Hi there, !
Today Tue 01/24/2006 Mon 01/23/2006 Sun 01/22/2006 Sat 01/21/2006 Fri 01/20/2006 Thu 01/19/2006 Wed 01/18/2006 Archives
Rantburg
531692 articles and 1855967 comments are archived on Rantburg.

Today: 73 articles and 243 comments as of 12:35.
Post a news link    Post your own article   
Area: WoT Operations    Non-WoT    Opinion           
Plot to kill Hakim thwarted
Today's Headlines
Headline Comments [Views]
Page 2: WoT Background
0 [] 
3 00:00 Cyber Sarge [] 
13 00:00 ed [] 
1 00:00 ed [] 
3 00:00 djh_usmc [] 
13 00:00 Brett [] 
7 00:00 Frank G [] 
4 00:00 lotp [] 
10 00:00 CaziFarkus [] 
2 00:00 6 [] 
0 [] 
2 00:00 .com [] 
0 [] 
1 00:00 smn [] 
3 00:00 gromgoru [] 
1 00:00 James [] 
2 00:00 Joque Gloluger1600 [1] 
1 00:00 smn [] 
4 00:00 trailing wife [] 
2 00:00 Besoeker [] 
1 00:00 Besoeker [] 
8 00:00 Frank G [1] 
1 00:00 Captain America [] 
10 00:00 6 [] 
1 00:00 smn [] 
0 [1] 
4 00:00 CaziFarkus [] 
0 [] 
4 00:00 Bobby [] 
Page 1: WoT Operations
0 []
4 00:00 Frank G [2]
0 []
11 00:00 RD []
4 00:00 Frank G [2]
5 00:00 Asymmetrical Triangulation []
17 00:00 gromgoru []
0 []
0 []
2 00:00 Spoper Phetch6565 []
0 []
9 00:00 6 []
1 00:00 Jackal [1]
2 00:00 bgrebel9 []
7 00:00 Frank G []
9 00:00 gromgoru []
2 00:00 Alaska Paul []
0 []
7 00:00 6 []
0 []
0 []
0 [2]
3 00:00 shistos shistadogaloo UK []
5 00:00 CaziFarkus []
0 []
Page 3: Non-WoT
0 []
0 []
13 00:00 Sock Puppet O´ Doom []
4 00:00 Dave D. []
0 []
4 00:00 RWV [1]
0 []
2 00:00 Frank G []
2 00:00 RD [1]
1 00:00 RD []
0 []
1 00:00 phil_b []
3 00:00 Besoeker []
1 00:00 Besoeker []
3 00:00 JFM []
3 00:00 Nimble Spemble []
0 [1]
Page 4: Opinion
3 00:00 Sock Puppet O´ Doom []
14 00:00 ex-lib [1]
Afghanistan
Afghanistan blames al-Qaeda for suicide bombings
The suicide attacks that have struck Afghanistan in the past months are clearly the work of Al Qaeda and the Taliban fighters operating with foreign support, the Afghan foreign minister said on Thursday.

Abdullah Abdullah rejected a statement from a purported spokesman of the Taliban regime that the group was not behind a suicide blast on Monday. “Security incidents come from Al Qaeda or Taliban. They get some support from outside Afghanistan, people crossing the border from Pakistan,” Mr Abdullah said in an interview with AFP.
Posted by: Dan Darling || 01/21/2006 01:22 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Africa Horn
Darfur Rebel Groups Form New Alliance
The two rebel movements in Sudan’s western Darfur region, the Sudan Liberation Movement and the Justice and Equality Movement, announced yesterday they were merging to create a single alliance. “The two movements have agreed to join and coordinate all political, military and social forces, their international relations and to double their combat capacity in a collective body under the name, the Alliance of Revolutionary Forces of West Sudan,” they said. “This union will strengthen the solidarity, cohesion and unity of the people of Sudan in general and that of the west in particular,” the document said. “It will further strengthen the position of the armed movements in (peace) negotiations” currently under way in Abuja.

The statement was issued in Arabic and French at a news briefing in the capital of neighboring Chad, N’djamena. “We have set up this union in the interests of the people of Darfur,” Dr. Ibrahim Khalil, president of the JEM, told reporters. “To lose time without uniting our efforts means extending the days of the (Khartoum) regime which has become a factor in the disintegration of the regime.” Both the SLM and the JEM said they opposed the choice of Sudan to head the African Union at its summit meeting next week. This pan-African gathering begins in Khartoum on Monday.
Posted by: Fred || 01/21/2006 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Sudan bids to head African Union
Sudan's push to head the African Union is gathering pace with no rival bid emerging despite concerns that a Sudanese presidency would hurt Africa's reputation and AU-sponsored peace efforts in Darfur.
I'm not sure Africa's reputation could be hurt any more than it has been. Genocide in Rwanda, Bob Mugabe in Zim, and most of the Congo pygmies killed and eaten kinda sez goodly swatches of Subsaharan Africa aren't places civilized people want to associate with.
Sudan is hosting a summit of the 53-nation body next week, and by tradition the host takes over the chairmanship. Critics say this would undermine AU-mediated talks to end the conflict in Sudan's west where AU troops are monitoring a ceasefire. The US State Department has already indicated its opposition to Sudan assuming the chairmanship at a time when the country is widely accused of stoking violence in the western Darfur region. Spokesman Sean McCormack said. "There are certain contradictions in the idea of Sudan holding the chair of the AU while there is an AU mission in Sudan designed to help protect Sudanese citizens in part from the government of Sudan."
Y'might say that, if you're into understatement...
Sudan, under fire for its human rights record, says it has the backing of 12 East African states for its bid to take over the chair from Nigeria.
That doesn't surprise me.
Posted by: Fred || 01/21/2006 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Sudanese President Omar el-Bashier is probably a good many things, but human rights advocate he is not.
Posted by: Besoeker || 01/21/2006 10:55 Comments || Top||


Arabia
Kuwaiti paper calls for ruler to step down
In an unprecedented move for the Arab press, a leading Kuwaiti newspaper yesterday called for the abdication of the oil-rich country's ruler, less than a week after he inherited the throne. Sheikh Sa'ad al-Abdullah al-Sabah, 76, was proclaimed emir last Sunday, just a few hours after the death of his cousin, Sheikh Jaber, 78, who had ruled since 1977.

Under the constitution Sheikh Sa'ad must swear an oath in parliament before assuming his duties, but there is open speculation in Kuwait that he is too ill to utter the oath - a single sentence of around 30 words.
"There! He took the oath!"
"That's not the oath! That's a drool!"
"I distinctly heard two words!"
"His lips didn't even move!"
"See, they're open right now!"
"That's the 'O' sign!"
Sheikh Sa'ad had colon surgery in 1997 and spent a week in hospital last year with high blood sugar. According to the pan-Arab daily, al-Quds al-Arabi, he is unable to concentrate or identify people and may have Alzheimer's disease.

On its front page yesterday, al-Qabas daily said national burdens had exhausted Sheikh Sa'ad and urged him to make a further sacrifice by "leaving it to who is able among the sons of the honourable ruling family".

The most likely alternative contender for the throne is Sheikh Sabah, the prime minister, who has already been de facto ruler for several years because the late emir was also incapacitated. Sheikh Sabah is himself 77 and has a pacemaker.
And probably other problems.
Members of the ruling family have held several meetings over the past few days to discuss the succession tangle. Removal of the ailing Sheikh Sa'ad would break a long-standing tradition in which the post of emir alternates between two branches of the family.
I'm available. Ask me.
I hear the money's good...
Posted by: Steve White || 01/21/2006 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:


Kuwait’s ruling family asks PM to lead country
KUWAIT CITY - Kuwait’s Prime Minister on Friday agreed to take charge of the country due to the poor health of the newly named Amir, state television reported. Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Sabah, who has run Kuwait's day-to-day affairs for years, will continue as de facto leader.

Shaikh Saad, in his mid-70s, automatically took over on Sunday, hours after the late Amir, Shaikh Jaber Al Ahmed Al Sabah, passed away. Kuwaitis are concerned that Shaikh Saad’s deteriorating health might not allow him to even take the oath of office in Parliament. He attended the funeral of the late Amir in a wheelchair, and briefly appeared in television footage passively accepting condolences from citizens.
"Never mind the buzzards circling overhead, Timmy, shake the man's hand!"
The television reported that ruling family members visited Shaikh Sabah at his residence on Friday and called on him to accept his responsibilities in continuing to lead the country until it reaches the “shore of safety,” a reference to the uncertainty in the country because of the health condition of the new Amir who has not taken the oath of office yet.

According to the television announcement, Shaikh Sabah accepted the responsibility and asked God to help him shoulder it “under the circumstances that need ... unity.” Shaikh Sabah said he will “walk on the grave in the footsteps” of the late Amir.

The Prime Minister said Shaikh Saad’s “heroic and historic” role during the seven-month Iraqi occupation of Kuwait all the way from a palace in Riyadh and the US-led war that liberated it will “live forever.” He wished him good health and a long life with fingers crossed.

The carefully worded announcement said members of the ruling family “renewed” the confidence shown by the late Amir to Shaikh Sabah late last year. Last October, the Amir had responded to apparent criticism of Shaikh Sabah by saying he “fully trusted” and “appreciated” the efforts of Shaikh Sabah.

Members of the ruling family and parliament have held numerous meetings since Shaikh Jaber’s death to discuss how to carve up the boodle leadership of the country in light of the new Amir’s poor health.

Shaikh Saad is known for his closeness to the people. He is the eldest son of Kuwait’s most popular Amir, Shaikh Abdullah Al Salem Al Sabah, dubbed the “father of democracy” and founder of modern Kuwait.
So why wasn't he made Amir?
Posted by: Steve White || 01/21/2006 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Europe
Danish T-shirts 'to fund rebels'
A Danish fashion firm is to sell T-shirts inspired by rebel fighters, with proceeds to go to militant groups. The T-shirts have as logos the initials of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) or the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). The firm, Fighters and Lovers, says it will donate 5 euros (£3) for each T-shirt it sells.

The Colombian government has protested to the Danish authorities over the sale of the T-shirts. "Financing terrorist groups is unacceptable and goes against all the international norms," Colombian Foreign Minister Carolina Barco told private Caracol Radio on Friday. "Yesterday our ambassador contacted the Danish government, we sent a protest note and have demanded an explanation."

The designers say Palestianian militant Leila Khaled and Colombian rebel leader Jacobo Arenas were among their inspirations. Money from the sale of the T-shirts will help finance Farc radio stations in Colombia and a graphics studio in the Palestinian territories.
So that other money can be used to buy guns and ammo.
The firm's website warns that purchasers "might experience legal problems because of US or EU 'anti-terrorist' legislation, outlawing financial support to organisations labelled as 'terrorists', including the PFLP and the Farc". Under Danish legislation introduced in 2002, anyone found guilty of directly or indirectly financing terrorist groups can be jailed for up to 10 years.

Fighters and Lovers spokesman Bobby Schultz told AFP news agency he was unconcerned. "We are absolutely not worried about being dragged to court and sentenced. It's our customers who decide to buy our T-shirts and support these groups," he said.
Standard dodge 101.
"And we have the right to fight for something, for justice or the right to education, which Farc and the PLFP are fighting for."
And the right to sell drugs, and the right to gun down anyone they don't like.
Posted by: 3dc || 01/21/2006 13:16 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  I wonder what the Danes would think if they knew 1000 AKs and several tons on Semtex were smuggled into Copenhagen?
Posted by: ed || 01/21/2006 17:46 Comments || Top||


Germany: Iraq probe anti-American
The German government, facing allegations its spies in Iraq secretly abetted the US invasion that Berlin publicly opposed, has resisted calls for a parliamentary inquiry it said would fan anti-Americanism. Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the foreign minister, said on Friday Baghdad-based agents of the BND intelligence service had stuck to clear instructions not to pass on operational military information to the Americans at the start of the US invasion in 2003. The role of the two agents has become a hot political topic since media reports this month alleged they gathered information for Washington on bombing targets in Baghdad and acted as scouts for an air raid intended to kill then-president Saddam Hussein.
Posted by: Fred || 01/21/2006 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  clear instructions not to pass on operational military information to the Americans

And now Schroeder is out of office, and kissing the ring of Putin to keep bread on the table. Thus shall be done to those who choose the other side! (Sorry, Purim is coming up in a bit, and I seem to be in a Book of Esther mode. No doubt it will wear off in a bit. At this stage of the Purim story, the evil vizier Haman, caught upon the petard of his vanity, had to dress his opponent Mordechai (the Jewish queen Esther's uncle, unbeknownst to H.) in the King's robe, seat him upon the king's horse, and lead him around the city, proclaiming, "Thus shall be done to the man whom the King chooses to honour!" Lovely morality tale, with no historical possibility whatsoever.)

Happy Saturday!
Posted by: trailing wife || 01/21/2006 12:07 Comments || Top||

#2  "Lovely morality tale, with no historical possibility whatsoever"

Too bad...I really like the part where the King issues an unrepealable law allowing freedom to worship throughout the land:)
Posted by: Danielle || 01/21/2006 13:15 Comments || Top||

#3  hear that sound? Death rattle of NATO?
Posted by: Frank G || 01/21/2006 13:41 Comments || Top||

#4  Me, too, Danielle. But King Ahasuerus declared a year-long holiday throughout the land of the Medes & Persians to celebrate his wedding to Esther. And that is exactly the kind of thing that would have shown up in the royal records had it actually occurred. Hence my conclusion... ;-)
Posted by: trailing wife || 01/21/2006 15:01 Comments || Top||


Irish activists whine about US use of Shannon airport
Irish politicians and human rights activists are voicing growing concern at the US military's use of Shannon airport after it emerged that an average of 900 soldiers a day passed through the commercial west coast airport last year.

Groups of American soldiers in desert fatigues sipping Coca-Cola in the departure lounge or browsing the duty-free shop on their way to and from Iraq are now a familiar sight at Ireland's second-biggest airport. Government figures show that around 330,000 troops, more than double that of 2004, passed through the airport last year as military planes stopped and refuelled.

Peace ninnies fools tools idiots rubes rustics campaigners say most soldiers being transported between the US and Iraq now pass through Ireland, making it the favoured European stopover and calling into question Ireland's neutral status.

Until recently, many councillors on Ireland's west coast stressed the economic benefit of the stopovers, which generated an estimated €37m (£25m) for the airport last year. The former Labour mayor of Shannon, Gregg Duff, said those opposed to the presence of GIs had been accused of not caring about local jobs and endangering the US investment which fuelled much of the Celtic Tiger economic boom. In one local radio debate, a Fianna Fáil party activist warned that US businesses would pull out of the west of Ireland if locals were seen as hostile to troops.
You bet we would.
But amid new unfounded concerns that Shannon may have hosted CIA "rendition" flights carrying prisoners to countries where they could be tortured, local politicians have changed their tone. Town councillors, warning that the region's reputation is being damaged, have unanimously approved a motion calling on the government to inspect US planes at the airport. Clare county council has seen wide support for a motion demanding that the Irish army inspect every CIA-chartered flight.
I think I'd be flying loads of toys and baby duck food in and out for a while just to play with their heads.
Fine Gael's Martin Conway, who raised the motion at Clare county council, warned that Shannon's international standing was at risk. "I would prefer to see US troops not use Shannon at all," he said.
Exactly how does that endanger the airport's 'international standing'?
Brian Meaney, of the Green party, said: "You can't allow an airport's future to depend on selling sandwiches to soldiers. People have a notion of Irish neutrality, and they think it is being undermined and sold out."

The Irish Human Rights Commission and the Council of Europe have called on the government to seek US agreement that every plane suspected of transporting prisoners will be inspected. A spokesman from Dublin's department of foreign affairs said the government strongly condemned torture and had received "explicit, unambiguous and unqualified" assurances from the US that no prisoners had been transported through Irish airports.
That should settle that, but it won't, of course.
Six CIA-chartered planes have landed at Shannon 43 times over the past four years, according to the government. But Amnesty International believes the CIA landed 50 times at Shannon between September 2001 and 2005.
No evidence to back that up, of course.
Last month, peace moonbat activist Cindy Sheehan visited Dublin demanding that the Irish government inspect CIA flights. She said her son stopped at Shannon on his way to Iraq and described the airport in his last unposted letter.
Well sure, he and a bunch of other soldiers passed through.
The US leftist fool academic Noam Chomsky this week told a Dublin audience that if Shannon was being used by the CIA to transport prisoners, Ireland would be participating in a war crime as defined by the Nuremberg tribunal. Such was the demand to hear him speak that 4,000 knuckleheads people were turned away.

Edward Horgan, a former Irish soldier who served with UN peacekeeping missions for 22 years before leading a campaign against US military use of Shannon, said up to 100 peace activists had been prosecuted in Ireland since 2002.

After two retrials, Mary Kelly, an Irish nurse, was found guilty of criminal damage for taking an axe to a plane at Shannon. She plans to appeal. Five protesters accused of damaging another US plane at Shannon are awaiting their third trial after the second collapsed when defence lawyers suggested that the judge had been invited to both George Bush's presidential inaugurations and attended the first one in 2000.
Maybe, just maybe, we write the Irish off.
Posted by: Steve White || 01/21/2006 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  taking their leads from the Kennedys, are they?
Posted by: Frank G || 01/21/2006 0:34 Comments || Top||

#2  In WW-II the Irish Republic OFFICALLY Mourned the Death of Hitler

Fits with this whine.
Posted by: 3dc || 01/21/2006 1:21 Comments || Top||

#3  I flew through there on the way here and hopefully will fly back through there on the way home. We drank a couple pints and didn't hear or see any problems w/the locals. BTW - I'm Irish American and have flown through Shannon a couple times in the past as well. I even plan on taking my wife to Ireland after my deployment ends. I doubt the general attitude of most Micks is that U.S. troops should not be using Shannon.

The thing that pissed me off the most about this article is the part about Cindy Sheehan sticking her nose in it & going to Dublin. (politics being left at the waters edge & all) Man, I cannot stand this b*tch - the consummate media whore. I'm fairly certain the local businesses our quite happy w/the money they've been making off us.
Posted by: Broadhead6 || 01/21/2006 3:14 Comments || Top||

#4  our = are

sorry.
Posted by: Broadhead6 || 01/21/2006 3:15 Comments || Top||

#5  Let me see if I have this correct.

Signs that a country is not neutral:

1) They fight side-by-side with American troops
2) They provide support personnel and material for American troops
3) An American serving in the military is allowed to buy a bottle of perfume at the airport's duty free store during a stopover

Glad they cleared that up for me.

Posted by: Desert Blondie || 01/21/2006 7:46 Comments || Top||

#6  Bloody micks should understand the threat if anyones does, they've often been credited with inventing bombing and terorism. Screw them all, land at Gatwick. The Brits will appreciate the business.
Posted by: Besoeker || 01/21/2006 10:34 Comments || Top||

#7  I have never been more ashamed of my Irish lineage, but then we have our LLL moonbats too.
Posted by: Cyber Sarge || 01/21/2006 11:38 Comments || Top||

#8  Glad to see you're up and about, Broadhead 6. I was hoping that things were going well for you and your Marines.... and Mrs. Broadhead and the little guy back home, too.
Posted by: trailing wife || 01/21/2006 15:03 Comments || Top||

#9  Such was the demand absence of alternative activities to hearing him speak that 4,000 knuckleheads people were turned away.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble || 01/21/2006 15:32 Comments || Top||

#10  Hi 'ya BH6. Hope things are going well. Hope time is flying for you.
Posted by: 6 || 01/21/2006 19:24 Comments || Top||


Fifth Column
Binny cites anti-US author in rant
Osama bin Laden has a book recommendation for you.

In the audiotape released Thursday, the al Qaeda leader said: "If you (Americans) are sincere in your desire for peace and security, we have answered you. And if (President) Bush decides to carry on with his lies and oppression, then it would be useful for you to read the book 'Rogue State.'"

That would be "Rogue State: A Guide to the World's Only Superpower," published in May 2000 with a new edition in November 2005. Its author is William Blum of Washington, D.C.

But bin Laden was mistaken about a quote he read that he attributed to the Introduction of "Rogue State." He actually read an excerpt from another of Blum's books, "Freeing the World to Death: Essays on the American Empire."

"He made a mistake, he got them mixed up," Blum said.

Blum has been speaking out against American foreign policy for nearly 40 years. He said he left a U.S. State Department job in 1967 because he opposed the Vietnam War, and has been writing and lecturing since then.

"'Rogue State' was inspired by the bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999," Blum said in a telephone interview from his Connecticut Avenue apartment. "We were told it was an 'act of humanitarianism,' but I didn't believe that for a moment."

NATO conducted bombing raids in an attempt to halt ethnic cleansing in that region.

America has repeatedly used "bombings, invasions, torture and weapons of mass destruction," Blum said. "It's what we do."

Blum said he sees the 320-page "Rogue State" as "a mini-encyclopedia of the many kinds of unhumanitarian actions of U.S. foreign policy."

He heard about bin Laden's comments late Thursday afternoon, when transcripts started hitting the Internet.

"I was amazed and amused," Blum said. "It's good publicity for the book."

Blum described his view of bin Laden's war on America -- although, he added, "I've not been following him as an individual" through the years.

"He sees anti-American terrorist attacks as under the category of retaliation," Blum said. "In previous tapes he's used that word -- retaliation. I don't like what they do, but it's understandable intellectually."

If Americans read his book, "they would learn what bin Laden is talking about -- our whole sordid record of foreign policy," Blum said. "I think the book would help them understand why we are being attacked."

His other books include "Killing Hope: U.S. Military and CIA Interventions Since World War II" and "Superpower Principals: U.S. Terrorism Against Cuba."

Blum and several other writers shared a Project Censored award in 1999 for writing articles about materials supplied by the U.S. to Iraq in the 1980s that enabled the country to develop chemical and biological warfare capabilities. Project Censored, founded in 1976 at Sonoma State University in California, says it honors "stories of social significance that have been overlooked, underreported or self-censored by the country's major national news media."

Bin Laden quoted Blum as writing: "If I were president, I would stop the attacks against the United States. First I would give an apology to all the widows and orphans and those who were tortured. Then I would announce that American interference in the nations of the world has ended once and for all."

Blum said he used those phrases in "Freeing the World to Death" and in other writings and speeches, but not in "Rogue State."
Posted by: Dan Darling || 01/21/2006 01:31 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  He must be sooooo proud.
Posted by: Frank G || 01/21/2006 1:53 Comments || Top||

#2  I thought "the beach" was good.
Posted by: Mctavish Mcpherson || 01/21/2006 4:44 Comments || Top||

#3  Oprah's Book Club, and now Osama's. Deciding which one is worse is a toughie.
Posted by: Desert Blondie || 01/21/2006 7:37 Comments || Top||

#4  Its a problem for most foreigners. They watch the proverbial shadows on the wall, in this case, the MSM, not understanding that what they see is not necessarily America. They get the crib notes done by some slacker in class and wonder why they fail the exam. Sometimes its just funny. Sometimes it is fatal. To those with the abilities to see cause and effect, they can adjust and make corrections. For those who can not the Americans will remain enigmatic.
Posted by: Oming Sponter6302 || 01/21/2006 9:25 Comments || Top||

#5 
Redacted by moderator. Comments may be redacted for trolling, violation of standards of good manners, or plain stupidity. Please correct the condition that applies and try again. Contents may be viewed in the sinktrap. Further violations may result in banning.
Posted by: CaziFarkus || 01/21/2006 9:34 Comments || Top||

#6  Perhaps Osama Bin Laden is also reading this anti-American author:

America's "Brokeback Molehill" Tokyo Rose
Posted by: The Angry Fliegerabwehrkanonen || 01/21/2006 11:08 Comments || Top||

#7  Scrappleface (natch):

Bin Laden Starts Book Club, Vows to Crush Oprah:
When Usama bin Laden, in his most recent threatening audiotape, recommended William Blum’s five year old book, The Rogue State, its sales rank on Amazon.com jumped from 209,000 to 20. That success has launched a new business for al Qaeda that could challenge the dominance of Oprah Winfrey in the book club industry.

Members of Usama’s Book Club will receive personal recommendations from the charismatic leader, as well as the opportunity to review the club’s latest featured selection every 30 days “at no risk to life or limb, as long as you keep the book and pay the invoice.”
...
“My mission is to make this the biggest book club in the world and get people reading great books again,” said Mr. Bin Laden on a reel-to-reel tape recording released today. “This is the first step in our ultimate plan to crush the billionaire imperialist infidel Oprah Winfrey, Allah be praised, and to take the reins of power myself as America’s media darling.”


(caught via Cracker Barrel Philosopher)
Posted by: Frank G || 01/21/2006 12:02 Comments || Top||

#8  America's "Brokeback Molehill" Tokyo Rose occasionally provides Bin Laden a lift:

Fonzi Give Binny a Ride

Fonzi Shills For Osama Bin Laden
Posted by: The Angry Fliegerabwehrkanonen || 01/21/2006 15:10 Comments || Top||

#9  "We are not fighting so that you will offer us something. We are fighting to eliminate you."
--Hussein Massawi, Hezbollah leader
Posted by: gromky || 01/21/2006 15:38 Comments || Top||

#10  Shit-for-brains dept: UK Muslim fatwah against the "animal" George Galloway, the husband of a "palestinian" slut, and current contestant on "Big Brother." Reality shows are no substitute for a good beheading vid.

http://www.thesavedsect.com/articles/CurrentAffairs/NoDignityExceptIslam.htm

They should say: NO DIGNITY IN ISLAM
Posted by: CaziFarkus || 01/21/2006 9:34 Comments || Top||


Hanoi John posts at Daily Kos
Posted by: Korora || 01/21/2006 0:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  this idiot loser is still trying to redebate Tora Bora tactics and Bin Laden getting away. Given the chance to add more US boots to the ground, is there any doubt he would've voted against it? F*&king enemy's best friend
Posted by: Frank G || 01/21/2006 0:54 Comments || Top||

#2  Is "Tora Bora" the new "the election of 2000 was stolen!"?

The comments are priceless, however. It only took a couple of them before they were debating if John F'n Kerry actually wrote it, or was it a staffer, or....well WHO COULD IT BE???

I'm thinking Karl Rove....that bastard's everywhere..... ;)
Posted by: Desert Blondie || 01/21/2006 6:45 Comments || Top||

#3  This is John Kerry we're talking about, folks - nothing is ever his fault.
Posted by: Raj || 01/21/2006 8:58 Comments || Top||

#4  I s'pose he's tryin' to swiftboat Bush....
Posted by: Bobby || 01/21/2006 18:30 Comments || Top||


Home Front: WoT
Pentagon Analyst Given 121/2 Years In Secrets Case
A former Defense Department analyst was sentenced to more than 12 years in prison yesterday for passing government secrets to two employees of a pro-Israel lobbying group and to an Israeli government official in Washington.

U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III said Lawrence A. Franklin did not intend to harm the United States when he gave the classified data to the employees of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, one of Washington's most influential lobbying organizations. When he pleaded guilty, Franklin, an Iran specialist, said he was frustrated with the direction of U.S. policy and thought he could influence it through "back channels."

"I believe, I accept, your explanation that you didn't want to hurt the United States, that you are a loyal American," said Ellis, who added that Franklin was "concerned about certain threats to the United States" and thought he had to hand information about the threats to others to bring it to the attention of the National Security Council.
I don't accept it. I'm betting he has a wad of $100 bills buried in his back yard.
But Franklin still must be punished, Ellis said, because he violated important laws governing the non-disclosure of secret information. "It doesn't matter that you think you were really helping," Ellis said as he sentenced Franklin to 151 months -- 12 1/2 years -- in prison. "That arrogates to yourself the decision whether to adhere to a statute passed by Congress, and we can't have that in this country."

The sentence fell at the low end of the federal sentencing guidelines, which called for a term as long as 188 months. "It could have been tougher,"' said Michael Greenberger, a former Justice Department official who heads the Center for Health and Homeland Security at the University of Maryland.
Should have been tougher. Toss him in the same cell as Jonathan Pollard.
The sentencing in U.S. District Court in Alexandria closed one chapter of a long-running investigation into an alleged conspiracy to obtain and illegally pass classified information to foreign officials and reporters. But with the case still shrouded in secrecy, yesterday's hearing cast no new light on the information Franklin provided, whether its transmission harmed the United States and whether anyone will be charged other than the two lobbyists, who have been fired by AIPAC and are awaiting trial.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin V. Di Gregory told Ellis that Franklin had reason to believe that the information could be used against the United States. "When you disclose national defense information to people not entitled to receive it," he said, "the U.S. government loses control of that information and there is no way to know in whose hands it might fall."
Exactly, and that's why he should be turning rocks into gravel the rest of his life.
Plato Cacheris, Franklin's attorney, emphasized that Franklin is "a longtime dedicated public servant" who has had "a long and distinguished career." Cacheris said that Franklin has been cooperating extensively with investigators and that he expects the government to file a motion later to reduce Franklin's sentence.

Franklin pleaded guilty in October to three counts: conspiracy to communicate national defense information, conspiracy to communicate classified information to an agent of a foreign government, and unlawful retention of national defense information.

Court documents said Franklin provided classified data -- including information about a Middle Eastern country's activities in Iraq and weapons tests conducted by a foreign country -- to the lobbyists and to an unnamed "foreign official." The Middle Eastern country was not named, but Franklin disclosed at his plea hearing that some of the material related to Iran. He also said in court that the foreign official was Naor Gilon, who was the political officer at the Israeli Embassy before being recalled last summer. Israeli officials have said they are cooperating in the investigation, and they denied any wrongdoing.

Franklin is expected to testify against the two former AIPAC lobbyists, Steven J. Rosen and Keith Weissman, at their trial, which is scheduled for April. Rosen, of Silver Spring, is charged with two counts related to unlawful disclosure of national defense information obtained from Franklin and other unidentified government officials on topics including Iran, Saudi Arabia and al Qaeda. Rosen was AIPAC's director of foreign policy issues and was instrumental in making the committee a formidable political force. Weissman, of Bethesda, faces one count of conspiracy to illegally communicate national defense information.

The FBI monitored a series of meetings between Franklin and the former AIPAC officials dating back to early 2003, multiple sources familiar with the investigation have said. At one of those meetings, a session at the Pentagon City mall in Arlington in July 2004, Franklin warned Weissman that Iranian agents were planning attacks against U.S. soldiers and Israeli agents in Iraq, sources said.

Franklin had faced a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison. Ellis said Franklin would not have to go to jail until he finished his cooperation with the government.
Posted by: Steve White || 01/21/2006 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  "Franklin pleaded guilty...conspiracy to communicate classified information to an agent of a foreign government...

He also said in court that the foreign official was Naor Gilon, who was the political officer at the Israeli Embassy..."


Why no charges? Ahhh..the sweet smell of another vapor-scandel.
Posted by: DepotGuy || 01/21/2006 10:28 Comments || Top||

#2  "I believe, I accept, your explanation that you didn't want to hurt the United States, that you are a loyal American," said Ellis, who added that Franklin was "concerned about certain threats to the United States" and thought he had to hand information about the threats to others to bring it to the attention of the National Security Council.

What a crock.




Posted by: Besoeker || 01/21/2006 10:42 Comments || Top||


Fortier Released From Federal Custody
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Michael Fortier, the government's star witness in the Oklahoma City bombing trials, was released from federal prison Friday after serving more than 10 years for failing to warn authorities about the plot.

Fortier, 37, received a 12-year sentence after striking a plea bargain in which he agreed to testify against Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols. He got time off for good behavior. His attorney, Michael McGuire, would not say who met Fortier or where he would live.
Tora Bora is nice.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons has declined to release any information about Fortier, and the secrecy surrounding his release prompted speculation that he was entering the witness protection program. But McGuire would not comment on that. ``He really just wants to be with his wife and children to try to recover some of the lost time that they didn't have,'' the lawyer said.

Fortier's release received a mixed reaction from prosecutors and the bombing victims' families. The April 19, 1995, bombing of the Oklahoma City federal building killed 168 people and injured more than 500 others. ``He may have outlived his prison sentence, but he will never outlive his responsibility,'' said Oklahoma County District Attorney Wes Lane, who prosecuted Nichols on state murder charges in 2004.

Jannie Coverdale, who lost two grandsons in the blast, said Fortier should have gotten a life sentence. She said his role in the blast was as significant as that of Nichols. ``Michael Fortier being out of prison? There's no way I can forget that. He helped murder my grandsons,'' she said.

Fortier testified that he received stolen weapons that were sold to finance the bombing, shared money from their sale with McVeigh, handled blasting caps and other explosives and had the same anti-government literature that McVeigh gave Nichols. Fortier also accompanied McVeigh on a trip to case the building four months before the bombing.
Sounds like an active accomplice to me. Sounds like a life sentence.
Aitan Goelman, who served on the bombing prosecution team, said Fortier's release was appropriate. ``He has paid his debt to society,'' Goelman said. ``Knowing about a horrible crime and doing nothing to prevent it is on one side, and on the other side of the scale is the tremendous assistance he provided to the government in order to prosecute the guys who actually did the bombing.''
Posted by: Steve White || 01/21/2006 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Maybe someone shouldn't report it to the government, when he's about to get his a** kicked!!
Posted by: smn || 01/21/2006 7:06 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
Pakistan PM: No Evidence of al-Qaida Dead
UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Pakistan's prime minister said Friday no "tangible evidence" has been found that al-Qaida operatives were among those killed in a U.S. missile strike on a border village last week. Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said security agencies in the area of Damadola "have not found any tangible evidence that a particular group or any individual was there."
Other than the blood trails from bodies dragged into the woods.
A senior Pakistani intelligence official earlier told The Associated Press that al-Qaida figures were casualties of the Jan. 13 attack, which killed 13 villagers. Officials believe at least four foreign militants may also have died, including an al-Qaida explosives and chemical weapons expert and a son-in-law of the terror network's No. 2 leader, Ayman al-Zawahri.

Despite widespread protests across Pakistan this week calling for the ouster of Pakistan President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, a close ally of the U.S., Aziz told reporters that his nation stands solidly behind the United States and its fight against terrorists. "As regards the relations between Pakistan and the United States, or our conviction about fighting terrorism, there is no question that Pakistan is one of the countries which has done the most because we believe terorrism is no solution to any problems," he said.
See, toldya Perv knew about this in advance.
But the prime minister - at the U.N. to meet with U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan - underscored that the government of Pakistan condemned the U.S. airstrike. Aziz said he will raise the issue with President Bush when the two meet next week in Washington in what he termed a "wide-ranging discussion."
Posted by: Steve White || 01/21/2006 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Hint: Look for shit stains
Posted by: Captain America || 01/21/2006 0:03 Comments || Top||


New outbreak of seething in Pakistan
Eye-rolling and face-making noted, women and minorities affected most.
PESHAWAR - Thousands of Pakistanis on Friday protested against a US air strike targeting Al-Qaeda leaders, burning effigies of US President George Bush and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf.

Around 2,000 demonstrators marched through the troubled tribal town of Wana and more than 1,000 led by hardliners in the northwestern city of Peshawar chanted “We are ready to support Osama and Zawahiri”, police and witnesses said. “Musharraf cannot protect the country because he is protecting American interests,” Abdul Ghaffar, a leader of the Muttahid Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) religious alliance, told the rally. Another MMA leader asked protestors to raise their hands if they were ready for jihad (holy war), and most members of the crowd raised their hands, witnesses said.
Great! Dan, Fred, Pappy, get their names.
Protest leaders signed a petition calling on the government to shut down the US consulate in Peshawar as activists torched dummies of Bush and Musharraf. “The demonstration was peaceful. Between 900 to 1,000 people participated,” Peshawar police chief Habib-ur Rehman told AFP. Witnesses also put turnout at around 1,000.

In Wana, the main town in the South Waziristan tribal area, around 2,000 tribesmen marched through a main marketplace chanting ”Death to America”, “Allah is great” and “Stop killing innocent Muslims.” “The US action in Bajur shows our government’s failure. It has got atom bombs and jets but it cannot stop foreign forces intruding into its territory,” tribal elder Maulana Abdul Aziz told the crowd, referring to the Bajur tribal agency where the attack took place.
Maybe because Perv secretly wants us to bomb Osama. He gave us your name too.
About 1,500 tribesmen in Mohamand tribal district bordering Afghanistan held another rally against the airstrike. Hundreds of people also held demonstrations outside mosques in the eastern city of Lahore, near the border with India, after regular Friday prayers.

Earlier some 200 lawyers rallied outside the High Court building in Lahore while protesters gathered outside the headquarters of Pakistan’s largest religious party, Jamaat-i-Islami. “We condemn the US airstrike in Bajur and we also condemn the government for its pro-American policies,” party leader Amirul Azeem said in a speech.
Posted by: Steve White || 01/21/2006 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  About 1,500 tribesmen in Mohamand tribal district bordering Afghanistan held another rally against the airstrike. Hundreds of people also held demonstrations outside mosques in the eastern city of Lahore, near the border with India, after regular Friday prayers.

Geez, wen do they ever have time to werk?
Posted by: Besoeker || 01/21/2006 12:20 Comments || Top||

#2  Geez, wen do they ever have time to werk?
Posted by: Besoeker 2006-01-21 12:20


You just scored the $1000 prize! The demands of their religion impede their ability to be productive. Praying five times a day, in a certain direction, all that attending Mosque services, all those restrictions telling them what to do and how to do it, stifle productivity and ingenuity. It was ok for tribal nomads, but totally impossible for industrial productivity. It's an anchor that holds them down and keeps them from competing on a national scale, much less a worldwide one. I'm sure .com has more to say.
Posted by: Old Patriot || 01/21/2006 16:10 Comments || Top||

#3  Lol, OP... Well, at Aramco they don't do diddley-squat, lol. They had, in the "bad old days" when time cards were required, a column for prayer-time. It counted as work - heh - and, of course, no one ever checked to see if they actually went to one of the moskkks scattered all around Aramco. Now they don't even have to lie about it - no time cards, at least among the office-worker types. Mebbe they're still lying about it out in the field, lol.

Add to this the facts that:
1) They are 1/2 day ahead of the US (GMT+3)
2) They call Thurs & Fri the weekend

When you think about it, there are only a couple of hours, 3 days per week, when they overlap with the East coast of the US, none with the West coast, yet they do tons and tons of business here, buying shit, training, you name it. The answer? Junkets. Lots and lots of junkets to the US. Hard to believe, lol, but they're far less efficient than US oil companies - and man that's really saying something, lol.
Posted by: .com || 01/21/2006 17:12 Comments || Top||

#4  Problem: Pigistan, like anywhere Muslims pollute, is burdened with a parasitic class of clerics. Example: almost 80% of Malaysians of Chinese origin work. Barely 50% of native Malay carpet-humpers raise a sweat. Solution: support the productive forces in those pig-pens, and work for regime change in the interests of the West. Until the leisure class of gutter entities like Pigistan, Yemen, Egypt, etc develop a work ethic, we should cut off all aid and let them eat jihad.
Posted by: CaziFarkus || 01/21/2006 8:59 Comments || Top||


Iraq
Magazine: Ransom money found on Osthoff
Part of the ransom money alleged to have been paid by the German government to win the freedom of Iraq hostage Susanne Osthoff last month was found on Osthoff after her release, the German magazine Focus said on Saturday. Without citing its sources, Focus said officials at the German embassy in Baghdad had found several thousand U.S. dollars in the 43-year-old German archaeologist's clothes when she took a shower at the embassy shortly after being freed. The serial numbers on the bills matched those used by the government to pay off Osthoff's kidnappers, the magazine said.

Efforts to contact Osthoff for comment through her mother and a friend failed. A spokeswoman at the German Foreign Ministry declined to comment on the report. The German government is known to have paid ransoms for hostages in the past, but has refused to comment on whether it did so for Osthoff.

Speculation about the circumstances of her kidnapping and release has swirled in the German media since the German government announced on December 18 that she was free. Two days after her release, the German government freed a Hizbollah member jailed for life in 1985 for the murder of a U.S. Navy diver. Berlin has denied a connection between the two events. Osthoff herself caused a stir when she said in an interview at the end of December that she did not believe her kidnappers were criminals.
Posted by: Pappy || 01/21/2006 13:56 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Cab Fare.
Posted by: Danking70 || 01/21/2006 14:10 Comments || Top||

#2  ouch! Touche, DK70! Nicely done
Posted by: Frank G || 01/21/2006 14:17 Comments || Top||

#3  Eventually the entire sordid, squalid and perfide story will out.

Can you say "Patty Hearst"?
Posted by: Hupomoger Clans9827 || 01/21/2006 14:23 Comments || Top||

#4  Have to disagree there, HC.

At the beginning of the whole sordid affair, Patty Hearst wasn't complicit in her kidnapping (and subsequent happenings).

Doubt we can say the same for Osthoff. >:-(
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut || 01/21/2006 14:42 Comments || Top||

#5  BS. you're right. Must of been the end game I was thinking of.
Posted by: Hupomoger Clans9827 || 01/21/2006 14:45 Comments || Top||

#6  Gosh, didn't the Germans deny paying ransom for awhile there?

I'm thinking I'm as much of an archeologist as she is...
Posted by: Cherens Ominemble6407 || 01/21/2006 14:54 Comments || Top||

#7  Two days after her release, the German government freed a Hizbollah member jailed for life in 1985 for the murder of a U.S. Navy diver

Which I why I care. I haven't thought of the German govt as our ally for some time, but that part was simply beyond the pale.
Posted by: lotp || 01/21/2006 15:24 Comments || Top||

#8 
Check Kofi's pockets.
Posted by: Master of Obvious || 01/21/2006 16:05 Comments || Top||

#9  So they paid a ranson AND released a murderer.

Remind me if I ever get into the kidnapping business to make sure I pinch a German ...
Posted by: Steve White || 01/21/2006 16:05 Comments || Top||

#10  "So they paid a ranson AND released a murderer."

Of course, it's the Jizya Layaway Plan in the Dhimmi manual...
Posted by: Snutle Clomble1552 || 01/21/2006 16:13 Comments || Top||

#11  Everything about this affair, from the "kidnapping" to her "release" to the Germans setting a killer free despite a valid and well-known long-standing extradition request to the bizarro hooded TV interview to the aftermath and revelations such as this, stinks beyond belief.

Who could possibly trust the Germans after this?
Posted by: .com || 01/21/2006 17:01 Comments || Top||

#12  Time to increase troop number in Germany.
Posted by: Sock Puppet O´ Doom || 01/21/2006 17:06 Comments || Top||

#13  I rather the US slash imports from Germany.
Posted by: ed || 01/21/2006 17:31 Comments || Top||


Judge Juhi: "Saddam's Trial Will End Within Two Months"
Judge Raid Juhi, head of the investigations committee at the Iraqi Higher Criminal Court, has a given a two-month time limit for the trial of former President Saddam Hussein. He also confirmed that no legal decision has yet been made regarding the resignation of Judge Rizgar Muhammad Amin, who is known as Saddam's judge, adding that Amin can resume presiding over the court sessions as of 24 January; otherwise, Judge Said al-Hammashi would be legally considered president of the court although the Debathification Committee has asked him not to practice his profession as a judge.

Judge Juhi expressed hope that the trial of deposed Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and seven of his aides in Al-Dujayl case would be concluded within two months at the most. In statements to Asharq al-Awsat made over the phone from his office in Baghdad yesterday, Judge Juhi said: "The date for the next court session has not changed and Judge Al-Hammashi will preside over the court session unless Judge Amin retracts his resignation, another more senior judge is appointed to complete the court quorum of five judges, or if a the judges hold a vote among them to choose a new court president.
Posted by: Fred || 01/21/2006 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Bout time someone brought the tent down on this circus trial! No Iraqi judge has the guts to put his own John Hancock on the execution orders for Saddam, it would be like signing his own death penalty.
Posted by: smn || 01/21/2006 7:16 Comments || Top||


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Hamas, Fatah Deadlocked
A new poll yesterday showed Hamas deadlocked with the ruling Fatah party ahead of next week’s parliamentary elections. The results were the latest sign of trouble for Fatah, which had dominated Palestinian politics for decades. According to yesterday’s poll, Fatah would capture 32.3 percent of the vote, while Hamas would get 30.2 percent. In Gaza, the two groups are just a few percentage points apart, with Hamas grabbing 36.4 percent of the vote to Fatah’s 36.7 percent. The survey of 1,000 people by the Jerusalem Media and Communications Center had a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points, putting the two rivals in a statistical dead heat.
Posted by: Fred || 01/21/2006 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  This unfortuante "deadlock" can easily be resolved via dueling Kalashnikovs. Lets hope they start immediately.
Posted by: Besoeker || 01/21/2006 12:12 Comments || Top||

#2  stock up on the buttered popcorn
Posted by: Frank G || 01/21/2006 13:52 Comments || Top||

#3  Where is only one way to settle this...
Posted by: gromgoru || 01/21/2006 20:12 Comments || Top||


Fatah, Hamas pledge to avoid violence on Palestinian election day
The two main contenders in next week's Palestinian parliamentary election pledged to avoid violence on voting day and work together afterward, but a Hamas leader ruled out peace talks with Israel. The no-violence pledge came Wednesday in Gaza, coupled with a promise that the ruling Fatah and its main challenger, the militant Islamic Hamas, will work together after the Jan. 25 election. It was a tacit admission by Fatah that Hamas will be a significant factor in the new parliament. Hamas, running for the first time, is set to take advantage of voter dissatisfaction with a decade of Fatah rule because of widespread corruption and inefficiency, as well as its inability to control internal violence, some of it directly connected to the election.
Posted by: Fred || 01/21/2006 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  "avoid violence" == "run before they shoot back" ?
Posted by: James || 01/21/2006 9:27 Comments || Top||


Peres: Israel might talk to Hamas if group disarms
Israeli elder statesman Shimon Peres on Friday signaled that Israel is ready to negotiate with Hamas if the Islamic militant group renounces violence and disarms after next week's Palestinian elections.

Peres spoke a day after a Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up in a Tel Aviv fast-food restaurant, wounding 20 people. Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility, and Israel blamed the group's backers in Iran and Syria for masterminding the attack. "We have definitive proof that the financing of the terror attack ... came directly from Iran, while the planning was carried out in Syria," Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said after a late-night meeting with security officials. He said the findings would be shared with American and European officials.

Hamas, which itself has carried out dozens of suicide bombings but has largely observed a truce in the past year, is expected to make a strong showing in Wednesday's Palestinian parliament election.
Posted by: Fred || 01/21/2006 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Israeli elder statesman Shimon Peres on Friday signaled that Israel is ready to negotiate with Hamas..

This guy needs a forced retirement.
Posted by: Bomb-a-rama || 01/21/2006 2:21 Comments || Top||

#2  Peres: Israeli's Jimmuh.
Posted by: Joque Gloluger1600 || 01/21/2006 4:53 Comments || Top||


New-look Hamas spends £100k on an image makeover
Hamas is paying a spin doctor $180,000 (£100,000) to persuade Europeans and Americans that it is not a group of religious fanatics who relish suicide bombings and hate Jews.
"We're not a bloodthirsty genocidal power-mad faction of extremely close relatives (if you know what we mean); we only play one on teevee."
The organisation, also known as the Islamic Resistance Movement, has hired a media consultant, Nashat Aqtash, to improve its image at home and abroad because it expects to emerge from next week's Palestinian general election as a major political force, and wants money recognition and money acceptance by the US and EU.
Also a blind eye for the dead rat on the living room rug. The one that's bloating, with maggots.
"Hamas has an image problem. The Israelis were able to create a very bad image of the Palestinians in general and particularly Muslims and Hamas. My contract is to project the right image," said Mr Aqtash, who also teaches media at Birzeit University in Ramallah. "We don't need the international community to accept Hamas ideology, we need it to accept the facts on the ground. We are not killing people because we love to kill. People view Hamas as loving sending people to die. We don't love death, we like life."
The facts on the ground being the subjugated, seething population of Gaza, and bits of dead Jooos decorating the buses in Tel Aviv.
Mr Aqtash, who describes himself as opposed to violence and "believing in the Gandhi route", has advised Hamas leaders to change their image by explaining that they do not hate Israelis because they are Jews. And he is attempting to persuade influential foreigners that Hamas is essentially a peaceful organisation that was forced to fight, but is now committed to pressing its cause through politics, not violence.

"Hamas does not believe in terrorism or killing civilians."
Be careful what you say, Nashat. The Prophet (PBUH) never cowered behind the skirts of a woman like you. He bravely took the fight to his enemies and prevailed every time. Even if his enemy looked a lot like a girl out for a walk with her fiancee. The djinns were all about her, and Mohammed took them all on! It was too bad about the girl, really, but there are always losses in Dar-al-Harb. And Allan acquired one more brave warrior that day.
"But Ariel Sharon pressed buttons to make people angry. Sometimes we are innocent enough to react in a way that the Israelis use the reaction against us," he said.
"Pure as the driven snow, that's Hamas!"
Next week Mr Aqtash says he will address the former US president Jimmy Carter and former Swedish prime minister Carl Bildt, and other prominent foreigners monitoring the election.
"You've been a lovely audience, I'll be here all week."
But he admits he and his small team working from an office in Ramallah have their work cut out. Hamas is responsible for scores of suicide bombings, killing and maiming hundreds of civilians (many of them children), although not for yesterday's attack in Tel Aviv.
Polish that halo a liitle more, Nashat.
Hamas's founding charter calls for the destruction of Israel and it wants to impose an Islamic state on all Palestinian territory.

Mr Aqtash, who says he is not a member of Hamas and does not know where it got the money to pay him but frequently refers to the group as "we", says he has told the leadership it has to change its rhetoric. He says Hamas has not helped itself by celebrating suicide bombings; he advises against celebration. And he has told Hamas leaders not to talk about destroying Israel.
"The f'ing infidels are listening, Mahmoud. Keep a lid on it."
"Abdel Aziz Rantisi [the former Hamas leader killed by Israel two years ago] was on television saying things that foreigners cannot accept, like we will remove Israel from the map. He should have talked about Palestinian suffering. He should have said we need this occupation ended. Foreigners will accept this," he said. Mr Aqtash has also advised Hamas leaders to emphasise that they are not anti-semitic or against Israelis because they are Jews. Hamas has taken the message on board. In an interview earlier this week, Muhammad Abu Tir, who is second on the Hamas election list, twice (and unprompted) offered an assurance that he is not a Jew hater. "Loving others is part of our religion. We are not against Jews as Jews, we are against oppression," he said.

Mr Aqtash also told Mr Abu Tir to rid himself of a red beard, coloured by henna, because it makes people laugh.
Drat. He caught that. Nothing sez comedy like the hennaed beards of the Learned Elders of Islam™.
The PR man wriggles away from questions about whether Hamas has more than an image problem when it sends bombers on buses and into cafes. "I'm personally against killing. All civilians should not be killed. Killing Israeli civilians is not accepted by the international community. They think it is a terrorist act," he said.
"Stupid international community. What do they know?"
"But Sharon was responsible for killing civilians too. During this intifada Hamas killed a thousand Israelis, some of them civilians, some of them soldiers. But the Israelis killed 4,000 Palestinians. It's a war. The Israelis use F16s; Hamas uses people. Anyway, Hamas hasn't sent a suicide bomber in a year."

Hamas is also attempting to soften its image at home with the launch of a television station in Gaza that includes a children's show presented by "Uncle Hazim" and men in furry animal suits. The station, named Al Aqsa Television after Islam's third holiest site, says it intends to put across the group's message "but without getting into the tanks, the guns, the killing and the blood". It will instead focus on religious readings, discussion programmes and a talent show.

Mr Aqtash, however, is not entirely confident in his powers of persuasion. "How did I do?" he asked as the interview ended. "Did I make you think differently about Hamas?"

The advice Nashat Aqtash gave to Hamas:

· Say you are not against Israelis as Jews

· Don't talk about destroying Israel

· Do talk about Palestinian suffering

· Don't celebrate killing people

· Change beard colour (if red)
Posted by: tipper || 01/21/2006 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Do talk about Palestinian suffering

Fuck the Palestinians. The real suffering is in Soudan.
Posted by: JFM || 01/21/2006 9:31 Comments || Top||

#2  a children's show presented by "Uncle Hazim" and men in furry animal suits.

God-damned furries are everywhere.
Posted by: Jackal || 01/21/2006 10:06 Comments || Top||

#3  Hamas is paying a spin doctor $180,000 (£100,000) to persuade Europeans and Americans that it is not a group of religious fanatics who relish suicide bombings and hate Jews.

.... and the money came from where?
Posted by: Besoeker || 01/21/2006 10:59 Comments || Top||

#4  The money came from the EU in the form of a loan with conditions. If the makeover convinced the suckers in the West after 60 days, then the loan would be forgiven, and Hamas could continue its work unabated after the election.
Posted by: Alaska Paul || 01/21/2006 13:49 Comments || Top||

#5  .... and the money came from where?

sounds like a Naomi Wolfe/Dick Morris blend: "drop the henna, wear earth tones, be the alpha paleo, but triangulate!"
Posted by: Frank G || 01/21/2006 14:14 Comments || Top||

#6  Any bets some of that $180K ends up at Air America?

(I'd say CNN as well, but they'll do it gratis...)
Posted by: Pappy || 01/21/2006 21:25 Comments || Top||

#7  Someone has to say it: Queer eye for the Hamas guy.
Posted by: ed || 01/21/2006 21:28 Comments || Top||

#8  I'll say it - Hamas has gone style over Joo-killing image..... Pussies or Liars - some of both


hey! Did you hear that? Sounds like a Predator...
Posted by: Frank G || 01/21/2006 22:09 Comments || Top||


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Iran Denies Shifting Assets From Europe - yet
Iran on Saturday denied it has shifted funds out of Europe due to fears of economic sanctions over its nuclear program after a swirl of contradictory reports on whether such transfers had taken place.

A deputy central bank chief categorically denied that Iran was moving foreign currency out of Europe to Southeast Asia. The comments appeared to flatly contradict previous reported remarks by the bank's president.

"At the moment, Iran does not have any schedule to transfer its foreign exchange accounts to the named countries," Mohammad-Jafar Mojarad told the state news agency IRNA when asked if Iran has transferred the accounts to Asia.

The head of the central bank, Ebrahim Sheibani, had reportedly said on Wednesday that Iran was moving funds from Europe elsewhere after Western demands to freeze Iranian assets as a result of the conflict over Iran's decision to resume nuclear research.

The international crisis over Iran's nuclear program escalated when the Islamic republic resumed sensitive uranium enrichment research on Jan. 10, despite calls by European negotiators to maintain a halt to such activities.

"We transfer foreign currency reserves related to all sectors including oil foreign exchanges to wherever it is good for us and we have started this transfer," Sheibani was quoted as saying.

Iran is expected to earn at least $40 billion (33 billion euros) from oil production this year. In the past, Iran has deposited its oil revenues in European banks. Sheibani himself, however, on Saturday rejected the idea that such transfers had already taken place, even though he left the door open for such a possibility in the future.
so be good little dhimmis and your banks won't have to cough up more reserves to meet international standards when we move our moolah
"We will transfer Iran's foreign accounts whenever we believe it is necessary," Sheibani told state television.

The United States said on Friday that any Iranian move to transfer currency deposits away from Europe would be a sign of growing isolation. US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said such market maneuvers would not deter moves to refer its nuclear activities to the UN Security Council.

"I think it is an indication that Iran is further isolating itself from the rest of the world," McCormack told a press briefing. "I don't know what it is that they hope to accomplish by doing this."

London, Paris and Berlin called an emergency meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency for Feb. 2 as Western countries aim to gather support for referring Iran to the UN Security Council for possible sanctions.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad meanwhile called on Islamic states to use their economic power against the West.

"Along with the political war, there's an big, hidden economic war going on and Islamic states should use their potential to cut off the hands of the enemy," he said.
Posted by: lotp || 01/21/2006 17:25 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Ahmadinejad challenges Europe to take back Jews in Israel
Screwball continues to build the case VDH notes in his opinion piece today. It's a drip-drip-drip attack on the legitimacy of Israel, and I suspect it will work with the Europeans to immobilize them.
DAMASCUS - In a new attack on the existence of Israel, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has challenged Europe to take back the Jews who emigrated to Israel, adding that no Jews would remain in Israel if Europe were to open its doors.

Ahmadinejad delivered the challenge after arriving in Syria for a two-day visit on Thursday. Addressing Europe, he asked: "Would you open the doors of your own countries to these (Jewish) immigrants so that they could travel to any part of Europe they chose?"

"Would you offer the necessary guarantees that you would provide for their security when they came to your countries and not allow another anti-Semitic wave in Europe?" he added in an apparent reference to recent attacks on Jewish cemeteries and properties in European states.
If there's anyone who would know anti-Semitism, of course, it's Screwball.
In his comments in the Syrian capital, which Iran's official Islamic Republic News Agency reported Friday, Ahmadinejad forecast that the West would not answer the questions he had posed but would instead accuse him of "talking against global peace."

He said Europe should welcome Jewish people to prove its sincerity in supporting people's freedoms. He added he was confident that no Jews would remain in Israel if European countries allowed them to immigrate.
Posted by: Steve White || 01/21/2006 11:54 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  This AHitler-nejad guy needs some 9mm brain surgery, and soon.
Posted by: Scooter McGruder || 01/21/2006 13:10 Comments || Top||

#2  1. Seems joooos were never, ever present in the middles east until 1948.

2. 'splain the treatment of muslim refugees in middle east countries.

Sauce for goose.
Posted by: Hupomoger Clans9827 || 01/21/2006 13:19 Comments || Top||

#3  I just figured out who he resembles (to me): a swarthy Bob Denver, AKA Gilligan or Maynard G Krebs
Posted by: Frank G || 01/21/2006 13:58 Comments || Top||

#4  "Ahmadinejad challenges Europe to take back Jews in Israel"

Doesn't this basically amount to a declaration of war vs. Europe?
Posted by: Danking70 || 01/21/2006 14:09 Comments || Top||

#5  a demand they finish the job?
Posted by: Frank G || 01/21/2006 14:15 Comments || Top||

#6  Please no. I knew Bob Denver, and he was a gracious and easy-going man. His work in his home state of West Virginia was a Godsend to many.

This guy in charge of Iran is Hitler and Goebbels rolled into one.

Why does any of the press give him such deference?
Posted by: Oldspook || 01/21/2006 14:32 Comments || Top||

#7  Why does any of the press give him such deference?

They're on the same side.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble || 01/21/2006 14:41 Comments || Top||

#8  no offense to Bob, OS, he just looks like him. Should I say the "Nazi Gilligan"?
Posted by: Frank G || 01/21/2006 14:44 Comments || Top||

#9  Islamic Nazis.

A two-fer if there ever was one.
Posted by: Cherens Ominemble6407 || 01/21/2006 14:55 Comments || Top||

#10  Heh - Evil Gilligan works - kinda like Evil SPock with the goatee...
Posted by: Oldspook || 01/21/2006 16:05 Comments || Top||

#11  There are 100,000 Iranian Jews in Israel, which would mean more Jews in Israel came from Iran than any European country bar Russia.
Posted by: phil_b || 01/21/2006 17:19 Comments || Top||

#12  abu Maynard
Posted by: 6 || 01/21/2006 19:44 Comments || Top||

#13  His 'halo' only shows at the UN, I guess.
Posted by: Brett || 01/21/2006 21:37 Comments || Top||


Cheney does not see close ties between Iran, al-Qaeda
Save this one, the Looney Left is going to keep bringing it up again later ...
US Vice President Dick Cheney has said he does not believe there are close relations between Iran and Al-Qaeda, seeming to distance himself from some earlier US administration charges.

"I think you've got to remember that the Al-Qaeda organization is primarily made up of radical Sunni Islamists, of course, and the Iranian regime is Shia-dominated -- Shia. So there's not a natural fit there," Cheney said in a telephone interview with the Hugh Hewitt Show, released by the White House.

"That doesn't mean that there haven't been relationships over the years, but I don't believe it's close. I haven't seen any evidence of that," Cheney added on the heels of new broadcast threats by Osama bin Laden.

The George W. Bush administration on several occasions has accused Iran of supporting terrorism and Al-Qaeda.
Posted by: Dan Darling || 01/21/2006 01:41 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  "they're just welcome guests and useful tools, but we haven't actually swapped spit with AQ, I mean, have you seen their oral hygiene?"
Posted by: Frank G || 01/21/2006 1:52 Comments || Top||

#2  The "grand deferrer" forgot one of the basic tennants of Islam: "An infidel enemy of your enemy is also your enemy."
Posted by: Besoeker || 01/21/2006 11:03 Comments || Top||

#3  "That doesn't mean that there haven't been relationships over the years..."

The al-Khobar Towers bombing comes to mind.
Posted by: DepotGuy || 01/21/2006 12:50 Comments || Top||

#4  re: Cheney, 'Deferrer' he most certainly is not.

The threat from Iran comes via their support of
Hamas and Hizboallah, ratcheted up x10 by the open threats to Israel from the new guy/old radical. Cheney is absolutely right to distinguish that from al Qaeda - for one thing, it implicitly points out that alQ aren't the only nuts claiming to have Allah's mandate to conquer the world.

At some point, if we are lucky, the internal contradictions and power struggles in the Middle East will cause both the MMs and the Salafists/Wahabis to implode - quite likely, by slitting each others' throats.

But only if we get out of their way and don't stop that by treating them as one monolithic enemy.

And if by 'deferrer' you mean Bush, all I can say is that it's easy to talk a tough game when the lives of millions of people aren't at stake in what you say and do.
Posted by: lotp || 01/21/2006 15:43 Comments || Top||


Iran Ready for Talks on Russian Offer to Enrich Uranium
Iran is ready for “detailed” discussions on Moscow’s proposal for the two countries to enrich uranium jointly on Russian territory to defuse tensions over Tehran’s suspected nuclear program, a top Russian official said yesterday. “They find our proposal very interesting and are ready to move to detailed examination,” the head of Russia’s atomic energy agency, Sergei Kiriyenko, said.

Kiriyenko was speaking during a meeting with President Vladimir Putin, portions of which were broadcast on Russian television. He said “Iranian partners,” whom he did not name, were due to arrive in Russia in the coming days to talk about the plan and added that discussions between experts in Moscow and Tehran were “taking place constantly.”
Posted by: Fred || 01/21/2006 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  And I guess they've put those seals back on, by now also...?
Posted by: smn || 01/21/2006 7:21 Comments || Top||


Terror Networks
Osama's lousy audio offers clues
London, 20 Jan. (AKI) - The poor quality of Osama bin-Laden's latest message - a audio-only recording with crackling voice-distorting static, may shed some light on the whereabouts of the fugitive Islamist leader. This contrasts sharply with the clear images and sound of a video released earlier this month showing al-Qaeda's No. 2, Ayman al-Zawahiri. "Firstly, it indicates the recordings were made in different places, and hence that the two men are not hiding out together" says Hani al-Sebai, director of London-based al-Maqrizi Institute for Historical Studies.
Next time use a Shure mic and TDK tape.
"The poor quality of bin Laden's recording suggests that from his hideaway, he doesn't have access to the same technology as al-Zawhairi. Also bin-Laden speaks in a hushed tones, which could mean he didn't want to be hear by those near him when the recording was made," al-Sebai who is an al-Qaeda expert told Adnkronos International (AKI).
Or that he's in advanced end-stage renal disease and isn't feeling too perky ...
US experts have declared the message, three minutes of which were first broadcast by pan-Arab network Al-Jazeera on Thursday, as authentic. In it, bin Laden refers to an alleged US plan to bomb Al-Jazeera's headquarters in Doha, Qatar - allowing the message to be dated at no earlier than December 2005, the time when claims of the anti-Al-Jazeera plans first surfaced.

"Had it been an old recording we would have heard him reciting verses from the Koran and some generic threats and warnings, instead the fact that he talks about current events indicates that bin Laden intends to continue his struggle," says al-Sebai, a former Egyptian Jihad activist who spent time in a Cairo jail with al-Zawahiri in 1981.
Osama needs to read tomorrow's headlines from the Peshawar Times into the mic; then we'll believe it's current.
In the message the al-Qaeda leader threatens fresh attacks against the United States, but at the same time offers a conditional truce in exchange of a US troop withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan.

"Bin Laden wants to appear before the Muslim world as a man of peace, a man who is always searching for a peaceful solution to bring stabilty to the Middle East region, in contrast with the Western image of him as a terrorist" concluded al-Sebai.
Or al-Sebai could be blowing smoke, since all Osama's offered is a hudna, which every good Moose-Limb understands right away isn't the same thing as a truce or a peace.
Posted by: Steve White || 01/21/2006 01:11 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Besides, the other tenants in the Brighton resort have already complained to the hotel management about the noise, especially that damn disco music coming from his room.
Posted by: Anonymoose || 01/21/2006 10:01 Comments || Top||

#2  Moose lol!

I can't understand why we should conclude that they are not hiding out together. Are we to believe that bin Laden and Zawahiri aren't smart enough to try and foil us with a few studio tricks? More interesting to me is, who is leaking what conclusions the CIA may be able to draw from what they receive on these tapes?
Posted by: 2b || 01/21/2006 10:43 Comments || Top||

#3  says al-Sebai, a former Egyptian Jihad activist who spent time in a Cairo jail with al-Zawahiri in 1981.

ok, so a REFORMED [cough, cough] jihadi, PUBLICLY gives away clues as to what conclusions we should draw from these audio tapes. oooookaaaaay, I'm convinced.
Posted by: 2b || 01/21/2006 10:49 Comments || Top||

#4  "Bin Laden wants to appear before the Muslim world as a man of peace..."

Actually, he's doing just that - when you consider that "peace" means "submission" and nothing else.
Posted by: Spoper Phetch6565 || 01/21/2006 11:43 Comments || Top||

#5  Osama needs to read tomorrow's headlines from the Peshawar Times into the mic; then we'll believe it's current.

Any recent newspaper, so long as it's not a story about the RAB.
Posted by: Robert Crawford || 01/21/2006 14:50 Comments || Top||

#6  no, no, NO guys - according to the LLL the release of this tape is a plot to divert attention from some lobbyist's stock holdings in Halliburton ... or something. See, Osama had to whisper and the quality's lousy because the basement of the WH has all those RFI protections, wreaks havoc with the wireless mic ....

I know it's true because Jack Cafferty told me so. And would CNN lie?
Posted by: lotp || 01/21/2006 15:36 Comments || Top||

#7  And would CNN lie?

apparently, if it keeps a "news bureau" open
Posted by: Frank G || 01/21/2006 15:49 Comments || Top||


How al-Qaeda broadcasts tapes without being caught
The broadcast of terror tapes on al Jazeera highlights a question that has haunted U.S. intelligence for a number of years now: How do these tapes find their way to the offices of the Qatari news channel, and why can't something be done to follow their trail to Osama bin Laden's doorstep?

This question remained largely unanswered until the arrest last May in Pakistan of Abu Faraj al Libbi, one of al Qaeda's operational commanders. Under intense interrogation, al Libbi revealed that Osama bin Laden's tapes — like his operational directives — are hand carried from courier to courier in a long and intricate route that involves several dozen "runners."

According to al Libbi, it takes six to 12 weeks of travel in the remote and inhospitable areas along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, where bin Laden and Ayman al Zawahri are still hiding. Based on this piece of intelligence, the Pakistani government succeeded in infiltrating parts of these courier networks in 2005.

But because of the extraordinary precautions taken by al Qaeda's messengers, the Pakistanis were unable to trace them back to either Zawahri or bin Laden.

The system involves each courier hand delivering the tape or the written message to another courier or location without knowing the courier's identity, the origin of the tape or message or its destination. It makes it almost impossible for intelligence agencies to roll up the entire network.

Some of these intermediaries are recruited among the thousands of travelling Muslim preachers who roam Pakistan's tribal and northern areas, usually on foot.

Analysts believe this system is still in place today, and may span several countries. According to a senior Pakistani intelligence source, the latest tape was hand delivered by an anonymous source to al Jazeera's Dubai bureau in the United Arab Emirates. The tapes are usually dropped off in an envelope at al Jazeera's offices in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad.

Many commentators suspect a "back channel" relationship between the news channel and the terrorist organization. In 2005, al Jazeera reporter Taysir Alluni, who had interviewed bin Laden in Afghanistan several weeks after 9/11, was sentenced by a Spanish court to seven years in prison for providing help to two al Qaeda operatives wanted in connection with the Madrid train bombings in 2004.

Despite this high-profile case, there is little evidence of any formal relationship, agreement or even sustained communication between al Jazeera and al Qaeda. And al Jazeera strongly denies it.

Osama bin Laden's use of the Qatari news channel likely has more to do with strategy than ideology. With its audience of 50 to 70 million viewers around the world, al Jazeera has emerged not only as the Muslim world's most-watched news outlet but as a powerful force driving political views of Muslims around the world.

By using al Jazeera to broadcast its messages, al Qaeda is simply borrowing the network's global reach to further its own, while making sure that the message will reach the audience with little alteration or editing, and no mistranslation.

This is especially key when bin Laden or Zawahri, as Western intelligence agencies report, wish to send covert messages to their operatives across the world.
Posted by: Dan Darling || 01/21/2006 01:23 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  But because of the extraordinary precautions taken by al Qaeda's messengers, the Pakistanis were unable to trace them back to either Zawahri or bin Laden.

BS! Give us a break please. Unwilling is the operative here.
Posted by: Besoeker || 01/21/2006 11:06 Comments || Top||

#2  Weird, since ISI is staff's the network.
Posted by: 6 || 01/21/2006 19:51 Comments || Top||


Osama's lousy audio offers clues
London, 20 Jan. (AKI) - The poor quality of Osama bin-Laden's latest message - a audio-only recording with crackling voice-distorting static, may shed some light on the whereabouts of the fugitive Islamist leader. This contrasts sharply with the clear images and sound of a video released earlier this month showing al-Qaeda's No. 2, Ayman al-Zawahiri. "Firstly, it indicates the recordings were made in different places, and hence that the two men are not hiding out together" says Hani al-Sebai, director of London-based al-Maqrizi Institute for Historical Studies.
Next time use a Shure mic and TDK tape.
"The poor quality of bin Laden's recording suggests that from his hideaway, he doesn't have access to the same technology as al-Zawhairi. Also bin-Laden speaks in a hushed tones, which could mean he didn't want to be hear by those near him when the recording was made," al-Sebai who is an al-Qaeda expert told Adnkronos International (AKI).
Or that he's in advanced end-stage renal disease and isn't feeling too perky ...
US experts have declared the message, three minutes of which were first broadcast by pan-Arab network Al-Jazeera on Thursday, as authentic. In it, bin Laden refers to an alleged US plan to bomb Al-Jazeera's headquarters in Doha, Qatar - allowing the message to be dated at no earlier than December 2005, the time when claims of the anti-Al-Jazeera plans first surfaced.

"Had it been an old recording we would have heard him reciting verses from the Koran and some generic threats and warnings, instead the fact that he talks about current events indicates that bin Laden intends to continue his struggle," says al-Sebai, a former Egyptian Jihad activist who spent time in a Cairo jail with al-Zawahiri in 1981.
Osama needs to read tomorrow's headlines from the Peshawar Times into the mic; then we'll believe it's current.
In the message the al-Qaeda leader threatens fresh attacks against the United States, but at the same time offers a conditional truce in exchange of a US troop withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan.

"Bin Laden wants to appear before the Muslim world as a man of peace, a man who is always searching for a peaceful solution to bring stabilty to the Middle East region, in contrast with the Western image of him as a terrorist" concluded al-Sebai.
Or al-Sebai could be blowing smoke, since all Osama's offered is a hudna, which every good Moose-Limb understands right away isn't the same thing as a truce or a peace.
Posted by: Steve White || 01/21/2006 01:11 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  In it, bin Laden refers to an alleged US plan to bomb Al-Jazeera's headquarters in Doha, Qatar - allowing the message to be dated at no earlier than December 2005, the time when claims of the anti-Al-Jazeera plans first surfaced.

That's BS. I heard about the alleged "plot to bomb Al Jazeera" at least 6 months ago. The former Brit official who is the "whistleblower" in that case has been peddling this story for a while.
Posted by: Tibor || 01/21/2006 16:53 Comments || Top||

#2  Heh, Tibor. But, but this came from "experts" - it sez so right in the story! You meme-killer! Lol -- Go, baby, go!
Posted by: .com || 01/21/2006 16:56 Comments || Top||


Home Front Economy
Troops Return From Iraq With Money to Burn
One short test drive and Army Spc. Todd Strange is gushing "Oh, sweet! I love it!" He's been home from Iraq a little over 30 hours and already he's trading in his little 2001 Dodge Neon for a muscle car — a 2006 Mustang GT, V-8 engine, price tag $26,320. "I'm buying the car to show off, pretty much," admits Strange, 26, of St. Louis.

Business has been booming in this southeast Georgia town since just after Christmas when thousands of 3rd Infantry Division troops from neighboring Fort Stewart began returning from a yearlong tour in Iraq and finding their bank accounts flush with combat pay, tax breaks and bonuses.

"Christmas in January" proclaim newspaper advertisements for one local furniture and electronics store.

That's especially true for retailers who suffered through 2005 while some of their best customers were overseas. Now, they worry about keeping new cars and home theater systems in stock. "It's been a lonely year," said Monica Doering, manager of Freedom Furniture and Electronics, less than a mile from Fort Stewart's main gate. "It's not only the soldiers' Christmas, but what we're experiencing now is actually our Christmas."

The 3rd Infantry has 19,000 troops returning to Fort Stewart, Hunter Army Airfield in nearby Savannah and Fort Benning in Columbus. Hotels in Hinesville have been booked solid by soldiers' families attending homecoming ceremonies. Restaurant parking lots are full, and rental properties that sat vacant for nearly a year are filling up again. "We needed it badly. If they are not here, we can hardly pay our bills," said Mike Randerwala, manager of the Quality Inn in Hinesville. "Last year, I had a loss of more than $100,000."

The overall economic hit hurt but doesn't appear as bad as many feared, Mayor Tom Ratcliffe said. For the first 10 months of 2005, the latest figures available, sales tax revenues in town were down only 6 percent compared with the same period in 2004.

It's not just a year of being unable to hit the shopping malls and car dealers that has troops flush with cash. During their yearlong Iraq deployments, they earned combat pay and other incentives, and their income wasn't taxed. Several soldiers interviewed estimated they earned an extra $700 to $800 per month while in Iraq, totaling up to an extra $9,600 for some from their year overseas.

"Without the extra money, I couldn't go out and get this stuff," said Spc. Sherrod White, 21, of Fayetteville, N.C., as he picked out a $1,499 desktop computer with a $599 flat screen monitor at Doering's store. "A lot of people, they just go crazy with it," he said.

At Hinesville Ford, where Strange picked out his Mustang, general manager Fred Mingledorff said he's on track to sell more than 120 cars this month — compared to 80 during a typical month and 40 while the 3rd Infantry was overseas. And the troops aren't settling for economy cars, he said. "They've been fighting a war for a year. When they get back, they sure deserve to be able to spend their money," Mingledorff said.

The Hinesville Wal-Mart Supercenter has conspicuous gaps in its wall of large-screen TVs because impatient buyers have taken the display units. Even the shelves of pots, pans and other mundane household items have been picked practically bare as soldiers furnish homes and apartments. "This is something that typically we would never have out of stock," said Wal-Mart manager Ted Sells. "As you can see, they've just wiped us out."

And it's not just the businesses that are celebrating Christmas a month late. Heidi Harms, the wife of an Army chaplain, still has her tree, stockings and lights up and agreed not to even shop for presents for their five children until her husband gets home. "He loves shopping for the kids, so he said `Please don't do anything until I get back,'" said Harms.

Their children, ages 11 years to 18 months, haven't seemed to mind the delay, especially since they got gifts last month from Capt. Lee Harms' parents. "They just know Santa Claus was taking care of the soldiers in Iraq, and he's coming home with dad," she said.
Posted by: Anonymoose || 01/21/2006 15:52 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Unfortunately lots of folk take these kids for a ride.

You should see the piece of junk computer my son's roomate was sold after returning from his last tour in Iraq. $6000 for a yellow monster with 8 network cards and crashed all the time....
Now he's broke all the time...

The leaches saw him coming a mile away.
Posted by: 3dc || 01/21/2006 16:35 Comments || Top||

#2  advice from friends before buying isn't non-macho, it's smart. I know Oceanside and No. San Diego County took econ hits during deployments. I hope no scams are running here, but given human nature...
Posted by: Frank G || 01/21/2006 17:16 Comments || Top||

#3  When I was young/single I was always being deployed here and there, when I returned I always had a hefty bank account and a lot of comp time. It wasn't long before both were expended. Let the kids be kids and enjoy there short-term fortune.
Posted by: Cyber Sarge || 01/21/2006 21:14 Comments || Top||


Home Front: Culture Wars
A Warrior Comes Home
"We mourn, but honor the warriors who have given of their lives in the field of battle. We embrace their spirit, for they are our very breath of life. . .

Throughout time, American Indians have had to defend themselves and their way of life, American Indian warriors have a long tradition of protecting their families, tribe and nation . . ."

"By tradition, American Indian people have always embraced their warriors upon their return from battle, Embraced them in heart, embraced them in spirit .

"Great Spirit, we ask of you to receive our warriors."

Read the whole thing
Posted by: Oldspook || 01/21/2006 12:52 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Semper Fi, Marine. I wish I had adequate words to thank you with. May we as a country live up to the obligations that the sacrifice of our warriors places upon us!
Posted by: mac || 01/21/2006 13:51 Comments || Top||

#2  This world is the worse for Cpl. Brett Lundstrom's absence, but the Hereafter will be the better for his presence. Let us hope to be worthy of the honour of being protected by such as he. thanks for posting this, OldSpook.
Posted by: trailing wife || 01/21/2006 15:08 Comments || Top||

#3  Profoundly moving, thanks Oldspook

Semper Fidelis
Posted by: djh_usmc || 01/21/2006 22:37 Comments || Top||



Who's in the News
73[untagged]

Bookmark
E-Mail Me

The Classics
The O Club
Rantburg Store
The Bloids
The Never-ending Story
Thugburg
Gulf War I
The Way We Were
Bio

Merry-Go-Blog











On Sale now!


A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.

Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.

Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has dominated Mexico for six years.
Click here for more information

Meet the Mods
In no particular order...
Steve White
Seafarious
tu3031
badanov
sherry
ryuge
GolfBravoUSMC
Bright Pebbles
trailing wife
Gloria
Fred
Besoeker
Glenmore
Frank G
3dc
Skidmark

Two weeks of WOT
Sat 2006-01-21
  Plot to kill Hakim thwarted
Fri 2006-01-20
  Brammertz takes up al-Hariri inquiry
Thu 2006-01-19
  Binny offers hudna
Wed 2006-01-18
  Abu Khabab titzup?
Tue 2006-01-17
  Tajiks claim holding senior Hizb ut-Tahrir leader
Mon 2006-01-16
  Canada diplo killed in Afghanistan
Sun 2006-01-15
  Emir of Kuwait dies
Sat 2006-01-14
  Talk of sanctions on Iran premature: France
Fri 2006-01-13
  Predators try for Zawahiri in Pak
Thu 2006-01-12
  Europeans Say Iran Talks Reach Dead End
Wed 2006-01-11
  Spain holds 20 'Iraq recruiters'
Tue 2006-01-10
  Leb army arrests four smuggling arms from North
Mon 2006-01-09
  IRGC ground forces commander killed in plane crash
Sun 2006-01-08
  Assad rejects UN interview request
Sat 2006-01-07
  Iran issues new threat to Europe

Better than the average link...



Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
35.168.113.248
Help keep the Burg running! Paypal:
WoT Operations (25)    Non-WoT (17)    Opinion (2)    (0)    (0)