Judge sentences female victim to more lashes than her assailant
When the teenager went to the police a few months ago to report she was gang-raped by seven men, she never imagined the judge would punish her and that she would be sentenced to more lashes than one of her alleged rapists received.
The story of the Girl of Qatif, as the alleged rape victim has been called by the media here, has triggered a rare debate about Saudi Arabias legal system, in which judges have wide discretion in punishing a criminal, rules of evidence are shaky and sometimes no defense lawyers are present.
The result, critics say, are sentences left to the whim of judges. These include one in which a group of men got heavier sentences for harassing women than the men in the Girl of Qatif rape case or three men who were convicted of raping a boy. In another, a woman was ordered to divorce her husband against her will based on a demand by her relatives.
In the case of the Girl of Qatif, she was sentenced to 90 lashes for being alone in a car with a man to whom she was not married a crime in this strictly segregated country at the time that she was allegedly attacked and raped by a group of other men. Rest at link.
Posted by: ed ||
11/21/2006 19:17 ||
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'Saudi Legal System' - now there's an oxymoron.
I think it should say "The Germans Have to Remember How to Kill."
Posted by: Tibor ||
11/21/2006 11:08 Comments ||
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#6
Maybe the Germans aren't interested in a war where (1) they don't get to kill Jews, (2) Germany doesn't get any loot or land and (3) they can't destroy every building and kill every civilian in sight.
#8
Europeans are conditioned to believe that colored Third Worlders - even those who supply most of the World's opium - are victims. Therefore any operation against said victims must be wrong. Its a loss of nerve.
Of course if the end of the world it's Der Spiegel and this is a filthy "Amerikian" war Germany should not be involved in. How do you say quagmire in German?
Money quote "But does it even stand a chance of winning the war in the first place?" If you are TRANZI elite that writes for and runs Der Spiegel the answer is no.
The only solution to Afghanistans complaints of alleged cross-border terrorism from Pakistan is that it should take back the three million Afghan refugees who live in Pakistan and move freely between the two countries, Foreign Office spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam said on Monday. Addressing a weekly press briefing, Aslam said that Pakistan was making all possible efforts to stem the movement of the Taliban and had set up 97 check posts on its side of the border for this purpose. However, she said that the Taliban were Afghan nationals and it was not easy to distinguish them from ordinary Afghans.
Aslam said that only the Afghan government could resolve the problems inside its territory, adding that Pakistan had proposed fencing and selective mining of the border, but Afghanistan had rejected these suggestions. She said that the international community must encourage national reconciliation in Afghanistan and should prepare a plan for the economic rehabilitation of south and southeastern Afghanistan similar to the one being made for other parts of the country.
About Gen Abizaids remarks that the war on terrorism could become a third world war, Aslam said that challenges existed, but they could not be faced through military action only. The FO spokeswoman said that Britain would provide Pakistan $900 million in development assistance spread over a period of three years. Aslam said that the Pakistani and Indian foreign secretaries had discussed the opening of consulates in Karachi and Mumabi during their recent meeting, adding that progress on the issue was hindered by the fact that Pakistan had yet to find a location for its consulate in Mumbai.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/21/2006 00:00 ||
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Take back your refugees - one suicide bomber at a time.
The resurgent and regrouped Taliban are committing atrocities in Afghanistans Helmand province, according to a report based on eyewitness accounts published in the Washington Post on Monday. Pamela Constable writes from Kabul, Clutching scarves nervously around their faces, the women whispered details of Taliban atrocities in their native Helmand province: a translators body found in a sack, carved into pieces; a police officer taken hostage, blinded and garroted with wire; a woman shot and hanged by the thumbs.
Ma Gul, an Afghan woman from Helmand, told the newspaper, All our lives are in danger now. Our schools are shut, and anyone who works for the government is branded an infidel.
A new report by Afghan and foreign officials confirms that insurgent and terrorist attacks nationwide have increased fourfold in the last year, reaching 600 in incidents per month in September and causing 3,700 deaths since January. In Helmand, where much of the worst fighting has taken place, thousands of people have fled their homes and contradictory signals are being received from elders and residents about how to restore peace.
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Posted by: Fred ||
11/21/2006 00:00 ||
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"already built a plane runway and a heroin laboratory"
Either they have a 'deal' with Karzai and us, or they had better have state -of-the-art 'stealth' air cargo planes.
Mogadishu, 21 Nov. (AKI) - Militants from Somalia's Union of Islamic Courts have arrested some 100 people, including children, for watching a film in a small public cinema in the town of Merca in the country's southern Lower Shabelle province. The Courts, in line with their hardline brand of Islam, have shut down cinemas in parts of the country they control including the country's capital Mogadishu.
Besides the crackdown against cinemas, the Courts have also the banned the trade and use of Khad, a narcotic leaf, as well as outlawing tobacco cigarette smoking in some areas. No booze, no kites, no music, no khat, no tobacco... I dunno, perhaps there's still an hope for Pr0n? Please...?
#1
Besides the crackdown against cinemas, the Courts have also the banned the trade and use of Khad, a narcotic leaf, as well as outlawing tobacco cigarette smoking in some areas.
At this rate, one of these days they'll catch up with California.
Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi said the presence of United Nations troops in Sudan's conflict-ridden Darfur region would be a return to "colonialism" and Sudan's army would do a better job than peacekeepers at stopping the violence.
"If we're going to have colonialism in Darfur, it must be Arab colonialism!"
Gadhafi's comments on Sunday came as Khartoum appeared to be moving toward allowing a joint United Nations and African Union force to take over peacekeeping in Darfur from the ill-equipped and understaffed AU force currently deployed. "The presence of international forces in Darfur would be a new return to colonialism... Since when were the colonialist powers concerned about us? In the past, they treated us like animals and took us as slaves in their ships... If there is a need for an army to occupy Darfur, the Sudanese army is better than international forces," Gadhafi said.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/21/2006 00:00 ||
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Have to agree with the Colonel on that one. Anytime is a good time.... to stay the hell out of Africa.
#1
"America's decision to impose the death sentence on Saddam Hussein, the legitimate president of Iraq, is a badge of honor for Saddam and a mark of shame for the American administration and for its servants in the Arab world..."
Obviously the "journalist" was neither a Kurd, Chrisitan, Jew, or Shia. I suspect if someone in his family had been run through a plastic shredded for fun...he might have little different opinion.
#2
"Over recent weeks we have seen a demonisation of Muslims only comparable to the demonisation of Jews from the end of the 19th century. As at that time, the attack on Muslims in reality threatens freedoms for all of us, which took hundreds of years to win - freedom of conscience and freedom of cultural expression. Every person who values their right to follow the religion of their choice or none should stand with the Muslim communities today."
Aren't people's heads supposed to explode when they blurt out this sort of balderdash? Comparing Muslims to Jews is like linking thugees to Ghandi. One is a ravening beast and the other essentially harmless by nature.
To say that, "the attack on Muslims in reality threatens freedoms for all of us" is nothing short of an intentional lie when it is Muslims that seek to impose global sharia law. This is absolute tommyrot.
Citing Muslims and freedom of religion in the same sentence truly beggars questioning of this man's sanity. Few other places on earth violate freedom of religion like the MME (Muslim Middle East). He must have issued this statement from the confines of a copper-walled Faraday cage in order to avoid being struck by lightning.
Livingstone needs to meet with the same fate as Quisling. Their personal legacies are one in the same.
#3
Look within yourself, Young Skywalker > LUCIANNE.com > POLITICAL AFFAIRS MAG/.com > US COMMUNISTS DECLARE ELECTION VICTORY. Once more, men, its about Radical Islam, and ONLY RADICAL ISLAM, with feeling. JOHN KERRY > US IS A NATION IN DENIAL [Global Warming/GOP Imperialism].
This is not new, I heard that on teevee a couple of years ago.
JAILED hate cleric Abu "Hook-Hand" Hamza lied about the way he lost his hands so he could pose as a hero, it emerged yesterday.
Say it ain't so!
Hook-handed Hamza told his followers hed been hurt defusing a landmine in Afghanistan. The truth is he failed to pay attention during a terror training class and BLASTED them off. Hamza later begged an al-Qaeda double-agent who knew the real story to hush it up. "Please, please, please, don't tell! It will be our little secret!"
It is one of a series of revelations from the spook recruited by Britain to track Osama Bin Ladens London network. Morocco-born Omar Nasri also told of meeting second hate preacher Abu Qatada, who he described as really dangerous.
Reeeeeeeaally?
Nasri told how an al-Qaeda instructor, Assad Allah, said he had been learning to make nitroglycerine when someone let the materials get too hot. Instead of dumping it in a sink of ice, the trainee dashed for the door with it. He said: The mixture exploded, blowing off both his hands and destroying an eye. And now he's a bitter, hateful cripple. Poor hapless Lion Of Islam.
Assad said the man was Abu Hamza and was now in London. Nasri later met him at Finsbury Park Mosque. He said: I told him, I trained with Assad Allah. He told me how you lost your hands.
Hamza whispered, Please dont share that story with anyone. So, he's not only a phony, he's a whiner as well.
Nasri told of meeting Qatada now in a British jail fighting extradition. He told him that fighting in a jihad or holy war was a Muslims highest calling. "Right after being able to do wipe yer butt with a stone or pick your nose before praying all by yourself."
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Monday he had assured Chinese President Hu Jintao Japan would not acquire nuclear weapons, but use its position as the only country to have suffered atomic attacks to urge members of the nuclear club to reduce their arsenals.
Abe was speaking at a news conference during an official visit to Vietnam following a summit of Asia-Pacific leaders in Hanoi, at which the issue of how to deal with North Koreas October nuclear test was high on the agenda. Our country is the only one in the world to have suffered a nuclear attack, Abe said. We have to take the lead in persuading the world to give up nuclear weapons, he added. In a bilateral summit on Saturday, Hu thanked Abe for repeatedly maintaining Japans commitment to its non-nuclear status. In my meeting with the Chinese leader, I reiterated that Japan will not obtain nuclear weapons, Abe said.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/21/2006 00:00 ||
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"Look into my eyes, and believe what I tell you" Ha ! I bet that made ol'Hu a lot more comforted. Wonder if he had any relatives in Nanking in 1933-34 ?
#4
In the case of Japan and weapondry, rely on the old adage, "Watch the hands, not the mouth". If the Japanese decide that they want a class of weapon, be it ship, plane, missile, or otherwise, they will develop it under some politically correct title that permits them to possess it.
The Japanese Navy is already planning on building a class of helicopter carrier that is classed as an "anti-submarine warfare destroyer, helicopter".
The size of the vessel will permit it to utilize Harrier type jets as well as the helos. Japan is not allowed carriers since they are Offensive Weapons, but ASW destroyers are Defensive Weapons.
Paradoxically, a gesture of symbolic violence against Israel by the extreme Left has galvanized Italian political forces and public opinion in Israel's defense.
Three cloth mannequins draped with an Israeli, a US and an Italian flag were publicly set on fire in front of Rome's central monument to the Unknown Soldier on Saturday, while a chorus of "10, 100, 1000 Nassariyahs" were chanted.
Three cloth mannequins draped with an Israeli, a US and an Italian flag were publicly set on fire in front of Rome's central monument to the Unknown Soldier on Saturday, while a chorus of "10, 100, 1000 Nassariyahs" (referring to an Iraqi suicide attack in which Italian soldiers were killed) were chanted. Public outrage over this profanation of Italian patriotic feelings and pathos for the young volunteers who had paid with their lives was extended to the US and Israeli effigies, linking them in public perception against extremism.
The rally, attended by about 20,000 and organized by the small Communist party (PDCI) together with the Forum for Palestine and the extreme Left's social youth movement, took place in Rome simultaneously with a much larger and more mainstream demonstration in Milan for "Two Peoples, Two States." All coalition parties, represented by their political leaders (including Fausto Bertinotti, leader of the "Re-established Communist Party" and Speaker of the Senate), major Italian NGOs and unions participated in the Milan event whose turnout was estimated at 50,000.
Prime Minister Romano Prodi has called to task the Communist leader Oliviero Diliberto for having attended the Rome rally while fully aware of the extremist elements attached to his parade. Diliberto, a long-time sympathizer and friend of Hizbullah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, marched up to Piazza Venezia but left in protest when masked and keffiyeh-wearing Palestinian Forum participants began the bonfire. The Israeli mannequin's helmet was marked "Nazi-Zionism."
"One simply must not participate in certain rallies," Prodi admonished.
"They are harming the Palestinian cause," Diliberto later exclaimed, but his excuses did not prevent the prime minister from deprecating his "last minute disassociation" and accusing him of "playing populist games."
"One simply must not participate in certain rallies," Prodi admonished.
The parliamentary opposition has demanded an account of this incident and the Court of Rome has launched an investigation.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/21/2006 00:00 ||
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In the meantime the racist genocide in Sudan goes unabated to the complete indifference of the "antiracist" left and specially of the first collabo party in Western Europe ie teh Communist Party (they started helping the Nazis in 1939).
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. Admiral, thanks for the introduction. Thanks for the warm breakfast, and thanks for the good view. I appreciate the tight ship you run here. And I thank you all very much for serving our country.
Laura and I are honored to be with you. We're honored to say thanks on behalf of a grateful nation. And I'm pleased to tell you that the work you're doing will lead to peace for generations to come.
You serve at a time when we witness an ideological struggle between those who love freedom and those who hate freedom. And the outcome of this struggle will determine how your children and grandchildren live. And I'm determined, like you are determined, that freedom prevails.
Today we saw again the vicious face of those who oppose freedom. We strongly condemn the assassination today in Lebanon of Pierre Gemayel, who was a minister in the government of Prime Minister Seniora. We support the Seniora government and its democracy, and we support the Lebanese people's desire to live in peace. And we support their efforts to defend their democracy against attempts by Syria, Iran and allies, to foment instability and violence in that important country.
I call for a full investigation of the murder to identify those people and those forces behind the killing. We call on the international community to support Prime Minister Seniora's government. And one clear way to do so is for the United Nations Security Council to take all remaining steps needed to establish a special tribunal concerning the assassination of former Prime Minister Hariri, and to assure that those behind that killing and others that followed are brought to justice. I strongly believe the United Nations Security Council ought to act today. For the sake of peace, the free world must reject those who undermine young democracies and murder in the name of their hateful ideology.
"...in the name of their hateful ideology religion."
There, that's better.
The Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) has quit the National Assembly and will attend the next session only to submit its resignations to the speaker, said MMA President Qazi Hussain Ahmed on Monday He was speaking at a rally to protest against the Womens Protection Bill organised by the MMA womens wing at Aabra Chowk in Rawalpindi. The protesters chanted slogans and carried banners inscribed with slogans denouncing General Pervez Musharraf and the bill.
Qazi Hussain said that the MMA had decided to take to the streets to protest against the Musharraf regime and to protect the dignity of women, which was under threat with the passage of the Womens Protection Bill. He said the government had failed to muster the support of even a single religious scholar for the bill. Now we will not hold talks with anyone in the government on the issue of the bill, he said.
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11/21/2006 00:00 ||
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PESHAWAR: A spokesman for the FATA Civil Secretariat has clarified news reports on the killing of Muhammad Hashim Khan in North Waziristan on suspicion of spying for America, saying that Khan was not an Afghan national. The spokesman said that Khan was a resident of North Waziristan, and a member of the Mussaki Tribe. The reports suggested that Khan was killed for his links with Maulana Salahuddin who was killed recently on the same charge, but the spokesman said Khans murder had nothing to do with the killing of Salahuddin, who was a resident of S Waziristan.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/21/2006 00:00 ||
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PESHAWAR: Participants of the Pakhtun Peace Jirga (PPJ) held on Monday said that they would stand united to demand national, political and economic rights for the Pakhtun community regardless of their political differences.
The PPJ calls for unity among all Pakhtuns to stop the ongoing bloodshed. This call has been prompted by the fact that the international security system and regional government have failed to bring peace in the Pakhtun populated areas, reads the unanimous resolution passed at the end of the event at Bacha Khan Markaz. The ANP sponsored PPJ was attended by approximately 500 leading Pakhtun figures from across the country, including political and religious party leaders, religious scholars, social workers, senior journalists and tribal elders from FATA and Balochistan.
Prominent among the participants were Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Justice (r) Mian Mohammad Ajmal, Balochistan MNA Mehmood Khan Achakzai, former NWFP Senior Minister Sirajul Haq, Opposition Leader in NWFP Assembly Shehzada Gustasib, PPPP Rahim Dad and Iqbal Zafar Jhagra of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).
The PPJ condemned interference in Afghanistans internal affairs and asked the Afghans to resolve their differences through dialogue. It said that peace was not only vital for the Afghans, but was a prerequisite for the stability of the region. The PPJ also demanded the extension of the Political Parties Act to Fata.
ANP President Asfandyar Wali Khan said that the overwhelming participation in the jirga was reflective of the fact that the entire nation wanted peace. We are not fighting our own war in Afghanistan, he said. He said that the country had served as a battlefield for the US and the Russians and was now being used by the US against the Taliban and Al Qaeda, adding that millions of Pakhtuns had been rendered homeless in the process. Khan criticised President Musharraf for his remarks stating that the Pakhtun were part of the Taliban, by saying that the Pakhtuns were a peaceful nation and the Taliban were the creation of the army. Fazlur Rehman said that ensuring peace was the primary responsibility of any government, which accounted for the provision of basic human rights such as the safety of life, property and honour. He said that Musharraf had miscalculated the situation in Afghanistan and the tribal areas in Pakistan.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/21/2006 00:00 ||
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Afghan leader, Karzai, is a Pakhtun (Pashto). One would think he would want the return of his people. At least the Mexican illegals in the US are not allowed legal in-out passage through frontiers, as are the Pashtos.
UNITED NATIONS, Nov 21 (Reuters) - U.S. Ambassador John Bolton said on Tuesday the assassination of a Lebanese Cabinet minister and vocal critic of Syria showed the need for quick agreement on creation of an international court for Lebanon. Bolton also hinted at Syrian involvement in the killing of Industry Minister Pierre Gemayel by gunmen who opened fire on his convoy near Beirut.
He pointed to a string of recent assassinations of anti-Syrian political figures in Lebanon following the February 2005 murder of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri after Hariri spoke out against Syria's domination of Lebanon. "I think the facts need to be developed, but if you look at ... the evidence that links the Hariri assassination to the other political assassinations, I think people can draw their own conclusions," he said.
We sure can, and have.
Bolton strongly disagreed when asked by a reporter whether council approval of the tribunal plan might feed instability in Lebanon, as some council members had argued. "How incredibly wrong that would be," he said. "Instability? They are killing people in Lebanon, they are assassinating political leaders."
"Not the time to seek justice? There may be those on the Security Council who say it. Let them step forward and say it," Bolton said.
During a closed-door Security Council meeting on Monday, Russia and Qatar had suggested it might be prudent to delay action on the tribunal due to Lebanon's political crisis, said diplomats present at that meeting.
Gemayel's shooting came as pro-Syrian Hezbollah and its allies prepared to take to the streets to try to topple the government of anti-Syrian Prime Minister Fouad Siniora. It also coincided with the U.N. Security Council's consideration of the plan for an international tribunal to try suspects in the murder of Hariri and the other recent assassinations, which U.N. investigators believe are related to Hariri's death.
Gemayel was among the members of the Lebanese Cabinet to have voted last week to approving the U.N. plan for the tribunal.
The vote came after the resignation of six opposition Cabinet members, throwing the Siniora government into crisis. Lebanon's pro-Syrian puppet president, Emile Lahoud, had immediately protested that the vote by the Siniora government was illegitimate.
US forces are trapped in Iraq, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said today, warning that Washington must find the right time to leave without plunging the country deeper into chaos.
"On the question of the military presence it is a difficult issue. The US is in a way trapped in Iraq, trapped in the sense that it cannot stay and it cannot leave," Mr Annan said.
"The timing of its departure will have to be optimal," he added.
An eventual withdrawal of US forces should "not lead to a further deterioration," Mr Annan cautioned.
The UN chief said Washington should instead "try and get it to a level that when it withdraws, the Iraqis themselves will be able to maintain a situation that would ensure a reasonable secure environment".
The debate in the US over options in Iraq has intensified in recent weeks, with the military reportedly ready to temporarily increase US forces by up to 30,000 troops while expanding training for Iraqi forces.
The Washington Post reported that three basic options have emerged in a strategy review in the Pentagon, led by a hybrid that would beef up US forces for a short period to dampen sectarian violence.
A sizeable boost in US troops would run counter to the strong current of public anger over Iraq, which swept Democrats to power in Congressional elections earlier this month.
Mr Annan said in Geneva that one key immediate step for Iraq was to revise its constitution to ensure fair power and revenue sharing between its feuding communities, especially to allay the fears of Sunni Muslims in the country.
Iraqi lawmakers voted unanimously to set up a committee to amend the constitution in September.
Iraq is riven by fighting between rival Sunni and Shiite Arab factions. The Kurdish minority's dream of independence has also been put on hold while Parliament debates plans for a federation of autonomous provinces.
The draft law Iraqi lawmakers began debating in September would split Iraq largely on ethnic and sectarian lines, confirming Kurdish autonomy and creating an oil-rich Shiite homeland.
Even if passed, the law could not come into effect for at least 18 months, while Sunni members have insisted on reviewing the year-old constitution.
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/21/2006 17:38 Comments ||
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#9
meh. Euro pot is weak! US has the best agricultural products in the world, hands down. Imagine what we would be seeing at the various State Fairs if it were legal! Lol!
Posted by: Mark E. ||
11/21/2006 18:16 Comments ||
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#10
a LOT more fried twinkies
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/21/2006 18:38 Comments ||
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WASHINGTON, Nov. 20 Pentagon officials conducting a review of Iraq strategy are considering a substantial but temporary increase in American troop levels and the addition of several thousand more trainers to work with Iraqi forces, a senior Defense Department official said Monday.
The idea, dubbed the surge option by some officials, would involve increasing American forces by 20,000 troops or more for several months in the hope of improving security, especially in Baghdad. That would mark a sharp rise over the current baseline of 144,000 troops.
But some officials and senior military officers are arguing against the idea, saying that it could undercut a sense of urgency for Iraqi units to take on a greater role in fighting the insurgency and preventing sectarian attacks. Gen. John P. Abizaid, the head of the United States Central Command, told Congress last week that the military was stretched so thin that such an increase could not be sustained over the long term.
There are people who believe that a short-term surge would have a beneficial impact, but there isnt universal agreement on that yet, said the senior official, who said that President Bush was scheduled to be briefed in the next several weeks on the developing options, which were first reported Monday in The Washington Post.
There is far more consensus within the Pentagon on the need to increase the number of American trainers, more than 3,000 of whom are working with Iraqi Army, police and border units. General Abizaid endorsed that idea in general terms in testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee last week.
A Pentagon strategy review, ordered by Gen. Peter Pace, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is backing the idea, as is a separate panel studying Iraq options, led by former Secretary of State James A. Baker III, the senior official said.
The number of American advisers, who generally work in 11- to 13-member teams attached to Iraqi units, is likely to end up being doubled, the officials said.
To do that, officials are considering whether they could convert American soldiers in combat units already in Iraq into advisers, working alongside Iraqi security forces, the senior official said. That would reduce the number of Americans exclusively available for combat, but it would enable the advisers ranks to be increased rapidly, instead of the months it would take to train additional advisers in the United States.
In addition, placing more experienced troops with Iraqi soldiers would augment the Iraqi units combat power, the official said.
The Pentagon review is being conducted by more than a dozen officers who have served in Iraq and are regarded as some of the militarys most experienced thinkers about the problems there. The group appears to have rejected other more radical options, including a rapid withdrawal of American troops from Iraq and a major long-term increase in troop levels, the senior official said.
Some Pentagon officials took issue Monday with the idea that the relatively low-ranking group composed largely of colonels would be drafting options for switching course in Iraq. A Pentagon spokesman, Bryan Whitman, said the group was not charged with developing formal recommendations but rather with giving its views to other members of the Joint Staff.
His comments appeared aimed, at least in part, at reasserting in public the role of the Joint Chiefs, who have been criticized by retired military officers for deferring too much in developing Iraq strategy to Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, who has announced his resignation.
Theyre not working on any specific product or report, Mr. Whitman said of the group. Theyre providing unfettered views and fresh views. He added that recommendations for shifting strategy would be made by General Pace, whose job is to advise the president.
The senior Pentagon official said that increasing the number of American combat troops for an indefinite period is not on the table. Nor is there active discussion of a rapid troop drawdown advocated by some Democrats, the official said, an approach the official called turning off the lights and going home.
Though a temporary increase of about 20,000 American troops is under consideration, the plan envisions the additional troops staying only until security conditions improve. After that, troop levels could come down, as better-trained and equipped Iraqi units took on a larger security role.
But even that option would not be easy to accomplish without putting more strain on already-strapped Army and Marine combat units. Officials said it could be done by extending the tours of some units already in Iraq, speeding up the deployment of other units scheduled to go, and activating more reserve units.
The fact of the matter is that the United States military does have the ability to put more troops on the ground if we need to have more forces on the ground, Mr. Whitman said.
Temporary spikes in troop levels have succeeded in tamping down insurgent violence in Iraq in the past. But several Pentagon officials say they are not sure that the Army can achieve the same results against attacks fueled increasingly by sectarian tension. An increase in American forces this year to more than 140,000 from 128,000 has failed to stem the spike in sectarian attacks, they noted.
Representative Duncan Hunter, a California Republican who is losing the chairmanship of the Armed Services Committee at the end of the year, said at a news conference that rather than sending more American troops, he favored redeploying Iraqi units from largely calm areas to Baghdad and other violence-ridden sections of the country.
The idea of having the Iraqi battalions that weve stood up and trained 50 to 100 miles away, in areas that are peaceful, simply staying in their barracks while we put together new rotations of Americans to take their place, simply doesnt make sense, he said.
#1
The joke Rep. Hunter is that when you send them where they don't want to go, they head home. (Take their gear with them of course) If they are ordered to attack a group from their own sect, they refuse to fight. What a cruel joke on the US, eh ? So the amount you can count on is ????
GAZA CITY - Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas left Gaza on Monday for talks in Saudi Arabia focused on the quest for a Palestinian unity government and international efforts to jumpstart the peace process. Abbas, who was due to meet King Abdullah, left via Egypt after Palestinian officials said talks between his secular Fatah party and the ruling Islamist movement Hamas on forming a unity cabinet had run into new snags.
His departure for Saudi Arabia comes several days after France, Italy and Spain launched an initiative calling for a ceasefire in the Middle East. The Saudi monarch and French President Jacques Chirac discussed the proposal in a telephone conversation on Friday.
Riyadh favours holding an international conference on the Middle East in order to put an end to Israeli military operations in the Palestinian territories and revive the stalled peace process.
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11/21/2006 00:00 ||
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Syria has disrupted efforts to free kidnapped IDF soldier Cpl. Gilad Shalit and interfered with attempts to defuse Israel's ongoing conflict with the Palestinians, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said Monday.
Syria has also caused trouble within the Palestinian Authority, Livni alleged. Whenever Hamas showed signs of cooperation with PA President Mahmoud Abbas, Syria sent messages saying, "Don't do it," she said.
Syria's just the puppet, Iran is the hand inside ...
"It is not even about a Syrian interest," Livni told an audience at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London. "They want to dictate the Palestinian conflict. We heard the first abducted soldier was being held ... in Hamas hands, and whenever there was a kind of chance to release him, the order came from Syria saying not to release him."
Livni said Israel had lost a year of negotiations with the Palestinians after a Hamas victory in January's Palestinian legislative elections led to international sanctions and a divided and ineffectual government. She said Hamas should not have been allowed to take part in the elections because they sponsor terrorism. "Democracy is not about voting, but about values," she said. "There is a need to demand of any party, as part of the democratic system, to adopt the values of democracy before participating in elections. This is part of any democratic system in the world except in the Middle East."
Livni said she still believed in a two-state solution, and urged Palestinian moderates who share common ground with Israelis to work with them.
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11/21/2006 00:00 ||
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Declaring that Israel was not "coming to terms" with Kassam rocket fire, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz said Monday he was not currently in favor of launching a massive ground operation into the Gaza Strip to stop the daily rocket attacks on towns in the western Negev.
A total of 11 Kassams landed in the Negev on Monday, seven in Sderot and one which scored a direct hit on a home in a nearby kibbutz. No one was injured in any of the attacks but extensive damage was caused to the home. "Israel is not surrendering to the Kassam rockets," Halutz told reporters as he mingled with new recruits during their enlistment in the IDF at the Tel Hashomer Induction Center on Monday. He said that it was easy to propose large-scale operations in the Gaza Strip as a solution to the Kassam fire, but that they would not necessarily eliminate the threat.
A range of alternatives would need to be exhausted before launching a major incursion into Gaza to combat terrorist activity. Escalated force was "not the first choice," Halutz added. "It is very easy to make this proposal but the world is not just built on acts of strength," Halutz said. "There are other layers of legitimacy for an operation and we need to ask ourselves what will the consequences of such an operation be and what will happen the day after the operation."
Posted by: Fred ||
11/21/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Klutz is never interested in using ground troops, only airplanes. Israel's failure to make any changes at the top, politically or militarily is astounding.
"It is very easy to make this proposal but the world is not just built on acts of strength. There are other layers of legitimacy for an operation and we need to ask ourselves what will the consequences of such an operation be and what will happen the day after the operation."
Colin Powell must be jealous he didn't make up that nonsense first. It's the acts of weakness that have made the world what it is. Next up, the effects of military actions one generation later.
#2
The consequences of doing nothing Klutz, Halutz, Putz is to surrender a 5-10 mile strip of interior Israel which becomes more uninhabitable day by day. Great job of leadership.
The international community must reject the Palestinian claim to the Shaba farms because it contradicts the Road Map, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said in a lecture at London's International Institute for Strategic Studies on Monday night. Livni also called on moderate Middle Eastern countries to join together and work to neutralize the extremist elements in the region, Israel Radio reported.
Regarding Iran, Livni said an offensive stance must be taken toward Teheran. She added that the international community should be prepared to defend its values before defending oil prices. The foreign minister warned that if the world did not react to the Iranian threat with appropriate seriousness, there was a danger that other Arab countries would either develop nuclear weapons or come under the influence of Teheran.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/21/2006 00:00 ||
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A week after threatening to launch a preemptive strike against Iran's nuclear sites, Deputy Defense Minister Ephraim Sneh said Monday that Israel could not count on international partners to act on its behalf. "We can only count on ourselves," he said during a conference organized by the Israel Management Center on Israeli defense industries in Herzliya. "Partnerships with foreigners are good for business but we cannot lose, because of them, the element of surprise."
Posted by: Fred ||
11/21/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Too bad you & your pals didn't know it in 1994. But, better late than never.
According to sources close to Defense Minister Amir Peretz, the defense minister has been interested in meeting Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas for some time, but Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has asked to be the first to meet the PA president, Israel Radio reported. The sources said that since the proposed meeting between Olmert and Abbas kept getting postponed, Peretz took matters into his own hands and called Abbas. They added that Peretz planned to be in touch with Abbas again in the future, but that the defense minister would not hold negotiations with him.
The sources claimed no harm had been done by Peretz's phone call, which set off a round of criticism from MKs and the prime minister earlier Monday, and that it was perfectly legitimate that the two should discuss defense issues.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/21/2006 00:00 ||
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Former Palestinian prime minister Ahmed Qurei, who was in Damascus, said Monday that a Palestinian unity government would be established within a few days, Israel Radio reported. Qurei met with Syrian Vice President Farouk al-Sharaa, who promised all the aid necessary to establish the new government. Qurei added that after the unity government was established, there would be reforms in the PLO. Qurei's statements seemed to contradict an earlier report by Abbas aide Nabil Amr, who said Monday that talks over the unity government had been suspended due to disagreements between Fatah and Hamas.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/21/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Won't matter, don't bother. Hamas will still manipulate the balance of gov't.
Members of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee called on Monday for the resignation of Defense Minster Amir Peretz. The demand followed Sunday's telephone conversation between Peretz and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, in which the defense minister urged Abbas to exercise his authority and do everything possible to stop Kassam rocket attacks against Israel.
Meretz Chairman Yossi Beilin said that Peretz's "flame had died," and that he never tried any new tactics. Beilin also called for the government to disband. "On Saturday, one of [Olmert's] ministers says that we must eliminate the Hamas leadership and that Abbas is no longer relevant, and on Monday a different minister says that he spoke to the PA chairman and requested a cease-fire. There is no policy and no methodology."
MK Danny Naveh (Likud) reacted cynically to the Peretz-Abbas conversation, saying that the meeting should be cut short since "any minute, Peretz will get a phone call from Abbas." He added that Israel's security was disintegrating and that Hamas and Hizbullah were getting stronger.
Naveh's fellow Likud MK, Yuval Steinitz, said that Peretz should have resigned long ago with the rest of the government. "Instead of proposing solutions he is pleading with Abbas," he said. Steinitz called on the IDF to embark on an operation similar to Operation Defensive Shield.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/21/2006 00:00 ||
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In a text message to The Associated Press, Hamas spokesman Abu Obeideh responded to Monday evening's IAF strike that killed two of the group's members by threatening revenge for "all Israeli crimes." Abu Obeideh said Hamas operations would continue "until our goals are achieved."
Posted by: Fred ||
11/21/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
wow that's soooo brave:
"How R U? Joos Must Die. CYA! :)"
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/21/2006 8:13 Comments ||
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To answer yesterday's speculation...
President Bush made a six-hour, carefully orchestrated visit to Indonesia on Monday, praising the countrys first directly elected president and seeking to defuse the widespread anger here, in the most populous Islamic country, over the continued American presence in Iraq. We were hoping for a "hit", but no joy...
Mr. Bush, whose visit to Indonesia three years ago was consumed with talk of counterterrorism, this time appeared focused on fighting bird flu, bolstering a small program to aid Indonesian schools and promoting growth. Oh, democracy stuff. Yawn. Continued on Page 49
#2
It then banned Western music from the country's radio and TV stations in December 2005.
Well at least they left the "Country" music alone. Hey somebody had to say it. I still fail to understand the mind set of the liberals and people farther to the left that fail to undestand just what the world of Islam represents. I can understand their disagreeing about policy but their failure to understand the nature of what the West is dealing with shows the absolute depth of their idiocy.
The US government Monday expressed renewed support for Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora, whose embattled government faces growing pressure from pro-Syrian factions. Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hizbullah, stoked the crisis Sunday by suggesting early elections and threatening to stage demonstrations by his supporters. "We support the elected government of Prime Minister Saniora and we're going to continue to work with them to help them move forward on a broad range of issues that we've got with them," US State Department spokesman Tom Casey said Monday.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/21/2006 00:00 ||
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Book says Mohamed engaged in terrorism for two decades
Those who want a chilling account of a killer who slipped through the hands of a daft justice system shouldn't bother to read the tripe now being peddled by O.J. Simpson. As a murderer, his record of terror just can't compare with Ali Mohamed.
How the al-Qaida superspy manipulated FBI intelligence watchdogs, as well as one of America's most respected U.S. attorneys, is a chilling bedtime story. Those few people who still believe the West has been told all there is to know about intelligence bungling that led up to 9/11 -- a recent poll found 80% of Americans think their administration is not being fully truthful -- should trace the blood-timeline of Ali Mohamed with utter alarm.
Which is what Peter Lance (peterlance.com) -- an Emmy-award winning investigator -- has done in his book, Triple Cross. The 600-plus-page opus -- released by Regan publishing next week but given an exclusive Canadian advance here -- is a detailed account of how Mohamed worked worry-free under the gaze of U.S. watchdogs.
In the al-Qaida camps, he was known as Abu Mohamed al Amriki -- "Father Mohamed the American." And, until he was finally arrested and convicted in 2000 -- after two decades of high profile terrorism, including helping to plan attacks on American troops in Somalia and U.S. embassies in Africa -- Ali Mohamed roamed free and even protected.
#1
a) Book-selling hype, b) proof of US government incompetence, c) proof of US government complicity in 9-11, or d) only 'part' of the story (quadruple agent?) Who knows (except answer 'c' is only an option for moonbats.)
#2
The Ali Mohammed case was short shrifted in the media. Even if this account is in part false, it could cause the truth to come out.
Another memory hole grew around US Muslims who financed "charities" that were later found to be terror fronts. Who are these financiers? Do they live in my block? I detest unnecessary government secrecy. I particularly detest protection of CAIR, AMC and the ISNA from legal and public scrutiny.
#4
A lot of this is hype, but it would pay Rantburgers to read up on previous successful espionage efforts against the US going back to the 1930's. I feel pretty sure that some ex-Soviet spies are now comfortably retired & drawing pensions for their long-term employment with the US government. Some were caught, and some have moved back to the what's left of the USSR.
Cher had 5,000 DVDs of "The Ground Truth: After the Killings" made, but unless American soldiers are on her mailing list, they're not getting to see it. Army, Navy and Marine Corps base officers have refused to show the documentary, about difficulties Iraq War vets have after they return home, according to director Patricia Foulkrod.
"It's hard for them to reconnect to their families," Foulkrod told us. "They've been in a very dramatic situation. The adjustment is so difficult. They come back and are offered only minimum wage. We spent so much money on the war, the government didn't really set aside the proper money to take care of these guys when they get back."
During one phone pitch to a Colorado base, a commanding officer told a Focus Features distribution exec that the content of the film was "inappropriate" and would be "detrimental" to the servicemen and their families.
Actresses Olivia Wilde ("The O.C.") and Susan Sarandon are also trying to get the word out. "I understand why the Armed Forces would be afraid to show this film because it shows the huge gap in recognizing and providing help for returning soldiers' psychological and physical needs," Sarandon told us.
An Army spokeswoman replied: "First of all, I actually only know one place they went to, and that was West Point. This is more of an activist piece than a documentary," she said. "If you look at 'The Ground Truth,' it has a definite point of view. We don't say, 'Don't go see it,' but we don't see why we should promote it.
"We don't get too many requests on documentaries," she said. "It's usually more things with entertainment value, people saying we'd like to do something nice for the troops - like the movie 'Sahara.'"
Posted by: Dar ||
11/21/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Aiding and abetting the enemy in wartime. I love recording artists!
#2
This is why country music is so popular with the military. For the most part, they support the troops and are patriotic. And no, the Dixie chicks really aren't country.
#4
"They come back and are offered only minimum wage." Yup, the only job that any vet can get is at Burger King at minimum wage. Must be reading the Kerry script Dumb Military + low skills = Minimum wage earner. Just when I thought I think I couldn't hate these people any more they come up with this shit. Is it clear now that they constitute a fifth column trying to sow discontent in the ranks and with the public?
#5
If Cher really wants us out of Iraq, and fast, all she has to do is have a few planes or helicopters fly over the country blaring "Do you believe in love after love" from loudspeakers.
War is hell, but none of our troops could stand that.
#7
I have heard stories, and I have this advice.
Bring soldiers home from the front a month before they are discharged, so they can have some time to relate to the non combat of the base and surrounding areas. Have the sucure ones guide the hyper ones into a soft landing. Is that so hard to do ?
For the Guard and Reserve troops they do this. They end up at Ft. Dix, and other locations, and stay there two to four weeks for "Outprocessing". I give them a chance to settle in before they head back to their communities.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
11/21/2006 11:14 Comments ||
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#9
I give them a chance to
IT gives them a chance.
Sorry bout that.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
11/21/2006 11:15 Comments ||
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#10
WX, There are lots of transition programs for troops and even more for those that were wounded. The ones that don't take advantage of those programs are the ones that usually have difficulties. These guys/gals are adults and need to take charge of their life. FYI Every county in the U.S. has a designated Veterans Rep that any Veteran can seek out for assistance. They are usually located at the county seat. I work with the ones in California and NONE of them ever complain about having too many customers.
#13
LOL .com, - a good "hamburger hill" reference.
I agree w/the good Sergeant. The VA may not be perfect but I've not seen a crisis. Other then the odd case that slips through the cracks, usually the guys who don't take advantage of the program have issues. Some people are gonna have issues no matter what the hell you do for them.
In the case of minimum wage; what a joke. Most of the first term guys I've seen get out do well. Plus every guy I know comes out w/a GI Bill and college opportunities, it's on them to get into school and close the deal. The ones that have problems were the ones who made bad decisions while in the military - i.e., got married and had kids they couldn't afford in the first place or never took advantage of on base education, etc.
#15
Parabellum - If something serves her career - at that moment - then she's sooo there. Just ask Sonny. Oh, wait, you can't cuz he hugged a tree to death.
Giving the benefit of the doubt, mebbe she has Diane Sawyer Syndrome: "I care so deeply I can't stand it... [Insert stupid quote here]"
Other then the odd case that slips through the cracks, usually the guys who don't take advantage of the program have issues. Some people are gonna have issues no matter what the hell you do for them.
This bears repeating. I heard virtually the same thing from a partly-disabled Viet Nam vet.
#19
Of course, all these "stars" know dead certain that the guys entering the service didn't have any problems to begin with.
/snark
My father-in-law joined the military at 16 (he was 6'3", and that was 1936) to get as far away from his family as he could. He stayed for 26 years and retired as an E-7. He got a job at Martin/Denver as a QC inspector on the Titan assembly line, and did quality control work on the Mars Lander and the X-24B. Not bad for a guy that dropped out of school in the 8th grade, and never took a college course in his life.
I had problems getting readjusted to "normal" family life when I came back from Nam. Most guys did. Most of us made it. Those that didn't refused to admit there was a problem. The rest of us recognized that we were different, and worked to adjust to what we had before. It wasn't easy, but it was sure as he$$ worth it. Cher knows sh$$ about the military and the people in it, and should STFU.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
11/21/2006 23:37 Comments ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
The only solution to Afghanistans complaints of alleged cross-border terrorism from Pakistan is that it should take back the three million Afghan refugees who live in Pakistan and move freely between the two countries, Foreign Office spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam said on Monday. Addressing a weekly press briefing, Aslam said that Pakistan was making all possible efforts to stem the movement of the Taliban and had set up 97 check posts on its side of the border for this purpose. However, she said that the Taliban were Afghan nationals and it was not easy to distinguish them from ordinary Afghans. 
The resurgent and regrouped Taliban are committing atrocities in Afghanistans Helmand province, according to a report based on eyewitness accounts published in the Washington Post on Monday. Pamela Constable writes from Kabul, Clutching scarves nervously around their faces, the women whispered details of Taliban atrocities in their native Helmand province: a translators body found in a sack, carved into pieces; a police officer taken hostage, blinded and garroted with wire; a woman shot and hanged by the thumbs. 
Mogadishu, 21 Nov. (AKI) - Militants from Somalia's Union of Islamic Courts have arrested some 100 people, including children, for watching a film in a small public cinema in the town of Merca in the country's southern Lower Shabelle province. The Courts, in line with their hardline brand of Islam, have shut down cinemas in parts of the country they control including the country's capital Mogadishu.
Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi said the presence of United Nations troops in Sudan's conflict-ridden Darfur region would be a return to "colonialism" and Sudan's army would do a better job than peacekeepers at stopping the violence. 
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Monday he had assured Chinese President Hu Jintao Japan would not acquire nuclear weapons, but use its position as the only country to have suffered atomic attacks to urge members of the nuclear club to reduce their arsenals.
The 
PESHAWAR: Participants of the Pakhtun Peace Jirga (PPJ) held on Monday said that they would stand united to demand national, political and economic rights for the Pakhtun community regardless of their political differences.
UNITED NATIONS, Nov 21 (Reuters) - U.S. Ambassador John Bolton said on Tuesday the assassination of a Lebanese Cabinet minister and vocal critic of Syria showed the need for quick agreement on creation of an international court for Lebanon. Bolton also hinted at Syrian involvement in the killing of Industry Minister Pierre Gemayel by gunmen who opened fire on his convoy near Beirut.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 20 Pentagon officials conducting a review of Iraq strategy are considering a substantial but temporary increase in American troop levels and the addition of several thousand more trainers to work with Iraqi forces, a senior Defense Department official said Monday.
The idea of having the Iraqi battalions that weve stood up and trained 50 to 100 miles away, in areas that are peaceful, simply staying in their barracks while we put together new rotations of Americans to take their place, simply doesnt make sense, he said.
Syria has disrupted efforts to free kidnapped IDF soldier Cpl. Gilad Shalit and interfered with attempts to defuse Israel's ongoing conflict with the Palestinians, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said Monday. 
Declaring that Israel was not "coming to terms" with Kassam rocket fire, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz said Monday he was not currently in favor of launching a massive ground operation into the Gaza Strip to stop the daily rocket attacks on towns in the western Negev. 
The international community must reject the Palestinian claim to the Shaba farms because it contradicts the Road Map, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said in a lecture at London's International Institute for Strategic Studies on Monday night. Livni also called on moderate Middle Eastern countries to join together and work to neutralize the extremist elements in the region, Israel Radio reported. 
According to sources close to Defense Minister Amir Peretz, the defense minister has been interested in meeting Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas for some time, but Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has asked to be the first to meet the PA president, Israel Radio reported. The sources said that since the proposed meeting between Olmert and Abbas kept getting postponed, Peretz took matters into his own hands and called Abbas. They added that Peretz planned to be in touch with Abbas again in the future, but that the defense minister would not hold negotiations with him. 
Former Palestinian prime minister Ahmed Qurei, who was in Damascus, said Monday that a Palestinian unity government would be established within a few days, Israel Radio reported. Qurei met with Syrian Vice President Farouk al-Sharaa, who promised all the aid necessary to establish the new government. Qurei added that after the unity government was established, there would be reforms in the PLO. Qurei's statements seemed to contradict an earlier report by Abbas aide Nabil Amr, who said Monday that talks over the unity government had been suspended due to disagreements between Fatah and Hamas.
The US government Monday expressed renewed support for Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora, whose embattled government faces growing pressure from pro-Syrian factions. Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hizbullah, stoked the crisis Sunday by suggesting early elections and threatening to stage demonstrations by his supporters. "We support the elected government of Prime Minister Saniora and we're going to continue to work with them to help them move forward on a broad range of issues that we've got with them," US State Department spokesman Tom Casey said Monday.
Book says Mohamed engaged in terrorism for two decades
