OSAMA bin Laden has more on his mind than just the destruction of the United States - the world's most wanted terrorist is obsessed with Whitney Houston, so much so that he's even mulled a hit on her hubby, Bobby Brown.
Kola Boof, 37, the Sudanese poet and novelist who claims to have once been bin Laden's sex slave, writes in her autobiography, "Diary of a Lost Girl," which is excerpted in the September Harper's: "He told me Whitney Houston was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen."
Boof - who wrote for the soap opera "The Days of Our Lives" until she was axed last month - continues, "He said that he had a paramount desire for [Houston] and although he claimed music was evil, he spoke of someday spending vast amounts of money to go to America and try to arrange a meeting."
Boof says bin Laden couldn't stop talking about his favorite singer and had lofty plans for her. "He said he wanted to give [her] a mansion that he owned in a suburb of Khartoum. He explained to me that to possess Whitney, he would be willing to break his color rule and make her one of his wives."
But bin Laden's murderous side also emerged in his fantasies about the pop superstar. "[He would say] how beautiful she is," Boof claims, "what a nice smile she has, how truly Islamic she is but is just brainwashed by American culture and by her husband - Bobby Brown, whom Osama talked about having killed, as if it were normal to have womens' husbands killed.
"In his briefcase, I would come across photographs of the Star [magazine], as well as copies of Playboy. It would soon come to the point where I was sick of hearing Whitney Houston's name," Boof writes.
I can imagine the hit single now:
If Bobby Brown should stay,
He would only be in my way.
He's gotta go, up he will blow,
I'll give you a burkha and take you away.
And I-I-I will all-wayyyyys love youuuu.
I will always love you.
You, my darling you. Hmm.
Wahabbi memories
That is all I'm taking with me.
So, read your Koran. Please, understand.
We both know I get what I want and I need.
And I-I-I will all-wayyyyys love youuuu. . . .
I know I won't treat you kind
And a harem is not what you've dreamed of.
But I'm the sheik, and I'm the caliph,
And underweight druggie chicks I can't get enough of.
And I-I-I will all-wayyyyys love youuuu. . . .
Posted by: Mike ||
08/21/2006 10:41 ||
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Somalias newly dominant Islamist movement announced on Sunday that it would organise a national forum to chart the lawless countrys future, further bypassing the weak government it threatens. At the same time, the Supreme Islamic Council of Somalia (SICS) renewed vows to fight the deployment of a proposed east African peacekeeping forces, plans for which were finalised last week, saying foreign troops were not welcome. In a move decried by the largely powerless transitional administration, the Supreme Islamic Council of Somalia (SICS) said it would soon host a national reconciliation conference to set a new course for the country.
We are inviting all the Somali people to attend a national reconciliation conference in Mogadishu, SICS spokesman Abdurahim Ali Muddey told reporters in the capital, which the Islamists seized from warlords in June. He gave no date for the conference. Somalis need to talk to each other and resolve their differences at home without foreign interference, he said, sidestepping questions about whether the gathering was aimed at forming a government to rival the current one.
The last solace for that administration is foreign military intervention that is not viable in Somalia, the official told AFP on condition of anonymity. The Baidoa administration is a waste of time and resources, he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/21/2006 00:08 ||
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#1
Somalias newly dominant Islamist movement announced on Sunday that it would organise a national forum to chart the lawless countrys future...
Are they gonna chart the future or the lawlessness? Best that they do both, as it's probably the same thing...
Shoura Council Chairman Dr. Saleh Bin-Humaid yesterday called for a public apology from US President George W. Bush for linking Islam and Muslims with fascism and terrorism.
The chairman was referring to a recent statement by Bush branding Muslim extremists Islamic fascists. He also warned against deliberate smear campaigns targeting Islam, saying they would have dangerous consequences.
Bin-Humaid denounced attempts by some political and religious leaders, as well as certain sections of the media, to defame Islam and Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
We demand a public apology for this falsification as it came from an influential political figure and received wide publicity, Al-Madinah Arabic daily quoted Bin-Humaid, who is also imam of the Grand Mosque in Makkah, as saying. Bushs statement provoked worldwide Muslim protests.
The Saudi Cabinet last week warned against linking Islam with terrorism and fascism without considering the history of Islamic civilization. Fascism is a product of Western culture, a Cabinet statement said.
Bushs use of the term Islamic fascists was also criticized by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Washington-based Muslim advocacy group. We believe that this is an ill-advised term and we believe that it is counterproductive to associate Islamic Muslims with fascism, said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad.
The problem with the phrase is that it attaches the religion of Islam to tyranny and fascism, rather than isolating the threat to a specific group of individuals, said Edina Lekovic, spokeswoman for the Muslim Public Affairs Council in Los Angeles. She said the terms cast aspersions on all Muslims, even the vast majority who want to live in safety like other Americans.
Mohamed Elibiary, a Texas-based Muslim activist, said he was upset by the presidents comment. Weve got Osama Bin Laden hijacking the religion in order to define it one way. We feel the president and anyone whos using these kinds of terminologies is hijacking it too from a different side.
In his statement, Bin-Humaid said the attack on Islam and the Prophet would only strengthen Muslims faith in their religion. He urged Muslim governments and organizations to take effective steps to prevent attempts to spread hatred of Islam and Muslims.
Bin-Humaid said it was the growing popularity of Islam that had provoked enemies to launch smear campaigns.
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/21/2006 8:33 Comments ||
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#2
Just another comparison, quite accurate I suspect. Here's one of yours Dr. Bin-Humaid. Not quite as accurate I'm afraid.
Makkah Imam Equates Riyadh Bombing With Israeli Terror
JEDDAH, 15 November 2003 Saudi Arabias Islamic affairs minister and imams of the two holy mosques have condemned Saturdays terrorist bombing at Al-Muhaya compound in Riyadh as a gruesome crime and likened it to Israeli terror against the Palestinians.
The bombing of a residential compound in the capital last Saturday, which killed at least 18 people and injured 120 others, violates the sanctity of the holy month of Ramadan, Islamic Affairs Minister Saleh Al-Asheikh said.
It is in itself a big crime and would have been tantamount to declaring war on God and the Prophet if it had taken place in any other month. But it becomes the worst of crimes when it is committed in the holy month, the minister said.
Dr. Saleh Bin Humaid, the imam of the Grand Mosque in Makkah and chairman of the Shoura Council, compared the actions of the suspected Al-Qaeda bombers who carried out the attack last week to Israeli terror in Palestinian territories.
In his Friday sermon to over one million faithful who thronged the large mosque complex, the imam said the terrorists who bombed the Riyadh compound were seeking to sow strife among Muslims.
Are the terrorism of Israel and the terrorism of those (militants) coordinated? Dr. Humaid asked. Is the purpose to kill more Arabs and Muslims and create more violence and instability?
It is inevitable that we should draw comparisons between the women and children who are being killed in Palestine and the homes that are being razed and the women and children who were killed in Riyadh while they were in their homes, the imam said.
Many of the casualties in Riyadh were women and children and the attack shocked Muslims worldwide.
Dr. Humaid urged everyone in the Kingdom including security forces and the media to combat terror and extremism.
In his sermon at the Prophets Mosque in Madinah, Sheikh Hussein Al-Asheikh said Muslims all over the world were shocked by the Riyadh terrorist bombing. Pen and tongue will be unable to give an exact picture of that tragedy and the impact of that gruesome crime, he said. The Muslim world as a whole was unanimous in condemning the Riyadh bombing, he added.
In his statement, Islamic Affairs Minister Saleh Al-Asheikh said killing an innocent person, especially a believer, without any reason was one of the biggest crimes in Islam. Protection of a person, his property and dignity are among the main objectives of Shariah, the minister said.
Al-Alsheikh urged all Muslims to stand united in the fight against terrorists. It is the duty of every scholar and preacher, student, khateeb and imam of mosques and all other Muslims to work together against this common enemy.
This is a flagrant act of hostility and a war against Islam and its followers in the home of Islam in the month of the Holy Quran, he said.
Muslims must weep when they see this assault on sanctity, these people who do not heed the holy month, and when they see the fundamentals of Shariah violated, the minister said.
God has given the utmost importance to security. It is a great blessing. God has promised that He will give believers peace and security after they lived in fear, he said quoting a verse from the Quran.
Worship of God, the spreading of the truth, the implementation of Shariah, the establishment of justice... can only flourish in safety and security. It is therefore the duty of every Muslim to protect them, the minister added.
#9
And I want a big check from Saudi Arabia to pay for this terror war that YOU SAUDIS started. It most definately IS Facism and that is the end of the argument.
#1
"He was a Christian until he converted to Islam about a year ago"
Um... excuse me for saying this ....but.... no Christian has ever converted to anything. Ever. Not to wax religious or anything, but once a person is born of the Spirit, they will not leave the faith and 'convert' to a moon-god death cult, or any other religion for that matter.
This guy may be many things, but he was never a Christian.
#4
Not to wax religious or anything, but once a person is born of the Spirit, they will not leave the faith and 'convert' to a moon-god death cult, or any other religion for that matter.
Sounds just like Islam, except without the death-for-apostasy thingie. While that is a significant difference, the rhetoric is very much the same.
#6
Phobia? Do tell? I will defend freedom of religion to the death. It is one of the things that has made America the greatest superpower on earth. I just dislike hypocrisy. To say that conversion from one religion is impossible while decrying another (admittedly putative) faith for maintaining the exact same thing is dispicable.
Either conversion from any given religion to another is possible or it is not. No exceptions.
#7
I never said muslims had to convert to anything and based on muslim religion they are not aloud, so I assume that a muslim that supposedly converts was not truely muslim.
#8
I just dislike hypocrisy.
Now THAT is bold. I can't wait to hear your thoughts on ice cream! How about parks?
What mcsegeek1 is talking about, I think, is what Christian theologians call the difference between faith and a "said-faith". The latter is where someone talks the talk, but there is precious little visible of the proverbial fruit in evidence. It gets into that sticky matter of Faith and Works, which is some of the toughest ground to cover in Christian thought. If someone wants to go into it, drop me a line. I fear it would bore most folks to tears.
#9
It gets into that sticky matter of Faith and Works, which is some of the toughest ground to cover in Christian thought.
Better to cover it now, then. Apparently claiming that one religion is the "true faith" in ascendance over all others reeks and that was my point. While Christianity certainly is light-years ahead of Islam, it is not the end-all and be-all of religious faiths. Man's spirituality, perfection, salvation or even supposed redemption (whatever the heck that is) is not the sole province of one church or a single saviour. The paths to human enlightenment are many, but they all lead through the one critical realm of peaceful coexistence, something that Islam seems unable to reconcile itself to.
#10
Zenster you assume that all Christian are like Pat Robertson and we are in lock step. I am one of those scary Southern Baptist all them LLL say is turning US into a Theocracy. but I never in my life said that if your not a Southern Baptist that you are not a christian or that you are going to hell. I have no beef with Luthern, Methodist, Catholic, or even Muslim if they are not trying to kill us and I never tried to convert anybody, maybe in some christian eyes that makes me less christian, but I will be judged by God not man.
#11
I'm afraid you sound just as doctrinaire as those you condemn when you state "Man's spirituality, perfection, salvation or even supposed redemption (whatever the heck that is) is not the sole province of one church or a single saviour. The paths to human enlightenment are many, but they all lead through the one critical realm of peaceful coexistence, something that Islam seems unable to reconcile itself to."
#12
Zenster you assume that all Christian are like Pat Robertson and we are in lock step
Please do not make false assumptions, especially patently repugnant ones, about what I do or do not think. Have you bothered to notice my routine and repeated praise for Pope Benedict's calling of Islam on the carpet for its disallowal of freedom of religion?
Actually, djohn66, I find your lack of prostyletizing commendable. Contrary to what Islam thinks, one cannot hit people over the head with religion. Either it is found voluntarily or not at all. I would dare say that your calmly awaiting others' enlightenment instead of thrusting your own vision of it upon them to be a credit to your beliefs.
#13
Contrary to what Islam thinks, one cannot hit people over the head with religion.
I agree with that. The Evangelical Christian knows that he does not "convert" anyone. The best he can do is share the Gospel. Jesus gave the parable of the sower as an example.
While Christianity certainly is light-years ahead of Islam, it is not the end-all and be-all of religious faiths.
This observation is based upon, not only the numerous fallabilities exhibited by Christianity, but the presence of many noble and beneficent individuals who never embraced the Christian faith yet still brought great good to this world. As in Einstein, Ghandi and many others of their ilk.
Or was it this?
Man's spirituality, perfection, salvation or even supposed redemption (whatever the heck that is) is not the sole province of one church or a single saviour.
Mankind's spirit was already developing for millennia before Judaism or Christ himself (whose onetime physical existence I do believe in), ever trod the earth. It continues to develop today with and without Christianity's midwifing. I firmly believe in the perfectability of man and consider the need for redemption or salvation artifacts of a particularly ugly throwback in Christianity, namely, original sin. I also believe that the perfection of the human spirit can arise through many different channels. Christianity is definitely one of them, but most certainly it is not the only one. Nor is the adoption of a particular saviour a perquisite to human enlightenment. It might be one method of realigning a person's values and morals to better suit themselves to peaceful cohabitation on earth, but not the only way.
Or was it this?
The paths to human enlightenment are many, but they all lead through the one critical realm of peaceful coexistence, something that Islam seems unable to reconcile itself to.
#15
Sorry Zenster I should not assume my apology.That is what I always hear when people are telling me what christians think, they are always saying , but Pat Robertson says and I just have to roll my eyes.
#16
No harm, no foul, djohn66. Pat Robertson is just a few doctrinal shades away from Fred Phelps. It is almost a physical impossibility for me to confuse either of them with actual Christians. I appreciate your honest response.
You are attacking our people in Muslim countries, in Iraq, in Afghanistan, Mr. Ahmet said, referring to the British and American governments. So its legitimate to attack British soldiers and policemen, government officials, and even the White House.
Mr. Ahmet, a 42-year Briton of Cypriot descent, went on to include bank employees as legitimate targets because they charge interest, which he says is in violation of Islamic law.
If you are going to kill a Muslim, then I will do everything in my power to kill you, he said.
Anyone who supports Tony Blair, said Khalid Kelley, an Irish-born convert to Islam, is not a civilian. There ya go, folks. The religion of peace. Anyone who supports the duly elected head of state is not a civilian. Anyone who obeys the laws of a free nation is not a civilian. Anyone who doesn't bow to the head-choppers is not a civilian.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
08/21/2006 07:39 ||
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#1
Mr. Massari makes several distinctions that he says insulate him from being deported or prosecuted by the British government. He says, for instance, that he does not post any material on the Web site himself; he lets his members do that, most of whom sign up anonymously. The other important distinction, he said, is that he does not call for violence in Britain.
So, basically, he's just another noisy Jihadi pussy who doesn't want to end up rooming with Omar Bakri back in Beirut?
Talks the Walk and Walks the Talk...
#2
The British government ought to translate this garbage daily and repost it. Make it well known to the public where to access it so they know how the Muzzies they've coddled and allowed to remain in Britain on the dole really feel. These pice of crap Muzzies are already demanding to take over the whole country, just like in France. Do they remain unaware or just unconcerned ?
This is why profiling is not going to work for e.g. air safety.
Well...it's certainly true that profiling won't prevent all attempts at terrorism, but I don't believe that we should make the perfect the enemy of the good.
I don't doubt that the jihadists would "evolve" in response to vigorous profiling by getting more atypical converts to engage in attacks.
Other tactics would have to be developed to deal with such threats (and I confess that I don't know what means would be most effective in this circumstance.) but it doesn't mean we should deprive ourselves of those methods which can be effective.
#7
I'm sure there are still a few good Scots that would take this POS out in a heartbeat, and drop him off a cliff somewhere. This should happen to anyone that spouts this kind of garbage. Just simple self-defense. It's either that or start memorizing the Koran, which is only good for toilet paper, and not terribly good for that.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/21/2006 15:36 Comments ||
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#8
You are attacking our people in Muslim countries, in Iraq, in Afghanistan, Mr. Ahmet said, referring to the British and American governments. So its legitimate to attack British soldiers and policemen, government officials, and even the White House.
And this is not advocating sedition in what way? Weld a radio tracking collar around this guy's neck.
CONVICTED terrorist Jack Roche has told a court a letter seized from the home of one of 13 Victorian terror suspects indicated its holder wanted to perform jihad "to the point of martyrdom".
Takes one to know one, eh?
Roche, who was convicted under 2002 federal anti-terror laws, appeared at the Melbourne Magistrates' Court by video-link from an undisclosed location today. He was giving evidence in the committal hearing for the 13 men who are charged with being members of a terrorist group.
The British-born Australian, who lived in Perth, was asked by Australian Federal Police for his opinion about a letter written in Arabic and translated to English that was seized from the Yarraville home of one of the accused, Amer Haddara, 26. The letter, whose writer was not identified, states its holder is a known friend to us and has a desire to go out in Allah the Almighty's cause. It asks: Please receive him and organise a suitable suite for him.
The holder of the letter had a desire to perform jihad and possibly martyrdom, Roche said in a statement tendered to the court. The phrasing of the letter lends itself to somebody intending to commit jihad in the way of Allah, Roche said in the police statement. He said the most concerning aspect of the letter was the phrase: Go out in Allah, the Almighty's cause.
Interesting way to make a living as a consultant, from behind bars, but I suspect he's right about this.
That to me suggests a quite serious and specific, rather than general, desire of the holder of the letter to perform jihad possibly to the point of martyrdom for Allah's cause, Roche said in the police statement.
Roche was jailed for nine years, with a minimum of four-and-a-half years, in June 2004 for conspiring to blow up the Israeli embassy in Canberra.
He said he needed a letter of introduction when he attended an al-Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan in 2000 and suggested this letter may have been for a similar purpose. It is definitely a possibility that this letter may be intended for use by a person who wishes to do some kind of training, he said.
When questioned by Haddara's lawyer, Tony Trood, Roche agreed he had not read the contents of his own letter of introduction, also in Arabic, which he cannot understand.
Roche attended an al-Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan and met its leader Osama bin Laden in 2000. While in Afghanistan, Roche agreed to conduct surveillance at the Israeli Embassy in Canberra, he told the court. He was also asked to monitor the movements of Melbourne Jewish business man Joe Gutnick and establish a cell in Australia comprising caucasian Muslims interested in jihad.
The other 12 men charged with being members of a terrorist group are Abdul Nacer Benbrika, 46, of Dallas, Aimen Joud, 21, of Hoppers Crossing, Fadal Sayadi, 26, of Coburg, Majed Raad, 22, of Coburg, Ahmed Raad, 23, of Fawkner, Abdullah Merhi, 21, of Fawkner, Hany Taha, 31, of Hadfield, Shoue Hammoud, 26, of Hadfield, Izzydeen Atik, 26, of Williamstown, Bassam Raad, 24, of Brunswick, Ezzit Raad, 24 of Preston and Shane Kent, 29, of Meadow Heights.
The committal hearing before Magistrate Paul Smith continues tomorrow.
Almost a week after the war in Lebanon ended, thousands of Finns gathered in Helsinki Sunday evening to express their support for Israel. The rally, which was secured by dozens of police officers, drew local Jews as well as non-Jewish residents. Yaron Gorash, a businessman married to a Finnish citizen who has been living in the country for 18 years told Ynet: "We decide to show Helsinki residents other aspects" of the situation in the Middle East.
Israeli Ambassador in Finland, Shemi Tzur, told Ynet the evening newscast opened with a report about the rally, which apparently drew 2,800 participants. The television report noted that the rally "proved beyond any doubt the Israeli power and the fact there's great sympathy for Israel." "People arrived from all over Finland. Some of them traveled almost the whole night 10 hours in order to reach Helsinki," Tzur said. "The protesters marched through Helsinki's two major streets on Sunday, while all coffee shops were packed. Reactions on the street were great people yelled out 'let's go Israel.'"
Rally participants marched to the Israeli embassy in the center of Helsinki and later gathered at a building near the Finnish parliament where several senior figures delivered pro-Israeli addresses. "Every day at 5 p.m. (during the war) Muslim communities protested against Israel by the embassy," Gorash said, explaining the motivation behind Sunday's rally, organized by the Jewish community in conjunction with other associations. "We decided to respond to them (Muslims) and show them that there is support for Israel, and to urge the citizens to look at things from a different perspective," he said. "The Finns really love Israel and support it, even though the politics here is a bit different."
EU representative Hannu Takala was among those who delivered speeches at the end of the march. He called on the Finnish government and European Union to wake up and realize Israel shares the same values of democracy and peace. "They must realize terrorism threatens us all and not only Israel," he said. Ambassador Tzur, who also spoke, stressed that the war in Lebanon was against Hizbullah and not against the Lebanese people. He also urged Finland, which is known for its involvement in humanitarian issues, to do everything in order to secure the release of the abducted Israeli soldiers.
#3
Yep. They handed the Soviets their hats too when they tried to invade during WWII. Many have said the Finnish 'ski troops' were some of the best soldiers ever in combat, able to travel great distances quickly, to endure brutal cold and blizzard conditions, and be expert shots with a rifle.
#4
The Brits paid off for WWII in full. I haven't been able to find anything about France yet, pone way or the other. But in any case, they didn't fight very long so they couldn't have run up much of a tab.
#9
Just Google Nokia and Israel. Is there an Israeli who doesn't have a cell phone?
I'm guessin' here, but since there are a BILLION Muslims and a few million Jews, there are probably more sales to Muslims than to Jews.
Why is it that some people are so quick to assume ulterior motives? Isn't it possible that they support Israel because Israel DESERVES TO BE SUPPORTED!?!?!?
#11
The Brits will make the final WW2 payment this year. The debt is from US loans just after the war (2% interest, Britain was broke) and left over Lend-Lease stocks (at 10% on the dollar). All the expended war stocks (vast majority) were gratis.
Posted by: ed ||
08/21/2006 12:22 Comments ||
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#12
Is this representative of Finland overall? And if it is, here's an interesting dynamic:
Pro-Israeli Finland
Anti-American Finland
Pro-American Israel
Posted by: Jules in the Hinterlands ||
08/21/2006 15:50 Comments ||
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#14
Try the Finnish brand of Fazer salmiak licorice sometime. It'll curl your toes. One of the classic European salted licorices. In support of Finland, I suppose we could all go out and buy 1,000 Nokia cell phones. Haven't others been doing that lately?
The Guardian describes the tide of young Muslim men coming to see an unnamed "prophet" in East London. It recalls if nothing else scenes from Christianity's apostolic age. It features a man discoursing in an exotic language simultaneously translated into many tongues for eager listeners. The gathering is thronged by a crowd from all walks of life, eager to start a pilgrimage about which little is known -- except that salvation lies at the end of it. Men who would never have acknowledged each other socially gather and share a makeshift meal together. This is radical Islam in the heart of the West.
[..] After an hour the preacher concluded with a call for followers to join the effort and commit to a trip away. "We must leave our houses, our businesses, our families, for a short period of time, and follow the path of Allah and practise the ways of the prophet, going from mosque to mosque," said the interpreter. "Then [the behaviour] will become second nature to us. We shall go to India and Pakistan for four months to follow these ways."
What Tablighi followers call "the effort" - travelling around the country for three days or 10 days, depending on their level of commitment - is key to the organization. Once they have completed the first stage, they may undertake a 40-day trip, which is likely to entail travel around Europe. ...
[..]
Ben Stein's key insight, one which he unfortunately does not pursue, is that while liberalism is willing to leave anyone "out there all alone to die" at the sign of the first inconvenience, there are components of the West -- and the non-Muslim world -- willing to stand in front of the iceberg. And the willingness to resist tyranny grows proportionately to the cultural distance from liberalism. Yet liberalism has and continues to set the West's agenda in the fight against Islamic fascism
[..]
Head over to the club and read.
A group of Canadian parliamentarians toured devastated south Lebanon Sunday, and came away fuming at Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his acceptance of what they referred to as Israeli's "crimes against humanity." "We could have been a voice of peace calling for a ceasefire and a negotiated agreement," said Peggy Nash, a Toronto MP and New Democrat as she toured Qana, the town where 29 civilians died as they hid from the Israeli bombs. "That's what should have happened here, and these people might have been still alive."
Nash was one of three Canadian parliamentarians who toured the Lebanese war zones with the National Council on Canada-Arab relations. She was joined on the trip by Etobicoke Liberal Borys Wrzesnewskyj and Bloc Québécois member Maria Mourani on a fact-finding mission to the war-ravaged towns of Qana, Bint Jbeil and Aytaroun. The trip would have been an all-party affair, but Conservative MP Dean del Mastro pulled out at the last moment.
The only smart one.
"It's hard to know what to say," Nash told CBC News as she toured the devastated towns. "It's overwhelming."
They met residents who had lost their family in the Israeli airstrikes last month, and offered their condolences to the Shalhoub family, which included most of the 29 Qana victims. They went to Aytaroun, where the Canadian al-Akhras family was caught in the conflict and eight people died.
"I'm ashamed to be a Canadian," said Wrzesnewskyj, saying Harper favoured the Israeli position too much.
I ashamed to hear you're a Canadian.
"Canada should send in peacekeepers," he said, and Canada should allow dialogue with the political wing of Hezbollah. "We don't want to see any more terrorism, whether the terrorism of suicide bombers or launching rockets or state terrorism. This is state terrorism," he said pointing to the bomb craters behind him.
Both Mourani and Wrzesnewskyj referred to Israel's "crimes against humanity," and criticized Harper for "condoning human massacres." Support Harper in every way possible - the Looney Tranzi *bats are still there, still spewing, still symping, still seething, still scheming for a return to power.
#1
Hezbollah giving them a guided tour? One of the reasons the conservative dropped out.
Posted by: john ||
08/21/2006 10:27 Comments ||
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#2
"I'm ashamed to be a Canadian"
Your Country Love it or Leave it truly is Bumper sticker logic. However, if someone is compelled to publicly declare their shame of citizenship while in a foreign country they need to seriously consider moving.
#3
What garbage. New Democrat = Full Traitor. With scum like these as MP's , it is a wonder that someone like Mr. Harper is Prime Minister. Now that these traitors are out of country, I recommend delaying their return by 10 years.
#4
Nash was one of three Canadian parliamentarians who toured the Lebanese war zones with the National Council on Canada-Arab relations.
The NCC-A has been lobbying to have Hezbollah removed from the terrorist designation. These clowns are on what we used to call the "cook's tour". Lebanon and Syria. they are not going to Israel to see what Hebollah rockets do when they land.
What they also do not say is that MP Maria Mourani is of Lebanese origin. Shiite?
Posted by: john ||
08/21/2006 11:17 Comments ||
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#5
Maria = Christian Leb.
Posted by: ed ||
08/21/2006 11:49 Comments ||
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#6
ed:Maria = Christian Leb.
Not necessarily true. Mary is a traditional Arab name - its Arabic equivalent is Mariam. Many Arab Muslims anglicize their Arab first names to blend. Yusuf is Joseph. Yakub is Jacob. Musa is Moses.
#7
Miriam is dual religion enough not to change it to fit into Canada. It's not like Mohammedisha.
ELECTION 2006: A SURVEY FOR CANADA'S ARAB-MUSLIM VOTERS
Maria Mourani, a Lebanese Christian, was elected in Quebec’s Ahuntsic riding, representing the Bloc, beating Liberal Eleni Bakopanos by 662 votes; the riding had 5,725 Muslims and 6,550 Arabs.
Posted by: ed ||
08/21/2006 19:13 Comments ||
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HT Drudge
President Bush seized today on Democratic calls for withdrawal from Iraq to make an election-year case that his political rivals did not properly understand the threats to the nation and would create a more dangerous world. questioning their ignorance, not their patriotism? Rove strikes!
It was the most direct attack Mr. Bush has made yet against the Democrats from a White House lectern this election year, and it effectively marked the beginning of a more outright political season for the president and his aides as they work to help Republicans maintain control of Congress this fall. firing back? How dare he?!
The appearance marked an early, pre-Labor Day start to the official campaign season, but it comes as Mr. Bush and his party face the most daunting electoral challenge of his presidency, with continued voter dissatisfaction over the course of the Iraq war, the high price of gasoline and the presidents overall job performance. the Donks have never stopped campaigning, so how is this an early start?
Democrats have pointed to polls showing public support for the war is continuing to wane, and the president acknowledged as much today. These are challenging times, and theyre difficult times, and theyre straining the psyche of our country, Mr. Bush said during an hour-long news conference. Nobody wants to turn on their TV on a daily basis and see havoc wrought by terrorists. "they'd rather see Brittany or Nancy Pelosi...well, scratch that last one.."
The chief law enforcement officers of several Texas counties along the southern U.S. border warn that Arabic-speaking individuals are learning Spanish and integrating into Mexican culture before paying smugglers to sneak them into the United States. The Texas Sheriffs' Border Coalition believes those individuals are likely terrorists and that drug cartels and some members of the Mexican military are helping them get across the border.
Sheriff Sigifredo Gonzalez of Zapata County, Texas told Cybercast News Service that Iranian currency, military badges in Arabic, jackets and other clothing are among the items that have been discovered along the banks of the Rio Grande River. The sheriff also said there are a substantial number of individuals crossing the southern border into the U.S. who are not Mexican. He described the individuals in question as well-funded and able to pay so-called "coyotes" - human smugglers - large sums of money for help gaining illegal entry into the U.S.
Although many of the non-Mexican illegal aliens are fluent in Spanish, Gonzalez said they speak with an accent that is not native. "It's clear these people are coming in for reasons other than employment," Gonzalez said.
#7
Don't even need to dig holes. Bodies will be picked clean to the bones in about 3 months by the critters. Just take them off to the side and stake them down.
New Delhi has given Islamabad full dossiers on terrorist camps and organisations operating in Pakistani territory, but Pakistan is in denial about their presence, Indias Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma has said. They know the names and organisations we have been naming, the same organisations have been acted upon, Mr Sharma said in response to a question in an interview with the Indian Express. We have given them details of camps. They have been given complete dossiers. They are in denial. The problem is that we have a foreign policy, the Pakistanis only have an India policy. India is their obsession.
Asked about the future of the peace process between the two countries after the suspension of foreign secretary talks, Mr Sharma said: The talks must continue. But there should be a conducive atmosphere for the talks to take place.
He blamed the breakdown of the peace talks on the provocative and uncalled for statements from Pakistan following the Mumbai blasts. We started the dialogue process with Pakistan with a set of confidence building measures. We have people-to-people contacts, academic delegations from both countries visiting each other, the bus service, scholarships to students, exchange of parliamentary delegations. After all, we are addressing six decades of mistrust. But dialogue is a two-way process. Pakistan has also made assurances to us on many counts. But foreign policy is a reflection of domestic realities. We cannot close our eyes when hundreds of our people are getting killed. Both the countries have a commitment to continue with the dialogue process. However, in the wake of the Mumbai blasts, Pakistan is in a mode of denial. And their statements are not helpful for the dialogue process to continue, Mr Sharma said.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/21/2006 00:00 ||
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Good luck with that. Afganistan did the same thing and got the same answer.
Posted by: Captain America ||
08/21/2006 0:37 Comments ||
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I'm sure the Paki's were shocked when they handed the dossiers to them...
ISLAMABAD - The Pakistan government has decided to move swiftly against some 400 alleged leading activists of banned organizations in a fresh drive against extremism, news reports said on Sunday.
Maybe they can do a full tribal lashkar. I do enjoy those drums.
The decision to launch a crackdown came nearly ten days after a failed airline terrorism plot in Britain that found connection in Pakistan.
Top-ranking police and intelligence officials met in Islamabad on Saturday to draw up a new plan, following instructions by President Pervez Musharraf to move strongly against the preachers of sectarian hatred and violence.
"And make sure we announce to the press well in advance."
The meeting of the Inter-Provincial Coordination Committee (IPCC) decided to take action against some 400 activists of organizations Musharraf had banned in early 2002. They would be proceeded against under the Anti-Terrorist Act and detained for a year, English language daily The News reported. However, the cases of identified Islamic extremist activists would be reviewed every three months.
There had been similar crackdowns on extremist elements in the past but most of them were released after months of detention. The IPCC has also decided to seal printing presses involved in producing hate material and take action against prayer leaders who incite people to sectarian violence.
That's going to work well.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/21/2006 00:00 ||
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#5
Yep, time to ally with India and do a pincher movement - US troops from the west, Indian troops from the east, meet in Karachi for the victory celebration. Take out the ENTIRE NWFP and give India full authority over Kashmir. Split the rest of the country between India and Afghanistan, with Afghanistan getting Balouchistan and everything west of the Indus river, India getting everything east of the Indus. Pakistan becomes a "former nation". Then India can start paying more attention to Bangladesh.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/21/2006 15:52 Comments ||
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#6
They might get somewhere if their list began with the ISI. Until then, it's all window dressing.
#7
Comment No 5.
Keep fantasizing. Pakistan will continue to be a source of consternation - how do they get away with it. Why not look at the source of the funding and wahhabi preaching i.e Saudi. Do they have too much investment in US, too much oil. Deal with the root cause not a poor third world country.
Saddam Hussein and six former commanders go on trial in Baghdad today on charges of killing tens of thousands of Kurdish villagers in a genocidal campaign that devastated northern Iraq 18 years ago. Also on trial is Saddam's cousin, Ali Hassan al-Majid, known as "Chemical Ali" for allegedly ordering poison gas attacks. As in a separate ongoing trial, Saddam is likely to plead not guilty and say the deaths were a legitimate state response to attacks by Kurdish guerrillas allied with Iran.
Judges are considering their verdict in the other case involving the killing of 148 Shi'ite Muslim men following a 1982 assassination attempt on Saddam in the town of Dujail. In the new trial Saddam and six others are charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Anfal campaign, from February to August 1988. Saddam and Majid also face the additional graver charge of genocide. The 69-year-old former leader faces a dozen or so trials, including a separate case over the deaths of some 5,000 Kurds in one specific gas attack on the town of Halabja in March 1988.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/21/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Shoot him in the back of the head save taxpayers money. :)
UNITED NATIONS - The United States is planning to introduce a new U.N. resolution on disarming Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, but U.S. Ambassador John Bolton said Monday this should not hold up the quick deployment of U.N. peacekeepers. Or the slow deployment. Or the no deployment.
Bolton said getting an expanded U.N. force on the ground is the most urgent priority because of the fragile cease-fire agreement that came into effect Aug. 14 under U.N. Resolution 1701, which calls for the 2,000-member U.N. force to be expanded to 15,000 troops.
The U.N. says it wants at least 3,500 new troops on the ground in south Lebanon by Aug. 28, but countries that are potential troop contributors have expressed concern about the rules of engagement and exactly what troops would be required to do, especially regarding the disarming of Hezbollah.
While several Muslim nations have pledged troops to the new force, there have been no major pledges from European countries, which the U.S. wants to ensure that the U.N. contingent is balanced. The European Union has scheduled a meeting Wednesday to discuss possible contributions to the force, known as UNIFIL. Whether the prospect of a new resolution on disarming Hezbollah could break that impasse remains to be seen.
President Bush talked about a new resolution at a news conference in Washington when he was asked whether the United States would demand that U.N. peacekeepers disarm Hezbollah.
"There will be another resolution coming out of the United Nations, giving further instructions to the international force," he said. "First things first is to get the rules of engagement clear so that the force will be robust to help the Lebanese."
"One thing ... for certain is that when this force goes in to help Lebanon Hezbollah won't have that safe haven or that kind of freedom to run in Lebanon's southern border," Bush said.
Asked soon after about a new resolution, Bolton said, "As we've always contemplated, the disarming of Hezbollah, which was not specifically addressed in 1701, would have to be addressed, and that should be coming shortly."
But U.S. officials stressed that there is no new resolution on the drawing board yet. "It's premature to talk about the timing of a second resolution at this point," said Bolton's spokesman, Richard Grenell. "Our priority right now is to get a robust international force on the ground."
The Security Council received a briefing Monday on the latest situation in Lebanon and efforts by the U.N. peacekeeping department to rapidly put together an expanded force.
Asked how confident he was that the U.N. can come up with the numbers it needs, Bolton replied: "I think it's still a work in progress. I think that's the best I can say. I don't think there's any doubt in our mind of the urgency of the deployment of the full, enhanced UNIFIL as soon as possible."
Bolton stressed that the U.S. "road map" includes full implementation of Resolution 1559 adopted by the Security Council in 2004, which calls for the disarmament of all militias in Lebanon including Hezbollah.
"So the question of dealing with Hezbollah or whether they deal with themselves by becoming a real political party instead of a terrorist group is obviously on the agenda," he said.
Bolton said the initial force "can be deployed now but it's obviously closely linked" to disarming Hezbollah.
"And we want the disarming of Hezbollah to be accomplished rapidly so that the democratically elected government of Lebanon can establish full control over its territory," he said.
Bolton said an expanded force could be deployed and then have its mandate changed later.
Posted by: Bobby ||
08/21/2006 14:57 ||
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#1
The U.N. says it wants at least 3,500 new troops on the ground in south Lebanon by Aug. 28
#4
Who is behind this idiocy ? Rice ? This is a total waste of time. Just concentrate on getting the heavy ordnance to Israel, right now. I mean MOABs, napalm, 155 ammo, etc. Just be ready to lay waste to everything and everyone in the path once they start lobbing rockets again.
#5
The only upside of this is that America has now made Hezbollah's disarming a key feature of the truce. Since this is essentially a physical impossibility, it will then provide the green light for Israel to resume kicking @ss and taking names on its northern border.
As on so many other ocassions, this is merely a formality to show that all measures were attempted. Our use of UN channels before GWII is an example. Islam never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity, so now the gloves can finally be stripped off for good.
August 21, 2006: Israel collected ample evidence that Iran and Syria had supplied Hizbollah with anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM) and rockets. The evidence was in the form of many captured weapons (often with data plates giving serial numbers and nation of manufacture.) In addition to complete weapons, there were many fragments found, collected, and carried back to Israel. The latest Russian ATGM (the 9M133 Kornet) was found in great numbers. These had been openly sold to Syria back in 2002. It was feared that some might show up in Iraq, but they never did. Iran apparently supplied hundreds of its version of the older Russian 9M113 Konkurs. This is a 32 pound, wire guided missile design from the 1970s.
Russian, Syrian and Iranian rockets were found in abundance, both in Lebanon (intact, or destroyed by Israeli bombs, or as fragments in Israel). Although most of the world prefers to change the subject, Israel will continue to ask why these nations sold all these weapons to a terrorist organization.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/21/2006 12:23 ||
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Israel will continue to ask why these nations sold all these weapons to a terrorist organization.
PICK ONLY ONE OF THE FOLLOWING ANSWERS:
A. They are in denial and refuse to accept the fact that Hizbollah is a terrorist organization.
B. They would sell weapons to anyone if the price is right.
C. They will do anything to disrupt peace and further the destruction of the State of Israel.
A group of hundreds of officers and men of the crack Alexandroni Brigade hurled charges against the Chief of Staff, Lt. Dan Halutz at a meeting in Hadera. One carried a banner with the motto: You prevented us from winning.
Halutz received them after signs of mutiny appeared among the brigades reservists the first ever staged by a complete Israeli combat unit against the high command.
Brigade officers signed a letter in which they warned that if their willingness to fight for their country continues to be trampled on, there will be no one left to fight the next war.
They spoke of a deep crisis of confidence and alienation between the officers and soldiers of the brigade and its commanders, the northern command and the general staff. The reservists repeated the grievances of other units that they were sent into battle without appropriate equipment, food or water.
Worst of all, their orders were confused, contradictory and unrelated to what they found in the field. Tactical intelligence data was missing throughout the campaign, forcing them to fight blind.
Last week, the brigades commander, Col. Shlomi Cohen, called the protesters impertinent and threatened them with court martial.
When the chief of staff promised that every complaint would be thoroughly investigated, one of the participants at the showdown burst out: Who needs an inquiry government or judicial?
The Lebanon fiasco is so glaring that it cries to heaven. We all know where responsibility lies - in the military and national leadership. They should all resign and not hide behind some probe else the crisis of confidence in the army will deepen.
In contrast to the chief of staff, the Chief Infantry and Paratroop Officer, Brig. Yossi Maimon, admitted: We have sinned. He confessed to a deep sense of responsibility for failing to better prepare the army and reserve units for battle. Notwithstanding the heroism the army demonstrated in combat, we are left with a strong sense of missing out, he said.
#1
In Israel this is seen as a sign of a healthy, vibrant, engaged populace. Democracy at work.
In the Arab middle east, this is seen as Israeli weakness (not to mention that if such a thing were to happen in those countries, the protesters would be "dealt with.")
Posted by: Captain America ||
08/21/2006 13:15 Comments ||
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#3
The Israelis won't stop short the next time. Annex the land to the Litani and deport all the muslims to Syria. It makes a lot of sense to shorten the border perimeter by half and make use of a river barrier.
Posted by: ed ||
08/21/2006 13:16 Comments ||
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#4
Only impressive if Israel can replace the current bozos with a decent crop of leaders. This appears to be not an isolated failure, but a broad based failure in many Israeli institutions. Why is Olmert still in office? Do the majority of Israeli Knesset members and voters agree with some here that Olmert and Halutz led Israel to a brilliant victory?
I fear a generation of fools is in charge of Israel now and there are not enough true leaders available from it to get its institutions into the correct gear. They remind me of that Silent Generation between the "Greatest Generation" and the Boomers here in America. At least we were smart enough to keep them out of the White House.
#5
This report is talking about far more serious issues than Olmert being soft. It speaks to very bad command & control and logistic supply issues. Lots of confusion on the ground, poorly conceived tactical plans with resulting poor execution. There is an incredible amount of rework that needs to be done here. It is not going to be able to be done overnight. Seems like Israel needs this ceasefire just as much as the Hezzies.
#6
I thought that units were always sent to the front short of everything with confused orders. Isn't that what essentially happened in the Six Day War? That one turned out pretty well.
#7
remoteman---I like your comments. We seem to have a broad spectrum failure at all levels of the command structure, from the govt down through the IDF. They have serious institutional and command problems that need to be addressed now. Israel can win when it hits hard and fast, setting their enemy back on its heels, reeling. If the IDF cannot do it like that, Israel will be attritted to death. There are a lot more arabs than Israelis that can be fed into the cauldron.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
08/21/2006 18:26 Comments ||
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#8
And it appears that a war run by a PM and Defense Minister who have no real military experience was an unmitigated disaster. My understanding is that Peretz was actually slotted for the Finance Minister position but somehow ended up in defense.
My guess is that Netanyahu and Likud move back into power. Nobody wants a repeat of this fiasco.
#10
Part of all this is more due to an emphasis on "chasing Palestinians", urban manouvering, and guard-post staffing, and less emphasis on combat-training, combat-related intelligence, and developing competent warfare-focused leadership.
That is failure to be laid at the feet of the current and past regimes.
#11
Proof once again that the on going confusion will open the door for the treacherous man of peace' mentioned in the Book of Revelation with a phoney 7 year covenant that he will break and the Israelis will then finally wake up just before Christ their Messiah comes back to clean house.
But what do I know.
Posted by: Saint Jimbo ||
08/21/2006 21:42 Comments ||
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#12
Christ is the Messiah of the Christians, Saint Jimbo. The Jewish Messiah is 100 per cent human, with no admixture from Above. An area I've made a bit of a study of, actually.
JERUSALEM - Israel on Sunday asked Italy to manage border posts between Syria and Lebanon and play a fundamental part in the multinational peacekeeping force to be deployed in southern Lebanon. It is important that the multinational force arrives in the region as quickly as possible and that Italy is a fundamental part of it, Israeli premier Ehud Olmert said during a telephone conversation with Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi.
Ehud really isn't in a position to persuade anyone, is he.
He asked Prodi to supply an Italian contingent that would patrol border posts between Syria and Lebanon, according to an Israeli official statement. Israel considers the participation of the Italian army as a vital element in applying UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and this participation will contribute to peace and stability in the Middle East, Olmert said.
Prodi responded that he intended to send a logical contingent that would be able to fulfill its mission and that he would submit the matter to parliament for consideration.
In other words, fat chance.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/21/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Don't beg Olmert looks bad. I think Israel needs new elections this guy is just not getting it.
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul was verbally accosted by a young Arab man during a visit to the Temple Mount on Sunday, police said. The heckler, who shouted 'don't shake his hand, he is a heretic and not a Muslim,' was detained by police on the scene, and removed from the ancient compound, Jerusalem police spokeswoman Sigal Toledo said. The minister's visit to the Jerusalem holy site continued without further incident. Three years ago, Muslim extremists threw shoes at Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher during a visit to the Jerusalem holy site.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/21/2006 00:00 ||
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Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Israel would not accept the presence of peacekeepers in Lebanon from countries that don't have diplomatic relations with the state, officials said on Sunday. The decision complicated efforts by the United Nations to form a 15,000-strong peacekeeping force to help enforce a truce that ended 34 days of fighting between Israel and Hizbullah.
The decision was made at a meeting of Olmert's inner Security Cabinet, meeting participants said. "We will not agree that countries which do not have relations with Israel will participate in the multinational force," Olmert was quoted as saying by one official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak to the media.
Indonesia, Malaysia and Bangladesh - Muslim countries that do not have diplomatic ties with Israel - are among the only countries to have offered front-line troops for the expanded force. Europe, which had been expected to lead the force, has been slow to make any firm troop commitments. UN officials have called on Europe to offer more troops to balance commitments from Muslim countries.
The UN cease-fire resolution does not explicitly give Israel authority to block countries from joining the peacekeeping mission, but it does say the force should "coordinate its activities ... with the government of Lebanon and government of Israel."
Posted by: Fred ||
08/21/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
The media is playing word games again...
Without relations = doesn't recognize Israel as a state
Posted by: Captain America ||
08/21/2006 13:19 Comments ||
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Palestinian Islamic Jihad (Holy War) said on Saturday that the movement will not join a coalition government that is likely to be formed. Khaled al-Batsh, a local Jihad leader, made the remarks to reporters in Gaza in response to earlier reports that Jihad might take part in a national unity government. "We will not join any national unity government, but we will welcome it," said al-Batsh, asserting that his movement would stick to the choice of resistance against Israel.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Ismail Haneya recently agreed on opening talks about the coalition cabinet, though Haneya ruled out the coalition as long as the ministers and lawmakers from his ruling Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) remained held in Israel. Seemed to be a response to Haneya's conditions, Israel arrested on Saturday Palestinian Deputy Prime Minister Nasser al-Shaar in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
Al-Batsh told reporters that the Islamic Jihad will not oppose the formation of a government where all representatives of Palestinian people are joining to overcome the crisis and counter the aggression in a united way. Talking about President Abbas' Thursday remarks about a ceasefire with Israel, al-Batsh voiced rejection to any truce with Israel for the time being, saying that Jihad's priorities now are centered around keeping up the resistance and driving the aggression away. "The issue of calmness with Israel would be subject for discussion and understanding only when the aggression is stopped completely," he affirmed.
Meanwhile, Jihad's military wing also vowed to keep military operations in the Gaza Strip and deep inside the "Zionist" entity as long as the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people continued. A spokesman for the group, identified himself as Abu Abdullah, said that "there will be no truce at the expense of children and martyr's blood."
Posted by: Fred ||
08/21/2006 00:00 ||
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Another sterling example of my best and favorite oxymoron; ARAB UNITY.
Chinese Malaysians form 10% of the population, but control 60% of the economy. The other productive sector is the Hindu merchant. Malays are lazy parasites who leach off the sweat of the minorities that they exploit. And now they are exporting their backwardness to Thailand.
THE main findings of the survey:
Islam as the main identity marker of Malaysian Muslims. 72.7 per cent choose being Muslim as their primary identity.
A growing orthodoxy in beliefs
77.3 per cent want stricter syariah (Shariah) laws in Malaysia.
57.3 per cent want the hudud (Islamic penal code) to be implemented.
44.1 per cent want the authorities to monitor and punish immoral behaviour.
71.1 per cent say Malaysians should be allowed to choose their religion, but 97.7 per cent feel that Muslims should not be allowed to leave Islam.
Gender rights
76.6 per cent say men and women have equal rights, but only 55.5 per cent say women can be syariah (Shariah) court judges.
Religious influence
73 per cent say their parents are the strongest influence on their religious beliefs, with religious teachers coming in a far second at 9.4 per cent and religious lectures and sermons at 3.2 per cent.
93 per cent have heard about Islam Hadhari (Hadith) but only 53.3 per cent say they understand it...
Perception of the West
39 per cent choose 'hate' to describe their feelings towards the US, with 44.5 per cent choosing 'dislike'. In total, 83.5 per cent have a negative attitude towards America. A total of 13.4 per cent choose the option 'okay'.
For Europe, 18.8 per cent choose 'hate' to describe their feelings, with 38.2 per cent choosing 'dislike'. A total of 34.3 per cent choose the option 'okay'.
For Australia, it is 18.3 per cent for 'hate', 36.6 per cent for 'dislike' and 35.1 per cent for 'okay'.
#5
It's so much easier to embrace a gutter religion that tells you it's all the west's fault, rather than actually improve yourself and learn to actually contribute something beneficial to humanity.
#8
This is Bullshit, don't read too much into it. With statements like:Islam as the main identity marker of Malaysian Muslims it is clear the survey was done by idiots. Sounds to me like they went to a few muzzie communities and asked a few dregs what they thought. Sort of like going to Berkley to do a US survey.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
08/21/2006 10:31 Comments ||
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#9
As we have painfully learned from watching the MSM spew polls as propaganda, this means nothing without the details of how the poll was taken such as the composition of the sample, the questions, etc. Unfortunately Snease Shaiting3550's assessment of the population reinforces my impressions from the dealings I've had with the Malaysian military and government folks.
#10
The 2005 US-Malaysia trade deficit was $23.2 billion or 18% of Malaysian GDP. Why in the world would the US contribute to the economic growth of islamic supremists is beyond me. I would much rather see that money and rise in living standards go to Thailand or anywhere else but to islamic or communist imperialists. 100% of me say to go pound Saudi sand you more-islamic-than-thou Malayans.
Posted by: ed ||
08/21/2006 11:41 Comments ||
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#11
I wouldn't really believe that poll as very accurate but it does cast a general picture about the wannabe Ayrabs in Malaysia. The low intensty hatred is kept alive (and cranked up lately over the years)by the educational system and madrassas for political gains. Most non muslims do not dislike the US at all except for a few socialist influenced leftards - some of which must've been the result of US left/liberal exports as well.
The US investment in the electronic industries in the Malaysia free trade zones is where it'll hurt bad if transnational co. like Motorola, Seagate and Intel etc relocates.
#15
The 2005 US-Malaysia trade deficit was $23.2 billion or 18% of Malaysian GDP. Why in the world would the US contribute to the economic growth of islamic supremists is beyond me.
Bingo, ed. America must begin withdrawing all financial support and commercial ties with Muslim majority countries. They must be shown the error of their anti-capitalistic ways. Let their economies rot or be dominated by far less benign investors.
#16
Article: 57.3 per cent want the hudud (Islamic penal code) to be implemented.
This can't be right. If this were true, Malaysia would already have elected the country's Islamist party to power and implemented Islamic law. The poll is slanted - way slanted.
SS3550: Chinese Malaysians form 10% of the population, but control 60% of the economy.
According to the CIA Factbook, they are 24% of the population.
SMILING assassin Amrozi and two other Bali bombers who were due to be executed tomorrow morning have been given a last-minute stay on their death sentences. Amrozi bin Nurhasyim, Imam Samudra and Ali Gufron reportedly want to file a final appeal.
"We have to respect the rights of the convicts because they have informed us that they want to file a final appeal," said the Indonesian attorney-general's spokesman I Wayan Pasek Suarta. "The execution cannot be carried out."
Time for the Aussie SBS to take on a mission.
It is unclear if the appeals have been officially lodged, but lawyers for the men said recently that the executions should be delayed and the proceedings allowed because prison officials had witnessed the men requesting case reviews. "An official from the Cilicap district court was present. So the execution can't be carried out legally, because we are in the process of appealing," Qadhar Faisal, one of several lawyers representing the men, said last week.
The men were scehduled to face a firing squad at dawn tomorrow.
The twin bombings killed 202 people on 12 October 2002, 88 of them Australian. The three have expressed in the past their willingness to die as martyrs.
Their death sentences have been caught up in debate about the fate of three Indonesian Christians, scheduled to be executed over the weekend for their part in riots that saw 200 mainly Muslim people killed in 2000. Two Indonesian Government sources, contradicting the official government line, have said that it would be politically difficult for the Bali bombers to be executed if the Christians were not put to death first.
The Bali three are being held in the island jail of Nusakambangan, off Java's south coast.
Last week, others convicted as accomplices in the attacks were granted reductions in their sentences as part of an annual custom.
#3
Napalm the prison. There's no reason to believe the Indonesian government has the balls to actually kill these idiots. While you're at it, napalm Bashir's "madrassah" as well.
Tell Indonesia that if they won't clean up their own mess we'll do it for them, but they won't like it. Tough.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/21/2006 16:36 Comments ||
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Firebrand Indonesian cleric Abu Bakar Bashir on Sunday called on leaders and Muslims in the world's largest Muslim-populated nation to implement Islamic sharia law. "The leaders of the state have the obligation to implement Islamic sharia in the country they lead," Bashir was quoted by the Detikcom online news portal as telling thousands of worshippers at Jakarta's main Istiqlal mosque. "I warn the rulers, you have a responsibility to govern the people using the sharia laws. There is no bargaining," added Bashir, who has served a jail term for a terrorism conspiracy.
In his sermon, Bashir also called on Indonesian Muslims to begin implementing sharia on their own. "There is no need for voting, there is no need for others' approval. There is no need to heed others' opinion," he said. He said Muslim should world together to implement sharia. "If Muslims are not united it would be an insult to Allah," he said. Bashir, 68, was released from jail in June after serving nearly 26 months for his role in a "sinister conspiracy" that led to the Bali bombings, which killed 202 people in October 2002.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/21/2006 00:11 ||
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#1
We need to implement lead poisoning on this scumbag.
"If Muslims are not united it would be an insult to Allah," he said.
We can arrange such a uniting. Although "fusing" might be a more accurate description.
#5
Ya'll might think I'm crazy, but when I see nation after nation going to Islamic extremism, I don't think of it as a necessarily bad thing. It only accelerates the cure.
The more polarized the world becomes in this new religious war, the clearer and sooner our enemies will be defined, and the sooner the west will wake from it's slumber and eradicate this foul cult from the face of the earth.
#8
This Islamist thing is financed by the Saudis. It is the world's purchasing of oil that finances this madness. Follow the money, and figure out the way to stop the flow of money to the Saudi princes. The rest is treating the disease symptomatically.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
08/21/2006 10:19 Comments ||
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#9
"There is no need for voting, "
I think that gives you an idea of Bashir's own judgement on where the majority of Indonesians stand.
#10
One opf two things need to be stopped; the flow of funds to the Saudis or the Saudis. It seems like one would be a lot easier to do than the other.
Via LFG. (Article labeled "Times Select"; posted in its entirety since the link may not last.
The shaky, United Nations-brokered cease-fire in Lebanon suffered another blow on Sunday when the European countries that had been called upon to provide the backbone of a peacekeeping force delayed a decision on committing troops until the mission is more clearly defined. "Weasel One to Weasel Two - how are we gonna get out of this sh*t?"
Their reservations postponed any action on the force at least until Wednesday, when the European Union will take up the issue. Haunted by their experiences in Bosnia in the 1990s, when their forces were unable to stop widespread ethnic killing, European governments are insisting upon clarifying the chain of command and rules of engagement before plunging into the even greater complexities of the Middle East.
You'd think, being 'haunted' by their past failures, they'd decide to be darned sure they don't fail this time. You'd think.
"In the past, when peacekeeping missions were not properly defined, weve seen major failures," a spokeswoman for the French Foreign Ministry, Agnès Romatet-Espagne, said Sunday. There are the bad memories of Bosnia. This time we want the answers beforehand, so we dont come to the problems when they have happened."
In addition, a senior French official said, "Italy, Spain and Finland have raised the same questions as France has." Following the usual diplomatic practice, the official asked not to be identified. A spokesman for the Spanish Foreign Ministry said Spain was willing to send troops, "but the rules have to be clarified and agreed on." "And the number one rule is nobody is supposed to shoot at us - just at the Jews."
Some countries, like Australia, which has placed forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, have refused to commit troops. "We have no intention of making any significant contribution," said a senior Australian government official, who was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. "We dont have any confidence in it. It is not going to have the mandate to disarm Hezbollah." Gotta love the plain-spoken Aussies! They know a bad joke when they see it.
The confusion over the peacekeeping force, coming just a day after an Israeli commando raid, added to fears that the cease-fire could easily break down. What cease-fire? You mean the unilateral Israeli withdrawal? 'Cuz the Lebanese and the Hezzies (but I repeat myself) sure haven't done anything they supposedly agreed to do.
"Unfortunately, there is a tilting edge where things very easily, within the next weeks or months, can slide out of control," a top United Nations envoy, Terje Roed-Larsen, said at a news conference in Beirut on Sunday, after two days of meetings with Lebanese officials. Finland, which holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, scheduled the Wednesday meeting in Brussels, where diplomatic and military experts were expected to address questions that they believed have still not been properly answered.
"We need to know what are the material and legal means at our disposal," the French defense minister, Michèle Alliot-Marie, said Friday. "You cant send in men and tell them: Observe what is going on, but you dont have the right to defend yourself or shoot." And why not? That's what the UN always does. See UNFIL, dead Canadians.
Michèle, you're the Defense Minister. You can give your boys the order to shoot. Really.
In a further complication, Israels prime minister, Ehud Olmert, told his cabinet on Sunday that he did not want countries that did not have diplomatic relations with Israel to participate in the force, according to an official in the prime ministers office. Gee, I wonder why that would be? Maybe because those countries would help the Hezzies?
Malaysia, Indonesia and Bangladesh are among the countries that have offered frontline troops but don't think Israel exists, or has the right to have no diplomatic ties with Israel.
Mr. Olmert spoke by telephone with Prime Minister Romano Prodi of Italy and called on Italy to take a leading role in the international force, according to a statement released by Mr. Olmerts office. Italy has offered to send up to 3,000 troops while France, which helped broker the cease-fire, has so far refused to commit more than 200. And is anybody with two functioning brain cells surprised at this? Phrance wants to pretend they're important, not actually do anything important. And they definitely don't want to upset the Arabs, their favorite bribery trading partners.
While the troubled peacekeeping force dominated discussion in Europe, repercussions from a commando raid in Lebanon on Saturday night were still being felt in Israel. Why? Because the Israelis were surprised Olmert found his balls for a few minutes?
Israeli officials defended the risky nighttime operation, which they said was aimed at stopping the smuggling of weapons to Hezbollah and was fully justified, since the United Nations truce calls for an end to the rearming of the militant group. Officials hinted that the Israeli military would act again if it suspected new weapons were flowing to Hezbollah. "The resolution has very clear directives on limiting the transfer of weapons from Syria and Iran into Lebanon," said Isaac Herzog, the tourism minister and a member of Israels security cabinet. "The directives speak of a full embargo. As long as it is not enforced, we have the full right to act against it." Preach it, brother! (Someday someone needs to explain to me why their tourism minister is the one delivering this message, instead of, say, their defense minister. Just a thought.)
Israel gave few details about the raid, and speculation abounded in the Israeli news media that the commandos were trying to free the two Israeli soldiers whose capture started the conflict, or to kill a Hezbollah leader. One such official, Sheik Muhammad Yazbeck, lives in the area where the operation took place.
In Lebanon, Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, touring the ruins on the Shiite southern edge of the capital, where apartment buildings were flattened for blocks, called the Israel bombing raids "a crime against Hezbollah's money humanity." "What we see today is an image of the crimes Israel has committed," he said. There is no other description other than a criminal act that shows Israels hatred." Methinks he doth protest too much. Mealsothinks he's projecting his own hatred of Israel.
The Lebanese defense minister, Elias Murr, who on Saturday threatened to halt the deployment of Lebanese troops to the south if Israel carried out any more raids, warned Sunday that anyone who fired rockets toward Israel from southern Lebanon would be treated as a "traitor" for giving the Israelis an excuse to resume hostilities. The warning appeared to be directed not toward Hezbollah, which he said had pledged to honor the cease-fire, ... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
... but to their buddies in murder fringe groups, particularly those in Palestinian refugee camps. Speaking at a news conference at the Defense Ministry in the hills overlooking Beirut, Mr. Murr also had harsh words for the Israelis, saying the commando raid showed "the whole world" who was violating "international resolutions." Who gives a rat's ass about "international resolutions" intended to destroy the Jooooooos?
While the Israeli military is normally quick to publicize its successes sometimes even providing videos of the raids through eerie green night-vision lenses scant details of the commando raid near the Hezbollah stronghold of Baalbek were disclosed. Hmmmmm. Must have gotten what/who they wanted.
An official statement released by the army said, "The goals of the operation were achieved in full" Heh.
But in the Lebanese village of Boudai, residents gave graphic accounts yesterday of a commando force, wearing Lebanese Army uniforms and shouting in Arabic, that was chased down by local guerrillas and forced to evacuate by helicopter. Ah, yes, the Lions of Islam standard lie: "victorious" again - in their own minds.
The commandos were from the Sayeret Matkal, the Israeli news media reported, the countrys most elite, legendary and secretive unit, one that carried out, among other operations, the famous Entebbe raid to free hostages held on an airliner. Lt. Col. Emanuel Morano, who was apparently the leader of the force, put at about 100 men by the Israeli news media, was killed and another officer and a soldier were wounded.
Lead from the front, did he? A hero.
In Israel, it was widely assumed that the mission was considered highly important and involved something more than interdicting an effort to resupply Hezbollah with standard weaponry. Many of the reports in the Israeli news media centered on speculation that the raid was intended to gather intelligence or evidence about advanced, Russian-made weaponry sold to Syria and being sent into Lebanon for Hezbollah.
In an analysis in the newspaper Yediot Aharonot, Alex Fishman wrote that Hezbollah had been using advanced Soviet-made antitank weapons. More than 10 days ago, he wrote, a legal opinion was written by lawyers reviewing the United Nations-backed cease-fire agreement "stipulating unequivocally" that attacks on Hezbollah weaponry would be classified as "an act of defense." Yeah, but those are just words - Joooooos are not supposed to take them seriously!
Whatever the purpose of the raid, most agreed it never would have been disclosed if the commandos had not run into serious difficulties. "Nobody was supposed to hear about the secret operation two days ago deep inside Lebanon, one of the secret operations the public is not told about," the newspaper Maarivsaid. But, the paper added, "the mission got in trouble on the way."
The daily Haaretz quoted an unidentified military source as saying, "We were really lucky the operation did not end with 10 commandos killed." Jeez, you'd think at least the Israeli MSM would be a little different from the NYT, et al.
Some commentators described the raid as another black mark for the Israeli military, already under severe criticism for its conduct of the Lebanon war. Writing in Yediot Aharonot, Amir Rappaport said, "The operation was intended to be absolutely secret and the mere fact that it was revealed and even claimed casualties is proof of its failure."
"The skirmish between the commando troops and the Hezbollah fighters, which was not planned, also displays Israel to the world as though it violated the U.N. resolution. Absurdly enough, the mission that ran into trouble was also intended to allow Israel to provide proof later on that Syria, Hezbollah and Iran were not honoring the agreement." For what? Everybody knows they've no intention of honoring the agreement. And any proof Israel would provide would be ignored anyway.
European hesitation over committing troops to the peacekeeping force is to some extent rooted in bitter memories of the Continents experiences in Bosnia, where foreign troops were not only unable to prevent large-scale ethnic killing but were themselves held hostage at times by the warring parties. Some of the peacekeepers ineffectiveness was attributed to unclear rules of engagement and to conflicting chains of command between national defense ministries and the United Nations. Face it, guys. Anything labeled "U.N." is doomed to failure - it's built in, just like their penchant for five-star resorts and raping refugee goats children.
But some critics say the delay may indicate that military chiefs of staff are at odds with their diplomats who helped write the peacekeeping resolution and planning documents. Ya' think?
The United Nations has said it is looking for at least 3,500 troops to arrive by Sept. 2. So far France has promised 200 soldiers. Fifty military engineers landed in Lebanon this weekend and the rest are to arrive later this week. But Frances initial contribution has fallen far short of the 2,500 to 4,000 soldiers that it had been expected to offer. France had also been expected to assume leadership of the entire international force, which was intended to number about 15,000 troops and would join 15,000 Lebanese Army troops in patrolling southern Lebanon. Who was the idiot who believed this would ever happen - and how drunk was he?
Meeting in Cairo on Sunday, Arab foreign ministers expressed their "readiness" to contribute to the reconstruction of Lebanon. Ready, maybe. Willing? Better print some more of those counterfeit hundred dollar bills, Lebanon, 'cuz the oil ticks ain't gonna thrown their money down the Hezzie rat hole just to see it bulldozed by the IDF in the second round.
"The United Arab Emirates will rebuild the schools and hospitals in southern Lebanon and help remove landmines, Qatar will rebuild the town of Bint Jbail, and Kuwait will set aside $800 million," said Hesham Youssef, adviser to the secretary general of the Arab League. "This is in addition to the $500 million already promised by Saudi Arabia for reconstruction efforts." And a pony! Pfui.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
08/21/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Amazing, the Euros condemn Israelis for taking a bit out of Hezbos, cry for ceasefire (make it stop! make it stop!), and then back out of any commitment.
Posted by: Captain America ||
08/21/2006 0:35 Comments ||
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#2
Yeah, #1 CA - amazing.
In other news, water is wet.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
08/21/2006 0:37 Comments ||
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#3
My, this does not make the UN or the Europeans look good.
#6
Hummm -- Kofi is so worried about his legacy when departing in December.. so he can't really be happy with this change of events.
Being from the NYT, gotta be noted, someone is at least recognizing, nobody is going to Lebanon. Nobody but the Islamics want to go.
Picture of the week was the baker's dozen French soldiers arriving by watercraft! Had to LOL at that! (Blackfive has a picture, Chris Wallace had video clip on Fox)
From a poster at Belmont Club, commenting on an article by a BBC columnist named Hastings of the "Peace in our Time believers, appro the position of these Europeans backing out of commitments:
"The attitude of Mr. Hastings especially puts Tony Blair into a horrible situation. The British National Party is making inroads on the core constituency of the Labor Party the blue collar vote. Mr. Blair is ideologically opposed to the BNP and racism in general, yet he also knows that if his defeatist critics on his backbench get their way, the way would be paved for the real racists to gain sway. What Mr. Hastings fails to comprehend is that Mr. Bush and Mr. Blair are in a race against time to prevent a real war against Islam."
I found this statement of this race against time, one that deserves some thought. Kinda fits in with the earlier discussion about lots of folks feeling an impending something is about to happen.
Are Bush and Blair showing down the war? Certainly a new thought, that I've not read or heard folks talking about.
Could be like one anonymous military stated about getting our Navy and Marines in position for the evacuation of folks out of Lebanon, "Well, it takes time to get certain people to certain positions to do the certain things that certain people do in certain positions."
#7
opss -- got A's each Friday in elementary school on spelling tests. Didn't translate to my ability to spell, or to use the right letters on keyboards.
Let's change "Are Bush and Blair showing down the war" to "Are Bush and Blair slowing down the war"
#8
FOX Boys > made the Frenchies look good by still using the number "400" before breakfast. STill hard to explain how 15000 =became 2-4000 became 2-400 became SSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, 200.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
08/21/2006 3:13 Comments ||
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#10
Ok, sort of O.T. here, but what's to prevent the gulf states from funneling $ to the Palis under the cover of "rebuilding Lebanon"? Not that the "Coalition of the Unwilling" here would actually do much about it if they saw it going on, but I really doubt Malaysia would raise the alarm, for example.
#11
What Mr. Hastings fails to comprehend is that Mr. Bush and Mr. Blair are in a race against time to prevent a real war against Islam.
Why shouldn't there be a real war against Islam? Islam has mounted a real war against civilization.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
08/21/2006 6:16 Comments ||
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#12
A week ago I thought that the Israeli attack was hampered by a reluctant Olmert, and the cease fire was intended to give Israel a chance to remove Olmert and prepare to attack a second time. Now, I can see the brilliant move to expose the UN as the collection of yoyos they are.
Priceless.
#13
Thats exactly whats happening Swamp Blondie, good catch! Now a number of NGO's, for peace of course, will go in there and rebuild Hezbullah.
The French have this fear of Bosnia happening to them again, cowards cowards cowards. Well if my memory is right it was the French and the rest of europe that stood by and watched the ethnic clensing of Bosnia, only to go in when it was just about over and fairly safe. I think at the end of the day europes cold feet will help Israel in this war by not getting in the middle of it in any real sense, boots on the ground. Israel will ignore europe and needs nothing from them to be successful against the Hez.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
08/21/2006 8:18 Comments ||
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Sunday when the European countries that had been called upon to provide the backbone of a peacekeeping force delayed a decision on committing troops until the mission is more clearly defined.
Yes indeed, please if you will, further define "peacekeeping." The Hezbots must be dancing in the streets and praying to Alan that the Euros never come. I think their prayers will be answered.
Meanwhile .... In Lebanon, Prime Minister Fuad Saniora, a Sunni Muslim, and parliament speaker Nabih Berri, a Shiite and Hezbollah supporters, decried the destruction wrought by Israeli bombs as crimes against humanity during a highly publicized tour of the devastated guerrilla stronghold in Beiruts southern suburbs on Sunday.
WTF? I thought the Jooooooos failed and they "WON" the bloody war.
#15
So what wel will end up here is a un force that basically provides security for Hezbullah. WTG eu just goes to show that they are all talk and no action.
P.S. I thought the Bosnia was that shining jewell of the Clinton administration? I guess I was wrong.
#16
49Pan, part of the French experience in Bosnia was that (if you'll recall) the Euros had a 'peacekeeping' force in Bosnia well before America and 'NATO' intervened. It was completely ineffective. The Dutch allowed the massacre at Srebrenica, and the French force was humiliated by Serb paramilitary units on a number of occasions. If my recollection is correct, there was one situation in which the Serbs handcuffed a French junior officer to a tree when he tried to intervene to stop a village from being hit.
I think the French tried to blame all this on 'unclear rules of engagement', when in fact the French politicans, like the Dutch, German, etc, weren't willing to face the situation and acknowledge that it would take some bloodshed to enforce a peace in Bosnia. Say what you want about Billy Jeff, he at least had gotten the message from Rwanda (genocide results when no one does anything about it) and wasn't about to let that happen in Bosnia. So when we intervened, we landed on the Serbs with both feet.
It's clear that the French politicans, all of them, didn't get the message. There's still in the mindset that says they want to talk big, be the big cat but not risk anything. Part of that comes from the fact that while French soldiers and officers are good, the French army is not: it lacks equipment, doctrine and numbers to be an effective expeditionary force. But a big part of it is the lack of moral fiber in the French politicans, and a large number of the French people. Lacking a clear sense of right and wrong in these matters, it becomes easy to waffle.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/21/2006 11:13 Comments ||
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we landed on the Serbs with both feet.
Both wings, perhaps, but not both feet. Personally I wasn't too enthusiastic about that terror bombing then, and I've not heard much to make me any more enthusiastic in the meantime. We should have stayed out and let the Euros stew in their own juices.
#18
This hideous joke called UN needs to be ended today. I do not want one additional penny of US tax monies going to this shithole. In addition, I want them off US territory immediately. Just observing any of their actions makes me want to puke.
#19
We sat in Macedonia waiting and watching, you are right. I do remember the French going in and Serbs taking the Dutch Brigade captive and all their equipment while Europe, and the US, watched. I was part of the task force in Europe that was supposed to go get the Dutch but our prez called it off. I believe we should have gone in sooner rather than after the genocide was over.
The thing that sets us up different from the French is the ROE. It sounds as if they are waiting the UN to define it for them, always a bad call. When we go we damn near publish it to the locals and the enemy, clearly defining the rules we will stand by. It gives our soldiers the teeth necessary to stay safe and not wind up hand cuffed to a tree or smoking a last cigarette with Milosavitch. This makes Steve right again when he talks about Europe political lack of will.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
08/21/2006 12:18 Comments ||
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#20
what you want about Billy Jeff, he at least had gotten the message from Rwanda (genocide results when no one does anything about it)
Except that the Rwandan genocide happenned after most of the vents in Bosnia. And that Americans were manipulated into believing that the Serbs were all evil and Muslims all candid doves. They should have taken a loook at the looong historian of Serb massacres perpetrated by Muslims (the later while allied with the Nazis), they should have investigated Izbetjekovic biography (he was a member of the Hanshar SS division whose atrocities apalled the "normal" SS themselves), they should have looked at Izbetjekovic proipaganda (islamic horsemen trampling serbs) and his statements about Isalmic societies not being mixable with non-Islamic ones.
I al not saying that the Serbs were right in the way they conducted the war butr they have every right not want to remain in the same state that people who elect a former SS and an actual islamo-fascist.
#21
And, don't forget what triggered that overall war: Croatia seceeded from Yugoslavia and was immediately recognized by Germany. The loudest voices in Croatia for the move were people associated with the Nazis in WWII. Did that let the Serb nationalists rally Serbs in response? You bet it did.
#22
Steve, that was a Dutch officer that was handcuffed to a tree. The bombing thing made little sense at the time and I was involved in that part of it. We also identified "mass" graves sites but for some reason the numbers didn't add up to the 10 of thousands that the Bosnians claimed. No I am not a fan of the Serbs but the Bosniacs sort of remind me of the European version of the Palestinians. The Croats are just a step above the Serbs but they were equally brutal to any Bosniac that didn't tow the line. During the Croatian offensive Storm some Bosnians POWs had Serb guards one day and Croatians the next. The treatment didnt get much better for them either. When we (U.S.) put boots on the ground the Serbs, Croats, and Bosnians all started to play nice. That is also when a lot of Bosnians (Muslim fanatics) started taking some retribution for their treatment by the Serbs/Croats.
#23
Overall, an area not worth the bones of a New Jersery Guardsman, but a lot of fine Americans do hail from all parts there. Sort of interesting the magic America has had on people who can come here and intermarry before the folks in the old country stop shooting at eachother.
#24
Thanks for the corrections and insights to what I wrote.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/21/2006 15:00 Comments ||
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#25
lets not start on ex Yugo - again - I will only say Steve, that you are not as far wrong as some commentators indicate.
Back to topic - its not unreasonable, per se, for the French to back off on troops - they ARE in the Balkans and Ivory Coast in a big way, and IIUC there are some in Afghanistan as well (though not on the front lines like the brits, Canadians, and Dutch) So they MAY be suffereing a bit of overstretch. BUT - the role they took in the end of war diplomacy implied that they WERE ready to go into Lebanon in a big way. Backing out now really does make them look stupid and weak, after a couple of years of fairly deft diplomacy. It now looks like Italy may lead the force - this represents, I suspect, a real weakening of French prestige in Lebanon, including with their former friends the Maronites - the Maronites needed them to be there, and theyre not.
It also gives Olmert an opening for all kinds of quibbling (including the recent raid into Beqaa) and that again creates problems for France in the arab world. I dont think this lets Olmert wriggle off the hook for his mistakes, but in some ways it helps him.
#28
We were living in Germany then, and my Serbian neighbor was very certain that the Europeans would completely cock up the intervention, that only America could fix the situation for them. Equally, a Croatian au pair told us that her parents refused to allow her to come home during the siege and destruction of Split, which Europe watched without intervening. As I recall, the reason Croatia seceded was because Germany made loud noises of support for their traditional allies while everybody was posturing beforehand; had the noises been in the other direction, the split likely would not have happened.
France on Sunday called for a meeting of European Union countries next week to determine rapidly the number of troops they are prepared to contribute to an expanded UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon. "We are asking that Europe express its solidarity towards Lebanon as rapidly as possible," Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy told French radio Franco Info in an interview. Douste-Blazy said he has asked Finland, which holds the rotating presidency of the 25-member bloc, to call a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels next week to "find out as rapidly as possible what the different European partners plan to do concerning Lebanon."
The United Nations said on Friday that more European soldiers were needed for a vanguard force of 3,500 troops that the UN wants on the ground by Aug. 28 to enforce a cease-fire between Israel and the Lebanese-based Hizbullah guerilla organization. France, which commands the existing force known as UNIFIL, had been expected to make a significant new contribution that would form the backbone of the expanded force.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/21/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
"Look at us! We are leading! Now the rest of you need to step up! We are right behind you! Far, far behind!"
#2
The Rrench are amazed that no one was excited by their generous offer to provide the commander and command staff for the forces to be provided by others.
Syria's President Bashar Assad was not referring to Arab leaders when he said that those who did not support the guerrilla group Hizbullah were "half men," his foreign minister said in an interview with a Kuwaiti newspaper. "What President Assad meant by this phrase was those individuals inside Syria and maybe outside it who threw doubts on the ability of the resistance to achieve victory," Foreign Minister Walid Moallem told the Al-Anba daily, which provided excerpts of the interview to The Associated Press. The full interview is to be published Monday.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/21/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Hey asshat you POS go back to hiding under your bed.
#4
Of course you meant it Asshat. They are only half men. Insinuating the remaining half is totally feminine. How humiliating! Nothing but total humiliation. Damn, the spittle is running already.
British officials are investigating reports that night vision goggles uncovered in a Hizbullah hideout were manufactured in Britain, a Foreign Office spokesman said on Monday. Britain's The Times newspaper reported Monday that Israeli officials believe the goggles may be from a consignment sold by Britain in 2003 to Iran. The sale to Tehran was intended to bolster Iranian efforts to combat heroin smuggling across the Iran-Afghanistan border as part of the United Nations Drugs Control Program, the newspaper claimed.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/21/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Kofi Asspeacher, where's your "moral clarity" here? Drowned perpetually in oily dish water.
#2
This is why we control the export of our NVG's so carefully. They will be able to tell very quickly where these things came from and if they even worked. Not knowing what set exactly they captured, it would be an easy bet that they are generations so old that they are not much good in the fight.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
08/21/2006 10:49 Comments ||
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#3
Unfortunately, these are very high quality and only a couple years old. They were transferred to Iran (from Britain)for drug interdiction from Afghanistan. They also had new Russian stuff. The Iranians have been spending lavishly due to oil revenues. And they have funneled the latest gear to the Hezbs. This is what wasn't well known. What baffles me is how they also got away clean with all the tunnel/bunker building while the UN was onsite as observers. They were clever and caught everyone flatfooted. Now tactics have to change.
#6
It's only a matter of time before we encounter the hundreds of Austrian Steyr .50 caliber sniper rifles sold to the Iranians also under the guise of drug interdiction. You never know when you will encounter 12th century tribesmen smuggling drugs using light armoured vehicles.
Posted by: ed ||
08/21/2006 12:31 Comments ||
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#7
From yesterday's thread: Brit hi-tech military gear given to Iran used by Hezb'Allah Israeli officials believe the state-of-the-art equipment, found in Hezbollah command and control headquarters in southern Lebanon and used during the month-long Middle Eastern war, which claimed more than 2,000 lives, was part of a British-government-approved shipment of 250 pieces of gear sent to Iran in 2003 and intended to help Tehran track drug traffic on its borders with Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Israeli military intelligence confirmed that one of the pieces of equipment is a Thermovision 1000 LR tactical night-vision system manufactured by Agema, a company with branches in England and San Diego.
Some info: http://www.privacy.org/pi/reports/big_bro/companies.html Using the AGEMA Thermovision 1000 it is possible to locate humans on the ground when flying at height of at least 3000 feet and distances of at least 3km.
I assume the LR version uses even better optics for longer range detection.
Just another lionk in the long chain of funding and arming those who would kill us all.
Posted by: ed ||
08/21/2006 12:46 Comments ||
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#8
Let's not forget that most of these arms deals come from countries whose citizens cannot own such armaments. It's the leftist mind set. Also, during the cold war, the manufacture and sale of guns all over the world was big business. There's prolly more AK47s than there are people. Just setting the table for the arrival of the twelvth Imam. What's his name ? I12 ? 12 cent ?
Iran said yesterday it would not suspend uranium enrichment, ruling out the main demand of a nuclear package backed by six world powers that aims to allay Western fears that Teheran is seeking to build atomic bombs. Iran says it will formally respond by tomorrow to proposals made by the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany. The six have offered incentives for Iran to suspend enrichment, a process that has both military and civilian uses.
Teheran, which insists its nuclear aims are purely civilian, shows no sign of accepting the package. "We are not going to suspend (enrichment). The issue was that everything should come out of negotiations, but suspension of uranium enrichment is not on our agenda," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi told a weekly news conference. Western diplomats say Iran must halt the atomic work before talks can start. Any response that falls short of that is likely to be considered a rejection of the offer in Western capitals.
Additional: Tehran, 21 August (AKI) - Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said Tehran will pursue its nuclear programme "with force" state television reported Monday. Khamenei was speaking on the eve of the 22 August deadline set by Tehran for its response to a Western incentive package for it to roll back its nuclear programme and a day after extensive tests of Iran's surface to surface missiles in exercises near its borders with Iraq, Turkey and Pakistan. "In the nuclear dossier, with the help of God, of patience and commitment, Iran will continue on its path with force and will gather the fruits" Khamenei was quoted as saying by the broadcast.
The five permanent members of the UN security council plus Germany offered to Iran on 6 June a package of economic, technology and diplomatic incentives in exchange for a freeze of uranium enrichment activities they fear are aimed at building nuclear weapons. Though Iran said it would respond by 22 August, the six countries decided mid July that Tehran was not considering the proposal seriously and referred the case back to the Security Council. The council voted its first legally binding resolution threatening Iran with economic sanctions if it fails to comply with the UN's request to halt enrichment by 31 August.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/21/2006 00:00 ||
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#4
Right, Joe. The 12 Imam climbs out of a well, or something. I can hardly wait. Heavy spiritual stuff. Sees his shadow, climbs back down the well, never seen again, except along with the occasional Elvis sighting.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
08/21/2006 10:37 Comments ||
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#5
And we only got Groundhog Day
Posted by: Captain America ||
08/21/2006 13:24 Comments ||
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German Chancellor Angela Merkel has ruled out sending Germany's combat troops and police to Lebanon as part of an expanded UN peacekeeping mission to secure a shaky cease-fire between Lebanon's Hezbollah group and Israel after their month-long fighting. In an interview with the Welt am Sonntag newspaper published on Sunday, Merkel reiterated Germany's stance on this issue, namely, its emphasis on avoiding the risk of a direct confrontation between German and Israeli soldiers as memories of the Holocaust are still fresh.
However, she conceded that Germany planned to send a small navy unit to help guard Lebanon's coastal waters to curb the flow of weapons into the volatile border region. Germany is also considering offering advisors and technical support to the Lebanese border police at the Israeli and Syrian frontiers and the Beirut international airport, she said.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/21/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Given the anti-shipping missiles that the Turks have intercepted enroute to Hezbollah, she might want to reconsider deploying ships.
Lebanon's defense minister said today he is certain Hezbollah will not break the cease-fire but warned all militant groups of harsh measures and a traitor's fate if they incite Israeli retaliation by firing rockets into the Jewish state. Defense Minister Elias Murr's strong remarks indicated concern that Syrian-backed Palestinian militants might try to restart the fighting by drawing retaliation from Israel.
Prime Minister Fuad Saniora, meanwhile, toured the devastated Hezbollah stronghold in south Beirut and decried the destruction by Israeli bombs as a "crime against humanity." Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a Shiite and Hezbollah backer, stood at the Sunni premier's side and said they spoke with one voice.
In Jerusalem, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said he would name a panel to investigate the military and government's performance during the war, which has been criticized by many Israelis as weak and indecisive.
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Posted by: Fred ||
08/21/2006 00:00 ||
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The United Nations said on Sunday the week-old truce between Israel and Hizbollah could easily collapse again into "an abyss of violence and bloodshed" if the UN resolution which engendered it was violated further. Senior UN envoy Terje Roed-Larsen said the truce provided the Lebanese government with a good chance to extend its authority over the entire country but warned: "We are at the tilting edge still."
"This can easily start sliding again and lead us quickly into the abyss of violence and bloodshed," he told a news conference in Beirut before heading to Israel. Roed-Larsen said any further, similar raids by the Israelis would only discourage countries from committing troops to a planned UN peacekeeping force in south Lebanon. "What we have to do now is for all parties concerned to show utmost restraint to produce a situation that is so stable that troop contributors will come forward to hopefully reach the goal of 15,000 ...," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/21/2006 00:00 ||
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#3
The truly amazing part of all this is that these clueless poltroons actually believe this. Europeans live in such an airtight bubble that no unapproved fact can penetrate to disturb their elaborate fantasies.
#5
I think the only reason Israel and the US agreeded to this sham is to prove the UN is useless and then have a full green light to completely take Lebanon.
But I might be too optimistic about our leaders too.
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Somalias newly dominant Islamist movement announced on Sunday that it would organise a national forum to chart the lawless countrys future, further bypassing the weak government it threatens. At the same time, the Supreme Islamic Council of Somalia (SICS) renewed vows to fight the deployment of a proposed east African peacekeeping forces, plans for which were finalised last week, saying foreign troops were not welcome. In a move decried by the largely powerless transitional administration, the Supreme Islamic Council of Somalia (SICS) said it would soon host a national reconciliation conference to set a new course for the country.
You are attacking our people in Muslim countries, in Iraq, in Afghanistan, Mr. Ahmet said, referring to the British and American governments. So its legitimate to attack British soldiers and policemen, government officials, and even the White House.
CONVICTED terrorist 
ISLAMABAD - The Pakistan government has decided to move swiftly against some 400 alleged leading activists of banned organizations in a fresh drive against extremism, news reports said on Sunday.
Saddam Hussein and six former commanders go on trial in Baghdad today on charges of killing tens of thousands of Kurdish villagers in a genocidal campaign that devastated northern Iraq 18 years ago. Also on trial is Saddam's cousin, Ali Hassan al-Majid, known as "Chemical Ali" for allegedly ordering poison gas attacks. As in a separate ongoing trial, Saddam is likely to plead not guilty and say the deaths were a legitimate state response to attacks by Kurdish guerrillas allied with Iran. 
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul was verbally accosted by a young Arab man during a visit to the Temple Mount on Sunday, police said. The heckler, who shouted 'don't shake his hand, he is a heretic and not a Muslim,' was detained by police on the scene, and removed from the ancient compound, Jerusalem police spokeswoman Sigal Toledo said. The minister's visit to the Jerusalem holy site continued without further incident. Three years ago, Muslim extremists threw shoes at Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher during a visit to the Jerusalem holy site.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Israel would not accept the presence of peacekeepers in Lebanon from countries that don't have diplomatic relations with the state, officials said on Sunday. The decision complicated efforts by the United Nations to form a 15,000-strong peacekeeping force to help enforce a truce that ended 34 days of fighting between Israel and Hizbullah. 
Palestinian Islamic Jihad (Holy War) said on Saturday that the movement will not join a coalition government that is likely to be formed. Khaled al-Batsh, a local Jihad leader, made the remarks to reporters in Gaza in response to earlier reports that Jihad might take part in a national unity government. "We will not join any national unity government, but we will welcome it," said al-Batsh, asserting that his movement would stick to the choice of resistance against Israel. 
Firebrand Indonesian cleric Abu Bakar Bashir on Sunday called on leaders and Muslims in the world's largest Muslim-populated nation to implement Islamic sharia law. "The leaders of the state have the obligation to implement Islamic sharia in the country they lead," Bashir was quoted by the Detikcom online news portal as telling thousands of worshippers at Jakarta's main Istiqlal mosque. "I warn the rulers, you have a responsibility to govern the people using the sharia laws. There is no bargaining," added Bashir, who has served a jail term for a terrorism conspiracy. 
called for a meeting of European Union countries next week to determine rapidly the number of troops they are prepared to contribute to an expanded UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon. "We are asking that Europe express its solidarity towards Lebanon as rapidly as possible," Foreign Minister 
Syria's President Bashar Assad was not referring to Arab leaders when he said that those who did not support the guerrilla group Hizbullah were "half men," his foreign minister said in an interview with a Kuwaiti newspaper. "What President Assad meant by this phrase was those individuals inside Syria and maybe outside it who threw doubts on the ability of the resistance to achieve victory," Foreign Minister Walid Moallem told the Al-Anba daily, which provided excerpts of the interview to The Associated Press. The full interview is to be published Monday.
Iran said yesterday it would not suspend uranium enrichment, ruling out the main demand of a nuclear package backed by six world powers that aims to allay Western fears that Teheran is seeking to build atomic bombs. Iran says it will formally respond by tomorrow to proposals made by the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany. The six have offered incentives for Iran to suspend enrichment, a process that has both military and civilian uses.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has ruled out sending Germany's combat troops and police to Lebanon as part of an expanded UN peacekeeping mission to secure a shaky cease-fire between Lebanon's Hezbollah group and Israel after their month-long fighting. In an interview with the Welt am Sonntag newspaper published on Sunday, Merkel reiterated Germany's stance on this issue, namely, its emphasis on avoiding the risk of a direct confrontation between German and Israeli soldiers as memories of the Holocaust are still fresh. 
Lebanon's defense minister said today he is certain Hezbollah will not break the cease-fire but warned all militant groups of harsh measures and a traitor's fate if they incite Israeli retaliation by firing rockets into the Jewish state. Defense Minister Elias Murr's strong remarks indicated concern that Syrian-backed Palestinian militants might try to restart the fighting by drawing retaliation from Israel.
The United Nations said on Sunday the week-old truce between Israel and Hizbollah could easily collapse again into "an abyss of violence and bloodshed" if the UN resolution which engendered it was violated further. Senior UN envoy Terje Roed-Larsen said the truce provided the Lebanese government with a good chance to extend its authority over the entire country but warned: "We are at the tilting edge still."
