the political relationship is frosty, sport can be used to warm up the frostiness," he said.
"Just look at all the good the 1936 Olympics did!"
Obasanjo must have had several frosty one at his friendly corner pub before calling for this transparant appeasement.
A Foreign Office spokeswoman said the ECB had asked for the Foreign Officeâs views and had been briefed on the social and political situation in Zimbabwe. However, she said: "Weâve always made it clear that itâs a matter for the ECB to decide." She refused to say whether the Foreign Office felt the tour should go ahead. We refuse to make any public decision that we might be held accountable for. We havenât heard back from our focus groups.
The controversy over the tour comes a year after England dropped out of a World Cup cricket match in Zimbabwe, citing concerns for playersâ safety. Hoseâs recommendation: send the team and camera crews - investigative journalist types preferred - on a voluntary basis. Dress some SAS guys in civies to replace anyone that doesnât want to go. Like the Turkish football match -approve no other Visaâs. Bob wants the cash flow.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/23/2004 2:00:05 PM ||
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Iran plans to put about a dozen jailed al-Qaida suspects on trial, Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi has said. "They are currently in prison. Their relations are cut off from outside and they are going to be tried," Kharrazi told Reuters on Friday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. "Right after our fair elections take place"
It was the first time that Iran had said it would put suspects of Usama bin Ladinâs network on trial. First they said there were no al-Qaida, then they said they were holding them, but they wereât operating.
The most important al-Qaida figure that Western intelligence agencies say may be in Iran is an Egyptian - Saif al-Adel, the networkâs security chief. Kharrazi declined to comment on whether Iran was holding al-Adel, saying he could not name any of the suspects for security reasons. "I can say no more"
Asked if they were important figures, he said: "Al-Qaida members are very important to everyone these days because of operating in different places." That made some sense, I guess.
Washington has said al-Qaida fighters based in Iran plotted suicide bombings in Saudi Arabia last May and has demanded Iran help bring them to justice. Iran denies al-Qaida operated from its territory. So, you are going to put your secret suspects on secret trial before a secret islamic court and hand down secret sentences and lock them up in a secret location for a secret period of time? Thanks, that makes me feel better.
Posted by: Steve ||
01/23/2004 1:53:12 PM ||
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#1
yeah right. I can hear the Judge now:
GUILTY!!! pay the clerk the $25.00 fine and sin no more.
Next Case!
Jean-Claude Gaudin, Mayor of the French city of Marseilles recently disclosed that Palestinian First Lady Suha Arafat received French citizenship. Somehow, that figures.
Posted by: Mike ||
01/23/2004 1:44:45 PM ||
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#1
And evidently Arafish himself is now eligible for a French passport.
#2
Sounds like the Arafats are getting ready to blow town and take shelter. The French protected Khomeini for years; do you think they'll take in Arafat?
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
01/23/2004 14:15 Comments ||
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Zimbabweâs High Court is due to hear the first of two government requests to stop the only privately-owned newspaper from publishing later on Friday. This is due to be heard at 1430 GMT on Friday, she said, while Information Minister Jonathan Moyo had filed a separate application seeking to have the paper declared illegal for using unaccredited journalists. The government has accused the Daily News and other privately-owned papers of being biased in favour of the opposition. Ms Moyo said the government had never explained to the courts why it was in the public interest to close the paper. Mugabe seems adamant about silencing dissent. Itâs summer down there but thereâs "like this chill wind blowing through the place."
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/23/2004 1:40:41 PM ||
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Pakistan President meets Peres at Davos. Pledges to visit Israel once relations between the countries are normalized. This should make him a very popular target for Al-Q!
The Davos Conference was the site of a rare and unusual meeting yesterday. Pervez Musharraf, President of the worldâs sole Muslim nuclear power, held a long conversation with opposition leader, MK Shimon Peres, and even shook his hand. Photos. I want to see photos!
The historic meeting resulted from a random encounter between the two figures. Musharraf recognized Peres among the hundreds of guests at the hotelâs main lobby, approached him, and warmly shook his hand. Peres was the one to initiate the conversation, saying: âMr. President, there are so many rumors about the relations being formed between our countriesâ. Such as...?
Musharraf smiled heartily and confirmed the message. âWe are undertaking great efforts for this to happenâ, he said, but added: âYou hold the responsibility to move forward with the Palestiniansâ. Ah ha!
Peresâ tone change, as he sent a clear message: âMy friend, an efficient and positive peace currently prevails in the Middle East, and we will continue to act in order to reach a deal with the Palestinians. But we need a strong leadership to fight terrorism, so we can change things and bring peace and stabilityâ. Translation: Canât do a thing with Arafish swiming around. Itâs like someone peeing in a clean pool.
At the end of the conversation, Peres invited Musharraf to visit Israel, with the Pakistani president replying: âInshallahâ (God willing) as the two parted warmly. Musharraf then turned to answer Maarivâs question about his intention to accept Peresâ invitation, saying that once relations between the two countries are normalized, he will be glad to visit Israel. Wonder how this will be received by the Pakis on the street?
The United Nations nuclear watchdog said on Friday that it has put designs for nuclear weapons found in Libya under U.N. seal, and a Western diplomat said the U.S. and British weapons experts would be evacuating the drawings as soon as possible. "We have the drawings under our seal and they are secure," U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) spokesman Mark Gwozdecky said. He declined to give any details about the drawings.
That's prob'ly cuz they're under seal.
IAEA inspectors have been in Libya since Tuesday, when they joined weapons experts from the United States and Britain who are dismantling Tripoliâs nuclear, chemical and biological weapons capabilities. A diplomat from a Western country said the U.S. and British teams would evacuate the designs as soon as possible...contâd...
Posted by: Nick ||
01/23/2004 12:46:36 PM ||
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by Austin Bay, Strategy Page. EFL
Saddam Husseinâs regime thrived on the UNâs corrupted Oil For Food program. . . . A similar evil game of elite ritz amidst mass starvation continues in east Asia, except a wag might call North Koreaâs shakedown "Food For Fallout." While Kim Jong Ilâs strange little Stalinist clique trumpets the development of nuclear weapons, 2.7 million of its citizens face imminent starvation. Last week the World Food Program cut food aid to North Korea because of a lack of foreign donations. . . .
[T]he Cold War ended with a whimper, not a nuclear bang. South Korea had hoped for a similar break in the North Korean regime, but if thereâs a modernizer [like Gorbachev] in Pyongyang heâs in prison or awaiting execution. Kim Jong-Il is running an extortion racket. His North Korean totalitarian police state is a totalitarian crime state. Various criminal enterprises insure its Communist elites have plenty to eat. In 2003, Australia seized a North Korean freighter packed with heroin. The ship sported expanded fuel tanks for long-distance operations. The bust proved smuggling smack is a North Korean state policy, providing cash for Kimâs caviar.
Nuclear weapons, of course, are Kimâs big stick. The scam goes like this: Pay us off and we wonât make bombs. That was the deal Pyongyang offered the Clinton administration in 1994. The United States hoped that meeting North Koreaâs basic energy and food requirements would ultimately reduce belligerency. However, North Korea made bombs anyway. North Korea calls its latest negotiating gambit "the order of simultaneous action." Pyongyang will "renounce nuclear intentions" if Washington resumes food aid. The US must also provide "written security assurances." This is still "pay us, then we behave."
The schtickâs no longer working quite as slick as it once did. Saddamâs collapse is one reasonâ post 9/11 America is in the regime change business. That fact certainly spurred Libyaâs recent nuclear fold. Stories circulate that Kim Jong-Il believes missile-armed American Predator unmanned aerial vehicles are stalking him.
If Kim casts a wary eye to the sky that may promote flexibility, as the diplomats say. . . .
Posted by: Mike ||
01/23/2004 12:10:47 PM ||
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#1
Stories circulate that Kim Jong-Il believes missile-armed American Predator unmanned aerial vehicles are stalking him.
and we have spy nano-robots in your drinking water...Bwahhahahahahha!
Deputy Head of Iran`s Charity and Endowment Organization Nabiollah Chamran said here on Friday that the 6.3-Richter earthquake in Bam city in southeastern Iran has flattened five tombs belonging to religious figures and 38 mosques. He added that the tragic quake has only spared one mosque and one Imamzadeh from damage.
"We are awaiting the government orders to proceed with the reconstruction of mosques in new and more proper locations around the city in accordance with the plans to be provided by the related officials. "A group of engineers are designing mausoleums, which are to be constructed by relying on the funds to be provided by the nationwide Charity and Endowment Departments," he added. The official said that a minimum of 1.2 billion rials is required for the reconstruction of every destroyed tomb. Chamran said that the recent killer quake serves as a lesson to consider the importance of reinforcing other mausoleums and make them quake-resistant," he added. "To materialize such an objective, the people are required to help the board of trustees of the holy places across the nation," he concluded.
For some reason they haven't picked up on that Wrath of God thing. And Khamenei keeps ignoring that moving finger that writes on his wall every Friday...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/23/2004 11:59 ||
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#1
And Khamenei keeps ignoring that moving finger that writes on his wall every Friday...
That's because the hand is Jewish.
Posted by: Proud To Be An Infidel (JC) ||
01/23/2004 12:07 Comments ||
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#2
Wow--I wonder if anybody in the tombs survived? [/smart ass]
Posted by: Dar ||
01/23/2004 12:34 Comments ||
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#3
It is truly the Will of Allah!
______________________________a big pbuh shoutout to all my homies...
#6
Actually, it might be interesting if the tested a nuclear bomb uderground in their country.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/23/2004 13:17 Comments ||
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#7
If they did an underground test around Bam it would be called Boom. From my USGS days at the Nevada Test Site, when they set off a 2 megaton blast underground at NTS, Beatty, Nevada got shook up pretty good, and buildings in Las Vegas swayed. They then decided that the Cannikan blasts of bigger bombs better take place u/g on Amchitka Island in the Aleutians.
For Iran, seismically or otherwise, Canse and Effect are still just two measilly old words separated by some pages in the dictionary.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
01/23/2004 14:06 Comments ||
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#8
Cause and Effect
I wish they had named those two Martian landers 'Cause' and 'Effect'. How neat that would be.
Posted by: Rafael ||
01/23/2004 15:32 Comments ||
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#9
Looks like God (or Allah) is going to have to pick up his sledgehammer again to drive the point home. They just aren't listening.
#10
Bam recovery and restoration priority list.
1.rebuild Tombs
2.rebuild Mosques.
3.rebuild ancient citadel (get UN to pay for it)
4 through 7 do some infrastructure stuff
8.provide housing for survivors
9.get some food in there
10.find out why Allah is visiting His wrath upon us
#11
Let's see...5 tombs, 38 mosques. They will be assigned Holiest Place in Islam Numbers 72,270 to 73,013, tombs first. And let me know on the "Imamzadeh", whatever the hell they are.
EFL
A top European Union official warned Colombian President Alvaro Uribe that he faces a barrage of questions about his governmentâs respect for the rule of law when he visits Europe next month to win backing for his tough, U.S-backed security policies. EU External Relations Commissioner Chris Patten made the comments Thursday at the end of a two-day visit during which he angered government leaders with thinly veiled criticism of Colombiaâs new anti-terrorism laws. In Europe the policy is to let the terrorists roam freely.
The Patriot Act legislation, adopted by Congress last month, gives the armed forces sweeping judicial powers to detain suspects without warrants, tap phones and search homes as part of Uribeâs campaign to crush a four-decade leftist insurgency. Fellow travelers and terrorist sympathizers Human rights groups, however, warned the bill could lead government forces to commit abuses, while the United Nations said it was incompatible with international law. "Many people will want to discuss with him (Uribe) the recommendations of the United Nations," Patten said at a news conference in Bogota. "The roadmap improvement in civil liberties and human rights can and must go hand-in-hand with the overcoming of violence." Uribe, a close U.S. ally, is scheduled to tour EU headquarters in Belgium, Germany and Italy on Feb. 7-14, the presidentâs office said, in a bid to secure political and financial backing for his policies. The United States is funding much of the military buildup. Donât go. Itâs a trap. The ICC will get you.
Similar comments over the past few days led Colombian Vice President Francisco Santos, in an interview with daily El Tiempo, to denounce Europe for having "a neocolonial concept of justice in Colombia" and for treating the country as a "banana republic." Hey, buster the EU doesnât condescend. Now donât miss another opportunity to be quiet.
On Thursday, however, Santos glossed over the harsh words, saying: "It is very clear the EU has a commitment to Colombia and Colombia to the EU. Iâm here all week." Colombian Foreign Minister Carolina Barco said after meetings with Patten that "we know we have a partner in the EU, which is accompanying us in the struggle against terrorism." Did he say that with a straight face?
Patten also urged Colombiaâs two leftist rebel groups to release dozens of hostages and enter peace talks with the government. Isnât holding hostages a violation of their civil rights? Sorry, forgot about the different scale for âfreedom fighters.â
"The PLAHamas FARC should simply engage in negotiations and not make impossible demands," Patten said earlier Thursday as he toured EU-funded "peace laboratories" - does Dennis Kucinich know about these? -
in northern Colombia. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as the FARC, has repeatedly rebuffed the governmentâs appeals to declare a cease-fire and resume peace talks that collapsed two years ago. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annanâs top envoy in Colombia, James LeMoyne, who also attended Thursdayâs news conference, said he still holds out hope that a roadmap negotiated solution to the civil war could be found. Sharon Uribe, in a speech Thursday to diplomats, repeated that his government would not enter peace talks until the armed groups halt their violence. "For this government, it is urgent to secure a cessation of hostilities," he said.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/23/2004 11:33:47 AM ||
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#1
My advice to the EU/UN weenies: Don't piss off the Columbians.
#2
Mojo, isn't great to see that some things are consistent throughout the world. In cases where a populus is being subjected to a terrorist bombing campaign, the EU/UN/AI always ignore the bombers call for the bomb-ees to respect human rights.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/23/2004 12:32 Comments ||
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#3
Is there any situation on teh planet where Chris Patten has taken the right side? What an asshole
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/23/2004 12:45 Comments ||
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#4
Frank:
The Hong Kong handover.
He made a lot of noise about ensuring the survival of democratic institutions, but caved anyway (of course)
EFL
A Southwest Airlines flight attendantâs variation on a rhyme with a racist history did not discriminate against two black passengers, a federal jury decided. The U.S. District Court jury of seven white men and one white woman deliberated less than an hour Wednesday before reaching its verdict. Grace Fuller, 49, and her sister Louise Sawyer, 46, both of suburban Kansas City, filed the suit over comments flight attendant Jennifer Cundiff made after they boarded a Southwest flight to return from a Las Vegas vacation three years ago next month. As the two were trying to find seats on the crowded plane, Cundiff said over the intercom, "Eenie, meenie, minie, moe; pick a seat, we gotta go." (You can just hear the racism!)
Oh, horrors! Oh, hold me, Ethel!
Sawyer and Fuller said the rhyme immediately struck them as a reference to an older, racist version in which the first line is followed by the words "catch a n----r by the toe." They testified at the two-day trial that they were embarrassed, humiliated and frustrated. Fuller said she suffered a small seizure on the flight home, which said was triggered by the remark. Later at home, she said she had a grand mal seizure and was bedridden for three days. (Wow this lady must have had her sensitivty meter oh HIGH! Letâs call out the ACLU, Rainbow Push, NAACP, Muslim Brother on this one.)
Cundiff, 25, of Argyle, Texas, testified that she had never heard the racist version and that she was only trying to inject humor to make the flight more enjoyable and memorable. She wanted passengers to take their seats so the plane could leave. (I had one tell the passengers that if they didnât know how to buckle the seat belt âthey shouldnât be flying!â)
Fuller said after the verdict that there was enough evidence for jurors to have found she had her sister had been discriminated against. "If we had jurors of our peers then we would have won the case today, and we should have won the case today, with all the evidence shown," she said. "Itâs a shame that the jury pool we had to draw from did not have one black and not one minority," she said. "Something has to be done to make sure there is justice in America for blacks." (Where is Jesse and Al when you need them.)
Fuller and her sister testified that they first wrote to Southwest complaining that they felt the rhyme was racially offensive, asking that flight attendants stop using it. They said they decided to sue because they felt the airline did not take their complaints seriously. (I think they are still laughing at you, as are the rest of the civilized world!) This is why we need TORT reform NOW!
Posted by: Cyber Sarge (VRWC CA Chapter) ||
01/23/2004 11:25:14 AM ||
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#1
In theory, the jury could have made an award to the airline for damages and legal costs, and should have.
I feel I can state without fear of contradiction that seizures are not caused by children's rhymes. They are, however, a potent indicator of brain disease.
#2
They think this is bad? Recently on a flight from Atlanta our Flight Attedant gave out this instruction: " If we do crash over water, we ask that you kill the youngest child first so they don't have to suffer. " The whole pre-flight explanation was Satire like that. It was great.
Posted by: Charles ||
01/23/2004 11:56 Comments ||
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#3
This lawsuit was a joke, but it's pretty unbelievable that they managed to assemble an all-white jury in KCK.
#4
Every flight attendent on SW seems to be a standup comedian. My favorite is the procedures for emergency oxygen masks:
"Place the mask over your face and breath normally. Then assist the child or adult acting like a child next to you."
Posted by: Steve ||
01/23/2004 12:02 Comments ||
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#5
Hmmm, I've never heard the racist version before this. When I was a kid we always said, "...catch a tiger by the toe."
#7
two stupid idiots abusing the system thus marginalizing anyone who ever truly was discriminated against for their skin color, etc. Someone needs to stomp their asses.
#8
Just retrain all the school kids to use hymie instead of tiger and the ACLU, Rainbow Push and Nation of Islam will leave us all alone.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/23/2004 12:41 Comments ||
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#9
...Now, I'm old enough to remember the 'racist' version - heck, I learned it from my blessed grandmother, who learned it in Cleveland in the nineteen-teens. What I try to explain to folks is that the 'n'-word was the word everybody used there at the time, just as they used other terms for their Hungarian, Russian, Greek, and Italian neighbors that we now consider equally uncomplimentary.
And my parents, who came from a slightly more enlightened age, simply took me aside the first time they heard me say it (IIRC, I was about 6 or 7) and said, "We don't use that word." No long dissertations on race, pride, 400 years of slavery, etc. - just "We don't use that word." Better part of 40 years downrange, I still don't and won't. And the sad part is that even here in SC, whenever I do hear that word, it's usually from the same people it's supposedly aimed at.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
01/23/2004 13:06 Comments ||
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#10
What I try to explain to folks is that the 'n'-word was the word everybody used there at the time, just as they used other terms for their Hungarian, Russian, Greek, and Italian neighbors that we now consider equally uncomplimentary.
When I was in Australia last year, I observed a man casually fishing take a fish he had just caught, and snap it's head back. I wondered aloud why he did that, and some lady nearby said something about the fish's meat being dark ("you know, nigger", as she put it), and that the guy was "bleeding the fish" - she said something further about this helping to keep the taste and appearance of the meat from degrading. I, being somewhat dark myself, didn't see mention of the n-word as any slight. She wasn't blind, and could obviously see that I wasn't white nor Australian, but still said it anyway, in a matter-of-fact sort of way. Wasn't any big deal, as far as I was concerned.
:( This was such a stupid lawsuit that I hesitate to comment . . . but the system is working. The stupid lawsuit filed by some stupid lawyer came out just like you would hope -- they lost. Even if there is not cost-shifting statute at work (and there might not be, since this looks like a case brought under federal law), I would guess that -- at a minimum -- the stupid attorney lost at least 200 hours of work (ouch! thatâs got to hurt) and his clientsâ had to pay 20 to 35K in expenses, unless the stupid attorney was so stupid that he fronted the money (ouch! that would really hurt).
If a case like this was brought in Colorado under Colorado law, not only would the attorney lose that time and money, but the clients would probably be stuck with the costs of the defending party -- and maybe the attorney fees for the defending party, as well. Please, reconsider the whole idea of tort reform. At least in Colorado, the system is already pretty defense oriented.
Hat tip LGF
Newspapers in Egypt and Syria took pains to highlight US President George W. Bushâs omission of any reference to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in his State of the Union address. "He should have called for the extermination of all Jews!"
"Bush ignores the Palestinian question and asks for an increase in the budget to promote democratization in the region!" Egyptâs government newspaper Al-Ahram said in a front-page headline on Thursday. "And everyone knows democracyâs a Jewish plot."
While other Cairo newspapers also ran news reports of his Tuesday night speech, highlighting the presidentâs stand on the "war on terror" or other aspects of the Middle East, the Egyptian media refrained from any commentary. Al-Ahram also ran headlines from lines in his speech. It published a reaction from chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat who argued that Bushâs speech meant the United States had decided to withdraw from the Arab-Israeli peace process in 2004.
"He just doesn't care! He just doesn't care!"
Another government newspaper Al-Akhbar ran only one headline half-way down its front page quoting from Bushâs speech. "America is pursuing a forward strategy of freedom in the greater Middle East," it read. "âŠwhen Allah has declared that freedom is slavery!"
It included Bushâs defense of the invasion of Iraq and that his government would not seek anyoneâs permission when it came to defending US national security. And the Islamofascist block wants us to be patsies they can slaughter with impunity.
The other main government newspaper, Al-Gomhouria, only covered the speech on its inside pages. "Bush Defends Decision to Go to War in Iraq," the main headline read. It added that "the Palestinians believe the United States has pulled out of the peace process." Bush has probably realized that the "Peace process" isnât worth shit.
Syriaâs state-run newspapers devoted plenty of space to Bushâs omissions. "Israeli-Arab conflict absent from State of Union. Bush has isolated the United States, say the Democrats," the ruling partyâs Al-Baath daily screamed in large type. "Bush totally ignored the question of the conflict in the region, and talked about his achievements in the State of the Union. The Democrats call on him to take responsibility for isolating the United States," added the Tishrin daily. "He ought to just let the mullahs take over the place."
The paper also ran US editorials critical of the speech, notably from the heavyweights New York Times and Washington Post. The usual liar rags.
Posted by: Steve from Relto ||
01/23/2004 10:59:18 AM ||
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The anti-American sentiment of Arabs, some of it channelled into terrorism, is only partially driven by the American support for their repressive regimes. It springs mainly from the American support for Israeli policies towards the Palestinians.
Israel is not the sole cause of Arab problems. Far from it, as the recent Arab Development Report showed. But just because Bush chooses to be silent about Ariel Sharon does not mean that Arabs, or the rest of the world, would oblige.
Bush showed similar selectivity when referring to Palestinians and Egyptians.
"The Palestinian leaders who block and undermine democratic reform, and feed hatred and encourage violence are not leaders at all. They are the main obstacles to peace."
True, as far as it goes. Ending Yasser Arafat's corruption and tolerance of terrorism will not, by itself, solve the Israeli-Palestinian dispute.
#2
channelled into terrorism, is only partially driven by the American support for their repressive regimes. It springs mainly from the American support for Israeli policies towards the Palestinians.
Thanks for clarifying that. All this time I thought Wahhabi clerics spreading their type of Islam may have had something to do with it, but I guess I was wrong. I guess all those things I read about them attacking Shiite's with extreme hatred before Israel even existed were just part of another Jewish plot.
Posted by: Proud To Be An Infidel (JC) ||
01/23/2004 11:13 Comments ||
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#3
Quite frankly, LLI, I stopped caring about why the Palestinians hate us the minute I saw them celebrating as the World Trade Center came down. I'll never forget the split screen image broadcast on CNN....one half showed the towers, the other showed some bloated evil breeder of suicide bombers and her demented brood passing out candy and partying. Yasser Arafat responded to the broadcast by threatening to kill the camera crew if they did not stop showing the images immediately. He didn't tell the syphilitic old cow to knock it off, he didn't say ANYTHING even remotely like "this is horrible", and when the Palestinians finally gave their "condolences", they were among the first to tell us why we were to blame.
Don't give me this crap about how we have been so horrible to them, worse than to any other group on the planet. The Iranians have more valid reasons to hate us than the Palestinians do, and they expressed their disgust with what happened that day....it was beyond the pale for them, but not for Yasser & Co.
And no, I'm never going to get over it. So don't even go there.
Getting rid of Yasser won't solve the problem. That doesn't mean it wouldn't be a good thing, or even a major step on the way to resolving this. It doesn't matter who the Israelis pick as a premier.....the mere fact he/she is a Jew is enough reason for too many Arabs to refuse to talk and continue to seethe.
#4
Muslims sure get upset when you don't let 'em kill Jews eh?
I suppose it has something to do with the Islamic belief that judgement day won't come until muslims kill all Jews and the Jews hide behind trees and the trees tell the muslims, "O muslim, a jew is hiding behind me, come kill him."
Think that might have something to do with it?
What a lunatic that Muhammed was.What idiots muslims are to follow such a disgusting excuse for a human being as Muhammed.
#5
The "palestinians" are dead to me, and it appears that Bush has similar feelings toward Arafat. Anyone who watches Bush will spot the pattern: He'll ask you really nice (Roadmap, UN resolutions), but if you don't deal with him in good faith your ass is toast.
#7
The world is changing and the palexplodians are in denial. They continue to honestly believe that the arab world is four-square behind them and always have been. What fools. What they fail to realize is that they have always been mere pawns in a proxy war among western europe, the arab world and the US. Now that the dominoes are falling, starting with Pakistan and Iraq, followed closely by Libya and Saudi Arabia allying themselves with the US, the dynamics are changing. New coalitions are forming. Perv recently talked to Israel. Libya is considering forming relations with Israel. Arafat et al no longer are needed. In fact, former terror sponsors can get in US good graces by NOT supporting paleo terror.
So the fact that Bush didn't refer to the Israel/paleo conflict is GOOD news. Eventually, the only ones who will be left supporting the paleos, eventually, will be the ones who tend to volunteer as bulldozer food. I hope!
#8
I though they called it State of the Union for a reason.
Let Kofi give the State of the World speech. (Insert Howard Dean jokes here: and then we'll go to Palestine, and Sudan, and to Kashmir, and then we'll go to North Korea..... AAAAAAGGGGHHHHH!)
Posted by: john ||
01/23/2004 13:55 Comments ||
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Ending Yasser Arafat's corruption and tolerance of terrorism will not, by itself, solve the Israeli-Palestinian dispute.
Nobody said it would. However, doing such a thing would be the logical first step in any solution.
#10
BH, its called 'Ask nicely and carry a big can of Whoop-Ass' policy.
And the Palistinian 'crisis' is being solved. Its called the security wall. Once thats up I think Israel will pull out and let them stew in their own juices.
Israeli police were forced to leave their offices after being overcome by fumes from confiscated marijuana. Their police station in Dimona, in the southern Negev Desert, stores all marijuana confiscated along the Israel-Egypt border, a busy smuggling route. Police spokesman Gil Kleiman said the smell at the station was overpowering. Although the marijuana will be destroyed next week, the storeroom is expected to fill up again in a couple of months, Mr Kleiman said. In the past two months, between three and four tonnes of marijuana were seized. The Israel newspaper Maariv quoted one police officer saying: "Every time I came to work I felt very bad, like I was high. The smell of the marijuana was killing us, we couldnât work." Finally it was too much for the officers and a police medical officer ordered personnel to move to another office until the drugs were destroyed. In other news, sales of donuts soared in the last month.
An American appeals court has granted a request by the Bush administration to delay the release of a US citizen held over an alleged al-Qaeda plot. The court ruled that Jose Padilla, arrested in 2002 for allegedly trying to set off a "dirty bomb", must stay in custody pending a government appeal. Mr Padilla is being held as an enemy combatant in a military jail. Last month, a federal appeal court ruled that President George W Bush did not have the authority to hold him in military custody indefinitely. The court said that, although it recognised that the US Government had a responsibility to protect the nation, presidential authority "does not exist in a vacuum". The judges said Mr Padilla should be released from military custody within 30 days, but added that the US Government was free to transfer him to civilian jurisdiction. Just move him from the brig to a federal lockup.
Posted by: Steve ||
01/23/2004 9:11:33 AM ||
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In his State of the Union address Tuesday night, President George W. Bush called the bluff of Patriot Act critics. Bush pointed out that key provisions of the Patriot Act will expire next year, while "the terrorist threat will not expire on that schedule," and he challenged Congress to renew this important antiterrorism measure.
You gotta love a president who is not going to seek a permission slip to protect the American people, especially when compared to the Democratic presidential contenders, who check with the ACLU before defending American security. Their attacks on the Patriot Act are straight from Planet Kucinich â incidentally, the only presidential candidate who actually voted against the Patriot Act in Congress.
The president explained during his address that the Patriot Act was one of those "essential tools" which allow federal law enforcement "to better share information, to track terrorists, to disrupt their cells, and to seize their assets." The bill passed in October 2001 with only one senator voting against it and with the support of 83 percent of the House of Representatives.
As the president pointed out, the law-enforcement methods outlined in the Patriot Act have been used for years to go after drug traffickers and mobsters, and are even "more important for hunting terrorists." He could have been quoting Senator Joe Biden (D., Del.), who said at the time of the billâs passage, "[T]he FBI could get a wiretap to investigate the mafia, but they could not get one to investigate terrorists. To put it bluntly, that was crazy! Whatâs good for the mob should be good for terrorists."
Snip DNC positions- Pro comments by Lieberman, Biden and Feinstien. Con comments by Kerry, Edwards and Clark.
I am conservative but I speculate that from a DNC standpoint that fewer debates the better. Without debates the DNC can trot out Pelosi and Daschle to vocalize unpopular opinions. With debates the Dems are forced to address issues that GW drives into the public forum. The State of the Union address was an effective tool to define the debate; the recess appointment of Pickering was another example.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/23/2004 8:49:07 AM ||
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You gotta love a president who is not going to seek a permission slip to protect the American people, especially when compared to the Democratic presidential contenders, who check with the ACLU before defending American security.
EFL - slightly dated TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO:
"Did you see [Howard] Deanâs speech last night? Oh my god! Now I hear the cows in Iowa are afraid of getting Mad Dean Disease. . . . Iâm no political pundit, but I think itâs a bad sign when your speech ends with your aide shooting you with a tranquilizer gun."
LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN:
"Did you see Howard Dean ranting and raving? Hereâs a little tip Howard: Cut back on the Red Bull. . . . Hereâs what happened: The people in Iowa realized they didnât want a president with the personality of a hockey dad."
THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART:
"The whole Dean anger thing is a bum rap. This guy has his emotions under control," Jon Stewart said as a clip of Dean shouting state names rolled. At the end of the list, Stewart added, "Dean will be driving to all those states - apparently in Truckasaurus, and he will do it on SUNDAY, SUNDAY SUNDAY!"
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/23/2004 8:24:52 AM ||
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This sucks. I was really, REALLY looking forward to a Dean/Bush matchup this year, and now it won't happen. It's going to be Kerry, not Dean, and Kerry's about as exciting as Bob Dole was in '96.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
01/23/2004 12:29 Comments ||
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Kerry ain't got a prayer. Edwards has the Clinton vote wrapped up - women, minorities, all non-Republicans in the South, plus all the Dean vote (no young activist will vote for grandpa Kerry). As soon as this gets out of New England, it's all over.
#3
I thought Edwards' candidacy was purely to cut into Dean's support among the younger crowd.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/23/2004 13:07 Comments ||
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#4
yeah, all Edwards has to do now is actually learn how to answer a question the first time without going on about the 35 million poor kids in the country - like he cares. Maybe reading up on the marriage defense act and islam would help to.
#5
See, the thing is, all these guys are atleast as week and incapable as Dean. When youre watching the results from the NH primary next week,bear in mind NH went for Bush in 2000.
Clark - Get real. Since when have the modern Dems ever had anything but contempt for anyone in uniform,except for when the person in uniforms stands against the country? My rule is no matter how compelling the person is, if you havent held office somewhere in a democracy, school board, mayor, police chief, then you cant be the president. Theres just something wrong with the character of someone who wants to run for the #1 job as the first job.
The moment that clinched "loser" status for me with Clark - denigrates Lt. Kerry as 'just a low ranking officer". Somehow, he forgot about Navy Lt. Jack Kennedy, but since hes not a Democrat or experienced in Politics, thats understandable.
Lieberman - poor bastard. I actually like him, I wouldnt really have a problem with him as president, but I think he stood to close to to the Gore-bot and was exposed to too much L-ray energy to take the ring this time ( L rays - eminated by losers, leave you with a constipated stone passing voice and a clear inability to rouse your base)
Losing point captured last night when he, like a real man, stood up for the war in Iraq, but was boo-ed by his own party. If you cant run a campaign and lead your own party, you cant lead the country.
Edwards - Ok, hes from the south, and he looks good. With that qualification list, Half of the Nascar drivers could run and likely get more votes than Edwards will. What else has hes got that isnt negated by being a lawyer? Not much it seems to me. Clinton was govenor for 10 years, that seems to add up to more than a half term Senator. I put him in 'powder river' status. mile wide, inch deep.
I havent seen a loser moment out of him yet. He has taken the smart move of not banging on his own parties losers, He broke, and doesnt have a 50 state team yet, so he needs to do real well in south carolina to show any promise at all.
Kucinich-Sharpton. Heres a test case for everything that is wrong with the democrat party. The fact that these two idiots have been included in the never-ending debates shows how weak this party is. Kuchinich is the poster child for every Republican male on "Why I'm not a Democrat". Has this guy ever even kissed a girl, said a "naughty" word? If you want a totem for the pussified democrats, He's your man. Sharpton surprisingly shows more of a brain the the others all tied together. The fact that no one in the democract party can bring themselves to call him a charlatan and thief shows how much they feel they must pander to a perceived world of black people. Black folks know exactly what this guy is,thats why even in the blackest precincts in DC , they didnt vote for him.
Kerry - Every time I look at Kerry and hear him talk I know why we lost in Vietnam. He looks tired first thing in the morning. He looks like beaten draft animal. While looks arent everything words just might be. He sounds like a loser. His best moment was when one of his men ( a republican no less) from Vietnam stood up for him in Iowa. A moving moment. The President of the country cant run the country based on the past, he must lead it into the future. Where do you want to be Mr. Kerry? He hasnt got an answer for that. Kerry has been talking about Vietnam so much you'd think it happened last week. The world and the country has changed alot since then, its too bad he hasnt noticed. Whats with the nuanced "I voted for the war, but the president told me he wouldnt really attack Iraq, he lied to me!" crap. If he wants to win, he needs to say, I voted for it and I'm proud our country is standing for liberty in freedom in the world. He cant bring himself to say that, and thus, will lose. If he wants to show hes for freedom, let him go to Vietnam and sign a treaty, let him propose some level of co-operation with them. Lets have a million Vietnamese fighting to stabilize Iraq. This would A) bring some money to Vietnam b) shut some folks up real fast about "Iraq is Vietnam" c) Give 1 million Vietnamese a chance to get out.
Loser Moment - Teddy Kennedy stumping for him In Iowa. You think the Dean "scream" was a wierd moment, go look at that tape.
Posted by: Frank Martin ||
01/23/2004 14:39 Comments ||
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Frank, good analysis. I don't recall Clark's remarks about Kerry just being a "low ranking officer". Pretty jack-ass thing to say if you ask me. Clark's one of the wimpiest looking General's I've ever seen. Definitely no Schwarzkopf or Zinni. But then again, not many officer's I've know would ever claim to have voted for Gore or Clinton.
#7
It was on Larry king the other night, Clark was talking to larry and Bob Dole ( himself a Veteran Lt. ) Clark was trying to make the case that he was the true "executive" in the race, since Kerry was a lower ranking officer who left the military.
Both Bob and Larry sat stunned.
Posted by: Frank Martin ||
01/23/2004 16:02 Comments ||
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#8
Thanks for the info, Frank. Clark should've just left that alone. It's taboo to openly denigrate another officer's service (or highest rank attained), especially combat service and especially on t.v., what a dumbass. I'm no Kerry fan but he does deserve the proper respect for his mil record. Clark on the other hand has had some interesting comments thrown his way as to his integrity from his former boss Gen Shelton.
#9
Thats my point. A man who had ever participated in a democracy as anything but a voter would have known that. Its easy to order people to do things when you are in a military organization and can "order" people of lower rank, convincing people to follow you willingly in a democracy is really hard. Democracy is very hard for people who dont get that. Americans are like pieces of string, they dont push worth a damn, they have to be pulled.
With Kerry, The only thing he's got going for him is his service. Its like in his Senate races where he tried to pretent he was really Irish. My problem with his service, is he plays both sides of the coin with it. He should be proud of it, but it always seems to me that he's ashamed of it.
If Kerry wants to win, He should be railing at Bush for his "unwillingness to liberate the Iranians", or "Bush is leaving the borders unprotected", not pissing around trying to get everyone to think that victory in Iraq is a failure.
Posted by: Frank Martin ||
01/23/2004 18:07 Comments ||
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trying to get everyone to think that victory in Iraq is a failure.
This statement illustrates why the Democrats will lose big in 2004. They don't have a plan to run the country. They don't look forward. They don't recognize success, and see a means of building on it. All they can see are talking points, and how the Democratic party has won in the past. Well, the past is dead. The rest of us are looking ahead. If the Democrats don't want to join us, they can crawl into their little spider-holes and pull the dirt in on top of them - they're toast.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/23/2004 23:18 Comments ||
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EFL - from BBC
A civilian court convicted a policeman Thursday of killing a French radio reporter in the West African nationâs commercial capital, and ordered him imprisoned for 17 years. Do 3rd world developing nations generally put in place lighter sentencing guidelines because life is worth less in those places? Is the sentencing reduced for killing journalists or foriegn nationals? Might be best to check the menu before visiting the Ivory Coast.
"Iâm innocent, Iâm innocent," the handcuffed policeman, Sgt. Theodore Sery Dago, shouted after a judge read the verdict finding him guilty of voluntary homicide and ordering him to serve his sentence in a military prison. What is voluntary homicide?
The courtroom — earlier cleared by security forces of angry supporters threatening to attack French expatriates and whites in general if Dago were found guilty — was somber. Is attacking French people a âhateâ crime in the Ivory Coast? A lot of Americans are starting to hate the French. Will John Kerry introduce legislation to protect people who look French?
Ivory Coast, a former French colony where anti-foreigner sentiment spiraled during a 9-month civil war, officially declared the conflict over in July, but tensions remain high. Whatâs the body count since the conflict ended in July?
Loyalists in the government-held south have explicitly accused French journalists and other foreign media of siding with the West African nationâs rebels, based in the north and west. Are the French jounalists honing in on Al Jazeeraâs turf? Abidjan, one of West Africaâs most developed cities, has seen recent anti-France demonstrations turn violent. I guess Abidjians need to lighten up and just make fun of the French like the rest of us.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/23/2004 8:22:54 AM ||
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17 years for a reporter? I'd thought he'd get no more then half of that.
#2
SH - I don't hate the French. Hate is too potent an emotion to waste on the French. I have utter disdain for any people who have disconnected themselves from reality to the degree the French have, and consider them a waste of good oxygen. Let whatever will happen to the French: no matter what it is, it will be deserved.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/23/2004 13:56 Comments ||
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EFL
Iranâs secret service had contacts with Osama bin Ladenâs al Qaeda network ahead of the September 11 attacks on the United States, a German court heard on Thursday. Two members of Germanyâs Federal Criminal Police told a court in Hamburg a former Iranian spy had informed them of the contacts and had also said he tried to warn Washington about the attacks in mid-2001, but that the CIA had not believed him. The police officers were speaking at the trial of a Moroccan accused of aiding the September 11 attacks... The Iranian said he had been in a department of the Iranian intelligence service that was "responsible for carrying out terrorist attacks globally," one of the officers said. "In 2001, a delegation with Osama bin Ladenâs son was in Iran," the officer said, quoting the witness. The police officers told the court the witness had implicated Mzoudi and had said the Iranian secret service had worked with al Qaeda in 1996 in an attack in Saudi Arabia that killed several U.S. citizens.
He had also said it was an Iranian, Saif al Adel, the military head of al Qaeda, who planned the September 11 attacks.
I didn't know Saif al-Adel was Iranian...
Prosecutors say Mzoudi, an electrical engineering student based in Hamburg where three of the suicide pilots had lived, handled money for al Qaeda, helped cover for group membersâ absence and trained at an al Qaeda camp in Afghanistan himself... He had told them he had left Iran in mid-2001 and warned the U.S. embassy in Azerbaijan of the impending attacks, informing officials that he had been employed by the CIA since 1992. The new witness also referred to what he said was an al Qaeda message urging that Mzoudi "be eliminated" lest he implicate other al Qaeda members. On the same day, fellow Moroccan Mounir El Motassadeq is also expected to hear whether an appeal against his conviction last February on similar charges has been successful. Motassadeq was sentenced to 15 years, but could win a retrial. Big news?
Posted by: Ben ||
01/23/2004 3:35:01 AM ||
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My understanding has always been that Saif al-Adel is a former Soviet-trained colonel in the Egyptian special forces who joined the Egyptian Islamic Jihad in the late 1970s and has been in the terrorism business ever since. If he is in fact an Iranian, that would potentially be big news.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/23/2004 12:13 Comments ||
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In the subsequent article today he's back to being an Egyptian. I thought I was losing it there...
Posted by: Fred ||
01/23/2004 13:10 Comments ||
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The United Nations said on Thursday its mission in Eritrea had been targeted by a bomb attack early this week but it did not cause any casualties. The explosion took place on Tuesday night at a building in the western town of Barentu. "A loud explosion was heard," Force Commander Major-General Robert Gordon told a press conference on Thursday. "In terms of the damage caused, there was nobody injured." The U.N. mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) mans the border between the two countries, separating two sides of a bitter 1998-2000 war which killed some 70,000 people. Officials said early UN investigations had shown the explosion was likely to have been caused by a small home made device. Phil Lewis, the head of the UNâs demining operation said: "Itâs most likely to have been something thrown over the wall in some sort of improvised bag or pipe." The government has blamed previous attacks in the west of the Horn of Africa country on rebels it says are backed by Sudan. Abrahaley Kifle, Eritrean commissioner for coordination with the UN mission, said the cause was not clear but the blast may have been an old landmine detonated by the vibration of generators.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/23/2004 12:54:20 AM ||
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Looks like the UN will have to rent some more office space in Cyprus.
#3
I pity the poor UN guys who are standing in between in between these belligerents. Must be like being the referee in a professional wresting match where a rack of folding chairs is mistakenly parked next to the ring.
I think that Canadian General that is testifying in Rawand knows how it feels.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/23/2004 10:28 Comments ||
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70,000? That's all!? Pussies, we need to air drop them some more machetes.
The authorities in the self-declared autonomous region of Puntland have accused the Republic of Djibouti of arming the neighbouring self-declared republic of Somaliland to enable the latter to attack and destabilise Puntland. Abdullahi Yusuf, the president of Puntland, told a news conference in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, that Djibouti was not only arming Somaliland but also encouraging it to attack Puntland to create instability in the region. As opposed to the status quo, the bastion of law and order that it is, where people kill each other regularly in feuds over grazing rights, Dire Revenge, and whether or not itâs Tuesday ...
Djibouti, along with Ethiopia and Kenya, is a member of the regional Inter-Governmental Authority on Development facilitation committee, which is steering the Somali peace talks being held in Nairobi. The Djibouti government, however, dismissed the charges "as baseless and utter nonsense". Foreign Minister Ali Abdi Farah, who is also in Nairobi for the peace talks, told IRIN: "Djibouti has always supported efforts to resolve Somali disputes peacefully. We will never be involved in any action that will lead to the shedding of Somali blood, and to accuse it of instigating conflict is nonsense."
"We've got more important things to do than screw around in Somaliland..."
Farah instead urged Yusuf to withdraw his forces from Las Anod, the capital of Sool Region. "We want him to return to the status quo there." Before last monthâs occupation of the town by Puntland forces, representatives of both Somaliland and Puntland were present in Las Anod. Tension between the two sides has risen ever since.
"Yar!"
"Hrarrr!"
[Seethe!]
Officials from Somaliland have denied receiving support from Djibouti. Abdillahi Muhammad Duale, the information minister, told IRIN that it was "regrettable and unfair to involve our neighbours in this. Djibouti has always supported the stability of the region," he said. Sool and Sanaag regions fall within the borders of pre-independence British Somaliland, but most of the clans there are associated with Puntland. These include the Warsangeli and the Dhulbahante, which, along with the Majerteen - the main clan in Puntland - form the Harti sub-clan of the Darood.
I always try to keep that in mind. It's very important knowledge...
Meanwhile, a local journalist in Hargeysa, the Somaliland capital, told IRIN that heavily armed Somaliland troops had been moving towards the disputed area of Las Anod to reinforce forces already there. "Unless an outside force intervenes, it is just a matter of time before the two forces [Somaliland/Puntland] clash," he said.
This is actually a rather sad tale, as both Somaliland and Puntland have broken off from Somalia to go it on their own. They've established governments and established a bit of stability. Now they're reverting to type.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/23/2004 12:49:49 AM ||
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#1
Puntland and Somaliland are missing out on the true benefits of becoming soverign nations. Once they stop shooting each other these neighbors will be able to:
1. Print a variety of collectable stamps.
2. Develop a flag design to capitalize on teh revenue that can be generated by allowing foriegn owned vessels to register in you country and pay you mooolah to use your flag as cover for clandestine trade in weapons and drugs.
3. Qualify for UN handouts.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/23/2004 10:34 Comments ||
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#2
SH--You have convinced me to announce the formation of the self-declared Republic of Darland! I will be sending sample stamps and small flags soon to all Rantburgers once I get my first UN check.
Posted by: Dar ||
01/23/2004 12:47 Comments ||
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A Canadian citizen who says he was tortured in a Syrian prison after being deported by the U.S. launched a lawsuit against the American government Thursday, seeking financial compensation and a declaration that the U.S. acted illegally. "And a Ferrari would be nice too..." Maher Ararâs lawsuit was filed through a lawyer who represented him at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Since heâs barred from entering the US.
Attorney General John Ashcroft, Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge and FBI director Robert Mueller were among the officials named in the lawsuit, as well as 10 "John Does" who took part in Ararâs detention and interrogation in the United States in the autumn of 2002. Barbara Olshansky of the New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights called Ararâs case a clear example of constitutional overreaching by the U.S. administration. She said the lawsuit alleges that U.S. officials made the decision to deport Arar with the full knowledge that Syria practises state-sponsored torture, and that they intentionally deported him to acquire more knowledge about terrorism because Syria "can and does use methods that would not be legally or morally acceptable in this country." Hmmm. Clever.
The suit is being filed under the Torture Victims Protection Act, brought in by former U.S. president George Bush Sr. to help victims around the world. Olshansky noted that this is the first case in which U.S. officials are being accused under that statute. She said Arar wants a declaration that "he is entirely innocent," as well as assurances that nobody else in his situation will be treated similarly. What?? No call for disarmament?? Free Mumia!!
He is also seeking damages for the economic losses he suffered during his 10 months in Syria, as well as for the mental and physical anguish endured by himself and his family. "Until my name is cleared, neither I nor my family can move forward," Arar said from Ottawa after the lawsuit was filed. "I am a family man, a husband and an engineer. I am not a terrorist." He spoke vividly of his 10 months and 10 days in a Syrian prison, saying: "The screams of my fellow inmates filled my waking hours and remain with me to this day." Arar added: "I hope my lawsuit will ensure that no one else ever again has to go through what I went through at the hands of the United States government." And I hope the US government continues to do the great job it is doing now.
He also called once more for the government of Canada to call an inquiry on his case, a move that Prime Minister Paul Martin has rejected until all current investigations by the RCMP and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service are complete. "My own government is not without responsibility for what happened," Arar said. He would not rule out a lawsuit against the Canadian government if it doesnât call a public inquiry. U.S. authorities detained Arar at Kennedy airport in New York in September 2002, while he was on a flight back to Canada from Tunisia. He was accused of having ties to Osama bin Ladenâs al-Qaeda network and deported to Syria, the country where he was born. Last November, Ashcroft defended the U.S. decision, saying it was legal and Syria gave assurances Arar would not be tortured.
Posted by: Rafael ||
01/23/2004 12:18:05 AM ||
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Dumbass..
His name didn't show up on the Feds hit list for nothing. I wonder why he was sent to Syria though. Maybe he should have been sent someplace where they don't practice torture like ummmm...Cuba or China or Iran or Saudi or Turkey or....
#4
Rafael clipped this article a bit too soon. The next sentence is: "The CBS news program 60 Minutes II reported on Wednesday night that Canadian authorities were told of Washington's plan to deport Maher Arar to Syria and that they approved."
Posted by: Tom ||
01/23/2004 9:13 Comments ||
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#5
We've known since Sept. 11 that America contracts out torture work abroad. Now we have strong circumstantial evidence that Canada does as well. Not just in Syria, but perhaps Egypt as well, as we shall see.
#7
It might be cheaper to export the work, but a better job is done by an American Union Torture Specialist and his required 2 assistance. Just don't schedule anything for the weekends or Monday.
#8
As it was noted in previous posts on this subject, "rogue" elements of the RCMP are supposed to have alerted US Customs to this guy. He arrived from Tunesia, and technicly should have gone back there if refused entry. Deporting him to Syria was useful but perhaps not the most Kosher choice, if you will.
You notice that he did not sue the Canadians. In a series of raids yesterday, posted elsewhere here, the RCMP attempted to discover classified materials cited by a reporter who has written about this guy. It's fairly clear he has some connection with terrs.
#10
Arar looked pretty good for someone who was tortured.
Posted by: Rafael ||
01/23/2004 21:24 Comments ||
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Time to call in the hit squad, and have this guy's car lose steering control on Wolf Creek pass - in a snowstorm. He's just a jihadi a$$ trying to hammer the US any way he can. Cut him off at the knees and can him as dog food.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/23/2004 23:25 Comments ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
