The Taleban are gaining strength in Afghanistan and are determined to intensify their attacks against foreign and government forces, a Taleban commander said yesterday.
Violence has surged in Afghanistan in recent weeks to its worst since the 2001 overthrow of the hardline Taleban government but the district commander, Mullah Hayat Khan, said the violence was winning the militants more support. "Now the people of Afghanistan are giving full cooperation to us," Khan said in the southwestern Pakistani border town of Chaman.
"There is more anger against foreign forces and their brutality against the people," he said, referring to recent bombing by US forces that he said had killed many civilians.
"The people of Afghanistan have become fed up with Americans," said Khan, who said he was Taleban commander of the Spin Boldak area, in the southern province of Kandahar, opposite Chaman. "They break into houses, arrest people indiscriminately and torture them. These brutalities have increased anger among the people," he said.
"They are providing us shelter. They also lend us their arms and even take part in our jihad (holy war). Even people within the government are cooperating with us."
He said the Taleban were also grooming suicide attackers and vowed there would be more attacks against foreign forces. "At least 40 suicide bombers in my group are ready for attacks. They are all Afghans."
"It is now not very difficult to prepare suicide attackers. In the past, Al Qaeda used to prepare Taleban for suicide attacks but now we have gained expertise. I myself am able to train people," he said.
None of his own family volunteered, however.
He said the Taleban had set up training camps in Helmand and Kandahar provinces, including the Spin Boldak area. "We will continue our jihad until the foreign troops are driven out. We have stepped up attacks and will intensify them."
Khan was appointed commander in Spin Boldak after the killing of his brother, commander Sabir Momin, in February. A short young man with black beard, Khan drove in a pickup truck about 500 metres over the border into Chaman to speak to Reuters. He spoke inside the vehicle, then drove back to Afghanistan. He came without guards. "Pakistan has imposed curbs on mujahideen (holy warriors) because of American pressure. We do come here but covertly. We cannot move freely as we used to," he said.
He rejected Afghan government accusations the Taleban were launching attacks from the safety of Pakistan. "We organise and carry out our operations inside Afghanistan, not in Pakistan. It's just propaganda, but we do get financial help from supporters in Pakistan," he said without elaborating.
Wearing a baggy shalwar kameez tunic and a black turban, the 26-year-old said he was not afraid of death. "It is the path of God. My brother and an uncle laid down their lives on this path and I am also ready to do so."
Khan said he had met Taleban fugitive Taleban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar before the end of Taleban rule in 2001. "Since then, he is in only contact with senior commanders and we get instructions through them," he said. "Mullah Omar is in Afghanistan and is providing full guidance."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
06/05/2006 00:41 ||
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KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - NATO will double the number of soldiers in southern Afghanistan when it takes over security there from U.S. troops next month, seeking to quash the worst rebel violence since the Taliban's ouster, the NATO force commander said Sunday.
Lt. Gen. David Richards also said NATO troops will be more ``people friendly'' in an effort to win the support of the local population amid rising resentment over what many Afghans see as overly aggressive tactics by the separate U.S.-led coalition force.
At a news conference in Kabul, Richards said the number of troops that the U.S.-led coalition has had in southern Afghanistan hasn't been sufficient to deal with the surge in violence. ``They have been relatively short of troops, of boots on the ground,'' said Richards, a British soldier who assumed command of NATO's International Security Assistance Force a month ago.
He said the number of troops in the region will increase from an average of about 3,000 in recent years to about 6,000 when NATO takes on responsibility for the volatile region in July. He said the new force also will have more attack helicopters.
Richards said the security situation has deteriorated, but he expressed optimism the NATO force and new tactics can counter that trend. ``I have a different approach,'' he said. ``I want to get out much more on our feet in and among the villagers. ... We will gear our security operation around (building) more roads, irrigation, etc.''
In that light, Richards also said foreign troops, including those from NATO, are alienating Afhgans by driving too aggressively. Many Afghans are angry that military convoys, especially U.S. ones, often pass through crowded areas at high speed and sometimes disregard road rules. The anger erupted into deadly riots in Kabul a week ago after a U.S. truck was involved in a fatal traffic accident.
Richards conceded that troops are often instructed to drive fast because it reduces the chances for attacks by suicide bombers or roadside bombs. But he said he has ordered NATO troops to show more respect to others on the road. ``We will accept more risk. I have made that very clear,'' he said. ``We cannot go on alienating the people in the way that I know is happening.''
But Richards warned that his ``people friendly'' tactics have limits. If threatened, the NATO force will be tough, he said. ``When we need to be muscular - robust with those opposing us - we have all the capability we need and we will certainly do so,'' he said.
The NATO-commanded force will have troops from 36 nations, but most of them are coming from Britain, Canada and the Netherlands. The U.S. military has increased its force in Afghanistan in recent months from 18,000 to 23,000, with much of its operations focused on the eastern regions that border the tribal areas of Pakistan where Taliban and al-Qaida militants are believed to have bases.
With the NATO force increasing from around 9,000 soldiers to about 17,000 by next month, some U.S. troops are expected to withdraw. The U.S.-led coalition will retain control of the east, but Richards said he hoped that area also would soon come under his command. He said having one force responsible for all of Afghanistan would give commanders more flexibility in moving troops around to deal with trouble spots.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/05/2006 00:00 ||
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Richards, careful who's pant leg your pissing on. The US-led coaltion, particularly the US military, has been doing the heavy lifting from the onset.
Posted by: Captain America ||
06/05/2006 10:25 Comments ||
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Richards: ``We will accept more risk. I have made that very clear,'' he said. ``We cannot go on alienating the people in the way that I know is happening.''
The senior military officials from Pakistan, Afghanistan, NATO-ISAF and the US will meet here Wednesday to discuss Pak-Afghan border security situation as well as to improve cross-border coordination between the troops.
The Afghan, US and NATO-ISAF representatives will arrive here on Tuesday to attend the Tripartite Commission meeting, commencing from Wednesday, a military source told KUNA Sunday. The source said that the meeting is being held at critical juncture when insurgency in the bordering tribal regions has mounted and the word war between Islamabad and Kabul has deepened. For the first time, said the source, the NATO-ISAF officials would participate in the meeting as a full member of the tripartite commission. Earlier, they have been participating as observers.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/05/2006 00:00 ||
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Eight foreign oil workers, two Britons among them, were freed on Sunday after being abducted by an armed group in Nigeria. Media reports quoted a spokesperson for the Nigerian police as saying that all hostages, six Britons, one American and one Canadian, were freed after successful negotiations with the kidnappers. Media reports noted that hostages were released early Sunday morning and were transported to the Nigerian capital city, Abuja.
The employees, working for Dolphin Drilling Ltd company, based in Scotland, were abducted on Friday from an offshore oil rig south of Nigeria. According to a Dolphin Drilling spokesperson, about 84 workers were on the rig when it came under attack by an armed group, noting that the group was seeking negotiations with oil companies contracting with the Scottish company. The spokesperson did not state whether a ransom was paid to release the employees and did not release the name of the armed group, while media reports expressed belief that no political reasons were behind the abduction, but financial ones.
Similar abduction incidents occurred in the same area before, as four foreign workers, one Briton among them, were abducted of an oil harbor finger pier on January 11 by an armed group, which held them hostage for 19 days.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/05/2006 00:00 ||
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Close the valves, take off all labels, remove all valve wheels and disconnect the pipes.
Go home and wait for the screams to die down, then negotiate a return with the next government.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
06/05/2006 10:06 Comments ||
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UP TO 150 Islamic radicals have travelled from Britain to Iraq to join up with a "British brigade" that has been established by Al-Qaeda leaders to fight coalition forces.
Senior security sources say leaders of the Iraqi insurgency have set up a "foreign legion" composed entirely of westerners to fight alongside the insurgents in the war against British and American forces. Some are preparing to carry out suicide attacks while others have received basic combat training for attacks on western troops The so-called "British brigade" is said to be operating under the direct command of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq. Members of the unit are thought to be in the Sunni triangle, a combat zone and Al-Qaeda hotbed west of Baghdad.
The flow of young Muslim men from western Europe to Iraq has increased dramatically in the past two years. The "pipeline" of suspected terrorists is being fuelled by growing resentment about American and British policy and scandals such as the mistreatment of inmates at the Abu Ghraib prison.
FEARS that Islamic terror suspects were preparing a bomb laced with cyanide prompted Friday's counter-terrorist operation in east London in which an unarmed man was shot by police. Scotland Yard sources said that the "specific intelligence" which had led to the raid suggested that a single bomb overlaid with cyanide was being prepared at the address in Forest Gate. MI5 had been told last month by an informant that two Islamic men who were already well known to the security services were preparing a device.
The informant, an acquaintance of the suspects, is said to have told MI5 that he had overheard them talking about how they were going to fill a pouch or pouches made of cloth with explosives. A later assessment concluded that the device would be laced with the chemical cyanide, which would be sprayed in a toxic cloud over a wide area after exploding.
Paleostinians put the rat poison warfarin in the shrapnel of their boombelts because it's an anti-coagulent to increase bleeding. Mixing cyanide with explosives would most likely destroy the poison upon detonation
The threat was regarded as so serious that Dame Eliza Manningham-Buller, director-general of MI5, personally informed Tony Blair and John Reid, the home secretary, in advance of the raid.
Sources said an emergency meeting of Cobra, the top level government committee that deals with terrorist emergencies, was immediately convened to monitor the threat. The intelligence on cyanide explains the presence during the raid of officials from the health protection agency. At normal temperatures cyanide is a colourless gas or a brown yellow liquid. Exposure to high concentrations is usually fatal.
Scotland Yard said yesterday that despite intensive searches of the terraced house in Lansdown Road, Forest Gate, nothing of substance had been found, raising the suspicion that at least some of the intelligence that led to the raid was inaccurate.
Two brothers suspected of plotting to make a chemical bomb for an attack in Britain have denied all accusations, their lawyers said yesterday, as police continued to search their home. The men, Abul Koyair, 20, and Mohammed Abdul Kahar, 23, were held during a dawn raid on Friday when more than 250 police officers, some in chemical protection suits, stormed their house in east London.
Kahar was shot in the shoulder during the raid, one of the biggest operations since last July's suicide attacks in the British capital, although police said it was not related.
Specific intelligence had suggested the house might have been used to make a toxic bomb for an attack in Britain, police sources said. "He says there's absolutely not a word of truth in any of it," Kahar's lawyer Kate Roxburgh told reporters. "He says the police are not going to find anything because there is nothing to find."
Koyair's lawyer, Julian Young, said earlier his client had also denied he was involved in any terrorism plot, adding: "To date I have seen no evidence showing that he has been."
Let's say you're running a bomb plot, and you hear the police are investigating hundreds of plots. Your plot's coming close to completion, but you're worried about exposure -- and the closer you are to finishing, the more dangerous exposure becomes.
So you set up a handful of mooks and get word to the police that they're involved in something more dangerous -- or at least more interesting -- than your plan. Your risk of exposure goes WAY down as the police focus on the mooks, and your political wing can use the incident as a propaganda springboard.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
06/05/2006 7:46 Comments ||
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Hey Crawford, it doesn't have to be a plot. Say, your grandfather raped my granfather's favorite sheep (we both being Allan's choosen)...
Defense lawyers filed an appeal Monday for a former cult leader sentenced to death for masterminding the 1995 Tokyo subway gassing that killed 12 people, a news report said.
Shoko Asahara was convicted in 2004 and sentenced to hang for masterminding the attack, in which members of the doomsday cult released deadly sarin gas on trains converging on the city's government district.
Defense lawyers filed an appeal with the Supreme Court after the Tokyo High Court threw out an appeal of Asahara's death sentence, the Kyodo News agency reported.
His lawyers argued that their client suffers from pathological mental stress caused by confinement and was unfit for trial.
The lawyers could not be reached late Monday to confirm the report. I gather the Japanese have an interesting way of carrying out an execution. They create a 1-year window in which you will be killed. Then without warning, on a random day during that year, they take you from your cell and execute you, without notification to anyone until you are dead. It should also be noted that successful criminal appeals in Japan are as rare "as hen's teeth."
#3
I gather the Japanese have an interesting way of carrying out an execution. They create a 1-year window in which you will be killed. Then without warning, on a random day during that year, they take you from your cell and execute you, without notification to anyone until you are dead. It should also be noted that successful criminal appeals in Japan are as rare "as hen's teeth."
heh, that should keep the smug arrogant bastard aware of each moment and in the NOW 24/7/365.
awww never a moments rest..
How unfair..
Call Amnesty International...
Call the JCLU....
It's inhumane, It's cruel and unusual, It doesn't BEHOVE us, We don't have the RIGHT to kill a human being!
bla bla bla
* Moose just askin, is there a resource or document link to this peculiarity in Japanese justice?
#10
RD: Here is one description I've found. It differs just a little from how I'd heard it described in the level of detail.
http://tinyurl.com/jy3ov
"...The procedure for execution in Japan is opaque and carried out in secrect. Executions are performed not at prisons, but at detention centers. Those on death row are never sent to prison, but remain in the detention center until an appeal is won or their execution is carried out. The method used is hanging, a procedure which has been abandoned in many places because it can result in beheading. Executions are usually carried out on Friday mornings, and convicts are not given advance notification. Surviving any Friday past nine a.m. guarantees another week of life. The names of the executed are never announced publicly, and the act of execution may not be acknowledged until well after the event. Even family and attorneys are not informed of the deaths firsthand - they learn of the executions when the detention center requests that a prisoner's possessions or ashes be picked up..."
#11
Oh, and for a truly amazing view of prison life, I highly recommend the astonishing movie "Story of Ricky". It is a world-class badfilm, that is not *just* a prison movie, but also a monster movie, and a martial arts movie. You even get the sickening feeling in spots that they were trying to be funny.
Nonsensically ultraviolent, the hero uses a martial arts philosophy that basically says: "That which kills you, makes you stronger."
The movie is magically improved by inebriation and makes a great male-only party movie, punctuated with rude commentary. The bad english dubbing is improved by the bad english subtitles that say very different things from the dubbing.
The founder of a Muslim firm, who was accused of sending money to al Qaeda through Malta and Switzerland to bank branches in the Bahamas, is suing the Swiss government for financial losses incurred resulting from a three and a half year investigation that was dropped exactly one year ago, NZZ online reported.
The Swiss government began investigating Youssef Nada's firm, which was set up to provide banking services in Europe according to Islamic principles (which forbids the paying of interest), shortly after the September 11 attacks.
The US government had said that Nada Management, formerly known as al Taqwa, had helped fund Osama bin Laden's terrorist network. The company was based in Ticino until it was liquidated in December 2001. But Switzerland was forced to drop the case against top officials of the company on July 1, 2005 because they said authorities in the Bahamas had failed to provide essential bank records by a court deadline, NZZ online said.
NZZ online also said the prosecutor's office never filed charges or made arrests and company officials have repeatedly denied links to terrorism and accused Swiss authorities of taking part in a US-led anti-Muslim campaign. Although the prosecutor's office removed its block from the bank accounts of the company and its officers, they remain frozen because of UN sanctions targeting those on the US list.
In May 2005 the Federal Criminal Court ruled that prosecutors should have given further reasons for the allegations made against Lugano-based Nada Management and its director in 2001. The court also said there was no reason for the prosecutor's office to have taken so long to decide whether to hand the case over to a tribunal. It also criticised prosecutors for claiming late in 2004 that they were about to launch judicial proceedings.
Nada confirmed he is suing the Swiss government for "tens of millions of Swiss francs", but would not specify the exact amount.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
06/05/2006 00:35 ||
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Take their damn money and run. Listen to the whining begin. Boorah-hah-hah-hah !
A court on Sunday brought charges against three military officers and a civilian who were allegedly planning an attack on Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Anatolia news agency reported. The four were among a dozen detained on May 30 following a raid on a house in an Ankara suburb. Police seized explosives and drawings showing the neighbourhood of Erdogan's home in Ankara as well as branches of the BIM supermarket chain which is owned by Cuneyt Zapsu, a top aide to Erdogan. The court charged the four with "forming an illegal gang aiming to disrupt the country's unity" and with possession of explosives, Anatolia said. The other suspects were released after questioning. Court officials could not be reached for comment.
The four face maximum a 15 years in prison if found guilty. Turkey's powerful military on Saturday chided the police for not informing military authorities about the officers' detention. In a written statement, the military said it was informed about the detentions from the media the next day.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/05/2006 00:00 ||
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In the days following the London transit bombings at the hands of "homegrown" terrorists last summer, then-public safety minister Anne McLellan stepped forward with a message to the Canadian public: you are not ready. She suggested repeatedly that Canadians, having not experienced a terrorist strike in over 20 years, had become apathetic and weren't ready for an inevitable attack here. "I do not believe that Canadians are as psychologically prepared for a terrorist attack as I think probably we all should be," she said at the time. "I think we have perhaps for too long thought that these were things that happened somewhere else. But Canadians are not immune to what we see happen in London, Madrid, 9/11."
So will the arrests of a dozen adults and five minors in connection with an alleged bomb plot in Toronto accompanied by pictures of machine gun-toting officers in the street and bags of explosive fertilizer change the public's perception of the terrorism risk?
Probably not, experts suggest.
Martin Rudner, a national security professor and director of the Canadian Centre of Intelligence and Security Studies at Carleton University in Ottawa, says most Canadians believe they belong to a just, "highly decent" society. Therefore, they simply don't understand why someone would want to attack them. "I think most Canadians are going to be in a state of denial," Rudner says. "I think there is a very profound feeling among Canadians of, : `why would anyone want to do us harm?"' Rudner points out Canadian Mohammad Momin Khawaja was arrested and charged in 2004 under anti-terrorism laws for what police allege was a role in a similar fertilizer bomb plot in London, England, but that didn't appear to change the public perception. None of the allegations against Khawaja or those leveled Saturday have been proven in a court of law.
Rudner adds Canadians have yet to realize that terrorists don't "target us for what we do or don't do, they target us for what we are: a liberal, secular, multicultural society."
John Thompson, president of the Mackenzie Institute think-tank and a frequent commentator on terrorism issues, agrees. He says until terrorists succeed in breaking through the law enforcement net and carry out a large-scale attack something he believes is inevitable nothing will change. Canadians think "our defences are fine, police will take care of us and we will be well," Thompson says, suggesting the most recent arrests will only help fuel that belief. But London police, he points out, succeeded in foiling five planned transit attacks before the tube and bus bombings last summer. "It's not the plot you know about, it's the one you don't know about that will get you," he says. "I think Canadians give them a couple weeks and they'll slip back into the old way of thinking and reassure themselves,' he says. "In a couple years or so, when we do get hit, then the reality of it all will sink home."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
06/05/2006 01:44 ||
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Also looking the other way, allowing the potential perpetrators to "make it to the US border" ie Mexico, has scored some brownie points for the Canadians.
#2
As much as I hate the whole idea, Canada badly needs a 9-11 type disaster to wake them up.
As it is, they're asleep at the switch.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
06/05/2006 10:10 Comments ||
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Can't happen here.....boom
Posted by: Captain America ||
06/05/2006 10:30 Comments ||
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Canada doesn't need a 9-11, but they will probablay get them anyway. Canada has passed the 2% muslim population mark. Given their insane political correctness and immigration policy (worse than US), they will hit 4% in the soon. From European experience, 4% seems the threshold population when muslims feel confident enough to suppress the local population.
The US needs to take self protection measures and scrutinize people and cargo crossing the borders. Better any future Ahmad Ressams are stopped at the border.
Posted by: ed ||
06/05/2006 11:08 Comments ||
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Canada has passed the 2% muslim population mark. Given their insane political correctness and immigration policy (worse than US), they will hit 4% in the soon.
You're forgetting that Canada is essentially a country of immigrants from all over the world. In fact soon it will be that 50% of all residents will have been born outside of Canada.
Not long ago it was the Italians, Irish, Portuguese, and now (besides the Pakistanis), we have Russians, Poles, Chinese, Vietnamese, Indians, Latin Americans, Jamaicans (!!!).
You think these people will take kindly to having their neighbourhoods or places of work blown up? The 3rd generation WASP might fold into dhimmitude, but not these people I can assure you.
Don't forget that Canada is not the U.S. in terms of demographics. We're not all WASPs either.
Posted by: Rafael ||
06/05/2006 14:18 Comments ||
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You're forgetting that Canada is essentially a country of immigrants from all over the world.
So?
So are we.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
06/05/2006 15:05 Comments ||
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So?
So? So then why do you think that your immigration policies are better than ours, if you're saying that you are essentially the same as us?
The reason why you're hearing about Canadians being apathetic is because the media thinks that we are, and they don't know immigrants. It is one thing to be anti-American, and vote Liberal and NDP, but it is quite another to tolerate disruptions to your overall well-being.
Why is it that you don't hear about Muslim students being harassed at the University of Toronto in the media? In the heart of Liberal Toronto, and a Liberal educational institution at that. If Canadians are all dhimmis, why did that mosque get vandalized? Canadians will tolerate this up to a point.
Posted by: Rafael ||
06/05/2006 15:53 Comments ||
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Canadians will tolerate this up to a point.
this = Muslim extremism.
Posted by: Rafael ||
06/05/2006 15:55 Comments ||
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They are young, militant and Canadian. And according to senior counterterrorism authorities, they have been plotting large-scale terrorist attacks on Canadian soil.
The Canadian Security Intelligence Service acknowledged this week it has been investigating groups of "homegrown" extremists. In candid testimony to the Senate national security committee, the agency went on to say that these young followers of the "al-Qaeda ideology" have been plotting against targets within Canada.
"They are not looking to Afghanistan, the U.K. or anywhere else," Jack Hooper, the CSIS Deputy Director of Operations, testified on Monday.
The exact targets of these young terrorists were not revealed, but it is their profile that is most shocking: young Canadian Muslims who have somehow become radicalized while growing up in Canada.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
06/05/2006 01:32 ||
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"The reasons for this radicalization are varied and include a general sense of anger at what is seen as oppression of Muslims throughout the world [and] parental influence."
Intelligence agencies have been struggling to explain the "jihadization" of Western Muslim youths. What is driving some of them to embrace extremist violence against their own countries?
I think it's time to write a serious letter to CSIS.
Posted by: Rafael ||
06/05/2006 2:00 Comments ||
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Yes, Mr. Gromgoru, theses canadian imperialists are paying for all thoses muslim countries they looted and deprived of their Dignity while they were colonizing them.
And I bet canucks are racist, too, and they discriminate when hiring or something.
"Although Muslims worldwide are faced with globalization and modernization, young Muslims growing up in secular Western societies, in which Islam is just one more religious and cultural movement, are much more acutely confronted with problems of existential and religious orientation." These youths may turn to the Koran for guidance, but lacking strong Muslim cultural roots and sometimes ignorant of true Islamic teachings, they can fall into the trap of believing that to be "good Muslims," they must adhere to extremist interpretations of the faith, it says.
I'm too dumb to know if the current "revolutionary islam" (muslim brotherhood, salafists, khomeinists) is more political than religious, but even with the little I've read, I have no doubt at all than far from straying from islam's tenets, theses Pious Moderate Muslim boyz were in fact following it quite closely. The first part has some truth, though; of course, if the western model/set of values was not as denigred and weakened from the inside by multiculturalists and neoleftists, then perhaps they might be tempted to join modernity and truly assimilate into their host society... but how coul you wish to join a society which loathes itself (despite its evident success by any historical standards), while your own tradition sez it is inferior by essence to yours?
#5
It seems there may be several forces coming to play here. When some people are out of their religious "homeland", they get exra religious to make up for it. Then there are people who lack confidence. They get extra adversarial to make up for it. There are some people whose basic genetic makeup and personalities attract them to certain ideologies because what they get out of it makes them feel good about their life and/or death. Some are leaders, some are followers. There are people out there who know how to take advantage of this, either intentionally or unintentionally, and they take advantage of people who can't think for themselves. Some people seem to need to feel like they are getting revenge for being oppressed or whatever, consequences be damned. In one form or another, these people are going to be there no matter what. If not extremists working together so they can share each others victories and feel oppressed together, then perhaps petty or organized criminals. A large radical religious group would offer them plenty of social opportunities associated with their criminal behavior along with constant reinforcement and media exposure to bask in, whereas a criminal has a much smaller world. Radical Islam offers these people a wonderful opportunity that you can't get anywhere else these days, and it's portable! You can take it almost anywhere in the world and feel just as oppressed but hopeful! And they can always fall back on the moderate Islamists so they feel they have an even larger group who are behind them. Now if we could just get the moderate Islamists to turn them in more often . . . . :-(
Posted by: grb ||
06/05/2006 17:50 Comments ||
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#6
And I bet canucks are racist, too, and they discriminate when hiring or something.
That's their argument, yes.
Posted by: Rafael ||
06/05/2006 20:50 Comments ||
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"A terror attack potentially three times more devastating than the Oklahoma City bombing has been averted," according to the latest report from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Seventeen people have been arrested to date, and you can see a picture (below) of some of the items seized, as displayed in a news conference today. In addition to Jeff Imm's post below, you'll find excellent coverage on Michelle Malkin's site and at ThreatsWatch, where Steve Schippert notes that it was a Canadian intelligence Internet surveilance program that sparked the investigation into this group, not unlike America's own NSA program which is now under scrutiny.
Scott Newark, Canadian intel veteran who once worked for Steven Emerson, informs me that some arrests were near a nuclear power plant, and it's apparently one of the world's largest, which should really raise a few neck hairs. Here is a description of the plant:
Located on the shores of Lake Ontario just east of Toronto and nestled in the community of Pickering, is one of the worldâs largest nuclear generating facilities consisting of the Pickering A and Pickering B Nuclear Generating Stations. Each station has four CANDU (CANadian Deuterium Uranium) reactor units and together they have a total output of 4,120 megawatts (MW), enough to serve a city of two million people.
UPDATE, 6/4: CT Blog fan Maureen Chill wrote me with great information, starting with an interesting blog post: "The father of one of the accused, Shareef Abdelhaleen, is an Egyptian immigrant who came to Canada with his son 20 years ago. He works as an engineer on contract at Atomic Energy of Canada." And that blogger quotes a report that Mr. Abdelhaleen posted bail for another jailed militant who met OBL in Sudan. Maureen also notes the public support for the arrestees by Imam Aly Hindy, who preaches at a Mosque founded by an Al-Qaida suspect, is a good friend of the infamous Khadr family, and...is a former engineer with Ontario Hydro, which manages the Pickering nuclear plant. Maureen also reminds me of a 2003 Canadian bust, in which the RCMP netted 19 terror suspects in Toronto: "Most of those arrested were students or refugee claimants and all were born in Pakistan... One of the men being investigated was enrolled in a Toronto flight school. Training involved flying over the Pickering nuclear power plant...Two others were once found loitering outside the Pickering facility before dawn..." Curiouser and curiouser....
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
06/05/2006 01:27 ||
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Their mistake was not joining the Green Party first.
Posted by: ed ||
06/05/2006 10:57 Comments ||
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*Coffee Alert*
ed you owe me windex and paper towels.. wasn't expecting thatr sage observation wise crack!
Canadian Muslim organizations have condemned an alleged plot to bomb Toronto-area buildings, while a lawyer for one of the 17 suspects in custody called the charges against them "vague."
"We are committed to the safety and security of Canada and Canadians," said Mohammad Alam, president of the Islamic Foundation of Toronto. "We of all Canadians are shocked at the recent arrests of young Muslim men and teenagers and the very serious allegation against them."
Canadian authorities rounded up a group of 17 Muslim men and boys suspected of plotting to bomb major buildings in the Toronto area, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police announced Saturday. Assistant Commissioner Mike McDonell said the group posed "a real and serious threat."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
06/05/2006 00:20 ||
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Shocked, just shocked that one of the faithful would ever be CAUGHT up in such a thing. Ya know, I've been fishing in Canada. I've hunted deer in Canada. I've even hunted moose in Canada. Maybe goin' to be huntin' Moose-limbs shortly. Contemplate that.
#2
"But if they are proven guilty after being given due process, then this is a wake-up call -- especially for Muslim leaders -- that more must be done to make sure that our children do not get involved in activities that are contrary to the teachings of Islam."
Activities like voting, saying hello to the kaffir, only having one wife, etc.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
06/05/2006 7:41 Comments ||
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...and not murdering people who disagree with us, not beating our women, yeah, those kind of activities....
The Democrats positioned to become committee chairmen if their party should win back a majority in the House in November (the noteworthies that caught my eye highlighted):
Agriculture: Collin Peterson, Minn.
Appropriations: David Obey, Wis.
Armed Services: Ike Skelton, Mo.
Budget: John Spratt, S.C.
Education and the Workforce: George Miller, Calif. Energy and Commerce: John Dingell, Mich. Financial Services: Barney Frank, Mass. Government Reform: Henry Waxman, Calif.
Homeland Security: Bennie Thompson, Miss.
House Administration: Juanita Millender-McDonald, Calif. Intelligence: Alcee Hastings, Fla. International Relations: Tom Lantos, Calif. Judiciary: John Conyers, Mich.
Resources: Nick Rahall, W.Va.
Rules: Louise Slaughter, N.Y.
Science: Bart Gordon, Tenn.
Small Business: Nydia Velazquez, N.Y.
Ethics: Howard Berman, Calif., or Alan Mollohan, W.Va.
Transportation and Infrastructure: James Oberstar, Minn.
Veterans Affairs: Bob Filner, Calif. Ways and Means: Charles Rangel, N.Y.
#1
Only upside I can see to this is that we won't have to ride in that handbasket very long before we reach our destination-- because it'll be one helluva fast ride.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
06/05/2006 10:25 Comments ||
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Mollohan's 2000 financial disclosure report indicated that he had assets worth between $170,012 and $562,000 and liabilities between $170,000 and $465,000.
His 2004 report showed that he had assets of $6.3 million to $24.9 million and liabilities of between $3.66 million and $13.5 million.
Mollohan helped steer $28 million in federal funds in recent years to the Vandalia Heritage Foundation, which he helped set up and which is headed by a former staff member, Laura Kuhns.
Mollohan jointly owns a 300-acre farm along the Cheat River with Dale McBride, chief executive of FMW Composite Systems Inc. of Bridgeport, whose company won a $2.1 million contract from funds Mollohan earmarked in the 2005 budget.
Mollohan's continued membership on the appropriations committee looks bad. A prudent man would step aside until the FBI's investigation is concluded.
Then again, a prudent man would not be going into the real estate business with beneficiaries of his ability to earmark.
Thank You Sea,
Happiness this AM is a glib democrap caught doing indelicato le ass fragrant with his pantz down around his ankles!
#4
Jeez. He's a better speculator than Hillary. Wonder if the Justice Dept can sue to get taxpayer's money back?
Posted by: ed ||
06/05/2006 11:11 Comments ||
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As Captain Ed noted a couple days back, Alcee Hastings would be the new Dem chair of House Intel and not Jane Harman. She's the current ranking minority member, and you'd think she would just move up.
Not according to Pelosi, however, who's unhappy with Harman. Harman, after all, refused to join the feeding frenzy concerning the NSA terrorist surveillance program, since she'd seen all the data and knew that what the NSA was doing had been screened and had oversight. She also voted for the Iraq war and continues to support it.
So instead, if the Dems win in November the ex-Judge, I mean the impeached convicted, disgraced ex-Judge, would run one of the most important committees in Congress.
Anybody need another reason to vote Republican in the fall?
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/05/2006 14:37 Comments ||
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Failed presidential candidate John Kerry blasted President Bush on Thursday as a "criminal" who has been "looting the country." The Massachusetts Democrat offered the incendiary comments during an off the record meeting with liberal bloggers after a speech in Los Angeles to the Pacific Council on International Policy. According to the Web site L.A. Observed, Kerry asked the bloggers to keep his comments confidential; a request they apparently dismissed out of hand without telling him.
Blogger "Hollywood Liberal" reports that Kerry "agreed completely with someone's assessment that everything that Bush does is solely for the purpose of looting the country."
"[Kerry] basically said that Bush and his cohorts are criminals" the blogger continued. "At some other point he referred to Supreme Court Justices Alito, Scalia, and Roberts as 'Idiots.'"
With an eye on 2008, Kerry has been courting the blog community, which helped make Howard Dean the early Democratic presidential frontrunner in 2004. Meanwhile, current Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton's star continues to fade with the same group. Polls taken over the last year by the leading liberal blog, Daily Kos, show Clinton trailing Russ Feingold, Mark Warner and even Wesley Clark.
#1
This cretin is supposed to be a Senator of the United States, but continually demonstrates he has no honor and no shame. To publicly denigrate a sitting President as a 'criminal' goes completely beyond the pale, whether you're a Republican or a Democrat. Whatever happened to Statesmen?
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
06/05/2006 10:14 Comments ||
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We face a simple, stark choice:
1) Lose the war against Islamic imperialism, with horrific consequences for our children and grandchildren; or
2) Get the Left completely out of the way-- temporarily or permanently, makes no difference to me-- so we can fight.
Over the last couple of days, after seeing the media's frenzy over Haditha among other things, I've reached the conclusion that there's no longer any way we can possibly avoid (1) so long as we continue to avoid (2).
This bullshit must stop.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
06/05/2006 10:19 Comments ||
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Given the dark, bloody history of the Commie Parties of both the USSR-Russia and China, do the Dems really ReallY REALLY R-E-A-L-L-Y BELIEVE THAT IN AN AMERICA UNDER ANTI-AMERICAN AMERICAN SOCIALISM AND ANTI-AMER SOCIE-COMMIE OWG, which in all likelihood will become dominated-controlled by Commie Russia-China, that the two latter will NOT do to Amerikkka and Amerikkkan Socialists-Communists as they did to both allies, comrades, and enemies, to their own own!?
Cardinal George Pell has declared yet again Islam is more warlike than Christianity, this time to a US Catholic newspaper. The Catholic Archbishop of Sydney told the National Catholic Reporter Australia hadn't been affected much by Islamic threat following the September 11 terrorist attacks in the US, but this could change depending "on how many terrorist attacks" Muslim fundamentalists could "bring off successfully".
In the interview conducted in Rome with NCR reporter John L Allen, Dr Pell said "the million-dollar question" was whether intolerance was a modern distortion of Islam or arose out of internal logic. "It's difficult to find periods of tolerance in Islam," Australia's top Catholic was quoted as saying. "I'm not saying that they're not there, but a good deal of what is asserted is mythical." It is the second time in a month that Dr Pell has made controversial remarks about Islam.
"An' we're keepin' track!"
In early April, the religious leader commented that the Koran contained "invocations to violence" and that Islam was an intolerant faith.
#1
When will the Humiliation cease? Won't theses Pious Moderate Muslim ever left alone? I fear some of their young Shahids will have to take that into their hands, and turn Sydney's soil into an ocean of blood, for their Dignity has been attacked.
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/05/2006 14:28 Comments ||
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He's Catholic, isn't "Offending Muslims" in the job description?
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
06/05/2006 14:46 Comments ||
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He's Catholic, isn't "Offending Muslims" in the job description?
Nope, that probably changed with Benedict XVI, but catholics here are the regular dhimmis (well, french catholic hierarchy is very PC, multiculti, progressist, freemason, what-have-you), there have been several case of churches being sold or leased for a symbolic euro to be converted into mosques, all along the official mantra of the one-way street oecumenism.
And I won't forget the photography of Pope John Paul II (who I respected) kissing the koran... what did the muslim think, seeing the man they more or less see as the chief of the crusaders kissing the embodiment of the word of allan, I wonder. I suppose it was "we are going to win, they've submitted already".
#6
Let me rephrase that, he's alive, and not a Muslim, that's enough to wind their turbans, plus he;s a high ranking member of the "Opposition" and extremely unlikely to convert.
As I said, it's in the job description, meaning he's alive, that's enough.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
06/05/2006 14:57 Comments ||
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"We're a peaceful people and we'll kill anyone who denies it."
Way to go, sh!theads.
Hats off to Cardinal Pell. The Catholic Church has an obligation to mankind to use its power to expose the intolerance of Islam. The Vatican must begin demanding freedom of religious practice in all Islamic countries. If this liberty is denied, then the Catholic Chucrch should demand a similar restriction on the worship of Islam in countries where Catholicism is freely practiced.
There must be quid pro quo from Islam or it must be labeled for the intolerant genocidal political ideology that it is.
Although Alhamedi is no longer blogging on the Religous Policeman he promises to keep the Muslim Offense Level (MOL) indicator current. Right now it is still Condition BLUE-- GUARDED.
#12
So when will the GALACTIC REPUBLIC begin allowing Camels to roam freely aboard the Death Star, Kirk-Picard abord the ENTERPRISE, Cdr. Adama aboard BATTLESTAR GALACTICA??? Radical Islam wants to Camel-ize and Burqua-fy, etc. everything and anything, everyone and anyone, -isms and sub-isms, the US-West has as their own, correct?
Steven Emerson was interviewed today on MSNBC about the Canadian jihadist plots and arrests. But his most provocative comments, about investigations underway in the U.S. of Al Qaeda plots, came near the end of the interview. You can see the entire interview on the website of The Investigative Project on Terrorism (Windows Media file). Here is a partial transcript of today's interview (emphasis mine):
ALEX WITT: Okay, Steve, the authorities say that the suspects arrested in Canada, these guys obtained three tons of ammonium nitrate. Can you put this in perspective for us, how dangerous this is?
STEVEN EMERSON: Three tons is three times the amount that was used to blow up the Albert Murrah building in Oklahoma City in 1995. A Canadian official said yesterday it is an astonishing and startling amount, unprecedented in terms of the acquisition. Other types of arrests in the last ten years of people who were planning operations, we are talking about maybe one ton at most. Three tons is an incredible amount that was designed to carry out attacks against multiple locations.
WITT: How hard is it to get a hold of?
EMERSON: Ammonium nitrate, as you know, is not that difficult to get a hold of. When you are dealing with three tons, however, itâs going to trigger some suspicion on the part of the sellers, in terms of who they are selling to. As I understand it, the Canadian government arranged a contrived sell to make the purchase for those that were indicted yesterday. So they were in total control of the entire amount of the ammonium nitrate at all times.
WITT: What do your sources tell you, Steve? Any kind of a similar scenario, similar plots like this being hatched in the United States or have they been?
EMERSON: I think that the public will be surprised by some of the other indictments that may be issued later this year or early next year. There are various Al Qaeda cases being worked on by the U.S. government- the F.B.I., Department of Justice, Treasury- and these cases have still not been made public, and some of them involve plots against American targets.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
06/05/2006 00:34 ||
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I am amazed. Steven Emerson has been boycotted by National Public Radio for years, because of his warnings about the threat of jihadist Islam. I'm quite pleased he's bypassed them, and cuaghtt he favourable attention of the big boys.
Aiming to acquire high-tech equipment, Pakistan on Monday increased its defence budget from Rs 223.5 billion to Rs 250 billion (4.2 billion US Dollars at exchange rate of 60.14 Pakistani Rupees = 1 USD) even as the country's military spending last year shot up by nearly Rs 18 billion rupees.
Unveiling the budget for the financial year 2006-7 in the National Assembly, Minister of State for Finance Umer Ayub Khan said the defence expenditure constituted three per cent of the total GDP, which amounted to Rs 1350 billion rupees.
Pakistan had increased its defence budget by 15 per cent last year, which was found to be inadequate. The budget survey released on Sunday had said that the allocation of 223.5 billion rupees for 2005-6 was not sufficient and the total defence spending for the current financial year went to over Rs 241.1 billion, an increase of Rs 17.6 billion.
Ayub's budget presentation was, however, marred by a boycott by all the opposition parties. Opposition lawmakers walked out of the House as he rose for the budget speech, alleging that the government failed to bring down prices of essential commodities.
They said the poor economic performance was disappointing and depressing. Pakistan Defence budget since 2001 excludes defence pensions, which was officially acknowledged by the defence officials.
The defence pensions, which were shown as part of civil pensions, amounted to over Rs 45 billion. The increase in defence spending came up after Pakistan cabinet approved the purchase of air-borne radar systems called 'AWACS' from Sweden worth one billion dollars to counter Falcon airborne radars being acquired by Indian Air Force.
Pakistan has also approved purchase of 25 F-16 fighter jets from US and unspecified number of J-10 jet fighters being developed by China.
Pakistan Navy has struck a 600 million dollars deal with China to acquire four naval frigates and a similar agreement with Greece to get four more naval frigates.
These are in addition to a variety of missile systems being acquired, including the large stock of Harpoon missiles. In the present budget, defence got Rs 250 billion while Education was allotted Rs 187 billon followed by health (Rs 472 billion) and Housing and Works (Rs 104 billion).
Ayub said Rs 64 billion has been allocated for relief and reconstruction of the earthquake-hit areas. But completely rejecting the budget as "anti-people", Pakistan People's Party (PPP), headed by former Premier Benazir Bhutto, said that for the first time, the defence expenditure has exceeded developmental expenditure.
The worrying proposition from people's point of view was that the defence expenditure has surpassed the development expenditure for the first time, PPP spokesman Farhtullah Babar said.
While this year's defence expenditure grew from Rs 223 billion to Rs 241 billion, the public sector development projects allocations has come down from Rs 228 billion to Rs 272 billion, which pointed out that the defence spending has overtaken development projects of people, he said.
The Economic Survey said the economy grew at the rate of 6.6 per cent, falling short of the seven per cent target. As per the survey, the services sector registered 8.4 per cent.
But Pakistan's industrial and agricultural outputs fell far short of expectations, according to the economic survey.
The agriculture sector, with about 23 per cent share in the GDP, grew by a nominal 2.5 per cent against a target of 4.8 per cent for the current year and against 6.7 per cent farm growth achieved last year.
Major crops registered a decline of 3.6 per cent as production of two of the four major crops, cotton and sugarcane was significantly lower than past year.
The industrial sector too registered a poor growth rate of 8.6 per cent against last year's 12.6 per cent.
The survey said foreign direct investment increased by over 238 per cent, attracting 3.1 billion dollars against 891.5 million dollars during the same period last year while the country's foreign exchange reserves swelled to over 13 billion dollars or equivalent to over six-month coverage of imports.
Significantly, Pakistan's external debt, which was brought to down in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks in 2001 with various countries including United States writing off large amount of loans and rescheduling some with negligible interest rate, rose again to 36.557 billion.
But at the same time the survey has claimed that poverty has declined from 34 per cent to 23.9 per cent.
The percentage of population living below the poverty line in rural areas has declined from 39.26 to 28.10 per cent while those in urban areas, it has declined from 22.69 to 14.9 per cent in this period, Dr. Salman Shah, Economic Advisor to the Prime Minister told reporters while releasing the survey.
Opposition parties however termed the budget and the survey as fudging of figures and pointed to government's failure to bring down hike in prices of essential commodities like sugar, rice, meat and vegetables.
Posted by: john ||
06/05/2006 19:58 ||
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US taxpayer's hard earned money being put to work...
According to the Pak physicist Pervez Hoodbhoy, the reconstruction aid funds for the 1971 Pak earthquake were diverted to kickstart the nuclear weapons programme.
Looks like history is being repeated.. billions of dollars in earthquake aid...
Posted by: john ||
06/05/2006 20:06 Comments ||
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The Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) intends to put Army, Navy and Air Force special forces under a separate command in order to implement the 2004 military doctrine that emphasizes fighting in the littorals and behind enemy lines.
Despite resistance to the idea from Army special forces, who did not want to be absorbed into a separate command outside the land service, MoD officials are already planning organizational changes to be implemented by next year, ministry sources said.
A senior MoD official said the current fragmentation of the special forces keeps them in limited roles. They can conduct raids and assaults but not politically sensitive unconventional warfare, he said.
MoD officials said a separate command with high-level intelligence-gathering systems is a must for the country.
The senior official said an undisclosed amount of money will be made available for the new command and to fund their use of satellites, advanced C4I structures, and to acquire advanced weaponry and equipment from around the world.
Indias 8,000 special operators include:
The Armys 1,000 Para soldiers, now being trained by Israeli personnel at undisclosed locations, for clandestine operations, gathering intelligence and operating behind enemy lines, Army sources said.
The Air Forces future 1,000-troop Garuda Commando force, to be trained in hostage rescue, clandestine warfare, jungle and snow operations, specialized weapons and diving.
The Navys 2,000 commandos, who handle quick-reaction operations, reconnaissance, raids and clandestine operations.
Some National Security guard personnel, who mostly protect high-ranking government officials.
Navy officials also want to develop a rapid-mobility force along the lines of the U.S. Marines, for littoral operations away from home. The force will be equipped with amphibious ships plus surface combatants such as destroyers, frigates, and missile boats.
The Defence Ministry is negotiating to buy the U.S. Navys Trenton, an amphibious transport dock ship, through the Pentagons Foreign Military Sales program within two years.
Posted by: john ||
06/05/2006 17:10 ||
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So, India likes the concept of SOCOM so much that they are going to copy it. Good for them. And using the Israelis to train the Paras is a good idea. One group that I see missing from the mix is the Gurka Regiments - which is odd, since they would seem to be a ready-made raider force, similar to the US Army Rangers.
India's preparedness to test-fire 3,000-km range ballistic missile Agni-III would not be a destabilising factor in the region, said visiting top-most ranking US military officer, Peter Pace on Monday.
Addressing the media at US Embassy, Pace said US will not view as "destabilising" if India goes ahead with the test firing of the intermediate ballistic missile Agni-III.
"Many countries in this region have tested missiles and as long as the weapons being tested are of defensive capability, we do not not view it as destabilising factor," the US joint chief of staff said.
Earlier in the day Pace met the top brass of the Indian military and defence minister Pranab Mukherjee. The General's comments assume significance as according to reports Indian defence scientists have said they are ready to test fire the solid fuel missile, if given the political nod.
"India as a sovereign state has the right to decide what weapons to test and when," Pace said in his first ever visit to India. He used the same argument to defend resumption of US arms aid to Pakistan.
"If countries feel more relaxed about perceived threats through assurance of their defence capabilities, it will lead to increase in stability in the region", Pace said.
Saying that developments in Afghanistan had figured prominently in his talks with Indian military leadership, Pace said he was not aware of any reports of any request for India to send its troops to Afghanistan" nor of any such offer being made by India".
On the possibility of Washington selling its anti-missile system to India, Pace said US had provided New Delhi with classified briefings on Patriot missile and it was upto India to make up its mind.
Posted by: john ||
06/05/2006 17:01 ||
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Posted by: john ||
06/05/2006 18:03 Comments ||
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#4
Posted by: john ||
06/05/2006 18:36 Comments ||
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#5
NAG and NAGAINA/NAGIINA > killer Cobras from the book RIKI TIKI TAVI. In other regional defense news, JANES reports that China may deploy indigens armed Helo Carriers based on its naval enigineering studies of the VARYAG and other carriers.
The 10th round of talks between India and Pakistan on demilitarizating the Siachen glacier failed in the final stages.
Indian Defence Ministry sources said the negotiations failed thanks to pressure from the Indian Army to keep troops on what is dubbed the highest battlefield in the world until adequate guarantees are agreed to by Pakistan.
On May 24, the second day of talks here, Indian Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee announced the failure of the talks to reporters even as the two countries defense secretaries Indias Shekhar Dut and Pakistans Tariq Waseem Ghazi, a retired lieutenant general were still negotiating.
Perhaps there can be upward movement in another round of talks, Mukherjee said.
The Indian Defence Ministry sources said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was inclined for a solution, saying the Siachen glacier should be a mountain of peace.
But the Army officers impressed upon the prime ministers office that it would be unwise to withdraw from their present advantageous positions on the Siachen without guarantees that Pakistan would not later take back these positions unilaterally. India, they said, could not reclaim the positions without heavy casualties in the difficult terrain.
The Army wants demarcation of the 110-kilometer actual ground position line (AGPL). India and Pakistan agreed to a cease-fire in November 2003 along the 750-kilometer Line of Control between India and Pakistan in the state of Jammu and Kashmir and the AGPL.
Though some parts of the Siachen area are accessible to the Pakistanis by road, Indian troops must use helicopters. India spends about $3 million daily on logistics to ferry troops and material on and off the more than 22,000-foot glacier.
Posted by: john ||
06/05/2006 16:40 ||
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To repeat myself, cover the glacier with Norite activated charcoal powder. A little bit goes a long way! Quickly there would be no glacier to fight over.
Dust in the wind...
#2
It is not the glacier ice they are fighting over.
Pakistan wants India to give up the entire Saltoro Ridge, a long ridge extending nearly 120 km, (on which runs the Actual Ground Position Line, or AGPL) from the border of India with Pakistan ceded Chinese territory in the north to India's Kargil sector in the east.
The strategic significance of the Saltoro Ridge and the Siachen Glacier is that it gives India strategic and terrain domination over Pakistan's so-called Northern Areas (Jammu and Kashmir territory merged into Pakistan) and Pakistan-ceded Kashmir territory to China.
It also blocks routes of ingress to the vital Ladakh sector, and provides a 'strategic wedge' to prevent a further Pakistan-China geographical link-up.
It acts as a 'strategic pressure point' against Pakistan's military adventurism in the Kargil sector.
Indira-Col, the northern most part of Siachen, directly overlooks Chinese occupied territory that was illegally ceded by Pakistan to China. Having a foot on the ground here is the only way for India to legitimately and effectively dispute the illegal Chinese presence here.
Posted by: john ||
06/05/2006 17:41 Comments ||
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ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has reiterated Pakistan has broken begging bowl adding the country has not accepted loan offer extended by IMF on its own terms and conditions. He said this while talking to the journalists here Sunday in Prime Minister house on Sunday.
Earlier Dr Ishfaq Hassan Khan from ministry of fiancé, presented copy of economic survey for the year 2005-6 to the prime minister. Suleman Shah advisor to Prime Minister on finance and state minister for finance Omar Ayub Khan were also present on the occasion.
Prime Minister told that IMF had extended offer of loan after the devastating October 8 quake on its own terms which we did not accept. We have broken the begging bowl and will not secure loan on such terms and conditions again, he announced. He pointed out that the previous governments had obtained unlimited loans without controls which destroyed Pakistans economy. He said the fiscal responsibility law was presented and passed by this government so that our present and coming generations are not made hostage.
Our government would not extend begging hand before any one and the national sovereignty will not be compromised, he held.
He went on to say that national assembly had set debt limitations and loan will be secured within this legal framework so that they could prove productive for the development of the country. As far as the World Bank loan of six point five billion dollars is concerned the premier said it is within the limits of fiscal responsibilities law and will be used for infrastructure, water reservoirs, health, education and other national development projects. Half of the loan is being provided interest free and the remaining half with nominal interest and will be used in four years, he added.
He pointed out that the national assembly and senate had approved fiscal responsibilities and debt limitation law last year under which limits were set for the government to obtain foreign loan. This loan has been got from the world bank under this law and it will be spent on the uplift projects for the masses.
Shaukat Aziz held that the country witnessed record economic development during the last fiscal year and government achieved all set targets. Poverty and unemployment level dropped, forex reserves soared to $13 billion and per capita income rose. He underscored that low income groups would be provided facilities in the next budget. " We will strive to bring improvement in tax system so that common man is not affected. Special measures are being taken in this regard.
Referring to economic survey, he said that the survey for the current financial year reflects that country is progressing on fast track basis on economic front despite unprecedented rise in oil prices in international market and devastation caused by October 8 quake.
He hinted that country had achieved 6.6 percent GDP growth rate and it is likely to go up further. It is first time in the history of the country that amount spent on Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) was the highest one. It will be further increased in next financial year. The next budget is meant for every Pakistani, he said adding if economy improves , its fruits should trickle down to every citizen.
Posted by: john ||
06/05/2006 00:00 ||
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Earlier Dr Ishfaq Hassan Khan from ministry of fiancé, presented copy of economic survey
Interesting government you've got there Perv...
Posted by: john ||
06/05/2006 6:25 Comments ||
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They've begged enough? The bowl is full?
Posted by: john ||
06/05/2006 7:08 Comments ||
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And here I thought "Alms to the poor" was an Islamic virtue...
ISLAMABAD: Interior secretary-level talks between Pakistan and Turkey to bolster cooperation against terrorism will be held here today (Monday). Interior Secretary Syed Kamal Shah will lead the Pakistani delegation, while his Turkish counterpart Suhabtain Harbot will lead his seven-member delegation.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/05/2006 00:00 ||
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As the purveyors of nothing spicier than the odd dash of hot chilli sauce, Baghdad's falafel vendors had never imagined their snacks might be deemed a threat to public morality. Now, though, their simple offerings of chickpeas fried in breadcrumbs have gone the same way as alcohol, pop music and foreign films - labelled theologically impure by the country's growing number of Islamic zealots.
But, I thought Islam was the "Religion of Peas"?
In a bizarre example of Iraq's creeping "Talibanisation", militants visited falafel vendors a fortnight ago, telling them to pack up their stalls by today or be killed. The ultimatum seemed so odd that, at first, most laughed it off - until two of them were shot dead as they plied their trade.
"They came telling us, 'You have 14 days to end this job' and I asked them what was the problem," said Abu Zeinab, 32, who was packing up his stall for good yesterday in the suburb of al Dora, a hardline Sunni neighbourhood. "I said I was just feeding the people, but they said there were no falafels in Mohammed the prophet's time, so we shouldn't have them either. "I felt like telling them there were no Kalashnikovs in Mohammed's time either, but I wanted to keep my life."
Why Baghdad's falafel vendors should be blacklisted while their colleagues are allowed to continue selling kebabs or Western-style pizzas and burgers remains a mystery. Some suspect it is because a taste for falafels is one of the few things that unites Jewish and Arab communities in Israel. It is, however, just one of many Islamic edicts to hit Baghdad in recent weeks, prohibiting everything from the growing of goatee beards to the sale of mayonnaise - because it is allegedly made in Israel.
Even the Arab addiction to cigarettes is being challenged, with insurgents declaring smoking bans in at least one Sunni district.
That'll piss off the smokers
News of the latest strictures surfaced 10 days ago, when the coach of Iraq's tennis team and two players were shot dead for wearing shorts. The killings, in Sunni-dominated west Baghdad, took place days after militants had distributed leaflets banning the wearing of shorts or T-shirts with English writing on them. They also forbade women to drive or travel on public transport with men - a rule that bus drivers have begun to enforce.
Another group of traders to have felt the Islamists' unexpected wrath is Baghdad's ice merchants, who sell large chunks of ice for storing food and chilling drinks. In a city facing constant power cuts and summer temperatures of up to 50C (122F), the service they provide is little short of essential.
Yet in recent weeks, they too have fallen foul of the claim that their product was not a feature of life during Mohammed's time.
"If Mo couldn't enjoy a cold drink, ain't nobody gonna enjoy one!"
Akram al Zidawi, 19, an ice seller from al Dora, thought the threats were too ludicrous to be true - until it was too late. "Two weeks ago he came back home saying that he had been threatened by the terrorists," said his brother Gassan, 32. "My mother begged him to quit the job, but he laughed, he thought it was impossible they would kill him. But they came back two days later and shot him dead, along with three other ice sellers nearby."
Meanwhile, barbers have been inundated with young men anxious to shave off their goatee beards. Last month, Mustapha Jawad, 17, was allegedly killed for wearing one, which Islamists deemed a Jewish facial hairstyle. "After Mustapha's death I received 20 to 30 young men every day, all wanting me to shave off their goatee," said a barber, Sinan al Rubai. "Maybe one day the mujahedeen will insist on shaving all the head - then I will be rich."
Posted by: Steve ||
06/05/2006 11:52 ||
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Let the Baghdadis get a good mouthful of islamic holier than thou water. Let them decide which is better: democracy or islam. I only wonder how soon this can be exported to Saudi Arabia?
Posted by: ed ||
06/05/2006 12:22 Comments ||
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#2
I said I was just feeding the people, but they said there were no falafels in Mohammed the prophet's time, so we shouldn't have them either.
There weren't any guns, cars, medicines, synthetic fabrics, or plastics in Mohammed's time. There was no videotape, no radio, no Internet, and oil was a nasty, useless annoyance.
Yet you bastards have no problems with any of that.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
06/05/2006 12:38 Comments ||
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#3
Islam, the religion of backwardsness and ignorance for the last 1700 years!
#5
This is great. When I first started reading RB I was a naive MSM watcher who bought into the sensationlism that they create and the negative spin put on our country and foreign policy. Since reading RB over the past months I have realized that this type of behavior doesn't threaten our lifestyle but actually elevates it. While these idiots are killing each other, establishing muslim courts, and enforcing the strict muslim views, they are only falling behind. As they go back to the stone ages, we are advancing technologically. They are killing their educated, reverting to non-technology based lifestyles, and doing what we could do with a few well placed bombs. I realize that our foriegn policy shouldn't be to try and curb the fanatics, but to let them have free reign. Pull the complete area back to the stone ages, and we'll dominate once you have no one who can have an independent thought and intelligence beyond a donkey cart driver. Let them dumb themselves down. Chickpeas is just the start. Thanks for opening my eyes to a media circus that has as longing to bash the USA, not maintain and advance it's level of honor!
#9
their product was not a feature of life during Mohammed's time.
What can you say? Old Mo may very well only be a mythical patriarch and never have existed as a living person, and if he existed, he was NOT a good person, even by 7th century standards. Yet, bellicose brainwashed cult-followers wish to mimick him in every details, as he's the ultimate rolemodel... proving once again that islam actually is a control device, designed for enforcing the rule of a given cultural hegemony. Too bad it's stuck and never has bothered to keep up with modernity.
which Islamists deemed a Jewish facial hairstyle
That's because they're only fighting the Zionists(Tm), you know.
#14
Damn - where's the Wolf Brigade when you need them? 'Haven't heard much about them lately.
As I see it, progessive Iraiqs need to start fielding highly effective "death squads" - and do it soon - to start removing the Talibanesque throwbacks.
AMMAN - Jordans central bank will close all eight branches of Jordanian banks in the Palestinian territories if they are subject to threats or attack, government spokesman Nasser Jawdeh warned on Monday.
The warning came shortly after reports that two Arab Bank branches in Gaza City closed after coming under siege from angry Palestinian civil servants who had not received their salaries in their bank accounts. Jordans central bank will be forced to close some, if not all, Jordanian banks in the Palestinian territories if they are threatened or face any danger, Jawdeh told a weekly news conference.
Apparently they value their business with the West, especially 'Merkins, more than they do with the Paleos. Whoda thunk?
He added that the central bank had already taken measures to place in a safe location all files and records at all eight banks operating in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
"Mahmoud, get me another USB thumb drive! Quickly!"
Jawdeh said he was not immediately aware of Mondays incident in Gaza City but disclosed that Jordanian authorities had been informed of possible threats to Jordanian banks in the Palestinian territories. We heard that there were threats from some armed groups linked to the Hamas movement, which took over the Palestinian government in March after winning the Palestinian elections, Jawdeh said, without elaborating.
Jordan has been embroiled in a dispute with Hamas over an alleged arms caches in the kingdom and plots by the Islamic militant group.
And Hamas thought there wouldn't be any blow-back ...
The government spokesmans warning came as an Arab Bank official in Gaza City reported an attack on Monday. There were attacks against our buildings by civil servants angry at not receiving their pay and we had to close their doors, the official said on condition of anonymity.
Witnesses said there had been violent rows between civil servants and a bank manager in one of the two branches. Police officers were called to the scene following the disturbances, the witnesses said.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and senior members of his Fatah party have held "warm and friendly talks" in Tunis with Suha Arafat, the widow of Yasser Arafat, sources close to Abbas and Suha announced on Saturday.
At the meeting, the first of its kind in many years, Abbas and the 43-year-old Suha agreed to end their long-standing dispute. The two, according to PA officials, had not been talking to each other for nearly 10 years.
Suha's Tunis-based office described the meeting as "very warm" and said the two sides stressed the importance of the "national dialogue" that is taking place in the West Bank and Gaza Strip between Fatah and Hamas.
The sulha [reconciliation] took place in Suha's villa in the Tunisian capital, where she has been living since the death of her husband in November 2004. The meeting, which lasted for about three hours, was attended by old guard Fatah leaders including former PA prime minister Ahmed Qurei, legislator Azzam al-Ahmed and other members of the Fatah central committee.
The meeting, which was not announced in advance of Abbas's visit to Tunis, raised many eyebrows in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, especially among representatives of the young guard in Fatah.
One source in Ramallah said the meeting focused on a "variety of issues" concerning the latest developments in the Palestinian arena in the wake of Hamas's victory in the January 25 parliamentary election. Asked if the talks also dealt with financial issues, the source said: "I don't rule out the possibility that they also talked about this matter, but I don't have enough details at this stage."
Suha, who reportedly received up to $100,000 a month from the PA budget before her husband's death, moved to Paris shortly after violence erupted in the Gaza Strip in September 2000. She left for Tunis after French prosecutors announced that they had launched an inquiry into the transfer of $9 million into her French bank accounts. The inquiry was launched after information provided by the Bank of France and a government anti-money-laundering body.
Asked then to explain how she received the money, an angry Suha retorted "What's wrong if my husband sends me some money? I'm working here (in Paris) for the benefit of my people." She later accused her husband's close aides of being responsible for corrupt dealings, saying: "Every beautiful flower ends up surrounded by weeds."
When the ailing Arafat was hospitalized in a French Hospital, Suha refused, under French law, to permit Abbas and other Palestinian leaders to visit him, accusing them of seeking to "bury Yasser Arafat alive." She later agreed to allow only Qurei to enter Arafat's room.
Suha's allegations, made in a message to the Palestinians through the pan-Arab Al-Jazeera news network, drew sharp criticism from PA leaders who accused her of insulting her husband's legacy. Because of the tensions, Suha was advised to stay away from Arafat's funeral in Ramallah. She and her daughter only attended a memorial service in Cairo before flying back to Tunis.
During his visit to Tunis, Abbas also met with estranged PLO leader Farouk Kaddoumi. The two, who have been at odds ever since Abbas succeeded Arafat, agreed to patch up their differences and to work together against the Hamas cabinet. Kaddoumi, who sees himself as the "Foreign Minister of Palestine," has in the past openly challenged Abbas's right to appoint a PA foreign minister. Kaddoumi is now challenging Hamas's right to name its own foreign minister.
Last week he surprised PA Foreign Minister Mahmoud Zahar by arriving before him at a meeting of Non-Aligned countries in Malaysia.
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/05/2006 21:44 Comments ||
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#7
HAs anybody bothered to do a DNA test comparing the child's DNA to that of her mother's husband? I would not be shocked that they hadn't a single gene in common.
With a deadline approaching, the Islamic group Hamas on Sunday showed no signs of giving in to an ultimatum from President Mahmoud Abbas to accept a plan that implicitly recognises Israel. Representatives from Hamas and Abbas' Fatah movement met Sunday to discuss the plan, but said there was no progress and that hopes of an agreement were fading. Abbas has given Hamas until Tuesday to accept the plan or face a national referendum that he is widely expected to win. Hamas, which defeated Fatah in January legislative elections, has been debating the proposal since Abbas issued his ultimatum late last month. Hamas officials say the group is deeply divided.
Parliament speaker Abdel Aziz Duaik, who represented Hamas in Sunday's meeting, said talks have stalled on procedural issues. Hamas is demanding that the dialogue be moved to its Gaza Strip stronghold, where most of its leaders are located. He said the other participants in Sunday's meeting, including top Fatah official Raouhi Fattouh, agreed to go to Gaza later in the day to meet Hamas leaders. But officials said Abbas has no plans to head to Gaza. Israel does not permit Hamas leaders to travel between the West Bank and Gaza.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/05/2006 00:00 ||
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The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) yesterday said it was the Abu Sayyaf, not a Malaysian militant group, that helped Jemaah Islamiyah members enter the Philippines through Mindanao.
Earlier, Malaysian police officials said at least seven JI suspects, including Bali bombing masterminds Dulmatin and Omar Patek, slipped into Mindanao with the help of a group called Darul Islam between 2003 and March 2006.
But Eid Kabalu, MILF spokesperson, said it was actually the self-styled Islamist group Abu Sayyaf that facilitated the JI membersâ entry into the country.
âThere is no other group aside from the Abu Sayyaf, which facilitated the entry of JI in Mindanao,â Kabalu said.
He said the military was aware of the cooperation between the JI and the Abu Sayyaf.
The JI is the Southeast Asian arm of Osama bin Ladenâs al-Qaida network of terror. It mainly operates in Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia and Southern Thailand, which is also being rocked by a nationalist rebellion involving Malay Muslims.
Brig. Gen. Benjamin Dolorfino, deputy commander of the militaryâs Southern Command, said that contrary to the report of the Malaysian police, the military has actually monitored the presence of about 30 JI members in the country.
Dulmatin, whose real name is Joko Pitono, and Patek were last reported to be in Central Mindanao in late 2005 in the company of Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khaddafy Janjalani, although there were previous claims by local military commanders that they were also seen with MILF forces in Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur.
The MILF has consistently denied it was harboring terrorists and said it was even helping the government determine their location as part of its efforts to boost the peace process.
The peace talks between Manila and the MILF, the remaining Muslim rebel group trying to secede from the Philippines, hit a snag because of the issue on ancestral domain.
Ancestral domain would become the basis for a future Bangsamoro entity.
Despite the failure of both panels to define the issue, the peace talks continue to move forward, according to government chief negotiator Silvestre Afable.
â(But) while the panels have achieved significant progress in defining the concept, sharing the resources and establishing governance, they are held back from reaching full consensus on the ancestral domain agenda by the highly technical nature of discussions on the delineation and demarcation of territory,â he admitted.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
06/05/2006 01:20 ||
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The MILF routinely allowed ASG and JI on the camps on the declared safe zones in Mindanao. Eid is again lying his worthless a$$ off in an attempt to manage the media.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
06/05/2006 20:21 Comments ||
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COLOMBO - Sri Lankas warring parties on Sunday sent their respective delegations to Oslo, the capital of peace broker Norway, to discuss the safety of Nordic monitors amid a collapsing ceasefire, officials said.
A five-member delegation of the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was brought by military helicopter to the islands only international airport to travel for the meeting, officials said. A sixth member of the Tiger delegation was expected to join the talks in Oslo from his base in the US, officials said.
Tiger guerrillas played down expectations from the two-day talks starting Thursday and said they were attending the discussions as a sign of respect for Norway. Both the government and Tigers said the proposed meeting this week was not a continuation of their Swiss talks begun in February and put off indefinitely after fixing a date in April. The Swiss talks were to focus on the implementation of the February 2002 truce, but the Oslo discussions are even narrower and will concentrate on guaranteeing the safety of SLMM staff, officials from both sides said.
Government spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella described the talks as a third-level contact but described it as an important meeting to keep the troubled peace process alive.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/05/2006 00:00 ||
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Tehran, 5 June (AKI) - A students' association in Tehran issued a statement on Monday openly criticising the nuclear programme of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. In the statement, which was distributed in the main universities of the capital, Anjoman Daneshjouian Azad, which means the association of free students, called on authorities to invest the money they are spending on the country's controversial nuclear programme in health and education programmes. "We don't believe in the choices of President Ahmadinejad who means to use its nuclear [technology] for military purposes, dragging the country into a new war," said the statement.
Major powers are going to present to Iran a package of incentives and penalties aimed at convincing the government to abandon its nuclear programme which they fear is aimed at building nuclear weapons. Iran claims its programme is for civilian use and has so far refused to halt it.
"The memory of eight years of war with Iraq [1980-1988] is still alive and our cemeteries are full of tombs of women and men, over a million, who lost their lives," said the students' statement. "A million of disabled people living in Iranian cities remind us every day of a past experience we don't want to go through anymore."
Posted by: Steve ||
06/05/2006 13:08 ||
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#1
Look for immediate retaliation against these "Students" their school, families and whoever employes them.
Can't have any brains running around loose, gotta have them strictly cowed and afraid to speak.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
06/05/2006 14:53 Comments ||
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Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, addressed the nation on Sunday in a speech marking the 17th anniversary of the death of his predecessor and the leader of Iran's Islamic revolution, Ayatollah Khomeini.
Here are excerpts from Mr Khamenei's speech, which was broadcast live on state television.
US ENERGY SUPPLIES
In order to threaten Iran, you [America] say that you can secure the energy flow in the region. You are wrong. Beware that if you make the slightest mistake over Iran, the energy flow through this region will be seriously endangered. You will never be capable of providing energy security in this region. You are not capable and you should know this.
NUCLEAR WEAPONS
We have no problem with the world. We are no threat whatsoever to the world and the world knows it...
The other suggestion is that Iran is seeking a nuclear bomb. This is an irrelevant and wrong statement, it is a sheer lie. We do not need a nuclear bomb. We do not have any objectives or aspirations for which we will need to use a nuclear bomb. We consider using nuclear weapons against Islamic rules...
We think imposing the costs of building and maintaining nuclear weapons on our nation is unnecessary. Building and maintaining such weapons is costly. In no way do we deem it correct to impose these costs on the people.
MILITARY ACTION
We will never start a war. We have no intention of going to war with any government.
US ADMINISTRATION
Your government today is the most hated government in the history of the United States. They announced it to the world in their own opinion polls...
Compare this with our own government. Our government is one of the most popular governments since the [1906] constitutional revolution.
US AND THE MIDDLE EAST
In Iraq, you failed. You say you have spent $300bn to bring a government into office that obeys you. But it did not happen. In Palestine, you made every attempt to prevent Hamas from coming to power and again you failed.
EUROPE
Our government has healthy and good relations with European countries. These relations with Europe will be even better in the future, when gas plays a more important role as a source of energy. They need our gas.
THE ARAB WORLD
We have friendly and good ties with the Arab world. The most important issue in Arab society is the Palestinian cause. On this issue, we speak openly about whatever they have in their hearts. We have a very clear and transparent position on the Palestinian cause and Arab nations like this position wholeheartedly. They feel proud when we voice that position.
RUSSIA
We also have good ties with Russia. The Russians know very well what would happen to them if a pro-American government was in power in Tehran. We [Iran and Russia] have common interests in Central Asia, the Middle East and this region.
NON-ALIGNED MOVEMENT
Some 116 non-aligned countries supported Iran in its bold move to acquire nuclear technology. The Organisation of the Islamic Conference has voiced support for Iran. Independent governments all support Iran. All those people who have acted as middlemen to repeat America's words to us, under American pressure and out of courtesy, have told us in secret that they have been asked by the Americans to say so and that they do not think the same way.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
06/05/2006 00:05 ||
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#1
They need our gas
Blow it out yer ass, raghead.
Posted by: Captain America ||
06/05/2006 10:40 Comments ||
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#3
soon that goose that lays the golden eggs will be dead. I can't wait. You just keep believing that oil is immortal, Iran. The rest of the world is moving on and once your oil is not needed anymore, this very temporary 2 century period of prosperity for you will be over.
Not until the oil money funding the mosques and the violence runs out, will the babarian WOT end.
#4
"2 cetury period"? Criminey - it's only been roughly 50 years so far. There's no way we're in store for 150 more years of this stuff. At these prices, cool new innovations should be a year or two away. Let's hope Opec doesn't crash itself to forestall them before then.
Iran's most powerful religious leader added his voice Sunday to an increasingly public campaign by top officials to allay fears that Iran intends to produce or use nuclear weapons.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei took to state radio Sunday to make his point on a sentimental day in this nation's capital, the anniversary of the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic republic. "We have no target to use a nuclear bomb. It's against Islamic teachings," Khamenei said Sunday.
Khamenei's statement followed comments over the weekend by nuclear deputy Javad Vaeidi and statements by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad emphasizing Iran's intent to pursue nuclear energy for civilian purposes.
All the statements indicate Iran is positioning itself for domestic and international debate over whether it should be allowed to pursue uranium enrichment within its borders.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
06/05/2006 00:04 ||
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UN Sanctions will apply only iff Iran and MadMoud-Mullahs, like Saddam, formally agree for the Iranian nation to submit to the sanctions. Iff not, the UNSC has a autom pretext for UN/UNSC-sponsored military action against Iran. Moud and Mullahs know it.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, said on Sunday that energy flows in the region would be endangered if the United States made a "wrong move" towards Iran. His remarks, which are likely to unsettle wary oil markets, come days before EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana is due to deliver a package of incentives agreed by six world powers and designed to persuade Iran to abandon plans to make nuclear fuel.
"If the United States make a wrong move regarding Iran, definitely the energy flow in this region will be seriously endangered," Khamenei, who has the last word in all matters of state, said in a speech which discussed the dispute. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Saturday Iran would consider the proposals from the United States, Russia, China, France, Germany and Britain but also insisted that the crux of the package was unacceptable.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/05/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
You use it, you lose it.
Posted by: DanNY ||
06/05/2006 0:25 Comments ||
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blow up a couple of friggin oil terminals. they need oil money more the we need the oil. Piss on them.
WASHINGTON - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Sunday brushed off an Iranian threat to disrupt world oil supplies and promised a tough international response if Tehran refused to scrap its controversial nuclear actvities. Speaking on Fox News Sunday, Rice also reiterated Iran had just weeks to respond to a western ultimatum that it halt potential bomb-making nuclear work and return to negotiations or face UN action.
The chief US diplomat played down a threat on Sunday by Irans supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, that any move against the major oil producer would put world energy supplies at serious risk. I think we shouldnt place too much emphasis on a threat of this kind, Rice said. I think something like 80 per cent of Irans budget comes from oil revenue, and so obviously it would be a very serious problem for Iran if oil were disrupted on the market.
They're just trying to jack the world price a little, just like Hugo.
Rice spoke three days after the United States, its European allies, Russia and China announced agreement on a new carrot-and-stick approach to Iran to persuade the Islamic republic to halt sensitive uranium research. While details of the package have not been made public, Rice said it included a stern reaction if Iran refused to cooperate-- despite initial reluctance by Moscow and Beijing to sign on to punitive measures. We are absolutely satisfied with the commitments of our allies to a robust path in the Security Council should this not work, she said.
Rice was undeterred by the Iranian authorities continued refusal to halt uranium enrichment, saying they needed time to digest the latest Western offer. She declined to set a deadline for a response but said it must come soon. We will not allow Iran to drag this out, she said. I think its fair to say that we really do have to have this settled over a matter of weeks, not months.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/05/2006 00:00 ||
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I think something like 80 per cent of Irans budget comes from oil revenue, and so obviously it would be a very serious problem for Iran if oil were disrupted on the market.
That says it all. Iran must now realize that we know this and their threats about oil are useless.
LONDON - The National Salvation Front, an exiled Syrian opposition group, on Sunday kicked off a two-day meeting here with a resounding call to bring about regime change and embrace democracy in Damascus. Created just over two months ago, the NSF convened the London talks, which conclude on Monday, to set out the groups aims and to discuss tactics with other exiled opposition groupings. The NSF includes outspoken former Syrian vice-president Abdel Halim Kaddam and the banned Muslim Brotherhood.
Birds of a feather and all ...
Regime change and the adoption of democracy are necessary for Syria to develop and advance on the path towards independence, 73-year-old Khaddam said in his opening speech.
Ali Sadreddine Al Bayanouini, the exiled head of the Muslim Brotherhood, added that the purpose of the meeting was to set up a national programme of change away from the government of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad.
About 50 opponents of al-Assad regime, including Kurdish parties, independents and communists, turned up for the talks which were not however attended by opposition figures living in Syria.
Gee, wonder why ...
The group meanwhile revealed Sunday that around 15 prisoners, including opposition activist Michel Kilo and writer Ali Abdallah, began a hunger strike on May 30. Others taking part included jailed lawyer Anouar Bounnin and Mahmoud Merhi, the secretary general of the Arab Organization for Human Rights.
Khaddam resigned as vice-president last June and now lives in exile in Paris where he is leading opposition activities. He has held a number of meetings in Paris and Brussels with the London-based al-Bayanouini, on their push for peaceful regime change.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/05/2006 00:00 ||
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Let us note that Clarke has already been proven wrong here per the other post about the hard boyz having possible ties with their fellow travelers in Europe and possibly the US as well.
The threat of "home-grown" terror cells is taking on new urgency after Canadian police said they broke up a major terrorist bomb plot just across the border in Toronto by arresting 17 men and youths mostly born in Canada.
The fear among analysts is that the Canadian cell represents a new threat "home-grown" Islamic radicals like those who bombed trains in Madrid and London.
"The structure of al Qaeda as we know it has now been destroyed," said Jack Cloonan, a former FBI counterterrorism official and an ABC News consultant. "It's no longer a top-to-bottom organization. ⊠They don't need direct control from al Qaeda, so that makes it a lot more difficult for us to counter."
It's a threat the FBI Director Robert Mueller warned about back in April.
"Today's threat is just as likely to come from our own streets," Mueller said, "as it is to come from persons who are sent here from overseas."
Trying to prevent that has become a top priority. The New York City Police Department, for instance, has one of the most sophisticated local anti-terrorism operations in the country. It has more than 1,000 undercover detectives keeping tabs on members of the Muslim community considered highly radicalized and potentially dangerous.
Security experts say such groups and individuals are even more difficult to detect than traditional al Qaeda cells who report back to Osama Bin Laden, because they are local citizens who may have done nothing to call attention to themselves.
"People who were born in Canada, people who were born in England, don't show up on wanted lists, don't show up on do-not-fly lists, do not have leaders who are known," said Richard Clarke, the former White House counterterrorism czar who is an ABC News consultant. "This is leaderless terrorism. It's self starters. It's cells that are not connected to anything. They are very, very hard to find."
Since such people may be operating on their own, without direction from others overseas, they can do their plotting face-to-face.
"There's nothing in their communications that would indicate this is terrorist communication," Clarke said. "The calls are domestic. They're not going back to Afghanistan. And what's probably being said is the equivalent of, 'Let's all get together at Joe's house.'"
The 17 arrested in Canada allegedly have ties to two men from Georgia who were arrested earlier this spring. After the arrests, the FBI accused the Georgia suspects of gathering information about Washington D.C., oil refineries and military installations.
Tonight, police in the United States are looking for any other connections to the Toronto cell.
The Canadian public safety minister said he's been in touch with U.S. officials to assure them that the 17 men under arrest had no plans to attack any targets in the United States.
In Toronto today, police officials assured the Islamic community that the 17 people under arrest were targeted because of their alleged actions, not their religion.
"There is no accusation against the Muslim community by law enforcement," Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair said. "Our accusations pertain only to the actions of 17 young men."
Those young men, mostly Muslims of South Asian descent, have been charged with plotting attacks on Canadian targets. Police said they had three tons of fertilizer â the same material that fueled the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.
"These are people diverse backgrounds, a variety of backgrounds and ages, certainly inspired by terrorist ideology but operating within their own network," said Stockwell Day, Canada's minister of public safety.
It's a big concern for officials in the United States, where Islam is the fastest growing religion. There are seven million Muslims in America, 2.3 percent of the population. Most of them have no terrorist intentions â which is also true for millions of Muslims in Canada.
"But those 17 people, using dual-use material available at hardware stores and at farm stores, could have done enormous damage," Clarke said.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
06/05/2006 00:14 ||
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Muslim empires in antiquity have yet to peacefully andor protractively co-exist wid parallel Muslim empires. HOMEGROWN/LOCAL > eventually evolve into REGIONAL > evolve into GLOBAL. The specific threat, or current real-time threat, may be defective or inaccurate, but the long-term or general strategic threat(s) is NOT.
#6
police officials assured the Islamic community that the 17 people under arrest were targeted because of their alleged actions, not their religion There is no accusation against the Muslim community by law enforcement.
Time and again we are told that the majority of Muslims are rational, peace loving, and disavow terrorism. Now the authorities allegedly bust a group attempting to procure three tons of ammonium nitrate. And supposedly there is solid evidence that this group discussed strategic locations in the United States and Canada suitable for a terrorist strikes. So why, again WHY, do the authorities feel compelled to go on the record and assure the Muslim community that this is not attack on their religion? WTF??
HT Drudge - apparently other people can sue as well, huh?
The father of a Marine whose funeral was picketed by anti-gay protesters from a fundamentalist Kansas church filed an invasion-of- privacy suit against the demonstrators Monday.
It is believed to be the first lawsuit brought by a soldier's family against Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kan., whose members routinely demonstrate at military funerals around the country.
Albert Snyder of York, Pa., the father of Lance Cpl. Matthew A. Snyder, is seeking unspecified damages. The younger Snyder, 20, died March 3 after an accident in the Al Anbar province of Iraq. He was buried in Westminster, Md.
"We think it's a case we can win because anyone's funeral is private," Snyder lawyer Sean Summers said. "You don't have a right to interrupt someone's private funeral."
Members of Westboro say the military deaths in Iraq are God's punishment for America's tolerance of gays. They typically carry signs with slogans such as "God Hates Fags" and "Thank God for IEDs," a reference to the roadside bombs used by insurgents.
The church has inspired dozens of state laws banning funeral protests, including a Maryland law that did not go into effect until after Snyder's memorial.
Shirley Phelps-Roper, a spokeswoman for the small congregation, said it is the first time Westboro has been sued by a soldier's family.
"We were exercising our First Amendment rights," she said.
___
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/05/2006 17:43 ||
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One of those rare instances where they have no idea if it would be better for the case to appear before a jury, or just before a judge.
#3
This church should be investigated for it's political activism and taken of the non profit books. Then Phelps and his deranged followers will dry up and go the way of mother sheehan.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
06/05/2006 20:34 Comments ||
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#4
IIRC all of Phelps dozen or so children are lawyers so they may well be able to outlast the average litigant.
#5
I'm not so sure about that. They only have to win once in awhile to seriously dent his finances. He has to keep winning or pay possible large settlements. He may have an army of lawyers - but he has to convince the juries of his peers to win. That's tough to get 12 non crazy people on his side. He's counting on intimidation to win. I think his days are numbered. Personally - I'd like to see him piss off the wrong guy.
Oil prices have surged above $73 a barrel after Iran warned the U.S. that any "misbehavior" could endanger oil movements in the Persian Gulf.
U.S. light crude for July delivery is up 82 cents or 1.1 percent at $73.15 a barrel in electronic trade on Monday, after reaching a high of $73.55 earlier. The figure is oil's highest price in three weeks. Oil futures reached $75.35 on April 21 and 24, the highest since trading began in 1983. London Brent crude rose 92 cents to $71.95 a barrel in Monday trade.
Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said Sunday that any "misbehavior" directed at Iran would serve to disrupt Persian Gulf shipments. "In order to threaten Iran, you say that you can guarantee movements of oil through this region," he said, referring to shipments that pass through the strategic Strait of Hormuz near Iran and other countries.
About 17 million barrels a day -- 20 percent of the world's daily needs -- leave the Gulf region via oil tankers using the narrow passageway. Oil prices have also been boosted by production problems at U.S. refineries at the start of the peak northern summer driving season.
#5
I would be more than willing to pay $4 bucks a gallon for the three weeks it will take to destroy Iran and for the market to settle back down. Beats all this retoric and panic jumps in prices, finally ending in a WMD in the US and us destroting them anyway.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
06/05/2006 20:44 Comments ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
The Taleban are gaining strength in Afghanistan and are determined to intensify their attacks against foreign and government forces, a Taleban commander said yesterday.
Richards conceded that troops are often instructed to drive fast because it reduces the chances for attacks by suicide bombers or roadside bombs. But he said he has ordered NATO troops to show more respect to others on the road. ``We will accept more risk. I have made that very clear,'' he said. ``We cannot go on alienating the people in the way that I know is happening.''
Eight foreign oil workers, two Britons among them, were freed on Sunday after being abducted by an armed group in Nigeria. Media reports quoted a spokesperson for the Nigerian police as saying that all hostages, six Britons, one American and one Canadian, were freed after successful negotiations with the kidnappers. Media reports noted that hostages were released early Sunday morning and were transported to the Nigerian capital city, Abuja.
A court on Sunday brought charges against three military officers and a civilian who were allegedly planning an attack on Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Anatolia news agency reported. The four were among a dozen detained on May 30 following a raid on a house in an Ankara suburb. Police seized explosives and drawings showing the neighbourhood of Erdogan's home in Ankara as well as branches of the BIM supermarket chain which is owned by Cuneyt Zapsu, a top aide to Erdogan. The court charged the four with "forming an illegal gang aiming to disrupt the country's unity" and with possession of explosives, Anatolia said. The other suspects were released after questioning. Court officials could not be reached for comment. 
In the days following the London transit bombings at the hands of "homegrown" terrorists last summer, then-public safety minister Anne McLellan stepped forward with a message to the Canadian public: you are not ready. She suggested repeatedly that Canadians, having not experienced a terrorist strike in over 20 years, had become apathetic and weren't ready for an inevitable attack here. "I do not believe that Canadians are as psychologically prepared for a terrorist attack as I think probably we all should be," she said at the time. "I think we have perhaps for too long thought that these were things that happened somewhere else. But Canadians are not immune to what we see happen in London, Madrid, 9/11."
Failed presidential candidate John Kerry blasted President Bush on Thursday as a "criminal" who has been "looting the country." The Massachusetts Democrat offered the incendiary comments during an off the record meeting with liberal bloggers after a speech in Los Angeles to the Pacific Council on International Policy. According to the Web site L.A. Observed, Kerry asked the bloggers to keep his comments confidential; a request they apparently dismissed out of hand without telling him.
Cardinal George Pell has declared yet again Islam is more warlike than Christianity, this time to a US Catholic newspaper. The Catholic Archbishop of Sydney told the National Catholic Reporter Australia hadn't been affected much by Islamic threat following the September 11 terrorist attacks in the US, but this could change depending "on how many terrorist attacks" Muslim fundamentalists could "bring off successfully". 
AMMAN - Jordans central bank will close all eight branches of Jordanian banks in the Palestinian territories if they are subject to threats or attack, government spokesman Nasser Jawdeh warned on Monday. 
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and senior members of his Fatah party have held "warm and friendly talks" in Tunis with Suha Arafat, the widow of Yasser Arafat, sources close to Abbas and Suha announced on Saturday. 
With a deadline approaching, the Islamic group Hamas on Sunday showed no signs of giving in to an ultimatum from President Mahmoud Abbas to accept a plan that implicitly recognises Israel. Representatives from Hamas and Abbas' Fatah movement met Sunday to discuss the plan, but said there was no progress and that hopes of an agreement were fading. Abbas has given Hamas until Tuesday to accept the plan or face a national referendum that he is widely expected to win. Hamas, which defeated Fatah in January legislative elections, has been debating the proposal since Abbas issued his ultimatum late last month. Hamas officials say the group is deeply divided.
COLOMBO - Sri Lankas warring parties on Sunday sent their respective delegations to Oslo, the capital of peace broker Norway, to discuss the safety of Nordic monitors amid a collapsing ceasefire, officials said.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, said on Sunday that energy flows in the region would be endangered if the United States made a "wrong move" towards Iran. His remarks, which are likely to unsettle wary oil markets, come days before EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana is due to deliver a package of incentives agreed by six world powers and designed to persuade Iran to abandon plans to make nuclear fuel. 
WASHINGTON - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Sunday brushed off an Iranian threat to disrupt world oil supplies and promised a tough international response if Tehran refused to scrap its controversial nuclear actvities. Speaking on Fox News Sunday, Rice also reiterated Iran had just weeks to respond to a western ultimatum that it halt potential bomb-making nuclear work and return to negotiations or face UN action.
LONDON - The National Salvation Front, an exiled Syrian opposition group, on Sunday kicked off a two-day meeting here with a resounding call to bring about regime change and embrace democracy in Damascus. Created just over two months ago, the NSF convened the London talks, which conclude on Monday, to set out the groups aims and to discuss tactics with other exiled opposition groupings. The NSF includes outspoken former Syrian vice-president 
Oil prices have surged above $73 a barrel after Iran warned the U.S. that any "misbehavior" could endanger oil movements in the Persian Gulf.
