KABUL - Afghan forces, international troops and Taliban insurgents need to do more to avoid civilian casualties or many more innocents will be killed in the ongoing conflict, a U.N. rights expert said on Thursday.
U.N. Human Rights Council (UNHRC) special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions ...
... they have titles like that? ...
... Philip Alston said the level of complacency over civilian killings was "staggeringly" high and a great many deaths could be avoided. "The bottom line of my report is that there are many killings which are avoidable," he told a news conference at the end of a 12-day visit to Afghanistan.
Thanks Phil. Say, any thoughts about asking the Taliban to be more careful when they terrorize civilians?
Some 200 civilians have been killed by international and Afghan forces so far this year, he said, while Taliban insurgents have killed around 300 in the same period.
Alston called for more accountability from the more than 50,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan, who together with Afghan government troops are engaged in daily battles with a resurgent Taliban mainly in the south and east of the country. While he said he had found no evidence of intentional killing by foreign troops and particular cases were investigated at considerable length, no international force was able or willing to provide information on numbers of civilians killed, the results of investigations or whether anyone had been punished.
Because we don't want to do body counts. One reason why is people like you ...
"At the very least what the international forces have on their hands is a public relations disaster," he said. "They have not taken the steps which are necessary at the political level to ensure a degree of transparency and accountability in relation to the casualties."
"This is a very major political issue because the support of both the people of Afghanistan and the international community is dependant upon a sense that the international forces are doing what they think the people of Afghanistan should be doing; being held to account," Alston said.
The problem of accountability, he said, was exacerbated by the operations of forces who were not accountable to any military but appeared to be controlled by foreign intelligence services.
Alston said the Afghan police should be better trained, equipped, and monitored and called for an end to corruption within the force and the impunity that the police generally enjoy after they have been accused of killing civilians. Corruption was also rife in the judicial process, Alston said, calling for a moratorium on the death penalty: "The judicial process is not of a sufficient standard to ensure that any of those executed have been afforded due process."
Some 95 percent of those killed by the Taliban were innocent civilians, Alston said, but while this was a "disaster", rights activists should seek to engage the insurgents.
Well, at least he considers it a 'disaster'. That's more than we usually get.
He said he had wanted to talk to representatives of the Taliban but the Afghan government had said there should be no dialogue with the rebels over human rights issues. "I consider this to be a mistake," he said. "I reject the claim that such discussions legitimise the Taliban. ...
... sure, and having a UN special wrapper talking with the Talibunnies offers them no legitimacy at all, nope, nope ....
.. The Taliban exist, they are engaged in widespread killing and we have an obligation ... to seek to diminish the civilian casualties and killings," he said.
We're doing that, thankyouverymuch, by killing the Talibunnies. We'll let you know if we need your help, 'k?
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/16/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Yah, UN; just like you protected minorities in Rwanda.
#2
I think Phil is volunteering for a parachute jump into Helmand provice, with a Blue Helmet, to address the problem first-hand.
What, no 'chutes? A twofer!
Posted by: Bobby ||
05/16/2008 5:49 Comments ||
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#3
"The bottom line of my report is that there are many killings which are avoidable."
Apparently the difference between your garden variety rapporteur and a ĀspecialĀ rapporteur is that the latter isnĀt required to provideĀ uhemĀ ĀevidenceĀ in making their projections
#5
"The bottom line of my report is that there are many killings which are avoidable."
Ummm, missed the article yesterday where executing one murderer prevented 3 to 8 further murders, didn't you?
Killing terrorists is a public health measure, not a fault
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
05/16/2008 13:33 Comments ||
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#6
domyall think i could get like an Ambasador for a day just so i could stand up and telll the Un too fuck off
ABYEI, Sudan, - Thousands of civilians fled clashes between Sudan's former north-south civil war foes in the oil-rich central town of Abyei on Thursday, local officials said. The clashes, sparked by a local dispute, highlight the tension in an area claimed by both Khartoum and South Sudan. More than three years after a 2005 peace deal, they have not agreed on borders or a local government for the region.
Sporadic gunfire could be heard on the second day of clashes and smoke rose from the town. "Most of the civilians have left town. There are about 25,000 east of Abyei," said Malony Tong, a local official from the former southern rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM). "It is not calm".
Around 50 civilians sought refuge at the gates of the U.N. peacekeeping compound and were eventually allowed to enter. International U.N. staff were being evacuated.
Moussa Malei, deputy administrator of Abyei, said the two sides had agreed to deploy joint units to the centre of town to act as a buffer between the two sides. "The orders have been given for the JIUs (joint integrated units) to go into the middle of town," he said. But as the high-level meeting between the former north-south foes ended, heavy shelling could be heard.
Tensions have been high for months between South Sudan and Khartoum over delays in implementing the 2005 peace deal. Each side accuses the other of stalling. The SPLM says more than $1 billion in oil revenues from Abyei has been taken by the ruling National Congress Party rather than shared with the south as the peace deal prescribes.
But despite the clashes in Abyei, north-south relations have improved markedly since an unprecedented attack by Darfur rebels on Khartoum at the weekend, when South Sudan offered military help to the government.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/16/2008 00:00 ||
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The Security Council on Thursday set conditions for a UN takeover of peacekeeping in Somalia from the overstretched African Union and urged the United Nations to move its Somalia political office from Kenya into the conflict-wracked nation.
A resolution adopted unanimously by the council states for the first time that it will consider deploying UN peacekeepers "at an appropriate time" subject to progress in improving political reconciliation and security conditions on the ground.
The British-sponsored resolution was changed at the last minute at South Africa's insistence to strengthen the language on a future UN peacekeeping force.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/16/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Since it's unlikely the US will participate it will be intersting to see the makeup of any peacekeeping force sent.
#3
Funny, I read the headline as "UN appeasers". On the second reading, it was "UN peacekeepers". Did someone change the headline or is my mind playing tricks on me?
(Xinhua) -- Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir ruled out on Wednesday any further talks with Khalil Ibrahim, leader of the rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) which launched a sneak raid on Khartoum on Saturday.
Addressing a gathering named "March of Victory and Support" organized by the National Congress Party and participated by hundreds of thousands of the ruling party's supporters at central Khartoum, the Sudanese president termed Ibrahim as "a traitor who has sold himself to the Zionism and the Crusade."
"We are seeking peace, but there is no place (on the negotiation table) for an agent and a traitor who has sold his nation, his people, his tribe and all his values and principles," al-Bashir said.
"Who bought them these cars (used in the Saturday attack), who bought them the weapons, who helped them and who financed them to terrorize the citizens and dream to rule the country?" he asked.
Al-Bashir hailed the victory over the rebels, saying the Armed Forces, the police and the security forces has the ability and readiness to "confront any aggressor, any agent, any defector, any traitor or a fifth column."
The Sudanese president also hailed all the political forces for their standing beside the government in defending the homeland and the national principles, and praised the friendly countries and their leaders who made contacts to congratulate the Sudanese people on repulsing the aggression, assuring them Sudan was secure and united.
On Saturday, a group of the JEM rebels infiltrated into Omdurman area in northwestern Khartoum, as the movement claimed publicly that the assault was aimed at oust the president.
After some five hours of fierce fighting, the Sudanese government announced that the army and the police had crushed the attack, killing and capturing a number of the rebels.
This was the first time for rebels in Darfur to enter Khartoum and launch attacks there since bloody conflicts erupted in the western Sudanese region neighboring Chad in February 2003.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/16/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
"Who bought them these cars (used in the Saturday attack), who bought them the weapons, who helped them and who financed them to terrorize the citizens and dream to rule the country?" he asked.
I'd look hard at your "Muslim Brothers" were I you?
Start with the Saudis.Then the Iranians, and downhill from there.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
05/16/2008 13:38 Comments ||
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More than a dozen Jewish rabbis, including two from Israel, were in attendance this week as this conservative Muslim sheikdom opened one of the Gulf's first scholarly centers dedicated to interfaith dialogue.
The rare meeting of Muslim, Christian and Jewish scholars in the heartland of conservative Islam is another sign of Qatar's efforts to present a moderate image as it bids for the 2016 summer Olympic Games. It's also part of a broader push by Arab governments for interfaith dialogue, even though most still do not recognize Israel.
The talks were not entirely smooth, and politics and disputes over the Palestinian issue did inevitably intrude, said Rabbi David James Lazar, leader of a synagogue in Tel Aviv.
Yet, the benefits for him were huge, he said Ā especially the ability to make personal connections with Arabs and Muslims "who otherwise I would have no contact with."
"For some it's their first chance ever to hear, not only an Israeli but to hear a Jewish rabbi speak ... And so one of my responses is trying to tell them the story of the Jewish people, which often they have not heard. The Holocaust," he said.
"I hear their story as well," he said. "It's an exchange of stories."
Another attendee, Rabbi Herschel Gluck, chairman of the Muslim Jewish Forum in Britain, commended Qatar for "being brave" by holding the conference.
"We know that hosting rabbis and an interreligious forum can be controversial in the region," said Gluck, whose group is based in a part of London where Jewish and Muslim communities sit side by side.
Some Qataris did criticize the gathering.
"This openness to other faiths creates confusion among our people and jeopardizes our identity," said one preacher at the local Fanar Islamic center, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject. Are you suggesting Islam is founded on ignorance?
But other Qataris consider this and other changes made by Sheik Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabr al Thani as progressive and credit him for social and economic reforms since 1995.
Two months ago, the country also allowed the opening of its first-ever Catholic church. It has had low-level ties with Israel through a trade office for 12 years although it does not recognize Israel, and recently also invited Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni to speak at a conference on democracy.
Ibrahim al-Nuaimi, the director of the interfaith center sponsored by the ruling family, said the goal is to "promote joint studies of academics from three faiths to foster understanding and peace."
Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, who heads Vatican's council for inter-religious dialogue and attended the conference, praised Qatar's efforts to include Jews.
"As religious leaders, let us promote a sound pedagogy of peace, which is taught in the family, mosques, synagogues and churches," Tauran said.
Efforts at interfaith dialogue got one of their biggest boosts when Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah met with Pope Benedict XVI last November at the Vatican.
In March, the Saudi king then made an impassioned plea for dialogue among Muslims, Christians and Jews Ā the first such proposal from a nation with no diplomatic ties to Israel and a ban on non-Muslim religious services and symbols.
The moves, however, come amid rising tensions in the region and with peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians stalled. Many also believe there is a growing gap of understanding between the Muslim Arab world and the West.
Muslims have been angered by cartoons published in European papers seen as insulting the Prophet Muhammad and by the pope's baptizing on Easter of a Muslim journalist who had converted to Catholicism.
The specifics of the Saudi king's initiative Ā and who would participate Ā still remain unclear, in particular whether Israeli religious leaders would be invited to a Saudi-brokered dialogue.
It also is unclear if the Saudi efforts would have any political component, or any eventual impact on stalled Arab-Israeli and Palestinian peace talks.
Lazar, the Tel Aviv rabbi, said he is no politician but will carry his warm impressions from the conference back to his students and synagogue Ā as he hopes Muslim clerics will, too.
Lazar said one Palestinian researcher at the conference confronted him about Israeli textbooks that were, in his words, promoting hatred of Palestinians among Israeli Jewish children. Yeah, that would be bad, wouldn't it.
"My challenge to him was, let us meet together ... and together we'll look at our textbooks, the Jewish textbooks, the Muslim textbooks and the Christian textbooks in Palestine and Israel Ā and together we'll find if they're educating children toward hate," he said. Do children's daytime cartoons count?
An al Qaeda Yemeni wing threatened attacks on Thursday across the Arabian Peninsula against non-Muslim foreigners including tourists and journalists. ĀWe warn you not to enter the Arabian Peninsula under any name or cover be it as tourists, diplomats, scientists, experts or journalists; you will be a primary target for the mujahideen,Ā al Qaeda in the South of the Arabian Peninsula said in the editorial of its e-magazine. ĀWe stand absolved from (the rights) of any infidel who has entered the Arabian Peninsula. (Targeting) their blood and money are religiously right,Ā it said in reference to non-Muslim foreigners, whom al Qaeda calls infidels.
Al Qaeda-linked militants in neighbouring Saudi Arabia have waged attacks on Western targets but appear to have been weakened due to a security crackdown. Yemen has seen a surge in small attacks on government buildings and foreign embassies in recent weeks. Al Qaeda in the South of the Arabian Peninsula said it would not uphold any treaties between the government of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh and any other country. ĀOur sheikh ... Osama bin Laden had made you an offer but you have ignored the truce,Ā it said. ĀNo one can seek to be secure unless through permission from the sheikh of Islam, the renovator, Osama bin Laden,Ā it said.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/16/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
I think we should take them up on this. Pull every non-Arab out of all of the Muddled East except Iraq. Let's see how long their nations continue to function without the help of these "foreigners". The Koran doesn't say anything about repairing automobiles, changing oil, cleaning toilets, or lots of other things that ONLY "foreigners" do.
I think it's time the Muddled East learned just how dependent upon the West they have become, and how much more pleasant life is when you have Christians, athiest, and anamists doing the labor for you that you're incapable of doing for yourself.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
05/16/2008 12:18 Comments ||
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#2
It should work, I had a huge fight with my wife, she told me to leave, so I stopped doing everything.
Took exactly one day for her to realise she really did need me, and apologise.
Doing well now, much less fighting.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
05/16/2008 13:43 Comments ||
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#3
I advise constant serpentine motion for the next 48 hours Jim. I sense you are in mortal danger.
Posted by: George Smiley ||
05/16/2008 17:19 Comments ||
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#5
CNN > BLITZER BEST POLITICAL TEAM > CAFFERTY - IIHC, strongly opined that WOT IS NOT ABOUT REFORM OR MODERNITY AS MUSLIMS ARE NOT GOING TO ADOPT US-WESTERN WAYS IN TEN YEARS OR 100 YEARS, + THAT THE US IS WASTING TIME, $$$, AND SOLDIERS' LIVES TO STAY IN ME AND TRY DO SO = CHANGE MUSLIMS???
A Bangladesh court issued an order on Thursday to arrest the chief of the countryĀs biggest Islamic party and five other former ministers on graft charges, officials said on Thursday.
Jamaat-e-Islami leader Moulana Matiur Rahman Nizami was industry minister in the government of detained former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia during 2001-06, when his party was the largest coalition partner of her Bangladesh Nationalist Party. ĀThe order was issued after the Anti-Corruption Commission filed charges against them on Tuesday,Ā an official of the Dhaka Metropolitan JudgeĀs Court said.
The were charged in a case involving Khaleda, her detained younger son, Arafat Rahman, and 12 others in alleged corruption in the awarding of container a handling contract to a local firm in 2003. A leading member of Jamaat-e-Islami said the party was aware of the order, but declined to comment further.
This article starring:
Arafat Rahman
Khaleda Zia
MULANA MATIUR RAHMAN NIZAMI
Jamaat-e-Islami
Posted by: Fred ||
05/16/2008 00:00 ||
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The United States and Colombia have long been wary of Venezuela's peacetime military buildup, suspecting the weapons could end up in the hands of drug-trafficking Colombian rebels. Now they have documented reasons for their worries Ā certified by Interpol.
Colombian rebel computer files described Thursday as authentic by the international police agency suggest a dramatic arms buildup by President Hugo Chavez could benefit leftist guerrillas that the U.S. has spent billions to defeat.
Venezuela is buying Russian fighter jets, helicopters and Chinese light-attack jets. It is making armored combat vehicles that can be mounted with surface-to-air missiles, planning to build South America's first Kalashnikov rifle factory and spending big on rockets, bullets, assault weapons, sniper rifles and night-vision equipment.
Chavez says his only purpose is to ward off a U.S. invasion Ā not to supply the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC. "We aren't going to attack anybody. But I always say this: Nobody should make a mistake with us," Chavez told soldiers celebrating the anniversary of his return to power after a brief 2002 coup. "Our fatherland is permanently threatened by imperialism."
But military analysts say it is Colombia that should fear the 100,000 Russian-made assault rifles, 5,000 Dragunov sniper rifles and surface-to-air missiles Venezuela is amassing. "These are just the sorts of weapons that the FARC would find interesting since these are the standard tools of guerrilla warfare," said John Pike, a military analyst at GlobalSecurity.org.
U.S. military officials say the weapons proliferation far outweighs any threat Chavez faces in the region. "We are seriously worried about this great quantity of acquisitions," U.S. Lt. Gen. Glenn Spears said recently.
Chavez's military spending spree isn't on the agenda Friday at a summit of Latin American and European leaders in Lima, Peru, which is supposed to focus on food prices, climate change and poverty. But with Chavez and Colombia President Alvaro Uribe both attending, it is likely to come up.
Uribe only said that he is satisfied with the Interpol report. "Terrorism doesn't have borders or ethics," he said upon arriving in Lima Thursday for the summit.
Chavez, who has denied funding or arming the rebels, called Interpol's report "ridiculous." The documents suggest Venezuela was preparing to loan the rebels $250 million and help them get Russian weapons and possibly even missiles for use against Colombian military aircraft.
The supposedly nonpartisan Council on Foreign Relations on Wednesday urged the U.S. not to act unilaterally on the Interpol findings. But it also noted that Chavez's international arms purchases Ā which have increased from $71 million between 2002 and 2004 to $4 billion between 2005 and 2007 Ā "should be watched."
Many South American countries are modernizing armed forces that languished under the civilian rule that followed the military dictatorships of the 1970s and 1980s. Of these, Brazil is the biggest spender. But per-capita comparisons by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies show Venezuela's defense budget of $2.6 billion is second only to Chile, which built up a large defense industry during the 1973-90 military regime of Gen. Augusto Pinochet.
Russia and China have quickly become Venezuela's main suppliers of military hardware. Chavez said this week he plans to talk with Russia's president during an upcoming visit to Moscow about buying "long-range, anti-aircraft missile systems" and "tank battalions."
Venezuela plans to install a radar system with help from China and has begun negotiating the purchase of Chinese-made, K-8 military planes, which are mainly for training. But they can be used for combat and surveillance, Venezuelan Defense Minister Gen. Gustavo Rangel Briceno said Thursday as he handed out new Russian-made, AK-103 Kalashnikov assault rifles to National Guard troops.
"The best formula against the war is being well prepared for it," Chavez told soldiers this week, prompting rousing applause. "We will continue equipping the armed forces and now more quickly than before."
Chavez has bragged about proposals to build a Venezuelan rocket. Many documents retrieved from the rebel computers discuss Venezuelan efforts to help the FARC obtain weapons, including rockets.
In March 2007, a rebel commander known as Timochenko wrote that "intelligence officials from our neighboring navy" say it's very difficult to obtain "rockets," but that "they're disposed to help us get all the parts to build them."
In a January 2007 note, Ivan Marquez, the rebel's main go-between with the Chavez government, mentions "the possibility of taking advantage of Venezuela's purchase of arms from Russia to include some containers destined for the FARC."
Another message from Marquez, dated Aug. 20, 2006, describes a visit to an anti-aircraft missile factory in China by a Venezuelan official who is said to have returned with a catalog for the FARC.
The FARC, which finances its military operations with drug-trafficking and kidnapping ransoms, is considered a terrorist group by the United States and the European Union.
#4
"during an upcoming visit to Moscow about buying "long-range, anti-aircraft missile systems" and "tank battalions""
Oh please do buy tank battalions, dont buy AA missiles or assault weapons or night vision stuff, DO buy tank battalions, as many as you can afford Hugo.
#5
Nah. High-performance Russian fighter jets. Lots of them. Don't bother with the "maintenance contracts", that's always a scam. Or trainers - if your slacker air force pilots can't train in the actual equipment, fire 'em and recruit new ones from your political cadre. Bolivarian fervour is a fine replacement for experience, talent, or skill!
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
05/16/2008 11:46 Comments ||
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#6
Make sure and get those tanks and MiGs clear coated as well, lol.
#7
The enabling law still has a number of months to run and the contents of the FARC(K!) laptops encrypted files haven't been released. Fun times are on the way between now and the November local elections.
Posted by: George Smiley ||
05/16/2008 17:23 Comments ||
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#8
ION CNN > IIRC, CHAVEZ angrily warned COLUMBIA? not to take over from ECUADOR in setting up a new US base near Columbian border areas, as ECuador had chosen NOT to renew its prior base agreement wid USA. ALSO, ION MIL BASES > GEORGIA + RUSSIA ARE IN NEW DISPUTE OVER DESIRES OF RUSS AF TO ESTABLISH A RUSS MIL BASE IN DISPUTED ABKHAZIA REGION [Said ABKH base plan denied by Russ Armed Forces Chief].
*TOPIX > US has reporetdly warned CHINA over Chinese-made weapons ending up in the hands of ISLAMIST MILITANT-TERROR GROUPS including IRAN-BACKED factions in IRAQ-LEBANON [i.e. Hizzies Hezzies Huzzies Hussies].
Six members of an Islamic sect in Indonesia are seeking asylum in Australia after being threatened with a government ban in their country. The members of the Ahmadiya sect say they can no longer live safely in Indonesia.
That's very likely a true statement.
In July of 2005 Indonesia's highest council of Muslim scholars issued a fatwa declaring the Ahmadiya sect of Islam heretical because they said the sect's beliefs challenged Mohammad's status as the last prophet. Since then attacks against Ahmadis have increased.
In 2006 their mosques and houses were burnt down on the island of Lombok and now six members of the group displaced by that violence have approached the Australian Consulate in Bali seeking asylum in Australia and were told to direct their enquires to the Australian Embassy in Jakarta.
An influential Indonesian intergovernmental agency recently recommended the Ahmadiya sect be formally banned by the Indonesian Government.
"Secular" turkey already has pretty much cleansed itself of all non-muslim minorities during the course of the century, even though they were historically important (and older than the muslims), and even its sufi brands of islam have been smothered in favor of sunnism I'm not sure they would be welcome and safe there.
#3
Look at the opening lines - they peg the bullshit meter right off the bat.
Matthis Chiroux is the kind of young American US military recruiters love.
"I was from a poor, white family from the south, and I did badly in school," the now 24-year-old told AFP.
BULLSHIT - if you did poorly in school then you are NOT what the recruiters love. They probably had to get a waiver for your sorry white-trash ass.
But wait, there's more:
was due to be deployed next month in Iraq.
On Thursday, he refused to go, saying he considers Iraq an illegal war.
"I stand before you today with the strength and clarity and resolve to declare to the military, my government and the world that this soldier will not be deploying to Iraq," Chiroux said in the sun-filled rotunda of a congressional building in Washington.
"My decision is based on my desire to no longer continue violating my core values to support an illegal and unconstitutional occupation... I refuse to participate in the Iraq occupation," he said, as a dozen veterans of the five-year-old Iraq war looked on.
So he's a fucking coward as well.
Courts martial. Dishonorable Discharge and dump him out of the Army.
Plus, what kind of "reporting" is this? It reads liek a Code Pink press release, not reporting.
If it a phsyical object that were this slanted, it would fall off the page and rattle around the floor.
At first he's just a dumb little hick fooled by those mean recruiters, and now he's a legal scholar deciding personally what's constitutional and whats not.
W. T. F.
He and the others are LIARS plain and simple.
He sure as shit had no problem accepting promotions, paychecks and living quarters from Uncle Sam. And now he goes AWOL and deserts when faced with going into an Iraq tour that is FAR better than the ones served in the previous years by troops doing far harder duty. And it is clear that we are doing GOOD work - even Angelina Jolie and the UNHCR agree that we have improved the conditions there.
Coward.
He is a weasel, a deserter, and should be treated a such, from his cowardly ass to his slicked down drug-dealer hairdo.
The left HATES the military and them parading this idiot around is pure proof.
I'm boiling MAD about this now.
Slap that deserter in irons and haul him to Leavenworth.
President George W. Bush, in a speech to Israel's parliament, said he won't negotiate with terrorists, and he criticized those who would. ``Some seem to believe we should negotiate with terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along,'' Bush told the Knesset in Jerusalem today. ``We have heard this foolish delusion before,'' he said. ``As Nazi tanks crossed into Poland in 1939, an American senator declared: `Lord, if only I could have talked to Hitler, all of this might have been avoided.' We have an obligation to call this what it is -- the false comfort of appeasement, which has been repeatedly discredited by history.''
Bush's speech quickly became an issue in the U.S. presidential campaign. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's campaign interpreted the remarks as a criticism of the Illinois senator, who has said that as president he would meet with America's enemies as well as friends.
Bush's words represent ``an unprecedented political attack on foreign soil,'' Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs said in an interview on CNN.
New York Senator Hillary Clinton, Obama's rival for the nomination, decried the statement as well. ``President Bush's comparison of any Democrat to Nazi appeasers is both offensive and outrageous,'' Clinton told reporters in Rapid City, South Dakota, today. ``This is the kind of statement that has no place in any presidential address.''
Posted by: Fred ||
05/16/2008 00:00 ||
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#4
ĀDemocratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's campaign interpreted the remarks as a criticism of the Illinois senator.Ā
DubyasĀ comments could have been referring to any one of a host of ĀCultural
CreativesĀ But Mitt Romney summed it up best when he saidĀ ĀIf you throw a rock over the fence, you know the dog that starts barking is the one you hit.Ā
#7
We should indict the whole da$$$$ Democratic Party for treason to the Constitution of the United States. That includes both "senators" running for president. Shootin's too good for 'em, hang 'em with a barbed wire rope.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
05/16/2008 12:23 Comments ||
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#8
I'm glad Bush pointed out this simple fact of history. BHO's ridiculous foreign policy positions need to be exposed.
More importantly, this was a shrewed political move on behalf of Bush. It really puts BHO in a bind. Even though it wasn't explicitly directed at him, he really has no choice but to respond. But by doing so, he only shines more light on his foreign policy positions, which is one of his weakest areas.
Hillary, being no dummy, saw a win-win opportunity here. Immediately after the BHO campaign responded to Bush's speech, she came out swinging just as hard. She gets to pound on Bush while further exposing BHO's foreign policy. It just so happens that foreign policy is the one area where she and BHO actually disagree, at least as it relates to meeting with our enemies. Despite her many faults, she knows better than that.
#9
I think that is why President Bush said this in Israel : no matter what he does, the media and Dhimmocrats lambast him. By taking a Parthian shot like this, it gets Hillary going on him but also on Obambi. Since he is going to be lambasted any way, this puts some hits on Obambi in play, and leaves McCain with clean hands.
#10
Note that W never said Obama's name nor mentioned Donks by name, but they sure squealed like stuck pigs. They know their position is weakness and defeatist and call any efforts to say that "questioning their patriotism". Hell yes, I question their patriotism, along with their courage, intelligence, ethics, morals,....
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/16/2008 17:42 Comments ||
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#11
"Hell yes, I question their patriotism, along with their courage, intelligence, ethics, morals,...."
I don't question those things, Frank. There's no point.
The Dems don't have any of them. >:-(
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
05/16/2008 18:58 Comments ||
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#12
If the donks had kept their mouths's shut, no one would ever have noticed. But now they've got Hussein in a pissing contest with POTUS, who isn't even running. He wants to run against Bush and now he is. So Bush can be McCain's bad cop. And McCain can stand above the fray, looking Presidential and calm while Hussein has a hissy fit. Dumb move by Hussein.
If he keeps it up, as he seems ready to do, he continues to look like an idiot and it will become very emotionally draining. He will loose the cool controlled image he has established. And he will look less and less like JFK with a tan. And when Bush gets bored, he can just sic Cheney on him, with or without the bird gun.
The Tehreek Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM) of the recently freed cleric Maulana Sufi Muhammad said on Thursday the organisation would continue ĀpeacefulĀ struggle for the implementation of Shariah in Malakand division.
"Peaceful struggle" sounds kinda like an oxymoron. But we know there's more "sruggle" to it than "peaceful."
ĀWe are neither moderate and progressive, nor democrats and extremists. Rather we are true Muslims."
ĀWe are neither moderate and progressive, nor democrats and extremists. Rather we are true Muslims and shall continue our peaceful struggle for the supremacy of Islam,Ā said a written statement distributed to journalists after the maiden meeting of central shura of TNSM since the release of Sufi Muhammad last month. The meeting was held at Bilal Masjid, Amandara in Batkhela with Sufi Muhammad in the chair, and was attended by nearly 300 senior leaders, office-bearers and members of the group. Journalists were not allowed to ask questions about rebel cleric Fazlullah, who is also the son-in-law of Sufi Muhammad, or about the situation in Swat. The statement warned print and electronic media against mentioning TNSM as a banned organisation. ĀWe are not banned and no one can ban us.
"We are both above and beyond any law."
"TNSM will remain active like the mainstream political parties of the country,Ā said the statement. The statement said TNSM was not interested in joining the government. ĀOur struggle is purely for the implementation of Shariah in the country,Ā it said.
This article starring:
MAULANA SUFI MUHAMAD
Tehreek Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi
MULLAH FAZLULLAH
Tehreek Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi
Posted by: Fred ||
05/16/2008 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: TNSM
Condemning the Wednesday night missile attack in Damadola area of Bajaur Agency, political parties termed it a brazen violation of the geographical and ideological frontiers of Pakistan.
The parties were unanimous in their views that the fresh ĀUS attackĀ points to the USĀ sheer disregard towards international law and was Ānaked interferenceĀ in internal affairs of the country.
In their comments, the parties advised the central government to Āthrow away the cloak of leniencyĀ towards the United States and ensure stoppage of such incidents in future.
In his comments, NWFP Minister for Information Mian Iftikhar Hussain said the Awami National Party (ANP) strongly condemned the airstrike in Bajaur. ĀNo country should be allowed to violate the geographical borders of another country,Ā he said. ĀANP has always opposed aggression whether it is in the case of Afghanistan, India or our own homeland,Ā he added.
Provincial chief of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Sirajul Haq said his party would observe Friday as Āblack dayĀ to protest the ĀUS missile attackĀ and killing of Āinnocent civiliansĀ in Bajaur.
Addressing a news conference here on Thursday, the JI leader demanded the government expel the US envoy. He also urged religious scholars to instil the spirit of jihad into the people.
ĀTo what use are the atom bomb, more than one million army or scores of aircrafts when we canĀt stop a country from violating our geographical frontiers and killing our people,Ā he questioned.
Chairman of the Pakistan PeopleĀs Party Sherpao (PPP-S) Aftab Sherpao said: ĀWe condemn the killing of a number of people in Bajaur as a result of American missile attack.Ā
He said the attack was a sheer violation of the national sovereignty of the country. ĀThe rampant US air strikes on Pakistani soil are reflecting its total disregard towards international law and norms,Ā said the former Interior minister.
Without naming any one, Sherpao said certain political parties had pledged to stop the ĀbloodshedĀ of Pashtuns, but the series of such acts continued unabated despite the fact that those people were in the corridor of power then.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/16/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Common enemy denominator is Islamist and the Koran!!!!
Posted by: Paul ||
05/16/2008 11:13 Comments ||
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#2
Go ahead, piss off the US. THEN watch us while we pound your sorry a$$es into the dust, and blow away the dust. You are aiding our enemies. We SHOULD respond by crushing your little pissant country so badly it disappears. A McCain presidency may do that...
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
05/16/2008 21:56 Comments ||
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NWFP Governor Owais Ahmed Ghani condemned a missile attack in the Bajaur Agency, calling it an attack on ĀPakistanĀs sovereigntyĀ, according to a statement issued by GovernorĀs House. Two missiles hit a house in the Damadola area of the Bajaur Agency late on Wednesday, killing eight people. The governor called the killing of an eight-year-old boy in the attack Ādeeply sad and highly deplorable incidentĀ, and offered his condolences to the boyĀs bereaved family. The statement is the first official reaction to the WednesdayĀs airstrike. Such attacks undermined the public support for PakistanĀs role in the war on terror, Ghani said, adding that no government could function without public support, which, according to him, was vital for PakistanĀs continued role in the war on terror. A senior official told Daily Times that the governorĀs Āreaction is official acknowledgement that the United States carried out the attackĀ.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/16/2008 00:00 ||
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A top Taliban leader vowed on Thursday to target the U.S. to avenge an alleged missile strike that killed several persons in northwest Pakistan, a threat that bodes ill for the governmentĀs efforts to negotiate peace deals with militants. Destroyed in WednesdayĀs blast was a compound in Damadola village, a militant stronghold in the Bajur tribal region near the border with Afghanistan. A similar attack in 2006 reportedly missed Al-QaedaĀs No. 2 leader, Ayman al-Zawahri.
The Pakistani government used the lack of clear information to fend off questions about whether the incident would harm the peace process or its relations with the U.S. Residents said they saw a U.S. aircraft flying in the area before two explosions rocked the village. The U.S., which has not confirmed the incident, is believed to operate unmanned drones out of Afghanistan.
After attending a funeral for seven men said to have been killed, Faqir Mohammed, a cleric and deputy leader of PakistanĀs Taliban movement, vowed revenge. ĀThis is jihad for us, and we fully know the price we have to pay for fighting aggressors,Ā said Mohammed, who is accused of links to Al-Zawahri. ĀAmerica martyred our people, and the blood of our brothers will not go to waste,Ā he said. ĀGod willing, we will avenge it by targeting America.Ā
Later on Thursday, several thousand protesters attended rallies in Damadola and Khar, BajurĀs main town, called by Islamist political parties. Demonstrators chanted ĀDeath to AmericaĀ and slogans against Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf.
This article starring:
Faqir Mohammed
Taliban
Posted by: Fred ||
05/16/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Dire Revenge! Waahaaaa. LOL. Drop another one on em just to straighten em out as in "toes up" straight.
SRINAGAR: National Conference president Omar Abdullah has accused Muslims of being mute spectators at the time of exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley in the 1990s.
"It's so easy to say that we will lay down our lives to bring Kashmiri Pandits back to the Valley and I appreciate the sentiment as I am sure the Kashmiri Pandits reading it will. Pity that sentiment was missing when our mosques were being used to drive these people out," Omar said in his blog on the official website of his party.
"None of us was willing to stand up and be counted when it mattered. None of us grabbed the mikes (microphones) in the mosques and said 'this is wrong and the Kashmiri Pandits had every right to continue living in the Valley," he said.
"Our educated, well-to-do relatives and neighbours were spewing venom 24 hours a day and we were mute spectators either mute in agreement or mute in abject fear but mute none the less.
"And talking about mosques -- what a great symbol of mass uprising they proved to be. While I can't claim to have lived through it I have enough friends who did and they tell me about the early 90's where attendance was taken in mosques to force people to pray," Omar wrote.
Questioning the spontaneity of processions taken out in 1990, Omar said people were forced out of their homes to participate in "mass uprisings" against "Indian occupation" and the same enforcement committees went from door to door.
Posted by: john frum ||
05/16/2008 00:00 ||
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The House of Representatives, in a surprise and largely symbolic move, defeated legislation on Thursday to fund the war in Iraq for another year. But it also sent the Senate a controversial troop-withdrawal plan that will give that chamber an opportunity to restore the money for waging the conflict, which is deeply unpopular with the public.
With a large group of anti-war Democrats voting against giving the Pentagon $162.5 billion to keep fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan through mid-2009, the House defeated the measure by a vote of 149-141.
Meanwhile, 132 Republicans voted "present" -- meaning neither "yes" nor "no" -- on the legislation, which brought another difficult debate about U.S. war policy just as the presidential and congressional elections are heating up and Republicans fear large losses in November.
Some Republicans said they were protesting the way Democrats brought the legislation to the House floor without House Appropriations Committee consideration. Most Republicans support the money for the war and oppose timetables for pulling troops out of Iraq.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, a Maryland Democrat, told reporters he expects the Senate to restore the war funding and give House Republicans another chance to approve it.
The White House has issued a veto threat against setting dates for withdrawing U.S. combat troops from Iraq as part of a war-funding bill. President George W. Bush vetoed such a measure a year ago.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/16/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
We aare WINNING this thing, and they are trying to lose it, make a bigger mess, one which we will have to go back in and clean up at far greater losses.
#2
This was a "clever" move by the trunks to be able to ask 149 asses why they voted to defund the troops when they claim to support them. The trunks are going to need a lot more than that. The next 4 years are going to be really bad.
#3
Right now, there are barely enough contrary votes to stimey the Dummocrats stupidity and cowardice. The loss of even ten House seats will allow the madness to go forward. Can you imagine what 4 years of mayhem under these fools could create ? Idiot Feinstein even injected some pet project about allowing slave workers for her buddies in the Central Valley to this, a war funding proposal. Why did the wimp, Horseface Harry, allow this to be stuck to an appropriations bill ? The Dummocrats demonstrate daily that they are simply too stooopid to govern. They are not a legitimate party at all. They are simply a collection of fools and buffoons.
#4
The House of Representatives, in a surprise and largely symbolic move
I don't think this is the House's first symbolic move on war funding. Each time they've lost. I don't have the energy to get upset about stupid symbolism any more.
US President George W. Bush's speech at the Knesset on Thursday "is tantamount to a declaration of war on the peoples of the region," MK Muhammad Barakei (Hadash) has said, according to an Army Radio report. "This is the worst speech ever made by a world leader and the most dangerous that can be heard," he said. "I call on all those who believe in peace to unite against the Israeli-American policy which harms the Palestinians and the peoples of the region."
This article starring:
Muhammad Barakei
Posted by: Fred ||
05/16/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
IRNA/TOPIX > US AGENTS LAUNCH TERROR ATTACKS ON IRANIAN DIPLOMATS [Baghdad]+ IRAN HOLDS US RESPONSIBLE FOR TERROR ATTACK AGZ DIPLOMATS.
Also from IRNA > IRAN WILLING TO SHARE HOUSING AND URBAN DEV EXPERIENCE WITH ASIA-PACIFIC STATES.
ISLAMISM > Future GUAM?, albeit MUCH MORE AFFECTIVE THAN HOUSING-URBANIA!? USA versus CHINA versus advent RADICAL ISLAMISM.
#2
Close to a Lenin quote there..'workers of the world unite'...and certainly a 'worst speech ever' way above Ahmadinnerjackets 'wipe Israel off the map'remark.
#3
TOPIX > WE [USA] WILL LOSE A COLD WAR WITH IRAN, + MCCAIN: WAR CAN BE WON IN FOUR YEARS.
A Victor = USA that can still lose, versus a Loser = Radical Islam-Iran that can endure and still win[Nukes].
#8
I'm glad W said this and he's right. Whether the reference was meant for BHO, Pelosi, Murtha, Sen Bora or Neville Chamberlain. (one thing that must be fun about being a lame duck pres in the final stretch is you can pretty much say whatever the hell you want.)
A cease-fire that does not include the prevention of the transfer of weapons to the Gaza Strip will be "a major strategic victory" for Hamas and will only serve to strengthen its rule there at the expense of the Fatah-led government in the West Bank, a senior Israeli official said Wednesday.
"A cease-fire, which is the easy way out, will ensure us of several months of quiet but will also entrench the Hamas state in Gaza, which will become more and more dependent on the Iranians," the senior official said in a briefing for foreign journalists in Jerusalem.
He added that such a cease-fire would also serve as a serious setback for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and would only serve to weaken him further.
Israel has long warned that Hamas would use any cease-fire to regroup and rearm.
The Israeli official said that although Israeli economic and military pressure had succeeded in bringing about a perceptible decline in Hamas's popularity in the Gaza Strip, it had not served to boost the rival Fatah faction in the West Bank.
"Hamas is coming to the cease-fire on its knees as a results of our pressures," he said.
Nevertheless, the official cautioned against "overplaying our hand," noting that recent moves, including an attempt to enforce a total blockade of supplies and materials into Gaza as well as a military incursion that left 120 Palestinians dead - including dozens of civilians - had backfired.
He added that in the long run, the chances of a collapse of the Hamas-run government in Gaza were "not high," noting that no force short of Israel could unseat Hamas from Gaza, and that Israel was unlikely to do so.
"Unless someone intervenes forcefully, Hamas will continue to run Gaza," he said.
The official noted that "hundreds" of Palestinians were freely crossing through Gaza's porous border with Egypt to receive training from Iran, and that all the smuggling of armaments into the Gaza Strip came through areas controlled by Egypt.
"The Egyptians, to put it mildly, are not successfully preventing the supply and rearming of Hamas," he said.
He noted that security control of the Rafah crossing, which is now under Hamas control, had been a failure since Israel's pullout from Gaza even when the site was monitored by European countries. He added that video feeds transferred to Israel as part of the now defunct border accord always came in too late. "This was an ineffectual system since anybody who wanted could cross, and people who were problematic were already gone by the time the video feed came through," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/16/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Cease-fire is a victory for Hamas, shutting off the pwer is victory for Hamas, smashing stuff left by the Israelis is a victory, et cetera.
Lessee ... the only thing that would not be proclaimed a 'victory' for Hamas is when there is none of them left to declare 'victory'.
Posted by: Bobby ||
05/16/2008 5:47 Comments ||
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(Xinhua) -- Israel would be able to obliterate rocket fire from the Gaza Strip in the near future, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Thursday. "The government will work toward an absolute end to Qassam rocket fire, and we are not talking about a prolonged period of months," he was quoted by local daily Ha'aretz as saying.
Barak made the remarks during a visit to the southern Israeli town of Ashkelon, where a rocket fired from northern Gaza struck on Wednesday, wounding dozens of people.
Wednesday's attack "proves that despite our military action in Gaza, the militants are still firing," Barak added.
On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told participants at the "Facing Tomorrow" presidential conference in Jerusalem that the Israeli government is committed to stopping therocket attacks from Gaza, moments after a rocket slammed into an Ashkelon shopping center.
The prime minister condemned the attack, saying "what happened today is entirely intolerable and unacceptable," adding that the government would take the necessary steps "so that this will stop."
At least 14 Israelis were wounded Wednesday when the rocket hita shopping center in Ashkelon. Dozens were treated for shock.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad has claimed responsibility for the attack, local media said.
Home-made Qassam rockets that Palestinian militants usually fire at Israel do not have enough range to reach Ashkelon. This time the longer range Grad rocket was believed to have been involved in the attack against the city of Ashkelon, a city of 100,000 people and about 15 km to the Gaza-Israel border.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/16/2008 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Hamas
#1
HAARETZ > MI CHIEF: [Hamas] ROCKETS WILL BE ABLE TO HIT BE'ER SHEVA IN TWO YEARS. Every Israeli City-town, etc. within a 40-km range from GAZA???
#6
#3 I believe the solution is anti-rocket rockets at $50,000 a pop. Posted by: phil_b 2008-05-16 11:47
The solution is lining up 500-2500 artillery pieces near the Gaza Strip, start at the northernmost point of the Gaza and start firing, "walking" each weapon 10 feet forward after each three-four rounds. When they reach the Egyptian border, they should stop, unless Egypt provokes them. Chum the waters offshore to attract sharks, and keep a half-dozen Israeli aircraft circling with nukes aboard to disuade attacks from elsewhere. Once you're done, go in and hose the place down. Let it sit idle for four-five days, then let Israelis move into the area. Rinse and repeat for the "west bank" and Lebanon south of the Litani. When Syria and Iran try to retaliate, nuke them until there's nothing left to nuke. THEN we'll have a semblance of peace in the Muddled East for at LEAST 45 seconds.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
05/16/2008 19:04 Comments ||
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(Xinhua) -- Thousands of Islamic Hamas movement's supporters demonstrated on Thursday against the ongoing Israeli blockade near Erez crossing on the border between northern Gaza Strip and Israel.
Witnesses said that several dozens of demonstrators tried to reach the crossing area of Erez, adding that Israeli soldiers stationed at the crossing opened warning shots to prevent them from approaching the crossing area.
Paramedics said that several teens were shot and wounded in the feet by Israeli soldiers' gunfire, adding that Palestinian ambulances present at the area took them to nearby hospitals in northern Gaza Strip.
Israel had closed down all border crossing points in June last year after Hamas movement tool control of Gaza Strip and routed Fatah security forces loyal to moderate President Mahmoud Abbas. Hamas movement had earlier called on its supporters to demonstrate at Erez crossing against 11 months of Israeli blockade that hardened the daily life of the population in Gaza Strip.
The demonstrators chanted slogans against Israel and called on Israel to lift the blockade and open all the closed crossings including Rafah crossing point on the border between southern Gaza Strip and Egypt.
Earlier on Thursday, an Israeli army spokesman told Israel Radio that the Israeli army is on alert, and more troops were called to the crossing area to prevent Hamas supporters from approaching the crossing. The spokesman said the Israeli army would use extreme force to prevent the infiltration of Hamas supporters into the Erez crossing area.
Witnesses said that intensive gunfire was heard in the area around the crossing, where Palestinian ambulances were seen in the area in case of emergency.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/16/2008 00:00 ||
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1. Spike
ItĀs the smallest guided missile in the world, but SpikeĀwhich weighs just 5.3 pounds and measures 25 in. longĀpacks a big punch. The Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division has pulled off four successful demonstrations of the weapon, including one hit through the passenger window of a remote-control truck . . . .
2. Small Diameter Bomb
The SDB is a 285-pound bomb used when the Air ForceĀs second-lightest 500-pound precision bombs would endanger civilians or allied forces. . . .
3. Miniature Air Launched Decoy
It doesnĀt shoot, but the 112-in. MALD may prove deadly to enemy air defenses. Launched from an aircraft, this turbojet-powered decoy mimics combat aircraft, tricking antiaircraft batteries into turning on their radarsĀthereby revealing their positions and becoming targets themselves. . . .
4. Lightweight 25
Chain guns that can pulverize a target with 25 mm rounds are found mainly on Air Force gunships, heavy armor vehicles and Navy vessels. Alliant TechSystemsĀ new, lightweight version can be mounted on smaller vehicles, such as Humvees, and remotely operated from inside. The system weighs 63 poundsĀless than half as much as similar chain guns. An airburst round explodes at a preset distance, striking targets hiding beyond the shooterĀs line of sight.
Posted by: Mike ||
05/16/2008 12:49 ||
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#3
From the Phillipines to Iraq, the only thing that every worked with Islamofascists is: disproportionate retaliation. We shouldn't be over reliant on smart bombs.
#10
Lest we fergit, POST 9-11 > NET > iff a US HIGH SCHOOL KSTUDENT from Pennsylvania? can successfully dev LIGHTWEIGHT, MAN-PORTABLE, WORKING NUCLEAR = NEAR-NUCLEAR/VHE DEVICE as an ordinary project, so can Radical Islam's own University/Mil-educated personages. ALSO POST 9-11 > NET > Radical Islam's greatest threat is, ironically, deemed/perceived by Perts as notsomuch religious as political i.e. ISLAMIST DESIRE FOR FULL LOCAL AUTONOMY-SOVEREIGNTY INDEPENDENT FROM ORGANIZED MAIN GOVERNMENTS [Cantons/States within a State]???
(AKI) - (by Ahmad Rafat) - Although Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad continues to downplay the impact of UN imposed economic sanctions, the economy of the Islamic Republic has been badly affected by this international isolation.
On Thursday the director of the French oil company Total said that the firm had decided to give up on investments in Iran. "The existing tensions are preventing every investment and cooperation with Iran," said a manager of the oil company in an interview with the French newspaper Liberation. He said that they are instead in the middle of "talks to operate in the south of Iraq."
The former Iranian nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani, has said that he finds "shocking" the statements by government representatives who continue to minimise the effects of the UN economic sanctions.
Larijani was one of the big winners in last month's parliamentary elections, presenting an alternative list to that of Ahmadinejad's supporters. "These sanctions are a burden on the economy," said Larijani. "Rising inflation, an unemployment rate that is not fallingl and the high cost of living are all direct consequences of the sanctions.," he said.
"The sanctions have had a lesser effect than that hoped for by those who wanted to impose them on our country, howeover," he said.
It's not just the West either, but even a close ally of the Iranian government, China, that has begun to apply the UN resolutions. A Chinese company which won a contract for the construction of a highway in Iran, has just decided to pull out of the deal without giving any explanation.
In past weeks, representatives of the Iranian government, denounced the end of a contact between some important Chinese banks and Iranian industries and financial institutions.
Since the beginning of the year, the four main banks in China - a country that is heavily reliant on Iranian oil - have decided to freeze their ties withIranian companies, causing agreements worth hundreds of millions of dollars, to go up in smoke.
The automobile sector was the first one to feel the impact of this measure. "The boycott by the Chinese banks has in fact sunk an agreement that we have reached with the Chinese automobile industry," said Manouchehr Manteqi, the managing director of Iran Khodro, the main automobile industry in Iran, in February. The agreement that Manteqi mentioned would have brought about 300 million euros worth of Chinese capital into Iran. However in the end, China turned its back on the deal.
On 27 February, another agreement between Tehran and Beijing to exploit the Iranian gas fields in the Persian Gulf was also cancelled. That deal, worth 16 billion dollars, would have been signed by the Iranian Pars Oil and Gas company and its Chinese counterpart, Chinapec, but the Chinese delegation was not present at the appointment to ink the deal.
Even banks in Malaysia and Singapore have decided not to endorse any commercial operations with Iran.
In Europe, among the first credit institutes to boycott the Islamic Republic, were the Union of Swiss Banks (UBS) and Credit Suisse, as well as the German banks Deutsche Bank and Dresdner Bank. In Italy, the Bank of Italy has assumed control of the Rome branch of Iran's state-owned Bank Sepah.
Following these measures, in 2007, exports from Italy and Germany, Iran's two main economic partners in the European Union, fell by more than 16 percent. Italy's export credit agency Sace, which insures the activities of Italian enterprises in foreign markets, has stopped issuing policies to companies seeking to operate in Iran. Sace which has a scale of one to seven to measure risk, has placed Iran in the sixth position.
In France, BNP Paribas and l'Union de Credit Agricole, have also begun the close their doors to clients who want to invest in Iran.
Besides banks, important oil companies such as Royal Dutch Shell and Total have decided to abandon Iran and turn down lucrative contracts to exploit the well-known South Pars gas fields.
Banks in the Persian Gulf have also taken the opportunity to cutdown their commercial ties with Iran. The National Bank of Fujairah, with its headquarters in Dubai, said a few weeks ago that because of the uncertain situation and the possibility of sanctions, it will no long endorse any commercial operations with Iran. In Bahrain, the Ahli United Bank has suspended any link with Iran following pressure from the government, which yielded to pressure from the White House.
The United States has played a decisive role in "convincing" economic entitites and banking institutions to boycott a market as important as the one in Iran.
Washington began first with national sanctions, the restrictions imposed by the three resolutions of the UN Security Council. In October 2007, Washington included the names of four Iranian banks (Melli, Mellat, Saderat and Sepah) in the list of financial institutions with which it is prohibited to do business. The decision by the World Bank to suspend a 5.4 million dollars fund to Tehran has also had a devastating effect on the economy of the country, where inflation and employment are continuing to rise.
The concern expressed by Larijani has also been confirmed in an analysis provided by the economist Mohammadgholi Yousefi. In an interview with the Tehran-based Iskanews agency, Yousefi said that the economic situation in the country was "extremely critical" in that "the sanctions have stopped foreign investments and have forced local capital to flow out of the country."
Yousefi's concern is also shared by Tahmaseb Mazaheri, the governor of the Bank Markazi, Iran's central bank. "The sharp increase in money that's in circulation has surpassed safe levels and has unleashed inflation," he warned.
According to the Bank Markazi's estimates, the money in circulation has risen 48.8 percent the past year, pushing inflation to 18.4 percent. Unofficial sources claim the true figure is more than 26 percent.
The unemployement rate has also increased in Iran over the past two years. The Markazi Bank said that that there is an unemployment rate of 10.8 percent. The Iranian parliament (Majlis)'s research centre puts the jobless rate at more than 15 percent. Independent sources have put the employment rate as high as over 20 percent.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/16/2008 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
It is very encouraging news that China has apparently begun to act. If the countries of the world can act together, it is possible to reach a peaceful settlement of the issue. There is another shoe that must fall in order to make that a reality. The people must be given a choice of alternative leadership. If the people are free to choose leadership that implements policy that acts in harmony with the international community, they will see their situation improve. If they are unable to choose peacefully, the only alternative may be internal strife.
#5
Big q is China reacting to political pressure to distance from Iran, or is it the invididual companies finding the hassle of operating in an Iran under sanctions from US and Europe (and more quiety from the Sunni Arabs) to be simply not worth it? Much as Id like to think it was the former, I dont put that much stock in the effectiveness of what pressure we've put on the PRC on this.
"The existing tensions are preventing every investment and cooperation with Iran," said a manager of the oil company. He said that they are instead in the middle of "talks to operate in the south of Iraq."
#7
personally I think the Chinese have gotten more distant for several reasons:
- they blame Iran for the killing of some Chinese nationals in Pakistan
- the've gotten burned by having to pay more bribes to Mullahs than they had budgetted
- other compensation for their work has been held up by various Iranian banks
- the Chinese banks realize that there is a good chance the Chinese industrial bubble will burst after the Olympics and they are minimizing the riskiest of their portfolios
(Xinhua) -- The United States said Thursday that it will continue to support the Lebanese government after the Hezbollah-led opposition and the Lebanese government reached a deal to end violence.
"Our view is, along with others, not only in the region, but around the world, is that we are going to continue to do what we can to strengthen this Lebanese government ...that seeks only to govern on behalf of all the Lebanese people, to extend its sovereignty over all of Lebanon, and to broaden and deepen Lebanese democracy, and to fiercely guard Lebanon's sovereignty," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.
According to media reports, the Hezbollah-led opposition and the Lebanese government reached a deal on Thursday to end Lebanon's worst violence since the 1975-1990 civil war.
For the past week, sectarian fighting between anti and pro-government supporters in Lebanon left at least 24 people dead and dozens of others injured.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/16/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
TOPIX > TIME CNN - WELCOME TO HIZBALLAHSTAN. DRUZE Chief Jumblatt - claims THE US HAS FAILED IN LEBANON - HIZB. SYRIA + IRAN CAN DO WHATEVER THEY WANT.
ALso, JPOST > HIBULLAH: RETURN TO NORMAL IN LEBANON. THERE IS NO VANQUISHED, NOR IS THERE ANY VICTOR??? + FROM BERUIT TO TEHRAN.
#2
TOPIX > TIME CNN - WELCOME TO HIZBALLAHSTAN. DRUZE Chief Jumblatt - claims THE US HAS FAILED IN LEBANON - HIZB. SYRIA + IRAN CAN DO WHATEVER THEY WANT.
ALso, JPOST > HIZBULLAH: RETURN TO NORMAL IN LEBANON. THERE IS NO VANQUISHED, NOR IS THERE ANY VICTOR??? + FROM BERUIT TO TEHRAN.
The Hizbullah-led opposition and US-backed Lebanese government agreed Thursday to hold political talks that will lead to the election of Lebanon's army chief as the compromise presidential candidate, an Arab mediator said. The feuding factions reached the deal one day after the Cabinet reversed measures aimed at reining in Iranian-backed Hizbullah. In return, the opposition removed a roadblock that had shut down the country's international airport for a week.
Immediately after the deal was announced, bulldozers and opposition supporters began clearing a series of airport roadblocks along the highway. The two camps agreed to hold a dialogue in Qatar on Friday, said Qatari Prime Minister Sheik Hamad bin Jassem al-Thani who is heading an Arab League team in Lebanon to mediate in the crisis.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/16/2008 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Hezbollah
#2
The big man who hasn't dared show his face for how many years now? Nor even to make cell phone calls! Truly the strong horse of Islam: He was driven out of Sudan, then out of Afghanistan, he has lost Iraq for generations to the cause of jihadism (both Sunni and Shiite -- one wonders what happened to his son and his people he left behind as hostages in Iran), and his Taliban refuges in Pakistan are being blown up one after another, even as his cannon-fodder are being killed in their dozens by NATO and Afghan troops.
This pathetic thing is the romantic soldier/scholar/poet who is to woo us all to the truth of Islam? No wonder their apostasy rate is so high!
#4
Its tried-and-true, inverse/reverse psychology, solid = antiquitous mil strategy on the part of OSAMA + RADICAL ISLAM.
RUSSIA:
* Could become a MAJORITY MUSLIM state 2030-2050
* IRAN had already asked Russ to help defend it = IRanian interests from US aggression.
* POST 9-11 > US-NATO/WEST FEARS OF RADICAL ISLAM GETTING THEIR HANDS ON NUCLEAR + OTHER STRATEGIC WEAPONS VV WEAK RUSSIA-ASIA, besides also from BLACK MARKETS-MAFIAS.
AGain, IFF "LAME DUCK DUBYA" = NO US-IRAN WAR > = OSAMA + ISLAMIST IRAN-MILITANTS WILL USE THE INTERIM TO "GO NUCLEAR" AMAP ASAP TO SAVE THEIR WEAKENING JIHAD, VIA DEV + ACQUISITION OF STRATEGIC OFFENSIVE = DEFENSIVE WEAPS CAPABILITIES.
To protect NUCLEARIZING IRAN + FUTURE NUCLEAR JIHAD-ISLAMISM, they need to keep the US-ALLIES including ISRAEL "contained" andor "diverted", AMAP FAR AWAY FROM IRAN + CENTRAL ASIA, etc. "near abroad"/peripheral areas.
IOW,"HIZBULLAH, etc. VERSUS ISRAEL" > ideally, to deter US-NATO mil intervention, or in the altern to keep or defeat any US-NATO mil intervention "AT THE BEACHES". ALSO GOOD TO ATTRACT NEW ISAMIST RECRUITS.
ALSO FYConsideration: WAFF.com Threads > EXTENSIVE NUCLEAR MISSLE DEPLOYMENT AREA DISCOVERED IN CENTRAL CHINA [PLA "Second Arty" MOBILE MISSLE FORCE?]; + IRAN HAS 35MILYUHN AZERIS.
+ PRAVDA > RUSSIA TO HEAD NEW ANTI-WESTERN ALLIANCE. BRIC Alliance - Ministers/Negotiations-In-Progress for same wid Russia as likely head???
D *** NG IT, ET TU PAULA "TRIPS TO BRAZIL/MAZARATTI" ABDUL!?
#5
Again, the MOST DANGEROUS PHASE OF THE WOT LIES AHEAD OF US, NOT BEHIND US.
* REAGAN, TEDDY R. + NIXON, FDR + TRUMAN + JOHNSON, etc. AREN'T GOING TO BE AROUND.
* Year 2018 > RUSSO-CHIN "WAR NOT POSSIBLE BUT DESIRED" ANTI-US WAR???
2008 US POTUS ELX > 2008-2012-2016 [2018] > WHOM DOES AMER WANT TO BE POTUS IN THIS POTENS DECISVE WOT TIME FRAME - MCCAIN, or OBAMA-HILLARY???
* FOX NEWS > CAVUTO [paraph]> The GOP-Right has to remember that WINNING THE PRESIDENCY IS ONLY PART OF THE BATTLE/EQUATION - TO BE TRULY EFFECTIVE, THE PARTY WHOSE POTUS NOMINEE WINS IN 2008 ALSO HAS TO MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO WIN THE CONGRESS!
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.
KABUL - Afghan forces, international troops and Taliban insurgents need to do more to avoid civilian casualties or many more innocents will be killed in the ongoing conflict, a U.N. rights expert said on Thursday.
ABYEI, Sudan, - Thousands of civilians fled clashes between Sudan's former north-south civil war foes in the oil-rich central town of Abyei on Thursday, local officials said. The clashes, sparked by a local dispute, highlight the tension in an area claimed by both Khartoum and South Sudan. More than three years after a 2005 peace deal, they have not agreed on borders or a local government for the region.
(Xinhua) -- Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir ruled out on Wednesday any further talks with Khalil Ibrahim, leader of the rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) which launched a sneak raid on Khartoum on Saturday. 
Bush's speech quickly became an issue in the U.S. presidential campaign. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's campaign interpreted the remarks as a criticism of the Illinois senator, who has said that as president he would meet with America's enemies as well as friends. 
A top Taliban leader vowed on Thursday to target the U.S. to avenge an alleged missile strike that killed several persons in northwest Pakistan, a threat that bodes ill for the governmentĀs efforts to negotiate peace deals with militants. Destroyed in WednesdayĀs blast was a compound in Damadola village, a militant stronghold in the Bajur tribal region near the border with Afghanistan. A similar attack in 2006 reportedly missed Al-QaedaĀs No. 2 leader, Ayman al-Zawahri. 
The House of Representatives, in a surprise and largely symbolic move, defeated legislation on Thursday to fund the war in Iraq for another year. But it also sent the Senate a controversial troop-withdrawal plan that will give that chamber an opportunity to restore the money for waging the conflict, which is deeply unpopular with the public.
