An appropriate Memorial Day story at WaPo. Must-read.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/30/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
This event in history had a butterfly effect on US military. The first attempt was not resolved but the second was clearly a determined effort of closure. The loser loses.
#2
...I'm about 1/2 done writing a book about this story, so seeing this was quite interesting. I've got to point out though that there have been intermittent efforts to recover the remains over the years, and after the last ones - right around the time of Operation Eldorado Canyon in 1986 - the Libyans said that "the Italians must have moved the bodies" in the 30s. Sadly, it's likely that they were disinterred and destroyed as revenge for Eldorado Canyon.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
05/30/2011 9:58 Comments ||
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#3
MK that is a timely peace of work you have. The Barbary pirates and the early 1900's is allot of history to tell. That's why I visit here you never know who might be out there. I will blow a puff of wind your way to help you along (butterfly effect).
#4
The story of the Barbary Wars will remain buried because it doesn't fit the PC indoctrination of the ruling caste. Africans conducting piracy and slaving of American sailors and travelers. Those they couldn't ransom, they sold into slavery. Remember white people can only the be bad guy and no other narrative is tolerated.
You better believe it. From my book, a brief epilogue about Yusuf Bey Karamanli , the Dey of Tripoli these men so bravely fought:
"...Brother Yusef Bey, on the other hand, seems to have enjoyed life for almost three more decades. He did pretty much keep to his word on not molesting US shipping, though with Yusef one could never be quite sure. There were some fairly substantial challenges to his rule - most notably by two plucky relatives named Mehmed and Mehmed ibn Ali, who between them took a crack at Yusef an astounding five times. On the other hand, Yusef doesnt seem to have been too hard on them - not the usual way one dealt with recalcitrant family members in that part of the world, but Yusef seems to have taken it in stride. By 1819 though, the corsairs were almost all gone and this would have put something of a crimp in Yusefs ability to maintain the lifestyle to which he had become accustomed. Searching for new sources of income Yusef hit upon one that, sadly, may still be found in some parts of the world - the slave trade, in particular the sub-Saharan variant of that vile custom. Yusef was no fool - although the United Kingdom and the United States had banned the slave trade in 1807 and 1808 respectively, in Africa the horrors continued well into the twentieth century and in some North African countries the practice is officially outlawed but continues in secret. Yusef, however, had no real problems profiting from the misery of others - it was, as the saying goes, nothing personal. Business was good for about ten more years, and then things started to finally and truly go wrong for the Dey of Tripoli. First, the British, who were asserting themselves in Africa, declared the slave trade piracy in 1827 - punishable, by the way, by Death - and in 1833 banned slavery outright. The Royal Navy grimly hunted down slave traders foolish enough to take their cargo to sea, and even Yusef knew better than to challenge the might of the most powerful fleet on the planet. Slaves were still bought and sold to Tripolis south, but less and less money could be gained from that particular market. The game was not quite up for Yusef, but he could see it coming - assuming he wanted to, which apparently he did not. The silks, the jewels, and the palaces stayed, but the glory of Tripoli fled. The Tripolitian economy began to nosedive, aggravated by Yusefs unwillingness to acknowledge the obvious. By 1830, Yusef was now in his mid-60s, no longer the terror he had been thirty years before and refusing to admit the world had changed. Rulers in that position tend to discover that there are wolves circling, and Yusef was no different. And in the best traditions of that sort of thing, the wolves were already in his fold.
Yusef had three sons, who were probably every bit as cruel, despotic, and hedonistic as their father. And each of them was quite sure that he deserved to sit on the throne of Tripoli, spending a great deal of time and theoretically secret effort on making sure they were the ones who prevailed. As with most despotic courts each one had a small group of followers, who eventually coalesced into three factions that were gunning to make their man Dey. The intrigues and plots would have been fascinating to observe were it not for the fact that the losers would have at best found themselves in exile or at worst found themselves kneeling before a chopping block in Tripoli town while a herald reminded the onlookers of the fate of traitors and a hooded executioner stood behind a scimitar. But by 1832, Yusef seems to have finally realized that the old days were gone for good, and if he allowed his sons to get into an uncontrolled fight for what was left, he might very well be the first casualty. So, at the age of 66, Yusef pulled off what he hoped would be his greatest coup - he abdicated and appointed his son Ali II as Dey of Tripoli, Ali apparently having impressed his father with his skill, charisma, and cunning, not to mention the almost certain promise that Yusef would be allowed to live out his life in unmolested peace.
All in all, not a bad plan on Yusefs part, and had things been slightly different in that part of the world, he might have pulled it off. Unfortunately, Alis siblings did not take the news of their brothers rise to power with the equanimity and decency that Yusef had hoped. They rose up against Ali and a full-blown civil war broke out, aided and abetted by the Two Mehmets who had so bedeviled Yusef in the past. What happened next is slightly unclear, but troops from the Ottoman Empire - then undergoing one of its periodic moments of lucidity during its long decline - came in 1835 to keep the peace. There is the possibility that Ali got just a little too clever for his own good and invited the Ottomans in, thinking that they would be kind enough to conquer his country back for him. If so, it was a bad idea. The Ottomans promptly deposed Ali and set up their own governor, writing finis to the saga of the Karamanli dynasty. Yusef himself survived for three more years, finally dying quite peacefully and in bed in 1838. One may safely assume that there were a great many sailors and Marines who were not at all unhappy to see him off to commune with the Prophet."
Change a few dates and names and it would be hard to tell that two hundred and eight years have passed.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
05/30/2011 14:20 Comments ||
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#6
Interesting. Quite well written, Mike -- I'd be interested in seeing more. Let us know where to get it when it goes to publication, please.
#8
Miss TW, coming from you that is one of the nicest compliments I could have asked for. It's called To Barbary's Far Shore, and I'm hoping to have it in print in early 2012. My previous book, The Long Patrol (about the CSS H.L. Hunley) is available through amazon.com.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
05/30/2011 16:04 Comments ||
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#9
Hey Mike - you have a ISBN number for that The Long Patrol book you mentioned. Found several in Amazon - from Vietnam to Burma to Battlestar Gallactica...
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
05/30/2011 17:37 Comments ||
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#12
MK I was thinking of what you said as I read your work "Change a few dates and names and it would be hard to tell that two hundred and eight years have passed". El Quaddafi and Yusef are so similar old warriors trapped in the old days and old ways. Warrior is a stretch but they believe they are something like stolen valor.
Old men in Pakistan sending young men off to die in a foreign land.
[Tolo News] Suicide attacks that lead to the death of top police general in the north were plotted and organised outside Afghan borders, Karzai's Spokesman said on Sunday.
The orders come from the ISI, and the dregs of the madrassahs are given no choice in the matter. What they want to do is engage in lots of gun sex in the general direction of the kaffirs, acquire a small but attractive scar as proof, and marry a nice girl with a big dowry when they get home.
At a presser President Karzai's Spokesman said all the existing documents indicate that all the suicide kabooms are organised outside the borders of Afghanistan.
The suicide attack targeting governor's palace on Saturday in northern Takhar province that lead to the death of six people, including senior police commander in the north General Dawood Dawood and provincial Police Chief Shah Jahan Noori, was plotted outside Afghan borders.
"Once again it retains the truthfulness of Afghans. No Afghans sketch such kind of attacks inside the country and all the evidence show that the attacks are organised and directed from outside Afghanistan. They take Dire Revenge from Afghans in the most cruel way," Karzai's Spokesman Waheed Omar said.
International community's recklessness towards terrorist sanctuaries outside Afghan borders has caused Afghans to pay with their blood being shed in terrorist attacks, Mr Omar said.
"Because of our international friends being heedless towards terrorist havens, training and equipment centres and locations where such sort of attacks are organised, Afghans pay a high price," Omar said.
He said President Karzai calls for calm over the Takhar suicide attack.
President Karzai had left for his four-day visit to Turkmenistan, but after the Takhar incident took place, the President cut short his visit and returned to the country.
Afghan Senate House sees the death of senior Afghan officials in Takhar province as an irrecoverable loss in the country.
Criticising the government's peace talks with the Taliban, the Senate House asked why suicide attackers haven't been brought to justice.
The increase in suicide kabooms is an achievement of the High Peace Council, a number of senators said criticising the grinding of the peace processor.
"Jalalabad suicide attacker that rubbed out a huge number of innocent Afghans and was jugged alive, has not yet faced punishment," Mohammad Alam Ezedyar, a member of Senate House, said.
Senator Khaleq Balaghi blamed the attack in Takhar on the Chief of the High Peace Council Burhanuddin Rabbani ... the legitimate president of Afghanistan... and crtiticised him for cosying to the government.
Another Afghan Senator, Belqis Roshan, said: "This is a hard slap at the face of credulous officials who think they can bring peace to Afghanistan. I wish their own sons were killed in the incident, not of those innocent people."
Senators say Afghan cops are not able to curb suicide attacks.
"What are they doing? Perhaps they are playing chess or gambling. Insurgent attacks are increasing, but Afghan security officials are not working to clear insurgency and improve security in the country," Mawlawi Mohammad Faizi, Afghan Senator, said.
Senators say the government counterterrorism strategy is failing and if it goes on like this, suicide attackers might even infiltrate into presidential palace and the national council.
Leader of Change and Hope Coalition Dr Abdullah strongly criticised the government's peace talks with the Taliban and said Pak intelligence agency is making efforts to kill prominent Afghan government officials.
Hajji Mohammad Mohaqiq leader of Islamic Unity (Wahdat) party condemned the Takhar suicide attack in strong terms and said the incident has broken the backbone of the government.
Meanwhile, ...back at the secret hideout, Scarface Al sneeringly put his proposition to little Nell... university students in northern Balkh province cancelled their classes for a day to mourn the death of Gen. Dawood Dawood.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/30/2011 00:00 ||
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[Tolo News] The team assigned to probe into Kabul Bank crisis seeks prosecution for former Kabul Bank leadership and officials in Afghanistan's Central Bank over being reckless before the bank sank into crisis.
The delegation appointed by President Hamid Maybe I'll join the Taliban Karzai said that the National Directorate of Security and corruption watchdog had warned Afghanistan's Central Bank about mismanagement in Kabul Bank about one year before the crisis, but the central bank paid no heed to the issue.
Investigations into Kabul Bank indicate that officials in central Bank and former leadership of Kabul Bank had acted without consideration of banking regulations and they should be held responsible, the delegation said.
"There is no doubt that Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB) has huge responsibilities," Head of the High Office of Oversight and Anti-Corruption Azizullah Ludin said.
The Kabul Bank audit delegation warned other private banks will also be investigated if they fail to pursue banking regulations.
Kabul Bank shareholders will remain under a travel ban until they have cleaned their accounts and pay the whole loans to the bank.
The Kabul Bank audit delegation declined to name people involved in the big banking crisis in the country, but said some parliamentarians and government officials are also involved in the case.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/30/2011 00:00 ||
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[Emirates 24/7] Afghanistan's Caped PresidentHamid Maybe I'll join the Taliban Karzai ... A former Baltimore restaurateur, now 12th and current President of Afghanistan, displacing the legitimate president Rabbani in December 2004. He was installed as the dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001 in a vain attempt to put a Pashtun face on the successor state to the Taliban. After the 2004 presidential election, he was declared president regardless of what the actual vote count was. He won a second, even more dubious, five-year-term after the 2009 presidential election. His grip on reality has been slipping steadily since around 2007, probably from heavy drug use... called Sunday on the US military to avoid operations that kill Afghan civilians, saying this was his "last warning" to Washington, his office said in a statement.
Reacting to the alleged deaths of 10 children, two women and two men in a US-led air strike on Saturday in the southern province of Helmand, Karzai said such incidents were "murdering Afghanistan's children and women."
"The president called this incident a great mistake and the murdering of Afghanistan's children and women, and on behalf of the Afghan people gives his last warning to the US troops and US officials in this regard," his office said.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/30/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Ya know, looking back on it, we should've nuked that place on 9/12/01.
#3
No comment from Karzai on the US KIA last week however. Or the week before that.
A fine excellent example of typical Muslim loyalty and gratitude. If the US pulled out of Afghanistan, Karzai and him merry band of tribal dope bandits would be dead within hours. Afghanistan is a cesspool of drugs, weapons, and banditry. Nothing will change here, at least until Pakistan is dealt with and even then only slightly. Our betters and astute political scientists in Washington have once again backed the wrong regime.
#6
I don't know, I think an Administration of President Dostum would be just the ticket for Afghanistan, and the Taliban would behave or die under his Administration.
#7
While we are at it infect Karzai's brother's poppy fields with all sorts of nice plant diseases.
Posted by: Water Modem ||
05/30/2011 23:15 Comments ||
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#8
Unfortunately, the 9-11 EVENT = BE THEY COMMIES ANDOR RADICAL ISLAMIST, THE MILTERRS WILL INEVITABLY BE COMING TO ATTACK THE US-WEST. The Islamist Jihad's advance is "creeping" at this time in time, but it will slowly but steadily expand + escalate towards ROUTINE MAJOR TERRSTRIKES WIDIN THE USA = CONUS-NORAM.
9-11 STYLE IFF NOT WORSE.
* 1990's - Pre,Post-911 NET > the antithesis to the US-led GWOT vee Al-Qaeda + Radical Islamism = is inversely RESISTANCE + WAR AGZ THE USA = US-ALLIED. Radical Islam has warned or inferred as much.
Once the Islamist MilTerrs go asymmetrically Nukulaar, "2012" or ASAP shortly thereafter as symbolized by Nuc wannabe Iran, then by extension THE MEXICAN DRUG CARTELS, ETC. FOMENTING VIOLENCE IN NORTHERN MEXI STATES NEAR THE SW US BORDERS [+ starting to shoot at US Border Patrol, ICE, etc] WILL ALSO LIKELY GO ASYMMET NUCLEAR [Hezbollah setting up in the Americas].
Again, ITS NOT JUST LRBMS OR "SUITCASE NUKES" OR SUICIDE BOMBERS, BUT "DUAL USE", NUKE-WMDS CAPABLE UNGUIDED ROCKETS + LR MORTAR ARTY, ETC. i.e. LIGHT, ULTRA-LIGHT = MAN-PORTABLE TACNUCWEAPS which have long been in existence since height of the US-Soviet Cold War.
The MilTerrs' top leadership are typicaly very keen on keeping up wid the latest fads + thingys = miltechs.
E.G. DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > [Times of India] WSJ: TALIBAN INTEND TO TAKE OVER PAKISTAN + ITS NUKES.
The wily PCorrect Talibs have claimed post-PNSMehran they won't attack PAK NUC ARSENAL, BUT FYI STILL INTEND TO JUST WAGE DEDICATED HOLY WAR AGZ THE ALLEGED PRO-US CRUSADER-ZIONIST ISLAMABAD GOVT., + OOOOOPPPPSSSIES [your bad] by definition anything controlled by Same, UNTIL AN "ISLAMIC STATE OF PAKISTAN" IS ACHIEVED.
Political Jihad = takeover Pak's Nukes by electroally taking over or dominating the Govt ala formal non-violent means, e.g. Hezbollah in Lebanon + Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt.
* SAME > PAK NAVY OFFICIAL: ILLYAS KASHMIRI'S AL-QAEDA GROUP CARRIED OUT MEHRAN ATTACK.
* PEOPLE'S DAILY FORUM > AL-QAEDA HAVE RECRUITS IN PAK NAVY?, i.e. among Pak military Recruits + regular Servicemembers.
PAK Navy becoming increasingly "islamized/
radicalized".
And remember, the Pak Navy desires modern Surface Warships + espec SSKS Submarines capable of firing Nuclear-armed Torpedoes, NLCMS, + LACMS agz "the Indjuh Threat" [India].
* NEWS KERALA > KARACHI ATTACK: PAK NAVY BLAMES AIR FORCE FOR POOR SECURITY.
#9
Unfortunately, the 9-11 EVENT = BE THEY COMMIES ANDOR RADICAL ISLAMIST, THE MILTERRS WILL INEVITABLY BE COMING TO ATTACK THE US-WEST. The Islamist Jihad's advance is "creeping" at this time in time, but it will slowly but steadily expand + escalate towards ROUTINE MAJOR TERRSTRIKES WIDIN THE USA = CONUS-NORAM.
9-11 STYLE IFF NOT WORSE.
* 1990's - Pre,Post-911 NET > the antithesis to the US-led GWOT vee Al-Qaeda + Radical Islamism = is inversely RESISTANCE + WAR AGZ THE USA = US-ALLIED. Radical Islam has warned or inferred as much.
Once the Islamist MilTerrs go asymmetrically Nukulaar, "2012" or ASAP shortly thereafter as symbolized by Nuc wannabe Iran, then by extension THE MEXICAN DRUG CARTELS, ETC. FOMENTING VIOLENCE IN NORTHERN MEXI STATES NEAR THE SW US BORDERS [+ starting to shoot at US Border Patrol, ICE, etc] WILL ALSO LIKELY GO ASYMMET NUCLEAR [Hezbollah setting up in the Americas].
Again, ITS NOT JUST LRBMS OR "SUITCASE NUKES" OR SUICIDE BOMBERS, BUT "DUAL USE", NUKE-WMDS CAPABLE UNGUIDED ROCKETS + LR MORTAR ARTY, ETC. i.e. LIGHT, ULTRA-LIGHT = MAN-PORTABLE TACNUCWEAPS which have long been in existence since height of the US-Soviet Cold War.
The MilTerrs' top leadership are typicaly very keen on keeping up wid the latest fads + thingys = miltechs.
E.G. DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > [Times of India] WSJ: TALIBAN INTEND TO TAKE OVER PAKISTAN + ITS NUKES.
The wily PCorrect Talibs have claimed post-PNSMehran they won't attack PAK NUC ARSENAL, BUT FYI STILL INTEND TO JUST WAGE DEDICATED HOLY WAR AGZ THE ALLEGED PRO-US CRUSADER-ZIONIST ISLAMABAD GOVT., + OOOOOPPPPSSSIES [your bad] by definition anything controlled by Same, UNTIL AN "ISLAMIC STATE OF PAKISTAN" IS ACHIEVED.
Political Jihad = takeover Pak's Nukes by electroally taking over or dominating the Govt ala formal non-violent means, e.g. Hezbollah in Lebanon + Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt.
* SAME > PAK NAVY OFFICIAL: ILLYAS KASHMIRI'S AL-QAEDA GROUP CARRIED OUT MEHRAN ATTACK.
* PEOPLE'S DAILY FORUM > AL-QAEDA HAVE RECRUITS IN PAK NAVY?, i.e. among Pak military Recruits + regular Servicemembers.
PAK Navy becoming increasingly "islamized/
radicalized".
And remember, the Pak Navy desires modern Surface Warships + espec SSKS Submarines capable of firing Nuclear-armed Torpedoes, NLCMS, + LACMS agz "the Indjuh Threat" [India].
* NEWS KERALA > KARACHI ATTACK: PAK NAVY BLAMES AIR FORCE FOR POOR SECURITY.
Five generals, two colonels and a major have announced their defection from Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's forces and said Libya's army was now at 20 per cent capacity.
Italian foreign ministry spokesman Maurizio Massari told reporters the officers had deserted thanks to "the careful, competent and determined work of our intelligence service".
"You have made the right choice to abandon a regime without a future," he said as he introduced the officers and representatives of Libya's rebels at a press conference.
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Abdel Rahman Shalgham, a former foreign minister who served as Tripoli's representative at the United Nations before switching sides, said: "These officers are among 120 who left Gaddafi and Libya over the last few days."
Over 400 al-Qaida members have made their way into the Sinai Peninsula, a senior Egyptian security official told the Al-Hayyat satellite television station on Monday.
Egyptian security officials were pursuing the terrorist, who are composed of Palestinians, Beduins and foreign Arab citizens, according to the report. The group was reportedly planning to carry out terror attacks in Egypt, the official said.
Additionally, the terrorists carried out "a number of attacks against [Egyptian] security forces in the Sinai city of El Arish," the official told Al-Hayyat.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Monday also addressed Egypt's security problems in Sinai. "Egypt has had difficulties exercising its sovereignty over Sinai," he said at a meeting of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.
"We saw this in the two gas pipe explosions that occurred there," Netanyahu said. "What's happening in Sinai is that global terrorist organizations are meddling there and their presence is increasing because of the connection between Sinai and Gaza."
Over 400 al-Qaeda members have made their way into the Sinai Peninsula, a senior Egyptian security official told the Al-Hayyat satellite television station on Monday.
Egyptian security officials were pursuing the terrorist, who are composed of Paleostinians, Beduins and foreign Arab citizens, according to the report. The group was reportedly planning to carry out terror attacks in Egypt, the official said.
Additionally, the beturbanned goons carried out "a number of attacks against [Egyptian] security forces in the Sinai city of El Arish," the official told Al-Hayyat.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Monday also addressed Egypt's security problems in Sinai. "Egypt has had difficulties exercising its illusory sovereignty over Sinai," he said at a meeting of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.
"We saw this in the two gas pipe kabooms that occurred there," Netanyahu said. "What's happening in Sinai is that global terrorist organizations are meddling there and their presence is increasing because of the connection between Sinai and Gazoo."
TRIPOLI, Libya If Moammar Gaddafi ever needs a legal defense team at The Hague, he may already have his men.
Former French foreign minister Roland Dumas, whose career was plagued by scandal and who served as an attorney for Saddam Hussein, turned up in Tripoli on Sunday alongside Jacques Verges, a man nicknamed the Devils Advocate for defending some of the worlds most notorious figures, including Klaus Barbie and Carlos the Jackal.
They came to the Libyan capital to take up a case against NATO on behalf of 13 families who say their relatives have been killed in alliance airstrikes. The pair said they were also ready to defend Libyas leader at the International Criminal Court if needed and invited.
In that case we would say yes, the 88-year-old Dumas said. But we believe it will not happen.
ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo has asked judges to issue arrest warrants against Gaddafi and two senior regime members, alleging crimes against humanity during a brutal crackdown on unrest.
Dumas and Verges also showed up in Ivory Coast in late 2010 to defend Laurent Gbagbo, the former president who refused to accept his election defeat to Alassane Outtara last year and was eventually arrested in April after a bloody conflict.
Two days after Russia said Gaddafi should leave Libya, the appearance of Dumas and Verges could be seen as an indication of the Libyan leaders growing international isolation.
These two really do seem to be the harbingers of bad times for the average leader-thug. Perhaps they could sign Mugabe and Kimmie?
Dumas resigned as president of Frances Constitutional Court in 1999 after being accused of involvement in a corruption scandal. His mistress went to jail, but he was eventually acquitted. He did, however, serve a 12-month suspended prison sentence in 2007 for misappropriating funds while acting as executor of a will.
At Cambodias genocide tribunal, Verges defended Khmer Rouge head of state Khieu Sampan against charges of involvement in the deaths of up to 2 million people from 1975 to 1979. Barbie, another past client, was an SS captain nicknamed the Butcher of Lyon for torturing and killing thousands of people.
But the lawyer said his eyes filled with tears when he met victims of NATO airstrikes at a Tripoli hospital over the weekend.
If they do not succeed in winning a case against NATO in Europe, Dumas said, the men could take the case to a new international law court being set up in Bolivia in what may be a left-wing attempt to establish a rival to the ICC.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/30/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
what, no Ramsey Clark?
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/30/2011 9:56 Comments ||
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#2
a new international law court being set up in Bolivia in what may be a left-wing attempt to establish a rival to the ICC
This should be interesting. Red on Red.
Does that mean that defendants will be smothered with a pillow die in their cell months earlier than the ICC-usual?
[Maghrebia] United Nations ...an organization whose definition of human rights is interesting, to say the least... Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Counter-Terrorism Martin Scheinin called on Tunisia's interim government to reform the country's counter-terrorism legislation, to comply with international human rights ...which are usually entirely different from personal liberty... law. "I call for measures against impunity to secure accountability for crimes and human rights violations committed in the name of counter-terrorism," Scheinin said Thursday (May 26th) at the end of his five-day visit to Tunisia. "The global threat of terrorism is real and can only be responded to through properly targeted and lawful measures, instead of using the notion of terrorism to suppress dissent."
"Instead of arresting them and stuff, you should invite them for tea and discussion."
Posted by: Fred ||
05/30/2011 00:00 ||
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Of course not. They will only give the people what they ask for.
[Dawn] The Moslem Brüderbund wants a diverse parliament after elections in September and is not seeking to impose Islamic law on Egypt, the head of the group's newly formed political party said in an interview.
The Brotherhood, which has emerged as a powerful force after years of repression under ousted President Hosni Mubarak ...The former President-for-Life of Egypt, dumped by popular demand in early 2011... , has said it does not want a parliamentary majority, although rivals see it as well placed for a dominant position.
With secular politicians struggling to mount a challenge, Western investors are concerned about what a shift to an Islamic-leaning government would mean for Egypt, which relies on receipts from Western and other tourists and where tension between Mohammedans and the Christian minority have flared.
"We only use Islam as the basis of our party ... which means that our general framework is Islamic sharia ... We don't issue religious rules in individual cases," said Mohamed Mursi, head of the Brotherhood's newly formed Justice and Freedom Party, which will contest the vote.
Liberal Egyptians in particular worry that the group could use for its own ends the second article of Egypt's constitution, which makes sharia, Islamic law, a main source of legislation.
Egypt's military rulers suspended the old constitution and introduced an interim one, but that article was unchanged.
Mursi, speaking in the group's new five-storey headquarters in Mokattem on the outskirts of Cairo, dismissed such worries.
"We want to engage in a dialogue not a monologue," he said.
"The Brotherhood does not seek to control the parliament ... We want a strong parliament ... with different political forces."
But he said Islamic law could have a place in a civil state in Egypt, where about 10 per cent of the 80 million population are Christians.
"Islamic sharia guarantees the rights of all people,
For certain definitions of rights and people, at any rate...
Mohammedans and non-Mohammedans," he said.
Mursi said he would stick by the Brotherhood's pledge not to field a presidential candidate or support any Brotherhood member running, as one has already said he will do.
"The group said it will not field a candidate for the presidency or support one if decides to do so independently," he said.
"Of course if our 'independent' brother just happens to win, why insh'allan."
Posted by: Fred ||
05/30/2011 00:00 ||
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Venezuela and China will develop an observation satellite to be built in Asia and launched from South America in 2012, according to Venezuela's science and technology minister.
Once you have a rocket that can lift a satellite into low-earth orbit, you have a rocket that can launch warheads at countries a few thousand miles away. Hugo and Iran are, coincidentally, building a rocket base in northwest Venezuela.
Ricardo Menendez said Thursday that the earth-observation satellite, to be built at a cost of $140 million, would be used to monitor troop movements and illegal mining as well as study climate change and the environment.
"We will have a satellite with the ability to monitor our territory 24 hours a day," he told reporters at the unveiling of the project. "The Venezuelan state will monitor the development and impact of natural phenomena such as earthquakes, floods and heavy rainfall," he added.
And neighboring states like Colombia, so that Hugo can provide some warning to FARC.
The contract was signed by the Venezuelan ministry and the state-owned China Great Wall Industry Corporation.
The launch was set for October 2012, four years after the launch of the "Simon Bolivar," the first-ever Venezuelan satellite, named for the Latin American independence hero and also built with Chinese aid.
"As with the first satellite, the second will be made available to other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean," Menendez said.
The two countries have forged close economic ties in recent years as leftist Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has sought to reduce dependence on Washington. China has bought up invested heavily in Venezuela's oil, gas and mining sectors in recent years and has sold Caracas 18 Chinese K-8 fighter jets.
Which Caracas is going to pay for by granting China more mineral rights, ever so much more clever than dealing with Los Gringos.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/30/2011 00:00 ||
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Mexican Army unit seized 3,722 kilograms of marijuana, 936 kilograms of opium gum, six kilograms of cocaine and one kilogram of methamphetamine in several different counternarcotics operations and arrests since May22nd.
Detachments of the Mexican 15th Military Zone conducted five raids in the state of Jalisco May 22nd and seized drugs and weapons.
In Tequila an army units seized 300 kilograms of marijuana and two rifles.
In the village of Nextipac in Zapopan municipality, an army detachment seized one kilogram of marijuana, 560 rounds of ammunition and two motorcycles.
In the village of El Balastreal in Pihuamo municipality, an army units seized six kilograms of marijuana, one kilogram of marijuana seeds, one pistol, four weapons magazines, 37 rounds of ammunition and radio equipment.
In the village of La Antenao in Ciudad Guzmän municipality, an army detachment seized 90 kilograms of marijuana, three rifles,four pistols, four weapons magazines, 150 rounds of ammunition.
In the village of San Isidro in Pihuamo municipality, an army unit seized two rifles, two shotguns, 15 fragmentation grenades, 296 rounds of ammunition and one armored vehicle.
A detachment of the Mexican 13th Military Zone raided a location in the town of Rosamorada, Nayrit May 23rd in the 18 de Marzo colony which had a secret drug lab. Two unidentified men were arrested and seized contraband included 79 kilograms of opium gum, two vehicles, two pistols, two weapons magazines, 14 rounds of ammunition and drug making equipment.
A second raid at a residence in the same colony netted 17 kilograms of opium gum.
An army unit arrested ten armed suspects in the Petromex de Poza Rica colony in Platon Sanche, Veracruz May 22nd. The arrests including seizures of four rifles, one handgun, 30 weapons magazines, 1,458 rounds of ammunition, three vehicles and MP $2,000.00 (USD $172.14).
Mexican Army soldiers seized 480 kilograms of marijuana and one kilogram of methamphetamine in two separate incidents in Tijuana, Baja California May 23rd.
The first seizure took place on Privada Real de la Gloria in the Santa Fe colony of the 1st Section of San Antonio de los Buenos Delegation. There soldiers found 480 kilograms of marijuana, two shotguns and 24 rounds of shotgun ammunition.
In the second incident at El Centinela checkpoint soldiers arrested an individual
who was abaord a bus who was carrying one kilogram of methamphetamine.
Elements of the Mexican 15th Military Zone concluded a military counternarcotics sweep in Jalisco May 24 which began May 19th,and included the area from Ciudad Guzman municipality to the borders with Colima and Michoacan.
Seized in the operations were four rifles, seven pistols, one grenade launcher attachment, 23 weapons magazine, 951 rounds of ammunition, 15 fragmentary grenades, seven 40mm grenades, 256 kilograms of marijuana, 21 kilograms of marijuana seeds and one armored vehicle.
A detachment of the Mexican 5th Military Zone conducted a raid at a residence in the Adolfo Lopez Mateos colony in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua May 24th arresting six and seizing a number of drug and weapons.
Seized contraband included two rifles, one handgun, two weapons magazines, 272 rounds of ammunition, eight kilograms of marijuana, three vehicles and two motorcycles.
Units of the Mexican 15th Military Zone dismantled two narcotics laboratories in Jalisco May 26th.
In the village of Los Hornos in Tamazula de Gordiano municipality, an army unit seized 1,400 liters of glycerin, 1,200 liters of toluene, 800 liters of hydrochloric acid, 800 liters of anhydride, 300 kilograms of caustic soda, 200 kilograms of tartaric acid and lab equipment. The total weight of the chemicals seized was 4.5 metric tons.
In the village of El Chayote in Tecalitlan municipality army units found 10 kilograms of marijuana, two 12 gauge shotguns and one .22 caliber rifle.
A detachment of the Mexican 11th Military Zone fought a brief gun battle with armed suspects killing three suspects in Florencia de Benito Juarez municipality in Zacatecas May 26th. Seized in the aftermath were eight rifles including a .50 caliber rifle, 125 weapons magazines, 2,807 rounds of ammunition, four hand grenades, nine bulletproof vests, and 10 Molotov cocktails.
A detachment of the Mexican Military Zone seized a large quantity of marijuana and weapons in a traffic stop in Durango May 26th. The stop took place in Los Terrenos colony in Tepehuanes where three vehicles carrying suspects were stopped. Seven individuals were placed under arrest. Seized material included two rifles, five handguns, eight weapons magazines, 80 rounds of ammunition, 7.9 kilograms marijuana seed and three vehicles.
A detachment of the Mexican 23rd Motorized Cavalry Regiment arrested two individuals and seized a quantity of drugs and weapons. The arrest took place as the unit was on patrol in the Villas Lomas Altas colony of Mexicali, Baja California May 27th. Seized material included 20 kilograms of marijuana, a small amount of methamphetamine, a Ford Expedition SUV and a Toyota Forerunner SUV.
A unit of the Mexican 2nd Military Zone arrested two individuals in possession of drugs in Tijuana, Baja California May 27th. The army unit was dispatched to the Costa Azul colony on Avenida Paseo Playas in Tijuana on a complaint of drug sales. Seized contraband included 4 kilograms of methamphetamine and $15,200.00 in cash.
A detachment of the Mexican 35th Military Zone fought a gun battle with armed suspects killing one and seizing a number of weapons May 27th in Guerrero. The unit was on patrol in Iguala when they were fired on by an known number of armed suspects. Weapons seized following the attack include two rifles, 19 weapons magazines, 433 rounds of ammunition, one bulletproof vest and one vehicle.
A unit of the Mexican 13th Military Zone raided a criminal camp in Rosamorada municipality May 28th seizing one sedan, three motorcycles, two handguns, 847 rounds of ammunition, 98 rounds of ammunition and tactical gear.
The Mexican 8th Military Zone concluded counternarcotics operations in Tamauliaps starting May 22nd and ending May 28th killing a total of eight suspects, arresting 18 suspects and seizing drugs and weapons. Seized contraband include 2,830 kilogras of marijuana, six kilograms of cocaine, 151 rifles, 48 pistols, one grenade launcher, one grenade, 20,966 rounds of ammunition, 708 weapons magazines, 28 vehicles and tactical gear.
#4
Except that drugs tend to be highly addictive - often making the user little more than a slave of their addiction.
And lets not forget that the user is often not the only one's harmed. Wives, Husbands, Children, Siblings, Mothers and Fathers get to 'enjoy' the user's slow slide down oblivion.
#5
Except that drugs tend to be highly addictive - often making the user little more than a slave of their addiction.
I've been hooked on caffeine and nicotine for 50 years. Both Bill and Bright Pebbles are correct. The point at issue is which one is saner and whose policy is more likely to be adopted. My money is with BP.
"The majority of first-time users become addicted on their first contact with the drug. Most of them go seven to 10 days without sleeping, without eating. They start to go into a process of degeneration. After months of use they go into a state where they look like zombies, wandering in search of pleasure."
New and cheap big problem in Brazil. Wild Bill is correct. The only way to stop this sort of thing. Allowing it enables it.
Authorities in Tatarstan are sounding the alarm about the spread of Islamism to a region previously considered a model of religious tolerance.
In November, three Islamists were killed in an armed clash with police that was unprecedented in the region. This caused fears of the appearance of armed rebellion similar to that in the North Caucasus. After the attack, the region's interior minister Asgat Safarov warned, "These insurgents from radical religious movements have arms, financing and support from foreign protectors."
In April, four men were convicted of "belonging to the extremist organisation" Hizb ut-Tahrir al-Islami, banned in Russia in 2003. They were sentenced to several years in jail, despite being accused only of distributing radical literature.
"Many students who are trained in the Arab world come back heavily influenced by an ideology that is alien to our Islam," said Marat Gatin, an official in charge of inter-religious relations in the administration of the president of Tatarstan.
Ildus Faizov, the newly elected mufti of Tatarstan, said in an interview, "The Salafis and Wahhabis constitute a very great danger. There are no moderates among them. They all finish one day by taking up arms."
Elected in April after the resignation of his predecessor, who was thought too lenient towards Islamists, mufti Faizov has begun a crackdown on extremist Muslim clergy in the republic. Imams are no longer freely elected but chosen from a list of candidates picked by the mufti. Many imams have already been dismissed.
One of the first forced out was Nail Sakhibzyanov, an imam from the Almetyevsk district, considered an Islamist stronghold. From the Rizaetdin Fakhretdin central mosque in Almetyevsk, he said, "On April 30, the FSB (security services), police and local administrators gathered the district imams at the town hall and forced them to publicly vote me out. It was the FSB who sacked me, not the faithful."
Sakhibzyanov sees no harm in associating with Wahhabis and other fundamentalists, whom he believes are wrongly accused of being a threat. "We are all Muslims," he declared.
In the capital of Tatarstan, Kazan, where it is rare to see a woman wearing even a headscarf, some are sceptical that Islamists could pose a threat. The imam of Kazan's Sultan mosque, Kamil Bikchentayev asserted, "There are disagreements over doctrine, but there is no growth in extremism. Tatarstan will not become another North Caucasus."
Citing the "tradition of tolerance towards Islam in Tatarstan," he refused to condemn Wahhabis or the jailed members of Hizb ut-Tahrir, whom he said "were convicted simply for having read books."
Alexei Malashenko, an expert from the Carnegie Center in Moscow, also dismissed what he sees as a witch hunt against a non-existent threat. "In Tatarstan, they are getting rid of radicals who in fact do not exist. It is ridiculous to talk of a threat from Salafis," he said.
Because nothing says resolve in dealing with terrorism like forming a commission!
LAHORE: Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has said that the government is aware of its democratic responsibilities and an independent commission on Abbottabad incident would be constituted shortly as per the demand of the opposition, adding that there are no deadlines in politics as democracy teaches reasoning and adjustment.
During a meeting with senior journalists at his residence on Sunday, he said, Unilateral acts like Abbottabad incident will not be acceptable to us, and added that he himself moved a resolution in NA against drone attacks.
About the drone attacks, the premier said no compromise would be made on the sovereignty and self-respect of the country, adding that drone attacks were counter- productive as these united the Taliban who were separated as a result of the efforts of the government. Replying to a query regarding the ISI-CIA relations, he said that the estranged relations between the two intelligence agencies had been repaired to a great extent.
The prime minister said the government had sought US assistance to overcome load shedding in the country for providing immediate relief to masses. He said that the US leadership had assured assistance to the Pakistani government in providing cheap electricity to masses.
So first he condemns us, then he asks for our help and our cash...
Gilani said that he has asked the US leadership for more trade than aid, adding that market access to the Pakistani businessmen would strengthen the countrys economy.
Regarding US Secretary of State Hillary Clintons recent visit, he said that Hillary Clinton and Senator John Kerry had supported Pakistans stance on the recent Abbottabad incident. He said that the US administration had not alleged Pakistan of incompetence or complacency in the Osama bin Laden killing case, adding that these statements were issued by some of the US generals.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/30/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Couldn't be any more of a whitewash than the 911 Commission.
NEW DELHI - India is expected to press Pakistan to authenticate the 110-km actual ground position line (AGPL) along the Siachen Glacier-Saltoro ridge in Jammu and Kashmir when their defence secretaries meet here for two days beginning Monday.
The talks on the worlds highest battlefield between Indian Defence Secretary Pradeep Kumar and his Pakistani counterpart, Lt.Gen. (retd.) Syed Athar Ali, are being held after a gap of four years and are part of the two nations larger effort to resolve outstanding issues between them, a defence ministry official said here Sunday.
The two countries have decided to resume their dialogue, which was put on hold after the November 2008 Mumbai terror attack, following meetings between their prime ministers in Thimpu in April 2010. The foreign secretaries and home secretaries of the neighbours have met since February this year and now it is the turn of the defence secretaries.
The defence secretary-level talks between India and Pakistan on Siachen began in 1985 following discussions between then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi and then Pakistani president Gen. Zia-ul-Haq in Oman and New Delhi.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/30/2011 00:00 ||
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[Geo TV] Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman Deobandi holy man, known as Mullah Diesel during the war against the Soviets, his sympathies for the Taliban have never been tempered by honesty ... has said that Pakistain was passing through its history's most crucial time and added that even the bearded and turbaned persons were also facing insecurity,
Addressing Ulema Convention under the aegis of JUI-F here, Maulana Fazlur Rahman said that the religious group was directly affected by the spate of recent insecurity, while the terror incidents were being linked with the 'deeni madaris'.
He said that JUI-F was being pushed to the defensive position. He further said that the US wanted to occupy the resources of the nations and usurp their freedom.
Maulana Fazlur Rahman said that terrorism in Afghanistan escalated instead of being controlled after the US invasion.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/30/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
One thing that you can say about the axis of evil is that they stick together. A 2nd thing that you can say is that Bambi is doing little to topple them....
Posted by: Mike Ramsey ||
05/30/2011 11:25 Comments ||
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"Anything you can do,
I can do better,
I can do anything better than you."
[Iran Press TV] The Iranian Parliament has released a full list of 26 US officials wanted by Tehran for various crimes ranging from rights violations to acts of terror to involvement in drug-trafficking.
Spokesmen for the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Kazem Jalali said on Sunday that the motion to impose sanctions on and prosecute certain American officials was unanimously adopted.
The officials on the list include commander of US forces in Iraq Raymond Odierno, USS Vincennes Captain Will Rogers III, former FBI chief Thomas J. Pickard, and the former commander of the US detention facility at Guantanamo Bay Geoffrey D. Miller, Jalali said.
Current Guantanamo commander Rear Admiral Jeffery Harbeson and former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld have also been sanctioned by Tehran, the Iranian politician added.
Pickard is wanted for rights violations over his involvement in the siege of the Branch Davidian complex in Waco, Texas in 1993, and the death of over 80 of the cult's followers. He is also wanted for human rights ...not to be confused with individual rights, mind you... violations during his tenure as the CIA station chief in Afghanistan and Iraq in 2003.
Miller, who commanded the US prison at Guantanamo Bay between 2002 and 2007, is charged with torture of inmates, while Harbeson is charged in connection with human rights violations at the detention center since 2010.
Rogers will have sanctions imposed on him over the killing of 290 Iranian civilians onboard Iran Air Flight 655, which was shot down by the USS Vincennes on July 3, 1988.
Rumsfeld, who was the US secretary of defense from 1975 to 1977 and from 2001 to 2006, is also on the list for the killing of thousands of civilians in the US-led wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. He is also charged in connection with human rights violations and torture at two notorious prisons, Abu Ghraib in Iraq and Bagram in Afghanistan.
Paul Bremer, the US administrator in Iraq from May 2003 to June 2004, and General Tommy Franks, who led the US invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, are also on the list of US officials that the Iranian parliament plans to impose sanctions on.
Earlier this month, Amnesia Amnesty International censured the US for its indefinite detentions of suspects in Afghanistan and at the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba.
In October 2010, the United Nations ...Parkinson's Law on an international scale... Human Rights Council issued a report in which it expressed serious concern about human rights violations in the United States.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/30/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Well, the list seems thoughtful enough.
But somehow they seem to have left W off the list.
Posted by: Bobby ||
05/30/2011 8:50 Comments ||
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#2
Hmmmmmmmmmm. They must be afraid of Cheney too.
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.
[Tolo News] The team assigned to probe into Kabul Bank crisis seeks prosecution for former Kabul Bank leadership and officials in Afghanistan's Central Bank over being reckless before the bank sank into crisis. 
TRIPOLI, Libya If Moammar Gaddafi ever needs a legal defense team at The Hague, he may already have his men.
[Geo TV] Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F (JUI-F) chief 
