HOLLYWOOD — Government officials have sent strong recommendation to the Recording Industry Association of America to reconsider its members' scheduled release of the star-studded benefit single, "Hams Across Arabia". The tune, composed through the headline-grabbing collaboration of master songwriters Bernie Taupin, Elvis Costello, and Paul Simon, features nearly fifty popular recording artists who convened at Capital Records, Hollywood to contribute their talents.
"We are appealing to the RIAA to step back for a moment and consider the message they are sending with this song," said Paul Bremer, Presidential Envoy to Iraq. "Although their intentions are good, this may be counter-productive in the long run."
The song, which clocks in at 4:35, describes the plight of impoverished Iraqis, Afghans, and Palestinians, and features the refrain:
America, we stand!
Remember forgotten lands!
Feed them with hearts so grand!
Send 'em a Christmas ham!
"We call upon prospering America to turn their eyes upon the starving, oppressed children of the desert," begins a press release from Simon, "and then look at all the hogs we have in places like Iowa and Nebraska, and then realize that this would be the perfect gift to our hungry friends in the Middle EastâŠ"
The song proclaims:
When you're sitting 'round your table
Remember this lasting fable
No money you can cable
Will shake your "rich bas****" label!
So bring them ham!
Let's take the easy stand!
It matters not which brand!
Send 'em a Christmas ham!
Together across that land
(Christmas ham!)
Feeding their dreams so grand
(Christmas ham!)
Helping those in a jam!
(Christmas ham!)
Aaaaaahhhhh Christmas Ham!
The title, scheduled for a December 1 release, has drawn praise from presidential candidate Howard Dean ("just what those Iraqis need at a time like this"), as well as media gadfly Al Franken ("a win for democracy!") and national treasure Gore Vidal ("Bush couldn't dream of writing such a beautiful song")
Others, however, are less sanguine — almost downright pessimistic -- about Arab response to "Hams Across Arabia".
"Did anyone consider that these people might want their ham cooked?" asks Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA). "I mean, come on. What kind of ⊠Islamist ⊠eats raw ham? Not this one, I guarantee!"
"These people can't afford a compact disc," criticized Theresa Blaine of The Village Voice. "How unfair."
Performer Moby, who lent his immense talent to the effort, calls such comments "lame," and "clearly intended to exonerate the millions of Americans who let perfectly good and nutritious ham go to waste."
Celebrity outreach has historically resulted in both rousing success (Live Aid, Farm Aid) and stunning failure (NAMBLApalooza, Save the Lawyers). But international coordinator Bono is not worried. "We have a duty to remember the lost, the poor, the dismembered," said the U2 frontman. "There is no excuse for celebrating holidays when we have a war to stall."
"This may not fly," said former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleisher. "The President likes a good 'benefit' tune like any red-blooded American, but if I'm not mistaken, these are mostly registered democrats on the recording. What about (Ted) Nugent or the guy from Sugar Ray?"
#1
I grow nostalgik (but I've got herbicides) remembering unforgettable PANS ACROSS AMERICA back in what.... ummmmm 1988? PANS ACROSS AMERICA so everybody will have a pot to piss in.
Japanese professor Asaki Geino claims that the type of pubic hair a woman has affects her sexuality.
I prefer braids, myself...
He classifies women into five types, the most likely of which to be unfaithful being the type whose hair resembles the mouth of a river.
A nice bouffant is good, too, for more formal occasions...
"Usually female pubic hair grows in the form of an upside down triangle, but some women's is oblong or elliptical in shape," the professor explained.
"I have determined this after 48 years of investigation..."
"It's not that rare for women with oblong-shaped pubic hair to fall in love at first sight or fall head-over-heels with passion.
Pushovers! My favorite!
They also don't like sitting at home on their own. The combination of these characteristics causes men to go wild over them."
"Ohhhh! Beppy! You're on oblong!"
The majority of eastern women have pubic hair that looks like an inverted triangle: "This type is characterized by faithfulness and fitness for family life. Women of this type are good mothers, faithful wives and caring daughters. I don't think I'm wrong when I say that precisely this type of woman helped Japan become the glorious country it is," Geino said triumphantly.
That's it, by Gad! V-shaped public hair is the key to national greatness! Why didn't that occur to me? I could be famous, as famous as Dr... uhhh... Geino.
There's no doubt the professor's findings are very interesting, but nevertheless they're impossible to apply in practice: the majority of women today wax their bikini line clean. Having said this, if a man has serious intentions, it might be worth his while asking to participate in the process in order to see what his future holds.
What if his intentions are purely frivolous?
Posted by: Fred ||
09/01/2004 2:24:32 PM ||
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WTF? How on earth did he get the volunteers for his "study"?
Excuse me, ma'am, but I'm a college professor writing a very important paper. Please show me your bearded clam in the name of science.
Posted by: Chris W. ||
09/01/2004 14:46 Comments ||
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#2
Nice gig. The Asaki Geino Institute of Snatch Study. Wish I'd thought of it.
#17
ROFLMAO! The Cleaning Crew is the most hilarious pic--and in a sense the most true, too! A lot of men got lost in there! It's happened to me, and probably will again (but it's worth it).
Posted by: Dar ||
09/01/2004 18:53 Comments ||
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#18
:) Thanks, guyz, heh, I'll send the agreed amounts in $20's, if that's acceptable. I worry though that the schoolmarms will now lump you in with me as a prevert...
#26
goddamer! i amn kep get re-route but ime finaly there. ok im always wanna try color comentary and now im gonna give it a shot. ima pimp4doo am re-distrubute .coms hos:
another bush: a clean look bush but itn look like it is need be fed. ima volunteer .com for em job.
mr.t: goddamer that in scary. sory aris but this in get toss to you.
stealth bush 1 : im would take this but im vegan. fred is seem like he is culd use good ice cream.
stealth bush 2 :hey zenster that one in for you buddy. :)
bush04: if you arent hear from me in 2 weeks call my mom.
cut the grass: deacon blues ima think you are culd use this one.
atkins stealth: go get em zhang fei! :)
choco bush: em frank g's are have to eat to.
Nike Stealth:shipman you are earn this.
ninja bush:for gentle. you are shuld feel at home.
no nuance:goddamer army of steve. you guys figure how you are divide this.
Orange Stealth :ima pichure antiwar is look like this. but with smaler titties.
Patch Stealth: alaska paul this in need more sun
Pussy Stealth : okay. chuck simons is get this one.
shaving:murat, this one for you bud.
stacked:if ima not back in 4 weeks call my pa.
Superwoman:okay this one is need a lucky.
tracks:okay david d we are believe you history. :)
truth:nmm we are not see you in awhile but this is fit you.
Armed Stealth:rc this one is for you.
Just Wait:here you are go lh. :)
Turn Around :tga ima think thisn european enuff.
Cleaning Crew:okay. thisn my goddam ex-wife without em curl. ima not wish this on osama hisself.
Thank you very much! Didn't notice the file name, just the hyperlink and became very distracted after. Did a Google Search for "Julianna Young" and found a treasure trove. Great googlie mooglie! Along the lines of Katalina Verdin who, coincidentally, fits in with this post as well.
#31
nada - Katalina Verdin is great! Seen her a few times before, but didn't know her name - thx! You can check to make sure you've already snarfed up all of her images here... I'm a little distracted, at the moment, heh.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
09/01/2004 10:10 ||
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In a land where people are starving while the "leader" spends all the money he can find on nuclear weapons to threaten other countries with, here's a list of what the UN thinks is North Korea's most pressing problems: Forest depletion, water quality degradation, air pollution, land degradation, and biodiversity.
Nice to know the UN wankers are as useless - and clueless - as ever.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
09/01/2004 10:14 Comments ||
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#2
The biodiversity issue is nonsense anyway -- the border area between the two Koreas is an incredible nature refuge. The entire peninsula will be repopulated by the native flora and fauna well within a generation after the humans eradicate themselves there.
In a small softening of relations between North Korea and the west, it was announced yesterday that Bill Rammell of the Foreign Office is to become the first British minister to visit the communist state. The breakthrough came after North Korea agreed that Mr Rammell would be entitled to raise human rights issues, as well as nuclear disarmament concerns. Mr Rammell has been critical of North Korean human rights abuses in debates in parliament, as well as in meetings with North Korean ministers visiting Britain. But the subject has been banned from discussion for any visiting Foreign Office ministers.
Couldn't offend the Norks, they might vomit grass all over the carpet.
Mr Rammell reiterated yesterday that if North Korea also cooperated over its nuclear programme, all kinds of possible aid would be made available. "They have to irrevocably commit to getting rid of their nuclear weapons: that is the absolute bottom line," he said yesterday, adding that if Pyongyang were to do that, Britain could consider granting aid and even start trade. Mr Rammell said: "They should look at the example of Libya and look what progress a country can make if it genuinely starts to renounce its nuclear weapons capability. He added that he wanted to get beyond the automatic denials on human rights abuses, saying he was not naive about the likely pace of progress.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/01/2004 12:48:40 AM ||
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Curious, the UK was the imtermediary between the US and Daffy Duck as well.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/01/2004 2:07 Comments ||
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Canada's foreign minister slammed Tehran Tuesday for turning a dialogue over a Canadian citizen who died in Iranian custody into "a farce." The Canadian government has accused Iran's hard-line courts of covering up the true circumstances of Iranian-born photographer Zahra Kazemi's death last year in order to protect senior judiciary officials implicated in her murder.
"We've tried dialogue with the Iranian government but it shockingly has turned into a farce, this situation around Madame Kazemi," Pettigrew told reporters after meeting Belgian Foreign Minister Karl de Gucht. "Certainly we are sharing our outrage at the way the Iranian government and the judiciary system has treated this citizen. We lose no opportunity to raise it."What we want is to know what has happened in that jail; we've asked for the body to be returned to Canada so that we could autopsy it. They say it's an accident, that she fell. Well, we'll know. When you have the body, you know those things," he added. Shameless plug: I'll be in Toronto this weekend...if any of the Great Northern Rantburgers wants to raise a glass to the WoT, drop me a line: seafarious at yahoo.com...
#6
They're still Canadians, but it sure is a nice fit on the map. Gotta make contingency plans. Mining, some timber, oil and gas. Not a large population. Plus interesting and colorful people. You always find out who your true friends are at 65 below in winter.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
09/01/2004 22:02 Comments ||
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#7
"Weâve tried dialogue with the Iranian government but it has turned into a farce, this situation around Madame Kazemi," Pettigrew told reporters after meeting Belgian Foreign Minister Karl de Gucht.
What, you were expecting something different? Like a little honesty on the Iranians' part? How do you feel now, sucke....er, *ahem*, Mr. Pettigrew?
#8
AP: The regions get the shaft from Ottawa when it comes to royalties on resource extraction. I wonder why they put up with it. In Alaska you get to keep some of the fruits of the land local rather than piping them off to unappreciative franco-socialists.
I keep looking at the map of the once great Canada thinking Alberta, BC and the Yukon nicely bridge the gap between CONUS and Alaska. I've even got a politically acceptable integration model in mind: Yukon becomes part of Alaska, The Dems get to think they own BC (part of the people's republic of Cascadia), and Alberta becomes the true Texas of the north. I'll have to start talking this scenario up with my western Canadian friends. Many will be upset. But they need to open their eyes up to the possibilities.
In theory I've got prospective customers in the Yukon. In practice, that's nonsense. (I sell high end web software, not mining equipment.) But that doesn't prevent me from finding a "valid business purpose" for making a trip. Let me know if you got any suggestions on places to go and people to drink with.
#9
Well, for drinking, you can start out in some of the bars in Watson Lake. My wife (45) and daughter (19) stayed in WL overnight on a highway trip from Minnesota to Alaska. The hwy const guys came over and wanted to buy them drinks. They guy sez to my daughter, "Who's your friend?"
Thats my mom, she sez.
You always travel with your mom? Sez he. "What does your mom do for a living?"
"She is a psychologist."
And they all went away............
Dawson City is also a fun place in summer. Go to Diamond Tooth Gerties and be part of a real rip roaring gambling house playing all the '98 style gambling games, even Faro. Whitehorse is fun, too.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
09/01/2004 22:33 Comments ||
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#10
LOL AP
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/01/2004 23:04 Comments ||
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We will stay on the on the offense. We will bring them to justice in foreign lands so we don't have to face them here at home," and that's because you cannot negotiate with these people. And in a conventional war there would be a peace treaty or there would be a moment where somebody would sit on the side and say we quit. That's not the kind of war we're in, and that's what I was saying....
... It's a totally different kind of war. But we will win it. Your listeners have got to know that I know we'll win it, but we're going to have to be resolved and firm, and we can't doubt what we stand for, and the long-term solution is to spread freedom. I love to tell the story, Rush, about a meeting with Prime Minister Koizumi. He's my friend. He's the prime minister of Japan. It wasn't all that long ago that my dad, your dad, and others dads were fighting against the Japanese, but because after World War II we believed that Japan could self-govern and could be democratic in its own fashion, Japan is no longer an enemy; it's a friend, and so I sit down with him to help resolve issues like the North Korean peninsula. In other words, we're working together to keep the peace. The same thing is going to happen in Iraq and Afghanistan, and that's when I say the transformational power of liberty. That's what I'm talking about.
[added emphasis mine]
Posted by: OldSpook ||
09/01/2004 12:14:51 AM ||
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I listened to this - and when George Bush isnt reading from a script, but speaking from his heart to people (and not hostile reporters who badger him), he is absolutely a solid speaker - he comes across genuine, honest and dedicated to his beliefs, much more personable than his scripted speeches. This interview harks back to him with the bullhorn on the rubble on 9/14/01, with the firefighters and construction workers.
His is also aware of his limitations and admits them (unlike Kerry, blaming others around him, like the secret service agent for tripping him), as evidenced by this quote about his fumble of a phrase with Matt Lauer the other day:
"I probably needed to be a little more articulate."
I hope the left keeps "misunderestimating" him, just like the Taliban did.
#2
I think he did well when he clarified his "can't win the WOT" statement to "there won't be a VT day" when UBL signs a peace treaty.
I would have gone for a statement that went something like: "we will never kill the last terrorist because there will always be someone willing to die for a mistake."
Far fewer Americans would understand my overly nuanced statement.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/01/2004 0:37 Comments ||
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#3
This is exactly what I understood him as saying in the first place: that this is not the kind of war that will have a definitive ending, such as with a signing of surrender documents on the deck of the USS Missouri.
I myself don't find Bush all that hard to understand; but his awkward manner in off-the-cuff speech makes him a rich mother lode of material for people who want to misunderstand him and like to twist words.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
09/01/2004 6:00 Comments ||
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#4
We can win a war against the Islamic terrorism that's hogging the limelight at the moment, and I'm sure we will do, but you can't defeat terrorism. What is terrorism? Mainly murder, just done for political or religious ends. It's been around for millennia, and will be around for the forseeable future, I'm sure.
#5
Bush actually made a reference to Islamic terrorism a few weeks ago, a very pointed one. I expect a lot more of that in his second term, once he is free of the constraints imposed by re-election politics.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
09/01/2004 6:36 Comments ||
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#6
I've always thought GWB was an honest and genuine man, and a leader that I would follow. Nothing the LLLs have been shreiking about has changed my opinion.
I have beefs about his entitlement spending and various domestic decisions he's made while in office, but he is far and away the best man to have in office during the terror wars. I don't have to like everything he does, but he's a likeable man and somebody I can get behind. The accusations of "dishonesty" and the avalanche of vitriol against him baffles me.
Posted by: Chris W. ||
09/01/2004 10:47 Comments ||
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#7
I lean to believing that GWB gives in on domestic issues to suppress Democrat fire on the home front to buy himself lattitude regarding the War on Terror.
Thanks for the link, OldSpook. And I hope one day that they'll come crawling to you on their hands and knees to beg you out of retirement and straighten out the CIA. (Not that you'd have to accept, but you deserve the Ego boost, my good man.)
#1
Just kind of shows you how seriously to take Zogby's other polls. Did you realize that there are sidewalk preachers in New York City who think that AIDS was the result of a CIA conspiracy to kill off the black population?
Posted by: Chris W. ||
09/01/2004 10:28 Comments ||
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#3
Zogby used to be a good pollster, then he made major goof-ups in 2002 , e.g. Colorado Senate, then he had Howard the Scream winning in NH exit polls in January. Now he whores himself to do a push poll for a bunch of leftys with an "expected result".
Give me a break. He is an Arab shill for the Muslim Murder Leagueâ¢. He is a bigot, and should be regarded as such. He and his bigot brother should be taken as seriously as a Fraudi think tank.
#7
I actually met a college parent who fit Zhang Fei's complaint to a T ... I left after she started ranting about Bush being a homosexual (for Skull & Bones) and then sputtered when I wondered rhetorically why Kerry wasn't.
P.S. Zhang Fei, you're not actually NAMED that, are you?
Posted by: Edward Yee ||
09/01/2004 11:40 Comments ||
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#8
"P.S. Zhang Fei, you're not actually NAMED that, are you?"
#12
EY: P.S. Zhang Fei, you're not actually NAMED that, are you?
Of course I am. Me and my buddies Napoleon Bonaparte, Alexander the Great, Julius Caeser and Gustavus Adolphus are always hanging out at the mall. Seriously, though, I picked the name Zhang Fei* mainly to highlight the fact that I'm a China watcher.
* Zhang Fei is a character in the classic 11th century Chinese novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which serves as inspiration for all the chop-socky movies out there. I've read that the popular game Dynasty Warriors incorporates this character as well.
From The Washington Post
Democratic vice presidential nominee John Edwards said yesterday that a John F. Kerry administration would scrap the military commissions created by President Bush to try suspected al Qaeda and Taliban fighters detained at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and would instead establish a new system modeled on military courts-martial. "The Bush administration has ignored the model of the military courts-martial. We will use that model as a basis for future trials of detainees," Edwards said in a statement e-mailed in response to a question posed to him over the weekend. "We will ensure that this process, from the quality of translators to the treatment of evidence to the selection of judges, is handled with the seriousness and competence that is essential for such sensitive national security cases." ...
Critics have charged that the commission rules favor the government, and that, among other things, they allow hearsay evidence and permit exculpatory evidence to remain secret from defendants. .... By shifting to a court-martial approach, Kerry would have appeals handled by a court of appeals for the armed forces, which is independent of prosecutors and the Defense Department. The appeals process, like most other procedures in a military trial, is almost identical to that of a civilian trial. ...
Not to point out the obvious, but enemy troops aren't subject to U.S. military courts martial. They're intended to enforce the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Enemy troops are subject to their own rules and regulations, in the present case shariah law. Military tribunals are intended to enforce the laws of war, wich fall neither under the UCMJ nor under shariah, but may be codified in the Geneva Conventions and various international agreements. I think what Edwards is proposing is a mere change in the procedures used, which would appeal to his fastidious lawyer's soul and give him something to talk about, while implying that what's being done now is wrong.
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
09/01/2004 8:51:39 AM ||
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And if found guilty, will be busted down to private.
Posted by: ed ||
09/01/2004 9:30 Comments ||
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#2
As far as I can tell (not being at all military, and having no inside info other than Rantburg), the system currently being used at Guantanamo is based on the Court Martial.
Another "I'll do the same thing, but when I do it, it will be better!" from the Kedward camp.
#4
Yeah, but with our luck the Dems would make sure the worse that they get are General Discharges that turn Honorable after 6 months so they can get the veteran's bennies.
#6
"...permit exculpatory evidence to remain secret from defendants"
I think critics have there head up their butts. The defense has access to exculpatory evidence in the current trial system, because the defense lawyers are alll vetted and have clearance. Is Edwards suggesting that a Mark Geregos-type charlatan that is being paid by CAIR have acces to intelligence files?
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/01/2004 14:05 Comments ||
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#7
Well, gosh, John, thanks a lot. I've had many sleepless nights worrying about whether those Boy Scouts down at Gitmo were going to be tried fairly.
Posted by: Matt ||
09/01/2004 15:33 Comments ||
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U.S. intelligence agencies are investigating a series of thefts of official vehicles and uniforms, including an Air Canada uniform, amid fears al-Qaeda operatives could be acquiring such items for a terrorist attack. Reports about stolen government and company identity cards, trucks and uniforms have been coming in from across the United States in recent months, leading to warnings the incidents might be related to a terrorist plot. Terrorists could try to use uniforms and vehicles to evade security at airports and other sensitive sites, according to U.S. intelligence reports that noted Islamic terrorism groups have employed similar tactics overseas.
One of the main Bali bombers has been let out of prison to have coffee at a popular shopping mall in central Jakarta, it was reported today. Ali Imron, the so-called repentant bomber sentenced to life imprisonment for his part in the attacks which claimed more than 200 lives, was spotted having coffee at Starbucks with the director of Indonesian narcotics and drugs Brigadier-General Gorries Mere. When challenged by journalists the pair and a number of black-clad armed police guards fled to a waiting car and sped off, Detik.com news said tonight. "I walk often with Pak (Mr) Gorries," Ali Imron said in response to questions. Imron was sentenced to life in jail after appearing deeply remorseful throughout his trial and repeatedly apologising to victims. His brothers, so-called "smiling assassin" Amrozi bin Nurhasyim and Mukhlas bin Nurhasyim were sentenced to death along with fellow attack mastermind Imam Samudra.
After his arrest Ali Imron showed police how he mixed, then packed, the explosives into the bomb that was detonated outside the Sari Club. He also helped train the two suicide bombers involved in the attack and drove the bomb van to within a few hundred metres of the blast site. Brigadier-General Gorries was one of the main investigators of the Bali bombings before he was transferred to narcotics at national police headquarters in Jakarta. The pair were spotted shortly after 7pm (10pm AEST) at a Starbucks store on the second floor of the newly opened Entertainment X'Nter and movie complex beside the swank Plaza Indonesia shopping centre beside the Welcome Fountain in central Jakarta. They had coffee together for almost three hours and also moved on to the nearby Hard Rock Cafe. The mall is home to designer stores including Versace, Valentino and Zegna.
Ali Imron's night out with Jakarta's rich and beautiful came amid fears several of the Bali bombers could walk free because of a recent court riling striking down anti-terror laws used to convict them. But Indonesia's government has promised none of the main bombers will ever be released as prosecutors prepare to try suspected Jemaah Islamiah spiritual leader Abu Bakar Bashir for links to terrorism. The head of Kerobokan Prison in Bali, where Ali Imron was jailed, confirmed he had been temporarily transferred to Jakarta to help in a police investigation.
#1
It's almost impossible to get a seat at a Starbucks in the ME or Asia. People just never leave, it seems. They get their latte and then sit and yak for hours on end. I wonder who had the stroke to get one, the General or Ali?
Iran has announced plans to turn tons of uranium into a substance that can be used to make nuclear weapons, the U.N. atomic watchdog agency said Wednesday in a report stoking concern about Tehran's nuclear agenda. The confidential report of the International Atomic Energy Agency said the agency had been informed that the Islamic Republic planned to process more than 40 tons of raw uranium into uranium hexafluoride. Uranium hexafluoride is spun in centrifuges to produce enriched uranium, which in turn can be used to generate power or make nuclear warheads, depending on the degree of enrichment. A senior diplomat familiar with the agency declined to say how much hexafluoride could be obtained from that amount of raw uranium, also known as yellowcake, beyond saying it was a "substantial amount." Another diplomat, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said that enough highly enriched uranium could be produced from the hexafluoride derived to make several explosive devices.
Posted by: TS(vice girl) ||
09/01/2004 11:54:37 AM ||
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"...The confidential report of the International Atomic Energy Agency said...."
Enough said, now we have sufficient evidence for whatever action the 1998 resolution calls for.
#2
This AP announcement showed up on the NYT site as well as others. Even the UN has seen enough. The only remaining question is: do we have the nerve to take them out, or will we wait for the Israelis to do it for us? It's really our job.
#3
How? Given (as I understand it) the facilities' advanced stage and dispersion, how exactly would we take it out? Thanks to those idiot euros, isn't it a bit late in the day? Osirak raid in 1981 was against more centralized, earlier-stage facilities, if I'm not mistaken
#4
40 tons of uranium will make a significant amount of U235. The concentrators are probably housed deep underground in large chambers with labyrinth entrances with blast resistant doors. This will be a beast to attack directly. However, running these concentrators takes electric power, which I imagine, has generators also deep underground, with fuel storage there also. It would seem to me that the main vulnerabilites of their hardened U235 concentration system would be combustion air intakes for the generators (be they diesels or gas turbines) and the cooling outlets for diesels or exhaust outlets for diesels and turbines. The exhaust outlets should have good IR signitures. That is how I would go about targeting and taking out the concentrators.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
09/01/2004 13:47 Comments ||
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#5
...and the IDF has just had their "Clint Eastwood" moment. Now, timing is everything.
#6
Let's hope Iranian nuclear program is on the agenda for debates.
Kerry: We need to build an international consensus with our friends at the UN...apply diplo pressure...make it worth Iran's while to talk to us...etc.
Bush: Whatever it takes.
Posted by: chicago mike ||
09/01/2004 15:51 Comments ||
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#7
Arguably, Iranian and nukes is the issue of this election. Not sure we have any good options left, but it's pretty clear that we can't repeat the Clinton/Jimmah North Korea disaster.
Iran, a country that has bedeviled the United States for decades, could prove to be the biggest foreign policy challenge facing whoever wins the presidential election. The Iraq war and a spy scandal linking the Pentagon and Israel could complicate U.S. hopes of halting Iran's nuclear ambitions. Both President Bush and Democratic nominee John Kerry say they want to use diplomacy -- although with different approaches -- to prevent a hostile Islamic state in the volatile Middle East from arming itself with nuclear weapons. But U.S. ability to sound the international alarm on Iran has been damaged after much of its intelligence on Saddam Hussein's weapons programs proved to be wrong. And its credibility could be further hurt by suspicions that a Pentagon official passed secrets about Iran to Israel.
Neither Bush nor Kerry advocates a preemptive strike on Iran. "The military option is always the last option for a president, not the first," Bush said in an interview broadcast Tuesday on NBC's "Today" show. Yet Iran, by many standards, poses a greater threat than Saddam ever did. As they did with Iraq, U.S. officials suspect Iran has chemical and biological weapons. But Iran's nuclear program is much more advanced than Saddam's program was believed to be. U.S. officials say Iran could produce weapons-grade uranium within a year and a nuclear weapon three years after that. Iran says its nuclear program is for making electricity, not weapons. The nuclear program was in the spotlight Tuesday as the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported the arrest of a group of spies, including several who passed the secrets abroad. Intelligence Minister Ali Yunesi said members of the Mujahedeen Khalq, an armed opposition group, were behind the spying.
In addition to nuclear worries, the United States has long considered Iran the world's most active state sponsor of terror. Iran has supported militant Palestinian groups, and U.S. officials say it has been a safe haven for Al-Qaida members. In 2001, Bush called Iran part of an "axis of evil." Yet his administration has been divided on how to deal with it. Some, many with Pentagon ties, favor a tougher approach. Others, many in the State Department, believe accommodation with Iranian moderates is possible.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
09/01/2004 2:07:50 AM ||
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Okay, time to set up the board. We took out the holy shits main enemy, saddam. Would it have been better to take out saddams main enemy, Iran?
Both were/are freaking hostlie.
I think that; We hope that Iranians will do the deed as they are sick and tired of being part of Bielzabubs daily soap opera. That if the populace can't or won't rise up, ala Iraqies, that some sort of "new age" attack, that won't killl mass amounts of Iranians, the key, must happen.
Or do we play a holding action, stoping the developing of first strick weopons; for how long?
#2
Let's assume Bush wins the election. I think what he would LIKE to do is take down Iran. The question is can he? Do we have the military assets to do it (assuming we won't use nukes)? Could he justify such a war politically? Could he justify the expenditures it would require? This is a big problem, because the alternatives are pretty bleak. If we don't do something about Iran, that country will continue to be a sanctuary and a sponsor of jihad, and continue to send jihadis into Iraq to prolong the insurgency. It would also demonstrate to the world that rogue nations can get away with it, standing up to the US, bringing our interventions to nought. Even if we suppress the insurgency, there's still the problem of nukes. Iran having nukes would allow them to intimidate Iraq into submission after we leave. And the whole ME.
The United States is calling for the immediate withdrawal of Syrian forces from Lebanon, according to a a draft resolution circulated in the U.N. Security Council late Tuesday. The new measure also offers support for elections under the current Lebanese constitution, which would rule out a second term for pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud.
The United States decided to press for a resolution - with the support of France, Lebanon's former colonial ruler - after what many saw as a Syrian-engineered move to change the constitution to extend Lahoud's term. The resolution calls on the council "to consider additional measures," which are not specified, if the Syrians and Lebanese don't comply. Lebanon accused the United States and France Tuesday of trying to "blackmail" it and Syria, and create trouble between Beirut and Damascus.
U.S. deputy ambassador Anne Patterson said the United States wants the Security Council to vote on the draft resolution "hopefully by Wednesday or Thursday." But the draft is almost certain to face opposition from Algeria, the only Arab nation on the council, and probably from Russia and China, which traditionally oppose council interference in a country's internal affairs. In Washington, the Bush administration sharply criticized Syria for meddling in Lebanon's politics, and a senior U.S. diplomat was likely to go to Damascus for high-level talks.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
09/01/2004 1:38:08 AM ||
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Skipping past the cheap shots at the GOP convention ...
Of the roughly 2,929 terrorism-related deaths around the world since the attacks on New York and Washington, the NBC News analysis shows 58 percent of them — 1,709 — have occurred this year. In the past 10 days, in fact, the number of dead has risen by 142 people in places as diverse as Russia, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Israel. On Tuesday, the number of civilians killed by terrorists totaled 38 — 10 at a subway entrance bombing in Moscow, 16 in a bus bombing in Israel and 12 Nepalese executed in Iraq. Moreover, the level of sophistication is increasing. Terrorism experts point in particular to the attacks apparently carried out by Chechen rebels during that 10-day period. The rebels, whose top military commanders have been Arabs, are operating at a whole different level. "You have bombs on board planes, bombs at a train station and now a hostage taking," says Roger Cressey, a former deputy Nantional Security Council director of counter-terrorism. "This is all coordinated. These things do not happen by accident, and in fact, United States officials are frantically trying to determine if they are a forerunner of an attack aimed at the U.S."
Cressey was referring in particular to last week's twin bombings of Russian airliners that left 90 dead in southern Russia, an attack Cressey says indicates a greater level of coordination and sophistication than thought possible just last year. While fewer than 60 of the deaths since 9/11 have been American citizens — all of which took place overseas — other countries continue to suffer at higher levels than ever before. Since Sept. 11, 2001, according to the analysis, around 1,500 have died in terrorist attacks in Iraq, nearly 700 in Russia, more than 350 have died in Israel, around 200 in Spain and more than 100 in the Philippines. [The numbers sometimes are imprecise because of the nature of the attacks, which leave many missing.]
Senior U.S. intelligence officials note that in fact, the frequency of terrorist attacks carried out by Muslim radicals is increasing, not decreasing. Moreover, they say the attacks carried out by what they now refer to as "central al-Qaida" are being dwarfed by those carried out by affiliates, such Ansar al Sunnah in Iraq, the Chechen rebels and even ad hoc groups like those who blew up the Madrid train stations. While there may be links to al-Qaida in terms of training and in some cases money, these groups operate independently of Osama bin Laden's command. The threat in fact is "morphing," as one senior U.S. intelligence official put it. "You're talking about an al-Qaida that's trying to regenerate, and you're also talking about a movement that has looked to al-Qaida for inspiration but is not really al-Qaida central," said another intelligence official. "The thing we worry about a lot is what we call in some ways the localization of threat. Regional organizations that operate in different environments, that may have had some training from al-Qaida, that may have had some money, but that really see the world in al-Qaida terms and that's why we worry about them, and they are the wave of the future, and I believe that's the wave of the future for us operationally."
As more and more groups get into the mix, say officials, there are more and more attacks. In fact, the three worst months for Islamic terrorism since 9/11 were March [431 dead], February [393 dead] and June [245 dead] of this year. With the three terrorist attacks Tuesday, the suicide bombing in Israel, the car bombing in Moscow and the execution of the Nepalese in Iraq, the August total will rise to 228 dead, the sixth worst month since 9/11.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
09/01/2004 6:17:15 PM ||
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Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
09/01/2004 19:18 Comments ||
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#5
If worldwide terrorism is on the rise, then it seems to me the best response would be to KILL MORE TERRORISTS. I'd have no problem whatsoever with that.
#6
Come now folks, we know that most of these 'acts of terrorism' are orchestrated by the Mossad as was 911 and more than likely yesterday's twin bus blasts because Israel now needs to convince President Bush that Iran must be transformed into a 'democracy' for Americans be safe from Islamist terrorism.
#9
Yup. Though it reflects well upon those who offered it a chance to prove its relevance, they were waaay too nice, too trusting. Shoulda shot the cocksucker on sight.
#14
UFO - you've been punked, bitch. No regulars will take anything you say seriously. options? 1- move on. 2 - take it like a bitch, cuz it's coming...just ask Gentle or Antiwar or NotMikeMoore
have a nice evening ;-)
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/01/2004 21:44 Comments ||
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#15
Whatever happened to NMM? And why don't our trolls have better staying power at Rantburg? I would say that Murat has got a certain tenaciousness, but the current Murat is clearly an imposter.
#18
advice to RB'ers: note well the [http://politicsandcurrentevents.com]
link that UFO urges and ignore with prejudice any and all nyms this pinhead uses
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/01/2004 22:08 Comments ||
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President Bush said on Tuesday he would tell the Republican convention that three-quarters of known al Qaeda leaders have been captured or killed, an increase from an earlier estimate of two-thirds. For months, the CIA had privately advocated switching to the 75 percent figure, though the White House balked at using it publicly. Critics say the estimate is meaningless as losses by a decentralized al Qaeda are ever harder to estimate. Bush told conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh that during his speech accepting the Republican nomination on Thursday he would "tell the people that three-quarters of the known al Qaeda leadership has been brought to justice. And we're still obviously on the hunt."
White House officials said the change took new information about arrests and the al Qaeda network into account, and was not politically timed for the Republican convention, where Bush's war on terror is a central theme. A CIA spokesman said the 75 percent estimate "is absolutely consistent with our view." John Pike, a defense analyst with GlobalSecurity.org, said recent arrests may have helped prevent attacks against the United States but it was hard, because of the decentralized nature of al Qaeda, to estimate losses. "That's been a pretty slippery issue right there," he said. Flynt Leverett, who was a senior director on Bush's National Security Council and now an informal adviser to Democratic rival John Kerry, called it a "meaningless assertion. We don't really know at this point the real map of the al Qaeda network as it has morphed."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
09/01/2004 1:46:14 AM ||
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#1
Posted by: Murat ||
09/01/2004 3:33 Comments ||
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#8
He is just a nice fat guy who is against fools Bulldog, if he had been English he would have been anti-Blare too.
Posted by: Murat ||
09/01/2004 5:52 Comments ||
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#9
it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.
Posted by: Howard UK ||
09/01/2004 6:00 Comments ||
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#10
I figured it out. Fatboy is showing us how islamo-fascists wipe their ass. No wonder we can't sell them toilet paper. Too bad Moore is so fat he has to get someone else to do the job. He has to hand sign for it.
#11
Oh yes, a really nice guy; a man of the people. An anti-materialistic egalitarian who's selflessly taking blows for the little guy. You're such a tool, Murat. I'm sure you'd get on really well, if you could buy Moore's time for a while.
"Michael Moore reportedly left London under a cloud of bad feeling amid claims he was not paid enough for his recent one-man show at the Camden Roundhouse. The director and star of the acclaimed Bowling For Columbine played a sell out two month run at the London venue before Christmas, but the London Evening Standard says he was irritated to be paid as little as £500 for each gig. The Standard quotes "a source" saying Moore threw a temper tantrum on the penultimate night. "He completely lost the plot," says the unnamed member of staff. "He stormed around all day screaming at everybody, even the £5-an-hour bar staff, telling us how we were all conmen and useless. Then he went on stage and did it in public." Enraged staff, the Standard continues, refused to work on Moore's final night until the comic apologised, delaying the start for over an hour."
He's very anti-Blair. So was Saddam. He's pro-Castro, pro-Kim Il-Sung, pro-twats the world over. I'm not at all surprised you like him.
#12
Don't be that unfair Bulldog, the fat guy has guts, showing up at a Republican convention and telling Bush he's got two months left, that's style man.
Posted by: Murat ||
09/01/2004 7:18 Comments ||
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#13
...the fat guy has guts...
No one's gonna argue with that.
...showing up at a Republican convention and telling Bush he's got two months left, that's style man.
Yep, the 'L' for loser sign - class. Kindergarten class. He's going to look even more of a fatgut Krispy Kreme Kretin when Bush wins in November, donchathink?
#14
That explains why this AQ strip tease link piece of spin was churned out (posted rantburg yesterday). Not sure if the piece is trying to tell us that this 75% is not really masterminds - or if these non-masterminds are just Frankenstinian creations of Bush that will create a climate of fear that will allow him to get reelected.
Take your pick from this this grab-bag of lame insinuations. Cause, despite Bush capturing 75% of top AQ leadership, there is nothing to see here. Move along.
Posted by: B ||
09/01/2004 11:10 Comments ||
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#15
aack..needed some commas and better sentence structure above. sorry.
Posted by: B ||
09/01/2004 11:11 Comments ||
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#16
Murat must be pissed that so many of his chums are dead or captured.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
09/01/2004 11:13 Comments ||
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August 24th, 2004
At a Vietnam Special Forces base during 1964, I watched a U. S. soldier fire 15 rounds of .223 caliber ammunition into a tethered goat from an AR-15 rifle; moments after the last round hit, the goat fell over. Looking at the dead goat, I saw many little bullet entry-holes on one side; and when we turned him over, I saw many little bullet exit-holes on the other side. Over time, those observations were confirmed and reconfirmed, revealing that the stories we were told on the lethality of the .223 caliber cartridge were fabrications. Those false reports drove the adoption of the .223 caliber cartridge as the 5.56mm NATO cartridge and, ever since, Americans have been sent to war with a cartridge deficient in combat lethality; a deficiency that has recently caused the deaths of U.S. soldiers in Iraq. Rest at link. I've read similar reports about 5,56N in Afghanistan. With the USA changing their rifle, it would be the perfect time to change caliber as well. RB gun nuts, your wisdom is needed here : are US (and western) soldiers deficient in personnal firepower?
#1
hmmm...sounds like someone looking for anti-war propaganda to me. Answer carefully.
Posted by: B ||
09/01/2004 19:17 Comments ||
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#2
There are two cartridges that have been recently developed as possible "drop-in" replacements for the .223 round: the 6.8mm SPC and the 6.5mm Grendel. I would rather have the Grendel than the 6.8, but would prefer to get the 6.8 rather than have the .223.
You can read more about the grendel at http://www.65grendel.com.
Posted by: Phil Fraering ||
09/01/2004 19:17 Comments ||
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#3
Well I have killed lots of Deer sized stuff with a 222 and 223 so I can't say I buy into this whole thing. You can carry a hell of alot of 233 mags and rounds. My personal choice is 7.62x51mm but carrying more than 100 rounds (5 mags) is quite a bit of weight when you figure in the rifle which is also big and heavy and other gear. 223 will kill, no doubt about it. The holes on the other side are not relevant. The relationship to the amount of hydrostatic shock (tissue damage) is not related to the exit hole size. Not saying the 223 is great but getting NATO to change is not going to happen for along time. All ammo has it's plusses and draw backs.
#4
B: I have seen volumes of complaints about the .223 round myself. I think it's a bad choice, and I think the situation is made worse by all the short-barreled versions of the M-16/AR-15 being used over there.
I've also seen pictures of US soldiers going on patrol in Afghanistan with M-14's.
I think part of the problem is that the Chart People have all sorts of studies showing that Infantry aren't really important anymore, the infantry rifle is nothing but a security blanket, most firefights happen within 50 yards, etc...
I am convinced that the Chart People are wrong, especially in conflicts like that of the present day.
I don't think the US should be changing their rifle if they're keeping the same bullet *and* using the short-barreled version with which the bullet is particularly ineffective.
Posted by: Phil Fraering ||
09/01/2004 19:35 Comments ||
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#5
Sock Puppet: what sort of bullets were these .223 rounds loaded with?
Posted by: Phil Fraering ||
09/01/2004 19:36 Comments ||
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#6
LOL!
Well the 4500 FPS Zircon was a good round but Halibruton kept them all for their security guards. We didn't know about the Frap Ray then or we would have felt worse. Of couse the Zen is in the target. I fired 11004 of Mk 55 ammo at willing civillians, none complained.
Posted by: Col Flagg ||
09/01/2004 19:46 Comments ||
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#7
One thing to remember when evaluating the .223, is Fire and Manuever! It supports that Fundamental Infantry Maneuver Extremelly Well. For long distance shooting, selective target shooting, it is adequate to good. Stopping power? That all depends on how good a shot you are. Also, remember adrenaline can keep a critter going for along way. I have seen on numerous occasions a deer take four hits in the chest area with a .300 Weatherby Mag. and run another 50-100 yds.
#10
I have fired the M-14 and M-16. I like the M-14.
In the book "Blackhawk Down" the .223 rounds they were using did not immediately knock people. It took quite a few. I don't know what the rounds were made of but they were inadequate.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
09/01/2004 19:51 Comments ||
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#11
In my opinion the 7.62x39 would be a better cartridge thant the 223. It is has a larger diameter, but also has enough powder to keep the kinetic energy up to get range, penetration, as well as being a small enough round to be able to cary a couple of hundred rounds without that much more of a sacrifice. The 7.62x51 NATO round kicks ass, but the weight factor (same as the .308)is the number one problem.
#14
The 5.56 is the best compromise for the rifle technology of the time.
I'd prefer the caseless H&K 6.5mm stuff - and that H&K rifle with the mega-high cyclic - the 3 round burst cleared the barrel within 0.1 seconds - fast enough to put all 3 rounds in the 10 ring before the muzzle climbed from recoil.
For distance work, the 338 Lapua is King Kong - go look up the ballisitics of that round, its freaken incredible. 600 yard is the zero drop point, and its packing 2200 FPS and 2700Ft-Lbs at that distance! At 1000 yards, its still cooking with 1700 Ft Lbs of energy and 1700 Ft/Sec velocity. And thats with the 300gr Lock FMJ round.
Add some hollowpoint boattail modified and hand loads, and this thing can pop the snot out of anything within about a mile - and is more accurate than a 50BMG, with a hell of a lot less loud and a lot less muzzle flash and kick.
But for common usage, you have to have good ballistics, good penetration/stopping power, good range, and lighter weight.
Those are things that are often opposite each other, so no matter what, you'll end up with a compromise in the design.
The M4 is adequate to the teask for urban warfare - short, easy to handle, carry buttloads of ammo, and can supress an area rapidly. Just intermix that with a squad "marksman" who carries a heavy high velocity, low volume weapon that can be used as a one-shot stopper at range, as well as a penetrator closer in.
So its not so much the weapons as it is the doctrine and tactics. Thats why the Marines are and Cavalry so effective compared to regualr infantry: they are organized along the lines above with a good *mix* of weaponry.
#15
Phil the 222 and 223 I hunted with is not geneva convention legal stuff. I mostly shoot core-lokt in off the shelf stuff. I also have rolled my own 223 with a Corbin swedge from spent 22 rim fire cases with swaged lead cores(very frangable and nasty if you want them to be.) I am now not 222 or 223. I don't think the 1000's of rounds of 7.62x39 holow points I have shot were made for "hunting" like they say on the packages though if you catch my drift. I think all ammo has it's drawbacks. Kalashnikov also said the 223 was a "wrong size" and that 5.45x39mm was all wrong too. He knows a hell of alot more about firearms and ammo than most of us do. I know Stoner thought it was adaquate. But the rifle Stoner designed and the one in use now diverged long ago.
I know with a long enough barrel and the right twist 223 is good in the open.
#16
SPoD: I suspected something like that: a longer barrel and hollowpoint bullets.
OldSpook: Isn't that also the doctrine the Soviets used, back in the day? And did you ever see Anthony Swenson's thoughts about a year or two back on using a sort-of pistol caliber carbine (with a hotter round) in place of the M-4?
Posted by: Phil Fraering ||
09/02/2004 8:58 Comments ||
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Russia is satisfied with the changing Turkish attitude towards secessionists in Chechnya and believes it will improve further, President Vladimir Putin said in an interview published on Wednesday on the eve of an official visit to Ankara. In the past, the Russian authorities have accused Ankara of turning a blind eye to the alleged presence on Turkish soil of Chechen rebels and of failing to prevent its citizens from joining the secessionists' ranks. But Putin, the first Russian leader to visit Turkey in 32 years, said in a statement published by several Turkish newspapers: "We are satisfied with Turkey's position on the Chechen question." He added that he looked forward to further improvements in cooperation between the two governments, saying: "We believe we can achieve better results." Turkey, an overwhelmingly Muslim nation with a secular system of government, has a policy of non-interference in Chechnya but the secessionist cause has many sympathisers among Turks. IIRC, this is as much due to ethnicity as it is to religion. Keep in mind that at least some of the cadres that perpetrated the Istanbul bombings had fought under Gelayev at one point in Chechnya.
Putin is due in Ankara on Thursday and is scheduled to sign several cooperation agreements the following day with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
09/01/2004 6:21:21 PM ||
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#1
Let NATO die a quiet death. Start working on a New Entente of nations that understand the muslim threat and are determined to deal with it forthrightly and with a much force as necessary: US + India + Israel + Turkey + Russia. Dream it, believe it, make it happen.
Ahmed Chalabi, the Iraqi politician and former US favourite, has said that criminal charges against him in Iraq have been dropped. A judge issued a warrant in August over an alleged counterfeit operation but no action was taken for Mr Chalabi's arrest when he returned to Iraq. Mr Chalabi also announced that murder charges had been dropped against his nephew, Salem, currently out of Iraq. The fact of the charges being dropped could not be immediately confirmed.
The BBC's Paul Wood reports from Baghdad that the ups and downs of this one day mirror his political fortunes during the past year. Salem Chalabi had been charged over the June murder of Haithem Fadhil, director general of the finance ministry. "It's a ridiculous charge, that I threatened somebody... there's no proof there," he said soon after learning of the warrant. His uncle said the murder charge had been replaced with a summons to a court hearing and that Salem would return to face it. Ahmed Chalabi was quoted by al-Arabiya TV as saying that he had learnt about the dropping of the charges when he personally visited the judge who had issued the warrants earlier in the day.
Judge Zuhair al-Maliki had called for the arrest of both Chalabis when he issued his warrants. Ahmed Chalabi, leader of the Iraqi National Congress, himself announced that he had escaped an assassination attempt which left two of his bodyguards wounded. He was travelling from Najaf to Baghdad when the attack happened, he said. "A car started following us and opened fire on our convoy," he told reporters. Mr Chalabi, a member of Iraq's interim national assembly, had been on his way to attend the assembly's first meeting in Baghdad.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
09/01/2004 6:12:45 PM ||
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#1
Just put him in charge of the Iraqi version of the SEC. Isn't that what they finally did with Joseph Kennedy?
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/01/2004 22:33 Comments ||
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Despite Kremlin assertions of al Qaeda involvement, Western security officials and experts say it is homegrown Chechen militancy that is driving a wave of attacks inside Russia.
The two are exclusive, y'know. If you've got one, the other runs away...
The seizure of at least 120 children and adults as hostages at a school in Russia's north Caucasus on Wednesday did not resemble a classic al Qaeda operation, although it did fit a long pattern of Chechen rebel attacks on targets like hospitals.
It fits in with Basaev's tactics.
More imitative of al Qaeda's style was the simultaneous downing of two airliners last week, apparently blown apart in mid-air by suicide bombers who smuggled explosives on board. "Two civilian aircraft were brought down by terrorist organisations with links to al Qaeda," President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday, noting that a group claiming ties to Osama bin Laden's network had claimed responsibility. The same group, the Islambouli Brigades -- named after the assassin of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat -- also claimed an attack by a female suicide bomber that killed 10 people and injured 51 at a central Moscow metro station on Tuesday. But a European security source said the claims, posted in Arabic on an Islamist Web site, could not be taken as authentic. In particular, the group's statement that there were five attackers aboard each plane was seen as fanciful because the evidence suggested a single female bomber in each case.
You mean Islamists lie? When did that start?
The source said there was little evidence of current operational links between Chechen rebels and al Qaeda, beyond the fact that many of the separatist fighters had trained at one time in bin Laden's camps in Afghanistan.
Yep. Right on schedule...
"Up to this point, the Chechen rebels have concentrated entirely on Russian targets and never made al Qaeda's goals their own. We characterise it still as domestic terrorism," the source said.
I characterize it as international terrorism. There are regular cross-border actions into Ingushetia, Dagestan, and Georgia. There was the Arab presence, headed by the late al-Walid and the even later al-Khattab. There are the ties to Zarqawi and and the purported presence of Kabab under Chechen protection. There's the provision of training to Euroterrorists. There are the calls to Arabia during the Nord-Ost siege. There were the Chechen killers at Konduz and in South Waziristan. Most telling, to me, is the fact that they pray for the Chechens every Friday in all the best mosques in Soddy Arabia, along with the Paleostinians, the Kashmir Killers, and all the other "heroic mujaheddin"...
Moscow, by contrast, has long insisted that its struggle to crush the separatists is part of the wider war on international terrorism, and has used this as an argument to deflect criticism of its uncompromising tactics. Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov told reporters in Germany earlier this year that operational and financial links between Chechen rebels and al Qaeda had long ago been proven, and Moscow would "calmly and systematically" destroy the separatists. He said foreign fighters, particularly Turks, were still active in Chechnya and Russian 'spetsnaz' commandos were killing several a month. Security analysts contacted by Reuters noted that Chechen militants and al Qaeda -- which grew out of the 1980s mujahideen resistance to the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan -- were united by Islamist ideology and common hatred of Moscow. Chechnya features sometimes in statements issued by bin Laden. But they were generally cautious about the extent of al Qaeda involvement in the latest attacks. "I certainly would not rule out that there was some component of al Qaeda support. But I think for Putin to suggest that this is al Qaeda proper operating on their doorstep is overstating the case," said David Claridge, managing director of Janusian Security Risk Management in London.
I disagree. I think most readers here would, though the Washington Post wouldn't...
The school siege, in which attackers were threatening to kill 50 children for each of their own fighters killed, was seen as a purely Chechen operation. "The attack on the school today has all the hallmarks of (Chechen warlord) Shamil Basayev," said Nick Pratt, retired U.S. colonel and director of security studies at the Marshall Centre in Germany. Nihat Ali Ozcan, an independent security analyst in Turkey, said the targeting of children was untypical for Islamist militants outside Chechnya. "In Chechen culture women and children are easily and often used or targeted, but other radical Islamists tend to try and avoid targeting them," he said.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
09/01/2004 5:33:04 PM ||
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#1
You can tell they're al-Qaeda if they have their official al-Qaeda decoder ring on.
#3
"...but other radical Islamists tend to try and avoid targeting them..."
Well, I could ask about schools attacked by Taliban "guerillas" in Afghanistan, and about relatives of government soldiers targeted by the "guerillas" in Iraq, or the numerous women and children targeted by Palestinian "activists" in Israel...
Or about that girl recently hung in Iran...
Posted by: Phil Fraering ||
09/01/2004 17:47 Comments ||
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#4
The source said 'We characterise it still as domestic terrorism. Therefore more time at the cafe for us. Do page if something important should happen.'
#6
Sometimes people seem to believe AlQ is a monolithic structure like the old Commie party. AlQ is really more of a affinity group of like-minded organizations, a "United Front". A number of arab terrorists have gone there, are there, and continue to go there.
#8
chechen borg members are still part of the borg
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/01/2004 19:00 Comments ||
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#9
The Wacky World of Official Terror Experts...
The Un-named Euro and Western sources, heh. This must be what the EU Terror Chief has been up to...
So they fibbed on their website about the hijackings, so it can't be AlQ or even AlQ-related... *snicker* uh, since when did AlQ become a paragon of truth? Since when did they give a shit what means their wide and varied brothers and sisters in arms used? When will the world get off the idiocy of requiring an AlQ connection to call terrorism terrorism?
Lol! I guess I'll have to design an AlQ ID card. If they find one in the debris, then it'll be official, if not, sorry bub, your terrorists weren't real terrorists. No support for you - so sorry!
These statements have all the hallmarks of paper-pushing bureaucrats and think-tank retirees. Wotta buncha twitters.
Israeli leaders warned Syria on Wednesday that it bears the blame for a double homicide bombing by Hamas militants because it harbors the group's leadership, and they hinted at possible retaliation. In a first response to Tuesday's attack that killed 16 people in a southern Israeli city, Israeli troops blew up the home of one of the bombers and isolated the West Bank city of Hebron, where the attackers lived. However, Israel was looking farther afield to assign the blame. "The fact that Hamas is operating from Syria will not grant it immunity," Raanan Gissin, an adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, told The Associated Press. The double-plus secret overall leader of Hamas, Khaled Mashaal, and his deputies are based in Syria. Earlier this year Israel assassinated Hamas' founder and his successor in Gaza, throwing the militant Islamic group into temporary disarray. But major decisions are made by Mashaal, not by Hamas leaders in Gaza. "Consider yourselves warned."
Israel has vowed to hit Hamas leaders "wherever they are" and accelerate work on its West Bank barrier after the deadliest suicide bombings for months. Soldiers have already demolished parts of the houses of the two Palestinians named as perpetrators of the attack. Sixteen people were killed by the two bombers in near-simultaneous explosions on buses in Beersheba, southern Israel. Militant group Hamas said it was behind the attack to avenge the assassination of two of its leaders. Correspondents say that, since the deaths of Ahmed Yassin and Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi in March and April, Israel had put on hold further killings of high-echelon Hamas figures. "The policy now is to hit Hamas leaders wherever they are," a senior security source is quoted as saying on Wednesday.
Warm up the Helicopters Of Doom
Israeli officials are pointing the finger of blame at Syria, where Hamas political chief Khaled Meshaal has since emerged as the movement's undisputed leader.
He's now looking for a really deep hole.
The local leaders in Gaza, Mahmoud al-Zahhar and Ismail Haniyeh, have gone underground since the Yassin and Rantissi assassinations.
Six feet under ground would be nice.
Posted by: Steve ||
09/01/2004 9:54:28 AM ||
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car swarm starting in 5....4.....3..
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/01/2004 10:05 Comments ||
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#2
Good! I hope they come over here and assassinate all of the Hamas members living in the US.
Posted by: B ||
09/01/2004 10:07 Comments ||
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#3
Go for it! :-p
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
09/01/2004 10:07 Comments ||
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#4
There are also some Hamas leaders in Lebanon. I think their warning is specifically to those in Syria and Lebanon.
#12
Alaska Paul: No in the Army we use to refer to the new privates as 98Z's. As if it were an MOS(Military Occupational Specialty). Definitions varied from NCO to NCO. Most common were:
1) Field Whore, Man Portable, 1 each
2) In-flight missle repairman
because they were generally useless until you properly trained them. I just always found it funny.
Is anyone else expecting a replay of June 5, 1967? It's about time for Israel to conduct a massive sweep of external terror bases. Let's look at the prospective target roster; Lebanon, Syria, Egypt's Sinai based PLO arms depots. Perhaps destruction of Iran's nuclear installations could be penciled in on the dance card too.
Mufti Ruslan Valgasov of North Ossetia has appealed to the gunmen who have seized a school in Beslan and taken hostage hundreds of children and adults to free at least infants, who, according to his information, are present among the hostages, and organize food supply for the captives. "Children are Allah Most High's pure and innocent creatures. As Prophet Mohammed said, 'every baby is born a Muslim', or, in other words, a creature obedient to God, and therefore any Muslim who harms a child harms his younger brother," the mufti told Interfax. Valgasov also urged the attackers "to come to their senses and comprehend their deeds and remember Judgement Day, when we will all answer for our deeds." Sick F's
Posted by: TS(vice girl) ||
09/01/2004 9:23:18 AM ||
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#1
I wasn't born Muslim. No one I know was born Muslim.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
09/01/2004 9:35 Comments ||
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#2
You were born crying, weren't you? Maybe that's what he means.
#3
hmmmm, the Mufti didn't offer to exchange himself for hostages? Islamic Heroes⢠in action again..... I'm thinking a Saudi royal needs to be capped every time one of their spawn commits an attack like this. We (and Putin) surely know who's the finance arm for these terrorists. Take em out
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/01/2004 9:47 Comments ||
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#4
Islamic apologist demographers use the 'all babies are born Muslim' when they claim very high numbers of Muslims as a percentage of the world's population.
#5
If I were born muslim, I would be praying for someone to hold me hostage, and shoot me in the head. I would hate being mulsim. Also, if I have a child, and it is born muslim, I hope it faces the same fate. Better to die than be born muslim. Disgusting blood cult.
#6
They say all babies are born Muslim so that when their brave heroes target and kill babies they can say they babies were martyrs for the 'cause'.
They are sick, and anyone who stays a Muslim when it is beyond obvious what Islam is, is either evil, in fear for their life (death for apostates) or is seriously deluded (brainwashed, as all cult members are).
#12
My wife (Born Russia) says Putin isn't doing enough. Soon my mother-in-law will go back to Russia on personal business for a few month, and wife is concerned for her mom's safety.
#13
So good old gentle helps us with the translation,, but doesn't comment on the lunatics doing this. Hmmmmm. Hasn't commented on the other sites relating to this either. Scratch deep enough and you get another bunch of SS.
#16
Is it just me, or does anyone else get a feeling of outright depravity from this sort of spin doctoring? Label the children Muslims so that the terrorists' actions become incorrect. No denunciation of this as a heinous crime, no outrage, just another opportunity to blat about Islam. Is there nothing so depraved that it cannot conveniently be made to serve as a vehicle for spewing about Islam instead of promoting peaceful coexistence?
Gentle, your own lack of specific and unmistakable disgust regarding the children being taken hostage isn't doing your reputation (or Islam's) any good. Your glaring omission of such revulsion can only be interpreted as a subtext of support for this type of atrocity. I invite you to immediately condemn this horrendous crime here and now. Otherwise, I will be obliged to place you squarely in the camp of those perpetrating this vile act.
#20
Maybe all babies ARE born Muslim. It could explain why it's called being "SAVED" when you become a christian.
Not all Muslims are bad though. There are actually some who are literate, fewer still who have read parts of the Koran, and even a fewer number of those who have read it cover to cover and understand the context of everything instead of following blindly what an Imam, or Jihadist says. (not blocking Imam's and Jihadists)
Posted by: Jeremy ||
09/01/2004 19:31 Comments ||
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#21
Gentle shows her true colors by not condemning these terrorists. FOAD islamo-whore.
Islamic officials of Chechnya will support the newly elected Chechen president in his work to achieve peace and stability, the republic's Mufti Akhmad-Khaji Shamayev told Interfax on Monday morning. "He is a courageous general with strong will, who starting from the moment he was elected chairman of the public council for control over the restoration of Chechnya's economy and social sphere, demonstrated that he is also a developed politician, capable of solving complicated economic and organizational issues," Shamayev said. Alkhanov "is a man of honor, his word and duty, which is of great significance for any leader," he said.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
09/01/2004 2:09:27 AM ||
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The United States is urging oil-producing West African states to step up their defences against terrorism amid signs that new groups linked to Al-Qaeda are emerging across the continent, a top US general said yesterday. General Charles Wald, deputy commander of the United States European Command (EUCOM), said key producers had not yet done enough to improve shipping security and protect critical energy infrastructure such as pipelines and offshore rigs from possible terrorist attacks. "We think they need to, we're advising that they do, and we think they need to do it fairly rapidly. Our feeling is they need to step out on this."
Wald was speaking after a trip last week to Nigeria, Angola, Gabon, Sao Tome and Cameroon, accompanied by Republican Chuck Hagel of the Senate foreign relations committee. This region, the Gulf of Guinea, now provides around about 15% of US oil supplies and that share is projected by experts to grow. Worries about security of oil supplies have helped push crude to record highs recently on world markets. Wald was speaking at EUCOM's headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany, from where it oversees an area of responsibility totalling 91 countries and territories, covering all of Europe and most of Africa. As part of a US strategy to help African countries boost their counter-terrorism defences, US special forces have trained local forces in Mali and Mauritania this year in skills such as marksmanship, communications and navigation. A team of 25 marines recently completed an eight-week course in Chad, and has moved on to Niger.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
09/01/2004 1:55:32 AM ||
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And he's probably right ...
Russian President Vladimir Putin linked last week's mid-air destruction of two passenger airliners to the Al-Qaeda network and said it was evidence of international terrorism on Russian soil in Chechnya. "The fact that an international terrorist organization linked to Al-Qaeda took responsibility for the blowing up of two planes shows once again the link between destructive elements in Chechnya and international terrorism," Putin said here. A group calling itself the Islambouli Brigades claimed responsibility in an Internet posting for the downing of the planes and warned they would carry out further operations in the future "to back and assist our brothers in Chechnya."
Putin, flanked by French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, did not say whether he was referring to that group and, if so, whether authorities had independently established ties between that group and Al-Qaeda. Putin said Russia "has fought, is fighting and will continue to fight" separatist rebels in Chechnya, a Russian republic in the Caucasus that has been wracked by war with federal forces for most of the past decade. But he added that Moscow was prepared "to continue dialogue with any forces interested in a political solution in Chechnya," a comment that coincided with remarks published in a newspaper Tuesday from the republic's newly-elected leader.
The United States on Monday slammed the vote a day earlier in Chechnya in which a Kremlin-anointed career police officer was elected to lead the republic and called for an end to human rights abuses there "committed by all parties." The visiting leaders of France and Germany however declined to press Putin on the issue and instead gave him a wide diplomatic berth for dealing with it as he saw fit. "A political solution is necessary and this is what Russia wants," Chirac said of Chechnya. "But a political solution has a limit," he added. "It is a limit that everyone can understand and that no one can seriously contest ... the territorial unity of the Russian Federation".
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
09/01/2004 1:44:41 AM ||
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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.
