The brother of British hostage Ken Bigley urged people today to take part in a demonstration against the war in Iraq. Paul Bigley, who lives in Amsterdam, called on the public to join the march in London later this month as a show of support for his brother. He was speaking as he prepared to address a rally of the Stop the War Coalition in Liverpool this Friday. He said: "For Ken's sake and for the sake of everyone in Iraq, I ask you to make your feelings known to our Government, to protest and to join the demonstration in London. The more people raise their voices, the safer we will all be."
Fred: I think we need another graphic. Something about Quislings.
Kinda like this one? Or is this not subtle enough...
Paul Bigley will address the meeting via a telephone link and will be joined by Rose Gentle, mother of Gordon Gentle, a teenage soldier killed on duty in Iraq earlier this year and Azmat Begg, father of the Guantanamo Bay prisoner Moazzam Begg. Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has told Ken Bigley's hostage takers that the British Government would listen carefully to any message. At a press conference on a long-planned visit to Iraq, Mr Straw said: "We can't enter into negotiations, but obviously if the hostage takers have a message for us we will listen carefully to that message."
He vowed that terrorists would not stop Iraq's first democratic elections. "The fight against terrorism is a fight for all of us and that is why it is crucial that the Iraqi people, with our support, are able to defeat this terrorism here in Iraq. "It is absolutely fundamental that we do defeat it. You have to defeat terrorism wherever it occurs, because terrorism involves the most fundamental denial of human rights. "Terrorism is profoundly anti-democratic. These terrorists are trying to stop the elections — that is their aim." On Iraq's elections, which are due to be held in January, he said: "I have been impressed and encouraged by the progress that is being made. The technical progress is impressive." The visit to Iraq is the Foreign Secretary's first since handover of power to the Iraqi Interim Government in June.
Posted by: Destro ||
10/08/2004 7:45:03 AM ||
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I think we need a stinky fish graphic - or a "hinky-meter", as my friend calls it.
This Ken Bigley story has stunk from the beginning. Me beginning to think he was never a hostage at all. We now know he was with the Italian women hostage takers. Any connections faimily, work, friends with them or the Japanese girls? What's ol' Ken's background anyway?
#2
A couple of years back right after Rachel Corrie died there was a story about a couple of young women who were demonstrating against Israel or USA , a kind of peace demonstrator, It took place in Lebanon, of all places...
Anyways, the story accompanied a picture of these two woman one of which had a look of such utter stupidity, as if to say 'Hey Mom, I'm a good girl protesting against these bad guys... uhm no the Israelis and Americans."
I recall the photo because the expression this one young woman had on her fact was soo emblematic of the sickness of the left. It was a risible display of self importance and arrogance, accompanied by her self-satisfied smirk. Something like that should be used.
#3
what's he saying now that the Islamic Heroes⢠hacked his brother's head off?
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/08/2004 11:34 Comments ||
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I am not going to accuse a poor man who has been executed by jihadis as being in cahoots with two Italian whores who sold out their government's stance in the WoT to jihadi blackmailers. What does that mean, "he was with the Italian women hostage takers"? Nothing more than that they were in the same room or something? I don't see smirking or smugness in his face-I see a bile-choked man realizing what is going to happen to him.
You got me wrong. I was referring to a completely different story that took place two years ago involving a couple of American women in Lebanon and the silly smug smirk they wore of their faces. I wasn't referring to the two recent Italian bints at all.
#7
I was basing my comments on the fact that I thought it odd that he had not yet been killed - as I do not believe that the AQ/Zarqawi group would have released him. It's not their m.o. In their minds, beheadings show their strength and control.
There were speculations about him being held by Baathists with connections to the Italian women- and I was just commenting that I thought it all very odd....especially since he remained alive.
I wish I had been right. Perhaps Mr. Bigley would still be alive today if, instead of Zarqawi, it had been Baathists looking for money that held him. And clearly, I was wrong, dead wrong, that Mr. Bigley had any connection to the Italian women or the Japanese women. And I'm glad. Because, in order for that to have been true, it would had to have meant that he set up his other two co-workers who were already viciously murdered...and...I just couldn't believe that could be true.
May he rest in peace. My sympathies to his family.
An Interpol expert in contraband and counterfeiting said Thursday that smugglers in along borders shared by Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay is linked to Al-Qaeda's network. "There are strong indications that terrorists such as Al-Qaeda do derive some incomes from (smuggling), for example in the tri-border area between Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina, there are traders originating from the Middle East that are recycling some of the profit, donating some of the profit to some of these organizations," said Interpol expert John Newton. "We have the same suspect involved in cigarette smuggling, Al-Qaeda could be involved with cigarette smuggling to Brazil." "There are evidences from 2003 onwards," he said. Julio Lopes, a Brazilian participant, said "We have the same suspicions, Al-Qaeda could be implicated in cigarette trafficking to Brazil." Interpol is paying particular attention to the financing of the terrorist organizations.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
10/08/2004 2:57:47 AM ||
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Indications. The favorite word of all clueless intel type bureaucrats. At least these are "strong indications". I can be convinced by strong indications, but not weak to middling indications. "There are evidences..." "We have ... suspicions". Please Little John and Big Julio, do you have any facts at all?
Intelligence gathered by special services suggests that Al-Qaeda's representative in Chechnya Abu Havs [transliterated from the Russian] spent several years in Georgia's Pankisi Gorge training militants in camps and distributing funds among Chechen separatists. "In 1996, Osama bin Laden sent Abu Havs to Georgia as an Al-Qaeda representative. He told everyone his name was Amzhet and lived in the village of Tsuniban in the Pankisi Gorge," the newspaper Vremya Novostei reported on Friday. Havs remained in Georgia until 2002, and built a Wahhabite mosque and opened a hospital for militants wounded in Chechnya, the newspaper said. The Russian Federal Security Service has neither confirmed nor denied these reports. "We have been refraining from official comments on Abu Havs's operations in the Caucasus," an FSB spokesman told Interfax.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
10/08/2004 9:31:27 AM ||
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The Russian Federal Security Service refrained from saying anything. Translated: "We are on the hunt for them and don't want to compromise the mission."
Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to visit Iran where Russia will continue to assist in development of a civilian nuclear programme, a senior Russian official said here Thursday. "We do not have a concrete date for a visit by the president to Iran, but there is a firm agreement with the Iranian side that this visit will take place in the foreseeable future," Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Alekseyev said. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will visit Tehran for two days starting Sunday for talks with Iranian official that could finalize details for a trip there by Putin, Alekseyev told reporters at a briefing.
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
10/08/2004 7:02:30 AM ||
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Ya want to lay down with dogs, expect to get fleas, Mr. Putin. You are sending the wrong message to the Black Turbans.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
10/08/2004 8:41 Comments ||
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You left out and 's' between the i and t.
Posted by: ed ||
10/08/2004 10:27 Comments ||
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We should ask Volodya what his price is, and pay it. A billion or two for Russia's bankrupt nuclear industry would buy them off. This is a financial matter solely.
#4
Would think Putin would think twice about this unholy alliance after Beslam. If this meeting is real the Russians are hairing up the butter. A Biblical plague of fleas upon you.
#5
WTF? Has Putin got fuckin' Alzheimers? Forgetting things that happened a month ago?
America, it looks like you're on your own in this war, the Rooskies aren't going to help and our shithead lefties here are doing their damndest to get us out of it.
Damn fool.
Posted by: Tony (UK) ||
10/08/2004 18:06 Comments ||
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The Lebanese Interior Minister denied having told Denmark about the presence of an Al-Qaeda cell in the Scandinavian country, allegedly closely linked to another Al-Qaeda group in Lebanon. A source at the interior ministry told AFP that Lebanon "has not informed the intelligence service of the Danish police about an alleged Al-Qaeda cell linked to the alleged Al-Qaeda members recently arrested in Lebanon." Danish public television reported on Thursday that Lebanon had passed along information and a request to investigate several people after uncovering a cell last month that was allegedly plotting to bomb the Italian embassy. The suspected leader of the Lebanese cell, Ismail Mohammed al-Khatib, told Lebanese interrogators he worked closely with Al-Qaeda cells in Denmark, Germany and Italy before dying in custody, a Danish interior ministry official told the television station. However, an official at the Danish foreign ministry, Peter Iversen, confirmed that "a request from Lebanese authorities to enquire about several people in Denmark" had been passed on to PET. A spokesman for the Danish intelligence service PET confirmed an investigation was under way, with no arrests having been made. Lebanese authorities have arrested 10 people including al-Khatib and are searching for another 20 believed link to the group with alleged links to Al-Qaeda.
CBS 5 News has learned who's behind those anti-war posters using Pat Tillman's Picture. It's an artist who is also an assistant professor with a Chicano Studies project at A.S.U. (Arizona State University). John Leanos says he doesn't think the message is "anti-war". He says he respects Tillman, and he simply wanted the posters to be thought-provoking about the tragic decisions made in Afghanistan. The anti-war fliers with Pat Tillman's picture on them showed up on valley streets. The posters had a picture of Pat Tillman in his Army ranger uniform, then right next to his picture is a message that's supposed to suggest it was written by Tillman himself. It said..."I was killed by my own Army Ranger platoon in Afganistan on April 22nd, 2004. I am a hero to many of you. My death was tragic my glory was short lived. Flawed perceptions of myself my country and the war on terror resulted in the disasterous end to my life." A.S.U. is spineless, so I don't expect much from them. However Pat Tillman has a large family with lots of big, patriotic men in it, who might be a tad resentful of their brother's image being used this way.
Posted by: Anonymoose ||
10/08/2004 10:53:31 AM ||
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Chicano Studies = La Raza Recruitment Center = No real job after college
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/08/2004 11:09 Comments ||
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John Leanos says he doesnât think the message is "anti-war".
Oh no... not at all. Language like Flawed perceptions of myself[,] my country and the war on terror... is really neutral. Nah, no blood pressure boil-over here. Not at all.
(I'm just glad I'm not heading toward Tempe in the near future... so should Leanos, for that matter.)
In other words, he's not anti-war, he's on the other side.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
10/08/2004 12:45 Comments ||
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he simply wanted the posters to be thought-provoking about the tragic decisions made in Afghanistan
What decisions made in Afghanistan? The decision to kill 3000 and more Americans on a Fall day? The decision to bomb the Cole? The decision to bomb American Embassies in Africa? I guess only Taliban and Al-Qaeda lives rate in your world, eh Mr. Leanos? The lives of those that keep you fat, dumb and happy in a warm, safe bed at night just don't rate, do they Mr. Leanos? Wake up and smell the coffee Mr. Leanos. Open the shades and let the light in.
#14
The assistant prof is a real hero. What courage. First he puts his own twisted words into the mouth of a soldier who died in battle and can't contradict those words, and then when he's confronted he tries to squirm out of it.
I'd love to see someone get an explanation from this numbskull on exactly what the tragic decisions made in Afghanistan means. Maybe he thought we shouldn't have gone after the Taliban/Al Qaeda?
#16
Perhaps he should study Chicanos on the other side of the border for awhile. He might find the foreign policy of Mexico bland enough to his liking.
Lee County schools Superintendent Dr. James Browder defended his decision not to inform the public that he had been notified information about the Lee County school district had been found in Iraq. The FBI contacted Browder after they discovered the information in the possession of a suspected terrorist in Iraq. Browder said he was surprised when the FBI called. They told him they discovered information about the Lee County School district in Iraq. The data was on a computer disk and contained information involving schools in Florida and five other states - Georgia, Oregon, New Jersey, Michigan and California.
The disk was reportedly created by a rebel in Iraq who has since been captured. Browder said the FBI contacted him about two weeks ago. He says the information the rebel had was a portion of the student code of conduct and some bus information, both of which can easily be found on the district's web site. Browder says he immediately told the school board and his principals, but defended his decision to not notify parents or alert the public. "I'd be lying to you if I didn't say that initially it kind of took me back. But as I got all the information, the one thing you can rest assured of, if I'd have thought for one second that anybody in our community was in danger, I'd been all over it. They said, 'Our intelligence people have been through this and have looked at it and there is no danger related to it.' So I guess you have to trust what the people that are the experts say," said Browder.
US intelligence officials reportedly discovered the information about the American schools back in July, but acted quickly and with more of a sense of purpose after terrorists seized a school in Russia in September. 340 people died in that standoff. It's important to point out that no school in Lee County was specifically singled out. It was very general information. Still, the US Department of Education is asking all schools in the country to keep a sharp eye out for people who may be casing their campuses.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
10/08/2004 2:58:53 AM ||
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C.F.R.1910:220,S.A.R.A.title 2&3
Title 2:Worker right to know
Title 3:Community right to know
Remember these Federal requlations,when a cop,fireman,school official tries to tell you"You don't need to know"about possable dangers to you or your families.
What is needed is the name of the 2nd California city besides San Diego...
and...
People should keep an eye on all mosques near to schools within close distance of the known targets. Have cell phones ready, and call cops when something odd is seen. I do not advocate taking the law into one's own hands, but having a almost-4 year old, I will do anything I can to protect my son, and God help the facilitators if anything goes down. I am not alone in my feelings.
Since we know 5 of 6 districts involved, is there a list of addresses of nearby mosques that can be monitored for strange activity?
#4
I can't help think about Kenasaw, GA where some years ago they passed an ordinance in reaction to an ordinance passed in Skokie, IL. Skokie said no one could have a firearm. Kenasaw, as I recall, passed an ordinance allowing everyone to have a firearm. A Beslan could occur in the U.S. We all need to be aware of that possibility. After all there was Columbine carried out by a couple of nut case kids. The libs would most likely want to negotiate, wring their hands, make another Michael Moore movie, have a concert, have a sensitivity session, worry about PC, wonder why it was our fault, ya ya ya da. We need to smoke the tangos quickly if they ever come to the point where they start screwing with out kids!!!!
The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously Friday to step up the global campaign against terrorism, calling on all nations to prosecute or extradite anyone supporting, financing or participating in terrorist acts. The 15-0 vote culminated weeks of negotiations by Russia, which introduced the resolution after militants staged a series of attacks there, including the suicide hijacking of two planes and the hostage-taking of a school in Beslan. It was adopted a day after several car bombings targeted Israelis at Egyptian resorts in Sinai.
Not that those bombing count as terrorism to the UN.
"We think these events stressed even more the urgency to take further practical steps in the fight against terrorism and we consider the U.N. is the best coordinator in this fight," Russia's deputy U.N. ambassador Alexander Konuzin said. The resolution creates a Security Council working group to study measures to be taken against terrorists and terrorist groups not affiliated with al-Qaida or Afghanistan's former Taliban rulers.
So it doesn't really do anything then.
They're just fixin' to get ready to talk about getting ready to have a meeting on whether to have talks...
The council already imposed stiff sanctions against those groups — requiring all 191 U.N. member states to impose a travel ban and arms embargo against a list of those linked to al-Qaida or the Taliban and to freeze their financial assets.
Yep. That's done it, by Gum!
But it has not examined what actions to take against other terrorists.
You expected something else?
Might I suggest lumping them all together and indiscriminantly killing them all?
"It is important that we have agreed in principle to consider measures against terrorists other than those linked to al-Qaida," said Algeria's U.N. Ambassador Abdallah Baali.
That statement alone shows why he's a UN diplomat.
Pakistan and Algeria, the only Muslim nations on the 15-member council, both expressed concern this week that language in the final draft of the resolution would make it a crime to fight in a liberation war and that a new list of terrorist subjects would be compiled.
Afraid your oxen are going to be gored?
"List? We don't need no stinking list!"
During final negotiations that continued into Friday morning, the text was changed to make clear that the resolution targeted only criminal acts defined in international conventions dealing with terrorism. The reference to a possible terrorist list as one measure the working group would consider was dropped at the last minute.
Of course, they still can't decide on a definition of what consitutes a terrorist.
Posted by: Steve ||
10/08/2004 12:52:57 PM ||
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mmmmmmmmmmmm, something.
/Homer Simpson
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
10/08/2004 13:07 Comments ||
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When crafting that definition don't forget to include an exception for those that target the Jeewwwwwsss! Otherwise the Islamic nations will never pass the definition.
I know colonialism is bad and all but you ever wonder what it would have been like if the Europeans would have held on long enough to imprint traces of civilization into the Middle East?
#3
im more positive on this - Russia joined with the US, France, Germany, UK, Romania, to insist on addressing the issue of non-AQ terrorists. They wanted to go further now, IIUC, but Pakistan and Algeria objected. Neither of the latter has a veto, and ultimately something should go through - frustrated that theyre gonna do a "study" first - yeah, but thats reality on the East River.
The resolution creates a Security Council working group to study measures to be taken against terrorists and terrorist groups not affiliated with al-Qaida or Afghanistan's former Taliban rulers
Implies:
1) the Russians recognize that the UNSC structure is inadequate and therefore needs to be supplanted by a "working group" that presumably comprises serious nations that actually can and will project power against terrorists; and
2) terror is depoliticized. It's not a specific threat to America or Israel but a global threat to all civilized nations.
This could pave the way for a successor security group that would bypass the UNSC. Perhaps it could include the UNSC 5 plus serious and capable powers such as Japan, Germany, Australia, India, South Korea, maybe Indonesia and Turkey.
#5
i think working groups are actually pretty routine at the UNSC. an ad hoc commitee to write the study, not a seperate implenatation body. The implementation will still be by UNSC resolution, as with the previous one to extradite AQ and Taliban.
Recalling its resolution 724 (1991) concerning Yugoslavia and all other relevant resolutions,
Recalling also Article 50 of Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations,
Conscious of the fact that an increasing number of requests for assistance have been received under the provisions of Article 50 of the Charter of the United Nations,
Noting that the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 724 (1991), at its 65th meeting, set up a working group to examine the above-mentioned requests,
Confirms that the Committee established pursuant to resolution 724 (1991) is entrusted with the task of examining requests for assistance under the provisions of Article 50 of the Charter of the United Nations;
Welcomes the establishment by the Committee of its working group and invites the Committee, as it completes the examination of each request, to make recommendations to the President of the Security Council for appropriate action.
TEHRAN (MNA) -- Expediency Council Chairman Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani here on Friday condemned state-sponsored terrorism and human rights violations committed by the Zionist regime against innocent Palestinians. In a sermon delivered at Friday prayers at the Tehran University campus, the substitute Tehran Friday prayer leader said, "Given that Iran has suffered the greatest losses from terrorism, Tehran condemns terrorism and all types of terrorist activities more than any other country." The EC chairman mentioned the Western intellectuals and scholars who propose a solution for everything, asking, "Why don't they propose a way to prevent Israel's atrocities then, since they themselves trained the Israelis?" (pass the tissue ...what a lot of crap!)
This was the worst week for the Palestinians, he said, adding that Israel continued its daily attacks on the pretext that al-Qassam missiles were being fired at Zionist settlements by Palestinian resistance forces and continued its week-long attacks using tanks, helicopter gunships, and soldiers, killing about a hundred, arresting twice that number, and wounding many more Palestinians.
It is shameful to witness the weak response of the Arab League to these acts and it is shameful to witness such aggression against the defenseless people of Palestine, he said.
In reference to the Arab League's complaint to the United Nations Security Council condemning the atrocities the Zionist regime has been committing against the Palestinians, he stated that Washington vetoed the censure of Israel at the UN Security Council, as it always does.
"The international system is unjust and the U.S. veto of such crimes is the best proof of U.S. oppression at the global level," said Rafsanjani.
He stated that the U.S. war planes' bombardments of various cities in Iraq that began with the U.S.-led attack on the country are continuing.
"That is how a country which considers itself authorized to decide on behalf of the Iraqis treats the Iraqi people," he noted.
He also congratulated the congregation at Friday prayers on the occasion of Police Week, saying that the police guarantees national security.
Stay tune for the next joke of the week from Tehran's funny men:)
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
10/08/2004 6:27:13 PM ||
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By Nathan Guttman, Haaretz Correspondent, and Agencies
A senior Palestinian official blamed Israel's occupation in the West Bank and Gaza Strip for motivating the perpetrators of Thursday's bombings in the Sinai Peninsula, in which at least 26 people were killed, many of them Israelis.
Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat's top adviser, Nabil Abu Rudeinah, also drew a direct link with the heavy death toll in Israel's current massive operation in the Gaza Strip, which borders on the Sinai.
"The continuation of Israel's occupation and aggressions fuel the world's anger," he said.
The United States on Friday condemned the bombing at the Taba Hilton Hotel in Egypt and expressed sympathy for its victims.
"We condemn the attack in the strongest possible terms," said State Department spokesman Richard Boucher. "We express our most sincere sympathies to the Egyptians, the Israelis and all the other victims of this vicious
attack."
U.S. consular and security officers from the U.S. Embassy in Cairo were sent to Taba. Similar personnel from the embassy in Tel Aviv were dispatched to the Israeli side of the border.
Two American employees of the U.S. embassy in Israel and their families were slightly injured in the bombing at the Taba Hilton Hotel in Egypt, Boucher said.
Meanwhile, U.S. Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry on Friday sent his condolences to the victims of the Sinai attacks, and said that a clear message must be sent that global terrorism would not succeed.
In a statement, Kerry said that attacks such as the ones in Sinai only strengthened the resolve to fight terrorism, as well as the determination to catch or kill terrorists and wipe out their organizations.
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Friday condemned "in the strongest terms" the attacks, and offered condolences to families of the victims and their governments.
"I wish to emphasize again that no cause can justify acts of terror perpetrated against civilians," Annan said in a statement. He said the sites of the attacks have represented "tangible examples of peaceful coexistence in the Middle East."
Annan called on authorities to speedily bring the attackers to justice.
French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder condemned the attacks in a joint statement, saying the bombings underscored the need for a united front against terrorism.
"Many innocent Egyptian workers and Israeli holidaymakers have paid the highest price of a cycle of violence that must stop," European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana said.
Schroeder also called for a revival of the road map for Middle East peace.
"There is no other solution to peace in the Middle East than what is laid out in the road map for peace. Despite all this brutality we have to continue to pursue this goal," he said.
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
10/08/2004 7:07:19 PM ||
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Meanwhile, U.S. Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry on Friday sent his condolences to the victims of the Sinai attacks, and said that a clear message must be sent that global terrorism would not succeed.
And, John Boy, what would be contained in that clear message.......hmmmmmmmmm? I'm sure that your message of condolence was a big hit in Israel.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
10/08/2004 19:11 Comments ||
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Alaska, good observation on Kerry.
In terms of the so-called 'motivation' for what those bloody thirsty Islamo-bastards in blowing up the hotel and murdering all those quests...simple ...the like it.
The jihadees only live for death and chaos.
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
10/08/2004 19:16 Comments ||
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They are addicted to murder - its part of Islam to kill and rape and enslave. Just want until they have the wall and a de-facto state - then they will turn on each other.
#4
Headline circa 1948 to the present. Some things just never change. I guess I am a flip flopper. I vacilate between turning the whole frigging place (world of Islam) into a glass parking lot or trying to figure out how to flood the place. Probably a good thing I'm not in charge.
Professor Paul Robinson's fall seminar at the University of Pennsylvania Law School offered a unique opportunity for the ambitious student: a chance to make law, rather than just study it. But there was a catch. The students' client would be a regime that has outlawed dissent, jailed pro-democracy demonstrators and been accused by Amnesty International of "endemic torture and unfair trials." As part of a project sponsored by the United Nations, the class's sole task would be to craft an updated crime code for the Republic of Maldives, an island nation of 278,000 people in the Indian Ocean. The code was to be based on the Shariah, a body of Islamic law that fundamentalist nations have used to subjugate women, crush free religious expression and impose personal behavior laws criminalizing homosexuality, alcohol consumption and sex outside marriage.
To third-year law student Tom Stenson, the challenge was too important to pass up. "Is there a way to convince people that there is an Islamic alternative that doesn't include all the unpleasant practices? I think so," he said. "The criminal code that we'd like to present will comply with human rights norms. It will treat men and women equally. I don't think any of us would stand by and create a document that could be used for repression." Fifty students applied for a seat in the class. Eighteen were accepted and have been immersed in the project for several weeks. The students work with high-ranking Maldivian officials, and their final draft will be submitted to the country's parliament. So far, many of the issues they tackled differ little from what they might encounter streamlining law in the West. Stenson has been working on theft and kidnapping statutes. Other students have been codifying laws regarding fraud, forgery and rules on criminal culpability. In interviews, several students said they have found little in Islamic law that requires the strict enforcement of centuries-old social norms favored by some Muslim scholars, and much in it that promotes social justice.
Their work doesn't sit well with everyone. Daniel Pipes, head of the Philadelphia-based Middle East Forum and a presidential appointee to the U.S. Institute of Peace, said it was a mistake for the class to do anything that could help prop up Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, the strongman who has ruled Maldives since 1978. "It's like working on the criminal law in Saddam Hussein's Iraq," Pipes said. Pipes, an outspoken critic of militant Islam, called the Shariah incompatible with many Western values, including freedom of religion, gender equality and the separation of church and state. He said it should be rejected as a source of state law, "not made prettier." The criticism hasn't deterred Robinson, who sat on the U.S. Sentencing Commission and has helped several nations revise their legal systems. He said the brand of Islamic law practiced in Maldives is a far cry from the systems imposed in Saudi Arabia or under the Taliban in Afghanistan. "Maldivians stopped using the death penalty half a century ago. They don't cut off the hands of thieves. They don't have public stoning of adulterers," he said. "It is probably true that there are going to be differences we don't approve of, but what you have to understand is, they were the ones who decided who to approach and they approached us. That choice, by itself, tells you where they are headed." He said he expects to present a draft code to Maldives by the end of November.
Whether it is ever implemented could depend on the resolution of evolving political tensions in the nation, which is 300 miles off the coast of India. On Aug. 13, security forces cracked down after 3,000 pro-democracy demonstrators rallied in the capital. The European Parliament called for sanctions last month to protest the clampdown. Gayoom has insisted he is serious about reform, including constitutional changes that would allow people to join opposition parties.
#1
Law 1: Itty bitty yellow polka dot bikinis must be worn at all times.
Posted by: ed ||
10/08/2004 17:51 Comments ||
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So...I bet the college kids put together a halfway decent document, send it back to Maldives, which picks out all the "human rights" stuff and opts for Old Tyme Shari'a (PTUI)
Militiamen loyal to Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr offered yesterday to surrender heavy and medium weapons in return for the release of prisoners and a role in Iraq's political process, hours after the US military freed one of the cleric's aides. "We are ready to lay down our heavy and medium-sized weapons in return for the release of all those imprisoned from our movement, a commitment that members of our movement will no longer be pursued and the restoration of basic services to areas like Sadr City," Abdul Hadi Al-Darraji said. "This initiative is being presented only to the Iraqi government," he clarified.
"No Merkins allowed. They got cooties!"
He said Sadr's movement is willing to take part in January's elections as long as they are "free of US influence and overseen by international monitors." The government of Prime Minister Iyad Allawi has been trying to work out a deal that calls on fighters to lay down their weapons unconditionally in the Baghdad district of Sadr City and the return of full control of the area to Iraqi forces. The deal, which is being mediated by tribal leaders in the area, also calls for the start of reconstruction in the mostly Shiite district. Earlier, Moayad Al-Khazraji, detained nearly a year ago along with other Shiite clerics close to Sadr, telephoned colleague Sheikh Mahmoud Sudani after he got out of jail. "He was released this morning," Sudani said. A US official confirmed Khazraji was among 230 Iraqis being freed from Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad this week.
A US officer in charge of detentions said the latest group of prisoner releases from Abu Ghraib would take two days. "After these releases, there will be about 2,000 prisoners at Abu Ghraib and about 3,000 at Camp Bucca," said Lt. Col. Barry Johnson, referring to a jail in the southern port of Umm Qasr.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/08/2004 4:10:32 PM ||
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I wonder how many of these looney tunes are the true believers and how many of them, especially the American converts, spout the party line to scam up that Mideast oil money that funds these bullshit freakshows?
#4
These looney tunes put Islam first and America somewhere else. Part II indicates that "American converts" may be an oxymoron (or some kind of moron).
PAK ARMY RESHUFFLE & AFTER... More than anything else, this is a "Devil in the Details" piece, showing some of the intrigues and complexities of ruling Pakistan.
#1
"Islam for Humanity." Does this mean "Kill the Infidel" conference?
"An ISNA-sponsored conference this past summer in Dallas featured Imam Zaid Shakir, who said that Muslims can't accept the American political system because "it is against the orders and ordainments of Allah."
This shit really steams me. I get tired of these assholes trying to tear down our courntry from the inside. If they don't accept our political system let them friggin accept some other political system. Let them them go to france.
Water Treatment Projects: A total of 21 water treatment plants are now under construction in Iraq; one has been completed. USAID is rehabilitating 14 water treatment plants, of which 10 are substantially complete and undergoing inspection. The final four plants are expected to be complete by the end of October. These plants treat water brought to Basrah through the Sweetwater Canal. After completion of both of these plants and the Canal, treated water supply will increase by nearly 100% for 2 million Iraqis.
Total number of telephone subscribers in Iraq is now over 1,750,954 (including 779,725 cell phone subscribers) — 110% above pre-war levels. There are now 947,999 land line telephone subscribers in Iraq, compared with 833,000 subscribers pre-war. There are now 802,955 cell phone subscribers in Iraq. Cell phone service was very limited before the war.
Electricity: Megawatt hour production average 9/27-10/3 was 103,219 MWH
Crude oil production: production average 9/27-10/3 was 2.594 MBPD. Pre-war peak was 2.5 MBPD. September exports averaged 1.703 MBPD, $1.827 billion in revenues.
As of 9/29/2004, 98,708 Iraqis were serving in various security forces. 32 nations and NATO had troops working in the Coalition.
#1
Yeah, but the bad news is the level of help we are getting from NATO. I have no idea why we continue this "Jobs for Belgians" program. It is ineffectual and heavily dependent on our money and technology while at the same time emaciated by the French, Spainards and Germans. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me to see NATO go through major reorganization or downsizing if Bush gets re-elected. I know Rummy would love to dish it.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
10/08/2004 15:33 Comments ||
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Real progress like the above is one real measure of success. The US is making it happen so we do not get into a situation that nuclear fission and fusion has to deal with. NATO has been riding on our heavy lifting for half a century. Now they have to start doing some lifting. If they cannot or are unwilling, then they will go the way of France, and that is irrelevance.
Rummy is not being vindictive, he is looking at his available defense resources and seeing where he can get the most effective use of those resources. Some people will be angry, some will be hurt, but it WILL change for everyone. There is no turning back. Rummy is not the type of person to be diplomatic. He has ankle biters on both sides of the Pond.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
10/08/2004 16:18 Comments ||
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#4
Good plumbing the key to a civilized future. And yes I mean it.
I've lived without electrical power for a total of 20 days this year.... but I would have gone apeshit (oops poor choice of words) without decent plumbing.
#5
Alaa at the Mesopotamian has a really inspiring post up:
"America, stay the course - God, Decency, Honor, Hope and everything that is virtuous and right is on your side, beside the majority of the Iraqi people. America do not waiver, for you have never waged a more noble and just campaign in your entire history. America, we are winning, Godâs willing, and Victory is coming sooner than many might think."
But what would he know, he's just an Iraqi.
Posted by: Matt ||
10/08/2004 18:16 Comments ||
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Ultimately, it's why we went to war in Afghanistan...
The ballot is the size of a pair of placemats strung together. Some of the polling places are so remote they need donkeys to get the plastic boxes back to counting stations. There are 18 candidates on the ballot with zero experience and no party apparatus behind them. Good for them!
Such is the wonderful world of Afghan democracy. And a wonderful world it truly is, despite the naysaying in certain circles. Gee, wonder who that would be?
But so far, it's been the little election that could. And barring a catastrophic attack that somehow manages to shatter the stubborn faith of the average Afghan in this process, it should go down as a successful one regardless of whether it is considered "free and fair" by the traitorous Jimmy Carter and the LLL wanker editorial board of the Boston Globe. Who collectively aren't worthy of shining Karzai's shoes.
The critics might want to stop and consider the context before they pass judgment. But they won't. It's more important to them to tell everyone how superior they are. And, by the way, BushHitler and Halliburton.
This is a country that existed in a semi-feudal state through the 20th century and in many respects still does. Two-thirds of the people can't read or write, and subsistence is most people's main concern. For two and a half decades they've been terrorized by foreign troops, ruthless local militias or religious zealots. Voting was never high on the list of priorities. Survival was. Afghans have never been asked who they wanted to lead the country. THINK about that, Democrats and LLL assholes.
Decisions were always made by weathered old men sitting over tea and nan, or by the guys with the biggest guns. The last time they even saw a ballot was in 1969, in a parliamentary vote in which fewer than seven percent understood enough about it all to participate. The whole Democracy thing is a totally novel experience here, and they aren't taking it anywhere near as lightly as foreign human rights groups and former secretaries of state who are convinced that it's all a cynical plot by George W. Bush to put a good face on his war on terror before the U.S. election. Preach it, brother! Smack those LLL bastards around some more.
Afghans know better. What's making it a success -- violence or no violence and regardless of who wins -- is that the Afghans are being handed a fishing rod instead of being given a basketful of fish. Which is absolutely killing the LLL and the NGOs, who aren't happy unless they are in total control of the basket and the fish.
Bless the Afghans, and best of luck to them. They once had a beautiful, vibrant country; hopefully they will again. No thanks to the Left.
First! :-) I'm leaving this for the comments.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
10/08/2004 12:32:42 PM ||
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Great post, great comments. Remember, this was going to be the Humanitarian Disaster of All Time because of the Brutal Afghan Winters yada yada yada.
I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for the Afghans for beating the crap out of Robert Fisk.
Posted by: Matt ||
10/08/2004 13:25 Comments ||
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I can soon imagine the day when Pakistanis will request Afghan asylum to get away from the hell hole the Islamists are making of Pakistan.
Posted by: ed ||
10/08/2004 13:28 Comments ||
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LOL, Matt. Yes, the Afghans deserve a special award for that. :-p
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
10/08/2004 13:57 Comments ||
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Steve - thank you.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
10/08/2004 13:58 Comments ||
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This is the wrong election, in the wrong place, at the wrong time.
Posted by: John F Kerry ||
10/08/2004 14:14 Comments ||
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I'm reminded of Col. Chaimberlain's great speech in The Killer Angels (paraphrased):
"This army is different. Some men fight for gold, or land, or some other loot, or because a king tells them to, or because they think killing is fun. We--well, we're something that hasn't happened much in history. We are an army that is fighting to set other men free."
Thus be it ever so.
Posted by: Mike ||
10/08/2004 14:39 Comments ||
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Thank God Carter is nowhere near this election.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
10/08/2004 14:45 Comments ||
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Carter? Rex- Let's hope if he wants to snoop around, Karzai denies his visa...
#1
and yet, not all of the victims were Israeli. Bet that sticks in their craw. At least, I hope it does. From:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&e=4&u=/ap/20041008/ap_on_re_mi_ea/egypt_explosion
An official at Taba hospital, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AP 24 people were killed, including five Israelis, seven Egyptians and the rest foreigners whose nationalities were not immediately determined. Most of the deaths were at the Hilton. Israel radio reported 14 of the dead were Israelis.
More than 100 people were injured, with one report saying as many as 160, and at least two Britons were among the wounded. The Russian Foreign Ministry said an elderly Russian woman was among the dead and eight Russians were wounded.
#2
So the Min. of Tourism says it's different than what happened at Luxor. Well, he's right. There the terrorists used bullets and, if the Beeb can be believed, machetes.
In about 96, there was a tour bus from Israel pounced on by terrorists on Pyramid Road. As they got off buses, they were cut down. Around 15-20 folks killed, many wounded. At the office when I got there that morning, I was duly informed but was told that the killers thought their prey were Israeli. But they weren't. The folks were Spanish and Greek, I think. Her tone was, "You know, you shouldn't worry. You're not Israeli. It was an honest mistake in identification." I'm sure at Egyptian dinner tables last night the theme was it's regrettable, but...
Posted by: chicago mike ||
10/08/2004 14:30 Comments ||
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This pretty much puts an end to any Israeli tourist dollars (shekels/Egyptian pounds/etc.) that Egypt might have been expecting for the foreseeable future.
During the past year or so a new word has entered the popular vocabulary in Afghanistan. It is "intikhabat" (elections) and one of the select groups of words shared by Afghanistan's two major languages, Persian and Pashto. Many Afghans admit that they do not know quite what it means, but almost all believe that "intikhabat" is a magic key to a better future.
Tomorrow over 10 million Afghans, men and women, who have registered to vote will have a chance to test the magic key by going to the polls. At stake is the post of the president of the republic which, in Afghanistan's recently ratified new constitution, wields great executive power.
Just a couple of years ago the suggestion that Afghanistan might one day hold elections would have sounded fanciful. The Taleban, representing one of the most vicious forms of religious fascism, regarded any participation by the people in decision-making as "un-Islamic". All power belonged to Mulla Muhammad Omar, the self-styled Emir Al-Momeneen (Commander of the Faithful) who claimed infallibility. Matters got worse when Osama Bin Laden, the now fugitive terrorist mastermind, soft-soaped the one-eyed Mulla into fancying himself as a caliph for all Muslims.
Continued on Page 49
Five people died when Niger government forces clashed with bandits claiming to be Tuareg rebels in the Air mountains in the desert north of the country, the government said. "Our defence and security forces who had launched an operation to pursue... the group in the Air mountains fell into an ambush," Interior Minister Albade Abouba said in a statement read on national radio on Tuesday. The minister said one soldier and four bandits had been killed in the ambush, which happened on 1 October in the mountain range 1,000 km northeast of the capital, Niamey. Another four soldiers were injured and two more were still missing, he said. Mohamed Ag Boula, the brother of Rhissa Ag Boula who used to lead the now-dissolved Air and Azaouak Liberation Front (FLAA) rebel group, claimed responsibility for the attack.
"Yeah, we done it! We be Tuaregs! Yaaar!"
Rhissa Ag Boula won a senior position in government as part of the 1995 peace deal, which brought a four-year Tuareg rebellion in northern Niger to an end. But in February he was sacked as tourism minister and shortly afterwards he was arrested in connection with the murder of an official in Niger's ruling party in the Tuareg stronghold of Agadez, 800 km northeast of Niamey.
Guess he didn't take kindly to being sacked.
"Honey, this year, instead of the Caymans, let's go to Niger!"
"Oh, yes, Herb! That'd be grand! Their tourism minister's sooooo nice!"
In an interview with Radio France Internationale earlier this week, his brother Mohamed said he was personally responsible for the attack and that he was leading a 200-strong group which was fighting to defend the rights of the Tuareg, Toubou and Semori nomadic populations of northern Niger. "We are defending our rights in Niger. The current government has not implemented the 1995 accords. Besides, we are demanding the liberation of all members of the ex-rebellion currently in detention," Mohamed told the French radio station. Niger's interior minister said the 1 October assailants were the same people who had carried out attacks on vehicles along the main trans-Sahara highway in northern Niger over the last few months.
The Tuareg have been doing this since the days of camel caravans.
#3
Hi...it's Seafarious, posting from a secure undiclosed IP address...a while back I read about VW's new SUV and how they arrived at the unspellable and unpronounceable Touraeg. Well, the folks at VW went on and on about the gentle and noble tribe of nomads; sheepherders, really...and when it was pointed out to them that the Tuareg were historically quite bloodthirsty and heavily involved in the slave trade, they said:
"Um...well. Hmmm. Kumbaya. Let's stick with it anyway. Let's have another glass of Heffeweisen. Here's to the Touareg."
VW probably believed the Touareg name would conjure up visions of a harsh breed of people with the ability to survive in an inhospitable environment. The perfect image for a rough-and-tumble off-roader.
But in fact, "Touareg implies political rebellion by a stateless, Kurd-like tribe whose name literally means 'abandoned by God,' " said Paul Payack, spokesman for yourdictionary.com.
Would any of you be surprised that Touareg is the French spelling?
EFL:
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has set up a commission of inquiry to investigate and determine whether genocide has been committed in Sudan's strife-torn western region of Darfur.
That'll show them, thanks Kofi.
He appointed an Italian judge to lead the probe. The five-member commission, which was formed on Thursday, will also investigate reports of violations of international humanitarian law and human rights in Darfur, where militias locally known as the Janjawid stand accused of killing and raping thousands of villagers since February 2003, when rebel groups took up arms against the Sudanese government.Annan's decision to set up the commission of inquiry followed the Council's request that he do so in a resolution adopted last month on the humanitarian and security crises engulfing Darfur, a vast and impoverished region.
Jilani has been the Secretary-General's Special Representative on Human Rights Defenders since August 2000. She has a long record as a human-rights lawyer and activist in Pakistan and started the country's first firm of female attorneys in 1980. Striggner Scott, currently chair of Ghana's Law Reform Commission, has worked as a High Court judge in Ghana and Zimbabwe and has also been an ambassador for her country during a long diplomatic career.
Kofi gave them three months to report back, wonder if anyone will still be alive by then.
Posted by: Steve ||
10/08/2004 9:49:57 AM ||
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In 3 months another 30,000 furs will be dead.
Posted by: ed ||
10/08/2004 10:29 Comments ||
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Yep. No choice but to understand that through their discussion and inquiries and visits inaction, another 30,000 dead is their goal.
#4
Oooh. I'll bet that the Janjaweed is quacking
in their boots. Reality: after many months
of dickering about how to word their conclusion, they'll state that there wasn't enough evidence.
Being that they'll be nobody left alive to disagree, they can proceed to discuss how to condemn the Zionist entity for not giving the Paleostinians enough jobs.
Let's form a committee. Figure out who sits where, get the catering setup, and work out the subcoms to figure out what the true definition of genocide is, understanding that many cultures may see it as many different things.
Then a report will be issued. Genocide will be tightly defined, probably as meaning no one's left alive. Darfur won't fit the definition, so let's all just go back to lunch.
Classic UN. Absolutely classic. This is who Kerry trusts with our National Security.
#9
I'd like the United States to supplement the committee with about six AC-130's, a dozen Predator drones, a batallion of Kurds and 50 parents from Belsan. Then that committee might actually DO something.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
10/08/2004 19:50 Comments ||
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Coinciding with the third anniversary of the start of the US military strikes in Afghanistan on October 7, 2004, code-named Op. Enduring Freedom, terrorist elements, suspected to be from Osama bin Laden's International Islamic Front (IIF), have carried out four co-ordinated terrorist strikes involving explosives on October 7 and 8, 2004. Three of these strikes, involving car bombs, were carried out in the Egyptian Red Sea resorts, frequented by Israeli tourists in the Sinai area, while the fourth, involving a parcel bomb, was carried out against the Indonesian Embassy in Paris.
According to circles close to the Binori madrasa in Karachi, while Algerian/Moroccan members of the IIF living in France were probably involved in the Paris blast, the identity of those involved in the Sinai blasts is not clear. They do not rule out the possibility of the involvement of some European Muslim members of the IIF, holding passports of one of the European countries. Since the IIF was formed in February, 1998, it had avoided targeting Israeli nationals and interests because the Palestinian organisations, who were keen not to lose the support of the US and West Europe in their struggle against Israel, had advised the IIF not to get involved in attacks against Israel lest suspicions of their links with Al Qaeda and the IIF create difficulties in their relations with the West.
The Mombasa blast of October, 2002, directed against Israeli tourists, and the unsuccessful attempt to bring down a plane carrying Israeli tourists home from Mombasa were the first incidents since February,1998, in which Al Qaeda/IIF involvement was suspected, but it was not proved. According to these circles, the escalation of acts of violence by the Israeli forces in the Gaza area and the refusal of the Bush administration to control Israel have led to a change of policy and the Palestinian organisations have now agreed to let Al Qaeda and the IIF directly target Israeli nationals and interests wherever possible. More attacks are likely, they say. The Indonesian Embassy in Paris was targeted to convey a warning to Indonesia to change its perceived persecution of the Jemaah Islamiya leaders, allegedly at the instance of the US, as well as to France over its policy of banning Muslim girls from wearing their traditional head dress in public schools.
Posted by: Paul Moloney ||
10/08/2004 9:28:16 AM ||
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Good posting
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
10/08/2004 18:40 Comments ||
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After leaving university, Attaur Rehman traded his jeans and T-shirts for a beard and cap, his civil-service aspirations for a martyr's spot in heaven. He used to spend his time playing cricket, but he is now in a Pakistani jail facing a death sentence on terrorism charges. Rehman, along with nine other "comrades", is charged with carrying out a deadly June attack against a senior Pakistani Army general in Karachi. The general escaped narrowly but 10 people, including seven soldiers, were killed. Rehman's circle call themselves Jundullah (God's Army) and have close ties to Al Qaeda. Most are young, educated men, whom Rehman allegedly sent to training camps in Pakistan's remote tribal areas. Rehman doesn't fit the mould of the typical Al Qaeda leader. Traditionally, most were Arabs who gained status by resisting the Russians in Afghanistan in the 1980s. Younger, educated recruits tapped for suicide missions like 9/11 typically came from Middle Eastern countries with long histories of pan-Islamic resistance. What sets this new breed apart is that they are joining from places like Pakistan, where the focus has been on regional grievances, like independence for the disputed area of Kashmir. But as the Al Qaeda leadership ranks begin to thin, men like Rehman are starting to climb the ladder. "It is a new generation of Al Qaeda," Riffat Hussain, a leading defence and security analyst, told Christian Science Monitor (CSM). "These are new converts to Al Qaeda. They may have no links with Al Qaeda in the past, but now they are willing to sacrifice their lives for the cause as they feel Al Qaeda is the name of defiance to the West. They are young and angry, and their number has swelled in the aftermath of the US invasion of Iraq," he added.
Enriched with billions of dollars raised by exploiting the United Nations' oil-for-food program, Saddam Hussein spent heavily on arms imports starting in 1999, finding six governments and private companies from a dozen other nations that were willing to ignore sanctions prohibiting arms sales, the report by the top American arms inspector for Iraq has found. The purchases, which included components of long-range missiles, spare parts for tanks and night-vision equipment, were not enough to allow Iraq to significantly rebuild its conventional military or create a viable chemical, biological or nuclear weapons program, according to the report by the inspector, Charles A. Duelfer, which was released Wednesday.
But the relative ease with which Mr. Hussein was able to buy weapons - working directly with governments in Syria, Belarus, Yemen, North Korea, the former Yugoslavia and possibly Russia, as well as with private companies in Europe, Asia and the Middle East - is documented in extraordinary detail, including repeated visits by government officials and arms merchants to Iraq and complicated schemes to disguise illegal shipments to Iraq. "Prohibited goods and weapons were being shipped into Iraq with virtually no problem," the report says. "Indeed, Iraq was designing missile systems with the assumption that sanctioned material would be readily available."
The report suggests that Mr. Hussein was justified when, speaking at a gathering of leaders of the Iraqi armed forces in January 2000, he boasted that despite efforts by the United States and the United Nations to isolate Iraq, he would still be able to buy just about whatever he wanted. "We have said with certainty that the embargo will not be lifted by a Security Council resolution, but will corrode by itself," Mr. Hussein said in the speech, a remark that is quoted on the cover of the chapter in Mr. Duelfer's report that details the ineffectiveness of the embargo. The report is replete with names, dates and documents detailing negotiations over arms purchases and technical advice, which continued until just days before the United States-led invasion in March 2003. An Iraqi memo from 2000 tells military officials in Baghdad that the deputy general manager of the French company Sofema, a military-component marketer, will be bringing a company catalog so that they can "discuss your needs with him."
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Posted by: Dan Darling ||
10/08/2004 3:07:04 AM ||
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If we learn from this, as to how it's done, we can make sure countries that are sanctioned , have a much harder time breaking the sanctions. Making them work the way they are supposed to.
#2
If we learn from this, as to how it's done, we can make sure countries that are sanctioned , have a much harder time breaking the sanctions. Making them work the way they are supposed to.
It's Debka. Salt liberally, but watch your blood pressure.
DEBKAfile reports exclusively: Initial Egyptian investigation of quadruple car bombings at three Sinai sites Thursday night points to co-production orchestrated by Iran - to which explosives traced - organized by Hizballah and carried out by Saudi al Qaeda bomb-teams. Method recalls al Qaeda's 1996 bombing attacks on Khobar Towers and 2003 Istanbul strikes. Israel's warning to Israeli tourists to stay away from Sinai based on intelligence of Hizballah plot. Israelis and Egyptians were twin targets. Saudi al-q bombers, orchestrated by Iran, organized by hizballah. sounds a bit toooo conspiratorial. or does it?
A little early for any conclusive testing on the origins of any explosives. I'd put the 24 hr rule on this one.
Posted by: PlanetDan ||
10/08/2004 7:11:41 AM ||
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The Egyptians probably already know exactly who it was. Now comes the real work... giving Israel a good enough answer to keep them from suspecting Egypt let this happen.
Posted by: Laurence of the Rats ||
10/08/2004 10:06 Comments ||
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Does it matter if it was AQ, the Muslim Brotherhood, or the local madrassa student body? It's all one ideology. Deport the Gazans to Egypt and let the Egyptians spend their time and resources figuring out what to do with them, instead of rehashing cliched ways of destroying their only money making industry, tourism.
Posted by: ed ||
10/08/2004 10:35 Comments ||
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ISRAEL today blamed al-Qaeda for a series of bomb attacks in Egypt's Sinai peninsula. "According to our first information, it appears to be the an international terror attack with the hallmarks of al-Qaeda, Israel's deputy defence minister Zeev Boim said. The attacks occurred late yesterday as the Red Sea coast of the southern Sinai was packed with Israeli holidaymakers celebrating the final day of the Jewish festival of Sukkot.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
10/08/2004 2:56:50 AM ||
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Sounds more like stupidity and ineptitude than Arab perfidy...
Toss in some blame-shifting and buck-passing as well ...
Egypt delayed the arrival of Israeli rescue personnel despite the fact that they could not handle the treatment of the scores of Israeli guests wounded in the bombing of the Taba Hilton. One witness present at the bombing of the Taba Hilton who arrived at the Israeli border by foot told Israel's Channel 2: "People are lying on the ground, bleeding - the Egyptians are doing nothing - they are not offering medical treatment and I saw them with my own eyes preventing our ambulances from arriving at the scene." Channel 2 later reported that as of about 1:00 AM Friday morning Egyptian authorities continued to impede the arrival of rescuers. One eyewitness said that dozens of MDA medics on board a bus were being held up — prevented from reaching the Taba Hilton. At some point, the medic left the bus and began making their way on foot.
At 2:30 AM reports of untreated injured Israelis stranded in Egypt continued. Avi Zohar, Magen David Adom Director, told Channel 2, live from the scene, that the free flow of ambulances was still being hampered by the Egyptians. "We are sending the ambulances back and forth to evacuate the injured, but the ambulances are being held up," said Zohar. IDF helicopters, medical personnel and members of the Homefront Command's Search and Rescue Unit who arrived shortly after the initial explosion waited at the Israeli border almost an hour after the first explosion - unable to evacuate the wounded until they received authorization to enter Egypt to treat those wounded in the blast.
Israeli rescue personnel were not permitted to cross into Egypt at first to care for the dozens of wounded. Immediately following the attack, Israeli medical personnel, as well as the IDF's Search and Rescue Unit gathered on the Egyptian border, but Egypt closed its border with Israel completely, preventing Israeli rescue personnel from crossing. The border was re-opened eventually, allowing Israeli rescue workers, including firefighters from Eilat to cross into Egypt. According to Channel 1, Israeli rescue personnel was only permitted to cross the border after half and hour had past due to a call from Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to Egyptian Prime Minister Hosni Mubarak. Scores of injured Israelis made their way to the Israeli border by foot to be evacuated to Eilat's Yoseftal hospital. Several Israelis said Egyptian soldiers had fired in the air to attempt to stop them from crossing back in to Israel through the Taba terminal.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
10/08/2004 6:50:46 AM ||
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"Sounds more like stupidity and ineptitude than Arab perfidy..."
To me it sounds like a mix of all three.
Egypt, supposedly at peace with Israel:
* Hinders assistance from Israel while at the same time providing none.
* Immediately pumps out disinformation about a 'gas leak' as the cause of the blast.
* Eventually acknowledges that there have been bomb blasts, but then makes unwarranted assumptions that they are linked to Israel's incursion into Gaza.
EFL The northern districts of Pakistan's North West Frontier Province are replete with Jihadi sentiments despite President Pervez Musharraf's crackdown on organisations shouting the slogan of 'holy war' against Indian forces in Indian-Occupied Kashmir and US led forces in Afghanistan. "To most people visiting parts of Malakand division, Lower, Upper Dir and Chitral districts, it does not come as much of a surprise that Jihadi sentiments are still flourishing," said an observer. "It's almost natural that the conservative natives would harbour such feelings given the unwelcoming environment of the post-9/11 world. America's hostile attitude towards the Muslim world has forced banned militant outfits to reopen their recruitment offices and start advertising their contact numbers on walls in order to encourage new recruits." Over the years, the above mentioned areas of the NWFP have served as the breeding ground for volunteers willing to wage holy war in Pakistan's neighbours, Kashmir and Afghanistan. "We are fighting a war of liberation in Indian occupied Kashmir in order to secure the right of self-determination for the Kashmiris," said Rehmat Muneer, the district commander of banned Harkatul Mujahideen, which is presently functioning under the "Jamiatul Ansar" banner. "We are fighting because it is our Islamic duty as Muslims to wage holy war against those who encroach upon our lands and usurp our rights," said Muneer.
Posted by: Paul Moloney ||
10/08/2004 1:31:47 AM ||
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OK, so America's hostile attitude means they have to wage jihad against India. Great logic there.
Posted by: V is for Victory ||
10/08/2004 8:55 Comments ||
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Fred - LOVE the Surprise Meter! Hadn't seen that one before.
But shouldn't it have a negative range as well? My surprise meter (no graphic, unfortunately) goes into negative numbers over these clowns quite often. :-p
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
10/08/2004 14:06 Comments ||
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Barbara,
Surprise meters stop at zero. You're thinking of the Cynicismeterâ¢, which goes to 11...
Posted by: Fred ||
10/08/2004 15:10 Comments ||
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Fred---Don't forget the HOLY SHIT-O-METER that is log calibrated (like decibels) so it doesn't blow out the high end. LOL!
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
10/08/2004 15:20 Comments ||
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#5
I have a strong recommendation for our next weapons testing area. Any opposed? The motion carries. Let's begin with a few MOABs...
BTW, MY surprise meter is digital, and DOES record negative numbers - to 9 digits. Still pegs now and then...
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
10/08/2004 19:31 Comments ||
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#6
Nice meter, Fred.
Now we need one for sanity.
Posted by: Phil Fraering ||
10/08/2004 19:34 Comments ||
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Saddam Hussein personally directed a worldwide scheme using valuable Iraqi oil to secretly win the support of officials from dozens of countries, according to a bombshell new report yesterday that named names. Saddam himself approved the names of international political and business figures who received lucrative oil vouchers — and added or deleted benefactors on a whim, the report by U.S. weapons inspector Charles Duelfer found. Other senior Iraqi regime officials could recommend individuals or organizations to be added, and an ad hoc committee even met to review the recommendations before passing them along to Saddam.
Duelfer's Iraq Survey Group, which compiled the 1,200-page report, interviewed scores of high-ranking members of Saddam's regime to learn the intricacies of the bribery scandal and also had access to interviews with Saddam. Duelfer said he also confronted former Vice President Taha Yason Ramadan Al-Jizrawi with a captured document indicating his major role in allocating oil contracts and "he divulged details on corruption stemming from" the U.N. oil-for-food program.
The report included 13 detailed lists of oil-deal recipients obtained from the vice president, but did not say whether U.S. officials had tried to verify the names on the list. All the names of American and British companies and individuals, whether suspected of wrongdoing or not, were deleted from the list before it was made public. Parts of the lists had been published by an Iraqi newspaper in Baghdad after the war in March 2003. The American firms are being investigated by the U.S. attorneys in New York and Texas for possible violations of the Foreign Corrupt Business Practices Act.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
10/08/2004 12:02:51 AM ||
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#3
Rofl, if you have any American or British names to add, pass them along. I'll be happy to append them to the list.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/08/2004 2:47 Comments ||
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#4
There's an "Iraqi French Friendship Society" !
That would be their Foreign Ministry.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
10/08/2004 8:27 Comments ||
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#5
I read Marc Rich (whom Clinton, on this last day in office, pardoned for tax evasion) through his Swiss company received Saddams largess, for as much as $3mil. I wondered if he paid taxes on it?
Posted by: ed ||
10/08/2004 10:47 Comments ||
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#6
I'm curious how the parties got together. Did the Iraqi's bring it up, offer bribes, that sort of thing. Or did the various outsiders hint and suggest to the Iraqi's.
If the first case is true, did the Iraqi's ever try to bribe an American or British official and if so why haven't they come forward. If not, its a sad state for Russia, China and France that they are known to be so crooked.
#7
The report notes that Russia, France and China â three of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, along with the United States and Britain â had the highest percentage of secret oil-voucher recipients.
Smelling salts for the Kerry Doctrine of foreign policy. Thanks for the post, Mark.
#8
I hate to cold some enthousiasms but at least for the French, the list is certainly fake. Charles Pasqua is the arch-villain of French politics because a) he is right wing (a capital sin here) and b) he has ever been a kind of cloak and dagger persona: a 1940 Resistant (a _rare_ thing) but also the creator of the SAC (a kind of pricate secrete service who fought OAS terrorism), controls a network of people for undercover actions and has done a lot of illegal things in order to fund Chirac's party. So when you look for a French politician in order to accuse him of contacts with Saddam, Pasqua is a natural choice.
Problem is that it doesn't match. Since the 1995 elections where he stood behind Chirac's rival Balladur he and Chirac have opoosed in most things and his influence on him is nil. He is also ahted by the mainstream media for being politically incorrect and anti-europeist. So unless Saddam's informers were completely incompetent Pasqua is the last person they would have contacted.
Now I strongly believe there were French politicians in Saddam's pay and Chirac geting his share. Just the New York Post has been fed bad information.
#9
In terms of the 'whole list' I jumped the gun, but the other corporate and 'diplomatic' names should be forthcoming. (including American and British)
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
10/08/2004 17:48 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.
Paul Bigley will address the meeting via a telephone link and will be joined by Rose Gentle, mother of Gordon Gentle, a teenage soldier killed on duty in Iraq earlier this year and Azmat Begg, father of the Guantanamo Bay prisoner Moazzam Begg. Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has told Ken Bigley's hostage takers that the British Government would listen carefully to any message. At a press conference on a long-planned visit to Iraq, Mr Straw said: "We can't enter into negotiations, but obviously if the hostage takers have a message for us we will listen carefully to that message."
Intelligence gathered by special services suggests that Al-Qaeda's representative in Chechnya Abu Havs [transliterated from the Russian] spent several years in Georgia's Pankisi Gorge training militants in camps and distributing funds among Chechen separatists. "In 1996, Osama bin Laden sent Abu Havs to Georgia as an Al-Qaeda representative. He told everyone his name was Amzhet and lived in the village of Tsuniban in the Pankisi Gorge," the newspaper Vremya Novostei reported on Friday. Havs remained in Georgia until 2002, and built a Wahhabite mosque and opened a hospital for militants wounded in Chechnya, the newspaper said. The Russian Federal Security Service has neither confirmed nor denied these reports. "We have been refraining from official comments on Abu Havs's operations in the Caucasus," an FSB spokesman told Interfax.
Five people died when Niger government forces clashed with bandits claiming to be Tuareg rebels in the Air mountains in the desert north of the country, the government said. "Our defence and security forces who had launched an operation to pursue... the group in the Air mountains fell into an ambush," Interior Minister 
Enriched with billions of dollars raised by exploiting the United Nations' oil-for-food program, Saddam Hussein spent heavily on arms imports starting in 1999, finding six governments and private companies from a dozen other nations that were willing to ignore sanctions prohibiting arms sales, the report by the top American arms inspector for Iraq has found. The purchases, which included components of long-range missiles, spare parts for tanks and night-vision equipment, were not enough to allow Iraq to significantly rebuild its conventional military or create a viable chemical, biological or nuclear weapons program, according to the report by the inspector, Charles A. Duelfer, which was released Wednesday.
