The row over Muslim women's dress codes reignited today after author Salman Rushdie declared that "veils suck".
Rushdie, whose book The Satanic Verses triggered death threats from Islamic clerics, gave his full backing to Leader of the Commons Jack Straw for raising the issue.
Rushdie was forced into hiding for 10 years after Iranian cleric Ayatollah Khomeini served a "fatwah" on him over his book's alleged slight on the prophet Mohammed.
He had round-the-clock police protection costing nearly £1 million a year, although that has been downgraded in recent years after Iran indicated the death sentence no longer applied.
But Rushdie has always insisted he was right to publish The Satanic Verses and today he risked fresh Muslim anger with a savage attack on the wearing of veils.
In an interview with BBC Radio 4's Today programme, held to mark the opening of a new joint exhibition with sculptor Amish Kapoor, he backed Mr Straw to the hilt.
"Speaking as somebody with three sisters and a very largely female Muslim family, there's not a single woman I know in my family or in their friends who would have accepted wearing the veil.
"I think the battle against the veil has been a long and continuing battle against the limitation of women, so in that sense I'm completely on [Straw's] side.
"He was expressing an important opinion, which is that veils suck, which they do. I think the veil is a way of taking power away from women."
Mr Straw triggered anger last week when he revealed he asked Muslim women visiting his constituency surgery to remove their veils.
He said that seeing someone's face made it easier to communicate and felt the garment was a barrier to integration and good community relations.
The publication of the Satanic Verses in 1989 triggered not just the fatwah from Iran but also riots in Pakistan, India and Turkey among Muslims who felt he had insulted the prophet.
In the following decade, the book's Japanese translator was murdered and its Norwegian publisher and Italian translator seriously injured in separate attacks.
Publisher Penguin received 5,000 abusive or threatening letters and 25 bomb threats.
Rushdie is to open a joint exhibition with Kapoor at a London gallery, with a sculpture based on the story of Sheherazade, the Arabian woman who told stories to avoid a brutal death at the hands of a tyrant.
Kapoor said today that he disagreed with Rushdie over the veils issue.
He agreed, he said, with John Prescott, who said that he would find it rude to tell someone wearing sunglasses to remove them.
#2
I think most of the West is coming to the conclusion that the Muzzies will be pissed at anything and we of the West think the Muzzies can just go fuck themselves.
#3
he would find it rude to tell someone wearing sunglasses to remove them.
but would he find it rude to hear someone saying, in general, that he is against the wearing of sunglasses indoors or when having a conversation with someone whom you are trying to get to know, even outdoors?
#5
Rusdie is now going to be a visiting Professor (of English/Lit, I believe) at Emory University here in Atlanta. I, for one, wholly welcome him to come visit and speak here, even if it's one of the most moonbat-infested universities in the southeast.
Posted by: BA ||
10/10/2006 12:42 Comments ||
Top||
#6
It is rude to wear sunglasses when conversing, unless the physical situation (facing into bright sun, blindness) requires it. The eyes and the face communicate as much as the words coming from the mouth, and to refuse to share that is to set oneself above the person with whom one is speaking. After all, the reason musicians wear sunglasses in dark, smokey venues is so that nobody can see what they're looking at, or that they are not exactly sober, or that they despise the suckers paying good money for what they're dishing out.
So whether or not Mr. Rushdie would so say, I most certainly do, Planet Dan.
#7
He should address the issue of the mozzie taxis in England refusing to carry the blind because of his indispenable guide mutt. That's much more than just "rude". That's a shameful illogic that John Prescott pretends not to see or understand in his headlong mollycoddling of 'em "sensitivities". Hogwash.
#8
I wear sunglasses outside because of cataract surgery that has left me even more light-sensitive than I was before. I try my best to remember to take them off when I come indoors. There's a medical reason I wear them. There is no sensible reason to wear a veil - or even a burqa - except to put women into a subservient place. Jack Straw needs to keep hammering these points home. If muslims want to live in the UK, they need to adopt more closely to UK dress and behavior and stop trying to create exclusive "islamic" enclaves. That, in my opinion, is an act of war.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
10/10/2006 15:36 Comments ||
Top||
#9
As a longtime wearer of sunglasses I am offended by these remarks. You are racists, and I demand an apology. Furthermore I demand an apology for headlice, the high price of gas, sunspots, various other natural phenomenon, herpes, violence in the crusades and the fact that there are poor people.
Yours Truly,
Liberal Asshole
The UN Security Council should congratulate North Korea for its nuclear test instead of passing "useless" resolutions or statements, North Korea's UN ambassador said Monday. Pak Gil Yon told reporters he was proud of the North Koreans who conducted the test, and said the Security Council ought to be, too. Asked if the North planned any more tests, Pak said: "That will be enough. You don't think so?"
"It will be better for the Security Council of the United Nations to congratulate the DPRK scientists and researchers instead of doing such notorious, useless and rigorous resolutions or whatever," Pak said, referring to the North by its formal name, the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea. "The nuclear test in the DPRK will greatly contribute in increasing the world deterrence of the DPRK" and will contribute "to the maintenance and guarantee of peace and security in the peninsula and the region," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/10/2006 17:47 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Dear leader, we in the United States commend you in your race to develop a nuclear weapon, skyrocketing you to the top of the chart as a future Darwin award winner. Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, Boeing, and Halliburton also commend you in ensuring their stock prices skyrocket as the defense budget will certainly replace the armaments used to ensure your short dumb ass is definitely this years Darwin award winner.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
10/10/2006 19:08 Comments ||
Top||
Seismic waves of varying magnitude were detected at a number of locations shortly after North Korea's announced nuclear test Monday.
In South Korea, the magnitudes ranged from 3.58 to 3.7, while the United States said the magnitude was 4.2. In Japan, one calculation showed a magnitude of 5.1.
Magnitude differences are likely caused by the differences in calculation methods and the location of observation spots. If those different magnitudes estimated by Monday's blast are translated into energy levels, there is more than a 100-fold difference among the measurements.
But the force of the blast in North Korea was seen as much smaller than the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which had yields of 15 to 20 kilotons.
Prof. Katsuyuki Abe at Tokyo University's Earthquake Research Institute said, "Estimated from magnitudes reported in nuclear tests conducted in the past in the United States and former Soviet Union, the power of the blast this time probably was 0.5 to 3 kiloton, only a fraction of the power of the same type of bomb dropped on Hiroshima."
Another expert, however, said, "If there is much space in the mine shaft where the test was conducted, the energy [of the blast] may have been absorbed, showing low-magnitude readings."
In either case, the blast this time was small if it was a nuclear detonation. But the scale is still more than dozens of times greater than the most powerful conventional weapons.
The seismic waves detected differed from naturally occurring earthquakes. The Meteorological Agency first detected primary waves, or P waves, which are weak but fast-traveling waves, at two observation spots on the Okinoshima islands, Shimane Prefecture, about 660 kilometers away from the epicenter. P waves were detected at one time also at eight observation spots in Nagano, which are equipped with high-precision monitors.
In earthquakes, P waves are followed by secondary, or S, waves, which cause more powerful shaking. But S waves are only faintly detected in underground nuclear tests. This also was true in this seismic event. Natural tremors also result in complicated P waves due to fault slippage. But this time, as shock waves are believed to have been generated from one point at one precise moment, the blast likely caused only simple P waves.
Takeshi Matsumoto, assistant professor at Kyushu University's Institute of Seismology and Volcanology, said, "Judging from the results of the analysis of seismic waves, [Monday's] tremors were no doubt those caused by an artificial explosion."
Although a number of experts said Monday's blast was small for a nuclear explosion, Yuji Yagi, assistant professor at Tsukuba University, concluded the power of the blast was equivalent to 25.72 kilotons of TNT.
Yagi's analysis did not rely on magnitude readings. Instead, he used data on seismic waves obtained from overseas research institutes and worked out energy levels observed from the explosion. As the testing is believed to have been conducted in an underground mine shaft, Yagi said he estimated the focus of the seismic event was 1.5 kilometers below the surface.
The amount of 25.72 kilotons of TNT is close to the figure observed in a nuclear test conducted by Pakistan in May 1998. Yagi said, "It's still necessary to analyze data in detail, but the blast may have been quite powerful."
Posted by: john ||
10/10/2006 17:30 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Seismologists are using equations of the form
Mb = a + b log(Yield in kT)
For the Nevada test site
Mb = 3.92 + 0.81 log Y
These attenuation coefficients come from testing known yield weapons (yield known from previous atmiospheric test) at the test range. They depend on the rock found at the test site.
For the Kazakstan site
Mb = 4.45 + 0.75 log Y
The US detonated an 80 kiloton nuclear device in the Aleutian Islands to simulate the geological conditions of the Soviet test site. Using the formula above, the measured seismic magnitude of 5.9 would correspond to a yield of 85 kilotons, in good agreement with Longshots known yield of 80 kilotons.
Now, it appears they are using
Mb = 4.262 + 0.973 Log Y
Without any knowledge of the NoKo geology or having any calibration test.
They are pulling these coefficients out of thin air. This is shoddy science.
Change the coefficients slighly and you suddenly get 10 kT yield, rather than 0.5kT.
Add the fact that NoKo used an old mine, where a huge cavity would be available.
(in the 1970s) Albert Latter, of the RAND Corporation, presented preliminary findings on the principle of cavity decoupling --- the explosion of a bomb in an underground cavity large enough that the surrounding rock would not deform plastically (permanently) in any direction, but remain elastic. Under such conditions, according to Latter, the seismic signal could be reduced by a factor of as much as 300, thereby rendering impossible the detection of all but the very largest tests
None of these "experts" have a clue about the real yield of the test.
All talk of "fizzle" is just speculation
Posted by: john ||
10/10/2006 17:50 Comments ||
Top||
#2
That's my understanding as well, John. And that means that seismic data alone do not tell us much, including whether this was a small nuclear blast, a failed blast or (improbable but not ruled out by the public data I've seen so far) a deliberately deceptive conventional blast.
#4
According to Dr R. Chindambaram (who has actually tested a series of nuke weapons)..
the strength of the seismic signal is determined by the way the explosive energy couples into the geological medium, and there are strong regional differences. In fact, each seismic station has to be calibrated, and this is obvious from the range of seismic magnitudes reported by various global seismic stations. A small difference in body wave magnitude of a little over 0.2 corresponds to a halving of the yield estimate. And for any underground nuclear explosion, seismic body wave magnitudes are known to range over 1.0 or even more, which indicates the pitfalls in yield estimates from seismic signals, unless they are done carefully and correctly.
Posted by: john ||
10/10/2006 18:20 Comments ||
Top||
#5
From a CTBT paper
For US announced tests, the equation for the line is:
mb = 3.92 + 0.81 log Y(kt) (Murphy, 1981)
For the Nevada Test Site and other areas of the world with similar geological conditions, we can use this equation to convert between magnitude and yield
Unfortunately, we cannot necessarily apply this formula to every area, because different regions transmit seismic waves with different efficiencies.
In the western United States there are high temperatures in the upper mantle, and the continent is being pulled apart by plate tectonic motion. Seismic waves travelling through such tectonically active areas are greatly attenuated (their amplitude is reduced), thus producing a relatively small seismic signal.
For tectonically stable areas such as eastern North America and Central Asia (including the Soviet Unions old test site in Kazakhstan), the relationship between magnitude and yield is:
mb = 4.45 + 0.75 log Y(kt) (Ringdal et al., 1992)
So, these geniuses are using Soviet Shagan test site coefficients (tectonically stable region) in the Pacific rim (hardly).
And the press laps this all up...
Posted by: john ||
10/10/2006 18:26 Comments ||
Top||
#7
Since smaller yields are less likely to fuse the surrounding rock and contain the fission products, some venting is expected (unless that mine is really deep).
Atmospheric sampling should pick up traces of the Pu.
One interesting suggestion is that the purity of the NoKo Pu is quite low.. it is essentially little better than reactor grade stuff (which would give a low yield).
Posted by: john ||
10/10/2006 18:37 Comments ||
Top||
#8
Are you sure the venting isn't Kimmy's flatulance?
U.S. intelligence agencies say, based on preliminary indications, that North Korea did not produce its first nuclear blast yesterday.
U.S. officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that seismic readings show that the conventional high explosives used to create a chain reaction in a plutonium-based device went off, but that the blast's readings were shy of a typical nuclear detonation.
"We're still evaluating the data, and as more data comes in, we hope to develop a clearer picture," said one official familiar with intelligence reports.
"There was a seismic event that registered about 4 on the Richter scale, but it still isn't clear if it was a nuclear test. You can get that kind of seismic reading from high explosives."
The underground explosion, which Pyongyang dubbed a historic nuclear test, is thought to have been the equivalent of several hundred tons of TNT, far short of the several thousand tons of TNT, or kilotons, that are signs of a nuclear blast, the official said.
The official said that so far, "it appears there was more fizz than pop."
A successful nuclear detonation requires a properly timed and triggered conventional blast that splits atoms, setting off the nuclear chain reaction that produces the massive explosions associated with atomic bombs.
White House spokesman Tony Snow said assessing the validity of North Korea's claim of a successful nuclear test could take several days.
"We need to find out precisely what it is that took place yesterday, and that is something that's going to take awhile for the scientists and others to work through," Mr. Snow said.
"Nobody could give me with any precision how long it will take until they can say with certainty what happened."
Nuclear bombs make big waves, with clear signatures that make them fairly easy to detect, analyze and confirm that they were caused by splitting atoms. But smaller blasts -- as North Korea's appears to have been -- are trickier to break down, scientists told the Associated Press.
"It takes days, dozens of lab hours, to evaluate results. Now we can have only a rough estimate," said Russian nuclear physicist Vladimir Orlov of the Moscow-based Center for Policy Studies in Russia, a nonproliferation think tank.
#2
A successful nuclear detonation requires a properly timed and triggered conventional blast that splits atoms,
Holy Ghost. Now conventional exploisves can split atoms. To think that these (the MSM) are the people who believe they are so superior to us that they have the rightb to tell us what to think and for who to vote. Shameful, shameful.
Oooh. A threat. Uh, Kimmie, will this one fall into the Sea of Japan, too? We're taking bets on whether it last longer than 42 seconds. Any inside dope for the 'Burgers? A North Korean official has warned the communist nation could fire a nuclear-tipped missile unless the US acts to resolve its standoff with Pyongyang, a South Korean news agency has reported.
"We hope the situation will be resolved before an unfortunate incident of us firing a nuclear missile comes," the unnamed official said, according to a Yonhap report from Beijing.
"That depends on how the US will act."
The warning came as Japan said North Korea could face military sanctions as a response to the nation's claimed nuclear test, but said it will not build its own nuclear arsenal.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said his country had no plans to contravene its pacifist constitution and build up a nuclear arsenal in response to Pyongyang's reported atomic test.
"We have no intention of changing our policy that possessing nuclear weapons is not our option," Mr Abe told parliament today.
"There will be no change in our non-nuclear arms principles."
Japan's constitution bars the use of force to settle international disputes, and Japan has maintained a policy of not producing, possessing or using nuclear weapons.
Meanwhile, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki suggested military sanctions would be among the options considered at the United Nations, but he refused to provide any details of what the sanctions would involve.
"We will discuss sanctions at the UN Security Council," he said. "We are considering all possibilities. What kind of resolution it will be will be based on the results of the discussion at the Security Council. It is difficult to predict at this point."
Japan's Finance Minister Koji Omi said Tokyo would consider imposing more financial sanctions on North Korea to protest its reported nuclear test yesterday.
"We cannot condone North Korea's nuclear explosion test. We will consider stepping up our financial sanctions against the country, in tandem with other countries," Mr Omi told reporters.
Following North Korea's test announcement, Iran today said it was "hostile" towards the development of nuclear weapons but said the big powers have to start disarmament.
"The Islamic Republic is hostile to the production and utilisation of nuclear weapons and to destruction," said government spokesman Gholam Hossein Elham.
"The best solution to combat nuclear weapons is for the big powers to start by destroying them themselves," he was quoted as saying by the official IRNA news agency.
He pledged Tehran's help if the world's nuclear powers were serious in achieving this goal.
The five UN Security Council permanent members, Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States, plus Germany, are expected to begin discussing this week a resolution imposing sanctions on Tehran if it does not halt its own nuclear program.
Tehran insists its nuclear program is solely for peaceful energy needs, vehemently rejecting allegations that it is seeking nuclear weapons.
"Iran's position is clear and Iran on principle believes in a world free of nuclear weapons," foreign ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini was quoted as saying by a state television anchor.
#5
FOTSGreg - no need for a boomer in the Sea of Japan. I'm sure the two or three in the western Pacific between Okinawa and Midway is enough to put Kimmie and his prison-nation into a deep, deep hole.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
10/10/2006 17:27 Comments ||
Top||
#6
We triple running dog dare ya'!
Don't mention dog to a straving population
Posted by: Captain America ||
10/10/2006 21:04 Comments ||
Top||
Three members of Congress are urging the Bush White House to cancel plans that were developed during the Clinton administration to supply North Korea with nuclear technology.
House Republican Policy Committee Chairman Chris Cox (R-Calif.) says a study conducted by his panel in 2000 found that under the Clinton-Gore administration, North Korea became the "largest recipient of U.S. foreign aid in the Asia-Pacific region."
"In an astonishing reversal of nine previous U.S. administrations, the Clinton-Gore administration, in 1994, committed not only to provide foreign aid for North Korea, but to earmark that aid primarily for the construction of nuclear reactors worth up to $6 billion," the study said.
The letter to President Bush calls on him to cancel the deal and, following the president's own assessment that North Korea combines with Iraq and Iran to form the "axis of evil" in the world today, the letter urges Bush to highlight the North Korean threat during his upcoming trip to Japan, South Korea and China.
The letter is co-signed by Reps. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Benjamin Gilman (R-N.Y.).
According to the Republican Policy Committee study, as nuclear reactors were being built in North Korea two years ago, the U.S. was providing 500,000 metric tons of fuel oil per year to "North Korea's state-managed military-industrial base ... almost double what North Korea's civilian economy can use." The diversion of the oil to "military uses, and to hard currency for military hardware purchases is practically guaranteed," the report stated.
"The U.S.-funded light water reactors in North Korea," the study found, "will accumulate plutonium in spent fuel at the rate of about 17,300 ounces per year, enough to produce 65 nuclear bombs a year.
"The Clinton-Gore policy, it is now clear, has severely worsened the threat that North Korea poses to the world by systematically rewarding Kim Jong-Il for his most dangerous misconduct. It has provided North Korea with an increased capacity for the development of nuclear weapons and the long-range missiles to deliver them," the study concluded.
North Korean children, according to the letter signed by the congressmen and sent to the White House, are living in crisis because of their government's policy.
"Through the United Nations World Food Program, U.S. taxpayers pay for two-thirds of all food donations to Kim Jong Il's government," the letter stated, making North Korea the largest recipient of U.S. foreign aid in the Asia-Pacific region. The U.S. also supplies three-quarters of the donated oil to supply heat and electricity in North Korea," according to the congressmen.
However, "nurseries are overflowing with orphans," the letter states. The congressmen pointed to a recent press report showing "how Kim Jong Il has diverted food aid from his people to his million-man army. A former bodyguard to Kim Jong Il said much of the food aid is being piled in warehouses for use as reserve food for war."
"Can we be confident that a dictatorship that permits its own children to suffer so miserably while desperately maintaining a completely unnecessary army with stolen food aid would hesitate to use nuclear blackmail against those abroad who wish to free its subjects?" the letter to Bush asked.
"We cannot help the people of North Korea by sending their dictator materials giving him the sort of blackmail power (Soviet) President Gorbachev was sane enough not to exercise as his state collapsed. By preventing Kim Jong Il from acquiring nuclear materials before he becomes even more belligerent, perhaps we can prevent war," the letter stated.
"We certainly should not supply him with nuclear technology and materials that will make war both more likely and more deadly."
The White House did not return phone calls seeking comment.
Secretary of State Colin Powell told a Senate committee Wednesday that President Bush will offer North Korea "unconditional talks" when he travels to Asia next week. Powell also said the president hoped the North Korean government would respond.
But North Korea's official state run newspaper described Bush as a "bellicose and heinous president" and said his upcoming trip was to drive South Korea to war against its northern neighbor.
Powell told the Senate committee the president had "no plan on his desk right now to begin a war against any nation."
#2
I can only hope Bush listens to these guys. Yes, I agree with the current policy of no bilateral negotiations. It is also fallacious in the extreme to blame any failure upon such unwillingness to negotiate when it involves a regime which has egregiously violated every single agreement made to date.
"Through the United Nations World Food Program, U.S. taxpayers pay for two-thirds of all food donations to Kim Jong Il's government," the letter stated, making North Korea the largest recipient of U.S. foreign aid in the Asia-Pacific region. The U.S. also supplies three-quarters of the donated oil to supply heat and electricity in North Korea," according to the congressmen.
This is insane. If we are still pouring our hard-earned tax dollars into this terrorist toilet, we must be worse than stupid.
"However, "nurseries are overflowing with orphans," the letter states. The congressmen pointed to a recent press report showing "how Kim Jong Il has diverted food aid from his people to his million-man army. A former bodyguard to Kim Jong Il said much of the food aid is being piled in warehouses for use as reserve food for war."
Just as with Iran, any rogue regime like North Korea must be denied all forms of nuclear technology until they comply with proliferation guidelines.
North Korea can eventually be provided with thorium or pebble bed reactor technology that cannot serve dual-use functions. Before that happens, Kim must be ousted and full inspections plus inventories must be made. Until then, Kim must face sanctions at least and the possibility of military intervention if we have any brains.
#4
Bill Richardson was on the Today Show this a.m accusing Bush of outsourcing our diplomacy and demanding that he open bilateral talks immediately with Kimmie. To his credit, Matt Lauer saw that train derailing early on and hustled Bill off the screen as quick as he could. Sheesh.
TOKYO - Japan said on Tuesday it would push for the UN Security Council to swiftly impose tough sanctions on North Korea in response to the communist states declared nuclear test.
Tokyo renewed its backing for a US call to invoke Chapter VII of the UN charter, which provides for mandatory sanctions or, as a last resort, military action, in response to threats to international peace and security. Japan is demanding a UN resolution that refers to Chapter VII, said Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki, the government spokesman.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, in his first cabinet meeting since returning from a trip to China and South Korea, said Japan was determined to take a tough line against North Korea. North Koreas latest announcement is a serious challenge against Japans security. And it also is a grave threat against the peace and security of East Asia and the international community, Abe told cabinet members, as quoted by Shiozaki.
Japan strongly protests against North Korea and condemns its move, while seeking a rapid response at the UN Security Council in cooperation with other countries, Abe said.
Shinzo needs to learn that you don't use 'rapid' and 'UN' in the same sentence.
Shiozaki signalled that Japan was waiting for confirmation of North Koreas nuclear test before imposing fresh bilateral sanctions. Japan will decide on its own measures by exchanging information with other countries, he said.
Shiozaki said he could not confirm a report by South Koreas Yonhap news agency that intelligence officials in Seoul believed Pyongyang may conduct another test. Japan is strengthening its efforts to gather and analyze related information, Shiozaki said, adding that he had not heard information from Seoul on another test.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/10/2006 00:06 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
"Tough sanctions" to me would include a total blockade of NKor -- nothing in, nothing out. But the starving children, puppies, kittens, and fluffy bunnies will obviate that, won't they?
Posted by: Fred ||
10/10/2006 7:42 Comments ||
Top||
#2
I agree, nothing in, nothing out -- but I'm sure you're correct, despite the well-known fact that orphans only get to look at the food rather than eat it.
#4
PRC will veto anything that drastic. But they'll probably serve up limited sanctions as a substitute. Getting them to vote for any sanctions will at least break precedent, and send the NKors a message. Inspections of NKor ships could be particularly humiliating - tied in with personal sanctions on travel, etc by Nkor higher ups, just might get Nkor generals contemplating the fate of the Ceaucescus(sp?)
North Korea may face more sanctions after raising the nuclear ante in Asia with an atomic test, although an outbreak of war appears unlikely now, officials and analysts said on Monday. While North Koreas announcement had a generally muted impact on global markets, the reaction from governments around the world was loud and clear. The White House called it a provocative act, in defiance of the will of the international community. Japan, which many analysts saw as most directly threatened by any North Korean nuclear test, said it would seek UN Security Council talks and would also weigh its own harsh measures.
China, the closest thing North Korea has to an ally, denounced the test as brazen, in an unusually swift and blunt reaction from the foreign ministry. Chinese analysts said Beijing was likely to go along with international sanctions.
The UN Security Council, with Chinas agreement, had earlier imposed an embargo on dangerous weapons and related materials going or leaving North Korea after it test-fired a volley of missiles in July. South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun said the test was a dangerous tactic that undermined Seouls engagement policy with the North. Russia - which along with the United States, China, Japan and the two Koreas has participated in the six-party talks - unconditionally condemned the test.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/10/2006 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
uh oh someone is handing out sanctions again. whoopee shit
Belgium's Flemish far-right party has scored strongly in weekend local elections despite being scorned and ostracised by Belgium's political class. Based on partial results of the provincial councils on Monday, the anti-immigrant party picked up 7.6 percentage points to reach 20.8 per cent across northern Dutch-speaking Flanders and surged well beyond its traditional stronghold of Antwerp.
Yet, opponents point to Antwerp, the cradle of its popularity, where the party suffered its only sizable setback, dropping to second place behind the Socialists of incumbent Patrick Janssens, the mayor. The mayor's personalised campaign gave the Flemist Socialist Party (SPA) 35.3 per cent of the vote, almost double the 19.5 per cent it won in the last election six years ago, while Flemish Interest only added half a percentage point to 33.5 per cent.
The "symbolic defeat" of Vlaams Belang in Antwerp "was more important than its progress in the rest of Flanders", said Pascal Delwit, researcher at the University of Brussels. The party has "perhaps reached its ceiling", he said, notably given that it lost four percentage points in Flanders from the last general election in 2004.
The Belgian media also welcomed Vlaams Belang's failure in Antwerp. "Antwerp deserves better than the far right ... Belgium can breathe again," wrote Beatrice Delvaux, editor of the newspaper Le Soir, whose front page headline was "Stop right there!"
Posted by: Fred ||
10/10/2006 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
I wonder what the school would do if the kids had a skit about the truth about Mohammand. Of him beheading all the jews in front of their familes - and then that very night raping all the women (and probably children too...).
Maybe they should show the recent jihad snuff films - beheadings and torture. Executions of women in old Afghanistan for going to school. Some choice quotes from the Koran..... such as blacks have the heart of a donkey and are only good as slaves....
#3
I wonder what the school would do if the kids had a skit about the truth about Mohammand. Of him beheading all the jews in front of their familes
One of the first "islam vs free speech" affairs in France occurred a couple of years ago, when Louis Chagnon, an history junior high school teacher had a factually correct lesson about old mo'.
So, of course, some parents of his muslim students sued him for being a racist, along with the islamo-commie "antiracist org" le mrap.
Chagnon wasn't supported by his hierarchy at all, of course (cf. the Obin rapport which covered in detail the islamically-correct way french public schooling system deals with growing muslim pressure about "sensitive" matters... no more crusades or holocaust lessons in history classes!).
In the end, he emerged out ok, and even turned the tables on his accusers by suing them himself (the parents had altered their kids' textbooks to make him looks like a bigot claiming old mo' killed 900 joooos a day, and the mrap libelled him by claiming he had been punished by its hierarchy, which was false).
Since then, Louis Chagnon can definitively be counted among the republican adversaries of muslim cultural imperialism; he wrote a book about old mo', and is quite present on jewish and conservative websites.
#5
Some parents objected and their resulting lawsuit was turned back by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals where the opinion called it "cultural education."
#6
I'm waiting for when a bunch of kids show up at school carrying copies of Mein Kampf, saying they shouldn't be forced to decide which of America's enemies they support.
#7
Remember, kids, this is World Net Daily, the same people who were giving us TWA 800 conspiracy theories just last week. Keep the salt tablets handy.
Posted by: Mike ||
10/10/2006 13:56 Comments ||
Top||
#8
The case for Vigilantism becomes clearer and clearer. What these people are doing is nothing short of undermining our society and the Bill of Rights (Freedom of Religion).
No one can convince me that they don't know what they are doing. I would not be surprised if there was Saudi money stinking up the place somewhere.
The more I hear of these outrages, the more convinced I am that we must exterminate the Muslims worldwide. Every. Last. One. Of. Them.
Are you saying that this sort of thing is NOT happening? Because I happen to know that it has happened in other parts of the country. They tried that crap in one of the school districts here in Texas and damn near got lynched.
#10
"Cases like this present Christians with a golden opportunity to introduce elements of religious teaching back into the state curriculum by using the left's double standard towards Islam against it," said one commentator. "Now that this case is on the books in the Ninth Circuit as precedent, expect Christian immersion classes to follow."
Absolutely right. If the schools don't allow Christians to introduce and comment on their beliefs in class, then sue them for the double-standards. The school opened the door.
#13
Zenster, I may be misunderstood here : it's not that the curriculum is altered by the public education (though numerous commenters on islamophobic websites have noted the muslim-friendly bias in new History textbooks, and the emphasis on the "muslim roots" of Europe to borrow an expression).
Rather, it is down to the individual teacher level, who simply cannot "touch" that kind of subjects when his class has a strong muslim element. And reaction from the local hierarchy is always appeasement.
The Obin rapport noted a very worrying trend of rampant islamization in the french school systems (with "borderline" symptoms, like very young muslim kid refusing to use the "+" sign in algebra, because it is a cross...), and the weak/dhimmi response from the power-that-be.
#14
Some parents objected and their resulting lawsuit was turned back by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals (People who'd welcome a Islamic Sharia takeover) where the opinion called it "cultural education." (Let's all hold hands and sing Kum-bye-ya. Wait! Islamofucks ban music. OOps.)
#15
Yep, tis true Mike. My daughter went through this last year. Here in California, it's required of all 7th graders. I made sure to have a long talk prior to attempted indoctrination...not that she needed it. She can smell BS a mile off. No doubt the result of having to put with me as her dad.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
10/10/2006 19:26 Comments ||
Top||
#16
"The kids do some skits, they could bring a food from the region, you could build a prop that would have depicted (something) maybe during that time period. "If you wanted to you could dress up (as a Muslim) for extra credit," he said.
Sure, wear a bomb belt.
Honestly, can we start dragging these assholes out of their faculty lounges and flogging them yet?
Posted by: Dave D. ||
10/10/2006 20:06 Comments ||
Top||
#17
Gee... where are all those who Criminal Liberties Union types who pine and whine about the loss of "our civil liberties" to the fall of the Gorelick wall separating state from mosque?
October 10, 2006: Canadian military brass got a lot of heat recently when a journalist reported that Canadian soldiers wounded in Afghanistan, lose their combat pay when they leave the combat zone. That, of course, is what happens when you get wounded. You are quickly taken off to a nice, safe hospital. In past wars, troops didn't worry about losing combat pay that way, as they were more concerned about being safe, still alive and no longer getting shot at. But things have changed in the 21st century.
First of all, combat pay is much higher than it was in past wars. For Canadian troops, combat pay is now nearly $1,800 a month. Troops serve in combat zones about six months per tour. Commanders have the option of keeping wounded troops on combat pay for up to 25 days after they were hurt, and removed from the combat zone. But in several recent cases, wounded troops were told, within hours of reaching the military hospital in Germany (where NATO wounded from Afghanistan are treated) that they were immediately losing their combat pay. While this was very efficient, it was not very tactful. But that was not why there was such an uproar. There were other factors in play.
Many Canadians do not approve of Canadian troops operating in Afghanistan. Like many Europeans, Canadians see the war on terror, and operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, as bad policy decisions by the United States. This, in the eyes of those who would just treat terrorism as a police matter, means that injured Canadian troops must be given every possible consideration for their suffering. Another factor, which is not much noticed, is that combat troops these days suffer far fewer casualties. That's because of changes in equipment (better body armor and other protective measures, more air recon with UAVs and the like), better training and better combat leadership. The result of that is a popular feeling that those unfortunate enough to get wounded, deserve more compensation for that misfortune. Thus do attitudes towards wars, and the wounded, change over the generations.
Posted by: Steve ||
10/10/2006 09:30 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Many Canadians do not approve of Canadian troops operating in Afghanistan.
No doubt these are the Canadians who cheered on 9/11.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
10/10/2006 9:45 Comments ||
Top||
#2
::smirk::
Like many other Europeans, Canadians see the war on terror, and operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, as bad policy decisions by the United States.
#5
All our media are liberal bases. Stephen's holding with some voters.
Many unions, all govt workers - and all immigrants - are still sucking Chretien's withered balls and bashing anything their sanctimonious, self-satisfied, all too comfy asses consider americanishish.
(2006-10-09) In the wake of the weekend detonation of North Koreas first atomic bomb, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-CA, called for the resignation of House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-IL.
Its important that lawmakers keep the main thing the main thing, said Rep. Pelosi. We cant get so distracted by debates about North Koreas sovereignty that we forget that Dennis Hastert is still on the loose, indirectly endangering Americas children.
The timing of the atomic bomb test raises questions, she said, about when President George Bush first knew of former Rep. Mark Foleys lurid instant message chats with teenage boys in the Congressional page program.
The California lawmaker said the North Korean nuclear test was a natural result of George Bushs failure to sit down with Kim Jong-Il and work out their differences. In effect, Bush pushed the button.
By failing to negotiate with President Kim, she said, Bush virtually assured a pre-election nuclear detonation that would knock the Foley scandal out of the headlines just in time for the Congressional elections. Reporters should be asking how Bush knew that the Foley scandal would break now?
Mrs. Pelosi said the timing was beyond coincidence, and has all the earmarks of another cynical Republican ploy to distract people with trivial national security issues so that they dont hear our progressive Democrat plan to improve America by getting Hastert to quit.
#1
I guess she's right, our enemies having nuke is trivial and bush planned it. Moonbat does not serve her well. There has to be a better term for a nutcase like her.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
10/10/2006 16:01 Comments ||
Top||
#2
I'm sure there would need to be, 49 Pan dear, if it weren't Scrappleface.
#3
The California lawmaker said the North Korean nuclear test was a natural result of George Bushs failure to sit down with Kim Jong-Il and work out their differences. In effect, Bush pushed the button.
Bill Richardson said damn near the exact same thing on the Today Show this morning.
#4
brilliant parody - I wouldn't be surprised if the NYT and WaPo actually went ahead and printed it cause this would work of for them. Getting harder and harder to tell the difference between Ott and reality these days.
President Bush lacks broad support for the war in Iraq because he's reluctant to depict it as part of a larger struggle against "Islamic fascism" -- a major threat to the nation's security -- U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum said Monday.
"He (Bush) is managing the public relations on this war very poorly," Santorum, the third-ranking Republican in the Senate, said.
Bush is more concerned about "making the State Department comfortable" than providing the American people with "a clear message and a clear understanding of what we are up against," said Santorum, in his sharpest criticism of the president to date.
Santorum, who faces an uphill battle for re-election against Democrat Bob Casey, said he discussed the issue with Bush several times and said the president "has given a few good speeches on it, but he does not continually do it."
Bush dropped references to Islamic fascists when the State Department "went ballistic because we are offending our allies in the Middle East," Santorum said. "I don't care if we offend our allies in the Middle East."
Santorum, who trails Casey, the state treasurer, in several recent public opinion polls, acknowledged that his support of an unpopular war will cost him votes.
"This war is more important than this Senate seat," he said.
Santorum said he supported going to war because he was "concerned about a rise of radical Islam as a trigger point to a larger war that, if we did not stop now, could threaten the very existence of freedom everywhere."
"I think we're facing the greatest threat this country has ever faced," he said.
Although Santorum is concerned about reports that North Korea tested a nuclear weapon, he said a greater potential threat would be for North Korea's nuclear capability to be transferred to Iran, which has ties with North Korea.
Iran is the "principal enemy" in the war on Islamic fascism, he said.
"I see Iran as a country that is very clear about their intention to dominate the Muslim world and then conquer the Christian world."
North Korean leader Kim Jong Il is "a little man, a paranoid man, who, if anything, wants to aggressively unite and control Korea, but he's a failing dictator" whose people are suffering and starving, Santorum said.
North Korea's nuclear weapons capability would be "a great regional threat," particularly to U.S. allies South Korea and Japan. "Every single option should be on the table" regarding what to do about that threat, but only in step with actions agreed upon by South Korea and Japan, Santorum said.
Santorum fears a Democratic majority in Congress will imperil the war effort.
"They will see an obligation to go in and create hell for this president, and they will try to get us to scale down our operations."
#5
Santorum setting himself up for a run on the Presidency, or possibly a VP slot? What he says is right, of course, but most politicians never put what's right above getting elected.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
10/10/2006 17:39 Comments ||
Top||
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Army recruited more than 2,600 soldiers under new lower aptitude standards this year, helping the service beat its goal of 80,000 recruits in the throes of an unpopular war and mounting casualties.
The recruiting mark comes a year after the Army missed its recruitment target by the widest margin since 1979, which had triggered a boost in the number of recruiters, increased bonuses, and changes in standards.
The Army recruited 80,635 soldiers, roughly 7,000 more than last year. Of those, about 70,000 were first-time recruits who had never served before.
According to statistics obtained by The Associated Press, 3.8 percent of the first-time recruits scored below certain aptitude levels. In previous years, the Army had allowed only 2 percent of its recruits to have low aptitude scores. That limit was increased last year to 4 percent, the maximum allowed by the Defense Department.
The Army said all the recruits with low scores had received high school diplomas. In a written statement, the Army said good test scores do not necessarily equate to quality soldiers. Test-taking ability, the Army said, does not measure loyalty, duty, honor, integrity or courage.
Daniel Goure, vice president of the Lexington Institute, a private research group, said there is a "fine balance between the need for a certain number of recruits and the standards you set."
"Tests don't tell you the answer to the most critical question for the Army, how will you do in combat?" Goure said. But, he added, accepting too many recruits with low test scores could increase training costs and leave technical jobs unfilled.
"The absolute key for the Army is a high-school diploma," Goure said.
About 17 percent of the first-time recruits, or about 13,600, were accepted under waivers for various medical, moral or criminal problems, including misdemeanor arrests or drunk driving. That is a slight increase from last year, the Army said.
Of those accepted under waivers, more than half were for "moral" reasons, mostly misdemeanor arrests. Thirty-eight percent were for medical reasons and 7 percent were drug and alcohol problems, including those who may have failed a drug test or acknowledged they had used drugs.
The Army said the waiver process recognizes that people can overcome past mistakes and become law abiding citizens.
Army Brig. Gen. Anthony A. Cucolo said that adding more recruiters enabled the Army to identify more recruits. "We got the right people in the field in the right places in the right numbers," said Cucolo, the chief spokesman for the Army.
About two-thirds of the recruits qualified for a bonus - an average of $11,000 each. Some in highly valued specialties, such as special operations forces, can get up to $40,000 in extra cash.
The Army National Guard and the Army Reserve both fell slightly short of their recruiting goals. The Reserves recruited 25,378 of the targeted 25,500; and the Guard recruited 69,042 of the targeted 70,000.
#1
They recruited above their goal because the war is unpopular. That makes sense to me! And the Reserves and the National Guard didn't make their numbers because in the midst of this unpopular war, recruits are preferentially choosing active duty. It's going to be another surprising election for the traditional media, I think.
#5
Lots of good people out there. Many times all they need is a break to get past something.
Sometimes acceptable "standards" for one time may be unrealistic for other times.
It reminds me of the standards set for Japanese naval pilots prior to and during the recent unpleasantness. One could argure that they were a noticable factor in their loss of the naval air war.
I agree with what JDB said, although Rob does raise a serious concern.
Posted by: kelly ||
10/10/2006 13:41 Comments ||
Top||
#6
#3 LMAO -- good point. Maybe we ought to make that a requirement for admission to journalism school.
Posted by: Matt ||
10/10/2006 14:03 Comments ||
Top||
#7
I just KNEW somebody'd be able to spin the recruitment news a few days ago.
Posted by: Bobby ||
10/10/2006 16:46 Comments ||
Top||
#8
It is ironic that the seditious press fails to grasp that all the TOTAL MORONS who are too friggin' stupid to get into the military are still slithering around out there as ...... civilians. What population has NO STANDARDS WHATSOEVER to meet - that of being a civilian.
The headlne should read something like" "Military agrees to accept highest 2% of civilian idiots" - leaving 98% of the dumbest citizns to remain as typical civilians (& Donk voters).
Islamabad, 10 Oct. (AKI/DAWN) - The spokesperson for Pakistan's foreign office has ruled out any link between North Korea's nuclear test and the assistance that Pakistan's disgraced nuclear scientist Dr A.Q. Khan might have given to the North Korean regime. Khan, considered the father of Pakistan's atomic bomb, has lived under virtual house arrest in Islamabad since he confessed in early 2004 to leaking sensitive nuclear technology to Iran, North Korea and Libya.
On Monday, Pakistan censured a North Koreas announcement that it had conducted a nuclear test and termed it a destabilising development for the region. "We had urged the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK) to desist from introducing nuclear weapons in the Korean peninsula," foreign office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said at a weekly briefing. "It is regrettable that the DPRK chose to ignore the advice of the international community not to test a nuclear weapons device," she said.
Underscoring that Pakistan had consistently supported the six-party talks, she said: We believe this mechanism should have been used to address North Koreas concerns. We hope that all the countries in the region would exercise restraint.
Aslam also said that there was no connection between the nuclear test and the assistance Dr A.Q. Khan might have given to the North Korean regime. "There is absolutely no link between the nuclear test conducted by North Korea or what might have gone on between Dr A.Q. Khan and North Korean government," said Aslam. "North Koreas programme is plutonium based and Pakistans is mainly uranium based," she pointed out, adding: There are speculations that plutonium was diverted from North Korean nuclear facility (for its nuclear weapons programme) which is plutonium based.
Disagreeing with a view that reprimanding North Korea amounted to interference in its internal affairs, Aslam argued: We are looking at it in the context of its impact and its ramifications on international peace and security. Asked what was the basis for Pakistan to condemn North Korea for something that it had itself done, she asserted: There is a difference. Pakistan did not initiate a nuclear weapons programme in this region. We were acting purely in self-defence. The Korean Peninsula is a nuclear weapons-free zone and we are afraid that this step by DPRK is going to have a chain reaction which nobody wants."
Posted by: Steve ||
10/10/2006 08:40 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
A feeling of guilt that they sanctioned Dr khan to offer nuclear advice to Iran Libya and North Korea!!!!
ISLAMABAD: The latest report by the UN secretary general clearly shows that the centre of gravity for insurgencies is inside Afghanistan, said Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam at the weekly press briefing on Monday. The insurgency is concentrated in five Pashtoon-dominated provinces of Afghanistan, she said.
On NATO officials visit, Ms Aslam said they visited Pakistan frequently for consultation, and to review the overall situation. She said that foreign secretaries of Pakistan and India were in contact with each other, but no date for their formal talks had yet been confirmed. She, however, said that talks were likely to be held after Eid.
A neutral expert on Baglihar Dam had held a meeting with Pakistan and India, and the two countries had been asked to submit their comments on the issue by October 26, she said, adding that the neutral expert would convene another meeting with representatives from both sides on November 7 in Washington. The spokeswoman said the expert had indicated that a final decision would be made before the end of the year.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/10/2006 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
ISLAMABAD: A private television channel on Monday received a videocassette showing Taliban forces fighting the coalition forces in Afghanistan. The videotape that arrived at Geo TV consists of three parts. The first part, titled 'Rehbar', shows Taliban commander Mulla Dadullah Khan and his associates. The video shows the Taliban transporting ration and weapons and Mulla Dadullah baking bread for his comrades in a cave in Kandahar. The video also shows Dadullah leading prayers and the Taliban drinking water from ponds, washing clothes and bathing.
The second part of the videotape, named 'Rastey', shows the Taliban fighting the US and coalition forces. The video shows damaged vehicles of the allied forces, arms and ammunitions and a coalition helicopter retreating after a battle with the Taliban. The video also shows Mulla Dadullah beheading two British soldiers, two Afghan women and 27 Afghan soldiers.
The third part of the video, called the 'Fidayeen', shows Mulla Dadullah meeting would-be suicide bombers inside a cave. He writes them a chit that he calls 'admittance to paradise'.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/10/2006 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[7 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
D *** it, for awhile there thought it had to do wid naked, almost naked, or should-be-naked Burqua babes!?
#2
The video shows damaged vehicles of the allied forces, arms and ammunitions and a coalition helicopter retreating after a battle with the Taliban.
Of course, the dozens of dead Taliban were not shown nor was it shown that the Taliban retreated after the battle.
A coalition helicopter retreating? Or simply flying away having expended its ordnance and needing to go home to refuel/rearm?
But, of course, I'm just being silly. The Taliwackers are slowly and steadily driving the coalition forces out of Afghanistan as the mighty Lions of Islam that they are.
#3
And the two British soldiers are...?? I smell BS.
Posted by: Howard UK ||
10/10/2006 5:55 Comments ||
Top||
#4
I just love how the "article" puts the beheading of 31 humans at the end of the 2nd paragraph, as if it's an everyday occurance. Of course, in Waziristan, maybe it is.
Posted by: BA ||
10/10/2006 12:27 Comments ||
Top||
General David Richards, the commander of NATO troops in Afghanistan, said on Monday that Pakistan was not supporting the Taliban in Afghanistan. Speaking to Geo television, the NATO commander, who arrived in Pakistan for a two-day visit on Monday, denied reports that he had come with evidence that Islamabad was supporting the Taliban.
He said that these reports were baseless and rubbish. The Taliban were being supported by poppy cultivation in Afghanistan, which funded their weapons purchases...
He said that these reports were baseless and rubbish. The Taliban were being supported by poppy cultivation in Afghanistan, which funded their weapons purchases, he said.
He said he had no information about the whereabouts of Taliban leader Mullah Umar. He praised Pakistan's contribution in the war against terrorism, and welcomed the peace agreement between Pakistan's government and tribal elders in North Waziristan, saying it was a good example and should be followed by others. He denied that NATO forces were in contact with Taliban in Afghanistan, but they were in contact with local tribal elders in Helmand for a peace agreement in the area. He said that Afghanistan, Pakistan and Britain were partners in the war against terrorism and his meeting with President Musharraf would be a friendly one.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/10/2006 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under:
October 07 2006 at 2145 LT in posn 05:04.7N - 098:25.7E, Malacca straits. Six boats surrounded a bulk carrier underway. Crew mustered and activated anti-piracy measures. Some of the boats closed in to 20 metres. At 2345 Lt there were two boats each ahead and astern at distance 2.0 nm. Crew maintained anti-piracy measures and after one hour and 15 mins boats stopped following the ship.
October 07.10.2006 at 0300 LT at Conakry anchorage, Guinea. Robbers boarded a general cargo ship and threw drums on deck overboard. Alert crew raised alarm and crew mustered. Robbers jumped overboard and escaped. No response from port control. Due to robbers boat is hovering around the ship, master picked up anchor and moved to open sea.
October 02 2006 at Cawthorne channel, Rivers State of the Niger Delta, Nigeria. Gunmen in speed boats attacked barges carrying fuel. Three soldiers protecting the convoy were killed. They kidnapped 25 Nigerian workers and hijacked the barges. They discharged the barges at Billie and the 25 workers are being held in that village.
Kurdish witnesses accused Saddam Hussein of bulldozing their families into mass graves Monday as the ousted Iraqi leader returned to court for the latest hearing in his genocide trial. The case continued following a two-week adjournment, despite a boycott by Saddams defence lawyers, and the court heard evidence of appalling conditions at a prison camp in northern Iraq where wild dogs feasted on human remains.The former strongman and six of his top officials are accused of ordering the 1988 Anfal campaign by Iraqi forces in which, prosecutors say, 182,000 Kurds were killed in death camps, bombings and poison gas attacks.
A Kurdish woman spoke softly from behind a curtain to protect her identity in a country still wracked by murders and political violence, three-and-a-half years after Saddam was overthrown by a US-led invasion. Haltingly, she told of how Iraqi forces attacked her village in northern Kurdish region in April 1988 and rounded up members of her family.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/10/2006 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
The former strongman and six of his top officials are accused of ordering the 1988 Anfal campaign by Iraqi forces in which, prosecutors say, 182,000 Kurds were killed in death camps, bombings and poison gas attacks.
That would get you at least 5 years in prison in the UK.
The judge at Saddam Hussein's genocide trial has expelled the ousted Iraqi leader from court and ordered the hearing to continue behind closed doors after an altercation between the two men. Judge Mohammed al-Oreibi al-Khalifah threw Saddam out of the dock Tuesday after a dispute erupted over the former leader's attempt to read out a Koranic verse.
Saddam's co-defendant Hussein Rashid al-Tikriti demanded to be allowed to leave with his leader, branding the prosecutors "pimps and traitors", and punched a court bailiff who attempted to push him back into his seat. He also was expelled.
A third defendant, Ali Hassan al-Majid, declared: "I want to see the sentence passed now. I wish to be executed and finish with this court."
Posted by: Fred ||
10/10/2006 11:09 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#2
Agreed, AG. This has dragged on for far too long when the guilt was irrefutable and the outcome certain. Finish the trial quickly and execute the scumbags.
Posted by: mac ||
10/10/2006 18:25 Comments ||
Top||
#3
Judge Mohammed al-Oreibi al-Khalifah threw Saddam out of the dock Tuesday after a dispute erupted over the former leader's attempt to read out a Koranic verse.
Iraqi Sunni and Shiite Muslim clerics have put together a reconciliation document in a recent meeting in the Muslim holy city of Mecca in an effort to stem sectarian violence that many fear could lead to a civil war.
The Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), the worlds biggest Muslim body, said it sponsored the meeting on Saturday and Sunday, which will be followed by a wider gathering of clerics in Mecca on Oct. 19 and 20 to approve the agreement. This document, once approved, will send a message to all the Iraqi people making clear Islams position on blood-letting among Muslims, an OIC statement sent to Reuters on Monday said. It calls on the Muslims of Iraq to adhere to the clear principles of the Islamic religion in this regard.
The document was prepared by Shiite clerics Jalal al-Deen al-Saghir, a senior parliamentarian from the Shiite Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) party, and Salah Abdul-Razzaq, as well as Sunni cleric Mahmoud al-Sumaydai and Sheikh Abdelsattar Abbas, whose affiliation was not clear. The OIC, a Saudi-based organisation grouping 57 Muslim countries, said the Mecca meeting next week would include senior Iraqi clerics.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/10/2006 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
Jordan's foreign minister warned Sunday that Palestinians face a humanitarian tragedy unless peacemaking with Israel resumes quickly. "It is absolutely necessary to consolidate international efforts to provide assistance to the needy Palestinian people," Abdul-Ilah al-Khatib told visiting UN Mideast envoy Alvaro De Soto in the Jordanian capital.
"The difficult economic conditions (in the Palestinian territories)are further deteriorating because of the continued Israeli aggression, the embargo, and oppressive measures threatening to unleash a human tragedy," al-Khatib said. Jordan's official Petra news agency said the two men discussed the "situation in the Palestinian territories and ways to revive efforts for achieving peace."
Posted by: Fred ||
10/10/2006 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Tragedy? Farce?
"Tragedy becomes farce, when the actors lose the plot."
#3
The difficult economic conditions are further deteriorating because of the continued Israeli aggression, the embargo, and oppressive measures threatening to unleash a human tragedy
Bwahahaha!
OK, class. Can anybody tell me what's wrong with this sentence?
Just another example of why they'll never get anywhere.
October 10, 2006: Only a year ago it seemed that the LTTE was unstoppable, and would succeed in partitioning the island. But now the LTTE is on the ropes, and there are several good reasons why. First, the LTTE is weaker, because of the tsunami of late 2004 and the rebellion of the LTTE forces in eastern Sri Lanka (about a third of LTTE strength). The tsunami did enormous damage to the Tamil population, and LTTE naval forces. It was one of the reasons for the east Sri Lanka LTTE factions to rebel. There developed another major dispute within the LTTE, between the political and military wings, over the goals of the organization.
While all this was going on, the Sri Lankan government had gotten its act together. The armed forces were in better shape, and Sri Lankan diplomats had finally convinced the rest of the world that the LTTE was a terrorist organization that was raising money for terrorism under the guise of doing charitable work. So the nations of the world began to treat the LTTE like terrorists, and the money stopped flowing. So did the weapons, which the money bought, and the freedom to operate overseas that made purchasing them possible.
Over a decade of fighting, without much to show for it, had also hurt morale within the LTTE, and the Tamil community. While the LTTE extremists wanted to keep fighting, they were a shrinking minority. The big question is, can the government win a lasting victory, and not just antagonize the Tamils to the point that the seeds for another generation of conflict are planted.
Posted by: Steve ||
10/10/2006 09:04 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
This isn't going to stop until the Sinhalese ethnically cleanse the Tamils. Kill most, drive the rest back to Tamil Nadu and it's over. It's not PC to say it but that's what it will take.
Posted by: mac ||
10/10/2006 18:22 Comments ||
Top||
Ah, finally some entertaining anti-Iran activism from the Right. That lumpy, vaguely Captain Sternn-looking Hitler cariacature was the entry of cartoonists Cox and Forkum into Tehran's "Holocaust International Cartoon Contest." It was too weird to win, but that wasn't cartoonist Forkum's intention.
I designed and illustrated the Hitler caricature so that when turned upside down, Hitler becomes Ahmadinejad.
The world's taken a page from Dag Hammerskjold and come up short; time to take a page from Highlights?
The cartoonists (entered under the psuedonuym "Hugh Bradley") didn't make the finals, so they didn't actually get displayed on the Iranian website. But their cartoon wasn't sent back, either, so they're convinced the government hacks who pored over their image were successfully pranked.
HT to Reason.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
10/10/2006 12:19 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[7 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Takes a bit of squinting then it becomes clear!
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad vowed to impose retaliatory sanctions on world powers if the UN Security Council carries out threats to penalize Iran over its nuclear program, state media reported. Ahmadinejad did not specify what kind of tit-for-tat measures might be imposed and Iran OPECs second largest producer has always insisted it will not use oil as a weapon in the standoff.
We will also impose sanctions on them, Ahmadinejad told reporters late Sunday in response to a question about a decision by the five Security Council permanent members plus Germany to discuss the prospect of sanctions. In the past 27 years they have always threatened us with sanctions and during this time they did everything they could, he said according to the student ISNA and semi-official ILNA agencies. They do their thing and in return we will do ours.
Tehran insists its nuclear program is solely for peaceful energy needs, vehemently rejecting US allegations that it is seeking to manufacture nuclear weapons. Its right to enrich uranium lies at the heart of the crisis. The process can be used to make nuclear fuel and, in highly extended form, the fissile core of an atomic bomb.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
10/10/2006 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[7 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Does mean that Moud has, once more, post-rejected the pre-rejectment of the non-acceptance???
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
The row over Muslim women's dress codes reignited today after author Salman Rushdie declared that "veils suck".
The UN Security Council should congratulate North Korea for its nuclear test instead of passing "useless" resolutions or statements, North Korea's UN ambassador said Monday. Pak Gil Yon told reporters he was proud of the North Koreans who conducted the test, and said the Security Council ought to be, too. Asked if the North planned any more tests, Pak said: "That will be enough. You don't think so?" 
A North Korean official has warned the communist nation could fire a nuclear-tipped missile unless the US acts to resolve its standoff with Pyongyang, a South Korean news agency has reported.
North Korea may face more sanctions after raising the nuclear ante in Asia with an atomic test, although an outbreak of war appears unlikely now, officials and analysts said on Monday. While North Koreas announcement had a generally muted impact on global markets, the reaction from governments around the world was loud and clear. The White House called it a provocative act, in defiance of the will of the international community. Japan, which many analysts saw as most directly threatened by any North Korean nuclear test, said it would seek UN Security Council talks and would also weigh its own harsh measures. 
Belgium's Flemish far-right party has scored strongly in weekend local elections despite being scorned and ostracised by Belgium's political class. Based on partial results of the provincial councils on Monday, the anti-immigrant party picked up 7.6 percentage points to reach 20.8 per cent across northern Dutch-speaking Flanders and surged well beyond its traditional stronghold of Antwerp.
October 10, 2006: Canadian military brass got a lot of heat recently when a journalist reported that Canadian soldiers wounded in Afghanistan, lose their combat pay when they leave the combat zone. That, of course, is what happens when you get wounded. You are quickly taken off to a nice, safe hospital. In past wars, troops didn't worry about losing combat pay that way, as they were more concerned about being safe, still alive and no longer getting shot at. But things have changed in the 21st century. 
ISLAMABAD: A private television channel on Monday received a videocassette showing Taliban forces fighting the coalition forces in Afghanistan. The videotape that arrived at Geo TV consists of three parts. The first part, titled 'Rehbar', shows Taliban commander Mulla Dadullah Khan and his associates. The video shows the Taliban transporting ration and weapons and Mulla Dadullah baking bread for his comrades in a cave in Kandahar. The video also shows Dadullah leading prayers and the Taliban drinking water from ponds, washing clothes and bathing. 
General David Richards, the commander of NATO troops in Afghanistan, said on Monday that Pakistan was not supporting the Taliban in Afghanistan. Speaking to Geo television, the NATO commander, who arrived in Pakistan for a two-day visit on Monday, denied reports that he had come with evidence that Islamabad was supporting the Taliban. 
October 07 2006 at 2145 LT in posn 05:04.7N - 098:25.7E, Malacca straits. Six boats surrounded a bulk carrier underway. Crew mustered and activated anti-piracy measures. Some of the boats closed in to 20 metres. At 2345 Lt there were two boats each ahead and astern at distance 2.0 nm. Crew maintained anti-piracy measures and after one hour and 15 mins boats stopped following the ship.
Kurdish witnesses accused Saddam Hussein of bulldozing their families into mass graves Monday as the ousted Iraqi leader returned to court for the latest hearing in his genocide trial. The case continued following a two-week adjournment, despite a boycott by Saddams defence lawyers, and the court heard evidence of appalling conditions at a prison camp in northern Iraq where wild dogs feasted on human remains.The former strongman and six of his top officials are accused of ordering the 1988 Anfal campaign by Iraqi forces in which, prosecutors say, 182,000 Kurds were killed in death camps, bombings and poison gas attacks.
The judge at Saddam Hussein's genocide trial has expelled the ousted Iraqi leader from court and ordered the hearing to continue behind closed doors after an altercation between the two men. Judge Mohammed al-Oreibi al-Khalifah threw Saddam out of the dock Tuesday after a dispute erupted over the former leader's attempt to read out a Koranic verse. 
Iraqi Sunni and Shiite Muslim clerics have put together a reconciliation document in a recent meeting in the Muslim holy city of Mecca in an effort to stem sectarian violence that many fear could lead to a civil war. 
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad vowed to impose retaliatory sanctions on world powers if the UN Security Council carries out threats to penalize Iran over its nuclear program, state media reported. Ahmadinejad did not specify what kind of tit-for-tat measures might be imposed and Iran OPECs second largest producer has always insisted it will not use oil as a weapon in the standoff.
