Saudi Arabia's King Fahd has sacked his education and social affairs ministers in a cabinet reshuffle that also saw the pilgrimage and cultural ministers swapping portfolios. A royal decree on Tuesday dismissed Education Minister Muhammad Ahmad al-Rashid and replaced him with Abd Allah bin Salih al-ubaid, chairman of Saudi Arabia's human rights watchdog.
Culture and Information Minister Fuad Abd al-Sallam Muhammad Farsi and Pilgrimage Minister Iyad bin Amin Madani also swapped portfolios. No explanation was given for the cabinet reshuffle, which was the second in the oil-rich desert country since April, 2004. The last ministerial change took place when the labour and social affairs portfolio was split into two ministries. King Fahd also carried out a reshuffle in 2003, bringing in five new faces in the ministry.
I don't know enough to have an opinion. To me, it's just a reshuffle among the princelings...
This article starring:
Abd Allah bin Salih al-ubaid
Abd al-Muhsin bin Abd al-Aziz al-Akkas
Ali bin Ibrahim Namla
Fuad Abd al-Sallam Muhammad Farsi
Iyad bin Amin Madani
King Fahd
Muhammad Ahmad al-Rashid
Posted by: Fred ||
02/09/2005 12:06:57 AM ||
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#1
I'm not sure either, but I have two minor observations:
1) Fahd didn't do diddley-squat, except drool, I'd wager. CP Abdullah made these moves, IMHO.
2) An Al Rashid was canned. That's a surprise of the first order - the Al Rashid Clan has mucho beaucoup wasta, as non-Royal clans go. Maybe this means that they are allied to the Sudairi Clan, and Abdullah is replacing Sudairi supporters with Shammar Clan supporters. I dunno, but there is someone I could ask who might know.
CP Abdullah and the Sudairi Seven are all getting along in years, this might be something he's doing for whomever is to follow... removing threats or independent-minded operators and loose cannons, etc. - or just preempting for his own clan to stay in power. Power is the name of the game, not some Western notion of nation or unity or other sentimental drivel, heh.
#4
.com, I agree. Note that it was the Education Minister. All in all, a minor reshuffle with some reform potential. Now if only Nayef would have a terrible auto accident.
RIYADH - Saudi Oil Minister Ali Naimi said on Tuesday that the kingdom has invested heavily in security for its oil installations and the threat of attacks against them is almost "impossible."
This guy is wearing a giant "kick me" sign on his ass.
Naimi said any attacks, should they happen, would not impact Saudi Arabia's oil production and exports. "Although a high level of security has been in place for decades on oil installations, we have, over the past year, taken additional measures to negate any possibility of a terror act, even if this possibility is slim," he said.
Naimi spoke on the sidelines of a four-day anti-terrorism conference, which wrapped up Tuesday. Delegates from more than 50 countries and international organizations urged in a joint declaration closer cooperation and coordination among nations in the fight against terrorism.
Late last year, Osama bin Laden, the leader of the Al Qaeda terror network, urged his followers to attack the kingdom's oil installations to weaken both the West and the Saudi royal family. "The oil installations have not been attacked, despite the aim of the terror leaders. Oil installations in the kingdom are under concentrated protection on different levels, which makes it difficult, if not impossible, for terrorists to reach them. If it happens, the impact on the kingdom's production and exports will be negligible," Naimi said.
Terror attacks in the kingdom have targeted security forces and foreign workers, some employed in the oil industry, but none have been against oil installations. Naimi said that there has been a "substantial effort exerted by the kingdom in protecting its facilities. There is always more to be done, but I think we are confident today that our facilities are very, very inaccessible to intruders."
"Any statement by leaders of terror organizations about our facilities will always be taken seriously," Naimi said. State-run oil company Saudi Aramco boasted 7,000 security staff some of whom are furriners and actually know what they're doing and "our objective is zero-impact of terror activities on all our facilities."
Pressed on the departure of some essential foreign workers in the wake of attacks last year, Naimi said: "There's no need for anxiety in this area. It has been sensationalized more than it should be. I believe the reaction by a few countries to discourage their citizens from coming to Saudi Arabia was somewhat exaggerated."
"I mean, there's less than a one in four chance they'll be decapitated," he explained further.
Saudi Arabia, he added, is far more secure than many other oil-producing countries.
Doncha just feel reassured?
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/09/2005 00:00:00 ||
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not according to bob baer who says port of ras tanoura or storage tanks at aqaiq are vulnerable to submarine or explosive boat attack or possible explosive drone hit--woolsey thinks coordinated aramco truck attacks or dirty bomb would do the trick--this saudi smegmahead is doin' regulation taquiyya for the kufr--sop
Posted by: SON OF TOLUI ||
02/09/2005 3:00 Comments ||
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Heh, Dr Steve, SoT...
Indeed, the Ras Tanura Terminal would be vulnerable from the water - but the Gulf maxes out at 90 ft, so I'm thinking a barge loaded up would work on taking out the docks - and another with RPG guys could handle the tank farm. I'm not sure about Abqaiq - I could email someone to find out, but I haven't been to that facility, myself.
It's all a pacifier for the oil markets and contract partners. If we recall the Jeddah attack last year, the security guy let the baddies in - IIRC, one (or more) of them was related. Security to Naimi, promoted from Aramco Pres last year, is what his Western advisers tell him: we have these zones, these people, these detectors, this response time, etc. Problem is, of course, that the plan assumes Western security operators who will follow orders and The Plan. They're not. They're Saudis and they have allegiances all over the map, with Aramco and the House of Saud likely near the bottom. Heh, I'll bet the PowerPoint presentation was pretty spiffy.
The era of being soft is over and there is no place for any bargaining or wasta in ensuring the security of Kuwait and in the fight against terrorism, says His Highness the Prime Minister Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. The relations between senior government officials, who usually remain silent while major operations are underway, and newspapers, were under strain recently. This is to be expected in a democratic country such as Kuwait. Stressing terrorism is under attack all over the world, Sheikh Sabah said "the noose is tightening around this menace in Iraq. Terrorists may move their operations to some neighbouring countries, which should be protected against this danger."
The Prime Minister went on to say the "war against terrorism, which is endangering our national security, has reached a point of no return. We didn't expect the terrorists to reach this far. Now that they have reached where they are we have decided to end terrorism once and for all." Talking about the cooperation between GCC countries, especially Saudi Arabia, in the fight against terrorism, Sheikh Sabah said "the standard of cooperation is very high. We appreciate their support and hope they won't have to pass through this nightmare." Terrorism, which is being strangled in Iraq, is moving towards us and we should be prepared to protect our homeland, he added. "Terrorism has no borders and exists all over the world," Sheikh Sabah said. The Prime Minister stressed politics should not be an obstacle in the fight against terrorism, saying "many democratic countries have had to disregard certain legal procedures to end terrorism. Nobody argued against the United States, which is a fortress of democracy, when it realigned the space of freedom and sidelined many legal procedures to ensure its national security." He went on to say the situation in Kuwait is under control and we continue to receive intelligence inputs about terrorist operations before they are carried out, adding "our security forces are dealing with this issue in a highly professional manner. Fighting terrorism may not be an easy task but it is not impossible."
Sheikh Sabah — who expected the security situation in Iraq to become more stable especially as terrorists are moving their operations elsewhere in the region — stressed we should keep our eyes wide open and act responsibly in fighting such misguided groups. On the future measures of the government to tackle terrorism, he said "we discussed several bothersome issues during Cabinet meetings and are working towards eliminating them. We are planning to amend our educational curricula and bring it back to its past glory without any trace of fundamentalist ideology."
That's going to cause the Islamist bloc in parliament to squeal like piggies. On the other hand, I think they may have lost a bit of their luster with the recent festivities. Assuming the legendary Arab attention span holds out, the past couple weeks could be Kuwait's hump.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/09/2005 00:00:00 AM ||
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I'd say that the 4800 hour rule should be in effect for this effort, although Kuwait's been pretty vigorous in the past. Time will tell.
Criminologists have begun examining for authenticity a videotape recording of Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev placed on an Internet site of extremists on Tuesday. A man resembling Basayev dismisses the reports alleging his death and asserts that he is "absolutely well".
"Firstly, we do not rule out that that this could be an old tape of the Chechen terrorist number one that was shot earlier for the case of his death "for ideological purposes," an expert of one of federal security services told Itar-Tass. "Specialists are now carrying out a careful analysis of the tape and comparing it with other tapes of Basayev made in different years," he said. In addition, "there is a probability that one of his doubles could be engaged instead of Basayev himself". The expert said the "man on the video tape is too nimble for one who long since wears a prosthetic device".
"Besides, Basayev as a rule spoke fastly and expressed his thought rather clearly in his previous statements, while on this tape he stammers and sometimes even garbles ends of sentences," the expert said. He said "several doubles of Basayev have been noticed on the territory of Chechnya at different times, in particular in the Vedeno and Nozhai-Yurt districts". The Federal Security Service's public relations centre denied an Itar-Tass correspondent any comment on the Internet video recording of Basayev's statement.
This article starring:
SHAMIL BASAIEV
Chechnya
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
02/09/2005 12:25:38 AM ||
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The international Arab terrorists operating in Chechnya need leader of the Chechen militants Shamil Basayev alive as a symbol of separatism, an expert on the struggle against terrorism, who spoke on conditions of anonymity, told RIA Novosti. "The international terrorists need him alive. For them he is a cover of the interests of the extremist organizations operating on the territory of the North Caucasus," RIA Novosti's interlocutor said. He said that Basayev's name guarantees the allocation of financial resources by the international terrorist organizations to perpetrate terrorist acts in the North-Caucasian region.
Commenting on media's reports on Basayev's death, the expert noted that, to the best of his knowledge, the Russian power structures have no direct proof of Basayev's death. "As for the Basayev interview that appeared on the separatists' Internet site the day before in which [Basayev] demonstrates his 'good' physical form, this footage could have been filmed much earlier. It may be one of the old records," the expert noted. He also did not rule out that the footage might be of Basayev's double. "Specialists must study this material and voice their judgment," he noted.
The last picture I saw reminded me of "Weekend at Bernies".
The power structures of Chechnya's administration think that the reports about death of the warlord were initiated by Basayev himself or by his retinue. "These are highly likely to be rumors spread by order of Basayev himself. In all probability, the aim of granting a respite to him and his militant group is pursued in this case," a source in the republican power structures told RIA Novosti. He did not rule out that the fact that Shamil Basayev might now stay outside Russia to undergo medical treatment. This source also added that the Russian law-enforcement agencies have no information about Basayev's death.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
02/09/2005 12:21:14 AM ||
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#1
Just like Benny - supposedly still alive but just needs medical attention....including perhaps a respirator, heart pump, dialysis machine and oxygen mask.
#2
Just like Benny - supposedly still alive but just needs medical attention....including perhaps a respirator, heart pump, dialysis machine and oxygen mask.
The caricature of North Korea's "Dear Leader", Kim Jong-Il, in the film, "Team America: World Police," is striking a discordant note among North Korean officials, and probably their supreme leader himself, despite his well-known love for private viewings of foreign movies.
OK, we called it here first on Rantburg that Kinny was sulking because of Team America. Looks like it's true.
Word from Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, is that the North Korean embassy there is asking the government to ban the film, the creation of Trey Parker and Matt Stone of South Park fame. The Czech Foreign Ministry, however, said the North Koreans had been rebuffed in their effort to undermine the Czech Republic's post-Communist era freedom. The film shows marionettes attempting to stop Kim Jong-Il from destroying cities around the globe.
And not one Oscar nomination! It's a outrage!
A Czech newspaper, Lidove Noviny, reports that a North Korean diplomat complained that the film "harms the image of our country." He was even quoted as saying, "Such behavior is not part of our country's political culture."
Posted by: Steve ||
02/09/2005 1:57:41 PM ||
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I almost peed my pants watching this movie. No question it was the top film of the year.
#4
Czech newspaper, Lidove Noviny, reports that a North Korean diplomat complained that the film "harms the image of our country." He was even quoted as saying, "Such behavior is not part of our country's political culture."
Yes, those North Koreans whod love the film would suffer the same fate as poor Laci Peterson did at the hands of her evil "husband".
#14
"Has Blix! Nice to see uh again."
"Kim do you have any WMDs?"
"Oh Has Blix you bussin my balls, stand over there..."
"AIIEEEEEE.......(blub blub blub)"
Posted by: Kim Jong Il ||
02/09/2005 18:00 Comments ||
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#15
Thanks BigEd. I thought Penn did some silly shit like that. He's just pissed because Stone/Parker said what most of us think, and deep down Penn knows it. The best part of the letter is when he signs off w/a p.s. about taking them to Fallujah like he's been in the war zone, lmao. What a typical pathetic self-absorbed holly wood cheese-dick ole Penny is.
Japan's ruling party agreed Tuesday to let the defense chief react to a missile strike without first consulting the cabinet, amid worry the nation's strict chain of command could delay its response to an attack, officials said. The bill was approved by two committees of the Liberal Democratic Party, paving the way for government approval later this month, a party official said. The bill would let the chief of Japan's Defense Agency order the interception of a missile without approval of the cabinet or informing parliament.
It would also streamline the organization of the military, known as the Self-Defense Forces, to put the army, navy and air force under a unified command of a Joint Staff. Japan renounced war in its constitution imposed by the United States after defeat in World War II and officially does not have a military or defense ministry. But there have been worries that Japan would waste too much time in administrative procedures before reacting to an attack, as a missile fired from North Korea would reach the country in 10 minutes.
KCNA eruption in 5-4-3-...
Posted by: Fred ||
02/09/2005 00:00:00 ||
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Heh, heh. The NorKs aren't the only ones who are getting rather worried by Japan's re-emergence. Doncha know the ChiComs are wondering about all those plans they have for The Middle Kingdom... Back to the drawing board, boys.
Mebbe Japan should invite more Tiawanese officials over for some go tournaments...
#5
Japan needed a shock to get them to surrender. There was still a bunch of die-hards in the military that said no to surrender. The first bomb made the point.
The second bomb reinforced the first.
The third bomb was going to be armed and ready, but the second one did the trick.
The message of complete and utter destruction finally got through. A lot of Japanese lives were lost, but in the grim and gristly arithmetic of war, a lot of Japanese and allied lives were ultimately saved. That is my answer to Nosemonkey, a2u.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
02/09/2005 23:48 Comments ||
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PRIME Minister John Howard has rejected Labor calls for Australian troops guarding the embassy building in Baghdad to be moved to a more secure location. The opposition wants the 120-strong security detachment guarding the embassy building in a residential suburb of Baghdad transferred to the US and Australian military headquarters at Camp Victory, where three Australian diplomats have already been relocated. The diplomats were moved last month following repeated attacks on the mission and they will eventually be shifted to a facility in the heavily fortified Green Zone.
Labor wants to know why the troops remain in the dangerous embassy location when there are no diplomats left to guard. Mr Howard said the latest advice from the chief of the Australian Defence Force was that the best option was for the security detachment to remain where it was. Moving the troops could also send the wrong message to insurgents, particularly coming after the recent Iraqi elections. "Given the democratic dividend that has been won in Iraq by the Iraqi people and the tremendous step forward that the Iraqi people have made over the last few weeks, far from talking about pulling troops out, if we want to secure and reassure, we shouldn't be taking about that," Mr Howard said. "This of all times is a time for reinforcement and reassurance rather than to be talking about pulling troops out. If you want to send a message to the Iraqi people and send a message to those who are trying to destroy the hopes of democracy in Iraq, you don't talk about pulling troops out."
Opposition defence spokesman Robert McClelland said the Government needed a better explanation as to why the troops remained in place just to guard a disused building. "The only explanation given to them to date is that they are guarding Australian assets, essentially bricks and mortar," he said. "It is strongly the view of the Opposition that the life of one Australian serviceman is not worth all the bricks and mortar in Baghdad and the government explanations to date just aren't adequate."
The official Australian embassy was set up in a suburban Baghdad house during the reign of Saddam Hussein. That site is outside the more secure international or Green Zone and the Government foreshadowed a move into the safer area in 2003. A force of 120 Australian soldiers, based in an unfinished apartment block next door, provided protective security. The Government has flagged the size of the security contingent may be reviewed once the Australian mission has been relocated to the Green Zone.
Posted by: God Save The World ||
02/09/2005 4:14:44 AM ||
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MELBOURNE terrorist suspect "Jihad" Jack Thomas was in a precarious mental state ahead of his second bid for bail tomorrow, his lawyer said today.
"Yep. Batso. A loon. Lost all contact with reality, then lost all contact with contact."
Joseph Terrence Thomas, 31, also known as Jack, was arrested during a raid by counter-terrorism police at his Werribee home in Melbourne's western suburbs last November. The former taxi driver and Muslim convert faces charges of receiving financial support from al-Qaeda, providing al-Qaeda with resources or support to help them carry out a terrorist act and having a false passport. He was refused bail in the Victorian Supreme Court in December.
"No bail for you!"
Today, his lawyer Rob Stary said Thomas should be released from Barwon Prison, where he is in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day and has no contact with other inmates. Thomas requested access to an Islamic cleric before Christmas but was refused, Mr Stary said.
"No holy men for you!"
He was allowed physical contact visits with his children aged three years and 12 months for a short time once a month, but no physical contact with his wife, parents or brother.
"No family for you!"
"He is terribly distressed and I think his mental state is completely fragile," Mr Stary said.
"He's become a complete psychoceramic. That pot is cracked!"
"He has returned to a life to complete normality (in Australia) and then to be plucked off the street for an offence which is said to have been committed in Pakistan ... it was completely traumatic. "He has been completely traumatised by the process."
"All he does anymore is play with his lips and his... uhhh... you know."
This article starring:
JACK THOMAS
al-Qaeda
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
02/09/2005 12:15:23 AM ||
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President Bush said Wednesday he will ask Congress for $100 million to help modernize the armed forces of Poland, a staunch ally in the war in Iraq - a nearly 50 percent increase over last year. During an Oval Office meeting with Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski, Bush said he was confident that Congress would approve the money. The United States gave Poland $67 million in military aid last year.
``Poland has been a fantastic ally because the president and the people of Poland love freedom,'' Bush said. ``I know the people of your country must have been thrilled when the millions of people went to the polls'' in Iraq. The money will be part of the estimated $80 billion war funding request the White House is expected to submit to Congress next week.
Poland has taken command of a multinational security force in central Iraq that currently includes about 6,000 troops -among them more than 2,400 Polish soldiers. Poland, however, recently disclosed plans to withdraw about 800 of those troops, leaving about 1,600 there until the end of the year.
On another issue, Kwasniewski said that he and Bush talked about adopting a ``road map'' to ease visa requirements for Poles traveling to the United States. The visa requirement is unpopular in Poland, where a jobless rate of about 19 percent drives many people to seek jobs abroad, including in America. The Poles have pressed for an easing of requirements in return for their involvement in Iraq, where 16 Polish troops have been killed. ``Both President Bush and myself talked about the adoption of the road map that is going to solve the visa problem,'' Kwasniewski said through a translator. ``And it implies concrete decisions that are going to be made in relation to the visa regime, doing away with some old information, old data, statistics, concerning the immigration violation from before 1989; easing of the procedures ... and further cooperation with the Congress in order to facilitate the process as much as possible,'' Kwasniewski said through a translator.
I hope that means good reliable identification for Poles traveling to the US. If it does, welcome
``We hope that the road map that has been accepted will be a very good solution,'' he said.
Asked whether he would support legislation introduced in Congress to address the visa problem, Bush said, ``Well, we've got a way forward to answer the questions of a lot of the members of the United States Congress to get this issue solved.'' He said Kwasniewski had been working hard to develop a road map that is fair to the Polish people. ``I adopt the principles and accept the recommendations of the road map,'' Bush said, ``and that'll become the basis for legislation.''
Posted by: Steve ||
02/09/2005 1:43:16 PM ||
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Easing visa requirements is definitely needed (and overdue). I don't think increasing aid is going to fly with Congress given the budget cuts Bush is proposing right now.
Posted by: Dar ||
02/09/2005 14:13 Comments ||
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#2
Take it from Egypt's foreign aid
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/09/2005 14:34 Comments ||
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#3
We need to do whatever we can to address Polish concerns. They've made the sacrifices, now they should reap the benefits.
Posted by: Jonathan ||
02/09/2005 14:42 Comments ||
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#4
I remember reading about the story at the start of the war where a half-dozen Polish troops turned up at a British base with a POW camp with about 100 captured Iraqi Republican Guard. The British officer in charge was a little surprised, but the Polish forces had no POW facilities.
HAMBURG - Mounir al-Motassadeq, the Moroccan on trial in Hamburg as an accused accomplice in the September 11 terror attacks, carried out money transactions on behalf of one of the suicide pilots, a police witness said Tuesday.
Motassadeq had power of attorney for Marwan al-Shehhi who was believed to have been at the controls of the hijacked plane which crashed into the south tower of the World Trade Center in 2001, the court was told. Motassadeq, who has been described as a friend of al-Shehhi's as well as other members of the Hamburg terrorist cell behind the 9/11 attacks, is accused of being a member of a terrorist organization and an accessory to 3,000 murders.
The Federal Police Department witness said Motassadeq carried out several transactions on behalf of al-Shehhi. These included one in September 2000 when Motassadeq transferred 5,000 marks (3,200 dollars) from al-Shehhi's account at the Dresdner Bank in Hamburg to an account belonging to Ramzi bin al-Shibh, who is thought to have organized the 9/11 attacks. In several cases there was a "time proximity" between money taken from al-Shehhi's account and money arriving on Motassadeq's account, the investigator said.
Motassadeq was convicted in 2003 and sentenced to 15 years in jail on the current charges, but the conviction was overturned by an appeal court. He is free on bail during the retrial which is not expected to end before April.
This article starring:
MARWAN AL SHEHI
al-Qaeda
MUNIR AL MOTASADEQ
al-Qaeda
RAMZI BIN AL SHIBH
al-Qaeda
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/09/2005 00:00:00 ||
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#1
i still don't understand why this guy hasn't been taken out by a good grouping or a ricin tipped umbrella--the little jihadi prick walks all over hamburg as if he's king of the student umma--where's the company when you need wet work--d'ya hear me porter
Posted by: SON OF TOLUI ||
02/09/2005 2:27 Comments ||
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#2
... ricin tipped umbrella ...
Curare would work too. You could mix it with water, freeze into needle shapped projectiles. All you need is a good straw and good lungs (and some training). Would feel like a prick of a horsefly, nothing would remain from the rest of the needle that would brek of after the impact when temperature outside is right, just a wet spot somewhere on the sidewalk. Before someone could figure out why the guy is not breathing, he would asphyxiate. The loaded straws can be carried in a small case with dry ice lining.
#3
The man is on trial in a German courtroom. Give the system a chance to work. Besides, we know exactly where he is -- what are the odds that he could quietly slip out of sight without being equally quietly followed, with perhaps results he wouldn't much like?
#6
I know, I know, Jame dear. But he is in a German courtroom. Day after day after day after... It's got to be Purgatory at least. Why shouldn't the man be allowed to suffer? Death is the easy way out for such as him. As the sadist said to the masochist.... ;-)
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Nestled in a quiet Sacramento neighborhood is a very loud political statement that is testing the very foundation of the right to free speech. Aaah Sacramento... Urban Northern California... Why am I not surprised.
Hanging from a house in Land Park, a soldier's uniform in a noose dangles from a rooftop. The words "your tax dollars at work" are scrolled across the chest. Can anyone in the neighborhood spare some dog poop? I know a front porch that needs decorating... Watch that first step - - it could be smelly...
In a community full of patriotism, this view of the war in Iraq has not gone unnoticed. "I think it's the ultimate sign of disrespect. We have troops dying for us," Land Park resident Mark Cohen said. "(I'm) annoyed and disgusted. I think if this is the way someone feels they can find a better way to vent their opinions," Land Park resident Pete Miles said. Yes gents, you are most correct, but this is a fact that is lost on the people who live there...
The homeowners behind the controversy are Steve and Virginia Pearcy. They released a statement saying, "There will always be people who are offended by political speech, and the most important forum of all ... is one's own residence. The First Amendment is meaningless unless dissent is allowed." And a lack of wisdom is allowed too...
Some neighbors agree. "Even if you don't agree with it, he has the right to state his opinion. I don't find it offensive at all," Land Park resident Cece Williams said. Cece was a proud owner of a new lobotomy scar which she immediately showed to all who would look...
Now now, Cece is right. These dodos have a right to this display on their own property. And we have the right to call them dodos, and worse. The solution to offensive speech is always more speech.
The Pearcys are idiotarians, and they should be known as idiotarians. Thanks to weblogs, I'll get my wish.
#1
Too bad it made national news. Those attention whores probably love it.
You just have to wish that the local townsfolk would place little panoramics on their lawns of Steve and Virginia smiling and shaking hands with Saddam, surrounded by little replicas of Saddam's other tortured victims.
#2
I know they have a right to say what they want and so does Cece... But her I donât find it offensive at all I find as evidence of the lobotomy scar...
#3
"There will always be people who are offended by political speech, and the most important forum of all ... is oneâs own residence. The First Amendment is meaningless unless dissent is allowed."
Is this stupid strawman the best these asshelment authoritarians can do? Opposition to this display=generalized attack on free speech. It is no accident that the first L in LLL stands for "lying."
Scum like this directly incite terrorist barbarism by persuading terrorist power-seekers that appeasement will follow.
A message for the Pearcys: Remember Julius Streicher. Follow his path, share his fate.
#7
I love how they hide behind that "free speech" mantra. If this was depiction of a Black soldier being hanged, that 'free speech' argument would be thrown out the window. Of course, like most LLL, this couple can't even explain what their 'Statement' represents.
#8
It will just be real interesting if someone does something to their house, and they make a police report. A lot of cops are veterans. I'm sure they'll work real hard to bring the perps to justice.
Right after lunch.
Sometime next year.
If they don't have some filing to do.
#10
Given how homeowners associations can steal your home for flying the american flag, perhaps their neighbors need to start reading up on their own neighborhood. Such a display might qualify them for fines and even confiscation.
#11
I always wished that the idiots who walk among us would wear a sign so they may be identified. Didn't think it would take a declaration of war to get my wish.
#12
I can see an upside-down US flag on the inner door of a jeweler's office in my Chicago Loop office building as I wait for the elevator. I'm not happy, but will limit my disagreement to explaining to anyone waiting with me what it means (Most don't) or discussing the matter with anyone who walks out of the office. So far, nobody yet.
Posted by: chicago mike ||
02/09/2005 16:55 Comments ||
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#13
"Did you know....
Motor oil may be used to fertilize your lawn?"
-Fight Club
Posted by: Mark E. ||
02/09/2005 16:57 Comments ||
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#14
Pardon me [no only the governor can pardon you - rim shot], did the Supreme's rule that burning a cross on your own property is oky-doky?
#15
We've had so much of this mememe lefty bullshit over the last few years that I'm pretty much immune to it by now. In fact, I appreciate it when assholes like this take the time to exercise their First Amendment rights and expose the fact that they're assholes like this just so I know who they are and what we're dealing with.
#16
The Pearcys are an interesting couple. Note that they married when he was 36 and she was 18, after he had been her "tutor and mentor" for several years.
Pearcy is also a correspondent of the communist People'sWeekly World and a signatory of the NION petition (imagine my surprise).
Note that his letter to the PWW deals with a defense of protestors preparing for violent confrontation.
#17
More of Pearcy's work (suggests a legal strategy for sabotaging police sting operations).
It doesn't surprise me that this probable child-molester would be interested in these cases.
#18
Thx AC, the circle closes. I am off Friday and will swing by and see if it's still hanging. Anyone have any garbage they need dumping? These LLL are all alike and land park is really a nice place to live. I bet once this is seen on the news they will be encouraged to take it down.
Posted by: Kim Jong Il ||
02/09/2005 18:05 Comments ||
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#19
KJI - Is that encouraged with quotation marks? i.e. "ENCOURAGED"
#20
I have argued that the Pearcys' action is outside the realm of free speech. By the same token, however, nobody has the right to resort to vandalism or vigilante action over this.
It seems likely that Pearcy's real intent is to provoke such vigilante action. This is a calculated act, a wealthy left-wing contract lawyer would not do it otherwise. A legal showdown is unlikely in California, so a media hit on the political opposition is the more probable objective.
I would bet that the house is insured to the hilt. One response might be to put the property under 24/7 surveillance to make sure he doesn't burn it down himself, destroy his own vehicles or spray graffiti on his own walls.
#21
Heck with dog poop, this calls for a chicken bomb. Does practical joking, even if stinky, constitute vigilante action?
My favorite ingredients are equal parts chicken guts and live culture beer, sugar, a little salt for added reactivity, and a loogie for good measure to the halfway point of a tightly sealed mason jar.
It can take up to a week to go off, and works great to make a very ill scented point.
#22
For rwference, Land Park is a fairly ritzy section of town just south-east of downtown. Definitely Limo Liberal territory, especially near the park itself (which is where the Sac Zoo is). NIMBYland, too.
Haven't seen this in the Bee, but then I don't read that rag anyway, so I wouldn't...
#2
At first I thought this story was a sad joke by some LLL Prof trying to make a name. After hearing his follow-up and from his little minions (students) I am appalled that he was teaching for this long. Not only does he believe that the U.S. represents the modern model of the Nazi party, he instills this belief in his students. I heard two of his students on the radio parrot the exact same line several times during an interview.
The Nazi and Communists used to call this indoctrination and these two sounded every bit like a âManchurian Candidate.â Now when pressed for specifics on the âNazi-likeâ U.S. policy they grabbed at many straws and then settled on the cease-fire agreement of the first Gulf War. That is because âover 2,000,000 Iraqis died because of our policy.â This really degrades the horrors that were the Nazis and only works on people who canât tell the difference.
The sad part is we (U.S. tax payers) are paying for at least one of these lifetime students with student loans and grants. I guess itâs ok to take money from the evil government for your personal education and that somehow makes it clean. Of course one these yahoos had big plans after his graduation with a degree in Ethnic Studies (after FIVE years): Employment? No. He plans to move to NYC where his girlfriend is getting a job as a schoolteacher and become a graduate student in âEthnic Studiesâ and become an âActivistâ. That is he will not be joining the workforce and attempting to pay back Uncle Sam for financing his âeducation.â
Fact is that other than teaching (Ethnic Studies) there are no employment opportunities for people getting these âprestigiousâ Ethnic Studies degrees. So Ward Churchill is a product of our goofy higher education system that devotes entirely too many resources toward a blatant social experiment. The only way to cure this is too do away with these departments entirely. These departments serve no useful purpose, other than to hold high paying positions for the most strident American Hating LLL. If they eliminated these departments tomorrow it would be no significant loss to the academic world. Remember this next time your State universities cry poverty and want to raise your taxes.
P.S. If your worried about the Professors, I bet they find a nice part of main street to walk back in forth with their sandwich boards calling for the end of âU.S. Imperialism.â
#4
.Com- I don't think "scholar" is correct.
a radical might be a better label. As far
as $98k salary....some of the most educated dumbell's make all kinds of money!!
Makes you sick eh?
ANdrea
Posted by: ANdrea ||
02/09/2005 14:45 Comments ||
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#5
Fighting THE MAN and all he stands for... for 98 grand a year! Salary paid by Colorado chapter of the "little Eichmanns".
Looks like he ain't just a phony Indian....
n January the Muslim American Society (MAS) issued a press release titled "CNN Agrees to List Muslim charities." The MAS's public affairs arm, the "Freedom Foundation" said it had contacted national media concerning their failure to list Muslim charities in tsunami coverage as worthy recipients of aid dollars. MAS recommended two charities to national media. Those two organizations were Islamic Relief USA and the Islamic Circle North America. "Both are recognized and respectable NGOs who have been working in Asia and Africa for years," Executive Director Mahdi Bray said. MAS claimed victory with CNN, but CNN's reaction seems mixed.
The CNN webpage does include Islamic Relief Worldwide, based in London, the parent group of Islamic Relief of Burbank, California. But it omits the Burbank branch and the Islamic Circle of North America.
There are outstanding and substantial controversies regarding both. The Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) has previously been described by the L.A. Times as allied with Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) a Pakistani fundamentalist group that calls Osama Bin Laden the hero of the Islamic world. At a JI rally a few years ago, millions of dollars and 22 pounds of gold were raised for the cause of armed jihad throughout the world. Bin Laden was invited but could not safely attend to see the fatigue-clad mujahadeen youth that had turned out to honor him. A spokesman for another terrorist group, HAMAS, was able to accept the invitation and attended. ICNA sends money to JI for what it contends are charitable purposes.
Khalid Duran, a professor, scholar and president of the IbnKhaldun Society, a cultural association and forum of independent Muslim intellectuals, has an interesting view of this. He has testified on Capitol Hill, in the Swedish Parliament and the German Bundestag, on topics such as Afghanistan, Algeria, Bosnia, Iran, Sudan and terrorism. Duran has alleged that the ICNA is the North American branch of JI.
Is there support for that view? We examined notes on a meeting that transpired in Woodside, New York, in July 2000 that may shed light on the issue. The official notes are of a "unity" meeting held between ICNA and a smaller American group, Jamaat-al-Muslimeen (JM.) JM was represented by its leader Dr. Kaukab Siddique. Who represented ICNA? Qazi Hussein Ahmed, the Pakistani leader of JI. Indeed, the notes state that JI has an organization in America called the Islamic Circle of North America. It's no wonder that ICNA conferences in America have often featured Islamist ideology.
The other recommended charity, The Islamic Relief of Burbank, California, also has been the subject of controversy. Syndicated columnist Michelle Malkin reported in her book "Invasion," that the Islamic Relief accepted $50,000 from an alleged bin Laden front-group through its British office.
Malkin reported, "Data from the United States Department of Labor reveals that four Muslim charities under federal investigation for ties to terrorism applied for high tech, or H1-B visas, on behalf of at least sixteen workers over the past years. Three of the charities...had their assets frozen by the Treasury Department after the September 11 attacks. The fourth, Islamic Relief Worldwide in Burbank, California, accepted $50,000 from an alleged bin Laden front group at its British office, according to Treasury officials."
The standard for a media company listing a charity in its coverage of tragedies should be the credibility and reputation of the group, not its religious affiliation. Media should resist pressures to automatically list Muslim groups as worthy recipients of American aid dollars. After all, concerned citizens want to help victims of natural disasters, not assist organizations that may contribute to producing more victims of terrorism.
A mosque established and funded by basketball star Hakeem Olajuwon gave more than $80,000 to charities the government later determined to be fronts for the terror groups al-Qaida and Hamas, according to financial records obtained by The Associated Press. Olajuwon told the AP he had not known of any links to terrorism when the donations were made, prior to the government's crackdown on the groups, and would not have given the money if he had known. "There is no way you can go back in time," Olajuwon said in a telephone interview from Jordan, where he is studying Arabic. "After the fact, now they have the list of organizations that are banned by the government." A Treasury Department spokeswoman, Molly Millerwise, declined to discuss Olajuwon's contributions but said, "In many cases donors are being unwittingly misled by the charities."
A mosque established and funded by basketball star Hakeem Olajuwon gave more than $80,000 to charities the government later determined to be fronts for the terror groups al-Qaida and Hamas, according to financial records obtained by The Associated Press.
A mosque established and funded by basketball star Hakeem Olajuwon gave more than $80,000 to charities the government later determined to be fronts for the terror groups al-Qaida and Hamas, according to financial records obtained by The Associated Press.
The U.S. Agency for International Development cut off two government grants to the Islamic African Relief Agency in 1999, saying funding the group "would not be in the national interest of the United States."
A former fund-raiser for the relief agency, Ziyad Khaleel, was named in a federal trial in 2001 as the man who bought a satellite telephone that bin Laden used to plan the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.
Numerous news organizations reported shortly after the 2001 terrorist attacks that the relief agency was among more than two dozen Islamic charities under scrutiny for possible terrorist ties.
Olajuwon also participated in a 1999 celebrity bowling tournament for the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, which the U.S. government shut down in 2001, accusing it of sending money to Hamas. The Islamic Da'Wah Center gave more than $2,000 to the Texas-based Holy Land Foundation in 2000, according to its tax returns.
At the time, Olajuwon was vice president of the mosque — which was named after him — and provided more than three-quarters of its money. Olajuwon heads the separate foundation that now controls the Islamic Da'Wah Center.
All the donations came before the government designated the Holy Land Foundation and the Islamic African Relief Agency as terrorist fronts. Vipul Worah, an accountant for Olajuwon's charities, said U.S. authorities have never asked about the contributions.
Olajuwon, who is married with four daughters, became a Muslim during his professional career and was known for playing in key games while observing dawn-to-dusk fasting during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
Tax returns for Olajuwon's Islamic Da'Wah Center show it gave the Islamic African Relief Agency $61,250 in 2000 and $20,000 in 2002.
Those donations accounted for 2.2 percent of the $2.8 million the Islamic African Relief Agency received during 2000 and 1.4 percent of the $1.4 million it raised in 2002, records show.
Olajuwon said the donations came after fund-raisers from the Islamic African Relief Agency visited Houston. He said the group told him donations would help the needy in Africa.
"They came and approached us and everything was legitimate. I had no knowledge of their activity," Olajuwon said.
The Treasury Department alleged in October that several top officials of the group's branches overseas are al-Qaida members or associates and the group gave bin Laden hundreds of thousands of dollars in 1999.
The federal government says the Sudan-based Islamic African Relief Agency's U.S. branch is IARA-USA, based in Columbia, Mo. That group has challenged the terrorist designation in court, saying it is separate from the Sudanese group.
Shereef Akeel, a lawyer for IARA-USA, acknowledged the U.S. group and the Sudanese group "may be in a partnership together" and some people with links to IARA-USA have terrorist associations.
"Just because someone traveled in the same circles, just because one employee was at the same conference as someone who supported terrorism, doesn't mean the organization sponsors or condones acts of terrorism," Akeel said.
The Holy Land Foundation was shut down in December 2001. Federal authorities say it was the main U.S. fund-raiser for Hamas and sent $12.4 million to the Palestinian terrorist group from 1995 to 2001. Hamas has claimed responsibility for dozens of suicide bombings in Israel that have killed scores of people, including Americans.
The Holy Land Foundation and several leaders are awaiting trial on criminal charges of supporting terrorism — charges they deny. U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler rejected the group's 2002 lawsuit challenging its terrorist designation, ruling federal officials had "ample evidence" of financial support for Hamas.
Attorney General John Ashcroft (news - web sites) said in July that an indictment against several officers was "neither a reflection on the well-meaning people who may have donated funds to the foundation, nor is it a reflection on the Muslim faith and its adherents."
In 2000, the year after Olajuwon participated in the Dallas bowling tournament for the Holy Land Foundation, the Islamic Da'Wah Center gave the group $2,430, tax records show. That money was a tiny fraction of the $13 million the foundation raised that year.
Olajuwon said the bowling tournament was one of many charitable events he has attended.
"I get all sorts of requests from charitable organizations," Olajuwon said. "It was a bunch of kids and I gave them autographs."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
02/09/2005 5:54:02 PM ||
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The increased frequency with which Middle Eastern terrorists target Americans and U.S. installations is due in part to the terrorists' continued perception that America acts cowardly when under attack, according to former Central Intelligence Agency director R. James Woolsey. Woolsey, who addressed students and reporters at George Washington University Tuesday, said America's reaction to the 1979 hostage crisis in Iran and the deaths of 241 U.S. marines in 1983 are examples of why that perception endures.
With President Jimmy Carter trying to negotiate the hostages' release in 1979 and 1980, the reaction of the average American was to "tie yellow ribbons around trees," Woolsey said. A few years later, when Hezbollah terrorists blew up the U.S. marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, Americans "ran," he added.
Not one of Ronnie's better moves.
Throughout the 1980s, as Americans like Leon Klinghoffer on the cruise ship Achille Lauro were killed and others were kidnapped in Lebanon, "what did the Americans do? They sent the lawyers," Woolsey said.
The George H. W. Bush administration in 1991, after ending combat in the first Persian Gulf War, encouraged [Iraqi] Kurds and Shia to rebel, then stopped and "watched the Kurds and Shia be massacred" by forces loyal to Saddam Hussein, who had been left in power, Woolsey said.
Yeah, we screwed them over then. Another reason to stay the course now, to make up for that mistake
American cowardice was also perceived when the United States pulled out of Somalia in 1993 after American soldiers on a humanitarian mission were ambushed by terrorists in Mogadishu, according to Woolsey. The incident in Somalia, he said, helped solidify the view among terrorists, that "if bloodied, [the United States] will run."
Thank you, Bill Clinton
Woolsey lumped America's current Middle Eastern enemies into three categories: "fascists," which he said include Saddam Hussein's Baath Party loyalists in Iraq; Shia "Islamists," which include the mullahs in Iran; and Sunni "Islamists," which include al Qaeda and the Wahabbi sect of Saudi Arabia. The term "Islamist," Woolsey said, "Connotes a totalitarian movement masquerading as a religion."
It's almost like he reads Rantburg.
Woolsey drew parallels to World War II, comparing the motives of Islamist terrorists to those of Nazi Germany and imperialist Japan. "In a certain sense, they have come after us for the same reason that Hitler decided to declare war on us after Japan attacked us at Pearl Harbor. He knew ultimately he was going to lose unless he took us out," Woolsey explained. "And I think it's the underlying reason that these three totalitarian movements in the Middle East all feel that way about us -- pretty much the same reason that Hitler [did]."
The enemy of my enemy is my friend
The Japanese, like al Qaeda, attacked the United States in part because they considered the U.S. cowardly and unlikely to react forcefully. "Based on what we were doing in the 1920s and 1930s ... the Japanese in the 1940s thought pretty much the same thing about us, because our behavior had certain parallels," to the more recent period, Woolsey said.
Yammamoto warned them otherwise, but he was overruled.
"I think you have to admit that [al Qaeda] had some basis for the assessment that I've just described, just as the Japanese had some basis for the assessment that they made of us in the beginning of the 1940s."
Woolsey said he believes the conflict with Islamism and Baathism is neither a recent nor a short-term phenomenon. "What's new is not the war. What's new is not our being attacked. What's new is we noticed. We finally decided after 9-11 that we would be at war too." He added that the U.S. must "stay awake" in order to prevent future attacks.
Posted by: Steve ||
02/09/2005 10:17:49 AM ||
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#1
Does al Qaeda still perceive cowardice after Afghanistan, Iraq, and the re-election of George Bush? I don't go for this theory -- Palestinian suicide bombers don't blow themselves up at Israeli bus stops because they believe Israel is cowardly. I think the truth is more along the lines that they attack by cowardly means because conventional attack is utterly impossible.
Posted by: Tom ||
02/09/2005 11:09 Comments ||
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#2
Have to disagree a bit about the Japanese. They attacked us because the OIL and steel embargoes were squeezing them hard and they could see they could never defeat the fleet we started building in the late 30's. So either they moved in '41 or faced a deteriorating correlation of force. That was why they accepted the limited victory Yamamoto could deliver. With it, they hoped to negotiate a victory that ensured them the Greater East Asis Co-Prosperity Sphere they had conquered in Yamomoto's year.
Unfortunately, for them, they did not understand that our default position is pacific. With Pearl Harbor, they flipped the bit to warrior mode. After that it was Unconditional Surrender only.
Likewise our culture and capitalism are a very real threat to the fantasy caliphate of the Islamists. They know if they don't establish the caliphate now, the ummah will turn infidel and it will likely never happen. Because World War II happened so long ago, they too do not recall that pacific is only our default mode, not our only mode.
What I don't understand is why we did not flip the bit after 9/11 and go to warrior mode. I shudder to think what it will take to make this happen. But something will, the bit will flip and then it will be Unconditional Surrender time, if there's any body left to surrender.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
02/09/2005 11:13 Comments ||
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#3
Iran and Syria are working hard to "flip the bit".
Posted by: Tom ||
02/09/2005 11:18 Comments ||
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#4
What I don't understand is why we did not flip the bit after 9/11 and go to warrior mode.
Because to some of our countrymen, 3,000 dead isn't enough provocation. No, they'd prefer to see hundreds of thousands more lives extinguished, and yet even then, it would still be "our fault".
#5
The MSM, CAIR, and Liberal Democrats (Kennedy, Kerry, etc...) are trying very, very, hard to mask the interrupt which 'flips the bit' to warrior mode.
Somehow I imagine the american PSW having a 'Warrior Mode' bit just as some computers have a 'supervisor mode' bit..... Nice one Mrs Davis.
#6
MD: Unfortunately, for them, they did not understand that our default position is pacific. With Pearl Harbor, they flipped the bit to warrior mode. After that it was Unconditional Surrender only.
Actually, the Japanese had a strong basis for their beliefs. Most non-colonial American wars to that point had not been fought to the point of unconditional surrender. WWI, in particular, was fought to an armistice, after the deaths of 100,000 men. And it was a deeply unpopular war.
Holding out for unconditional surrender is relatively rare in American wars - the Korean War was fought to a ceasefire and if we had won in Vietnam, that, too would have been fought to a ceasefire. Roosevelt's insistence on unconditional surrender, over Churchill's objections, probably resulted in hundreds of thousands of additional American combat deaths. (It may also have strained the resources of the British empire to the point that it fell apart after the war). Note also that we haven't insisted on the unconditional surrender of the regimes that had any part in the 9/11 bombings.
#7
The Japanese ignored the advice that Yamamoto gave them, that hitting America in this way was waking a sleeping giant (he had trained here after all) and he could only guarantee six months of victory.
Some of the thought in Japan had to be that we would cave if they hurt us badly enough in the opening of the war.
ZF- I think that we need to take note of UC as a tactic. It worked to demand unconditional surrender, ending that conflict. Germany and Japan are now peaceful nations whom exist with us on a rational and even basis.
Posted by: Jame Retief ||
02/09/2005 12:43 Comments ||
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#8
ZF, I agree. The only wars we have fought in warrior mode are the Cousins' Wars the Revolution, Civil War and World War II. That is probably why I should not be so surprised that the bit did not flip. Perhaps we're just getting in the mood to do it after China takes out a CBG in order to invade Taiwan.
80 years is a life time. Look at the dates. 1780, 1860, 1940. Somebody is cruising for a bruising and will misunderestimate our mode shortly.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
02/09/2005 12:53 Comments ||
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#9
I found Walter Russel Mead's thesis convincing. What we are talking about is what he calls the "Jacksonian" wing of our foreign policy. It's the one least understood by foreigners. It tends to follow the "mind your business" philosophy (the lack of support for intervention in Somalia, Bosnia, Rwanda, ...).
But, when we are attacked, that's a whole different matter. Similar to Mrs. Davis' "warrior bit," Jacksonians view war as an On/Off switch, not a rheostat. Either you fight to win, or you don't waste lives fighting. That's one reason Korea and VietNam were so unpopular.
The Unconditional Surrender follows in that someone who attacks us must understand that he is defeated, beaten, crushed. At that point, we're willing to forgive (and help rebuild). But only after the enemy admits his total defeat. Someone like Saddam in the 90s, saying "Oh, running away, eh? All right. We'll call it a draw." doesn't merit forgiveness.
Finally, there is the matter of honor. In spite of the horrible acts Germany committed on its own people and those of occupied countries, the Wehrmarcht fought a relatively "honorable" war against the Western Allies (with a few exceptions). Japan, on the other hand, attacked without a declaration of war, and grossly mistreated prisoners. That is the ultimate insult, and against "dishonorable" enemies, Jacksonians say that all rules are off. Bulldoze up fortress so the troops die of asphyxiation without a chance of surrender? Fine. Fire-bomb cities? No problem. Torpedo a troop transport, then machine-gun the lifeboats? You get a medal.
And note when an "honorable" enemy does become dishonorable, we reply in kind, except two or three time over. After Malmedy, German troops in black uniforms (primarly the SS, but also the Panzers, unfortunately for them) found it difficult to surrender, and those who did often didn't make it to the POW camp.
The Moslem world is perhaps fortunate in that they attacked on 9/11/2001, rather than 9/11/2000. If the election had been held in the aftermath of the attack, we may very well have had a "Nuke Mecca" person run and win the election.
#10
JR: The Japanese ignored the advice that Yamamoto gave them, that hitting America in this way was waking a sleeping giant (he had trained here after all) and he could only guarantee six months of victory.
That line is actually from the Hollywood movie Tora! Tora! Tora! (Tiger! Tiger! Tiger!). There is no record of Yamamoto ever having said that. He did say the following: Yamamoto warned Premier Konoe Fumimaro not to consider war with the United States: "If I am told to fight... I shall run wild for the first six months... but I have utterly no confidence for the second or third year."
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
02/09/2005 19:05 Comments ||
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#13
Didn't Yamamoto say something to the effect that he was educated in the U.S. and has seen the vast industreal might and was afraid that they had awakened a sleeping giant to a terrible resolve?
Large image here...
FORT STEWART, Ga. (AP) - Army soldiers are being issued new fatigues with easy-to-use Velcro openings and a redesigned camouflage pattern that can help conceal them as they move rapidly from desert to forest to city in places like Baghdad.
"It might give you the extra second you need, save your life maybe," Sgt. Marcio Soares said Tuesday after trying on the new all-in-one camouflage uniform that is the first major redesign in Army fatigues since 1983.
Soares' unit, the Georgia National Guard's 48th Infantry Brigade, is the first to be issued the new fatigues as part of a $3.4 billion Army-wide makeover being phased in over the next three years.
The uniform will replace the standard forest camouflage - green, brown and black - and the desert camouflage - tan, brown and grey - now used by U.S. troops in Iraq.
Twenty-two changes were made to the uniforms, most notably the new camouflage pattern.
Instead of bold jigsaw swatches of colors, the new camouflage pattern uses muted shades of desert brown, urban gray and foliage green broken into one-centimeter segments. Black was eliminated completely because it catches the eye too easily.
The resulting camouflage - similar to a pattern the Marines adopted two years ago - conceals soldiers in forest, desert or urban battlegrounds, said Sgt. 1st Class Jeff Myhre, the uniform's lead designer.
"In Baghdad, you can go from the desert to vegetation to the city in 10 minutes," Myhre said. "What we realized very quickly is there's no camouflage that's the 100 percent solution for any environment."
Other changes were prompted by complaints from soldiers in the field. Jacket and pocket buttons, which can snag on nets and other gear, have been replaced with zippers and Velcro.
Pockets at the jacket's waistline were moved to the shoulders, where soldiers can reach them while wearing body armor. And the uniforms have a looser fit, with more room to wear layers underneath.
Rank, unit and name patches attach with Velcro rather than being sewn on. Infrared-reflecting squares on the shoulders make friendly troops easier to identify while using night-vision goggles.
"The only problem I have with the uniform is, once the soldiers put it on, they don't want to take it off," said Brig. Gen. Stewart Rodeheaver, commander of the 48th Infantry Brigade, which has 4,000 reservists training at Fort Stewart to go off to Iraq in May.
The Army started developing the uniform two years ago and field-tested prototypes in Iraq. The final version was rolled out June 24 - the Army's 229th birthday.
Col. John Norwood, the Army's project manager for soldier equipment, said the new uniforms will be issued in coming months to units being sent to Iraq. New soldiers entering basic training will be issued them by October, and all Army troops will be required to wear them by April 2008.
The new uniforms cost a little more - $85 each, compared with $60 for the old ones. But Norwood said the Army will save money by having to produce only one combat uniform rather than three - standard greens, desert camouflage and cold-weather fatigues.
And they should make soldiers' lives easier, too. The fabric is wrinkle-free and machine-washable, and the new suede boots do not require polishing like the old black boots.
"If you have a choice whether you teach them to polish boots or teach them how to survive in battle, we'd rather teach them to survive in battle," Rodeheaver said.
Posted by: .com ||
02/09/2005 8:01:14 AM ||
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#1
When was the last time Rodeheaver ever talked to Top?
Wonder how long before the 1SGT gets them starched?
Should take about a month or two before he figures out how to polish the suede boots as well.
#3
I remember when we transitioned to the BDUs from the old fatigues (BFD). Change is good as long as it has a purpose. Nobody will stay in the Army because they have slick new uniforms. However, the Air Force did have success keeping pilots on by offering them cool leather flight jackets. I think they also gay them $25k bonuses, but the many I talked to said the Jacket was the deal maker.
Notwithstanding either the serial pro-terrorist pronouncements by CAIR leaders, and the arrests of 3 of their leaders, for Patriot Act violations, CAIR has coerced FOX to disclaim any possible suggestion that there is general Muslim opposition to the counter-terror war, that might arise from the current storyline of "24."
World Net Daily, February 9, 2005
...The Fox show, which has a story line that runs the entire season, is based on 24 hours at a counter-terrorism unit. In its fourth season, this year's story centers on a terrorist sleeper cell planning an attack on the United States.
CAIR is a spin-off of the Islamic Association For Palestine, a group identified by two former FBI counter-terrorism chiefs as a U.S. front group for the terrorist group Hamas.
Since 9-11, CAIR has seen three of its former employees indicted on federal terrorism charges.
Randall Todd "Ismail" Royer was sentenced to 20 years in prison on charges he trained in Virginia for holy war against the United States and sent several members to Pakistan to join Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Kashmiri terrorist group with reported ties to al-Qaida. Bassem Khafagi, was arrested in January 2003 while serving as the group's director of community relations. The previous December, Ghassan Elashi, the founder of CAIR's Texas chapter, was indicted for financial ties to Hamas leader Musa Abu Marzook.
Current CAIR leaders also have made statements in support of Hamas and the domination of the U.S. by Islam. As WorldNetDaily reported, CAIR's chairman of the board, Omar Ahmad, was cited by a California newspaper in 1998 declaring the Quran should be America's highest authority. He also was reported to have said Islam is not in America to be equal to any other religion but to be dominant... You calling us out, CAIR?
FOX's snivelling weasel-words:
"Hi. My name is Kiefer Sutherland. And I play counter-terrorist agent Jack Bauer on Fox's 24. I would like to take a moment to talk to you about something that I think is very important. Now while terrorism is obviously one of the most critical challenges facing our nation and the world, it is important to recognize that the American Muslim community stands firmly beside their fellow Americans in denouncing and resisting all forms of terrorism. So in watching 24, please, bear that in mind." OK FOX, quote a single major American Muslim leader who has ever denounced or resisted either Hamas or Hizbollah terror.
This article starring:
BASEM KHAFAGI
Council on American Islamic Relations
GHASAN ELASHI
Council on American Islamic Relations
MUSA ABU MARZUK
Hamas
OMAR AHMED
Council on American Islamic Relations
RANDALL TOD "ISMAIL" ROYER
Council on American Islamic Relations
RANDALL TOD "ISMAIL" ROYER
Lashkar-e-Taiba
Hamas
Islamic Association For Palestine
Lashkar-e-Taiba
Posted by: IToldYouSo ||
02/09/2005 3:10:56 AM ||
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#1
If this had been posted by someone with a normal nym, I might've been sympathetic - I heard the blurb myself Monday night and was appalled by its scope, which is clearly bullshit...
But hey, I'm an American. I don't like assholes who think they have any special dispensation or are arrogant about something everyone here knows - hell, probably 100x better, lol, so it rubs me wrong when they haven't the smarts to be cool.
"IToldYouSo"? FOAD, you arrogant self-important snot, lol!
#2
This rude child posted such things yesterday as well. Perhaps its mother didn't love it enough to spank it when it was younger. At any rate, it hadn't told us so before, and so isn't entitled to make the claim now. Perhaps if it would state its position clearly and logically, with the points well defended by historical facts -- and stood firmly against ignorant disagreement from the denizens of this site ... and then was justified by the unfolding of events... then its nym would be legitimate.
I speak here as a mother of children, who knows well whereof she speaks.
#3
Separately, Fox may be having Kiefer Sutherland speak the disclaimer, but they are not discontinuing the story line. And that is the key. We already know not all Muslims are evil terrorists -- President Bush has been saying that since 9/11. And the kind of people who watch 24 are not going to have their minds changed by the statement either. More likely, they will be annoyed by the pressure exerted on the network to include it, and become more suspicious of American Muslim officialdom -- ie CAIR. This is one of those Pyrrhic victories for CAIR ... Americans do not like to be told how to think.
#4
I applaud fox for continuing the story against pressure from terrosits groups like CAIR. One of my favorite Clancy books "The Sum of All Fears" was ruined by the PC movie that changed the Arab Terrorists for Neo-Nazi. I have no love for either but the former is more likely to set off a nuke in a populated area. Changing the story line caused the movie to bomb, partially because most Clancy fans refused to go see it. 9/11 showed the world as to what lengths Arab/Muslim terrorists are willing to go to and changing the story line didn't change that fact it just made a good book into a bad movie.
The United States is seeking backing from allies in a possible bid to oust the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency at a meeting later this month, diplomats and Western government officials said Wednesday. During the same Feb. 28 meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Washington also will increase the pressure on Iran for allegedly trying to make nuclear weapons, the officials told The Associated Press.
Washington considers IAEA head Mohammed ElBaradei too soft on Iran and its alleged plans to make nuclear arms and the international community ineffective in dealing with the same perceived threat. No U.S. comment was available for Washington's strategies for the upcoming IAEA board of governors meeting. But several diplomats and government officials from IAEA member countries dismissed recent reports that the United States had given up attempts to unseat ElBaradei because of lack of support from other countries. ``They've been lobbying, and close friends have given them a good reception,'' said one of those familiar with the issue, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Another said U.S. Undersecretary of State John Bolton and other senior State Department officials ``were still lobbying the capitals.''
This article starring:
International Atomic Energy Agency
John Bolton
Mohammed ElBaradei
Posted by: Fred ||
02/09/2005 11:19:48 AM ||
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And replace this idiot with who? Another UN functionary that will be more concerned with 5 star accomodations for him and his team?
I say leave it to the CIA and the Pentagon to tell us what we need to know with regard to the Mullahs intentions. The UN no longer serves any useful purpose.
#2
Sacrificing al-Baradei would seem to be a cheap concession for the frogs to make in this era of good feelings. But they'll still sell to the Chicoms.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
02/09/2005 11:28 Comments ||
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#3
ElBaradei was caught in an open mike situation....
Ummm... Isotope? U-235? Ummm... I don't know
about anything...
#4
The real question is: How relevant is the IAEA in the big scheme of things. If it is irrelavant, than who cares who runs the show? It is a sham anyway. If it can become relevant, then the issue of getting rid of al-Baradei is important.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
02/09/2005 16:23 Comments ||
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#5
We here at the Irrelevant Hall of Fame eagerly await your imminent induction.
Posted by: Blixie, Clarkie, Joe W. et al ||
02/09/2005 16:28 Comments ||
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#6
Mrs D-It's enough to make ya toss your lunch, isn't it?
#2
I thought the real nugger in .com's article was
"Meanwhile, the EU has rebuffed U.S. pleas to reverse course on plans to lift an arms embargo on China this year."
If they get that wrong I don't care if everything else is right.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
02/09/2005 8:21 Comments ||
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#3
Note the photo caption: "In this two-picture combo U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is seen wearing a plum colored suit as she arrives for talks at the Vatican, Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2005."
Anybody here ever seen the AP feature Powell's clothing? I guess he's just not a snappy dresser.
Posted by: Tom ||
02/09/2005 8:32 Comments ||
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#4
I don't know, Tom. Patronizing it may be, but I bet if Powell had worn a "plum colored suit" it would have got a mention.
#5
Women's clothing is always commented upon. It just comes with the territory. If Secretary Rice had been playing to that crowd, she would have worn a scrumptiously tasteful scarf at her neck, and a stunningly simple gold & pearls pin on her lapel to go with the pearl necklace and earrings. But she went there to work, and it shows. Smart lady -- Bush made a very good move tapping her for the position.
TOKYO - Nuclear experts and diplomats from 20 nations looked on Tuesday at ways to punish countries deserting the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, at the end of a two-day meeting here on strengthening the pact.
Expect a strongly-worded statement any time now ...
The 40 delegates held closed-door talks ahead of a May conference in New York to review the nonproliferation treaty, which North Korea pulled out of in 2003 to world shock. Iran is also in a nuclear standoff. "Some participants argued we should increase the costs of withdrawal for a deserting country" by requiring them to return materials and equipment received for peaceful use of atomic power upon joining the treaty, a Japanese government official said, adding Tokyo backed the proposal.
Other ideas discussed included holding an emergency general meeting to step up international pressure on a runaway nation and a ban on pullout by a country which has failed to abide by the pact, the official said. Many participants shared a concern that some countries may be engaging in nuclear enrichment and reprocessing under the pretext of peaceful use and pull out of the treaty when they are ready to produce weapons, he said.
At which point "international pressure" is unlikely to mean anything, but go ahead, this makes sense to someone, I'm sure ...
"As for the issue of non-compliance, participants mainly discussed nuclear activity of Iran," he said.
Nuclear powers Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States took part in the talks, according to an updated official list. However, declared nuclear weapons states India and Pakistan did not attend. Iran and North Korea were also absent.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/09/2005 00:00:00 ||
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So this was a gourmet trip with a Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty theme? That's all I see.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
02/09/2005 0:50 Comments ||
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#2
I'm surprised that they didn't have their confab at the Ritz-Carlton in Osaka. Best damned hotel I've ever stayed at anywhere in the world.
Indonesian firebrand cleric Abu Bakar Bashir will celebrate the Islamic New Year tomorrow in an optimistic mood, knowing his chances of walking free from his second trial on terrorism charges are good.
Key witnesses have refused to testify against him. And as their case against him wallows, prosecutors have dropped demands for the death penalty and instead have asked judges to jail Bashir for just eight years.
The specially convened court in a South Jakarta auditorium is in its final weeks and the five presiding judges could hand down a decision as soon as February 22.
But few expect the verdict to go against the 66-year-old cleric accused of being the inspiration and spiritual figurehead for the al-Qaeda linked Jemaah Islamiah (JI) terrorist network.
A string of high profile witnesses either did not show or refused to give evidence against Bashir.
Prosecutors have had to rely almost solely on the testimony of bespectacled Malaysian Mohammad Nasir Abbas, who is the most senior JI leader to roll over.
Abbas told the court in December that he learned to fight over six years as a Mujahideen against invading Soviet forces on the killing fields of Afghanistan.
He then became an instructor at a secret JI jungle training camp in the southern Philippines.
Later, he was promoted to command the third Mantiqi - or division of JI - covering Brunei, Malaysia and the southern Philippines, as well as Indonesia's northern provinces.
He told the court he was sworn in by Bashir in the Javanese city of Solo in 2001 and first saw the cleric in the Philippines in 2000 during a passing-out ceremony for 17 Indonesian militants.
"Bashir headed Jemaah Islamiah. He gave a speech in front of the students, and stayed there for two or three days," he said.
But Abbas was shouted down by hundreds of Bashir supporters and since then the parade of other key witnesses has stayed largely silent.
They include the so-called repentant Bali bomber Ali Imron, currently serving a life sentence for his role in the blasts that killed 202 mostly-foreign tourists, and Hutomo Pamungkas, alias Mubarok.
Bashir is charged with inspiring his followers to carry out the bombings and the 2003 attack on Jakarta's JW Marriott hotel, which killed 12 people.
But Imron said he met Bashir at a Surabaya hotel shortly before the Bali attacks and "there was no guidance or blessing from Bashir relating to the bombings".
Others to have withdrawn evidence include Bali bomber Idris, alias Mohammad Ikshan, and Rusman Gunawan, the younger brother of detained JI operations supremo Hambali.
Sidney Jones, a JI expert from the International Crisis Group, said prosecutors had mounted a poor case against Bashir.
She also said they have been hampered by a Constitutional Court ruling last year striking down the use of retroactive anti-terrorism laws against him.
"Clearly the case against him has been very weak," she said.
"It was always going to be very difficult to prove involvement in Bali or the Marriott, and when the first trial failed because it was so poorly prepared by the prosecutors, that meant that they went into the second trial already at a disadvantage.
"When the Constitutional Court prevented them from going back at looking at where the evidence against him was much clearer - the (2000) Christmas Eve bombings for example - the case became extremely difficult to prove."
In September 2003, a court acquitted Bashir of several terrorism charges and said there was no evidence that he was the head of Jemaah Islamiah. He was convicted on minor immigration charges.
Prosecutor Salman Maryadi told the court this week that evidence clearly showed Bashir was guilty of acts of terrorism in Indonesia that had led to the endangering or loss of lives.
But one of Bashir's lawyers Wirawan said Salman's request was pure bravado.
"I have to say it was courageous. Not a single statement from any witness supports the elements of the charges," he said.
The verdict will be closely watched by both Australia and the United States, as both have accused Bashir of being a key terror leader.
To add momentum to his defence, Bashir told the court that religious extremists were wrong to stage attacks in Indonesia because the world's largest Muslim-populated country was not at war with anyone.
He said if Muslims wanted to wage jihad or holy war against the United States, they should go to countries like Afghanistan.
And Jones said even if Bashir walked free it was unlikely to reinvigorate JI, which has been hit hard by a string of arrests after Bali.
"The more interesting question is not whether he gets acquitted, but what difference it makes," she said.
"I'm not sure it makes that much of a difference. Clearly if he gets acquitted it will be greeted by his supporters as a huge triumph over American pressure.
"But on the other hand it's not going to mean that the security risk in Indonesia jumps dramatically.
"I think he has played a seriously bad role, but his return to (his Islamic boarding school) Ngruki is not going to mean that he will suddenly start organising operations."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
02/09/2005 12:12:54 AM ||
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#1
Abu Bakar Bashir will walk. That was the plan all along apperently.
#2
Bashir better watch his six when he walks. He has pissed off a number of people that may not let him get off easy like the Indonesian govt did.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
02/09/2005 1:50 Comments ||
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i would expect some tough mates of some parents of the bali murdered will have a score to settle--this guy may see paradise sooner than later
Posted by: SON OF TOLUI ||
02/09/2005 2:36 Comments ||
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I dunno, he's the "spiritual leader" of JI. He's a crybaby and coward, which earned my eternal scorn, but if he gets off then the Indos are in trouble. I bought into the notion that they were trying, they were doing their best, blah, blah, blah. Now, hey - results are what matters. This is the worst possible outcome for them. When we have to let some dink go it kills me. I guess they're sometimes in the same boat - but, speaking plainly, I don't trust them to be bona-fide partners in the WoT, especially after letting the biggest fish get away in two separate trials, giving him a cell phone to use in jail, allowing interviews with symp MSM, etc. Doesn't instill any confidence. We'll see, but this puts Indo back on the asshat list, IMHO.
The USS Abraham Lincoln wrapped up a month-long emergency relief mission last week and left the waters off Indonesia's tsunami-afflicted Aceh Province.
But left in the Lincoln's wake are ripples of interest in both the United States and Indonesia for a return to closer ties. Fresh debate has emerged in Congress over whether to restore relations with the Indonesian military, which had been damaged by human rights concerns. In Indonesia, the month-long U.S. presence has so far helped to polish America's image, which political observers say had been tarnished by the war in Iraq.
"The tsunami in Aceh showed that people in the West were serious in giving aid to Muslim counties," says Ulil Abshar Abdalla, an Islamic scholar and liberal Muslim activist. "It will shift perceptions of the West as a bloc."
Mr. Ulil says that prominent Islamic leaders thanked U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz at a meeting at the U.S. Ambassador's residence in Jakarta. "It was the first time, I'd heard [the Islamic leaders] say thanks," says Mr. Ulil. "It made me very happy."
Mr. Wolfowitz, a former ambassador to Indonesia, is among those calling for closer military ties with the world's largest majority-Muslim country. Wolfowitz told reporters in Jakarta last month, "We would also like to see how the TNI [the Indonesian military] has endeavored to put itself under the control of civilian supremacy."
Supporters of mending the 13-year rift with Indonesia's military argue that it could be a more central ally in the war on terrorists, including Southeast Asian groups linked to Al Qaeda. Indonesia's navy also polices the Malacca Straits, a major world shipping lane prone to pirate attacks, and, intelligence agents say, possibly a major marine terrorist attack.
Critics claim that the Indonesian military has not done enough to reform itself after decades of human rights abuses, including in Aceh province, which has been the site of a separatist rebellion since 1976.
The U.S. ended a training program known as IMET with Indonesia in 1991 after Indonesian soldiers massacred demonstrators in a graveyard in mostly Catholic East Timor. The ties were further scaled back in 1999, after the Indonesian military orchestrated a scorched earth campaign killing hundreds, following East Timor's vote for independence in a UN-sponsored plebiscite.
The U.S. training programs, which included courses on operating a civilian chain of command, are exactly those needed by militaries such as Indonesia to improve their record, argue supporters such as Sen. Kit Bond (R) of Missouri. Under the IMET program, Indonesian officers were exposed to Western military practices, including codes of conduct and rules of engagement.
In a speech in late January, Senator Bond called for an end to military sanctions against Indonesia, claiming the country could be a stronger ally in the war on Al Qaeda-linked terrorists. In a statement, Bond said that sanctions on the sale of spare parts had slowed the delivery of aid to tsunami victims. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is also believed to support closer ties.
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D) of Vermont, the architect of the 1999 restrictions, disagrees. Senator Leahy, a vocal critic of the TNI, argues that Indonesia's military has done little to change its ways. He says Indonesia has failed to bring to account officers involved in atrocities in East Timor, dismissing the convictions of a Jakarta-based ad hoc court for human rights crimes in East Timor.
In the U.S. Senate last week, Leahy accused the Indonesian military of consistently obstructing justice.
"Although senior Indonesian military officers have repeatedly vowed to support reform, they have done next to nothing to hold their members accountable for these heinous crimes," he said in a statement.
Leahy said that Indonesian officers already receive some U.S. training. Such programs include counterterrorism skills. And Indonesia, with proper disclosure, can purchase from the U.S. some military spare parts for "nonlethal" items.
U.S. investigators have accused the Indonesian military of blocking an FBI investigation into the deaths in 2002 of two Americans for 18 months in the far-flung Papua province near a gold mine operated by a U.S. company. The murders have further complicated efforts to restore links.
Although he did not mention the IMET program, after his visit to Indonesia in mid-January, Wolfowitz said that cooperation between the U.S. and Indonesian militaries could mean closer ties. He said that the U.S. needed to "help build the kind of defense institution that will ensure in the future that the Indonesian military, like our military, is a loyal function of a democratic government."
A study sponsored by the United States-Indonesia Society (USINDO), a Washington-based nongovernment organization, is also calling for the U.S. to lift restrictions on military ties. The report from USINDO, whose members include US corporations that do business in Indonesia, such as Freeport-McMoran Copper & Gold and Exxon-Mobil, is calling for expansion of military ties.
Meanwhile, the U.S. still has a 1,000-bed hospital ship, the Mercy, in Aceh's waters as part of the $4.5 billion relief effort there.
But Islamic scholars such as Ulil say that among many ordinary Muslims the enhanced post-tsunami image for the U.S. — regardless of the relations between the governments — will not be permanent. "As long as there is aggression, as long as there is a U.S. presence in Iraq, there will be distrust [among ordinary Muslims], it has very deep roots in history."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
02/09/2005 12:10:19 AM ||
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#1
Fluff piece? Lots of restatement of the obvious?
On the other hand...
.com, do you happen to have a graphic with text of Admiral Akbar handy?
#2
"The tsunami in Aceh showed that people in the West were serious in giving aid to Muslim counties," says Ulil Abshar Abdalla, an Islamic scholar and liberal Muslim activist. "It will shift perceptions of the West as a bloc."
This is another Me Muslim load of crap. The US helps people in dire need. It is who we are, and what we do. We went to Bam after the earthquake, and even had our female soldiers put on headscarves to be sennnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnsitive to MM sensibilities. We do it for everyone because they are human beings. Lay off the muslim label crap.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
02/09/2005 0:44 Comments ||
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#4
Personally, given the dismal performance of the Indo judicial system with Bashir & Co, I can't see doing much - unless we're talking Ghost Jet service to NeverNeverLand. I would share any intel, that's for damned sure. Remember how they handled Hamball's wife? IIRC, they denied us access to her and demanded he be turned over to them - after the Thais captured him in coord with US. Right. Yewbetcha. He's still ours because we didn't. I say they have to prove they can grab baddies - including old men who hang around thinking they're immune cuz they're Muzzy "scholars" like Bashir - and deal with them both on the intel side and the legal side. Thus far, nothing to confirm they can do either. Were it not for the guy who "turned" of his own accord, no-shit honest remorse, they would've had to let Bashir go months ago. Indo elicits no sympathy from me regards the WoT at the moment.
#5
Thanks, .com! Sometimes there is an appropriate use of a Fark cliche!
You're expressing what I feel about the situation. Indonesia is the most populous Muslim nation, and if they were serious about deeping strategic ties with America it might be worthwhile---both as a wedge against the Wahabis and as a geographical chokepoint. But Indonesia's recent performance has been noncommital at best, and at worst very wishy-washy when they could really prove themselves.
Getting involved at this point could prove a real "quagmire."
COLOMBO - The killing of a senior Tamil Tiger and five others has cast a shadow over Sri Lanka's post-tsunami reconstruction, which was already engulfed in bickering between the government and the guerrillas.
"Hey Sarge, we done here?"
"Yeah, Tyrone, pack up and head out."
The reconstruction programme, which is yet to really take off, will be further hit if Monday's killings trigger more internecine clashes with retaliation from the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), officials said. "Such killings are the last thing we want," said Lalith Weeratunga, secretary to Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse. "Just when things were moving on the reconstruction front, this incident has occurred which can throw post-tsunami work out of gear if clashes intensify."
You might say.
E. Koushalyan, the LTTE's political wing leader for the eastern province, was killed in an ambush along with four other senior rebels and former Tamil legislator Chandra Nehru on Monday night. Koushalyan is the most senior Tamil Tiger to be gunned down since the rebels and troops began observing a truce, which Norway brokered in February 2002. Talks have been deadlocked since April 2003.
The government military officials say the attack was carried out by a breakaway faction of the Tamil Tigers led by the former number two in the leadership, known as Karuna. The LTTE, however, has pointed the finger at the army, while the government said the killings had breached a ceasefire in the decades-old ethnic conflict and heightened the risk of a return to war. The pro-rebel Tamilnet.com said the killers were dressed in military uniforms, which took the rebels by surprise.
Um, how?
Sources claim the shoot-out had angered the Tigers who were keen to avenge the deaths, but were being restrained by pressure from abroad. The head of the rebels' political wing, S.P. Thamilselvan, skipped a meeting on Tuesday with the Asian Development Bank, the Japan Bank for International Cooperation and the World Bank to discuss relief programs. "Such violent incidents divert the state machinery's attention which at the moment needs to be focussed on tsunami reconstruction," said the prime minister's secretary Weeratunga. He told AFP that project implementation would be severely hit if clashes rise as "moving people to execute projects would be difficult in case violence breaks out."
"How can you construct nearly 120,000 houses for the affected people if there is going to be violence and let us understand that the east is one of the worst affected by the tsunamis," Weeratunga said.
For its part, the LTTE also said the killings would hamper relief work. "We fear that these killings would have a serious impact on the humanitarian relief work undertaken now," the rebels said in a statement late Tuesday.
Relations between the government and the rebels have deteriorated over aid distribution across the regions controlled by the rebels. The rebels have accused the government of dragging its feet on setting up a joint mechanism to distribute aid, a move backed by Norway. Front organisations of the LTTE have often accused the government forces of harassment while handling aid materials in Tamil-dominated areas.
Military analyst Harry Gunatillake said the post-tsunami work may be affected if the relations worsen. "In the immediate future there may not be any reaction to the killings, but if clashes increase there could be delays," he said.
Brilliant, Harry, brilliant.
This article starring:
CHANDRA NEHRU
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
E. KUSHALYAN
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
KARUNA
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
Lalith Weeratunga
Mahinda Rajapakse
S.P. THAMILSELVAN
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/09/2005 00:00:00 ||
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President Bush said on Wednesday Iran with a nuclear weapon would be a "very destabilizing" force and that it was important for the world to speak with one voice against Tehran's program.
"The Iranians just need to know that the free world is working together to send a very clear message: Don't develop a nuclear weapon," Bush said... Noteworthy Drudge Report headline. The picture reminds me of a Texas State Trooper with his hand on his revolver, telling a perp not to "go for it."
The U.S. military is updating its war plans for Iran but is not in a heightened state of planning over Tehran's suspected nuclear weapons program, a senior general said on Wednesday.
"Nope, just routine, nothing to see, move along"
"I'm not spending any of my time worrying about the nuclear proliferation in Iran. I haven't been called into any late-night meetings at 8 o'clock at night saying, 'Holy cow, we got to sit down and go plan for Iran,"' Air Force Lt. Gen. Lance Smith said at a Pentagon briefing.
"That's my staff's job, I'm working on Saudi Arabi......say, is this mike open?"
Smith is deputy commander of the U.S. Central Command and oversees military operations in the Middle East, parts of Asia and northern Africa.
A target-rich environment
"As far as the planning efforts, we simply go through our normal mode of updating whatever war plans we have for all parts of our region," he said.
We have plans for everything. Some are sitting in dusty filing cabinets, some are sitting on generals desks. And some are in SecDefs vest pocket.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on a tour of Europe the United States has no immediate plans to attack Iran. She stressed on Wednesday that it should be made clear to Tehran that U.N. sanctions could be brought if it did not cooperate with American and European efforts to halt work on what Washington says is a drive to develop nuclear weapons. Iran denies that it is trying to develop such arms. "We have a requirement on a regular basis to update (war) plans. We try to keep them current, particularly if our region is active," Smith said at the Pentagon.
I'll wager the Iran plan is updated real often.
""We are not," the general replied when asked if the U.S. military was in a heightened state regarding Iran. Smith stressed that Rice was leading a diplomatic effort to keep Tehran from developing nuclear arms and that such an effort was adequate for U.S. needs. At a news conference in Brussels on Wednesday, Rice said that Iran cannot delay indefinitely accountability for a suspected nuclear weapons program, but said the United States has set "no deadline, no timeline" for Tehran to act.
Tick....tick....tick....
Posted by: Steve ||
02/09/2005 1:30:04 PM ||
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#1
In other news, US routinely updating war plans for China, Cuba, Panama, North Korea, ... Liechtenstein, Andorra, Monaco, etc. We always have plans and we always update them--better to be prepared than caught flat-footed.
Posted by: Dar ||
02/09/2005 13:58 Comments ||
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#2
And then after we really decide to do something, the guy in charge comes up with a new plan based on the actual situation he's faced with.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
02/09/2005 14:03 Comments ||
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#3
"Operation Guillotine"
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/09/2005 14:30 Comments ||
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#4
"Operation Black Turban" is the plan.
Right now we are in "Operation Tell 'Em Anything They Want to Hear."
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
02/09/2005 15:06 Comments ||
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#5
U.S. Routinely Updating War Plan for Iran
The Magic Mullahs are constantly moving around, and constantly looking up expecting top see fighter jets with either Stars and Stripes or a star of David on the tail fin...
#7
So what do we do?, A surgical strike on the military and nuclear targets? That leaves an undefeated populace as in Iraq, and probably a much more troublesome one. To hope for an uprising after a strike is to hope for too much, but carpet bombing cities to break the will to fight as in Germany & Japan just ain't gonna happen.
Ugh.. it makes my head hurt, glad I'm not the one that needs to figure it out.
#8
"I'm not spending any of my time worrying about the nuclear proliferation in Iran. I haven't been called into any late-night meetings at 8 o'clock at night saying, 'Holy cow, we got to sit down and go plan for Iran,"
-No shit Sir, but tell the folks why. Could it be we already have accurate target acquisition down to 8-digit grids on their heavy water and refining facilities? Just a wild guess.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice warned Syria on Tuesday that if it wants to avoid being "isolated" it must end support for Islamic militants intent on wrecking the Middle East peace process. "It is time for Syria to demonstrate that it does not want to be isolated, that it does not want to have bad relations with the United States," Rice said after talks here with Italy's Foreign Minister Gianfranco Fini. In a joint press conference dominated by the Middle East as Israeli and Palestinian leaders met in Egypt to discuss a ceasefire, the US official had harsh words for Syria, saying it has been "unhelpful" by supporting Islamic militants intent on wrecking the process.
"I can't say it strongly enough. You can't say on one hand that you want a process of peace and on the other hand support the people who are determined to blow it up." "Syria has been unhelpful in a number of ways" including support for terrorists and militants operating out of South Lebanon, she said. "There's a long list and while we sometimes make what I call minimal progress, it is by no means the kind of progress we need to make," said Rice, making her first foreign tour since succeeding Colin Powell as President George W. Bush's top envoy last month. She said the Islamic militants opposed to a Middle East peace "cannot be allowed to continue to try to orchestrate the process."
Posted by: Fred ||
02/09/2005 00:00:00 ||
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â...unhelpful...â
Right out of Rummy's lexicon. I like our new SecState more every day...
#5
The woman has learned to imitate Rumsfeld's hand gestures. Or perhaps Rumsfeld learned the gestures from Condi?
Posted by: Mark ||
02/09/2005 22:10 Comments ||
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Nice threat, but the real key isn't the threat to isolate Syria, but the ability to maintain such a blockade -- even if that means that the US has to interdict the shipments of "allied" (my ass) nations like Phwrance, Germany, Russia and China by any means necessary ...
Posted by: Edward Yee ||
02/09/2005 22:58 Comments ||
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Zafarullah Tarar, president of Pakistan People's Party Bahauddin and former parliamentarian, and Rana Zahid Mehmood, leader of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz in Faisalabad, joined PML after a meeting with Punjab Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi on Wednesday.
Elahi claimed that Pakistan Muslim League was going to emerge as the largest political party of Pakistan after the party's warm embrace by local party leaders. "Pakistani people believe in dynamic leadership," he said adding that the government's people friendly policies had gained the trust of the public. "PML's roots will strengthen and go deeper with the joining of two influential groups from Faisalabad and Mandi Bahauddin," he said.
The two new members are accompanied by Munawar Hussain Tarar, a former provincial assembly member, Irshadullah Tarar, a union council nazim, Ali Asghar Gujjar and Shaukat Ali Rana. "PML wants to ensure people's direct participation in important decision making. The local body elections aim to transfer power to the grass-root level," said the chief minister, and reiterated, "The local body elections will be held in 2005."
This article starring:
Ali Asghar Gujjar
Irshadullah Tarar
Munawar Hussain Tarar
Shaukat Ali Rana
Zafarullah Tarar
Posted by: Fred ||
02/09/2005 9:33:39 PM ||
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The Indian army will have a new, high-profile rapid-action strike command to take on Pakistan along the Punjab-Rajasthan sector.
It will be called the South-West Command and will be made up of integrated battle groups with the capability to "obliterate
an enemy objective" rather than merely hold ground. Outlook has learnt that the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) finally cleared this long-pending demand of the army at its January 28 meeting...
The new command, the product of major brainstorming in army headquarters for over five years, is a bid to rationalise its operational readiness in keeping with its new war doctrine which was introduced last year.
This doctrine has moved away from the earlier concept of holding and strike formations, and instead looks at integrated battle groups. The 11-month vigil on the western borders during Operation Parakram in 2001-02 revealed that protracted deployment was problematic—susceptible as it was to pressure from the international community, which treats it as a 'hostile' buildup. A permanent, dedicated command was seen as preferable.
The key operational features of the new command will be:
*Accent on mobility rather than holding ground; a developed capacity to strike deep into enemy area.
*Can strike at several enemy targets simultaneously.
*It will be primarily offensive; oriented towards a short, sharp war.
*Better interface with the air force. Hence, better coordinated operations.
The impetus for creating the new command was prompted by what was happening in Northern Command. Past conflicts with Pakistan revealed several problems in the Shakargargh bulge in northern Punjab. What was also worrisome was the huge responsibilities that had tied down its Nagrota-based 16 Corps.
This corps, considered the largest formation of its kind anywhere in the world, was bogged down with too many operational duties. For instance, it was deploying formations in the mountains as well as planning for operations in the plains south of Jammu. While it had conventional defensive and offensive responsibilities in the event of a war, it also had to oversee counter-terrorist operations. With so much on its plate affecting its operational capabilities, army HQ thought that it was time for a massive shakeout.
The new command would mean that the responsibilities of the Northern, Western and Southern Commands would be rationalised to improve their strike capabilities. Earlier, these three commands would be responsible for varied tasks: taking on mountain warfare, counter-insurgency operations and planning offensive operations in the plains. For example, Nagrota's 16 Corps, under the new order, will primarily look at counter-terrorist and defensive operations. The strike capability will henceforth rest with the Western Command and the new South-West Command. "This would mean improving our ability to inflict optimum damage on the enemy," says a senior army officer... I hardly think that this re-org is oriented towards Pakistan.
Nepal's King Gyanendra was facing mounting opposition from a legal challenge and planned street protests as top lawyers said his emergency rule was against the spirit of the constitution.
In the first court action since the king sacked the government, seized power and imposed a state of emergency, a Supreme Court judge Wednesday ordered his newly-appointed government of loyalists to explain the arrest of a former bar association chief, a court source said.
The court issued the order in response to a habeas corpus petition by Nepal Bar Association president Shambhu Thapa, after former bar association president Sindhunath Pyakurel was arrested the day the king seized power on February 1.
Meanwhile, activists who escaped a roundup after the power grab met underground to finalise details of an anti-monarchy protest which they plan to stage in the capital on Thursday in defiance of a ban on public gatherings.
Krishna Pahadi, former president of the Human Rights and Peace Society (HURPES), said some 20 organisations would be represented and all those taking part expect to be detained.
"For sure people who will attend the meeting will be arrested but you cannot be detained for more than three months," he said.
Numbers were not as important as the symbolism of the demonstration, Pahadi added.
"Tomorrow, even if there are few people, the presence of various organisations will give a symbolic message ... It will (send) a clear message that we are against (the) royal move."
He also hoped it would help mobilise students and political movements, many of which are planning their own protests after their leaders were rounded up.
Shortly after he attended the meeting, Pahadi was arrested, HURPES said in a statement. It said the event would proceed as planned.
The Nepali Congress political party said some of its leaders have crossed into India to avoid arrest but others who escaped the security net were meeting underground.
"(They) are planning a strategy of peaceful street protests against the king's move and to demand the restoration of the people's democratic rights and freedom of speech," party spokesman Arjun Narsingh said.
He said Tuesday that some 1,000 activists from political parties, student groups and trade unions have been rounded up nationwide.
Army spokesman Brigadier General Dipak Gurung said only around 100 political and student leaders had been locked up since the king intervened and could be detained for three months.
But the Maoists have rejected his takeover. They have called for an indefinite nationwide strike and traffic blockade starting February 13 to protest his actions and to mark the anniversary of the start of the insurgency.
Senior lawyer and constitutional expert Sher Bahadur appealed Wednesday for the king to end the emergency, saying it "does not fall within the purview of the constitution" since parliament, which must endorse emergency rule, was dissolved in 2002.
"The royal enforcement of the emergency rule is not in keeping with the spirit of the constitution," he said.
Ganesh Raj Sharma, senior advocate of the Supreme Court and a top constitutional expert, agreed that the king's actions needed endorsement by the house.
Because there is no parliament, he added, "the current changes brought by the king do not fall within the purview of the constitution."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
02/09/2005 5:56:20 PM ||
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Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir said that Islam will continue to be the main source of legislation in Sudan even after the peace deal with the mainly animist and Christian southern rebels. He made the comments while addressing a crowd in al-Suqi in central Sudan, the official Sudan News Agency reported. Khartoum and the rebel Sudan Peoples' Liberation Movement (SPLM) signed a peace deal on January 9 in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, ending more than two decades of civil war between south and north.
It's a African peace deal, with a big helping of islam thrown in. I give it six months.
Religion and implementation of sharia or Islamic law in the country featured strongly during the war, with the SPLM saying it wanted a united, but also secular Sudan. Under the agreement, the south shall be exempted from sharia, which shall be enforced in the north during a six-year interim period preceding a referendum on independence for the south.
Six-years? Boy, they must have good dope in the Sudan.
Both sides have agreed to draft an interim constitution for the country that will reflect its cultural, social and religious diversities.
However......
The president, however, insisted that sharia shall remain the main source of legislation throughout this period and that it "will be enshrined in a permanent constitution." He said his "National Congress party deserves the support of the people in the coming stage because it managed to put forward a programme that brought about peace and entrenched Islamic sharia."
Then his lips fell off..
He claimed that Sudan's former leaders paid only lip service to sharia and compared his government to the Mahdist revolution, which Beshir said "raised the banner of Islam and implemented its code in public life." The Mahdist revolution led by Mohammed Ahmed al-Mahdi spearheaded Sudan's struggle for independence from British rule. Followers of the Mahdi, the Ansars, regarded him a political as well as spiritual leader.
Looks like Beshir fancies himself as the new Mahdi.
Posted by: Steve ||
02/09/2005 4:21:43 PM ||
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What the heck do these liberals think, islam is peaceful? Give me a break. It was founded by a pedophile terrorist. Sudan is doomed.
Dr. Laura Schlessinger, famous for doling out advice on her nationally syndicated call-in radio talk show, shared a little of her own personal life with U.S. Army reservists. Schlessinger told some 300 people at a 425th Civil Affairs Battalion event on Saturday that her son, 19-year-old Deryk Andrew Schlessinger, will join the U.S. Special Forces later this year - a mission that could take him to the Middle East. Deryk, who enlisted last year, joined his mother on stage to explain his reasons for signing up. He told the crowd at the Calvary Chapel that he resented the way Americans criticize the war without recognizing soldiers' sacrifices - a theme echoed by his mother. "Real people were fighting and I wanted to be part of that," he said. Dr. Laura said she wasn't too worried about her son. "I brought my son up to be a warrior," she said. "I feel sorry for the mothers of the bad guys. And I just have a good feeling."
Posted by: tipper ||
02/09/2005 10:32:09 AM ||
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WHAT a comment by Dr. Laura! Maybe ol' Deryk can target "journalists" (a'la Eason-gate) for real. I loved watching Brent Bozell shred the leftie last night on H&C..."Personally, I don't give a d#mn what al-Jazeera says!" What a moment...you could just see the leftie cowering after that! Eason & co. still can't produce a SINGLE shred of evidence that our guys are targetting "journalists" (not that I'd mind that either).
Posted by: BA ||
02/09/2005 10:46 Comments ||
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#2
"I am my Green Beret's mom . . ."
Posted by: Mike ||
02/09/2005 11:54 Comments ||
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Saddam Hussein and his top lieutenants will take a step closer to trial in the coming weeks but don't expect an O.J. Simpson-style courtroom drama, a Western legal expert involved in the process said on Wednesday. Saddam and 11 of his most senior aides face charges that range from crimes against humanity to genocide after decades of brutal rule ended in April 2003 by the U.S.-led invasion. The Western expert, briefing reporters on the condition of anonymity, said the next hurdle in the process was when investigating judges refer charges against some of the 12 to an Iraqi trial court. He said that this would happen "in weeks." "Chemical Ali," Saddam's feared cousin Ali Hassan al-Majid, and former defense minister Sultan Hashem are expected to be two of the first accused to go to trial. Once lodged, proceedings could move fast, depending on how many pre-trial challenges to the legitimacy of the process are made by defense lawyers. Many in Iraq want speedy justice and death for the leaders of a government that murdered and tortured hundreds of thousands. Iraq has the death penalty, traditionally delivered by either hanging or firing squad. But there will be no show trial in the Western sense, although the proceedings will be televised and open to the public.
Hello, Court TV!
"It is not going to be a system where you have Johnnie Cochran cross-examining somebody in the O.J. case for these periods of drama," he said, referring to the defense lawyer who helped U.S. celebrity O.J. Simpson defeat murder charges in 1995. This type of trial by jury does not exist in Iraq, or indeed in many other places outside the United States and Britain. Instead, Iraq's civil law system, which mirrors the civil law proceedings of European countries such as France and Italy, will plot a much more methodical and systematic path. Nor will the trial itself take very long, although all the accused will have the right to an appeal. "Trials in civil law settings are nowhere near as protracted as trials in common law settings," said the expert, comparing a process that would last only a couple of months to U.S. hearings that can stretch into a year or more. Judgment and sentencing are made simultaneously in Iraq.
The accused will face five judges in the trials court, who will cross-examine witnesses on atrocities such as the gas attacks against Kurds in the north in the 1980s, for which Chemical Ali is accused, or the suppression of the 1991 Shi'ite uprising in the south. Trials will also probably be run separately for the different crimes, for example one trial for the Kurdish killings and a different one for the crushing of the Shi'ite rebellion. Witnesses may enter protection programs and some will probably appear in secrecy to safeguard their identities and prevent reprisals. They may also have to address the court at the same time as other witnesses, if the judges decide that they have offered conflicting testimony. The trial judges, who act as questioners and have a much more prominent role than either the prosecution or defense lawyers, must also weigh an absolute mountain of evidence.
Some of this has come from more than a dozen mass graves that have been exhumed and studied by forensic experts seeking clues to crimes that span more than 25 years. "I will give you an example. In the Anfal campaign (in Kurdistan) we have 182,000 killed, thousands of villages destroyed and millions of documents that need to be studied and prepared to build the case," Iraqi Human Rights Minister Bakhtiar Amin told reporters this week. "Identifying responsibility in the chain of command and who gave the orders is not going to be easy."
Posted by: Steve ||
02/09/2005 9:31:45 AM ||
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A spokesman for Iraq's most influential Shia cleric has denied reports that the cleric is demanding that Islam be the country's sole source of law. Hamed Khafaf said Ayatollah Ali Sistani believes Iraq's new constitution should respect what he described as the Islamic cultural identity of Iraqis. Shia success in the election led to speculation that the ayatollah wanted a constitution based on Sharia law. Mr Khafaf said the speculation was baseless. He insisted that Ayatollah Sistani's position had not changed. In Ayatollah Sistani's view, his spokesman went on to say, it was up to the elected representatives of the people in the new National Assembly to decide the details. Mr Khafaf said the ayatollah had approved the current wording of Iraq's interim constitution, which states that Islam is a source of legislation and no law contradicting Islamic tenets may be passed. Reports at the weekend that prominent Iraqi Shia clerics were now pushing for a constitution based solely on Islamic Sharia law caused concern among Iraqi secular and Kurdish leaders. BBC regional analyst Sadeq Saba says the statement by Ayatollah Sistani's spokesman suggests that the ayatollah has no intention of turning Iraq into an Iranian-style theocracy.
Posted by: Steve ||
02/09/2005 9:24:48 AM ||
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#1
Priests anywhere *always* lust for political power. It is inherent in them. They can no more not want political power than they can want to stop breathing. *Crafty* priests, however, prefer to use gradualism to achieve those goals, unlike their hot-headed brethren who just cannot abide the idea of the sinful managing their own affairs..
#2
that's an awfully cynical view of all religious practitioners that you can't back up. I reject that blanket characterization.
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/09/2005 11:04 Comments ||
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Doesn't fit with my experience either.
Posted by: Tom ||
02/09/2005 11:14 Comments ||
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The "always" is the problem. I know very many, in fact most, religious folk who don't fit the description. But there is an element in any priesthood (not only religious) that "knows what is good for everybody" and seeks the power to enforce it even on those who disagree. That's what politics is about. I'm also thinking gun controllers, anti-smokers, drug warriors, and leftist academics. They are priests too, just not in organized religions.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
02/09/2005 11:21 Comments ||
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"Ayatollah Sistani's spokesman suggests that the ayatollah has no intention of turning Iraq into an Iranian-style theocracy." Well DUH! If Theocracy is failing in Iran, it aint going to work in Iraq. He would find himself in a three-way civil war, that he couldn't possibly win. And make no mistake the Mullacracy in Iran is heading for a fall in the not too distant future.
#7
I think Sistani actually wants the best for the people of Iraq and has no intentions of following the footsteps of the mad mullahs nextdoor. Sistani isn't an Iranian spud like the Tehran Tater punk.
But as always, only time will tell.
Posted by: Mac Suirtain ||
02/09/2005 15:36 Comments ||
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#8
This is fairly good news - he has seen the experience fo Iran, and decided to keep his voice a moral one, not a temporal political one.
Your view is biased, quite obviously.
You may want to readjust it in terms of facts, not popular images from movies and TV, and distorted history from socialist liberal atheists authors and professors of the 20th century.
The "power hungry" religious person is a hollywood fiction. Far more death in this past century is at the hands of the godless in the name of "the people". Pol Pot, Stalin, Hitler, Mao, etc.
#9
Mac Suirtain---Sistani isn't an Iranian spud like the Tehran Tater punk.
Great image and use of language! LOL!
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
02/09/2005 23:23 Comments ||
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#10
This is fairly good news - he has seen the experience fo Iran, and decided to keep his voice a moral one, not a temporal political one.
Your view is biased, quite obviously.
You may want to readjust it in terms of facts, not popular images from movies and TV, and distorted history from socialist liberal atheists authors and professors of the 20th century.
The "power hungry" religious person is a hollywood fiction. Far more death in this past century is at the hands of the godless in the name of "the people". Pol Pot, Stalin, Hitler, Mao, etc.
#11
This is fairly good news - he has seen the experience fo Iran, and decided to keep his voice a moral one, not a temporal political one.
Your view is biased, quite obviously.
You may want to readjust it in terms of facts, not popular images from movies and TV, and distorted history from socialist liberal atheists authors and professors of the 20th century.
The "power hungry" religious person is a hollywood fiction. Far more death in this past century is at the hands of the godless in the name of "the people". Pol Pot, Stalin, Hitler, Mao, etc.
The U.S. military faces between 13,000 and 17,000 insurgents in Iraq, the large majority of them backers of ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and his Baath Party, a senior military official said Tuesday... The senior military official told CNN the bulk of the insurgency is made up of 12,000 to 15,000 Arab Sunni followers of Saddam's party. The Baath Party was overthrown by a U.S.-led invasion in March 2003. Of those, the source said 5,000 to 7,000 are considered "committed" fighters, with the rest considered "fence-sitters," criminals or "facilitators" who contribute material support or sanctuary to the guerrillas. The official, who is familiar with the region, said about 500 other fighters have come from other countries to battle the U.S.-led forces in Iraq, while another group of fewer than 1,000 are believed to be followers of Jordanian-born Islamic terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi... I guess you have to parse CNN stories to try to figure out what parts are more like reality, and what parts are fabricated. Examples: "...a(n) (unnamed) senior (higher ranking than PFC) military (Coast Guard) official (works in an office) said (overheard in a bar) Tuesday (or at least that is what my editor told me to write)..."
Posted by: Anonymoose ||
02/09/2005 9:20:47 AM ||
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#1
Just as we had experts who (claimed) they could read between the lines of Pravda, we are going to needs experts for interpreting CNN.
#4
actually theres nothing in the above story that looks out of line. In fact id say its good news. A few months ago it was said there about 20,000 insurgents, and all were assumed to be "full timers". And the left was trying to insinuate they were ordinary folks angry at the US. Instead we find less than 17,000 left - which might well indicatet that the siege of Fallujah and subsequent combat is having an effect, and that insurgent numbers are steadily dropping. Many of the 20,000 are parttimers, and the majority of the insurgency is, as the admin has said, former regime elements. And about 1500 foreigners, out of about 6000 commited fighters, sounds about right.
#7
Except, LH, that since it comes from CNN, we can't trust a word of it. I'll wait for a more reliable source, like Debka or a bum muttering to himself on the street.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
02/09/2005 10:47 Comments ||
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the biggest problem with CNN is that they've lost so much of their American market (and credibility) that they're tailoring their news and bias for foreign (CNNi) markets. That's why Jordan was surrounded by applauding arab media after he made that lying accusation in Davos
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/09/2005 11:07 Comments ||
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It is generally instructive to follow the money. In this case the advertising dollars that fund news operations. Who are the big advertisers for CNN? Is the advertiser profile greatly different for CNNi? What's the revenue split between domestic and foreign advertisers?
I've got to believe at some point Time Warner will clean house at CNN. If they don't, it means that tin foil news reporting is actually good business.
#10
it means that tin foil news reporting is actually good business.
Seems to have been good for the last 40 years.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
02/09/2005 11:54 Comments ||
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What do you mean "anymore"?
Who believed them before?
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
02/09/2005 12:51 Comments ||
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RC. well hay, then we somebody could have posted something from CNN about the Jackson trial. Jordan is a schmuck for what he said in Davos, but the implication that this particular story is untrustworthy just doesnt fly.
#14
LH -- he's not simply a schmuck. He's delusional. Insane. Nuts.
You have to wonder how deeply his delusion effects the coverage from CNN, particularly since the head of CNNi is saying the same things.
CNN simply cannot be trusted, for ANYTHING. Heck, I think they should be booted out of every press pool and no member of the US government should speak to them unless and until they make a complete airing of Jordan's claims.
If Jordan's right, then he's got the biggest damned story in history. If he's lying to curry favor with overseas anti-Americanism, then the public has a right to know.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
02/09/2005 13:46 Comments ||
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Who watches CNN? Your kidding right? People actually still watch CNN?
Only Headline News, and just to gaze at Rudi Bakhtiar.
#22
but the implication that this particular story is untrustworthy just doesnt fly.
maybe...but what you are really saying is that, based on your knowledge from other sources - you believe this story rings true. Nobody, not even you, LH, would believe it based soley on CNN's credibility alone.
Though he reiterated his promise at the Sharm el-Sheikh ceremony, Abu Mazen's commitment to halt incitement to violence and hatred on official PA TV was already violated this past Friday. In late January, PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) toured PA Television studios, instructing the director to tone down incitement as well as programs heaping praise upon him. Just this past Friday, a sermon was aired on PA TV outlining the planned destruction of the Jewish State. Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) has translated the sermon into English and publicized it.
PMW Director Itamar Marcus explained: "The Palestinian Authority, in its Arabic messages to its people, has always denied Israel's right to exist and has often presented the peace process as a tactic leading to Israel's destruction. This goal was repeated Friday, on the Palestinian Authority television, in the official sermon."
The sermon was delivered by senior Islamic Imam Ibrahim Mudyris. The Imam explained that the limitation of the diplomatic process is that it can only conquer up to Israel's 1967 borders. He said that at a later stage the PA will achieve its goal of bringing about the complete destruction of Israel - the "return to the 1948 borders" and the towns of "Haifa, Jaffa, Lod, Ramla, Natanyah [Al-Zuhour] and Tel Aviv [Tel Al-Rabia]."
The following is the text of the Friday sermon, broadcast on official PA television on February 4, 2005:
Imam Ibrahim Mudyris:
"We do not love any land more than the land of Palestine. Had the Jews not expelled us from it with their planes, their tanks, their weapons, their treachery around us, we would never leave you, O Palestine. (Quotes Muhammad, who promised he would return to Mecca as a conqueror).
"We tell you Palestine, we shall return to you, by Allah's will. We shall return to every village, every town, and every grain of earth which was quenched by the blood of our grandparents and the sweat of our fathers and mothers. We shall return, we shall return. Our willingness to return to the 1967 borders does not mean that we have given up on the land of Palestine. No!
"We ask you: Do we have the right to the 1967 borders? We have the right. Therefore, we shall realize this right with any mean it takes. We might be able to use diplomacy in order to return to the 1967 borders, but we shall not be able to use diplomacy in order to return to the 1948 borders.
"No one on this earth recognizes [our right to] the 1948 borders [before Israel's existence]. Therefore, we shall return to the 1967 borders, but it does not mean that we have given up on Jerusalem and Haifa, Jaffa, Lod, Ramla, Natanyah [Al-Zuhour] and Tel Aviv [Tel Al-Rabia]. Never.
"We shall return to every village we had been expelled from, by Allah's will. Why? All the international laws deny the Palestinians their real borders. We might agree, but in the name of Allah, our grandfathers' blood demands that we return to them [the borders]. Your fathers' blood was shed there, at the villages, at Ashqelon, at Ashdod, at Hirbia [a village between Gaza and Ashqelon, where Kibbutz Zikim is located today] and at others places, hundreds of villages and towns. [Their blood] demands it from us, and it shall curse anyone who will concede a grain of earth of those villages.
"Our approval to return to the 1967 borders is not a concession for our other rights. No!... this generation might not achieve this stage, but generations will come, and the land of Palestine... will demand that the Palestinians will return the way Muhammad returned there - as a conqueror."
Posted by: Fred ||
02/09/2005 6:06:57 AM ||
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headlines misleading - Its not like PA TV said this in an editorial. No, some loony imam said it in a sermon, and PATV dont yet have sufficient cojones to pull the plug on this loony imam.
#4
No good, mojo. The Crusaders didn't allow the Jews within the walls of Jerusalem. And of course, there was no Jewish State either. Otherwise an interesting thought, though ;-)
Hamas and Islamic Jihad are waiting until Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas updates them Wednesday about the previous day's Sharm el-Sheikh summit before they decide whether to halt attacks on Israeli targets. Israel Radio reported Wednesday morning that Abbas was slated to meet the militant Palestinian factions later in the day to describe the outcome of Tuesday's summit with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, where the two leaders declared an end to all military and militant operations.
"We are going to listen to Mr. Abbas when he returns," Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesman in the Gaza Strip said Tuesday. "We are going to sit down with him, and then we are going to declare our position." Abu Zuhri dismissed the summit, but said it was too early to decide whether Hamas would resume its activities against Israelis. "It did not achieve anything," he said. "From our people's interests, the Israeli position did not change."
Osama Hamdan, the Hamas representative in Lebanon, also said it was too soon to say whether attacks would continue. Saying Hamas is not bound by the truce, Hamdan said Hamas' decision will depend on "achievement of a substantial change [in Israel's position] to meet Palestinian demands and conditions."
"The talk about what the leader of the Palestinian Authority called a cessation of acts of violence is not binding on the resistance because this is a unilateral stand and was not the outcome of an intra-Palestinian dialogue, as has been agreed previously," Hamdan told The Associated Press.
But Palestinian Legislative Council member Ziyad Abu Ziyad dismissed Hamas' declaration that it is not bound by the cease-fire declarations, saying the militant group will maintain regional quiet as long as Israel does not renew military activity. Abu Ziyad said Wednesday that the Hamas statement was likely a "political" way of distancing the group from the official summit declarations and does not mean it will continue carrying out terror attacks. Hamas "is committed [to maintaining the quiet] and will continue to be committed as long as Israel commits" to refraining from military activity against the Palestinians, Abu Ziyad told Israel Radio.
Hamdan also said that in order for a truce to succeed, Israel must release Palestinian prisoners and provide "a clear commitment ... to halt all kinds of aggression against the Palestinian people. These two conditions were not achieved at the summit. Overall, I think this summit did not achieve any valuable interest for the Palestinian people." However, he did not specify how the commitment Sharon made at the summit fell short of Hamas' requirement. The prime minister said "Israel will cease all its military activity against all Palestinians everywhere."
Meanwhile, the top Islamic Jihad leader in Gaza also said he would await Abbas' update. Nafez Azzam criticized Sharon for failing to explain exactly what he is committing himself to. "We have mentioned several times before that calm cannot come from one side, and cannot come for free," Azzam said. "We will wait for the return of Mr. Abbas, and then we will see."
On arriving with Abbas in Amman after the summit, Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia downplayed the Hamas and Islamic Jihad reactions. "There are good understandings between all the Palestinian groups and factions and leaders," Qureia said. "We'll discuss with them now, immediately, the results [of the summit]." Abbas has held talks with them and other militant Palestinian groups in an attempt to convince them to agree to a truce with Israel.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/09/2005 6:00:47 AM ||
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#1
My first thought reading the title was that they would now seek Abbas' approval for future operations against Israel - i.e. report to him and take his orders henceforth. Heh.
#2
Apparently Abbas is a real dimbulb that everyone thought they could manipulate. I'll give the whole process 4 weeks at most before someone gets whacked/boomed and it all falls apart. But the USA has gone through the whole good faith thing.
#3
Phil, I agree. Tho I really do wish that this whole mess would be settled. I think the palestinian people need it.
Unfortunately I dont see that happening until the people realize that Hamas and the rest (including Arafat) dont give a rats ass for them. Hamas is to addicted to murder and sending kids off to kill themselves to give it up.
I give it 2-3 weeks before Hamas either blows up another bus or kills some young palestinian girl and blames it on Israel (like last time) to give themselves an excuse to murder again.
#4
Saying Hamas is not bound by the truce, Hamdan said Hamasâ decision will depend on "achievement of a substantial change [in Israelâs position] to meet Palestinian demands and conditions."
It's amazing how, after being whacked hard in any confrontation with Israeli forces and basically being on the losing end of things, these guys are still under the impression they're in a position to make demands and set conditions.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas pledged publicly in Sharm e-Sheikh Tuesday to put an end to four years of violence, and in a private meeting, expressed their determination to make these declarations stick this time. "Today, in my meeting with Chairman Abbas, we agreed that all Palestinians will stop all acts of violence against all Israelis everywhere, and — in parallel — Israel will cease all its military activity against all Palestinians anywhere," Sharon declared, speaking in Hebrew at the end of the summit. "We hope that today we are starting a new period of hope." His declaration came after that of Abbas, who stated in Arabic: "We have agreed... on and end to all acts of violence against Palestinians and Israelis, wherever they are."
Posted by: Fred ||
02/09/2005 5:48:24 AM ||
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#1
One of them can and will keep his word.
The other side has several hundred years worth of evolution in front of them, methinks, and nowhere near that much time to do it. Time for some magic neutrino storms to strike "Paleoland" and cause major mutations. They need one of those evolutionary "leaps", heh, or they might run into that evolutionary wall, like the dinosaurs.
I wonder if Gaia lit up "Tilt!" in the Aurora Borealis when the dinos bit the big one... I love good light shows.
#4
Personally, I think Israel has decided that they will try one last time. They will make the ultimate effort this one last time and if the Paleo's burn them on it, I think the Paleo's are going to consider the last four years of Heli-zaps and incursions paradise. Arafat is gone and Israel has made no promises to the PA or Abbas about survival. This truly is the Paleo's last chance at avoiding the IDF giving them a real war.
#5
all you guys seem to think Israel is just being nice and giving yet ONE more Pal another chance. I aint got no inside info, but from public source stuff ive gotten the very strong impression that the Israelis ARE A whole heckuva a lot more intertwined with Palestinian pols than you give them credit for. Im NOT saying anybody is a Mossad agent, or anything, BUT i am saying is that Israel has been working with Dahlan for a long time, and in private, and that some of what youre seeing has been planned for awhile, and I really think theres more here than meets the eye.
#6
I tend to agree with LH. My perception of Sharon's strategy is to strip away the bitter enders in Fatah, Hamas, and IJ and leave the more "cooperative" types. Call it guided, accelerated evolution. Success depends on whether the cooperative types can control the cadres and tribes.
Palestinian well-informed sources reported that the meeting held Monday evening between the former PA security affairs minister Mohammed Dahlan and the Zionist war minister Shaul Mofaz had settled all pending security issues between the PA delegation and its Zionist counterpart. The sources said that negotiations would be resumed by the two parties following the Zionist pullback from the West Bank cities, and added that Sharm Al-Sheikh summit meeting to be held Tuesday would be a ceremony for announcing the resumption of the Zionist-Palestinian relations that had reached an impasse after the outbreak of the Aqsa intifada in late September 2000.
They underscored that the summit would come out with a reciprocal, simultaneous ceasefire between the Palestinians and the Zionist regime. They highlighted that Dahlan agreed with Mofaz on a number of issues atop of which came the Zionist withdrawal from the West Bank cities and villages, formulation of a ministerial committee to follow up the Palestinian prisoners' case, stopping crackdowns and assassinations against the wanted Palestinian activists on the part of the Zionist troops in addition to the fact that the PA would maintain security responsibility over those activists.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/09/2005 5:42:34 AM ||
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#1
As ive been saying for awhile, the strategy hinges on putting Dahlan in a position of real power. Definitely tougher than Abbas, but with strong sense of cause and effect. Someone Israel can work with.
Thousands of students in the Alexandria University yesterday organized a protest march inside their varsity campus against the visit to Sharm Al-Sheikh of Zionist premier Ariel Sharon. The students denounced the visit and the summit describing it as a "shame on the Muslim Ummah" and hoisted posters reminding of Sharon's bloody history. The demonstrators asked the Palestinian people to continue resisting occupation and issued a statement rejecting Sharon's visit and describing it as an insult to Cairo.
The students asked the Egyptian government not to return its ambassador to Tel Aviv and championed the reactivation of the boycott of Zionist goods and canceling of the QIZ agreement between Washington, Cairo and Tel Aviv. The students in a three-hour demonstration burnt the "Israeli" flag and dummies of Sharon amidst cheers as Egyptian security sources cordoned off the campus to prevent the students from going outside it.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/09/2005 5:41:07 AM ||
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Sure guys, go ahead and do that. We're trying to get our budget under control and saving a few billion in foreign aid would help.
Hamas has praised PA leader Abbas for asserting his commitment to true democracy in Palestine. During his joint press conference with visiting US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Ramallah on Monday, Abbas disappointed both the Americans and the Israelis when he vowed to "let the Palestinian people decide."
In response to a question from an American journalist on how he would view the possibility of further gains by Hamas in the upcoming Palestinian mayoral and legislative elections, Abbas said he would do nothing to forestall a victory by Hamas in the elections. "We have adopted the democratic system and we shall not intervene in favor or against any faction, the Palestinian people is free to choose its representatives, and my government shall not intervene to prevent any faction from wining or losing. The people will decide."
"We are quite happy about his tone, and we hope that we will continue to work with the President for the collective good of the Palestinian people," said Yousuf. The increasingly positive chemistry between Abbas and Hamas is likely to strengthen a growing moderate trend within Hamas. This, some observers contend, might eventually lead to the transformation of Hamas from a "spoiler movement," as many had come to view it, into a responsible democratic opposition serving, rather than undermining, the cause of freedom and independence in Palestine.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/09/2005 5:38:15 AM ||
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Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom ||
02/09/2005 04:15 ||
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#1
Abbas certainly has an alphabet soup of terminally insecure morons to answer to. Prolly needs a hall pass to take a leak.
It's interesting to me that asshats always seem to think the Good Guys are stupid, despite the phreaking mountain of evidence to the contrary (a real mountain of bodies...), and prolly don't realize that the IDF must be in full intel-acquisition mode during this little hudna thingy. First break in the ceasefire should bring some nasty helizaps of Abbas' real tormentors, his own brother terrorists, and not limited to just the West Bank and Gaza, either.
#2
For a time I defined the difference between the Right and the Left as 'The Left is sure they smarter despite the evidence, while the Right is sure it is smarter because of the evidence.'
#3
"Palestinians Say Hizbollah Trying to Wreck Truce
37 minutes ago World - Reuters
By Diala Saadeh
RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Lebanese Hizbollah guerrillas are trying to recruit Palestinian militants for attacks on Israelis in order to sabotage Middle East peace efforts, senior Palestinian officials said on Wednesday.
The accusations from political and security officials, a day after Israel and the Palestinians announced a cease-fire, echoed charges from the Jewish state. The officials declined to be identified.
Hizbollah, backed by Syria and Iran, declined comment.
One top Palestinian official said security services were investigating Hizbollah funding for militants in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip (news - web sites). Another said clear links had been identified through intercepted communications.
"We know that Hizbollah has been trying to recruit suicide bombers in the name of al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades to carry out attacks which would sabotage the truce," said one official, referring to a militant group inside Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah (news - web sites) faction.
Another official said intercepted e-mail communications and bank transactions suggested Hizbollah had raised its cash offers to militants, but it was unclear if this reflected a heightened desire to see violence flare up or a dearth of recruits.
"Now they are willing to pay $100,000 for a whole operation (suicide bombing) whereas in the past they paid $20,000, then raised it to $50,000," the second official told Reuters
#5
thats not how I read it - more like now there a source, the Pals, who the left cant ignore, who are fingering Hezbullah - and by extension, Syria and Iran. Dahlans (cause i think hes the source) contribution to making the case.
Gently they stir, gently rise
The dead are newborn awakening
With ravaged limbs and wet souls
Gently they sigh in rapt funeral amazement
Who called these dead to dance?
Was it the young woman learning to play the ghost song on her baby grand?
Was it the wilderness children?
Was it the ghost God himself, stuttering, cheering, chatting blindly?
I called you up to anoint the earth
I called you to announce sadness falling like burned skin
I called you to wish you well
To glory in self like a new monster
And now I call you to pray
Another Eli Lake special; EFL. Among Mr. Chalabi's supporters is the leader of a resistance against Saddam Hussein in southern Iraq in 1991, Abdul Karim Al Muhammadawi, known as the "prince of the marshes." Mr. Chalabi has also garnered support from a former member of the Iraqi Governing Council, Salama al-Khufaji, who is one of the highest-ranking women on the UIA list. Mr. Chalabi also draws support from the Shiite Political Council, the organization he helped build this summer after he was excluded from the interim government headed by Prime Minister Allawi. Whether he wins or loses, he's definitely a player. It's clear the CIA's "no political base" claim was baloney.
Yesterday, Mr. Chalabi said he harbored no ill will towards his old nemeses in Washington and went out of his way to thank the American people, the American military, and President Bush for liberating Iraq. He even found kind words for Jordan, which has an outstanding warrant from a military court for his arrest. Mr. Chalabi is suing the Jordanian government in federal district court in Washington for racketeering. Well, he can afford to be magnanimous now.
In the race for prime minister, Mr. Chalabi's chief rivals are other Shiite politicians, such as the current finance minister, Adel Abdel-Mehdi, who this week rejected a timetable for the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq. Another aspirant is the current leader of the Dawa party, Ibrahim Jafari. Mr. Jafari was a vice president in the Allawi government, but has been a vocal critic of Mr. Allawi in the run-up to the election. Snip of "too early to tell" stuff, which happens to be true.
In the interview yesterday, Mr. Chalabi said one of his main goals would be to open up the heavily guarded "green zone" in the middle of Baghdad to regular Iraqi citizens. He added that President al-Yawar has said that President Bush was unaware that the republican palace of Saddam has been virtually off-limits to Iraqis and agreed that the situation should be changed. "We are acutely aware of the security concerns of the United States, and there are sites on the periphery of Baghdad which we will provide to them willingly," Mr. Chalabi said. What do our readers on the ground think of this?
Mr. Chalabi also said that he expected the new government to focus on rooting out Baathist elements in the security services that are sympathetic to terrorists. "The number of attacks has more than doubled on a daily average," he said. "That means we believe a major problem has been the introduction of former regime elements at a high level in the intelligence service and the National Guard." Yup. More stuff snipped, before...
Mr. Chalabi said that in the coming months, he did not expect the UIA slate or Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani to support a constitution that made Islam the sole source of Iraqi law. Stressing that he was not speaking in any way for Mr. Sistani, Mr. Chalabi said, "Ayatollah Sistani is a man who, if anything, is very keen to be consistent. The platform of the UIA, which he basically blessed, contains a reference to the role of Islam in Iraq which is not far from the transitional administrative law, which only said it was one source." Finally, would any Chalabi article be complete without the "Iranian spy" business?
On three different occasions, he waxed effusively about the historic significance of the elections in which he just ran. He even said, "These elections will have an influence on the democratic movement in Iran." For Mr. Chalabi, who has been accused anonymously of passing American signal intelligence to the Iranians by the CIA and maintained State Department-funded offices in Iran for years before Iraq's liberation, the statement was significant. Mr. Chalabi has denied passing intelligence to the Iranians and has challenged Congress to hold an open hearing at which he could face his accusers on the issue. Make of it all what you will.
Posted by: someone ||
02/09/2005 3:20:42 AM ||
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#1
FWIIW, there is nothing I have heard that would persuade me he is not a suitable candidate.
Two months ago, India, the United States and Britain warned Nepal's king against a unilateral grab for power. On Tuesday, he called their bluff. King Gyanendra sacked the government, arrested politicians and assumed absolute power for three years. The press was muzzled, phone lines snapped and the internet closed down as Nepal seemed to retreat back into its shell. His action is being described as a "royal coup d'etat."
Condemnation came swiftly. India and the United States said the king's move played into the hands of Maoist rebels fighting a bitter nine-year-old insurgency to topple the monarchy. Britain said it was reviewing military and development aid, and the United Nations insisted democracy should be restored. It is reminiscent of the condemnation that followed General Pervez Musharraf's 1999 coup in nearby Pakistan. Musharraf, of course, eventually won the world around, insisting that he was a better choice than Islamic extremists.
Nepal's monarch could be playing a similar game. "Clearly, King Gyanendra has calculated that when it comes to a choice between the monarchy and Maoists, India and the international community would have no option but to side with him," wrote Indian foreign policy expert C. Raja Mohan. Newspapers called the king's move a "high-risk gamble". If he can do what he has promised -- bring peace with the Maoists and ultimately restore democracy, the gamble could pay off.
Continued on Page 49
This article starring:
King Gyanendra
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
02/09/2005 12:30:19 AM ||
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#1
If I have a choice between this guy and the Maoists. He wins hands down. Things could be better but commies suck.
#2
Just a question: have Communists ever managed to overthrow a democratic government?
Am not speaking about invasions from outside (like Soviet Union installing communist dictatorships in Eastern Europe), but rather about cases of internal revolt, regardless of whether they've been backed from outside forces. Most of the examples I have in mind (Cuba, Russia, China, etc) seem to be cases of authoritarian regimes being overthrown.
Same question about Islamofascists.
If the answer is "no", then I think that shows something.
#3
Aris, the only way communists have ever come to power is by violent overthrow of an existing government or invasion. The only exception I can think of is Chile and Allende's brief tenure. IMO Cuba, and Russia were democratic although not up to modern standards. They were certainly pluralistic societies with elections.
With a more-or-less pluralistic society, the Communists generally try to destroy it from within, hijacking the police and security forces, then using salami techniques. That's how it worked in Czechoslavkia (granted, the Russian army made it easier) and Nicaragua. That's the method that Allende was starting, and what Chavez is doing right now. You see "emergency powers," "temporary measures for the duration of the crisis," denounciation of popular opponents as "in the pay of our enemies" or "fascists" or "would-be dictators." They also use murder and terror to silence opponents. These techniques are usually easier than fighting the Army directly.
IMO Cuba, and Russia were democratic although not up to modern standards.
Hmmph. Cuba had Batista, unless I'm thoroughly mistaken. And Russia was under the rule of the Czars. Modern standard? I'm talking about then-day standards. Weren't Russia and Cuba of the times in question significantly less democratic than e.g. USA, UK or France of the same times?
That's the method that Allende was starting, and what Chavez is doing right now.
Regardless of whether Allende was starting it or not, he didn't succeed. And Chavez is heading towards that course of action, and certainly desires it, but he's not yet managed to overthrow either multiparty democracy or capitalism. Not yet.
The government reached on Monday a "peace deal" with Baitullah Mehsud a militant described by the national press as a "Taliban commander" in an effort to placate the Mehsud tribe of South Waziristan. But the most wanted Mehsud terrorist, Abdullah Mehsud, is still at large and the only pledge the government could extract from the "pardoned" commander was that he would not "protect" him. The "peace deal" was mediated by the JUI of Maulana Fazlur Rehman. The ceremony predictably ended with shouts of "Death to America".
It sounded very much like the "peace" ceremony last year with Nek Muhammad, the Wazir "Taliban commander" with Al Qaeda connections; only on that occasion high-ranking Pakistani military officers were present and there were speeches against America's "invasion" of Afghanistan to appease the Wazir jirga. This time the domination of the ceremony by JUI was obvious. A tribal representative found occasion to appeal to China to "forgive" the murder by Abdullah Mehsud and his terrorists of a Chinese engineer working at the Gomal Zam Dam kidnapped by them and held for blackmail.
The "appeal" to China has been published in the national press. Backed by the MMA, it will be accepted as a ridiculous application of the law of tribal "honour" on a foreign country. China is thus supposed to redeem its honour by forgiving a terrorist who has been an inmate at the Guantanamo Bay prison, providing justification to a dubious judicial enterprise by America. But where is the honour of the government of Pakistan and how has it redeemed it in the long drawn out "war with Al Qaeda" in the Tribal Areas? The "deal" with Nek Muhammad fell through before the ink was dry on it and the man had finally to be killed with a missile, but not before he became a 'hero' of sorts despite his not so honourable personal profile in the area where he operated.
Continued on Page 49
This article starring:
ABDULLAH MEHSUD
Wazir Taliban
BAITULLAH MEHSUD
Wazir Taliban
MAULANA FAZLUR REHMAN
Jamaat-e-Ulema Islami Fazl
NEK MUHAMAD
Wazir Taliban
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
02/09/2005 12:17:53 AM ||
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Interesting look at new movies and TV shows about the military and Iraq. Not at all anti-American in its basic reporting.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/09/2005 12:01:25 AM ||
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#1
fuck hollywood--read "generation kill' by evan wright for the real deal
Posted by: SON OF TOLUI ||
02/09/2005 3:12 Comments ||
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#2
I've looked at this story several times - wondering what made sense - and I want to be positive, but I just don't trust them. Even Bochco. Sad.
You just can't erase 35+ years of total bullshit: farcical evil Govt plots, secret rogue Govt agencies with evil agendas, evil corporations with unlimited power screwing everyone out of secret formulas that would let cars run on tap water, free cold fusion energy for all locked away forever by evil [insert villainous entity here], global warming mega-disaster junk-science, yadda3 - no way. They've sucked too long and lied too long to buy into now. At best, it's gonna be a movie by movie, episode by episode thing. They've burned up all the goodwill. And you know they'll slip in bullshit, of every type, even in the best of the lot. Bank it.
#3
Hollywood is above all interested in making money. Since the re-election of President Bush, there is a very strong support for our military and Hollywood is just climbing on to the "War Wagon" because the Moguls see Moolah. They don't really give a rat's ass about much else. It's all about the money.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
02/09/2005 10:50 Comments ||
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Realistically they waited 2 years before jumping on the Iraq bandwagon. They waited until pro-iraq stories couldn't help Bush and they waited until after the Iraqi election to announce anything. Hollywood still has cold feet about real War on Terror subjects (took until the 3rd season until 24 could manage an Islamic terrorist).
Better late than never, but I'm not going to be holding any big parades for Hollywood's support of the military just yet.
#5
You will see pro-American, anti-military; pro grunt, anti-officer messages all through this stuff. Gen. Mattis comments will not be shown being received with tumultuous enthusiasm from his men. Zarqawi will not be shown sawing people's heads off....until Mel Gibson makes his film.
Actors are trained not to tell the truth. That is their job. That is why the Puritans sought to ban them. Why anyone expects truth or wisdom from them has always confounded me. DB hit this nail on the head. $$$$$
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
02/09/2005 11:49 Comments ||
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#6
Couple of things came to mind.
First of all, I did not get the impression that F9/11 was kind towards the troops. Several times Moore went too far.
Second, I'm not sure that Hollywood "needs" the Pentagon the way the article implies. Sure, the official stuff helps, but it's not like they're lacking people to make the stuff up (and a friend of mine who's somewhat familiar with the military claims Hollywood usually gets it wrong anyway).
Third . . . how many of the actors who make fools of themselves speak out are going to want to do these kinds of movies? Would Redford or Penn even consider doing a movie that puts our military/Iraq in a good light? Doing it for the money is one thing - but wouldn't they be compromising those oh-so-great principles that cause them to comment on subjects they have no qualifications in?
I'm glad to see this kind of thing, but in my opinion but, like .com, I'm suspicious: Either a few people in Hollywood recognize that they are part of an entertainment industry that ultimately must tell stories and portray characters and situations that will meet with approval (read: bring in the cash) from us idiots who done went and voted for Bush, or it's becoming clear that we don't take our cues from the celebrities we read about all the time, and so there's no point in continuing to bash America. The two are connected, and I think I had a third possibility, but I didn't get much sleep last night and so I forgot it as I was typing.
Posted by: The Doctor ||
02/09/2005 12:25 Comments ||
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#7
By the way, .com, don't knock Evil Government Agency plots! Some of them can be quite entertaining - although they're best when they involve just a few people and not half of the federal government, know what I mean?
Besides, at least the government can still be evil. You don't get many truly evil villains anymore; they're all post-modern, fully-rounded characters who have home lives and wives and sometimes even repent instead of meeting an awesome and terrible doom. I'm all for fleshed-out villains, but sometimes I miss the days of S.P.E.C.T.R.E. and bad guys identifiable by their accents alone.
Posted by: The Doctor ||
02/09/2005 12:32 Comments ||
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Rats. Now I need to take another shower. I'm starting to look like a very large prune...
The government paid huge amounts of money to four of the five most-wanted militants in South Waziristan, who surrendered and signed peace deals with the authorities in November last year , to enable them to repay the debt they claimed they owed to Al Qaeda, sources told Dawn. Payments were made as part of a package after the militants insisted that they needed to pay back a huge sum they had taken from Al Qaeda in their fight against Pakistani forces. The sources said the payments were made from the secret service fund (SS Fund) and the four militant commanders were summoned to Peshawar for the purpose.
Two of them, Haji Sharif and Maulvi Abbas, received Rs15 million each, while Maulvi Javed Karmazkhel and Haji Mohammad Omar were each paid Rs1 million. Maulvi Abdul Aziz, the fifth militant leader, who also signed the peace deal, was not part of the package and, therefore, did not get any amount. However, the sources said that Maulvi Aziz was now angry for being ignored and was reportedly pressing the other four militants to give him his share. The payments to the Ahmadzai-Wazir tribal militants were made last month, while Haji Sharif received his share on Feb 4, the sources said. "There were stacks of millions of notes of Rs1,000 denomination and these men walked away literally with a bagful of money," the sources added.
No receipts were given or signatures obtained as the payment was made from the SS Fund. It could not be confirmed whether the four militants really owed the money to Al Qaeda as they had claimed or pocketed the amount themselves. Corps Commander of Peshawar, Lt-Gen Safdar Hussain, confirmed that the militants had initially sought Rs170 million to return the amount borrowed from Al Qaeda. "At the start of negotiations, they asked for Rs170 million but later they reduced the figure to Rs50 million," the corps commander said while talking to a group of journalists. "Since the deal involved money and I did not want to become part of it, I said the matter should be dealt with by NWFP Governor Iftikhar Hussain Shah. And I don't know what happened afterwards," he added.
Continued on Page 49
This article starring:
HAJI MOHAMAD OMAR
Wazir Taliban
HAJI SHARIF
Wazir Taliban
Lt-Gen Safdar Hussain
MAULVI ABAS
Wazir Taliban
MAULVI ABDUL AZIZ
Wazir Taliban
MAULVI JAVED KARMAZKHEL
Wazir Taliban
NWFP Governor Iftikhar Hussain Shah
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
02/09/2005 12:07:25 AM ||
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The Sudanese government and southern rebels have told the UN that development aid should be the main priority rather than prosecuting war criminals.
"Why so worried about a few dead Negroes?"
Ali Usman Muhammad Taha, Sudan's vice-president, and John Garang, leader of the Sudanese Peoples Liberation Army (SPLA), were addressing the world body on Tuesday about the agreement they signed last month ending a 21-year civil war in the south of the sprawling East African state. Taha, in charge of negotiations on Darfur in the country's western region, and Garang, who will become a vice-president, presented political proposals meant to stop militias from killing, raping and robbing the Darfur people. Garang also proposed a new force of some 15,000 to 30,000 troops to keep peace in Darfur - a third from the government, a third from his SPLA and the rest from the African Union (AU) and others.
Yeah. That'll work. Break out the champagne.
This article starring:
Ali Usman Muhammad Taha
John Garang
Sudanese Peoples Liberation Army
Posted by: Fred ||
02/09/2005 12:03:49 AM ||
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That feller in the picture reminds me somewhat of Sinbad. Is it just me?
Homemade Chemical Bomb Could Be Al Qaeda's Greatest Threat The plot thickens. I thought their current propagandic position was that the historical existance of chemical weapons was a propaganda ploy of the machiavellian chimphitler's...
A U.S. government surveillance tape obtained by ABC News shows suspected al Qaeda operatives delivering a chemical bomb to the U.S. consulate in Karachi, Pakistan, this past March. The attempted bombing — which was thwarted by an alert security guard — would have been the terror network's first chemical bomb attack. The videotape shows an unidentified man leaving a white van outside the consulate and being picked up by accomplices. Inside the van was a large blue vat containing a 200-gallon mixture of easily available chemicals meant to produce a powerful explosion and potentially fatal fumes.
Many experts now regard this to be al Qaeda's greatest threat — the homemade chemical bomb. "This is no longer theory," said Richard Clarke, who served as a top counterterrorism official under Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. "This is something al Qaeda always wanted to do. They wrote about it in their encyclopedia of jihad, they experimented with it in Afghanistan, and now in the last year we see evidence that the new al Qaeda is about the process of collecting these chemicals around the world." The videotape, obtained by ABC News exclusively, shows a fast, coordinated effort. After leaving the van parked outside the consulate, the driver is quickly picked up by accomplices in a car. But a consulate security guard approached the van and discovered its contents.
Jordan Attack Disrupted
In early April, authorities in Jordan disrupted what would have been an even bigger chemical attack. Officials said that terrorists linked to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi managed to smuggle three cars — packed with explosives, a chemical bomb and poisonous gas — into the capital city, Amman. Authorities in Jordan estimate that 80,000 people would have been killed if the chemical bomb had gone off at its intended targets — the Jordanian intelligence headquarters, the U.S. Embassy in Amman and the Jordanian prime minister's office. It's INTERESTING how they report this incident in the midst of a discussion of homemade chemical weapons... they want to imply that they're sure this attack was done by homemade chemical weapons of some sort, and has no connection whatsoever to anything that might have been built in Saddam Hussein's Iraq. This begs the question, though... if it's so easy to come up with an attack of this nature by themselves, how come there haven't been any repeats, either here or in Iraq? And isn't it funny that these "homemade" chemical weapons were homemade in Syria, according to the initial reports.
...The captured leader of the plot, Jordanian Azmi al-Jayussi, told authorities that a Russian scientist had provided the chemical recipe. But can we be sure he's telling the truth?
And as seen on a tape obtained by ABC News, when Jordanian authorities conducted a test explosion using the same combination of chemicals, with smaller portions, it produced a toxic plume that killed rabbits placed 200 yards away. "The kind of weapon that al Qaeda procured in Jordan anyone can buy in the United States commercially," said Clark. "Anyone in the United States, if they knew the right formula, could make this kind of chemical bomb that would kill thousands." Dare I ask, how many of these details are real, and how many made up? I know only the night-owl crowd's going to read this post before it ages off the front page... but I'd like whoever's still around to comment on this. It's bugging me, like the dog that didn't bark.
I held it over for tomorrow. It's worth commenting on.
Posted by: Phil Fraering ||
02/09/2005 00:00:00 AM ||
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#1
It's always important to remember to run the filter of what any of the LLL media says through the "What's their actual agenda?" filter. Naturally they wouldn't want to cast this in a light that may be favorable on Bush, but likely they wanted to scoop it given that the article says they have the exclusive film. From it, I'd expect to see follow-ups about how easily these chemicals are obtained in the US and how Bush isn't doing anything about it.
But the thought of them getting one of these to go off? Scary as hell. I don't exactly live in a high threat target area but I really don't want to have to start carrying a gas mask like the Israeli's had to for years.
#2
I saw some stuff on the al-Jayyousi case a couple of months ago at a terrorism conference. The basic jist of it is that Midhat Mursi and his mad scientists have chem but not (yet) bio-warfare capability and that it's only a matter of time before they succeed. I e-mailed Fred a few weeks back as to one of the emerging chemical experts in the al-Qaeda hierarchy, not sure if he saw it or not.
The al-Jayyousi network assembled the weapons in Jordan and Syria and the Jordanians were quite right with respect to what they said Zarqawi wanted to do in Amman. The man is a mass murderer with no regard whatsoever for human life.
And you don't think Sammy had Russians on his payroll?
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
02/09/2005 0:05 Comments ||
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Hi Dan!
And you don't think Sammy had Russians on his payroll?
I think he had consultants, but I don't think they were supposed to stick around after the fighting started and trust their survival to Sammy's military competence.
I also find the narrative itself suspicious. They're basically implying that this was a small operation of a dozen guys or less who bought the raw materials from a couple industrial supply stores and put it together with a recipe from a single Russian consultant.
Especially since they appear to be implying some sort of binary agent.
(And there are simple ones that come to mind... but I'm not sure if three carloads would have been enough to kill 80,000 people in the attack, which is what is being reported as the sort of casualties that would have resulted if the attackers had managed to pull it off).
I wasn't really keeping track of the raw details of the attack at the time, but I was under the impression that it included large trucks full of material and not just three cars.
I guess I'm going to have to go back and go over the details from April when I get a chance.
Posted by: Phil Fraering ||
02/09/2005 0:35 Comments ||
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#4
You think Sammy gave his consultants a choice in such matters?
As far as the Amman plot, it involved two dozen or so guys in Jordan coordinating with other al-Qaeda cells in Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq. A lot of the guys involved in the plot had already been through Darunta, meaning they already had some chemical experience, the Russian just gave them the information they wanted. IIRC, there 4 cars rather than 3 to be involved in the attack and it was focused on basically decapitating the Jordanian government long enough for the al-Qaeda underground in Jordan to come out of the woodwork and get a coup underway ensuring, if nothing else, that we got a replay of Black September.
As far as the projected corpse count, keep in mind that Aum Shinrikyo came close, damn close, to killing that many in Tokyo not so long ago. The real problem with Amman is more or less that the perps are still out there and are still plotting - it's only a matter of time before they try again.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
02/09/2005 0:46 Comments ||
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#5
You think Sammy gave his consultants a choice in such matters?
Well, I don't think he would call up Putin on the phone and say "I am altering the terms of our agreement. Pray that I don't alter them any further."
And Aum was working with a nerve agent, in a very confined space (the Tokyo subway system). This would have been in the open air... besides the cyanide, which the article implies is a sort of "lagniappe" addition to the main mixture, the article doesn't mention what the main mixture was.
Posted by: Phil Fraering ||
02/09/2005 0:54 Comments ||
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#6
For some context, this is what was being reported back in April:
Jordan found itself Tuesday among the top targets of the Al-Qaeda terror network after foiling a plot to hit the capital with chemical explosives that Amman said could have killed tens of thousands.
But a day after the chilling announcement in an unprecedented television programme that aired the testimonies of alleged members of a dismantled group, several questions remain unanswered.
Officials said the plot involved attacking the intelligence department in Amman, using trucks loaded with 20 tonnes of chemicals that could have killed 80,000 people and injured 160,000 others within a two square kilometer (nearly one square mile) area .
Plans were allegedly also made for attacks on the headquarters of the prime minister and on the US embassy, which are also located in west Amman.
But officials did not provide details on those last two targets nor specify the type of chemicals they said the suspects behind bars had bought on the local market. Four other suspects were killed last week in Amman.
A source close to the investigation said the chemicals consisted of "70 chemical agents, some of which were pesticides, which mixed together could have produced a formidable chemical weapon never used before".
But no details.
Here's an Agency France-Presse article I found from today while googling the subject:
Posted by: Phil Fraering ||
02/09/2005 1:03 Comments ||
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#7
Well I'm no chemist, but the guy I talked to from RAND on this stuff was and he was convinced that the Amman plot was deadly serious. His only caveat was that the chemicals might have been burnt up during the explosion, but if they weren't then they could have killed thousands.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
02/09/2005 1:03 Comments ||
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#8
Dan, I believe it was serious too.
I just find the reporting around the event to be non-serious. "It would have been horrible, it would have killed 80,000, the materials are at your local hardware store, anyone could build one, and we won't say what it is."
I doubt they're protecting us from the knowledge of how to make chlorine gas. And I think there's a discrepancy between "four cars, three of which were caught" and "twenty tons of chemicals."
Posted by: Phil Fraering ||
02/09/2005 1:08 Comments ||
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#9
And I'm turning in for now. I'll see y'all tomorrow morning.
Posted by: Phil Fraering ||
02/09/2005 1:16 Comments ||
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#10
Did anyone else notice who the expert here was?
"This is no longer theory," said Richard Clarke, who served as a top counterterrorism official under Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.
This is the same Richard Clarke that Tommy Franks described as one of the most pompous, and useless, bureaucrats he'd ever worked with...not only that, Franks said Clarke NEVER supplied him with any actionable intelligence...though Clarke loved to play the great big expert...and Tommy always had to go over to to see Clarke at Clarke's White House office...just so Franks knew how important he was...
And then of course, there was the infamous Clarke book tour and 911 testimony last year...this guy is BS.
I'm not saying that the STORY her is worthless, no. I'm saying Clarke is worthless.
#11
scary story except for the reappearance of anti terrorist drama queen richard clarke--if he's the go to guy on the import of this stuff i want a pre apology now
Posted by: SON OF TOLUI ||
02/09/2005 2:50 Comments ||
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#12
There are a lot of things you can buy at Wal-Mart thet can be mixed to make things go BOOM or to just give off toxic fumes. The problem I see is getting large quantities and keeping them stable long enough. Some of these things go BOOM as soon as they are mixed so would have to have some mechanical device to mix them whith no one being around. As far s the toxic fumes go, same scenario. Unless there was a suicider willing to do the mixing.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
02/09/2005 7:32 Comments ||
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#13
Don't have to be a scientist to make posion gas:Chlorine bleach+amonia
#14
Yes, my little brother made clorine gas about 1965. But these two events described took place in March and April, 2004 half a world away, and they are just now coming to light? And ABC wants us to lie awake nights worring about it, after nine months of inactivity? Maybe W deserves the CREDIT for no (chemical) attacks since then?
Posted by: Bobby ||
02/09/2005 8:55 Comments ||
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#15
The average journalist would think 80,000 times the lethal dose is enough to kill 80,000 people, ignoring questions of spreading, exposure variations, etc.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
02/09/2005 9:07 Comments ||
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#16
"Just a few common household products. In the proper proportions."
The big question then becomes: could four five-ton "chlorine bombs" detonated at ground level in an open environment (with wind, etc.) kill 80,000 people?
It sounds like they're trying to describe a material as easy to make as chlorine but with the mortality rate of nerve agent.
I'm not an expert in chemical warfare. I plan to check with some today about this... but the details they do give aren't adding up, and they're not giving many details to begin with.
Posted by: Phil Fraering ||
02/09/2005 10:12 Comments ||
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#18
Chlorine bleach plus ammonia cleaner can make mustard gas. Brake fluid can be used to make several nasty things. Take a plastic drink bottle, fill it with water, add draino and aluminium foil (it creates hydrogen) and you have a bomb powerful enough to blow a hand off. These are small things. It takes a greater volume and more expertise to be able to build a chemical bomb capable of killing thousands. It's not impossible, but not easy. The determining factor is can enough raw materials be gatherd to do it. 5 tons of chlorine is quite a lot and the raw materials to make it is even more. I've probably gone in to too much detail already so I'll shut up.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
02/09/2005 10:41 Comments ||
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#19
No, Deacon, mustard gas is more complicated than that... it's chlorine gas you can make with bleach plus ammonia cleaner.
I think they're relying on everyone's inaccurate knowledge of basic chemical weapons, combined with just enough of the truth to make it sound credible, to pull a fast one. And they're relying on the fact that we're not really willing to discuss the details.
Posted by: Phil Fraering ||
02/09/2005 11:09 Comments ||
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#20
I always come back to two thoughts in these discussions
If it were that easy to do, they'd be doing it.
If it were that effective, it would have been used more often by states.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
02/09/2005 11:40 Comments ||
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#21
The thing is, the reactions you describe are very fast acting. That's why they are so risky to your common or garden-variety housewife ;-) But that also means that the chemicals could not be pre-mixed before transport, but would have to be transported in separate containers, then mixed on site. Not at all what was described.
In fact, given the description,
...the chemicals consisted of "70 chemical agents, some of which were pesticides, which mixed together could have produced a formidable chemical weapon...
this is not a homemade weapon using common household cleaners made by amateurs. Remember the outrageous amount of pesticides found stored in bunkers after the invasion? This is the kind of mixture Chemical Ali had sprayed on the Kurds way back when. Remember the suspicious persons seeking to rent crop sprayer airplanes around 9/11? It sounds like being used in a bomb would indeed be a less than optimal method -- likely attempted because of the difficulty in obtaining a crop sprayer airplane in the region.
Of course, I'm no chemist -- for which we all are truly thankful. But I will ask my father, who is not only a biochemist, but specialized in pesticides in his younger days.
#22
It was an American general who said that anything you can hit with chem weapons, you can hit harder with the same weight of explosives. Which is easier to make? Explosives. Hands down.
#24
Phil, don't tell anyone where I work I made this error. Chlorine gas it is. I don't know why I was thinking mustard. Mustard gas is a lot more difficult to make but not impossible. I work in a chemical plant.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
02/09/2005 12:17 Comments ||
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#25
Where is that chemical plant located?
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
02/09/2005 12:20 Comments ||
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#26
A successful chemical attack (more than just a few deaths) is a lot harder than mixing a few chemicals and putting them in a bomb. The agent has to be dispersed properly over a wide area, which is always the hardest thing to do. Even the Aum Shin Rikyo didn't really succede, even with very advanced technical knowledge.
Posted by: Mark E. ||
02/09/2005 12:23 Comments ||
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#27
More to the point, look at Iraq. These guys have Saddam's ill-gotten billions to play with, and a bottomless well of technical expertise. They're also pretty proficient with all kinds of ordnance, improvised mines and truck bombs. I haven't heard of a single chemical weapon being used there. If chemical weapons were so effective, wouldn't they have already been used in Iraq on the Shiites and the Kurds?
#28
Chemical weapons are really hard to use. Just because you have enough to kill 80,000 people doesn't mean you will. If you could put the lethal dose in ampules and break them under the noses of 80K people simultaneously, then you'd have 80 K dead people. Otherwise, some very chaotic conditions take over and and reduce the effectiveness accordingly:
The best condition for a chemical attack is with an inversion layer (anyone who's lived in LA knows what one of those looks like) with low winds. The worst condition is a lapse temperature gradient. I doubt many jihadis know the difference.
Another issue is persistency. Some light gasses like hydrogen cyanide disperse almost immediately and are little more than nuisance agents against well trained troops (as opposed to unprotected civilians). Some nerve agents are sticky (basically insecticide for mammals) and will persist for several days in cool, cloudy weather. Mustard can also be persistent in some situations.
Another issue is distribution. Ideally, like insecticide, you want to spray it over the target (Ronald Reagan actually tear gassed protesters in Berkely in this manner when he was govenor -- sprayed them from helicopters, heh). Failing having a sprayer, the best option would be cluster munitions that spread small amounts fairly evenly across the target. The worst option would be to use three or four big bombs that would produce highly lethal but geographically small concentrations that would be quickly diluted by wind and other factors.
The final major factor is the size of the bursting charge. The guys who set off the WTC bomb in '93 put hydrogen cyanide in it. The heat and pressure of the explosion rendered it _all_ harmless. To get adequate dispersal at ground level from three or four big bombs requires a lot of explosive -- possibly so much that you will destroy the chemical agent. Remember, these are all either highly reactive chemicals or are organophosphates and are very supceptible to heat and pressure.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
02/09/2005 14:22 Comments ||
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#30
Then I'm safe in Pennsylvania
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
02/09/2005 14:32 Comments ||
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#31
Yes, you are. Lolol.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
02/09/2005 14:52 Comments ||
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#32
When I first read the reports about the Jordan attack, my reaction was 'only a complete and utter moron would mix together 70 different chemical agents.' Anyone that stupid would be dead already. I still lean towards some of Saddam's WMD being used and the Jordanians don't want to admit it.
#33
I still lean towards some of Saddam's WMD being used
What?!?! Where? phil_b, what major bit of recent history did I miss? You cannot just put a statement like this out there without giving a few more details, my poor widdle heart just can't take it! *slow, calming breath* Look, just explain what you meant, pretty please.
#34
We're talking about the attack in Jordan in April. Article excerpts and url's are given above.
Posted by: Phil Fraering ||
02/09/2005 19:55 Comments ||
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#35
There is a fair amount of talk that it was VX or similar - Link. Its clear 20 tonnes of something was trucked across the Syrian border. Thats a big risk and requires significant effort and logistics. Why bother if this was stuff you can buy in a hardware store? It had to be something that was available in Syria but not in Jordan. My list has only one item on it - chemical weapons. Saddam's rather than Syria's own because the argument that Saddam shipped his WMD to Syria to hide them really misses the point. They were shipped to Syria for future use.
#36
And to clarify my previous point. Mixing small amounts of 4 or 5 chemical agents together is a very risky thing to do unless you are damm sure you know what is going to happen. Mixing together anything like 70 is ludicrous. That part of the report is complete BS, which makes me think its just a cover story dreamt up by someone who doesn't have a good grasp of chemistry.
#37
The "In the Pipeline" blog has a very good 5 part overview of chemical warfare by an industrial chemist. Very relevant to this thread.
http://corante.com/pipeline/archives/cat_chembio_warfare.php Hope this works.
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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