Excerpt:
Writing in the Saudi daily Al-Riyadh on April 26, 2004, Abdul Waheed Al-Humaid referred to the attacks of that week in the Saudi capitol Riyadh as unjustifiable terrorism. He explained, however, "if there are people who want to wage Jihad and fight the enemy, there are more than a thousand [legitimate] ways to do so."
Saudi Sheikh Abdallah Al-Muslih, Chairman of the Commission on Scientific Signs in the Koran, Sunna of the Muslim World League, and former Dean of Islamic Law in the Saudi city of Abha appeared on Iqra TV on May 20th, stating that jihad - inside the Kingdom - is not allowed. He also addressed the current debate amongst leading Saudi clerics about suicide bombings against U.S. troops. He cited teachings from Islamic history giving precedents to such actions that as long as soldiers from Dar Al-Harb (countries outside Muslim rule) are targeted, "there is nothing wrong with suicide attacks if they cause great damage to the enemy." Al-Muslih ended by emphasizing, "[When] we speak of [attacks] in Muslim countries, such as Saudi ArabiaâŠthis is forbiddenâŠThis is the land of the Muslims. We must never do this in a Muslim country."
Saudi support of jihad outside the Kingdom and against U.S. troops was recently the subject of a fatwa by 26 leading Saudi religious scholars from the most prominent universities in the Kingdom. According to the fatwa, released in November, killing U.S. soldiers in Iraq is allowed. The fatwa, which came one month before the suicide attack by a Saudi bomber on an American mess hall in Mosul that killed 14 U.S. soldiers, stated: "Fighting the occupiers is a religious dutyâŠIt is a jihad to push back the assailantsâŠResistance is a legitimate right."
Posted by: ed ||
01/06/2005 2:05:24 PM ||
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#1
They've clearly learned nothing from the events of the past few years. Still trying to ship their trouble children abroad to sow their wild oats.
And so they have openly declared themselves. And moved themselves up GWB's To Do list -- to be handled after Iraq's oil production is stabilized.
Dounia Bouzar - one of two woman members of the French Council for the Muslim Religion (CFCM) - has stepped down, complaining that the body is failing to tackle the problems of the country's estimated five million-strong community. "For two years now I have been waiting for discussions to begin, but we never talked about anything. I don't see what qualified people like me are there for," Bouzar said Wednesday - two days after sending in a letter of resignation. "All they talk about is procedures, who gets what positions, and the modalities of the elections which will take place in June," she said. "I do not see why I should continue with a mere walk-on part."
The lady speaks Truth to Power. Hope she doesn't have to go into hiding.
An anthropologist who has written widely on the problems of Muslim integration, Bouzar was appointed to the CFCM shortly after it was created two years ago as the country's first ever officially recognised Muslim body. Bouzar said the CFCM's governing bureau was dominated by men born outside France overly influenced by links with their countries of origin, and that the younger generations of French-born Muslims were unrepresented. "My great regret is that the CFCM did not seize the extraordinary opportunity we had two years ago, when all the conditions were right for creating a new sense of Muslim religious consciousness, adapted to French secularism," she said. "Young Muslims born in France cannot turn to foreign countries to find an answer to the key question - what does it mean to be a Muslim in a secular country - because none of those countries is secular. It was up to the CFCM to start the debate," she said.
The CFCM was established in 2002 at the initiative of former interior minister Nicolas Sarkozy, who felt the government should have a formal point of contact with the growing Muslim population. However it has drawn criticism for giving undue representation to traditionalist Islamic groups with strong links to countries such as Morocco and Saudi Arabia, and not enough to liberal-minded or non-observant members of the community.
Can't put two surprise meters in one story.
Bouzar accused the institution of failing to respond properly to the law banning the Islamic headscarf and other religious symbols in schools, which came into effect in September. "Instead of tackling the basic issue, the CFCM decreed that the headscarf was a religious duty, thus concluding a debate that has not even been decided in Muslim countries. And they did that before calling for the law to be respected," she said. Dalil Boubakeur, the Algerian-born president of the CFCM who is also rector of the main mosque in Paris, said Wednesday that he "regretted" Bouzar's resignation.
The dispute here stems from the Bush Administration's decision, in early 2002, that Taliban and al Qaeda detainees didn't automatically qualify for prisoner of war status. This caused a fuss in some quarters. But it was in accord with the plain language of the original Geneva Conventions, which require POWs to have met certain criteria such as fighting in uniform and not attacking civilians. The Administration understood what critics don't want to admit--namely, that POWs may not be interrogated, period. The Geneva Conventions forbid even positive reinforcement such as better rations to coax them to talk.
This interpretation of the Geneva rules was hardly novel to the Bush Administration. It was a bipartisan consensus in 1987 when Ronald Reagan repudiated a radical document called Protocol 1--the so-called "international law" that the International Committee of the Red Cross now says requires POW status for al Qaeda. The New York Times praised the Gipper at the time for denying "a shield for terrorists," and the Washington Post also editorialized in support.
Posted by: Captain America ||
01/06/2005 12:09:36 AM ||
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Hey, wait a minute, I thought WE were the torturers! Oh, never mind...
A lawyer for one of the detainees at Guantänamo Bay, Cuba, has asked the federal district court here to block the Bush administration from sending the detainee to Egypt, asserting that he would be tortured there.
The motion was filed in November on behalf of the detainee, Mamdouh Habib, and asserts that he was tortured in an Egyptian prison for nearly six months in 2001 before being transferred to Guantänamo. The filing, which was declassified and released on Wednesday, includes details of the alleged torture, based on Mr. Habib's account to his lawyer, Joseph Margulies of Chicago.
It is unclear from the court papers if the American government is planning to transfer him to Egypt, as his lawyer asserts. But the case is one of the rare instances in which the practice known as rendition, in which a prisoner is transferred to the custody of another government, may be openly considered by a federal court.
The administration has given little information about whether or when it engages in the practice, which could violate international law if a government had reason to believe that the government receiving the prisoner might use torture.
The court petition said that while in prison in Egypt Mr. Habib was subjected to regular beatings, electric shocks and attacks by dogs. During his imprisonment, he confessed to several crimes, and his lawyer said that those coerced confessions had been used by American military authorities at Guantänamo to deem Mr. Habib properly detained there as an unlawful enemy combatant.
#1
I guess he prefers our "torture" to their torture? It's also probably harder to sue the Egyptians then the US. Better potential payout too, money as opposed to being found hung in your cell.
#6
Could be the guy is on the level too. I wouldn't put it past the Egyptians to simply round up a couple of the "ususal suspects," beat them silly for a few months, then give them to us afterwards.
Visiting with U.S. troops in Baghdad on Thursday, failed presidential candidate John Kerry trashed Commander-in-chief George Bush for making "horrendous judgments" and "unbelievable blunders" that have undermined the war effort.
In a series of demoralizing comments first reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, the defeated Democrat griped, "What is sad about what's happening here now is that so much of it is a process of catching up from the enormous miscalculations and wrong judgments made in the beginning."
Posted by: Yosemite Sam ||
01/06/2005 12:04:01 PM ||
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Damn... and I was just getting used to not hearing his name or his voice, or having his existence called to mind. I guess it was too much to hope that he would sink back into well-deserved obscurity.
#2
Ata boy. Get the troops demoralized. Then the press will pick up on it, then the people here will hear it and push to have the troops brought back, so that what they did is for nothing.
Then we can have that Vietnam he kept saying we were going to have. He dose'nt care about the soldiers. Just making everyone else look wrong.
At least this time, the soldiers, know he lyed last time, which means he will do it again, to get his way.
#3
Few troops will be demoralized by this lizard's laments. But domesticly, it is another demonstration that the Democrats are dysfunctional. Babs Boxer's ballot showboating and the Gonzales hearings are further demonstrations that the Democrats are simply not to be taken seriously.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
01/06/2005 12:33 Comments ||
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I'm trying to understand what is so unique and egregious about these "horrendous judgments" and "unbelievable blunders" that I should even pay attention to what this idiot and his enablers say, much less work myself into an indignant fit at the administration and/or military personnel who allegedly screwed up.
Would some kind and indulgent Democratic partisan please help me out here by citing oh, say, a dozen or so examples of wars in which "horrendous judgments" and "unbelievable blunders" were **NOT** committed, wars which show how everything can and should go "right" in battle? Any wars will do: ours or somebody else's, ancient or modern, doesn't matter.
Yeah, mistakes were made. Things didn't go according to plan. So what?
Churchill (I think it was him) once said something to the effect that "War is a series of catastrophes leading to victory." Kerry and his Democrats ought to stop pretending otherwise.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
01/06/2005 12:39 Comments ||
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Dave D - The Dems can't; their series of catastrophes has led to defeat. :-D
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
01/06/2005 12:49 Comments ||
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Not to worry you will hear less and less of the Junior Senator from Mass. He will return to his quiet position in Teddy's shadow. The Dems are pretty quick to cast off their loosers and thus he will never get another shot a running for Pres., again.
#8
I only hope he made this in the presence of the troops. That way it will be especially damning. The Dems are still trying to play to some poll number, never mind we had the most important poll and they lost.
#10
I dunno Mrs Davis....too many Dems see defeat as their best, quickest path back to power, and too many are acting on this belief. They are a party morphed into a 5th column and are therefore very dangerous.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
01/06/2005 13:52 Comments ||
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#11
I like that "a party morphed into a fifth column", but if they can't win elections in any great numbers, I fail to see the danger.
And if they can win elections with this idiocy, I'm inclined to think we deserve the results.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
01/06/2005 13:55 Comments ||
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Correct they don't win...haven't been, hence their 'morphing', they don't have a choice. They're rotting this country from within, destroying our institutions that sustain us. Look at our courts and our schools. They've already done enormous damage.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
01/06/2005 14:16 Comments ||
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#14
Just wondering if he was in combat gear. He would look great. Hey did you ever notice the likeness of the NE Patriots logo on their helmet resembles the Senator. Hilarious. Boy SC football, If you watched did you, like me, want to rip the heart out of that halftime show and shove it down somebodies throat. It got booed and then the crowed walked.
Kerry is just trying to help an armed enemy of the United States, a habit he picked up back in the early 70s.
John Kerry, like most liberals, love dead Americans and live enemies of the USA, and if they can scare enough folks, they can inflict a defeat on the USA.
All in the name of that mental disease called humanitarianism.
#20
I wonder if Captain Nuance took this opportunity to explain to our senior commanders in Baghdad his "plan" for Iraq -- you know, the one he kept referring to before the election and that we haven't heard a thing about since. Let's check the milblogs for any reports about American officers rolling on the floor in convulsive laughter.
Posted by: Matt ||
01/06/2005 16:00 Comments ||
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#21
Does he have the Super 8 with him? Potential Purple Heart territory over there. Might need it for 2008, which he's already making noise about.
Posted by: Matt ||
01/06/2005 16:31 Comments ||
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#24
Y'know, I used to read Livy or Thucydides and come across stories of some Senator or Assembly member who was sympathetic to the Carthagineans or the Spartans and just chalk it up to a politics in a less enlightened age. Thank you John Kerry for helping me understand an ancient phenomena in a modern context.
#30
Do we have to let him back ito the country? Do we have to let him leave Iraq? Willhe get driven past a IED before he leaves? There are so many wonderful things trhat can happen in a war zone. How come they can't happen to this turd?
(CNSNews.com) - An Islamic advocacy group wants the Bush administration to clarify whether American Muslims participating in this year's Hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca, will be fingerprinted or singled out for special security measures based on their participation in the annual religious pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.
"Yes, next question, please."
The Council on American-Islamic Relations has set up a "Hajji Hotline" and a downloadable incident report form for Muslims who believe their constitutional rights are being violated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials, CAIR announced in a press release.
CAIR said it decided to act, after receiving reports that American Muslim citizens had been singled out for security checks and fingerprinting when they attended a recent Islamic conference in Canada. "Several of the Muslim detainees told CAIR they objected strenuously to being fingerprinted, but were informed by CBP (Customs/Border Patrol) representatives that 'you have no rights' and that they would be held until they agreed to the fingerprinting procedure," CAIR said. An agency spokesperson later admitted that the Muslim citizens were fingerprinted because of their participation in the Canadian conference, said CAIR, which is calling for an investigation of that incident.
CAIR said it has repeatedly requested clarification from the Department of Homeland Security and the CBP, but "no clear response has been given as to whether mere participation in Islamic religious activities is now being viewed as 'probable cause' for increased security checks or forced fingerprinting of U.S. citizens."
CAIR's Legal Director Arsalan Iftikhar said he wants answers to the following questions:
1. Under what U.S. law(s) are border and customs agents given broad authority or discretion to fingerprint and detain American citizens with the threat of arrest for noncompliance?
2. If fingerprinting and detention are refused by an American citizen, what are the legal repercussions of such a refusal?
3. Does mere attendance at an Islamic conference constitute sufficient 'probable cause' of a criminal act to justify a detention which could be legally tantamount to an arrest?
CAIR describes its mission as enhancing understanding of Jihad Islam, encouraging seething dialogue, protecting terrorists civil liberties, empowering jihadis American Muslims, and building terrorist coalitions that attack promote justice and mutual understanding.
Posted by: Steve ||
01/06/2005 9:01:48 AM ||
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#1
Answers:
U.S. Immogration Law. Patriot Act. Comment Sense.
Arrest and questing.
Does a bear shit in the woods? Being part if CAIR is also 'probable cause'.
#4
The moment the have a middle aged, balding, anglo terrorists, I will gladly submit to ANYTHING the CBP deems necessary to national security. Thus far most of the terrorists seem to include a high number of muslims, common sense dictates that we give these people a closer look.
#5
Yesterday I had a post about the closing of the British Embassy in Yemen due to terror threats, on the very same day that the British Hajj Delagation departed for hajj courtesy of Her Royal Majesty's government.
#6
I had to be fingerprinted to work for the Army. Over 30 years ago! How much you want to bet they are still on file with the FBI? Gee, I feel my civi rights are being violated - I shake with fear that they are going to come after me - how can I sleep at nights?
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
01/06/2005 12:18 Comments ||
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#8
Might I suggest (under psuedonym from my usual moniker) that we all download dozens and dozens of these complaint forms, and then have a little online party filling them out? I remember at university the lefties taking postage-paid envelopes and filling them with shaved bricks. Perhaps we could offer CIAR our own equivalent.
#14
Postage prepaid gets paid when the return mail gets delivered. For example, they'd cadge return mailers from Moral Majority. Fitted with a thin slice of brick or similar heavy material, MM ended up with a substantial postal charge. It's probably illegal, but why not find a similar way to force CAIR to deal with a multiple of not-quite-solid complaints, enough that they have to waste a lot of time sorting out the bad ones.
Press 1 for a low simmer
Press 2 for shrieking
Press 3 for shrieking and shooting
Press 4 for out of ammunition
Press # if you are part of the Arab Street
#19
I got a prepaid envelope from the NYT so I could send back my request for a subscription. They got a very PASSIONED response from me in a one page letter explaining why I would never read a paper that continues to believe its own bile: "all the news that is fit to print. And they had to pay for the stamp!
The White House appears to be dreading today's confirmation hearings for Alberto Gonzales now that Democrats seem ready to blame the Attorney General nominee for Abu Ghraib and other detainee mistreatment. But this is actually a great chance for the Administration to do itself, and the cause of fighting terror, some good by forcefully repudiating all the glib and dangerous abuse of the word "torture."
The writer's referring to the sloppy habit of including any sort of rough treatment in the category of torture. Read up on Johnny Jihad, for example.
For what's at stake in this controversy is nothing less than the ability of U.S. forces to interrogate enemies who want to murder innocent civilians. And the Democratic position, Mr. Gonzales shouldn't be afraid to say, amounts to a form of unilateral disarmament that is likely to do far more harm to civil liberties than anything even imagined so far. The dispute here stems from the Bush Administration's decision, in early 2002, that Taliban and al Qaeda detainees didn't automatically qualify for prisoner of war status. This caused a fuss in some quarters. But it was in accord with the plain language of the original Geneva Conventions, which require POWs to have met certain criteria such as fighting in uniform and not attacking civilians. The Administration understood what critics don't want to admit—namely, that POWs may not be interrogated, period. The Geneva Conventions forbid even positive reinforcement such as better rations to coax them to talk.
These are rules which have been largely ignored by our adversaries in the wars of the pasty 50 years, we might point out.
This interpretation of the Geneva rules was hardly novel to the Bush Administration. It was a bipartisan consensus in 1987 when Ronald Reagan repudiated a radical document called Protocol 1—the so-called "international law" that the International Committee of the Red Cross now says requires POW status for al Qaeda. The New York Times praised the Gipper at the time for denying "a shield for terrorists," and the Washington Post also editorialized in support.
They're better at theory than at practice...
Viewed in light of that history, it was natural—and law-abiding—that in March 2002 the CIA asked the White House for guidance on permissible interrogation techniques, frustrated that the likes of al Qaeda operations chief Abu Zubaydah were refusing to give up information. Thus was born the misleadingly labeled "torture" memo, which did indeed discuss the outer limits of what the CIA might be able to do. But to do otherwise—to not be "forward-leaning" as Mr. Gonzales is reported to have put it—would have been irresponsible of an executive branch whose primary duty is to defend the homeland. Remember, this was not long after the 9/11 and anthrax attacks, and there were (and still are) real fears of dirty bombs, smallpox and even actual nuclear weapons. Remember also that well-known liberals like Alan Dershowitz were going even further and suggesting judge-issued "torture warrants."
Dershowitz is a liberal, and true to form, so he was forming his opinion based on emotion...
And so things rolled along, successfully and uncontroversially, as interrogations of Zubaydah and other al Qaeda detainees played an invaluable part in helping round up the group's leadership, including the likes of 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and Ramzi bin al Shibh.
At this point the Left will step forward and announce that the captures of KSM and Ramzi bin were Pak operations, so we didn't have anything to do with it, so we should have left that nice Mr. Abu Zubaydah alone. The fact that any operation might be driven by U.S. intel is irrelevant. And where are those WMDs?
Then the Abu Ghraib scandal broke early last election year, and documents like the "torture" memo were leaked and alleged to have somehow "set the tone" or "created the climate" for what happened.
Liberals are very sensitive to setting tones and creating climates, especially when there's a chilling effect to be found...
The charge was absurd from the get-go. This was an internal discussion, not a policy directive; only a handful of people were even aware of it; and it was about al Qaeda, not Iraq. And, sure enough, former Defense Secretary Jim Schlesinger's later report found the Abu Ghraib abuses not only bore no resemblance to any interrogation method contemplated for Iraqi prisoners, they weren't related to interrogations at all. It was sick behavior by individuals on the "night shift." Mr. Schlesinger concluded that the overall rate of mistreatment in Afghanistan and Iraq appears to be far lower than in past conflicts. As for al Qaeda, let us describe the most coercive interrogation technique that was ever actually authorized. It's called "water-boarding," and it involves strapping a detainee down, wrapping his face in a wet towel and dripping water on it to produce the sensation of drowning. Is that "torture"?
I'd say it is. But I'd also add that there's a fallacy that consists of taking the worst case and setting it as the norm.
The MSM hasn't reported it yet, but Rush and NRO report Teddy stepped into this issue: At the Gonzales hearing this morning: On "water-boarding," Senator Kennedy, I kid you not, actually said that "as a human being," he would have been "offended" by something that could have caused "drowning." Teddy knows drowning when he see's it.
It is pushing the boundary of tolerable behavior, but we are told it is also used to train U.S. pilots in case they are shot down and captured. More to the critics' apparent point, is it immoral, or unjustified, in the cause of preventing another mass casualty attack on U.S. soil? By all means let's have a debate; Mr. Gonzales should challenge a few Democrats to categorically renounce it and tell us what techniques they would tolerate instead.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/06/2005 8:45:33 AM ||
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#1
I tired of these jackass's like GENERAL-ly wrong) Wesley Clark, stating that
-we must stick to the Geneva Convention.
-we must fall under the U.N. mandate
-we must pick roses for the terrorists
-we must hand out chocolate to the terrorists
-we must not hurt their Moronaic Koranic soft and supple feeeeelings.
The Geneva Convention is for an uniformed enemy, not terrorists. The Geneva Convention is NOT for terrorists that dump their AK's and RPG's in the trash can when the Marine's show up, so they can kill a GI another day. The argument is that we, the target, must not stooooop to a lower level than the terrorists. Well, I'd rather stooooop to a lower level than be lowered into a 6ft hole. All these people who think we can win the terrorists hearts and minds, needs to have their hearts and minds checked by a psychiatrist.
#2
How can there even be questioning from the left on this issue. It is no strange coinkidink that there have been no major terrorist attacks on US targets since 9/11 and that many of the Al Qaeda players have been arrested or whacked. To afford AQ thugs the Geneva Convention while they are free to behead their "detainees" is horse $%#@! If we are not allowed to interogate overtly, then we should drop these scumbags off in Colombia, Jordan or Israel. Free tooth drilling from Dr. Cavity.
#3
I agree with whoever said this is a win for the GOP and a loss for the donks. Donks preach to the choir as their congregation, not wanting their children to die in another terrorist attack, heads for the door.
#4
Amen 2b! I forget who took the poll when the Abu Grahib thing broke but most of Americans approved of the âtortureâ techniques used by the CIA/Military. If playing some Molly Hatchet gets Abu Jihadi to give up some names, places, etc. I say go for it. Also if we have a big fish and he lacks communications skill, I quote a politician by saying: âRed is positive and Black is negative.â
#5
I nominate Orange Bowl Queen -- Ashlee Simpson --for the next installment of the Torture Tapes, available on LKADA records now, at your local records dealer.
Posted by: Captain America ||
01/06/2005 11:11 Comments ||
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#6
Like Ashlee sez: "I wanna hear you scream!"
Posted by: Dar ||
01/06/2005 11:15 Comments ||
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Like the Orange Bowl crowd replied: "Boooooooooo!"
"Soon after the Afghanistan fighting began, Army interrogators realized that their part in the war on terror was not going according to script. Pentagon doctrine, honed in the Cold War, held that 95% of prisoners would break upon straightforward questioning. But virtually no al Qaeda and Taliban detainee was giving up information -- not in response to direct questioning, and not in response to army-approved psychological gambits for prisoners of war.
If your theory doesn't work in practice, you should probably revise your theory...
Some al Qaeda fighters had received resistance training, which taught that Americans were strictly limited in how they could question prisoners. Failure to cooperate, they had learned, carried no penalties and certainly no risk of torture -- a sign, al Qaeda said, of American weakness. Even if a prisoner had not previously studied U.S. detention policies, he soon figured them out. "It became very clear very early on to the detainees that the Americans were just going to have them sit there," explains an Afghanistan interrogator. "They realized: 'The Americans will give us our Holy Book, they'll draw lines on the floor showing us where to pray, we'll get three meals a day with fresh fruit . . . we can wait them out.'" Traditional appeals to a prisoner's emotions, such as playing on his love of family or life, had little effect. "The jihadists would tell you, 'I've divorced this life, I don't care about my family,'" recalls an interrogator at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Frustrated interrogators across the globe concluded that their best hope for getting information was to recreate the "shock of capture" -- that vulnerable mental state when a prisoner is most uncertain and most likely to respond to questioning. Many argued for a calibrated use of "stress techniques" -- prolonged questioning that would cut into a detainee's sleep schedule, for example, or making a prisoner kneel or stand. A crack interrogator from Afghanistan explains the psychological effect of stress: "Let's say a detainee comes into the interrogation booth and he's had resistance training. He knows that I'm completely handcuffed and that I can't do anything to him. If I throw a temper tantrum, lift him onto his knees, and walk out, you can feel his uncertainty level rise dramatically. He's been told: 'They won't physically touch you,' and now you have. The point is not to beat him up but to introduce the reality into his mind that he doesn't know where your limit is." Grabbing someone by the top of the collar has had a more profound effect on the outcome of questioning than any actual torture could have, this Army reservist maintains. "The guy knows: You just broke your own rules, and that's scary." Full commentary requires WSJ subscription
Posted by: Captain America ||
01/06/2005 12:30:06 AM ||
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#3
If I was in charge down there, I would cut off their fingers one by one, telling them they will have trouble opening the Koran with fingerless stubs...unless they start giving us useful info. Not only that, I would drag a few of their buddies in, and stick the fingers up their noses, and tell them there is plenty more where that came from. We have never fought an enemy that conducted themselves in accordance with Geneva, and I doubt we ever will. The Islamo-scums have been executing every American they get their filthy paws on. The World hates us anyway, so why not give the World, and these scumbags something to really cry about.
#4
The most important thing to do is to protect our forces, especially our spooks, from the enemy: terrorists, their allies in the press, and the left.
I would make it a theatre-wide order that no names of new detainees are to be written down until the CIA gets their shot first. When and if they come back from CIA custody, then those prisoners' names can be released to the press so the MSM can mourn their capture.
The Marine charged with desertion after he claimed to have been kidnapped last year in Iraq was again declared a deserter Wednesday after he failed to return from a holiday leave. Cpl. Wassef Ali Hassoun was required to return to Camp Lejeune by noon Tuesday, but did not report for duty in a motor pool, said Maj. Matt Morgan, a spokesman for the 4th Marine Expeditionary Brigade. Hassoun was still missing at 3 p.m. Wednesday, Morgan said. Hassoun's command "officially declared him a deserter and issued authorization for civil authorities to apprehend Hassoun and return him to military control," Morgan said.
Mazen Hassoun, the corporal's brother, said from his West Jordan, Utah, home that he was surprised by the latest accusation. He said he had not heard from his brother but was awaiting a call from him. Cpl. Hassoun was listed as missing in Iraq after he failed to report for duty June 20. A week later, the Arabic news network Al-Jazeera broadcast a photo of Hassoun looking as if he were a hostage, blindfolded and with a sword behind his head.
Hassoun contacted American officials in Beirut, Lebanon, on July 8, and was taken to the American Embassy there. He has made one statement since returning to the United States, saying he was captured and held against his will by anti-coalition forces. He has declined interview requests. Hassoun was charged last month with desertion, theft, loss of government property and wrongful appropriation of a government vehicle. The desertion count carries a five-year maximum prison sentence and the other counts carry 10-year maximums. The corporal's hearing on the Iraq desertion charge has been delayed until Jan. 13 to allow Hassoun to hire a civilian lawyer to assist his military attorneys.
Posted by: tipper ||
01/06/2005 12:39:26 AM ||
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Well, yesterday Steve posted that NBC had "tracked" Hassoun to Canada and then to Lebanon. Sooo...
Looks like he won't be needing his military attorney anymore, much less a civilian one. Gee, ya think the delay "to hire a civilian lawyer" was a ruse? Who'da thunk it?
#2
Fox News reporting Hassoun's ATM card was used in Canada and several hours later (flight time) in Lebanon. Apparently, his American passport was left in Iraq when he went missing, the government has that. But he also has a valid Lebanese passport. Guess he used that. They also report that his wife left for Lebanon yesterday, her visa ran out. His family in Lebanon is supposted to be wealthy and providing him with protection.
Fox also reported that the Syrians want to talk to Hassoun, something about how he got to Lebanon from Iraq without the Syrian goverment knowing about it. Yeah, right. More likely they want to shut him up. Reportedly, the Syrians firebombed one of his families houses. Developing.
Posted by: Steve ||
01/06/2005 8:46 Comments ||
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From CNN: Investigators have found evidence that Hassoun has fled the United States for Lebanon, where he turned up in July after his disappearance from an American base in western Iraq, Pentagon officials told CNN. Hassoun's family told military officials that he had left Utah, where he was on leave, four days before he was to return to Camp Lejeune.
But Hassoun is now believed to have taken money out of the bank and changed his flight destination from North Carolina to Canada, where he booked a flight to Lebanon, where he was born and has relatives, Marine Corps officials said.
Marine officials said Wednesday that he was not believed to be a flight risk because he had turned himself in after initially disappearing from Iraq. In addition, the Marines had let him go on leave to Utah two times before he was charged, and he had shown no sign that he would try to flee.
Military investigators charged him with desertion and theft of government property -- a military vehicle and his service weapons -- after U.S. troops found his civilian passport, military ID card and uniform during the siege of Falluja in November.
Posted by: Steve ||
01/06/2005 9:29 Comments ||
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#4
good riddance. Don't let the screen door hit ya and thanks for saving me the tax dollars on your prison cell.
Marine officials said Wednesday that he was not believed to be a flight risk because he had turned himself in after initially disappearing from Iraq. In addition, the Marines had let him go on leave to Utah two times before he was charged, and he had shown no sign that he would try to flee.
With these Middle Eastern types, never make assumptions and never, EVER, let your guard down.
#11
It was only a matter of time before this idiot went over the hill again. I would have loved to have been on that first investigation of how/why he got kidnapped in Iraq and ended up in Lebanon no worse for the wear. If he does get caught, shoot him.
[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations*] "It was really distressing picking up dead bodies from destroyed homes, especially children. It is the most depressing situation I have ever been in since the war started," Dr Rafa'ah al-Iyssaue, director of the main hospital in Fallujah city, some 60 km west of Baghdad, told IRIN. The hospital emergency team has recovered more than 700 bodies from rubble where houses and shops once stood, according to al-Iyssaue. He added that more than 550 were women and children. He said a very small number of men were found in these places and most were elderly. Doctors at the hospital claim that many bodies had been found in a mutilated condition, some without legs or arms. Two babies were found at their homes and are believed to have died from malnutrition, according to a specialist at the hospital.
Al-Iyssaue added these numbers were only from nine neighbourhoods of the city and that 18 others had not yet been reached, as they were waiting for help from the Iraqi Red Crescent Society (IRCS) to make it easier for them to enter. He explained that many of the dead had been already buried by civilians from the Garma and Amirya districts of Fallujah after approval from US-led forces nearly three weeks ago, and those bodies had not been counted. IRCS officials told IRIN they needed more time to give an accurate death toll, adding that the city was completely uninhabitable. Ministry of Health officials told IRIN they were in the process of investigating the number of deaths, but claimed that a very small number of women and children were killed, contrary to what doctors in Fallujah had said. They added they were working together with the US-led forces to rehabilitate the health system inside the city.
Residents who have returned to their homes after waiting for hours to enter the city found that most of their homes had been totally destroyed by the fighting which started nearly a month ago between the US-led forces and insurgents who are said to be under the control of Abu-Mussab al-Zarqawi, a Jordanian terrorist wanted by the Iraqi government. "I've been here for more than six hours and until now could not enter the city, even after the fighting finished in our area. There is no respect for civilians," Samirah al-Jumaili, a mother of seven, told IRIN.
The situation in Fallujah was still not clear. According to Col. Clark Mathew, spokesman for the US Marines, night time attacks continued in some areas of the city. US forces have informed residents not to leave their homes after the imposed curfew of 1800 to 0600. Mathew explained that most attacks were in areas where US troops have bases in order to secure the city, but added that by the end of this month the situation should be under control and that the reconstruction of Fallujah would then begin. "We hope that very soon reconstruction of Fallujah will start and families will feel a new life," Mathew added.
"The US troops are saying that soon Fallujah will be rebuilt. I believe that this city won't offer a minimum of living conditions until another year has passed. I am still searching for what they have been calling democracy," Muhammad Kubaissy, a civilian from Fallujah, told IRIN. His home and two shops were destroyed in the fighting. "They came to bring us freedom, but all Iraqis are now prisoners in their own homes," he added. "It is impossible to live in Fallujah. There is no water, electricity or sewage treatment. Even hospitals cannot afford the minimum of security for all families of the city. We don't have enough medicine and you can feel the bad smell of bodies in the air," al-Iyssaue added.
Residents of Fallujah have been asking the Iraqi government to allow journalists and TV reporters to enter the city in order to show the reality. The government will only allow journalists to visit with a special identity card, saying it is for their own safety. Many journalists have been turned away from Fallujah after not receiving authorisation from US-troops guarding the city. "We need someone here to show the reality of Fallujah. Even when some journalists are here they are being followed by the Marines. We need someone to help us. The world should see the real picture of Fallujah," Sheikh Abbas al-Zubeiny told IRIN. [*]But we won't let that stop us from publishing it.
Posted by: Anonymoose ||
01/06/2005 8:51:42 AM ||
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IAEA chief Mohammed ElBaradei yesterday warned the United States against spying on the UN atomic agency saying it would be a blow to "multilateralism and the United Nations system as we know it."
Oh please, oh please, oh please, oh please ...
US President George W Bush's administration has listened in on phone calls between ElBaradei and Iranian diplomats, seeking ammunition to oust him as head of the UN watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), The Washington Post had reported in December. The US wants ElBaradei replaced at the crucial Vienna-based agency believing he is a candy-ass not being tough enough on Iran accused by Washington of hiding a covert nuclear weapons programme, diplomats said. ElBaradei said he had only read the Press reports and knew no more about the reported eavesdroping but "if it were true of course it would bother me a lot. If it were true obviously it's something which is a major violation of our right to independence," he said, adding "our independence is the key to our success, to our credibility."
And since he has neither ...
"If you tamper with our independence, you really tamper with the whole fabric of multilaterialism and the UN system as we know it," ElBaradei said. The White House has refused to comment on the report that the US had spied on ElBaradei. But US government spokesman Scott McClellan reiterated in December the US opposition to awarding 62-year-old ElBaradei, a third term as IAEA chief, when his current term expires in November. ElBaradei is the only candidate for the next IAEA director general's term.
Again, big mistake. Find a friendly Canadian physicist.
I'd rather see us just veto the selection. Let the UN find somebody to please us. That's the way the Arabs do it, isn't it?
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/06/2005 12:16:25 AM ||
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#5
I think our spying was akin to sending him a note suggesting that his mistress should get treatment for venereal disease. As a "friendly" suggestion.
#6
I think that this is just stupid reporting, lol! We're spying on the Iranians, of course, and who should pop up? Elwanker. Basically, unless there is bona-fide collusion, which I figure he and the Mad Mullahs would work out when he's in-country - "inspecting" things - not over the phone, he's just in the way - not worthy of NSA attention, lol! I have no doubt he's jealous of Blixie's deal with France, Russia, and Belgium. The Mad Mullahs only have money to offer - no chateau in Provence, caviar, or Godiva bon-bons - and they're penny-pinching tightwads... just ask Hezbollah, heh.
#3
Granted, Raman is a U.N. worshiping idiotic flunky. Other than that, he also slams the Muslim killers in Thailand. Sort of a glass, half full, you know!
Jordan urged that Iraqi elections proceed as scheduled and called on all Iraqis to seize a "golden opportunity" and go to the polls Jan. 30 to elect an assembly that will write a constitution. Jordan had previously backed postponing the elections, but Jordanian Foreign Minister Hani al-Mulqi opened a meeting Thursday of foreign ministers of Iraq's neighbors by urging there be no delay in the landmark ballot. "From this podium, I call on all factions of the Iraqi people, young and old, men and women, to go to the polls to choose their representatives and draw their own future," Al-Mulqi said. Failing to do that "will leave the door open for others to choose for them." The vote, he said, is "a golden opportunity for all Iraqi men and women to contribute to putting Iraq on the right track, to build the state of law and return security and stability." In communiques, the foreign ministers agreed to "respect" the "principles of noninterference in (Iraq's) internal affairs" and said they "stood strongly behind the interim government." They also condemned all terrorist attacks in Iraq.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/06/2005 8:32:58 PM ||
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#1
I'd let all Baathists vote too..."step into the cargo container...no pushing"
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/06/2005 21:05 Comments ||
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Posted by: ed ||
01/06/2005 14:07 ||
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#1
Why the absence of movies on the current war? Jack Valenti, then-head of the Motion Picture Association of America, once replied with questions of his own:
"Who would you have as the enemy if you made a picture about terrorism? Youâd probably have Muslims, would you not? If you did, I think there would be backlash from the decent, hard-working, law-abiding Muslim community in this country."
Thatâs what some call a pre-emptive cringe. Others call it dhimmitude.
#2
Since when has Hollywood balked at making decent, hard working, law abiding communities the enemies in its films? Never before. Hollywood's favourite villains: Russians, Germans, Englishmen. Are members of these communities indecent, lazy and lawless? Let me rephrase that: are members of these communities less decent, hard-working and law-abiding than Muslims? Hollywood is packed full of lying, terrified, hypocrites.
#4
Getting a quality screen play done that can pack them in is not easy. Talent is hard. Man I watched the Aviator and wanted to kill myself. I should have known though, I mean Howard Hughs going nuts, Duh!
But take a look at the holliday flicks and how lame it was. And I don't see anything that compels me and I love the big screen. You could really stiff the French though and Americans would get it, I think.
#7
Hey Silent Brick I think Oliver Martinez was supposed to be French in Unfaithful. The Chef from the Little Mermaid was a little off as well, quite possibly French.
#8
Silentbrick - The (not gonna spell this right) Merovingian in the Matrix movies was French...
And on the Lilo & Stitch cartoon series there is a tiny evil overlord bunny who has an obvious French accent.
Posted by: Laurence of the Rats ||
01/06/2005 16:12 Comments ||
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#9
LOTR - I dont think he was actually french. I think he only took the french accent because 'Swearing in French is like wiping your ass with silk...'.
I am not sure about this - only saw Matrix Reloaded once (which was enough).
On Dec. 21, a terrorist blew himself up in the U.S. military mess hall in Mosul, in northern Iraq. Twenty-two people were killed, including U.S. soldiers and contractors. And now comes big news: The perpetrator was the oldest son of a diplomat from the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, our alleged ally in the War on Terror. On Monday, the Saudi-owned daily Asharq Al-Awsat identified the butcher responsible: 20-year old Ahmad Sayyid Ahmad al-Ghamdi, a Saudi medical student.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: ed ||
01/06/2005 2:10:23 PM ||
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#1
Confuscious sez: "You gotta enough oil reserves, you ain't held responsible for much."
#4
Instead, 26 prominent Saudi clerics, most of them paid by the regime, signed a fatwa on Nov. 5 calling for continued jihad against the United States and the new military and police structures in Iraq. None of the signatories â all of them adherents of Wahhabism, the official Islamic sect in Saudi Arabia â has been questioned or suspended from religious duties since the fatwa was issued.
Since the official Islamic sect in Saudi Arabia is Wahhabism and they condone violence against the U.S., are not the Arabs our enemies?
Posted by: John Q. ||
01/06/2005 15:00 Comments ||
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#5
In Friedman's book Secret War he describes the invasion of Iraq not in terms of defeating Saddam but more in terms of establishing a new American Base of operations in the Middle East. This Base or Al Qaeda depending on your dialect is to continue the pressure on Syria and Iran regarding their WMD crusade and to establish a "democracy" in the arab sense. This base of operations will do 4 things.
1. Remove an ongoing threat to the US security, Saddam.
2. Keep the pressure on Syria and Iran. Tough to manuever and hide WMD with a superpower in your backyard.
3. Pressure Saudi Arabia to definatively crack down on the militants, reform their government and shut down the salafist pulpits spewing out these violent jihadists.
4. If plan #3 fails a new source of oil from Iraq which we could invest in and possibly extract cheaper then Saudi Arabian oil. This in turn would dry up some of the money available to fund jihadist activities worldwide.
A leader of Awami Swechchhasebak League and an alleged criminal were killed in 'crossfire' during a shootout between a criminal gang and a joint team of anticrime forces Cobra and Cheetah in Gulshan of the capital early yesterday. The victims are Shangkar alias Kishore, 35, sports secretary of Gulshan thana unit of Swechchhasebak League, and Aslam alias Kashai Aslam. Police said the members of Cobra and Cheetah arrested the two on Tuesday and took the arrestees to an empty plot at Rasulbagh under Gulshan Police Station early yesterday after they admitted that they had hidden firearms there.
Just to repeat, Cobra and Cheetah took the bad guys to a empty plot under the Gulshan police station where the bad guys said thay had hid guns.
"As the joint team reached the spot at about 3:30am, 10 to 12 criminals opened fire on them, forcing the police to retaliate.
At 3:30 in the morning, there was a dozen hoods hiding out under the cop shop. They opened up on the coppers who wuz searching for the hidden stash of guns
During the exchange of shots, Sangkar and Aslam sustained bullets when they tried to escape from captivity," said Faruq Ahmed, deputy commissioner of the Detective Branch.
The classic "Shot while trying to escape"
Both the injured were declared dead after they were taken to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH). Seven bullets pierced through Sangkar's forehead, chest and other parts of his body while Aslam received one bullet in the head.
Let me guess, behind the ear?
Seven time in the forehead, chest, and other parts of the body, at 3.30 a.m., in the dark...
Clearly the fella who did the shootin' wasn't trained by Hek ...
Assistant Sub-Inspector of police AB Siddique and constables Rafiq and Jahangir also suffered injuries during the shootout, the police claimed. The law-enforcers seized one revolver, two bullets, one used bullet and 65 bottles of Phensidyle from the spot after the incident.
"seized one revolver": commonly called a "plant"
... that was used to bump the guy off at 3.30 a.m. in a vacant lot in the dark...
Was it a .38 Police Special? ...
A team of Cobra had nabbed Aslam, accused in two murder cases, from Mirpur at about 8:00pm on Tuesday. Following his confessional statement, a Cobra-Cheetah joint team arrested Sangkar at Mohakhali at about 10:30pm. A police press release said Sangkar also was a listed criminal and accused in more than one criminal cases. During a visit to the area yesterday morning this correspondent found Sangkar lying in a pool of blood with his hands still inside the pockets of his pant.
I always keep my hands in my pockets while trying to escape.
General Secretary of Swechchhasebak League Pankaj Debnath told The Daily Star that Sangkar was an active leader of the organisation. "He was not a criminal. The cases filed against him are political ones," he said.
Another version: Two suspected terrorists were killed in an 'encounter' anti-crime units with Cheetah and Cobra, in the city in the small hours of yesterday. Police recovered arms and ammunition from their possession. The deceased were identified as Shankar alias Kishor (30), a ward leader of Gulshan Thana Awami Sechhasebok League, son of Jugol Chandra Shil hailing from Godnail in Narayanganj and his accomplice Aslam alias Kasai Aslam. Earlier, a squad of Cobra, a special team of detective branch, acting on a tip off arrested Aslam from Mirpur Thana area at around 8 pm on Tuesday. Following Aslam's confessional statement the Cobra team arrested Shankar from Nihal Hotel near Royal Petrol Pump at Mohakhali area at around 10.30 pm the same day. According to police, following the criminals confessional statement a joint team of Cheetah and Cobra along with Shankar and Aslam went out for Rasulbagh at Mohakhali under Gulshan police station to nab their accomplices and recover arms and ammunition.
Maybe they mean "under juristriction of Gulshan police"
When they reached the area at around 3.30 am yesterday the accomplices of the listed criminals fired upon the police personnel. They instantly fired back. Both the criminals received bullet injuries. But the associates of the criminals managed to flee. Police recovered a .32 bore revolver, two rounds of bullet and 65 bottles of phensydil from the spot. The bodies of the criminals were sent to the Emergency Department of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) where they succumbed to their injuries at around 4.30 am yesterday. Shankar was accused in seven criminal cases including three murders under Tejgaon and Gulshan police stations while Aslam was wanted in two murder cases. Quoting the criminals police said, Shankar and Aslam confessed that they were drug and arms traders.
My sympathy meter hasn't stirred, but I'd definitely give it a cackle factor of 7.5...
Posted by: Steve ||
01/06/2005 10:17:43 AM ||
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#1
I know a few "former" Crossfire hosts who are available to help in this matter: Tucker, Carville, Novak, etc.
Posted by: Captain America ||
01/06/2005 10:43 Comments ||
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#2
the story seems plausible to me....
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/06/2005 11:26 Comments ||
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Time Magazine named it "one of the most amazing inventions of 2004," but to terrorists in Iraq it may be the scariest. By April, GIs in Iraq will be deploying 18 robots so small they could almost crawl between your legs. But don't let size fool you; these motorized midgets pack a powerful punch. They can fire anything from a light machine gun to a six-barreled 40 millimeter grenade launcher or multiple rocket systems.
The Sword is the first armed variant of a track-wheeled robot developed by Foster-Miller of Waltham, Massachusetts called the TALON. That machine proved itself in Bosnia, Afghanistan, and Iraq in removing mines and other explosives. TALON robots have now completed more than 20,000 such missions and I was proud to find Internet photos of my former unit using them to protect Afghans.
The robo-warrior version has no independent capabilities like a T1 Terminator; rather it uses an outside operator with a viewing screen and joystick control. And like its flying cousin the Predator, its main job isn't killing but reconnaissance. Swords can be equipped with off-the-shelf chemical, gas, temperature, and radiation sensors. They carry up to seven cameras of any combination including thermal, night vision, zooms, and wide area.
But like the Predator, when opportunity strikes it can too.
No offense to the skill of our fighting men, but Swords are far better shots. That's because in the fear and confusion of a firefight, virtually no one remains as composed as on a firing range. In Vietnam, it took about 50,000 rounds to kill a single enemy. The Sword reduces that to something much closer to the sniper's motto of: "One shot, one kill," because the operator is hidden anywhere from 200 to 1,000 meters away. He can coolly pick out targets as if playing a video game.
The Sword has many advantages over a soldier. It might get shot up but will never come home to grieving parents in a flag-draped casket. Even in cold economic terms it could be better to lose a Sword considering that the cost of simply training a soldier to get him to his first duty station is an estimated $50,000. A sergeant might represent an investment of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Another economic advantage is that those spent 50,000 rounds cost about $25,000. The price of the initial 18 Swords is $230,000 each, but according to Foster-Miller spokesman Arnis Mangolds that's already been reduced to about $170,000 for the second set of 18 being made and could drop much further if manufactured on an assembly-line. The terrorists aren't just trying to bleed us dry in blood but also in money; the Sword will slash away at both efforts.
The metal warriors are ideal for ambushes. The need to sleep, eat, and excrete all limit the ability of even the best-trained soldiers to lie in wait. (As one of those soldiers, I learned that few things are more exhausting than lying absolutely still for hours on end.) But the Sword can sit patiently in "sleep mode" in any weather for as long as seven days on a single lithium ion battery pack. Upon detecting the enemy, it would alert its operator and could directly contact those who can call in airstrikes or artillery. The Sword could then join the fray.
Swords can be armored, but this slows it them down and reduces battery life. Their main protection is their tiny size -- about 30 inches tall, 22 inches wide, and 34 inches long. Further, "All the critical components are to the rear so bullets fired from the front would have to get through a lot of claptrap," says Mangolds.
If knocked over, a Sword dusts itself off and gets back on its treads. Nor is terrain a problem with these steel soldiers. They can climb stairs, go over rock piles, overcome concertina wire, plow through snow, and go through water. A Talon knocked off an Iraqi bridge into the river below was retrieved with its remote control.
Because it weighs merely 120 pounds, the Sword is easy to transport. And its small size makes it ideal for cave openings so tiny a man has to wriggle through them. A Sword might be the last thing a hiding Osama bin Laden ever sees.
With its capabilities steadily improving, the Sword will prove an important weapon in killing terrorists and saving American troops. Now if they could only get it to say "Hasta la vista, baby!"
Posted by: tipper ||
01/06/2005 8:39:57 AM ||
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#1
This is totally cool!
In Vietnam, it took about 50,000 rounds to kill a single enemy Oh please! Talk about pumping your statistics to justify cost. Who knew the soldiers in Vietnam were such lousy shots? Perhaps they should have spent less money on bullets and more on a few pairs of glasses.
#2
Well if you get into firefights with empty shorelines and fire grenades at empty enbankments (and manage to stuck a small piece of metal on your arm for that purple heart....) I guess it could take that many.....
#4
They may have gotten that one wrong. In the Revolutionary War it took 50,000 rounds for each enemy casualty. By Vietnam, that number had risen to 2,000,000 per casualty. The assumption is that this many rounds were expended at the enemy, but that is incorrect. It is a calculation of the number of rounds expended by US forces in theater divided by known enemy casualties. This includes training and the ever-popular "expending rounds in the general direction of the enemy", which can burn up an egregious amount of bullets. (The number also jumped significantly after the invention of the machine gun.)
Posted by: Captain America ||
01/06/2005 10:56 Comments ||
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#10
Sarah Connor unavailable for comment.
Posted by: Yosemite Sam ||
01/06/2005 11:14 Comments ||
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#11
Another economic advantage is that those spent 50,000 rounds cost about $25,000. The price of the initial 18 Swords is $230,000 each, but according to Foster-Miller spokesman Arnis Mangolds thatâs already been reduced to about $170,000 for the second set of 18 being made and could drop much further if manufactured on an assembly-line.
Oh hell, sell the software at $39.99 apiece and let the kiddies control them for $19.99 a month. We could actually see a profit off this war. ;)
#1
The sentence, "Colorless green ideas sleep furiously", was once presented by Chomsky, as a great example of a series of words strung together randomly.
He's still trying to find better examples every day.
Yeah. It didn't suck. It was... "fundamentalism"! That's the ticket! Oscar-winning writer-director Oliver Stone blamed "raging fundamentalism in morality" for the frosty reception that his new film "Alexander" is getting in his native United States. If it bombs in Europe what will the excuse be?
In London for its British premiere, Stone, 58, said that after a career full of cage-rattling work, he thought a biopic of Alexander the Great, the 4th century Macedonian-born conquerer, would be "a safe subject". But he said he was "quite taken aback by the controversy and fierceness of the reviews" which greeted its US release, including outrage at the film's suggestion that Alexander was bisexual. Most of the reviews I read thought it was hilarious.
"Sexuality is a large issue in America right now, but it isn't so much in other countries," he said. "There's a raging fundamentalism in morality in the United States. From day one audiences didn't show up. They didn't even read the reviews in the south because the media was using the words: 'Alex is Gay'." Suppose that beats "Ollie: Box Office Poison".
"Alexander" stars Colin Farrell and Angelina Jolie, both seen at the London premiere, but its US box office take so far has been less than a quarter of the 150 million dollars that it cost to make. Don't worry. There's always that DVD money, Ollie. I'm sure you'll clean up there if the "fundamentalists" don't get you banned out of Blockbuster. Sure you will.
Posted by: tu3031 ||
01/06/2005 12:24:08 AM ||
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yawn. Yeah right. As we all know, the fundamentalists are the biggest supporters of R rated films, so no doubt their absence really impacted sales. Not a bad move though, as I suppose this will make the lefties lemmings feel compelled to go support his sucky film. Suckers.
#3
after a career full of cage-rattling work, he thought a biopic of Alexander the Great, the 4th century Macedonian-born conquerer, would be "a safe subject"
A career full of what? So, um, let me get this straight, Stone thinks he's, what, Socrates? A social gadfly to keep Americans honest? LOL! One of the looniest moonbats to ever script or direct a picture, who has bent, twisted, hammered and revised history to suit his own peculiar views, and he's to be lauded for this as a social critic, rather than as the bad movie-maker he is? Does the low box-office take of your last N pictures even register with you, Ollie?
The only thing you got right was choosing Alexander The Great as a topic worthy of examination. You just made the mistake of not handing it off to someone with talent and that flair for honesty. Look it up, methinks you need to refresh the meaning. Poor Alexander - conquered the known world - and placed in the hands of such a wanker.
#4
Yeah, Ollie-boy. It's the Fundamentalists fault you made another bomb and pissed away another fortune. It's not the fact that your bomb virtually ignored Alexander's impact spreading Helenistic culture across the Western world and a part of the East...or his innovative strategic and tactical battlefield tactics...his engineering feats (Tyre)...or his incredible use of logistics.
No let's focus on his sexual orientation, give him a hottie for a mamma and an oedipus complex. Yeah ..that's worth spending 3 hours and $200 million on.
Posted by: Tom ||
01/06/2005 9:14 Comments ||
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#19
I saw a special on History Channel where Colin Farrell and the extras were being taught tactics and trained to fight like the Macedonians. They stressed how they were trying to be as accurate as possible to recreate the battle agaist the Persians. It looked like it was going to be great, what a disapointment. Movie sucked.
Posted by: Steve ||
01/06/2005 9:42 Comments ||
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#20
Stone made a bad movie and no one wanted to see it. At $8 a ticket,15 million tickets would have been $120mil. 15mil is 1/4 of Kerry vote,who I doubt were fundamentalists. And just how much did Moore's anti-Bush fakurama make?
Stone laid out his excuses before movie flopped,now he is in full damage control so he can still direct big budget films.
I can't wait til we hear how Stone taking French citizenship to help get financing was reason Americans didn't go see the flopic.
Posted by: Stephen ||
01/06/2005 10:17 Comments ||
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#21
Ollie lost me with the 'Army killed him' JFK movie, but who knows I hear he is doing docudrama on Castro. I can see it now: "Castro the Musical!" I am surprised that the loyal nutjobs and pro-gay everything people didn't show up to see the movie.
#22
A co-worker went to see it, and reported that people in the audience were laughing out loud, during the touching death scenes!
With a mediocre director, low budget, hackneyed plot and bad actors (garbage in, garbage out) the expected result is a lousy movie, but it takes a real gift to be a top-rankled director with a huge budget, riveting story and talented actors... and still manage to produce a real bow-wow of a movie. Only "Battlefield Earth" got nastier reviews.
#23
"Dances With Wolves". Now that was a great movie. Now available on DVD by the way.
Posted by: Kevin Costner ||
01/06/2005 11:03 Comments ||
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#24
"Sexuality is a large issue in America right now, but it isnât so much in other countries," he said. "Thereâs a raging fundamentalism in morality in the United States. From day one audiences didnât show up. They didnât even read the reviews in the south because the media was using the words: âAlex is Gayâ."
Yes, that's exactly it: raging fundamentalism. That's what killed the movie. You might want to change the story a bit, however, when that Kevin Bacon movie about the pedophile makes money hand-over-fist and receives an Oscar nomination.
#30
Now, Seafarious, given your handle, you're just biased toward Waterworld...
I liked it too, but agree with your assessment. Also, the whole Kevin Costner-with-gills thing was an unnecessary detail that only served to break the suspension of disbelief.
Posted by: Carl in N.H. ||
01/06/2005 11:48 Comments ||
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#31
I dunno Carl, the whole ocean being so deep that Everest is almost covered was a bit much. There ain't that much water on the planet.
Posted by: Laurence of the Rats ||
01/06/2005 11:58 Comments ||
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#32
Well, for the ladies, it has some redeeming features-kinda the same reason you fellas watch "Girls Gone Wild". Thanks, .com, for the graphic-I'm suddenly very thirsty.
#33
First I hated Waterworld, but the cost was not really the problem. See the built big floating sets (Costner didn't want to use indoor sets) and the sets were destroyed by a bad storm. So new sets and hotel bills while actors sat around and waited were all built into that huge cost.
If Waterworld cost what it originally was intended to it would have come and gone without notice, just like Steel Dawn.
#36
Well, I saw it in the hopes of it being halfway decent history-wise, (I plead temprorary insanity) and was, of course, completely disapointed. He spent so much time on sex that Alexander's campaign got lost in the plot twists.
I will agree though, that the death scene was funny...I was one of those who laughed...
Posted by: S ||
01/06/2005 14:30 Comments ||
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#37
Which scene from the movie is #9 from, and which one is Collin Farrell?
Posted by: ed ||
01/06/2005 14:36 Comments ||
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#38
TGA is right. Watching Costner is like a flat line on a heart monitor. The only movie worse than Waterworld was the Postman. I wwill never forget that slow motion of Kevin picking up the letter from the kid. That scene alone must have lasted two hours. As loony as he is, there is evidence that Stone is not brain dead. Costner is comotose even on his good days.
#39
OK - I'm gonna defend Kevin - for some films. Open Range and Bull Durham are classix. He's great in westerns and baseball - limited range. See Open Range, with Robert Duvall, and tell me I'm wrong.
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/06/2005 19:45 Comments ||
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Arab analysts doubt Sunday's election of a successor to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat will breathe new life into the peace process and question whether the new president will have much real leverage for change.
No argument so far ...
In a grim consensus, observers said the likely electoral victory of Palestine Liberation Organization leader Mahmud Abbas would do little to further widespread Western hopes for an elusive Middle East peace accord that arose after Arafat's death in November. Intellectuals here believe Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is not truly committed to reviving the process, stalled for three years after the rejection of Arafat as a peace partner by Washington and Jerusalem.
Translation: the evil Jooos won't vote to kill themselves.
Mohammed Sid-Ahmed, a columnist for the Cairo weekly Al-Ahram, charged "Sharon does not want to negotiate, does not want a solution and does not want to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict".
He and his countrymen prefer to continue breathing.
Arab leaders have been at pains to take an upbeat tone on the post-Arafat era, saying his absence could now galvanize efforts in Israel, as well as the United States and Europe, for a return to the negotiating table. And they have encouraged other Arab states and the Palestinians to seize the opportunity now presented, whatever obstacles inevitably appear on the path.
So long as it doesn't cause problems in the other Arab states. Can't let this democracy thing go too far.
But observers say wishing will not make it so, challenging the newfound hopes that Arafat's death in a Paris clinic dramatically boosted the chances of reviving the moribund peace process and creating a Palestinian state. In an editorial for Al-Wafd, commentator Sanaa Said said that Israel's strategy remained "to smother the Palestinian resistance, which the Israelis correctly call terrorism." She said she was stunned that Abbas "accepts all the proposals"Â put to him by the United States and Israel "as if his sole ambition were to become president when everything points to him winning".
He gets to be the tallest dwarf in the circus.
Journalist Mohammed Hassanein Haykal, a confidant of the late Egyptian President Gamal Abd al-Nasser, caused a stir on a much-watched talk show on Al-Jazeera television when he asserted that there would be "no agreement nor negotiations between Arabs and Israelis" in 2005. "Arabs and Israelis can meet around a table for lunch or dinner but not to negotiate. We have entered an era of unilateral Israeli measures," he said. "The Arabs can accept them or reject them but they will not be able to negotiate on them."
Bright boy, he figured it out.
Fuad Gad of the Arab Center for Strategic Studies warned that "what will be called a Palestinian state will not constitute a state" and forecast that the status quo between Israelis and Arabs would persist for at least another decade. "The United States is committed to keeping anyone from proposing a resolution" to the Palestinian conflict, Gad said.
'cause we love conflict, ya know.
Mohammed Ali Ibrahim, an analyst with the Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, said the United States and Britain foresaw little more than a "rump state" for the new Palestinian leadership.
Too bad, they could have had a more viable state five years ago.
He wondered whether the Palestinians did not have an interest in "delaying the resolution of the conflict until a moment that was more favorable for them". "Some Palestinians say they are used to living under Israeli occupation and are asking the Arabs to stop making a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict an urgent priority," he said. Meanwhile, the head of the Arab League, Amr Mussa, told Al-Ahram late last month that there was "not a glimmer of hope" for the creation of a true Palestinian state and dismissed growing optimism for a new chance at peace.
"Where's the cold water?"
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/06/2005 11:59:44 PM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
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#1
Intellectuals here believe Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is not truly committed to reviving the process, stalled for three years after the rejection of Arafat as a peace partner by Washington and Jerusalem.
The third sentence? Well that didn't take long. And the first two showed so much promise...
#5
This should tell us that the Arabs are not serious and have never been serious about peace in the mideast. Their agenda is to have a mideast without an Israel.
Posted by: John Q. ||
01/06/2005 11:26 Comments ||
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#6
#5
Actually, their agenda is to turn the World into Dir el Islam, and within that for Arabs to dominate. Israel just heads their list
Where's the "analysis?" This article is simply recycled arab claptrap applied to the upcoming election. And when peace negotiations break down because the "militants" won't allow Abbas to negotiate a real settlement (they only settlement they'll accept is the destruction of Israel), they'll simply say "I told you so -- it's the joooooooos' fault"
"Dir" in hebrew means a place where you keep
goats and sheep.
Actually now that I think of it, I preffer "Dir -el-Islam". It fits much better the description of how the world will look like if the Moslems ever succeed in realizing their fantasies.
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
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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
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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.
"All they talk about is procedures, who gets what positions, and the modalities of the elections which will take place in June," she said. "I do not see why I should continue with a mere walk-on part." 
"It was really distressing picking up dead bodies from destroyed homes, especially children. It is the most depressing situation I have ever been in since the war started," Dr Rafa'ah al-Iyssaue, director of the main hospital in Fallujah city, some 60 km west of Baghdad, told IRIN. The hospital emergency team has recovered more than 700 bodies from rubble where houses and shops once stood, according to al-Iyssaue. He added that more than 550 were women and children. He said a very small number of men were found in these places and most were elderly. Doctors at the hospital claim that many bodies had been found in a mutilated condition, some without legs or arms. Two babies were found at their homes and are believed to have died from malnutrition, according to a specialist at the hospital. 
IAEA chief 
A leader of Awami Swechchhasebak League and an alleged criminal were killed in 'crossfire' during a shootout between a criminal gang and a joint team of anticrime forces Cobra and Cheetah in Gulshan of the capital early yesterday. The victims are 
Oscar-winning writer-director Oliver Stone blamed "raging fundamentalism in morality" for the frosty reception that his new film "Alexander" is getting in his native United States. 
Arab analysts doubt Sunday's election of a successor to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat will breathe new life into the peace process and question whether the new president will have much real leverage for change.
